Page 85 of House of Malice
Val stopped in front of the entrance and handed each of them their travel documents and the tickets. Then she went inside the station first, and they followed.
Blaze hadn’t thought he would ever get to visit Hel. He’d never thought he’d have a reason.
The outside of the station didn’t match what was inside.
It was a grand building, five times the size of the building on the outside. The dome ceiling was covered in elaborate paintings featuring demons, witches, and all the other magical creatures that roamed Hel and Inathis. Some of them Blaze couldn’t even recognize.
The air buzzed with the sounds of rushing witches, chatter, and coffee machines. In the middle of the station, there were a few dozen wooden benches, with barely any free spaces left.
A witch pushed a coffee cart past them, and the smell of freshly ground coffee filled the air. A moment later, another witch with a sandwich cart rolled right past them.
On the other side of the station, there were three tall archways leading to another hall. In front of each archway stood two witches in all-black outfits. On their belt they carried an assortment of weapons, and their chests were covered with vests made of hundreds of tiny metal plates.
“Follow me,” Val said and made her way towards the archways.
They all followed. Blaze gripped Alecto’s hand harder and pulled her closer to his side.
It was rare to see witches armed in Inathis the way the station security was. And it unnerved Blaze.
Once they passed the archways, they entered a large empty hall with only one door at the far-left corner. There was a line of witches in front of the door, and Val led them to the end of the line.
Though Blaze had been prepared to complain about standing in line for hours, it moved quite quickly. The door would open, one or more witches would enter, and it would close. A few minutes later, the door would open once more.
“Once we’re in Hel, don’t get distracted by anything,” Val said. “Don’t wander off for anything, even a coffee or a bathroom break.”
“Oh, are we going to the bathrooms all together?” Blaze teased. “That’s more bonding than a sanguilian bond.”
Andro chuckled, and Jolene rolled her eyes.
“Now that you mention that, there is something I wanted to tell you,” Jolene said, rubbing her hands.
They were only a few witches away from the portal now.
“What’s up? You look so nervous,” Andro said.
Jolene smiled at them, her eyes glittering. “I proposed to Leigh. We’re getting married.”
For a moment, all of them were stunned. Alecto was the first to recover, and she pulled Jolene into a tight hug. They both were laughing and squealing.
Once Alecto stepped away, they all congratulated Jolene and hugged her.
Blaze didn’t expect that, not so soon, but he was genuinely happy for Jolene. If Leigh was who she wanted, then so be it.
“Our first handfasting ceremony, how exciting!” Andro said. He was almost jumping up and down from the excitement. “Have you already started planning? Do you know when it’s going to be?”
The line moved again, and they were going to be next.
Jolene shook her head. “I only proposed the other week. We haven’t talked about the details yet, but we want to do it as soon as possible.”
“What’s the rush?” Val asked. “I would assume a Frone would want a grandiose wedding.”
Jolene’s smile faltered for a moment, and she looked down on her feet. “I’m not sure my family will be…able to attend.”
They were all silent for a moment.
“Jolene, have you not told them?” Alecto asked, articulating each word carefully.
Jolene bit her lip. “I will. Once the ceremony is over.”
