“Aww, you guys are cute,” Delta says, and I’m grateful for the levity of this conversation, since it’s really helpin’ to calm me down and distract me from the fact that I’m about to face the actual Hellgate and try to fix the damn thing with nothin’ but the blood in my veins and the apparent power that I’ve inherited.
Reality is crashin’ down hard, and I suddenly find the whole situation intimidatin’. What if I mess up?
I thought I had a lot of pressure ridin’ on my shoulders when I was just a courier tryin’ to get my packages delivered on time. Now I’m in Hell, about to attempt to fix the Gate, and responsible for savin’ people’s lives. To say it’s intense is an understatement.
As we near it, Delta reaches out and plucks my hand from Alder’s. She starts pullin’ me closer to the heat of the fire that’s climbin’ up the doors, and as we get closer, I can see that they’re made of bones. Instead of bein’ grossed out, I’m suddenly overcome with the sacrifice these bodies made to help guard the realms and maintain the balance.
“There are skulls placed throughout the doors,” Delta starts tellin’ me as we get even closer. “They belong to our Annuli ancestors. You have to cut your hand and bleed on each one. It fortifies the gate,” she explains.
“That’s it?” I ask, feelin’ a little surprised. I expected a much larger and more complicated ritual or somethin’.
“That’s it,” she confirms, and a renewed sense of urgency floods me.
I know the others are countin’ on me to secure this thing as much as possible, and I’m aware that until I do, more demons could come floodin’ through at any moment. My mind flashes back to Delta tellin’ me about the attack they survived, and the last thing I want is to put her, our mates, or me through somethin’ like that again.
With Delta’s help, I waste no time locatin’ the first skull all the way on the left. I cut my palm with the blade of my scythe and quickly close the difference between me and the skull. As I get closer, I can see the symbol etched into the forehead of it and feel the intense heat of the flames.
I shove my hand through the fire, trustin’ that I’ll be okay, and as soon as my bloody hand connects with the symbol etched into the forehead of the skull, time completely slows down. The purple flames flicker languidly over my arm and up the Hellgate, and a whooshin’ sound fills my ears as I’m sucked into a vision of a different time and place.
I see angels buildin’ Hell, formin’ the Rings, and divyin’ up responsibilities. Wars are fought and scores of people turned to dust on the blades of my ancestors. I see firsthand what Delta and I were created to do, and exaltation fills me as well as a deep sorrow that so many of us are gone now, that we are the last.
I witness a group of scythe wieldin’ Annuli gatherin’ in a circle around a demon. Their scythes extend and touch the other scythes, like the weapons alone are cagin’ the evil entity in. The demon screams as they determinedly move in, and I see a crackle of power move through the circle.
A woman with blood-red hair and matchin’ wings looks over at me as though she’s steppin’ out of the moment and acknowledgin’ that I’m watchin’ it. Her eyes are filled with so much love and faith, and I feel my throat tighten and my eyes well up. She nods at me like she feels it too, and goosebumps crawl up my arm as a tear drips down my cheek.
And then in a blink, her focus is back in her reality and on the task at hand. She nods at the others, and I watch as every touchin’ scythe in the group is rotated, the blades all flashin’ in toward the demon at exactly the same time. The demon doesn’t turn to dust like I expect it to. Instead, it bellows out in pain and then appears to get sucked in on itself, like everythin’ the demon was made of, includin’ its very soul, was sucked into a vacuum until there was nothin’ left.
With a gasp, I’m yanked back out of that moment like somethin’ is tuggin’ on my soul, and suddenly, I’m back, standin’ with a bloody hand pressed against a skull that’s been set into the Hellgate itself.
“Whoa,” I exclaim as I pull my hand back.
“I know, right?” Delta says with understandin’, and I look over, surprised to see that even though everythin’ around me has been slowed down, she hasn’t been. “Did you see the lady with the red wings and hair too?” I ask her, and she nods.
“Will that happen with every skull?” I ask, taken aback.
“It happened just the first time with me,” she explains, her tone reverent, and I take a deep breath and wipe at the tears on my cheeks with my forearm. That was intense.
I turn back to the Hellgate and press my hand against the next skull. I’m not pulled into any more flashbacks, but a wave of emotion hits me nonetheless. It’s as though the bones are acknowledgin’ my presence, recognizin’ me for what I am and fillin’ me with love and gratitude. I’ve never experienced anythin’ like it, and each time I press my blood against the bones of my ancestors, I give them my thanks and love for all who came before me and all who will come long after.
Tears drip down my cheeks, and I hear little sniffles comin’ from Delta behind me. When I reach the last skull, I have to cut my palm again, since the wound I created before has started to close up. I reach up and complete what
