“Kobal—”
“No more arguments.” I shifted my attention to Corson. “Get her out of here and don’t stop until she’s on the surface.”
She opened her mouth to protest before closing it. Resting her palm against my cheek, she rose onto her toes to kiss me. Unable to resist, I drew her closer to deepen the kiss.
When the ground heaved again, I pulled away from her. Demons cried out as the fissure in the floor expanded and fire leapt up from below. Sweat stuck River’s hair to her face as she leaned closer to me.
“No matter what happens, know I love you with everything I am,” she whispered.
“And I you, Mah Kush-la. Now go.”
“Come, child, it’s time for you to leave this place,” Caim said and nudged her forward with his wing.
“Corson, go,” I ordered. “Hawk go with them.”
“I would like to go too,” Caim said as he stepped forward. “If something happens, I can get her from Hell the fastest.”
I hesitated before responding. I didn’t want the angel with her, but he had a point. “If he tries anything, kill him,” I said to Corson.
Corson grinned as he rubbed his chin with the tip of one of his deadly talons. “Gladly.”
They all moved forward to follow behind River as she entered the gateway. Sorrow emanated from her as she stared at me over her shoulder until she vanished. Stepping back, I gestured for the others to go through as fire rose to consume the dais.
Bale, Magnus, Lix, Morax, Verin, Calah, and Lopan spread out around me while Phenex and Crux sat next to me. Resting my hands on the heads of Phenex and Crux, I drew them back into me, locking them away as the rest of the hounds prowled nearby. Low growls emanated from them as the fissure in the floor expanded.
CHAPTER 30
River
Within the gateway, the gloom was so absolute that I couldn’t see the demons who had entered before me, or Corson behind me. When we’d entered, only inches had separated me from the ones ahead of me, yet it felt as if they had ceased to exist.
I was completely alone in this place and time, something oddly fitting right now. The idea of Kobal back there, still in danger while I traveled away from him, made my teeth grind together. However, standing next to him, I’d realized it was better if we were separated now.
Lucifer’s insidious words whispered through my mind. I tried to deny them, but the more I contemplated them, the more I believed that he’d been telling the truth—a truth Kobal would deny. If he was with me, he would never let me do what was necessary to stop the outflux of creatures escaping Hell.
There was no hot, no cold in the gateway. It was a comfortable, warm temperature like a perfect spring day. No sound penetrated the gateway either, not even when I snapped my fingers to create some noise in the vortex did anything penetrate thisnothing.
Had I somehow lost my way? No, impossible. Kobal would never risk such a thing. But once the idea took hold, I couldn’t shake it. Sweat beaded my brow as I lifted my hands to feel in front of me, but they came up with nothing. They didn’t create a breeze as no air flowed through here, but I could still breathe.
A pinpoint of light pierced the night before me. The back of a demon materialized, then his head, followed by his legs. The hair on my arms rose at the disconcerting spectacle of the demon coming together in pieces.
I jumped when a hand encased my elbow, and glanced back at Corson. His citrine eyes were filled with concern as he propelled me forward. Behind him, Hawk appeared and then Caim.
Stepping out of the gateway, my back flattened against the craggy wall when I realized we’d emerged on the road leading out of Hell. However, it was a lot different than the last time I’d traveled it.
Before, shadows had concealed the road. Now, it was illuminated by the fires burning below. Sweat dripped down my forehead and cleaved my clothes to my body. The Hell shadows writhed across the walls as they tried to escape the light. Tilting my head back, I gazed at the gateway leading out of Hell only a hundred feet above us. So close, yet so far.
I had to make it there. I couldn’t completely fix this mess, but I might be able to staunch the flow of nightmares pouring out of Hell.
Corson tugged me onward as Lucifer’s words replayed in my mind.“Do you want to know a secret, daughter?”
I shuddered as I recalled the warmth of his breath against my cheek and the humor with which he’d tormented me.“Would you like to know why I never attempted to stop you from trying to close the gateway?”
I’d assumed it was because he’d been too cowardly to come out and face those above, especially Kobal. That instead he’d hidden away while he plotted and grew his army, but his whispered words revealed a different reason to me.
Debris crunched beneath my feet as I ran beside Corson. We traveled higher as more seal creatures flew out of the flames or followed along the roadway behind us. Some of those creatures also ran ahead of us, and I knew more were already on Earth.
Glancing back, I searched for Kobal amid the crush of demons and creatures fleeing the demise of Hell, but I saw no sign of him.
