Page 38 of The Road to Hell

“We’ll have to go around,” Rathiel said, his gaze darting between the hellcat and the steaming crater. “Hopefully the cat’s as disinterested in melting as we are and will move on.”

I stole another glance at the beast. Its hulking frame prowled too close for comfort. Its eyes burned with patient hunger, and its barbed tail swayed slowly, lazily, like it was toying with the idea of how best to kill us. It wasn’t hiding anymore, so I had a feeling it wasn’t about to let us go. Thankfully, Rathiel and I knew how to handle creatures like this—I just didn’t relish killing them. It wasn’t the cat’s fault that it enjoyed feasting on flesh. My father designed the species that way. The blame lay solely at his ignominious feet.

A warning growl rumbled from Purrgy’s carrier. His carrier shifted as he pressed against the mesh window, no doubt flattening his ears at the incoming predator.

We picked up the pace, cutting a wide berth around the sulphur basin. The ground beneath us cracked with each step, the heat radiating from below enough to make sweat bead at my temples. The hellcat kept pace effortlessly, prowling just outside our reach, but it still hadn’t attacked.

Yet.

“What’s our move if it stops toying with us?” Eliza asked.

I tightened my grip on Inferno’s Kiss. “It dies.”

“That’s the confidence I love to hear,” Vol muttered. “Right before everything goes terribly wrong.”

I ignored him. That the hellcat hadn’t attacked yet had me questioning its purpose here. Perhaps it was wary of our numbers. Three against one certainly put the odds in our favour. Or maybe we were simply trespassing on its hunting grounds and it was stalking us until we left.

I certainly preferred the latter option.

“We’re close,” Rathiel said, his voice low. He nodded ahead, where the heat haze finally parted just enough to reveal the outskirts of Fellmoor.

The outpost wasn’t much to look at—just a scattering of dark, weather-worn structures carved directly from Hell’s stone, their edges twisted like melted wax. The buildings huddled together in tight clusters, connected by a mess of narrow alleys and precarious bridges that stretched over bubbling chasms. A faint, sickly glow pulsed from somewhere deep within the settlement, casting eerie shadows against the rock walls.

I glanced back at the hellcat. It had slowed its pace, hanging back at the edge of the basin, its ember eyes still staring. But it didn’t come any closer.

Rathiel noticed too. “I don’t think it’ll follow us into the outpost.”

“Why not?” Eliza asked.

“Too many hellspawn,” I told her. “The cat’s odds of survival are slim to nil, considering hellspawn love a bit of roasted hellbeast meat.”

“Ah,” was all Eliza said.

A few moments later, the cat turned and left, its tail still swishing. Relief loosened my shoulders, and I turned my focus to Fellmoor.

“What’s the plan?” I asked. “How do we wanna tackle this?”

“Carefully,” Rathiel said. “Hellspawn are loyal to your father, mostly because they have no other options. But they respect strength and power above all else and cull their weakest members. They’ll remember the war. And more importantly, they’ll remember we lost. So, the second we’re recognized, one of two things will likely happen. One: they’ll attack us. Or two: they’ll report our presence to Lucifer.”

Neither option thrilled me, but we needed to discuss the most pressing matter first. “We should assume Lucifer already knows we’re here.”

Rathiel’s head jerked toward me. “What?”

“We have to assume the fallen made it back to Hell. And the first thing they would have done?” I spread my hands. “Run straight to Daddy Dearest.”

Rathiel bit out a curse.

The thought made my skin crawl too, like I could feel Lucifer’s fingers already closing around my throat. But it was better to accept this truth now than pretend otherwise. “If the hellspawn report us, we should assume it won’t be news to him. So, let’s focus on what we can actually control.”

Eliza tilted her head. “Can’t you tell if the fallen came through the portal?”

I shook my head. “No. The more distance we put between us and the gate, the less I feel it,” I said. “But either way, we should assume the hellspawn will attack when they recognize us.”

“And you think they will?”

I let out a laugh. “Eliza, hellspawn don’t look like you, me, or Rathiel. They’re monsters. You’ll understand when you see them. Trust me—there’s no way we’re sneaking into Fellmoor unnoticed.”

“You’re both weirdly calm about this,” she muttered.

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