“Hey, Emma. Why so glum?” The sound of Dominic’s voice broke me from my mental state, and put a small smile on my face.
“Just wishing everything was different,” I answered.
“You know, the answer to your problem is just an attitude change away,” he said with a wink. “Just saying.”
I thought about his words for a moment, and he was right. If I focused on the positive, then maybe I could drag myself out of this negative tar pit.
Samuel was still alive, Kade was safely with Alaine, and we made it through the five levels of Hell. That had never been done before, and would probably never be done again.
I was thankful that Dom, Malachi, and Danyel came to rescue us when they did. They saved us both, but the thought of Danyel kept breaking my heart. I couldn’t allow my thoughts to linger on him for too long or I’d lose it.
“So how are you feeling?” I asked Dominic.
“Better than ever,” he said, carefully unwrapping the dry bloodied shirt from his arm. My mouth gaped wide as he revealed it. The once mangled, shredded, bloody skin and bones had completely healed. In its place was pink, baby skin.
The last time I saw his arm, it was barely there! Now it was brand new.
“Amazing what a little rest can do to an immortal, huh?” he chimed.
“Heck yeah. I just hope that I’ll be able to heal that quickly,” I said.
“What are you talking about? You are already healing like us,” Malachi said.
I guess he was right. Ever since my seventeenth birthday, it seemed I’d started the change, getting closer to the time of the real transformation. I had eleven more months to survive.
“We need to get moving,” Samuel said, opening his pouch. He pulled out some jerky, crackers and a few nuts. “Emma, you have to eat something before we leave.”
“I’m not hungry,” I said, stretching my tired limbs.
“I know, but you’re still mortal. You need to eat, or you’ll get weak.”
I took the food and forced it down. It didn’t taste good at all, but at least it was added fuel to keep me going. He gave me what was left in his canteen, and that was it. We didn’t have any left. All we had to do was survive the last leg of this quest, and hopefully we’d all be home soon.
“So do we have a plan?” I asked.
“Yes. You and I will be going to the last gate together, and Malachi and Dominic will be going back to Alaine,” he said.
“Wait! Hold up! We aren’t leaving you guys,” Malachi interrupted. He didn’t look too happy with that plan, and I realized that Samuel had made this decision on his own, without consulting with them first.
“Malachi, there is no way the Fallen will let you enter those gates. Showing yourself at the gate will start a war that we cannot win. You and Dominic have done all you can to get us here safely. Your part of the quest is over, and now Emma and I must finish ours,” he answered.
“Samuel, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I think we should wait out here, just to make sure that everything is okay,” Dominic answered.
“Once we get to Lucifer…if we get to him…we will not come back this way, and you will not be able to enter. We have to make this journey alone.”
Without Dom and Malachi, the strongest half of us, Samuel and I were nearly powerless. But I guess we didn’t need strength where we were going. Danyel told me that I’d have to be smart when dealing with Lucifer, so brains would be needed more than brawn.
“Samuel, you’re supposed to be dead. They think that they’ve killed you. Won’t it be a huge gamble if you go through there?” Malachi asked.
“It might be, but it was Lucian who saw to my execution. I doubt that Lucifer even knew anything about it. He probably has no idea that I’m supposed to be dead. For the past century, he hasn’t been much into the details of his members. I think I should be fine,” he said.
Malachi exhaled loudly and shook his head.
I knew he and Dominic weren’t in agreement with what was going on. They thought they were going with us to the end, but Samuel was right. They’d never get past those gates unless they were part of the Fallen, and they knew it.
“Well, we aren’t leaving until we make sure that you’ve both entered safely. If we hear anything, we will be kicking down those gates, and kicking some ass as we come through,” Dominic noted.
“I agree with Dom. We will make sure you enter safely, and only when we’re certain that you’ve made it, then we will leave.”
“Well, it won’t be long until they find out that their undefeatable Guardians of the five levels are dead. Then you’ll be in real danger,” Samuel urged.
“Hey, don’t you worry about us. We can take care of whatever comes our way. You just make sure that Emma makes it in and out safely, and that we’ll see you both back at the house in one piece.”
“Agreed,” Samuel said.
We all stood somewhere in the depths of Hell and said our last goodbyes. I walked over to Malachi and gave him a hug.
“Hey, you can do this. I know I seemed a bit rough on you in the beginning, but I believe that you have what it takes to survive,” Malachi said.
“Thanks, Malachi,” I blushed. I was glad he said it, because I was starting to doubt myself.
Next, I went to Dominic and hugged him tightly.
“Don’t worry, Emma. We’ll be seeing each other again. Just remember when we do, don’t go getting all emotional and lovey-dovey with me, especially if Kade is watching,” he winked.
“Oh my God,” I laughed.
“I told you to stop calling me that. It’s Dom. Just Dom,” he laughed.
I loved Dom. Not in a romantic way, but he was the coolest, most fun Guardian I’d ever come across. Without Dom, this new world would have totally sucked. Of course Kade was part of that world, but he was in a whole different category.
“Shut up, Dom,” Malachi snapped. “Emma, just stay safe. Keep your dagger close to you and don’t be Shut-up scared to use it if you need to.”
“About that dagger,” Samuel butted in. “Dominic, how did come into possession of Michael’s dagger?”
Dominic shook his head. “He actually approached me and told me that he wanted me to be its keeper, until it found the one it was supposed to go to next. He said I’d know and feel when it had found its next keeper. Ever since Emma came near it, it started to buzz. I felt like it was begging me to hand it over to her. I know it sounds weird, but it’s true. I don’t know what kind of connection Emma has to the dagger, but I’ve never seen it passed to anyone other than a Pureblood,” Dominic said.
“Me either,” Samuel agreed.
“Yeah, I thought that was pretty odd that she could be in possession of it for so long and not have any ill effects, or be unable to control it.” Malachi added.
“Well, as long as it works for her, who cares about the formalities,” Dominic said, patting my shoulder.
“I actually have to agree with Dom… again,” Malachi sighed. “Now that is frickin’ weird. I really need to get the hell out of Hell and clear my head.”
“Dude, I’m just growing on you,” Dom grinned.
“Yeah, like a damn tumor,” Malachi huffed. We all laughed for a moment.
“It’s time for us to go our separate ways,” Samuel said. He walked up to Dominic and Malachi. “Good-bye my brothers. I wish you a safe passage back to Alaine and the others. Please take care of her, and tell her that I love her, and will do my best to return to her safely.”
“Hell yeah! You’d better return, because living with Alaine, if anything happens to you again, will be unbearable. I don’t think any of us would survive for long. So you better keep yourselves safe and make it back. Deal?” Dominic held out his hand to Samuel, and in return he shook it.
“Deal,” Samuel answered.
“Wait!” I gasped, picking up the container, which held Danyel’s ashes. “Please take him out of here.”
“Sure,” Dominic said. He took the container and p
laced it in his pocket.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. But just so you know… I won’t be spreading Danyel’s ashes anywhere. These will be staying right here in this container until you come back and spread them yourself, wherever it is that you wanted them spread,” he said.
“Fine,” I exhaled.
Dominic was giving us both some pretty good incentives to return, which was good. At least we did have more than a few things to look forward to when, and if, we did return.
“Please tell Kade that I’m okay, and that I’ll see him soon,” I added with a grin.
“Fine,” Dominic huffed, rolling his eyes.
“Alright, Emma. Are you ready for this last journey?” Samuel asked.
“Yes,” I breathed. He held his hand out to me and I took hold of it. We gave one last glance at Malachi and Dominic before we turned and started on toward the last gate. Their faces looked so somber and sad, and I felt my heart shatter again.
I was glad when our backs were facing them, because tears had begun to pool in my eyes, daring to spill over. I tried hard to contain them, and quickly dabbed the wet away. Samuel glanced quickly at me, but didn’t say a word.
We slowly made our way past the corpses of the Hell Hounds and into that very last tunnel. It was dark and smelled horrible.
When we reached the end of the last tunnel, we still had a long ways to go before we reached the gate. The gate which would give us access to Lucifer, if we were even allowed to pass.
Samuel stopped me about five feet out of the tunnel.
“Emma, your mark. We need to disguise it,” he said, looking at me with sad eyes.
“Just do whatever you need to do. I just want to make it out of here in one piece.”
“This is going to hurt a bit,” he said, pulling out a small knife from his pouch.
Oh dang. This was really going to hurt.
“I’ll try my best to keep it from hurting too much. I just have to mask Alaine’s mark. It’s her mark that will make them question.”
I nodded. “Soooo, are you planning on cutting it off?”
“No,” he said kneeling down, behind a rock to the side of us. “I’m going to burn it off, but it will only be temporary. Your mark will come back once it heals. This is just to keep anyone from suspecting that you are anything more than a Nephilim.”
“Okay,” I said. That sounded simple enough.
He gathered some things from his pouch and laid them on the ground. With a wave of his hand a flame burned. He held the tip of his blade over the fire until it glowed a bright orange. I swallowed hard.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yes,” I lied. I turned my back to him, closed my eyes tight, and sucked in a deep breath. As soon as I did, Kade’s face flashed in front of me. His smile, his dark-brown disheveled hair, and his glowing, hazel eyes. I suddenly felt horrible that I was acting like a baby. Kade had endured the worst burns I’d ever seen, and still managed to be strong.
Samuel placed one hand on my shoulder.
“This is the first time I’ve seen Alaine’s mark,” he said.
“Is it bad?”
“No.” That’s all he said.
“Do you know who the mark belongs to?”
“Yes, but it’s not for me to share,” he said.
Whatever. I was used to unanswered questions. I just wanted to get this over with.
“Just do it,” I said.
“Alright. Deep breath.”
I sucked in, as he pressed the hot blade to the back of my neck. I flinched at the searing pain, but didn’t move. I bit down hard, and sent my thoughts to Kade. This was nothing compared to what he was enduring.
After a few moments, the heat ended.
“You’re so strong, Emma.”
“I don’t think so. Not compared to the rest of you. Not compared to Kade,” I breathed.
“Well, that should do it.” He softly, squeezed my shoulder and then released.
“Good. I hope so.”
“Well, they can’t question what they can’t see,” he said. “But just remember what Danyel told you. Don’t be fooled by Lucifer’s words. His words are smooth but deceiving. Just remember why we are here.”
“So, is Lucifer as scary as everyone paints him to be? Does he have horns and a tail?”
Samuel laughed and shook his head. “Not even close. Lucifer was one of the most beautiful angels in Heaven before the Fall. When he worshiped, his voice was like that of a hundred beautiful choirs, filling the air with the most beautiful melodies. As time went on, and he received more and more praise from the angels around him, his heart began to fill with more pride. Pride turned into jealousy, and jealousy into bitterness and hate. It was that which became his downfall and had him expelled from Heaven.”
“Because of his gift, and the way he could sway others with his words, a third of the angels chose to go with him. Danyel and I were amongst them. We were part of the Fall.”
Samuel’s face was saddened. He’d succumbed to the Prince of Darkness’ forked tongue, and it worried me. If they couldn’t withstand his deceiving words, how was I supposed to?
“Well, I have you with me now. I’m not worried. Plus, I reeeeeeally would like to get out of Hell as soon as possible!”
Samuel smiled. “Good then. Let’s get this over with and get back to the others?”
“Sounds amazing. I stink and I am dying for a shower.”
“No dying on my watch,” he chuckled.
“Deal,” I laughed.
As we drew closer, the gate was towering and ominous. It was tall, black, and twisted, with large, sharp barbs covering it. I couldn’t see how far it extended because it disappeared into the darkness on each side.
Two large torches were set on either side of the gates opening, and in front of it stood a tall, hooded creature.
Was that the Grim Reaper? It looked exactly like him. Whatever it was, it was what I had always envisioned standing at the gate of Hell.
Chapter 16
We were about twenty-five feet away, and the tall, hooded figure still stood frozen. I wondered if it was real, or if it was just a statue.
“What is that?” I whispered to Samuel.
“The last gate keeper.”
“Is he real? I haven’t seen him move since we exited the cave.”
“Yes. He’s very real. Let me go in first and talk to him. You stay here, and I’ll let you know if, and when, it’s safe to come.”
“Okay.”
“ Emma, if anything should happen, Malachi and Dominic are still waiting beyond the tunnel on the other side. I’m not saying that it will, but just in case… run back to them.”
My heart twisted.
“Just don’t let anything happen. Please,” I begged. I needed him.
“I’ll try,” he said, resting his hand on my shoulders. He nodded, and I nodded in return.
I remained in my spot and watched Samuel walk towards the creature. My pulse started to race as different scenarios started to run through my head. Would he call me to come, or would I have to run? I watched in anticipation, hoping for one, but ready for the other.
As Samuel moved closer, the creature started to move. It raised a large, sharp sickle above its head.
HO-LY Crap!
I strained to see if I could make out what was under its long, black cloak, and as the light from the torch illuminated it, I gasped. It was bones. Like…only bones. A skeleton.
But, what the heck was holding all of its pieces together? OMG! It was the damn Grim Reaper!
I watched as Samuel stopped a few feet in front of it. It towered over him and stood over ten feet tall.
I strained to listen as Samuel spoke. “It is urgent that we speak to Lucifer,” he said, in an even, serious voice.
The creature shook his head and pointed behind him. It looked like he was telling him to leave. Right now, that seemed like a pretty damn good idea.
“It’s regarding his
son. Lucian is planning to murder him, and he needs to be warned.”
The creature stood as still as a statue for a few long seconds, then made a motion with his arm. Samuel stepped closer and turned his head. I think he was showing him his mark. Samuel spoke to him in a softer tone which I couldn’t hear. I waited. Anxious. What was going on?
A few minutes later the creature stepped forward, unlatched the gate, and swung it open. He then stepped aside.
No way! That was too easy!
We’d fought for our lives through every single gate, and I assumed that we would have to do the same to get through this one too.
But NO! The scary death creature… aka the Grim Reaper… was the coolest of them all! He actually gave us a free passage into Hell.
Samuel motioned for me to come to him, so without fear I went forward and took hold of his hand. As I walked past the Reaper, I didn’t know what to do.
Do I look at it?
Should I not make eye contact?
I had to look, and then found myself whispering, “Thank you.” As soon as I did I turned away, and felt stupid. Samuel pulled me through the gate, chuckling.
“Was I not supposed to talk to it?”
“Well, I think you were the first, in all of existence, to tell the gate keeper of Hell ‘thank you’. I’m not sure he knew what to do with that.”
“Well, I was thankful he let us through so easily.”
I took a quick glance behind us to see if I could spy Malachi and Dom, but the cave was too dark. They were probably watching us enter the gate, thankful that they didn’t have to come and fight.
As soon as we were inside, the Reaper slammed the gate shut. The sound of the metal clanging made my insides jump. He then turned and resumed his stance back at the front, and froze.
Samuel quickly led me down a rocky corridor that opened up into a huge cavern, which was almost circular. It was dark but beautiful. The walls looked like they were made of a black marble. There were carvings of gargoyles inset into the walls; each placed six feet from the next, and continued all the way around.
They were creepy, and looked like they could come to life at any moment and attack us. Their stone eyes were glaring at us, their teeth and claws were razor sharp. I tried not to look at them, because they resembled the creature at the first gate. The creature that burned Kade.