Page 22 of How to Accidentally get Trapped in Hell

When the smoke clears, I gasp at the view in front of me. Wherever we are, we’re so high up that the city below and all the demons milling about look like ants. From here I can see the castle and Gehenna as a whole, are a lot bigger than I thought. The parts of town that I’ve seen first hand with Zeph are just a tiny fraction of the enormous city stretched out below me.

When I look up and take in the rest of the view, I’m surprised by what I see. The area leading away from town looks a lot more like what I thought Hell would look like.

“I figured you should see more of Hell than just the castle and parts of the city,” Luc says. “Gehenna may be the center of Hell, but it’s not all of it. As you can see there are several hellscapes that surround the city. First the Soundless Barrens, then the Waremis Ice Fields and the Moaning Forest. Just past the forest is the outskirts.”

It’s like a dart board with the city in the middle. “Where are we?” I ask in awe.

“We are at the top of Desolate Peak. It’s the highest point in Hell, the only place you can view all of the hellscapes at once.”

“It’s amazing. I had no idea there was so much more to Hell than what I’ve seen. I mean, I know about the outskirts, but I didn’t know about the hellscapes.”

“Your mates probably wished to protect you but if you’re to be the future leader of this domain, you need to know about all of it. The three hellscapes and the outskirts are just as much a part of Hell as Gehenna. It’s important for you to learn about every aspect of Hell.”

“Whatarethe hellscapes? Why would they not want to tell me about them?”

“They were created to keep the lower-level demons separate from Gehenna. Each sector is more dangerous than the last the closer they come to the city.”

“Lower-level demons… that’s the made demons, right? Mom told me about them. Why are they kept so far away from Gehenna?” I’ve been curious about that ever since I first learned about them. And now I know they don’t just live apart from regular demons, but they’re forced to remain segregated. What happens to them if they venture into the Moaning Forest, or the Waremis Ice Fields?

“She told you about them? Good, then you’re not completely ill-informed. The firstmade demonwas an accident. I was experimenting with different torturing methods and I guess I went too far,” he shrugs as if to sayshit happens, what can you do?“The soul was so twisted it was unrecognizable. I remember thinking he looked more demon than human and the next thing I knew, he had a corporeal body that took on the hideous form of his warped soul.

“That was the first time I had ever brought life into this world. In a way, I was proud. I felt like a father. I cared for him as I imagined I would a son. But even though he had a new life, he couldn’t forget the unending torture he experienced at my hand. One day he attacked me, intent on getting his revenge. Obviously, that didn’t end the way he envisioned. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to end his life. So I banished him and to insure he could never make it back to Gehenna, I created the hellscapes as a deterrent.”

He seems detached as he tells the facts of the story, but I can tell it’s not a simple history lesson. Whoever this demon was is very important to him. Even after all this time, the emotions I feel coming from him are as if he’s reliving the love and heartache.

“If he turned out so bad, why did you keep making more?”

He huffs a self deprecating chuckle. “Because I was lonely. I thought I could perfect it and create a demon that would be a friend instead of an enemy or a loyal subject that I could never be myself around. I’m the ruler of all the demons in Gehenna and that title comes with a lot of responsibilities. I just wanted one demon that I could confide in,” he tells me with a sad smile.

“I’m so sorry. That must have been awful. But you eventually found your mate, right? That must have helped relieve the loneliness. And now you’re surrounded by demons who love and respect you.”

“Oh, Madelyne. You’re much too pure for this world. Just like your grandmother. I may be surrounded by demons in the palace now, but I can’t be completely open with any of them. When I met my first mate, Gerrtruudezeth, I thought she was the answer to my prayers. Finally, I had someone who would love me, not fear or hate me. But just because fate binds you to someone doesn’t mean they’re right for you. Gerrtruudezeth was good at pretending. We had several years when I thought we were truly happy together. She even bore me three children. I thought I was blessed. I would never be alone again now that I had a family to love. But they didn’t love me. She poisoned their minds so they could never love me like children should.

“By the time I finally accepted our relationship would never be what I envisioned, there was nothing I could do. There is no divorce in Hell, especially between fated mates. We were forced to maintain pretenses but we avoided each other as much as we could.”

“That’s horrible. I guess I really lucked out with my mates.” Though it does make me wonder if Belz and Zeph are right and Zarreth and Oz are my mates as well, will we be like that, too? Zarreth clearly wants nothing to do with me. I don't think I could bear it to live the rest of my life putting on a show for the masses while avoiding him in private.

“It was, and you did. If you had to mate with any of the demons in Gehenna, I’m glad it was them. As for me, things got better when I met Serafina. She was everything a mate should be and more. I would go through millennia dealing with Gerrtruudezeth to spend just one year with Serafina.”

“I can tell you really loved her.”

“Love, my dear. I will always love her. Even death could not stop my love.”

Wow. That’s so romantic. I hope my guys feel that way about me. We stand there, both of us lost in thought until my eyes find the hellscapes again and I remember Zephyr went through them to get to the outskirts to find out information about Chad.

“Are the hellscapes dangerous to all demons or just made ones?” I blurt, wanting to know how much danger Zeph was in when he went to the outskirts.

“It depends on the demon,” he shrugs. “You would have no problem walking through any of them.”

“What about Zephyr?” I’ve learned there isn’t much I can’t do in Hell, but I don’t think that extends to my mates… not yet anyway.

“Zephyr would be fine. He knows how to cross safely. All of your mates do. Don’t worry about them.”

I arch a brow at his evasiveness. “Knowing how to get through them safely and them not being dangerous are two different things.”

He chuckles. “Hellscapes are dangerous to everyone except those of my bloodline. They are designed to affect made and born demons differently. For demons traveling from Gehenna to the outskirts, they must first travel through the Soundless Barrens. That can be an uncomfortable experience for most demons. The ice fields are worse, but again higher-level demons such as Zephyr can pass through and only feel cold. As opposed to other demons that may freeze. The Moaning Forest is the most dangerous. The trees there actively try to kill you. For made demons attempting to get to Gehenna, the Soundless Barrens are deadly. Not that either the forest or ice fields are a walk in the park, but if anyone makes it through to the desert it makes sure they don’t get any closer.”

I’m not sure I want to know exactlyhowit does that.

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