Page 22 of The River of Fire

We manage to find our way out of the sewers and climb into a circular room. The walls are tall, reaching all the way to the top of the ziggurat, where faded light filters in through high, narrow openings. The majority of the space is occupied by a turret staircase in the middle. Looking up, I see bridged pathways branching out of it. I think we’re at the heart of the building.

There are corridors spaced throughout the area, some of which clearly lead to occupied halls. I frantically search for a smaller opening like the tunnel we entered through. Before we can make our choice, low growls stop us in place. I feel three hellhounds, now far too close to us for my liking. Clearly they’re onto our scent and stalking us.

We dart into the nearest dark corridor just as a hunting howl splits the air. They’ve found us.

“Run,” I pant, not daring a glance behind as I pump my arms and push myself into a sprint. The hellhounds are faster than us, naturally, and it’s not long before Akira whirls around and swipes his daggers, one after the other, at the hellhound crashing into him.

Instinct takes over and I push them with a gust of air, then pull out my throwing knives, allowing myself just a breath before I throw them at the hounds. My aim is decent; I hit one of our attackers in the eye, while the other turns, and the knife’s tip embeds into its flank. Green blood oozes from their leathery black skin, but neither my targets nor the hound Akira sliced at slow down.

One of the hellhounds, knife still lodged in its eye, snaps his shark-like serrated teeth at me, and I scream as the skin on my arm is sliced into ribbons. Akira bathes them with fire manifested from ether and they yelp and dart back.

While the creatures observe us, caution in their many rows of eyes, I expend precious energy to stop my wounds from bleeding. These foes are too much for us.

“I see a tunnel ahead.” Akira’s words are terse, and he pushes me ahead of him, turning to scorch our pursuers one more time. “I’m out,” he snaps, clearly irritated by his own limitations.

Ignoring the pain from the bite and the many scrapes and bumps from the tunnels, I sprint towards our exit, my lungs burning and my heartbeat drumming out an irregular tattoo. I can hear the snarls of the approaching hounds and it feels like they’re right at our ankles. Once I’m close enough, I dive into the tunnel, arms extended, screaming again at the new burst of pain. I quickly scurry forward and Akira crawls in behind me.

Just as I think we’re safe from the much larger creatures, Akira’s wail of pain stops my heart. I turn my head to see his brown eyes spread wide open in panic, a hellhound dragging him out by the foot. The smell of rotten eggs and acid emanating from the demon burns my nostrils.

I splay my hand behind me and send one more narrow gust of air just above Akira, freeing him from the hellhound’s grasp.Luckily, he recovers fast enough to scramble out of reach.

The last of the light is gone and we don’t stop crawling, even though my arms are shaking, and sweat stings my eyes and the scrapes on my face. All I can hear are our heaving breaths and the slide of leathers against stone. The hounds are either too far away to hear, or they’ve gone around to try to intercept us.

An uncountable amount of time later, we’re out of the ziggurat. Though the smell of brimstone is always present in Hell, I gulp down marginally fresher air while waiting for Akira to join me, before we slide down the building.

We’re on the other side of the pyramid now and there’s zero cover. Gritting my teeth, I resign myself to more running. There’s no way of knowing when the hellhounds will raise the alarm, if they haven’t already. At least the courtyard is still empty.

A glance at Akira shows me he’s deathly pale, and though he clotted his wound enough to not leave a bloody trail, it must be pure anguish to run on the bitten leg. He catches my gaze and nods forward, refusing any aid I may be able to provide. It would only slow us down.

So we run.

Chapter 17 – Lana

“How much of that is your blood?” Maalik snaps at me the next day when Akira and I arrive back at Purgatory. He was waiting for us at the edge of the realm – this is his way of showing he cares. And, indeed, in his snake eyes I see worry over the fact he sent us on a mission where I got so visibly injured.

Though our pace was slower, neither of us wanted to break stride for a couple of hours of sleep, so we made decent time. We’re filthy, hurting, and exhausted.

“I honestly don’t know anymore,” I reply, my voice faint. “I just know I need ten baths and twice as many hours of sleep.” I was tempted to jump into The Lethe at some point, the smell getting to my frayed nerves. Thankfully, Akira stopped me. Probably to prevent the loss of memory of everything we’ve seen, though.

“Tell me,” Maalik demands.

“He’s not there,” I sigh. “What is there is an opening into The Pits.”

“The Pits?” Maalik is incredulous and makes eye contact with Akira, who nods back in confirmation. Seriously? I know I look like I’ve been through a macerator, but I’m not hallucinating.

“All the higher-ups in his court are locked in cages above it. It looks like only one being could have been responsible for the situation and his name starts with a capital D. We didn’t see the rift, though,” I add.

“I see.” He frowns. “I’ll let Belial know.” Belial must be the honey-tongued orator. I don’t have enough energy to care. “Clean yourselves up and let Daniel tend to your wounds.” Maalik dismisses us.

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” I mutter.

By now we’ve reached the atrium and I wave my hand once in farewell to Akira.

“Will see you later, Lana,” he finally speaks, of his own free will.

I guess it took almost dying together to get his attention. Who’d have known?

???

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