Page 86 of House of Malice
“Oh, boy,” Andro said. “Jolene, that doesn’t sound good. Are you sure you want to keep this from your family? Why would you? Are they not going to approve?”
Before Jolene could explain, the door opened in front of them. It was their turn.
Val went through the door first, and they all followed. When the door behind them closed, they were left in total darkness.
“What the fuck?” Andro gasped.
“Relax,” Rogue said, his voice coming from somewhere behind Blaze. “It might feel uncomfortable.”
And then they were falling.
They didn’t even have time to scream, it happened so fast. And to Blaze’s surprise, once he felt the ground underneath his feet, he didn’t lose his balance.
Then a door in front of them opened, the light streaming in and blinding them.
Blaze covered his eyes and went into the light.
Once his eyes adjusted, he looked around. They were in the exact same station.
“What the Hel?” he murmured, looking around to find the others. “We’re still in Inathis.”
They were right beside him, also confused.
“No, we’re not. The portal stations are created to look identical,” Rogue explained. “Welcome to Hel.”
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The architecture and the interior of the station was the only thing identical to the portal station in Inathis. The people were different. Blaze noticed more amber eyes as they made their way towards the exit.
Even the air felt and smelled different. But Blaze couldn’t explain it. It was as if he were looking at the world through a film that made the colors the same but not quite.
“How do we get to the Amber City?” Alecto asked. “Or are we already there?”
“We’re already there,” Rogue said.
“How convenient,” Jolene said. “To have the portal lead directly to the capital.”
Rogue smirked and glanced over his shoulder at Jolene. “You wouldn’t want to end up in any other city.”
Jolene didn’t say anything anymore.
Now Rogue was leading the way, and they were all following him through the busy streets of the Amber City.
Blaze wasn’t sure what he’d expected Hel to look like, but it sure as Hel wasn’t this.
It was so similar to Inathis, especially Avalon Hills. The streets were filled with people, and the noise was loud enough to completely drown out the thoughts in his mind. The buildings were tall, looming above them.
The only difference was that there appeared to be less nature. And no flying carriages. Blaze wondered how the demons travelled longer distances without carriages. Maybe there were flying creatures?
Finally, after they walked for ten blocks or so, the tall buildings were exchanged for brownstones. Blaze noticed more trees and little parks perched in between the buildings.
There was more space here.
“If I knew we were going to walk this much, I would have worn better shoes,” Andro said.
Blaze chuckled. “You should always be prepared for the unexpected, Long Legs.”
His best friend awarded him with a glare and pursed lips.
