“You seem to be swallowing it quite well.”
She drank down some more of her wine. “For tonight. Who knows, maybe I’ll be drooling on myself in the morning.”
“I doubt that. You’ve taken this better than any human I’ve seen before.”
“Devil’s eyes, remember? Visions, knowing things. I think that makes it a little easier for me to believe there’s something more out there. Would I have guessed Heaven and Hell would be that something more, probably not, but it does make it easier for me to take at least some of this. Though, I’m still not at all pleased about being torn from my home.”
Her eyes filled with malice when they turned toward me. I was contemplating lifting her onto the table and sinking myself into her, and she looked as if she were contemplating my death. I remained silent, amazed she so relentlessly held my gaze when many others wouldn’t.
“That could not have been changed,” I told her. “It is extremely important, for everyone, including the entire human race, that we find who we are looking for.”
Some of her antagonistic spirit slipped away as she turned to look at the wall of the tent. “I almost hope I am this person,” she murmured. “At least then there would have been a reason.”
I hoped she wasn’t. The realization hit me with the impact of a hellhound barreling into my chest. I barely knew this woman; the person we sought could well be the key to taking back a throne that was supposed to have been mine at birth; a throne Lucifer stripped from my ancestors before I’d had a chance to claim and defend it. I’d spent my entire existence working toward this one goal. Now, all I could think about was how much I hoped this woman was not the one who could help me regain my rightful position in Hell.
“Why sixteen-year-old volunteers?” she asked. “Why so young and why cut the age off at twenty?”
“That was not my decision. The humans believed that younger people would have an easier time accepting what they would see and learn here. Even still, more than a few humans haven’t been able to handle this revelation. They’ve been secluded for their own safety and the safety of those around them. Some have killed themselves and others have fled into the wilds, never to be seen again. The volunteers aren’t considered soldiers until they’ve been through two solid years of training and can pass all stages of the training.”
“What happens if they don’t?”
“They take care of the animals, make the clothes, the food, and take care of other things requiring maintenance in every camp along the wall.”
“I see. How many other people, like me, have you found over the past four years?”
“Throughout all of the establishments and camps in the world, a couple hundred possibilities have been uncovered. Some of them actually could do things, some couldn’t, but none of them were the person we’re searching for.”
“And I am a possibility?”
“Yes.”
Her fingers curled into her shin. “Were all those people brought here?”
“No.”
“But you’re the one looking for them?”
“Demons have been established in many camps throughout the world in order to work with the humans and focus on our goal. They know the requirements we are searching for; the person will be brought to me if they’re uncovered.”
“How will they get here if they’re on the other side of the world?”
“There is still an open airport in Canada and one in London as well.”
“Could demons travel through the hole in the dimensions to the other side?”
“We could,” I confirmed. “But no human could survive Hell. It has also become too volatile to risk more of our members. We can get in without a problem, getting all the way through without notice is an entirely different matter. Guardians of the gate have been established on both ends to try and stop more demons from exiting Hell and to report to us if Lucifer makes his move out of Hell.”
Her foot hit the ground with a thud. “Shouldn’t you all be there in case that happens?”
“Right now, our best option is to defend the wall and keep them back from invading the lands beyond. There will be no protecting or controlling the humans anymore if the Craetons get beyond the wall. Demon attacks on top of panicked humans would only result in massacres.”
She shuddered; her hands ran up and down her arms as her gaze went beyond me.
“Many of the nightmares of Hell now roam free in the middle of your country as well as Europe,” I told her.
“What about Africa, Canada, Australia, and South America, are they still mostly out of it?”
“Australia is; the ocean has kept them secluded from the chaos. Most of Canada still is, but there are some problem areas on the wall along the border. There was a breach in the southern wall and an influx got through into Mexico. South America is still somewhat safe, but it’s only a matter of time before it too falls. There are also reports of Africa having been breached.”
