Red Blooded
Page 14

I snuck around the corner, and into a very strange land.
Well, this is… unexpected. Or maybe the neat gazebos and innocuous buildings were unexpected and this is what we should’ve expected all along? My wolf growled, her ears twitching. The sulfur smell was so strong I had to cover my nose and mouth with my hand. On closer inspection, I could see sulfur water seeping out of the walls. No wonder.
We had just entered the true bowels of Hell.
No more buildings and seemingly normal structures. This was what the real Underworld looked like.
This tunnel was much larger. I was guessing it had to be one of their main arteries. It was wider, likely to accommodate more traffic, but I also knew it was a primary thoroughfare because it seemed almost alive. Dark red porous rock jutted out all around me. It was hot and humid and the walls were bumpy and coarse, with tons of wide holes resembling coral. Fluid leaked everywhere. There were smells I’ve never scented before—all of them ghastly. I moved forward cautiously, stepping over a huge channel that ran down the middle of the tunnel to catch all the runoff, and once on the other side, I started to jog.
I had no idea where my final destination was, but the image in my mind, curtsey of my wolf, kept me focused. I passed door after door as I ran. All of them plain and unassuming. They looked completely out of character nestled into the red, bleeding rock.
Look for another big door with an ornate knob. Can you scent anything? If this was a major passageway, like I guessed, Tyler’s scent should be lingering here somewhere. When the Prince had arrived back in Hell with my brother as his prize, he would’ve had to walk somewhere down here.
As I ran, the tunnel meandered right, and then left. After a long curve, it straightened out for a short distance before it abruptly ended in a T. I slid to a stop and listened. I heard voices down both corridors. Once the tunnel had straightened out there had been a smattering of few more doors. Let’s duck behind one of these doors until it’s clear. We can’t risk sounding the alarms yet. Cross your fingers we find something nice inside instead of another set of beasties.
I backtracked to the last door I’d passed. It looked the same as all the others. I didn’t have time to test the handle, because the voices were getting louder. I grabbed the knob and it swung open cleanly. I stepped in cautiously, clicking it closed softly behind me.
I turned around. The room was pitch black.
I placed my back against the door and slid down into a crouch. My nose rose in the air and I scented the space. My skin prickled.
We weren’t alone in here.
Something moved directly in front of me. Do we stay and fight or should we flee before it figures out who we are? The decision was made for us when multiple voices erupted right outside the door. A moment later alarms sounded. Whooping sirens echoed all around us.
They knew I was here.
Before I could decide if I should fight the unknown in front of me, or race back into the tunnel and take my chances, a low red light started to blink next to the door and a voice came over a loudspeaker, speaking Demonish and then English: “Alert, alert. There is an intruder in our realm. We must stop it at all costs. All demons to your armament stations.”
Armament? That didn’t sound good.
“They’re talking about you,” a voice in the darkness purred. “But you knew that already, didn’t you?”
I sprang to my feet, trying to make out the details in the room via the blinking red light, but there only appeared to be solid rock in front of me.
That couldn’t be right.
“I am here, but you must part the curtain of darkness to see me.”
The voice was decidedly female.
Demonesses were rare. From what little I knew about demons, there were only a handful. But honestly, what did I really know? Everything I knew about the Underworld had been gathered from tidbits from other supes, myths, and old books I’d read as a child. The entire Underworld could be run by demonesses and none of us would’ve been any wiser. No supernatural I’d ever known of had ventured here before.
“And how do I ‘part the curtain of darkness’ and why would I want to?” Establishing a motive was the first step.
She chuckled. It was a strange sound, tinkling coupled with a coarse undertone. “And where will you go now? They have filled the tunnels. Can you not hear them? Soon they will have the hell beasts scent your precise location and you will be found. Without my help you are completely lost.”
“The chupacabras aren’t that fierce,” I muttered. “I could handle them if I had to.”
“Then you have not met their mothers.”
Mothers? The garbage dump was filled with baby chupacabras? Well, that explained why they hadn’t torn me to shreds. Dammit. “Why are you in here?” I asked. “And why are you hiding behind the mysterious ‘curtain of darkness’?”
“I am a prisoner. As you will be very soon.”
A prisoner meant she was dangerous. I immediately wondered what you had to do to be arrested in Hell. It had to be something big. When I didn’t respond she continued, “You are the girl they are so worried about, am I correct? The she-wolf who is fated to rule our lands?”
“Hmm, the ruling part is totally wrong. I want nothing to do with this place. If the demons could finally get that through their thick, reptilian exoskeletons, my life would be a whole lot easier.”
“That’s where you are wrong,” the voice said. “Our Scriptures are never written in error. They were composed in the Time of Lucifer. If it says you are Fated, that means you are strong enough to rule Hell. Whether you do so or not”—she paused—“may ultimately be up to you, but that doesn’t make you less of a threat in our eyes.”
“It seems counterproductive for the demon lord to want me here in the first place, then, don’t you think? Why lure me to the Underworld if I’m the biggest threat to the Prince’s rule?”
“He is very shrewd, but compelled by his quest for supreme power. You stand solely in the way of that. As every demon child knows, what is written in the Scriptures must come true. The Prince must dispatch you or his rule will remain in question for the rest of eternity.”
Snarling and barking erupted right outside the door.
“Hurry,” she urged. “You are almost out of time. You must come to me or you will be captured and contained. I am your only hope of escape.”