Page 41 of Wolf Trap

The owl creature stepped forth. “What’s this? We’ve been trying to reach you! Is this a game? Hell has been breached, some have been taken, others enslaved right before our eyes. We few managed to escape, to hide. The gates have been broken and Cerberus is nowhere to be found! Someone or something is using a force beyond our control. You proclaimed yourself to be King of Hell, yet you leave us at the mercy of a greater evil.”

“What? Where’s Paimon? No one told me about this.” Anthony’s face wrinkled, his shoulders rounded.

The owl creature stepped up to him. His head spun around, blinking. He kicked the vampire before screeching, “Paimon has been taken, fool for a king! Along with others. Whoever they are, they have a power beyond us! Criminals have escaped and are now,” his voice mocking, “lord king, loose amongst the mortals!”

Anthony’s face went a shade of blue-white, his forehead damp. He splayed his palm across it, worry tugging at his features.

His voice strangled, Anthony turned to us, “Hurry. Follow me and I should be able to get you home. But I’ll have to leave shortly and ensure that Hell and its demons are locked down. This must be Adara’s doing. This must be why they used the Key of Solomon. These demons are the direct descendants of the Key of Solomon.”

Lycaon’s voice boomed, “If the sinners from Hell are loose in the mortal world, what does this mean?” He narrowed his eyes and all of us, including the demon creatures, stared at Anthony.

The vampire’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he gulped. “It means… carnage. We have to get them back. I have to find Cerberus. Come, we have no time.”

Hakon’s voice crackled through the din as the demons muttered amongst themselves. “I hate to put a downer on things, but what if you can’t get us back? I mean, Hell has been breached, perhaps your magic won’t work?”

The winged wolf demon spoke, his glare burning into Anthony. His voice reverberated around the room. It sounded like an echo, “Our magic, our power in Hell, has diminished. Whoever this is, they have sucked out all of our energy. We are barely immortal. You must help now if you are to save us and your beloved mortals from the horrors of sinners escaping back into the world. We are linked to this, to the Key of Solomon, as you well know. We always have been. I thought you were the keeper of it, that it was kept safely locked away in Hell. What is Adara? You know we bow to no other, mortal or otherwise.”

The rest of the beasts muttered, nodding heads, and as my mind fought to look past their strange shapes, some hideous mutations of man and beast. Others looked fascinating, I could see, and sensed that they didn’t know why they were here.

Lowering my hands, I licked my lips and tried to raise my voice over the din. “Perhaps Adara has tied them all to this place to ward off others. If anyone else came here and tried to steal the Key of Solomon, they’d be faced with, well, all of these demons. But Adara didn’t bargain on you being here, the King of Hell.” I looked directly at Anthony.

The chattering grew louder. Anthony raised his hands and stole a glance in my direction. “I think Elsa could be right.Hakon, can you grab the Spear, and we’ll take the other artefacts?”

I grimaced again.No way I was taking that wizened hand! Known as the Hand of Glory, it belonged to a criminal and lighting the fingertips was said to release power. But that’s a no from me.

Anthony raised his hand. “Apologies, time is short. Dukes, princes, kings and consorts of Hell, these are my friends. Lycaon, the first werewolf, Hakon, as I’m sure most of you know, perhaps mainly by reputation. And Elsa, an uncommon witch who is trying to fight against the tyranny of Adara. Adara is a secret society hellbent- pardon my pun, on annihilating those they deem not worthy of immortality. Now, I suggest we use this entrance to Hell, where I’ll get my friends back home.”

Stolas,the long-legged owl demon, spun his head around. “This Adara, who are they to summon us? How did they get the Seal of Solomon? Is there a traitor in Hell? How did Adara get the Key of Solomon?”

Nodding, Anthony held out his arm. “Yes, you’re right. There is no doubt a traitor, but let’s get out of here first.”

“Where are we?”

“We don’t know, Stolas. We were ushered, forced into this portal by some enchantment. We found this, the Seal, the Spear of Destiny, amongst other artefacts, and I picked up the seal and activated it. Then you and all the demons arrived. This is all I know, but I don’t think staying in this portal is a good idea.”

Stolas didn’t reply, just bobbed his head and walked back to the opening. I could see he was stepping down, and as he did, the others flocked in behind him, their murmuring filling the temple.

As they started going back, another rumble shook the temple. The wind picked up, but the demons didn’t react. Perhaps because they came from Hell, they didn’t stampede. Hakon took the grisly Hand of Glory, his face wrinkled, as Lycaon picked up the Spear of Destiny, then trembled as his flesh touched the wood. He rolled his shoulders back, catching Hakon’s glance and jutted his chin towards this entrance to Hell. Whilst they descended, I tried to push the doors shut, using a little magic to heave them closed to at least stop the wind, which was getting stronger and stronger outside. The briny air and sand filled my nose. I took one final glance before the doors closed and I was now faced with the prospect of literally going to Hell…

13

WHAT HAPPENS IN HELL, STAYS IN HELL

Ican’t say whether it was the stench of fat and waste, or the faint, continuous wailing, screaming and crying that affected me the most; but from the moment I stepped through that hatch in the ground and walked down the steps to Hell, both were over-powering. Fear latched onto me. Even Lycaon looked horrified.

But the vampires, Anthony and Hakon, swaggered before us like they were taking an evening stroll through the city. As for the demons, the Dukes, they’d scattered as soon as they reached the bottom of the steps except for Stolas and Orobas, with his male torso and horse's head and legs, his hooves clip clopping before me. My mind felt like scrambled eggs.

Lycaon went to link hands.

I smiled, but shook my head. Wiggling my fingers, as if I intended to weave a spell if I needed to, it was really just to show that I could stand alone. Even here. Although, inside, I wanted nothing more than to grip his hand, find strength in him, I needed to find that in myself. Especially as at any time he might need to go off and find himself.

Anthony led us to a series of tunnels, which looked gruesome. Gloomy, stinking and wet, I dreaded what my boots were walking in. My only respite was that it was too dark to see.

He stopped, turning around abruptly. “Keep to the middle, walk in single file and under no circumstance speak or touch any of the prisoners.

“Their pleading for your help will burn into you, but remember, if they’re here and locked in solitude and darkness, they are some of the vilest criminals known to man or beast. Cruel, torturous, evil.”

Lycaon and I shot each other a grim glance. “You walk in front of me. I’ve got your back.”

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