Why not?
Because I will be forced to move on, and this place would be left unprotected.
Are you all that is left?
No, but we are still few.
Then gather the few and stop the things that chase me. I’ll take care of the sorceress.
He seemed to contemplate this suggestion, then said, Stray not from hell’s path, reaperess, or you will find yourself compelled into a realm that is not your destiny.
And with that, the heavy sense of impending doom abruptly disappeared. A second later, the two Dušan were circling around me, eyes afire and skin dripping with the muck and flesh of the slugs. Thankfully, there was no sign of the slug masses themselves.
I ran on, pushing for every scrap of speed I was capable of. The gates soared high above me, otherworldly, but very plain. Which was something of a disappointment. The gates to hell, at least, should have been dramatic. Or at least reflected the hell that awaited the souls who journeyed through this gateway. Had either of these arches been on Earth, I wouldn’t have given them a second glance. The only decoration was the stone vines that crept around the soaring pillars. Then I noted that the arch on the left, which at first glance looked identical to the other, had tiny thorns twisting through the leaves. Hell’s gate, I presumed.
If there was a Mijai warrior here anywhere, I couldn’t see him.
I ran through the arch and into a different space entirely. It was light, restful, and filled with a warmth that was extremely comforting. Not what I’d expected from the antechamber of hell at all.
I slowed. For some odd reason, haste didn’t seem to be appropriate – or indeed welcome – here. I was several steps in before I realized I was alone. I paused and looked behind me. The Dušan flew in agitated circles, trying to get in but unable to do so. Obviously, whatever force prevented them from getting into the inner sections of the temples also forbid entry here.
Meaning it was just me and Amaya against whatever the sorceress could fling at us.
Cope can, Amaya said. Kill will.
I wish I had half her confidence. I gripped her tighter, but felt no easier as I moved through the warm light. Sound began to leach through the air as I moved farther into the antechamber. It was a heartbeat, soft and deep. Goose bumps ran across nonexistent flesh. Hell’s heart wasn’t all that far away.
Which meant the sorceress couldn’t be, either.
The golden glow around me darkened slightly, and air tugged at my form, as if trying to hasten my progress. I glanced down. A pathway had appeared beneath me – it was brighter than the fading warmth of the antechamber, yet it seemed to have a darker essence. On either side, what looked like skeletal wisps of hands reached for – but didn’t quite touch – me. But it was the wind of their movements that I could feel urging me on.
But given the priest’s warning, hurrying was the last thing I could do right now. There was no way in hell – or out of it – I was going to risk falling off the path and into those wispy hands.
I had no doubt that they would guide me straight into the bowels of hell if I did.
The path ran ahead of me, a new section appearing with every step forward. It did a slow looping turn and then, without warning, stopped.
As did I.
Because before me lay gates, and they didn’t even remotely resemble anything I’d ever imagined the gates to hell would look like. In fact, these delicate creations, enhanced with exquisite depictions of glowing beings, trees, and animals, were so similar to what I’d thought the entrance to heaven might look like that, for a moment, I wondered if I’d somehow taken a wrong path.
Then I saw the snake. It was small, and in one corner, a tiny blot of darkness in an otherwise glowing image. But its eyes seemed to burn with an inhuman awareness, and fear crawled through me. That thing was watching. Waiting. Judging.
Gatekeeper, Amaya said. Her thoughts were wary. Respectful. Fate his.
As in, he decides which section of hell is to be your particular pleasure?
Not alone. All portals.
I scanned the gate and the immediate surrounds, looking for our sorceress but unable to spot her. But she couldn’t have disappeared. She had to be here somewhere. What happened to the first gatekeeper now that the first portal is open?
Remains.
I frowned. But the gate no longer exists. Or at least, we didn’t appear to pass it.
Still there. Not see open.
Huh. I moved forward cautiously. I still couldn’t see the sorceress, but maybe I wouldn’t. She knew I chased her, after all, and I had no doubt she also knew how to conceal her presence in this place. What I should be searching for was the key. I’d feel it if I was close enough.