“How did she die?” I asked. “Old age?”
“No. Death gave her an enchanted necklace that made her age at a much reduced rate so that he could be with her for longer than a mortal person usually lives for, but it offered her no other protection. One day he was off performing his duties and she was knocked down by a wagon and crushed beneath its wheels. She was already dead before he could get to her.”
He fell silent for a while before continuing.
“Ankou was young when she died and he was brought down here to live. For a few years Death was too overcome with grief to be a proper father so he lived with me and my parents. My sisters had not yet been born, so it was just us two children. We were regularly sent up to Earth to experience normal life, though never for more than a year or two at a time. We went to school together, but were never in the same class. Every time I got a girlfriend, they would end up meeting him and dump me instantly. I’m sure some of them only hung around me so they could get closer to him. Even as a child he was very charismatic.”
“I can understand your resentment,” I said.
“I don’t resent him. I get frustrated with him at times, but nothing more. College was even worse, as I’m sure you can imagine. My room was directly opposite his and I think he took a different girl to his bed more or less every night.”
I was not in the least bit surprised. “It must have been hard growing up, knowing that you were not human, yet having to live a human life. Did your parents get involved in your life on Earth much?”
Kris laughed. “No. Not really. It wouldn’t have been too bad for me, but can you imagine Ankou having to introduce his father to his friends? And parent-teacher evenings would have been a real blast.”
“So you and Ankou grew up more like brothers than cousins. Did you fight often?”
“Constantly,” he said. “I often wondered why we never ended up with broken bones. Must be something to do with being part god I suppose.”
Before I could say more we were interrupted by Robert calling to us that food was ready. Kris jumped up, then held out his hand to help me to my feet. I stowed my bag in my tent then joined the two men by the fire.
I looked up at the sky while we ate. Something about it had been bothering me every night since we had arrived in Hell, but I couldn’t figure out what. Finally it hit me.
“There are no stars,” I said in surprise.
Kris burst out laughing. “Of course there aren’t. It’s not the real sky you know.”
I smiled at him. “Hades not talented enough to make a realistic fake sky then?”
The amusement dropped from his face and he snarled at me, making me roll around on the ground in fits of giggles.
“When you have quite finished,” he said. I recovered my composure, saw the hurt look on his face and started laughing uncontrollably again.
Everyone was tired, even me, surprisingly, so we all went to bed early. Thinking back over the day, it didn’t turn out so bad. Maybe thirteen isn’t an unlucky number after all. OK, so I could have drowned, but I didn’t. We saved ourselves a lot of time by crossing the lake instead of going around it and Kris is hopeful we will reach his parental home in the next few days.
Let’s hope tomorrow goes as well.
Day 14
Today I knew I was in Hell. There was no strolling through meadows filled with long green grass, no walking beneath trees whose leaves rustled in the breeze, no ambling along next to a cooling river or a lake. Until today it had been easy to forget that we were in Hell. All that changed just before midday when we crested a hill and saw the dead forest.
Burnt woodland stretched out in front of us. I have seen the results of forest fires before, but this was much worse. Everything was black; not a single trace of green could be seen. The smell of smoke hung in the air.
“When was the forest destroyed?” I asked.
“Centuries ago,” Kris said.
“Centuries?” Robert said. “But it looks so recent. Why is there no sign of regrowth?”
“Because everything is dead,” Kris replied, his voice filled with sadness. “Normal fire will damage a tree, but very rarely does it kill it. Usually it does not take long for new buds to appear, but that can never happen here.”
“What do you mean ‘normal’ fire?” Robert asked. “What caused this?”
“Titans,” was Kris’s one word response. He spat the word rather than spoke it.
“I thought the titans were a myth, a legend,” I said.
Kris regarded me with a strange expression on his face. “Just like the Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Norse gods?”
Good point. “So what happened?”
“There was a war. My father does not like to talk about it, so I don’t know many details. All I know is that all of the gods worked together to overcome the titans that threatened all three realms.”
“Three realms?”
“There are four realms,” Kris said. “Air, where Zeus lives; Water which is controlled by Poseidon; the underworld, where we are now is the realm of Hades, as you already know; and the last one is your realm, most commonly referred to as Earth. The war never made it that far, thankfully. I dread to think what would have happened if the titans had managed to get to your world.”
“You are using the Greek names for the gods,” I said. “Why?”
Kris shrugged his shoulders. “They have been known by so many names over the years it is hard to keep track. I use the ones that you are most familiar with so as not to confuse you.”
Was he suggesting I was easily confused? Then again, I couldn’t handle Hades calling himself Frank, so he was probably right.
I looked at the forest again and shivered. “Do we have to go through it?” Unfortunately Kris nodded his head.
It only took a few hours to traverse between the dead trees, but it felt like a lot longer. The smell of burnt wood was horrible and every now and then the charred remains of large animals could be seen. I asked why Hades hadn’t replaced it, removed it from his realm, and Kris explained that it was there as a reminder. If any of the gods or their offspring had a disagreement so severe that it could lead to another war, Hades would bring them here to show them what the result could be.
Death hung in the air (and I am not talking about Kris’s uncle). I felt like I was inhaling it with every breath. In the end I had to ask Kris for something to cover my nose and mouth. It didn’t help. What made it worse was the silence. There was no sound of any living creature, other than the three of us.
Kris set a fast pace and I’m glad that he did. I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could. The trees were tightly packed together with no clear path through them so our clothes kept snagging on protruding branches and I was covered in scratches by the time we exited.
“May I suggest a change of clothes?” Kris said, sniffing his sleeve and wrinkling his nose. He stuck his hand in his bag and withdrew fresh trousers and t-shirts and handed them out.
The boys began to unbutton their shirts and I coughed to get their attention. “You’re kidding, right?” They looked at me in confusion. “I am not getting undressed out in the open. I need something to hide behind.”
“Rachel, I have seen you naked before, so seeing you in your underwear is going to be nothing new,” Robert said. “And I am sure Kris will turn his back.”
From the look on Kris’s face, I wasn’t convinced, but it looked like I had no choice. I spun around, removed my top and replaced it as quickly as I could. Glancing over my shoulder I was relieved to see that both of the men had their backs to me and were looking in the opposite direction. Kris had just removed his trousers and I couldn’t help admiring his legs. Muscular and well-toned. I was beginning to think he hid a very nice body under his clothes. Nothing compared to Ankou’s though.
Realising I was staring, I averted my gaze and quickly changed my trousers and put my trainers back on. By the time I had finished, Robert and Kris were also dressed and were stuffing their smelly
clothes into the bag. I handed mine over and we were on our way once more.
I noticed that it was getting hotter as the day wore on and asked Kris about it. “You will soon see,” he said and he was right. Over the next ridge was a sight that made me stop and stare. I wasn’t the only one.
In front of us was an enormous inferno. Flames flared up, though it did not look like there was any fuel for them to burn.
“You said you wanted fire and brimstone. Here it is,” Kris said, gesturing forward with his arm.
“I’ve changed my mind,” I muttered. “I prefer the real Hell, not the one in all the books. Can we go around it?”
Kris shook his head. “Not if you want to reach Death any time this year.”
“We can’t walk through that,” Robert protested. “We will be incinerated. What is it anyway? Is Hades growing a new sun?”
Kris actually laughed. “No. This is the fire that destroyed the forest. The gods managed to contain it, but have not yet found a way to destroy it. They have no idea what is feeding it and keeping it alive.”
“And you expect us to just walk through it?” I asked incredulously.
“Yes,” Kris replied calmly.
“Are you out of your fricking mind?” I yelled. “In case you hadn’t noticed, that’s fire out there and you may not be combustible, but we humans certainly are.”
Kris winced and I realised what I had said. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to suggest that you are inhuman; more like super-human. Does that sound better?”
“Not really,” he said. “This is one of the reasons I tried to keep my identity from you. I would rather you thought of me as a normal man.”
“You are far from normal I’m afraid.”
There was an uncomfortable silence, which was broken by Robert asking, “How exactly are we going to get past the fire?”
“As I said, we walk through it.” Kris said it so calmly, as though it was no big deal.
I shook my head. “Come on then. If we are going to be burnt to a crisp, we may as well get on with it.”
As we moved closer the heat intensified until it became almost unbearable. Sweat was pouring off me, making my shirt cling to my skin uncomfortably. We were still a fair distance away when Kris stopped.
“Give me your hands,” he said. I hesitated, so Robert held his forward. Kris took them in his own, closed his eyes and a look of intense concentration filled his face. A few moments later he exhaled, opened his eyes and released Robert.
“You should be feeling a little cooler now,” he said. Sweat was still dripping off Robert’s forehead, so I was surprised when he said he did. Kris did not appear to be sweating at all.
He then took my hands and repeated the procedure. Robert was right; by the time Kris released me I did feel a little less like I was burning up. Now I was only suffering from a severe fever instead of imminent spontaneous combustion.
“You can now both safely enter the flames,” he said. “But don’t wander off. Stay close to me in case I need to boost your protection. I’m not sure exactly how long it will last.”
“What?” I exclaimed in horror and the bastard winked at me.
We all moved forward again. The heat continued to intensify, but it was bearable. Just. The air was so hot it made breathing a little difficult, but I could handle it. For a while anyway.
Then we reached the edge of the flames and I froze. I couldn’t get my legs to step into them. Kris glanced back to make sure Robert and I were following and stopped when he saw that I wasn’t.
“You will be fine,” he tried to assure me, but his words couldn’t penetrate the terror that had taken control of my body. I could see that Robert was not being burnt alive, but my brain could not accept the fact that I could survive inside the inferno.
Robert returned to me and stood by my side. “Take my hand,” he said, holding it out to me. “You will be alright. You know I will never let anything happen to you. You won’t get hurt, I promise.” How could he promise that? He wasn’t the one protecting us from the fire.
“Listen to him,” Kris said.
Robert moved into the fire once more, dragging me with him. I closed my eyes, held my breath and stepped forward. Nothing happened. My skin did not start to shrivel. My clothes did not catch light. The temperature did not increase. If anything, it felt a little cooler.
“See,” Robert said.
“Will she be OK?” Kris asked. Why was he asking Robert instead of me? Oh yeah. Maybe because I was too terrified to open my eyes, let alone speak.
“I’ll look after her,” Robert said. “Lead the way. We will be right behind you. But please take the short route.”
The short route was not so short. Every time I opened my eyes I could see nothing but flames in all directions and my brain started to tell me that I was burning, that any minute now I would be on fire and it was all I could do to stop myself from screaming. I could feel my skin blistering, but whenever I looked at my arms they were fine. I think I started whimpering at one point. Keeping my eyes closed was the only way I could keep my legs moving. Robert was having to constantly reassure me that I was alright. Writing this down I realise that I behaved like a complete wimp, but it was a truly terrifying experience. I have no idea how Robert managed to handle it so well.
I don’t know how long it took us to get to the other side, but by the time I was told it was safe to open my eyes again it was dark. I was tired, hungry and extremely thirsty, but that didn’t stop me readily agreeing to put some distance between us and the Hell fire before stopping for the night.
As soon as we were far enough away that I had stopped sweating and had started to shiver, Kris announced that we should set up camp.
“I really need a bath,” I said. “Any chance you can conjure one up for me?”
“No,” he said, his voice filled with regret. “But there is a river just the other side of those trees, if you want to go and bathe.” He removed a towel and fresh clothing from his bag (how did it always manage to get my size right?) and handed them to me, along with a bottle of shampoo. I was so grateful I could have kissed him. Robert went with me, just to make sure I was safe, but had the decency to turn his back when I entered the water. He, too, bathed, but not for long and he made sure he was on hand to hold up my towel for me when I emerged, keeping his eyes averted like the true gentleman he manages to be occasionally.
While we bathed, Kris started roasting something over the fire and asked us to keep an eye on it while he visited the river. I retrieved my brush from my bag and removed the tangles while Robert kept turning the meat.
“How did you manage to cope with walking through the fire so easily?” I asked Robert.
He shrugged his shoulders. “I have to get to Tammara. I will do whatever it takes and won’t let anything stand in my way.”
‘One thing about being in love,’ I thought to myself. ‘It certainly makes you brave.’
Kris was not gone long and as soon as he returned he handed around bottles of water. “Make sure you drink plenty,” he said. “You are both probably very dehydrated. If you start to feel ill, let me know.”
I did as he suggested, not realising how thirsty I was until the water touched the back of my throat. I emptied the bottle and asked for another, only to find it refilling itself in front of my eyes. Kris really is useful to have around.
I have no idea what we ate and I didn’t dare ask. All I know is that it tasted great. Robert and I were exhausted after our harrowing day so went to bed early, but as soon as my head hit the pillow it started to pound painfully. I tried putting myself in every position imaginable, but nothing seemed to help. The pain reduced slightly when I sat up, so eventually I gave up trying to sleep and just sat in my tent. Through the canvas I could see a form in the firelight, which I took to be Kris, and decided to get up and see if he had anything that would ease my headache.
He was sitting in front of the fire, crossed legged. “Can’t sleep?” he asked as I approached him.
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br /> I shook my head, then instantly regretted doing so. “My head hurts. I thought sleep might help, but I think the headache is preventing me from dropping off. I have just been laying there, tossing and turning.”
He stretched out his legs, spread them apart and patted the ground between them. “Sit,” he said.
I hesitated, unsure what he was suggesting. He sighed. “I just want to help.”
Following his instructions, I sat between his legs with my back to him and my knees pulled up to my chest. I leant forward, placing my forehead on my knees, but he told me to straighten up.
Then he laid his hands on my head and began to massage it very slowly. I expected it to make the pain in my head worse, but it didn’t. It was actually rather nice. As he increased the pressure, I began to relax and the pain started to decrease. I felt myself leaning back toward him as he moved his hands toward the front. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of his fingers rubbing around my hairline.
He moved down the sides of my face and pushed me gently forward so he could gain access to the back of my head once more. It felt so good it took all of my self-control to stop myself from moaning.
Next he moved onto my neck and shoulders. I have had plenty of massages before, but none have ever felt as good. “Is it helping?” he asked quietly.
“Mmmmm,” I murmured. “It’s handy having a guide who is part god. You definitely have your uses.”
Kris chuckled. “This is nothing to do with me being part god. It is technique, pure and simple.”
As his fingers worked their way up to my head again, I let my mind drift and I slowly dropped off to sleep.
Diary of a journey through Hell Page 14
