Page 58 of Cathmoir's Sons

“Damn.”

“Try again,” Kellan says. “Easeyour way into the plane. You don’t have to force your way in. Hell wants mortal souls. You should feel it welcome you.”

I scoop the card off the table with my mental fingers and flick it up to float between us. The face is still bubbled into thelandscape of Hell. When I push my will into it, the card’s black and white begins to shade into deep purples and midnight blues.

“That’s right. Extend your will until you feel it catch. Then let Hell pull you in.”

I follow her instructions, applying my will steadily but not shoving or tearing. I think of the times I’ve felt Rho’s power wash over me like the tide. An inexorable rush.

Hell catches me like a hand grabbing my shoulder. I spin in freefall for a moment, then Hell sucks me down.

I’m still staring at the warped card and Kellan’s face beyond it when everything around us changes from the dark opulence of the casino to a burning field and the gray stone tower rising behind her shoulder. A gut-tumbling sense of seasickness shakes me. Law’s hand jerks in mine. Then the nausea eases. Kellan squeezes my hand.

“How are you doing?” she asks.

“Queasy for a moment but it’s passing.”

“You’re doing great. That was a big jump. If you’d gone to the Dransbych or even closer parts of Olt, you’d barely notice the nausea. Your experience walking the Fae Ways is definitely helping you, too. Most first-time Plane-Walkers are crippled for hours after the transition.”

Law jerks his hand free, turns away and vomits onto the burning ground. He staggers a step away, wiping his mouth and clutching his stomach. “This place is poison.”

Kellan nods. “A good reminder. Law’s Element is closer to the Earth than ours. He’s more affected by the unearthly magic of Hell. We’re affected, too, though, and the longer we stay here, the more affected we’ll be. Extended Plane-Walking in Hell is not recommended.”

She uncoils herself from lotus-position. We’re both hovering a few feet off the ground. I copy her warily, pocketing the cards just in case we need them later. The ground looks like a lava-field. But Kellan’s feet aren’t burning, so I trust mine won’t either.

The ground is rough and crumbling against my soles, warm but not burning.

“Illusion?” I ask Kellan, tipping my head at the flare of fire she’s stepping on.

“No, it’s real enough. It’s just not affecting our corporal forms yet. Our bodies are still sitting in Pandora’s Box. Our spirits are projected here. We don’t want our bodies pulled into Dis, believe me. There are lots and lots of things here that could kill us. Be careful what you touch. The more you interact with another plane, the more your body is pulled into it. If the ground starts feeling hot, it’s time to leave.”

Not before I meet Tsara Faa. I nod at the tower. It looks like a ten or fifteen-minute walk up the steep hill the tower sits on.

“We could fly,” I suggest.

Law groans.

Kellan shakes her head. “There are very unfriendly things in Hell’s skies.”

We begin trudging toward the tower. It’s not like walking on Earth. I feel both lighter and heavier, unbalanced. My center of gravity shifts with every step. Kellan offers me her hand and I take it, hoping that the flow of energy between us will help the disorientation pass. When it does, I extend my other hand to Law, who is still looking green. He shifts around behind me to Kellan’s other side and holds out his hand.

Kellan sniffs. “I don’t remember inviting you along.”

“I don’t remember you inviting me along, either,” Law grumbles. “But here I am. Protecting you as you run off somewhere dangerous. Again.”

Kellan sighs and takes his hand. “I still don’t like needing your protection.”

“If all you’ll accept from your mate right now is protection, at least that’s something.”

“Reality check, Law. I let you sleep with me last night.Afteryou made a big scene in the middle of Carrie’s memorial.” Kellan huffs. “And a word of warning: Jou is touchy-feely. If he hugs me and you lose your shit, this could very well be your first and last visit to Hell.”

Law huffs.

I swallow a chuckle. Bickering is their love language.

While they snark at each other, I take in the hellscape. I haven’t been to Hell before, at least not in a literal sense. It’s as advertised by Mom’s church-going friends. Lots of fire. Sulphur and brimstone fill my nose. It’s barren, which I didn’t expect, although I’m not sure what the flora of Hell might be. The landscape is tortured, charred, cracked, and twisted. It’s hard to see any distance, even as we start to climb the hill. We should get a vantage over the plain behind us, but we don’t.

I only notice the change in the heavy stink because my stomach starts to roll again. I tug on Kellan’s hand. Our little train comes to a stop while I lift my head and try to scent. On Kellan’s far side, Law lifts his head and draws a deep breath into his lungs. He coughs.

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