“So demons have to break through that?” I ask, shaking my head with a creeped out shiver. I don’t know why anyone would want to try.
“Yes,” Iceman replies. “Today is a good day. We’re holding it pretty stable, but if it or us comes under attack, that could quickly change.”
“So where’s the Vestibule?” I ask, looking around Hell.
There must be more fire somewhere, because the cave is lit up with flickering flames that cast a dark, orangish glow along the crevices. There’s a heaviness to this place that I feel but can’t quite explain. It doesn’t feel like brimstone and doom and the promises of pain like I would have expected, but there’s a serious weight that’s laced in the air all around me. It’s like when you walk into a room and someone is waiting for you, and you just know they want to talk about some heavy, life changing shit. That’s what it feels like here.
“Down,” Crux says, answering my question and pointing at our feet.
I grimace when I see a crude stairwell ahead, leading downward further into the cave. Oddly, I sense that there are things just beyond the darkness around us. It’s like waking up from a vivid dream that slowly starts to slip from your mind’s grasp. I know something nightmarish is there, but can’t remember exactly what. Have I been here before? Or is that just what Hell feels like?
Absently, I make the mistake of following the guys as they move to peer over the edge. I instantly wish I hadn’t when I look over and discover the Lord of the Rings looking staircase that leads from Mordor. “Dammit, can’t you guys make a fucking elevator?”
Iceman’s blue eyes glitter with amusement. “It’s not supposed to be easy to reach a Hellgate, Delta. The point is to deter as many as possible on both sides.”
“Right,” I say as I look over again to try and see the bottom of the stairs. I can’t. It’s too deep. “What happens if I go over the edge?”
“Don’t go over the edge,” Crux says quickly.
“Well, I’m not going to on purpose,” I reply with exasperation. “But what if I fall?”
“Don’t fall.”
“Well that’s fucking comforting!” I say a little shrilly, and in the massive cavern, my voice reverberates back to me. I smirk and look over. “Echo,” I say, listening as his name repeats back to me.
“What?” the demon asks.
“Echo,” I repeat, barely suppressing a grin.
He frowns at me. “What, Delta?”
“Ec—”
“Dude. She’s fucking with you,” Crux says with a grin, elbowing him in the side. “Seriously, for someone who’s probably heard them all, those Echo jokes just go right over that buzzed head of yours.”
Echo blinks as realization dawns on him. He reaches over and pokes me in the side, right in my only ticklish spot. I jump back with a squeal, hiding behind Iceman as I cover my mouth and laugh.
“For fuck’s sake. Stop acting like children and let’s go before any Outer Ringers come here to check out the sounds,” Jerif says before pushing past us. He starts walking down the steps, and I stick my tongue out at his back.
Crux sees and chuckles at me. “Ready?”
“To walk down a bajillion, endless, steep, rocky steps with no railing and straight into the heart of Hell? Sure, why not?” I snark as I walk over.
“Here,” Crux says, grabbing my hand and placing it on the back of his jeans. “Hold onto me right here and don’t let go. I’ll catch you if you fall.”
I dig my fingers into his waistband. “Can we not talk about falling, please?” I reply as we start walking down the first steps.
“Good thinking.”
“This place is huge,” I remark as Echo and Iceman take up the rear, all of us heading down single file.
“Very,” Iceman says behind me.
My eyes keep darting over to the edge, but the height and the creepy shadowed lighting is not a good combination, so I train my eyes to focus on the steps instead, doing my best to ensure I don’t slip.
“Okay, so what’s the plan again?” I ask, suddenly needing a distraction from the feel of our descent into never-ending nothingness and the sound of my scythe clunking with each step down I take.
Jerif groans and Iceman snorts at my annoying question.
“Fine,” I concede. “So you guys said we’re starting at Trēs and working our way up to the First Ring, Ūnus, right? But wouldn’t it be faster to start at Ūnus and work our way down?” I ask. Apparently, climbing down into Hell brings out my inner tactician.
“If these idiots had their heads on straight, that’s exactly what we’d be doing,” Jerif grumps, and confusion seeps through me.
“Uh okay…” I voice, not sure how to react to his declaration.
“We voted and you lost, Jerif. Get over it,” Crux counters defensively.
“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Jerif snarls back over his shoulder. “You’re wasting time wanting to show off, and we can’t afford that shit right now. We need to figure out what she is and then get back to induct her. Not wave at the family like you’re some kind of hero before returning to the Vestibule.”
If I hadn’t been holding onto Crux’s pants, I would have stopped mid-step and probably created a pile up on the stairs of doom for Echo and Iceman behind me. Family? The word swirls around my mind. It’s familiar, and yet, so foreign in the context of Hell and demons.
How did I not think about their lives and existence outside of being Hellgate Guardians? Logically, I didn’t think they were hatched from pure mayhem and temptation, but I haven’t given a second’s thought to their backstories and lives.
Damn, I’m selfish.
I’m instantly consumed with questions about who they are and where they come from. What are their families like? How long have they been guarding the Gate? Do they have girlfriends? That last question takes me
