Page 60 of The Road to Hell

“It’s clear,” he announced.

“Well, it’s clearnow,” Calyx said, chuckling.

Again, everyone ignored him.

“Good,” I said. “Let’s get inside before something else finds us.”

I brushed past Calyx, stepping into the cavern first. He fell into step behind me, and as we disappeared into the shadows, his voice drifted through the dark. “If you wanted to get me alone so badly, darling, you could’ve just said so.”

Vol let out a long, suffering sigh. “Please let me kill him.”

We pressed deeper into the cavern, the heat of Hell peeling away as the stale, suffocating air swallowed us whole. The walls closed in at odd angles, forcing us to step carefully over broken ground and slick patches of obsidian-like stone. The deeper we went, the dimmer the light. The infernal glow that pulsed from the veins faded until we could barely see.

I scowled. I didn’t like the darkness pressing in. With a flick of my wrist, I conjured a steady orb of hellfire, its glow licking up my fingers before lifting into the air. The light stretched against the cavern walls, but it wasn’t enough. I sent another higher, letting it cling to the ceiling. One by one, more orbs followed, drifting to the farthest corners, casting the chamber in an eerie, smoldering glow. The darkness retreated, revealing the full expanse of the cavern.

Calyx strolled leisurely beside me, entirely too at ease. “Cozy little hole you’ve found. Can’t wait to see what else comes slithering out of the dark.”

Vol dug his claws into my shoulder. “I’m taking bets. Ten bucks says hellspawn, a blood fiend, and at least one creepy thing that shouldn’t exist.”

Rathiel inspected my glowing orbs with an inscrutable expression, then moved deeper in. “It’s defensible,” he announced. “No other entrances, so nothing can surround us. If we need to hold out, this is the best spot we’re going to find.”

I nodded, stepping farther inside and bringing my hellfire along to illuminate more of the cavern. The walls were rough, and deep grooves carved the stone, remnants of something that had scraped or clawed its way through at some point. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what.

Calyx wandered past me, inspecting the cavern with an idle sort of amusement, running his fingers over the grooves in the rock. “Might these belong to the creature you just dined on?”

Rathiel shot him a glare. “And?”

I rested my hand next to the claw marks and whistled. They were the size of my fingers. Whatever creature lived here had been massive. And Rathiel had clearly taken it down and fed off it without so much as a scratch. I glanced around, looking for the corpse, but Rathiel must have discarded it deeper in the cave, out of sight. I appreciated his consideration.

Calyx just grinned. “Hope it was tasty.”

I set my pack on the ground, then unstrapped Purrgy and handed the carrier to Eliza, who opened the zippered flap for him. He took one look around, then, with a long, plaintive meow, stepped out of his prison and started exploring.

Calyx stopped dead in his tracks and stared at my fluffy boy. “What isthat?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I muttered. “Just know if you touch him, I will cut off both your hands and shove them so far up your ass, you’ll be shitting fingers for days.”

Everyone in the cave turned and stared at me.

“Colourful imagery,” Calyx commented. “But, noted. No touching the…orange, furry…thing.”

I drew a deep breath, then said, “Let’s get this over and done with.”

“Eager are we, darling?” Calyx said, chuckling.

Rathiel released a low growl.

“He’s doing it to piss you off,” I told Rathiel. “Ignore him.” Then I met Calyx’s gaze, my patience thinning. “Enough with the theatrics. Just tell me what to expect.”

Calyx tilted his head and studied me. “When I unlocked your one memory, you were asleep. Your subconscious was vulnerable. I fear you won’t comply as easily this time, seeing as how you’re aware of me. But, as they say, we won’t know until we try. I expect you’ll fight me. As you do everything. But it’ll be fun to crack you open. Wiggle my fingers in that demented head of yours.”

“Fucker,” I mumbled, which only seemed to amuse him further.

“But here’s the fun part,” he continued, tilting his head, pale eyes gleaming. “I have no idea how long this will take. Could be minutes, could be hours. And I certainly don’t know how you’ll respond. From what I’ve seen rummaging around in that lovely little head of yours, you’re missing a fair chunk of time. That’s not a simple wound to rip open. Sometimes, the mind—well, it doesn’t take too kindly to that kind of violation.” His grin widened. “Maybe you’ll be perfectly fine. Or maybe you’ll pass out. You might even claw my eyes out before I get past the first wall. Who’s to say? But I’m excited to find out.”

There was something wrong with his brain.

“So, what do you say? Let’s see who’s stronger—you or me?” he said.

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