“Oh,” I say, thoughts churning in my head. What if I pass through my Ring Gate and grow horns or three tails or something? I don’t know if I’m ready for that. Yeah, some cool abilities would be epic, but what if I end up with something lame or gross?
“I hope my power isn’t turning demons inside out,” I say, wrinkling my nose before glancing over at Crux. “No offense.”
“None taken,” he replies smoothly. “It’s fucking messy.”
Jerif rolls his eyes at him.
I shove all thoughts about my parents and their potential demon status in a closet and shut the door. Let’s deal with one thing at a time, Delta. First we’ll figure out where I’m from, then I can figure out whether or not to freak the fuck out about it and how it impacts everything I think I know.
“Okay,” I say, looking around at them. I release a resigned exhale and pep talk myself into just ripping the Band-Aid off. “Just...don’t let me fucking die, okay? I don’t want to get to Hell and burn to death or get chained to some Jabba demon thingy and live out the rest of my life as some gold-bikini-wearing slave.”
“What the hell is a Jabba demon?” Jerif demands as he sips daintily from his mug and gives me judgy eyes.
“Forget about it. My point is, I’m counting on you guys to bring me back here in one piece.” Hopefully without horns or tails or anything that makes me look trollish. I cross my fingers and start a steady chant of please let me be a Trēs demon like Echo.
“We won’t let anything happen to you,” Iceman promises. “And as soon as we know what you are, we can induct you as our fifth, and we can begin to train you properly. By the time we’re done, you’ll be able to hold your own, and if what you did yesterday is any indication, I have full faith that you can rise to the challenge.”
I give him a soft smile, grateful for his belief in me. It means a lot, even if I am still freaked out.
“Are you ready?”
“Shit. Now?” I ask, a tinge of whiny-voice threatening to leak out. I really don’t want to go to Hell. I mean, people talk about Hell as a curse word, as a worst-case scenario. It’s a little daunting, and that’s minus all of the this will change your entire world shit that’s now breathing down the back of my neck.
Iceman’s mouth twitches with amusement. “Yes, now. We’ve already left the Gate for too long, and if you’re ready to start, then I see no point in waiting.”
“Fine,” I groan. “Just let me grab some coffee first,” I say as I get up and head for the kitchen and grab a cup of whatever Jerif brewed in the industrial espresso machine.
I have a feeling I’m going to need a lot of caffeine for this, so I down two full cups before shoving a package of mini muffins into my mouth, and then I look around at my beautiful kitchen and promise to come back soon so I can fully appreciate it. I give Fern some water on my way out before patting her leaf and grabbing my scythe.
“Ready?” Echo asks, holding the door open.
Nope, but I can’t ignore what I am, and my life has to be on this course for a reason, so I might as well see it through. “Hell, here I come,” I announce as I close the distance between me and Echo. I give him a teasing smile. “Wait. Shouldn’t I get a handbasket for this trip or something?”
20
I stand inside the mausoleum, and I have to swipe my sweaty palms on my jeans so that I don’t lock my grip on my walking stick-scythe. It’s bladeless right now, and I still haven’t figured out exactly how to activate the blades, but it makes me feel better just to hold it.
“Remind me again exactly what we’re going to do.”
They’ve already told me three times on the way over here, but hearing the plan makes it feel safer and saner. Like if I hear it enough, it won’t be so scary. Just another afternoon where I’m visiting Hell and figuring out what kind of demon I am. No biggie.
Iceman looks at me patiently. “We’ll go through the Gate. This time, we’ll go further than last time. We’ll take you all the way to the Vestibule.”
“And the Vestibule is the place where there’s a portal for every Ring of Hell,” I say, regurgitating his previous explanation.
“That’s right,” he replies, ever the supportive demon. “Demons can only enter the portals where they’re from and lower. I’m from Ūnus, or First Ring, so I can enter one, two, three, four, and five. But Crux, since he’s a Trēs—a Third Ring demon—he can only go through the three, four, and five portals. Make sense?”
“Yeah, okay,” I say, wiping my hands yet again. If my palms sweat any more, I’m going to have to put deodorant on them. “And how are we going to find out what Ring I’m from?”
“You’ll attempt to pass through the portals,” Crux answers, bumping my shoulder with his. “You can start with my portal. I’ll go with you. If you can pass through that one, we know you’re at least a Trēs.”
“Then Jerif will take you through Duo,” Echo adds. I notice that Jerif isn’t the one to offer. I don’t want to go through the portal with his grumpy ass either. He probably would sell me off to a Jabba demon if I weren’t their only hope right now.
“And if you can go through that, I’ll test you with Ūnus,” Iceman replies.
“So all I have to do is...walk through?”
“Yes,” Iceman tells me. “If you’re a lower ranking demon, the portal won’t allow you to pass. It will be simple and should be fairly quick, so long as we don’t run into any complications.”
My ears buzz.
