Baglie: The fifth stratum of Sheol is a warzone of every being, including souls, demons, and Fallen. The sinners of anger fight each other across the River Styx while the sullenest sinners drown in it.
Adphaht: The sixth stratum of Sheol is a cemetery of immortal beings and sleepless souls, burning within flaming tombs for their heresy. It’s filled will screams, cries for help, and unfathomable pain.
Kiaofi: The seventh stratum of Sheol is split into three sections. The first section is reserved for souls that drown in a river of boiling blood and fire. The second section is saved for souls of suicide. Their souls are rooted in the ground as they suffer through being fed upon by other creatures, mainly the demons of Kiaofi. The third section is a desert of burning sand and raining fire for the most violent of souls.
Ardox: The eighth stratum of Sheol contains sinners of fraud. It is divided into deep stone ditches with bridges connecting them.
Babalel: The ninth stratum of Sheol contains four inner cities. The outermost city is Cain, followed by Antenora and Ptolomaea, and the innermost city of Judecca.
Cain: The outermost city of Babalel is a frozen lake for as far as you can see. The ice encompasses sinners of treachery, and the more severe the sin, the deeper they are buried in the ice.
Antenora: Begins the change of terrain from ice to fire. It’s burning populations of cluttered structures are in flames. Surrounded by lakes and rivers of fire, soot floats through the air, coating the ground as well. It houses the lowest level of demons who scout Fallen and higher demons to possess, with hopes of traveling to the surface. It also houses the hound coop for disobedient hellhounds.
Ptolomaea: This city of burning sand serves as a barrier between Antenora and Judecca, in the case of attacks on the King of Sheol.
Judecca: The innermost city of Babalel with mountainous terrain and the King of Sheol’s castle. The castle itself houses the King, Queen, and Prince of Sheol, as well as the Dukes of Sheol and their legions of Fallen warriors.
Index of Terms
Bastille: A temporary jail for angels, located within Paradise.
Bond: A connection between beings that is the equivalent of a human marriage, except it is much more intense and eternal. There is a ceremony performed in which a piece of each being’s essence is taken and placed inside their mate, binding the two essences together eternally. After the ceremony is consummated, the two essences bind on a permanent level. They will be able to feel their mate’s presence wherever they go, as well as be able to share thoughts, no matter the distance between them.
Darkness: That which is of Sheol.
Divine: Those devoted to The Creator and side with Paradise.
Empathy: The ability to experience the feelings and emotions of others.
Enochian: The Angelic language; is also used to reference angelic nature.
Enochian Opal: A precious stone from Paradise that represents justice and harmony. It will protect the wearer from harm, whether external or self-inflicted.
Essence: Spirit inside the body of immortal beings.
Evanescence: The ability to disappear from one location and reappear in another.
Fallen: Those who fell from the grace of Paradise through choice.
Fledgling: A being coming into their abilities.
Helio: A self-luminous heavenly body.
Immortal Pestilence: The ability to turn any immortal being into a mortal human by taking their essence and replacing it with a soul.
Kapet: Egyptian incense known to cleanse a spirit.
Kere: Beings who control the fate of souls before Reapers are called upon to guide the soul to its final destination.
Light: That which is of Paradise.
Lilim: The offspring of Lilith and a mortal man.
Paradise: The plane of existence for The Creator, Angels, and the spirits of the blessed after death.
Partial Bond: Also known as an incomplete bond; is the connection between beings through intercourse which is less intense than a complete bond. The bonded may feel each other’s presence, and may feel each other’s pain with close proximity.
Pathokinesis: The ability to manipulate the emotions of others.
Portal: A supernatural gateway connecting one plane to another.
Qeres: Egyptian perfume that is lethal to Divine beings.
Scrying: A mortal method of divination used by meditating while staring into a black bowl of water.
Sheol: The plane of existence for the Fallen and condemned spirits of wickedness after death.
Soul: Spirit inside the body of mortal beings.
Surface: The plane of existence for mortal beings, which also serves as a plane for beings of Light and Darkness to carry out their purposes.
Telepathy: The ability to communicate and read thoughts of other beings.
Teloch: The Enochian word for Death.
Tree of Life: The tree whose fruit gives eternal life. It is the only living thing able to exist on more than one plane. The same exact tree exists in Paradise, on the surface in the Garden of Eden, the Veil, and Sheol.
Veil: A spiritual plane used as a transition for souls as they are guided to their final destinations.
Vision: A premonition of the future, seen through means of a dream, meditation, or scrying.
Ward: A supernatural barrier created by Cherubim for protection.
Acknowledgments
To my family and close friends who have filled my heart with love and joy, thank you for being a part of my life. You are the very best part.
A big thank you to my mother for the drive she’s given me for the tenacity of life.
A heartfelt thank you to my PA, Lisa. Without you, my mind would be jumbled and Gilded Inferno would be held back.
To my Beta Team and Street Team for falling in love with The Helio World and always showing your support.
To my editor, Kiri, I would be lost without you. Thank you for all that you do in between your hectic life. I cherish your brutal honesty, especially with a glass of wine.
For Tony Ingram, thank you for your culinary skills and Big T's Sloppin' Sauce!
And lastly to my co-conspirator, Aaron Speer, you have been my muse throughout the Gilded Inferno journey. You’re my favorite Aussie, and I’m glad you are part of my tribe.
About The Author
Valerie Roeseler is a bestselling author, devoted mother, and workaholic with the determination of a queen bee. She began writing as a child, creating fantastical stories with villainous animals on her toy typewriter. In her teenage years, her writing became a poetic secret before she wrote music, transforming them into lyrics. Valerie’s early inspirations came from her obsession with mythology and British literature. Her debut novel, Midnight Divine, is the first in The Helio Trilogy. She is a native Texan and an enthusiast of art, music, adrenaline, coffee, wine, and hair dye. When left to her own devices, she tends to forget that sleep is a necessity.
www.valerieroeseler.com
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Gilded Inferno (The Helio Trilogy Book 2) Page 32
