“I think I can help you find what you’re looking for.”
“We’re just here to have some fun,” Tuck said once he’d recovered.
“Sure you are. I can tell by that look on your face,” sneered Asia. “Cut the crap, Tucker. It’s me you’re talking to. I know what you want and I may have a contact who can offer some advice.”
“You’re helping us?” I asked bluntly. “Why?”
Asia’s tone was condescending. “Well, I’d rather not help you, but his majesty appears to have developed a schoolboy crush, which some would call downright embarrassing. I feel it’s my duty as a loyal subject to do what I can to help him get over it. And I figure the best way to do that—”
“Is by getting Beth the hell out of here,” Tucker finished for her as if it made perfect sense.
“Exactly.” Asia directed her attention to me. “Believe me, I never do anything that doesn’t benefit me and right now I’d love nothing more than to see the back of you. Hopefully before any real damage is done to the Third Circle.”
I remembered Hanna mentioning the Third Circle back when I’d arrived, but I didn’t understand why it was under threat.
“What are you talking about?” I demanded.
“Asia’s referrin’ to the rebel faction that wants to see Jake brought down,” Tuck explained. “They feel he’s been neglectin’ his duties of late.”
“I don’t believe it,” I said. “How can a faction of demons plot against their leader?”
Asia rolled her eyes. “Jake isn’t just a demon, he’s a fallen angel. He’s one of the Originals, the ones who fell with Big Daddy right from the very beginning. There are eight of them, the Eight Princes of the Eight Circles. Of course, Lucifer himself presides over the ninth … the hottest circle of Hell.”
“So if there were only eight original demons,” I said slowly, “all the others must have been created by them.”
“Oh, wow,” Asia said mockingly. “Not just a pretty face. Yes, the Originals run the show. The other demons have no real control, they’re disposable, nothing but worker bees. The favored ones are assigned to the torture chambers or invited into the beds of the power players. Sometimes they band together to try and overthrow one of the Originals. Course, they always fail.”
“What if they were found out?” I asked.
“Jake would slaughter them all.”
“There ain’t nothing the Originals won’t do to protect themselves,” Tucker said. “Jake more than anyone.”
“So how does this rebel faction plan to overthrow him?” I asked.
“They don’t do much,” Asia shrugged. “They’re idiots mostly, waiting around for a chance to damage his power.”
“I thought you were his biggest supporter,” I said, trying to keep my voice level. Maybe we could bargain with Asia after all. “Why haven’t you told him about this?”
“It never hurts to keep a few things to yourself,” Asia said.
“Are the rebels angry with Jake because of me?” I asked.
“Yep.” Asia threw up her hands. “They’ve expressed their concerns but Jake won’t listen.” She sneered at me. “There’s no accounting for taste, I guess.”
“Aren’t you putting yourself in danger by helping us?”
“Haven’t you heard the expression ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’? Let’s just say my ego is wounded.”
“Can you tell us what you know about the portals?” Tucker asked.
“I didn’t say I knew anything. But there is someone out back who might. His name’s Asher.”
Heavy drapery across a back wall led to an alleyway where a demon in an Italian suit was waiting for us. Asher turned out to be in his mid-thirties. He was tall with dark hair cropped close and a face like a Roman emperor. A cowlick fell across his forehead and there were pockmarks on his cheeks. He was chewing on a toothpick, unaware that he looked like a cliché from a gangster movie. His nose was slightly hooked and he had the same flat shark eyes that identified him as a demon. He was leaning against the wall but moved gracefully forward upon seeing us. He looked me up and down; his curiosity quickly replaced by disapproval.
“That outfit isn’t fooling anyone, sweetheart,” he said. “You don’t belong here.”
“Well, at least we agree on one thing,” I replied. “Are you with the rebels?”
“Sure am,” Asher said. “And I’ve got exactly two minutes so listen up. What you’re looking for you won’t find in this district. The portals take many forms, but the one I’ve heard most about is in the Wasteland, outside the tunnels.”
“I didn’t know there was anything beyond the tunnels,” I said.
“Course there is,” Asher sneered at me. “Nothing living of course. Only lost souls roaming until the trackers drag them back.”
“How will we recognize it?”
“The portal? Look for the tumbleweed drifting back and forth across the Wasteland. When you leave here head south and keep going. You’ll know when you find it … if you make it that far.”
“How do I know we can trust you?” I asked.
“Because I want to see Jake burn as much as you do. He treats us like dirt and we’re sick of it. If he loses his conquest so soon, his power will be challenged and we might have a chance of overthrowing him.”
I saw Asia roll her eyes behind Asher’s back and wondered how far-fetched his plan really was. It didn’t sound like Jake’s authority would be questioned any time soon. Tucker nodded his thanks and took me by the arm, steering me back through the club. I assumed he knew how to find the Wasteland and followed obediently.
Before we left Club Hex I caught sight of Asher again. He was at the bar talking to Asia and leaning in close. I saw his tongue dart into her ear as his hand traveled up her thigh and guessed what she must have used to barter the information from him.
It occurred to me how devoid of trust or loyalty this place was. Everything was built on a foundation of lies and deception. It was impossible to tell who was working with, sleeping with, or manipulating whom.
I realized at that moment that even if I lived in luxury as Jake’s queen, I was never going to survive here.
18
Portal
“YOU should go back,” I said to Tucker as we trudged through the dingy tunnels. “This was my idea. I shouldn’t drag you into it. Tell Jake I ditched you and you lost sight of me. Asia will back you up.”
Even as I spoke the words I knew it was too late for Tuck to turn back. If he returned to Hotel Ambrosia without me, Jake would unleash his fury on him.
He must have known that too, but all he said was “You’re not goin’ out there alone.”
“I won’t let Jake hurt you,” I told him. “No matter what happens.”
“Let’s not think about that now.”
Tucker set off ahead of me at a swift pace. I had no choice but to follow.
We didn’t have to go much farther than the club district before the terrain started to change dramatically. The air became suddenly sultry and the landscape barren as a desert. It seemed as if all color and life had been sucked away, leaving nothing but an empty gray husk. Fog swirled overhead, blotting out whatever it was that passed for sky down here. We had left the confining tunnels behind, but we were still trapped in a strange dimension that had no beginning or end. The worst part was the ever-present sound; all around us the air was filled with the muffled wailing of lost and wandering souls. I could feel their presence as they moved past us, like a ripple of heat in the already-stifling atmosphere. I couldn’t see them, they were nothing more than a passing shimmer in the air, but I knew they were there and nothing could drown out their preternatural cries. A horrible, suffocating sense of desolation washed over me, as if my soul were being tugged from my body. My heart beat faster and I felt an overwhelming urge to stop. In response Tucker took hold of my hand and picked up his pace.
“I’m tired, Tuck,” I heard myself say.
“Don’t slow down,”
he whispered. “This place has that effect on people. We have to keep moving.”
The Wasteland didn’t seem to affect Tucker in the same way. Maybe it was because his time in Hades had lent him immunity. Or maybe it was because I was an angel and could sense the acute despair of every soul around me.
“If we linger too long the Trackers have a much better chance of picking up your scent,” Tucker added.
I’d forgotten all about them. I knew as an angel I gave off the crisp, clean scent of rain that might be camouflaged in the smoky atmosphere of the clubs but would be unmistakable out here in the open.
“Are you going to tell me who the Trackers are?” I was still having problems regulating my breathing. Tuck took one look at my face and shook his head.
“Not right now.”
“Come on,” I urged. Tucker seemed to have assumed a protective role since leaving the hotel that he wasn’t about to relinquish without a fight. “I’ll be better off if I know.”
Tuck sighed. “Trackers hunt down souls that have wandered off into the Wasteland.” He kept his explanation succinct as if there was already too much to focus on without the added effort of conversation.
“Do the souls end up back in the clubs?” I asked naïvely.
“Not exactly.”
“They’re thrown into the pit, aren’t they?” I said. “It’s okay, Tucker. I’ve seen it.” I was on the verge of elaborating, telling him to stop trying to spare me from the harsh realities when Tucker stepped lightly in front of me and clamped his hand over my mouth.
“Do you hear that?” he asked.
“Hear what?”
“Listen.”
We stood in silence for a moment until I too heard the sound that had made Tucker stop short. It was a voice, breathy and high-pitched, like it belonged to a young girl. It was calling my name. “Bethany!” the voice wailed. “Bethany, it’s me.” The childlike voice drew closer.
I waited with baited breath as a gust of hot wind swirled around me. Tuck’s hand dropped to his side.
“Who are you?” I asked shakily. I felt a presence in the wind, caressing me with long tapering fingers.
“Don’t you remember me?” The voice sounded forlorn and yet there was something oddly familiar about it.
“We can’t see you,” Tuck said boldly. “Come out of the shadows.”
“It’s okay,” I encouraged. “We won’t hurt you. We’re on your side.”
I watched openmouthed as the figure of a girl emerged out of the swirling fog and began to take shape before me. At first she was just an outline, like an artist’s rudimentary sketch that hadn’t been properly filled out, but as she came into focus and I looked more closely, I knew exactly who she was. The powdery blond hair, the pert upturned nose, the pouting lips were all achingly familiar. Her hair was matted and her cheeks hollow, but there was no mistaking her. Her blue eyes were still luminous, their brightness a sharp contrast against the grime smudged across her face. She stared at me with such despair that I felt all of her sadness seep into me and thought my heart would break.
“Taylah,” I whispered. “Is that you? What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” She smiled absently. Taylah was dressed, much as she had been in life, in a fitted top and tight denim shorts. She was barefoot and through the dust I could still make out chipped nail polish.
“Were you kidnapped too?” I asked. “Did Jake bring you here?”
Taylah shook her head. “I was judged, Beth,” she said softly. “And my soul was sent here.”
“But how?” I said in a hoarse whisper. I was having trouble grappling with what she was trying to tell me.
“After I died on the floor of the girls’ bathroom, I heard voices all around me. They were weighing up my sins, calculating my good deeds. And then I was falling.”
I wanted to ask what had happened in her past to land her in this place, but I couldn’t get the words out. It would have been tactless in the extreme. But I knew it had to be some kind of mistake. Taylah was just a girl. She could be shallow, catty, and competitive sometimes, but those weren’t exactly heinous crimes. She was capable of being cruel to those who didn’t inhabit her glittering world of tanning and Pilates, but I’d also seen her capable of kindness. I couldn’t imagine her doing anything seriously immoral.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said, looking shamefaced. “You’re wondering what I did to end up here.”
“You don’t have to say anything, Tay.”
“No, it’s okay,” she said. “I’m here because I was never taught to believe in anything. I didn’t understand what was important in life.” She hesitated, her blue eyes glazing over. “I only cared about having fun; I never cared about anything real. I sinned and never thought twice about it.”
I looked at her expectantly but it took some minutes before she mustered the courage to speak again. “I did something terrible. Well, I didn’t exactly do it, but I did stand by and let it happen.”
“Let what happen?” I asked.
“A couple of years ago there was a hit and run in Venus Cove and little Tommy Fincher was killed. He was out playing catch in the street. It was all over the papers but they never found the driver. Tommy was only ten years old. His parents never really got over it.”
“What’s all this got to do with you?”
“I was there when it happened.”
“What? Why didn’t you report it?” I was confused.
“Because the driver was my boyfriend at the time. He was drunk and I should never have let him behind the wheel ….” she trailed off helplessly.
“You covered for him? Why?”
“He was a senior and I was fifteen. He told me he loved me. All the girls in my year were jealous. I was so obsessed with him I couldn’t tell right from wrong.”
I didn’t know what to say to her. The sin of omission was a serious offense. There were some who believed a bystander who allowed an injustice to take place was as guilty as the perpetrator himself. Taylah’s only defense was her youth and inexperience. Evidently it hadn’t been enough to exonerate her.
“What happened with the guy?”
“Toby and I broke up a few months later when his family moved to Arkansas.”
“Why didn’t you speak up then?”
“I thought about it but I lost my nerve. It wasn’t gonna bring the kid back anyway. I was worried about my reputation and what people would say about me.”
“Oh, Taylah,” I said. “I wish you’d had someone to help you through it. You must have felt so alone.”
She seemed so different from the girl I’d known. The old Taylah had been too busy fussing over her hair to worry about questions of right and wrong. I guess she’d found enlightenment now, only it was too late.
“You know how I knew I was in Hell, or Hades, as his royal asshole likes to call it?” she continued. “It wasn’t because of the flames or even the torture. I knew where I was because of the total absence of love. You can’t stay here, Beth. This place is only about hate. You end up hating everyone but mostly you hate yourself. It’ll eat you up.”
“Aren’t you scared to be out here alone?” Tucker asked.
“I guess so.” Taylah shrugged. “But I had to cut and run. I couldn’t stand the clubs anymore … being mauled by the demons like a piece of meat.”
Her words served as a reminder to Tucker, who looked around nervously.
“We need to keep going.”
“Walk with us,” I said to Taylah, reluctant to part with her again so soon.
We crept on through the barren Wasteland, Taylah trailing beside us, occasionally disappearing and then reemerging from behind the blanket of fog.
As we walked a passage from the Bible floated back to me:
And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth … and it was commanded that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the sea
l of God on their foreheads.
How swift was God’s wrath. Youth and lack of understanding did not preclude one from judgment. Suddenly my purpose on earth had never seemed clearer.
“So you’re an angel, huh?” Taylah said. “Should have guessed from all that clean livin’.”
“How did you know?” I asked.
“I didn’t when I was alive. But I can sense your presence now. And besides, your glow kinda gives you away.”
“You don’t seem surprised.”
“Nothing surprises me anymore.”
I didn’t know what else to say so I changed the subject. “Molly misses you,” I said and Taylah smiled miserably.
“How’s she doing? I miss her too.”
“She’s fine,” I said. “Was that really you on the night of Halloween?”
“Yeah.” Taylah nodded. “I was trying to warn you. Didn’t do much good, though. Here you are.”
“You knew what was going to happen?” I asked.
“Not exactly, but I knew the séance was stirring up something bad,” she said. “Abby’s an idiot; she had no idea what she was messing with.”
“Don’t be too hard on her; she was sorry once she realized. How did you know to come?”
“I heard on the grapevine that a portal had opened up in Venus Cove. I knew that could only mean trouble so I tried to warn you. Guess I messed that up too.”
“No, you didn’t,” I said firmly. “You tried.”
“You’d think an angel would know better than to mess with that stuff,” Taylah scolded, sounding a little more like her old self.
“You’re right. I should have tried harder.”
“Oh, don’t get all sentimental,” Taylah said. “You know, you’re kind of a legend down here. We’ve all heard the story of how you broke Jake’s heart and your brother banished him underground. He’s been waiting ever since for a chance to get you back.”
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