Chapter 9

9

Tanner and Jasmin insisted we stop by the castle’s dining room and have an early lunch, even if for ten minutes.

“You don’t know how long you’ll be down there, or what you’ll find,” Tanner said.

I wanted to go now, but I could see his reasoning. So instead of complaining, I followed everyone to the dining room, where the food was already being served—juicy steak cut in thin slices, baked potatoes with herbs, and several other roasted vegetables.

“I apologize for it being so simple,” Jasmin said at the head of the long table. Tanner sat at the other one. “But we weren’t expecting so many of you.”

This might be simple to them, but it was delicious.

Besides, not everyone ate the food. Drake and his vampires had goblets full of blood instead.

In my eagerness to get moving, I was the first done. Thankfully, no one was here to have fun, so they all finished right after me. Except for Tanner. He ordered the servants to bring more wine and serve dessert. He bid us good luck as we exited the room.

Jasmin went out through another door, but a few seconds later, as we filed out of the castle, she reemerged in a demon hunter’s uniform.

Seriously, if one day I settled somewhere, I needed a magical closet that always knew the guests’ sizes and did quick changes like that.

Outside the castle, Rage reminded us that even though Princess Jasmin was with us, he was the head of this mission and whatever he said, went. If something attacked us and he told us to run instead of fighting, we didn’t question him. We just ran.

Sure, whatever.

We exited the castle through the back where a black brick bridge stretched above the lava. The heat was even worse than when we arrived, and it would have bothered me, if I wasn’t a pile of nerves.

By the light, we had a lead. A real lead to Levi. We would find him, I was sure of that.

Farrah noticed how tense I was and hooked her arm through mine, offering me a small smile as we crossed the bridge. She didn’t have to say anything, and honestly, I didn’t want her to. Her presence here, her support, was enough.

The bridge took us to an open area of dry, gray earth. There were dark mountains to the right, and thick clouds and lightning to the left. This place didn’t seem like a prize, but something to be conquered, ruled, and controlled. It looked like a prison through and through. The stuff of nightmares.

I didn’t envy Rage for exploring it, and Tanner and Jasmin for ruling it.

“The trek is long,” Rage warned us. “But we have rides.”

To the side, ten horses made of shadows materialized. They were huge, certainly a foot or two bigger than any other horse on Earth. Thicker too, with strong legs and square muzzles. Their eyes were red and their long, luscious black mane and tail moved as if there was a fan in front of them.

The horses approached us, the clop of their hooves echoing on the dry terrain. Rage reached for the first one, Princess Jasmin got the second, and Lord Drake had the third. The rest of us spread around the horses. I walked up to one of the beasts, admiring its beauty and also a little concerned on how easily it could squash me if it wanted to.

The horse lowered his front legs, and as I held on to his mane and swung my leg, a small black saddle appeared on its back. Once I was seated, the horse straightened and stood there.

I was about to kick it on the sides to see if I could get it to move, but then Rage brought his horse around and addressed the party.

“The area we’re going is far,” he said. “The horses will move fast, faster than horses in the human realm, faster than a car, so hold on tight.”

With that, he and his horse took off.

The other horses followed. At the first movement, I almost fell off my horse, but I held on to the reins and kept my legs pressed against its side. I hadn’t ridden in a while, and not this kind of magical horse, but after a minute or so, it got easier.

What was the human phrase? Just like riding a bike. If the bike was enchanted and went a lot faster than others.

Rage and Drake took the lead, and somehow, the two were able to talk, in spite of the speed. Princess Jasmin was right behind them, followed closely by Zad, Frank, and Cyran. Wyatt was next, and then it was Farrah, Lacey, and me at the back.

At first, Farrah tried talking to us too, but it was impossible. The horses moved too fast and sometimes they jerked to the side to avoid an obstacle or jump over a stream or some fallen branches. We had to be prepared for everything.

We rode in almost complete silence for about three hours. It was close to four when Rage lifted his fist and the horses all stopped on their own. We formed a messy circle so we could all hear him.

“It’s almost five in the afternoon, your time,” Rage said. “We can rest now, or we can keep moving and stop later.”

I glanced up to the dark sky. It was pitch black, with no stars. I wondered how this entire place wasn’t completely dark. Instead, it looked like a cloudy evening, where everything was dark gray.

“How long until we reach the cliff?” Jasmin asked, squirming over her horse.

“Another four hours or so,” Rage said.

“I suggest we reach the cliff,” Drake said with his “lord” voice, which left room for little discussion. “We rest there for a couple of hours before going down.”

I was fine with that, especially because when we arrived at the cliff, I would push for us to keep moving. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to rest until we found Levi, much less sleep.

We all agreed to it and kept moving.

Four hours later, we arrived at the cliff. The horses didn’t get too close to it, though. We dismounted them and they instantly faded away.

“What the—” Wyatt said, looking around.

“They won’t go with us down the cliff?” Lacey asked.

Rage shook his head. “They don’t want to. Which tells you how terrible things probably are down there.”

I walked up to the edge of the cliff and looked down. It was dark here, but way, way down, there was smoke, a cloud of thick mist, and nothing. The cliff extended endlessly to my right and my left, and beyond, there was the mist. It touched the horizon and blended in with the dark sky.

“This is Barnoch and Millmor,” Rage said, catching my attention. I turned and saw as two men approached the party.

“Or Barn and Mill for short,” Jasmin said, sounding bored.

“They are lesser demons who signed up to help us explore the underworld,” Rage continued. “They are on my team and will help us in the mist.”

They both said hello and Rage told them all of our names.

“All right,” Drake said. “We should rest now.”

I shifted my weight. “I know it’s late, but I’m fine. Aren’t you all fine? Don’t you want to keep going and get this over with soon?”

I was hoping to find support in Lacey and Farrah, but Lacey yawned, and Farrah looked at me as if she was debating buying this fight or not.

“Ariella …” It was Drake who spoke. “I know you’re eager to go, but we should rest and regain our energy. We don’t know what we’ll find down there.”

“But—” I pressed my lips tight.

“Remember, if this is Levi, then he has already been down here for a few days,” he said, his voice gentler than usual. “He can wait a few more hours.”

I wanted to argue with him, but I knew that would be selfish and even childish. I swallowed my frustration and sat down between Lacey and Farrah on the large blanket they had stretched over the arid ground.

With a huff, I lay down with my head over my bag and forced my eyes closed.

“Ariella.” I blinked and saw Lacey touching my arm. “Time to go.”

“What?” I sat up, alarmed. I glanced at my phone—no reception here, but it still had plenty of battery—and sure enough, it was eight hours later.

I jumped to my feet, appalled that I had blacked out. Around me, everyone packed their blankets and ate breakfast.

In less than five minutes, I had eaten and was ready to go.

It was a little lighter now, and I could actually see the burn marks on the ground and edges of the cliff Rage had talked about. It was like a big, fiery boulder had rolled down the ground and fallen over the cliff.

Following its trail, I glanced past the edge. “How are we getting down?”

“You shouldn’t fly down,” Rage said as he reached for something in his bag. “I’ve seen demons attack other demons in the sky. If you go out there and are attacked, we won’t get to you in time.”

“Good point,” I muttered.

He patted the coils of ropes tied to the outside of his bag. “We’ll go down with this. But first …” He looked at Jasmin.

She stepped forward to the cliff’s edge and picked up something from the pocket of her pants. It was a black rectangle, as long and thick as her index finger.

The princess noticed everyone watching her. “A master key,” she said before pushing the rectangle into empty space and turning it. She let it go and the rectangle stayed in place, as if it floated on air.

Dark light shone from its surface, and a resounding click echoed around us. The air around the cliff’s edge shimmered for a moment, and then everything went still.

“What was that?” Lacey asked.

“A barrier,” Jasmin answered. “We don’t know if it was originally here, or who put it, but so far, we have found that every truly dangerous corner has a barrier like that. And only this key can open it.” She pocketed the rectangle again.

Rage put the bag down and reached for the ropes.

“We’re not going down like that,” Farrah said. She stepped to the cliff’s edge and swept her hands forward. A thin staircase of ice started forming before her, the first step right at her feet, and the others winding down along the side of the cliff.

“Won’t it melt?” Jasmin asked.

“Not while I’m holding my magic,” Farrah explained.

“Thank you, Farrah,” Drake said, walking to the staircase. He paused at the edge, though, and gestured to the team leader. “After you, Rage.”

Rage also thanked Farrah and started down the stairs. Drake was next, then Princess Jasmin. Frank, Cyran, Barn, and Mill went right after her.

Zad stopped beside the staircase and gestured for us to go. “Ladies first.”

Lacey went first, then me, and Farrah waited for Wyatt. Zad was last.

Surprisingly, the stairs were wider than they looked, and less slippery. I felt the need to hold on to a rail, but we all had good reflexes, and if someone did fall, I wouldn’t hesitate to call my wings and jump after them. I knew Zad would do the same.

The staircase went on and on and on, and even though I knew it was the tension talking; it felt like we had been going down for hours.

Then finally, we reached the mist.

“Here we go,” Rage called from the front. He pulled out a spear from its sheath behind his back. “Be ready for anything.”

He took a few more steps and disappeared into the mist. One by one, we were swallowed by the vapor. When it was my turn, I inhaled sharply as my feet touched the gray substances. A coldness surrounded my toes and spread up as I went down. Before it reached my neck, I held my breath.

Then I was in the mist.

The stairs disappeared, the ground felt firm but I couldn’t see it, I couldn’t see anything but the mist.

“Lacey? Farrah?” I called.

Nothing. No answer.

Oh, shit.

I called my magic, and after a little resistance, cast a light bolt over my open palm. It only illuminated the mist and didn’t show me anything.

For a second, I wondered if I should stay put or look for my friends.

Something zoomed past my back, and with a gasp, I turned toward it, but all I could see was mist, now with a golden glow because of my bolt.

“Drake?” I tried again. “Jasmin? Rage?”

Nothing again.

I inhaled deeply, trying to keep the panic down. If I panicked now, then I wouldn’t—and I had to think. What should I do?

Slowly, I took a step forward. Then another. Then another. The ground was still firm and hard underneath my boots, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t at the edge of another cliff.

I continued walking for a little while, counting the steps so I wouldn’t go crazy in this mist.

A shape appeared in the mist and I stopped. But the shape didn’t. Suddenly, a figure jumped into me and arms wound around my neck.

“Oh, my word, I’m so glad to see you,” Lacey said, hugging me tight.

I hugged her back. “I know what you mean.”

“This mist is horrible.”

“I agree, but we found each other. Let’s find the others.”

Hand-in-hand, Lacey and I continued a slow trek through the mist. And even slower, we found our friends. First, we bumped into Zad, then Jasmin. It took a while, but we found Barn and Cyran, next was Farrah, then Drake and Wyatt, Mill, and finally Rage and Frank.

The moment we all held hands, the mist evaporated.

And a black land stretched out before us.