The voices in the bar ramped up. “A queen, aqueen!”
“We must celebrate!”
“Ahumanqueen, how strange!”
“But even the queen must pass the test thefirst time if she is to travel through the gate!”
“Oh, yes, she must!”
“All non-guardians must complete the steps togain entrance. It has always been the way. It willalwaysbe the way.”
I gave up on trying to follow their excitedchatter and waited for it to die down again. The one with the canethumped it against the floor, quieting everyone in the bar.“Congratulations, my king on finding your queen, but it is true,you know she must pass too in order to enter. Like the hounds anddemons who follow you, we will accept her as our queen, human ornot, but you know we are bound by laws…”
His voice trailed off. His fathomless eyesfocused on Kobal as he seemed to be waiting for him to pounce. Iheld my breath while I waited to see if Kobal was going to jump onhim and rip him apart. He was rigid and unmoving against my side.The barely leashed hostility within him yearned to break free andrain down destruction on these creatures and anyone else who got inhis way or threatened me.
“The laws of the gates were changed when thehumans broke into Hell,” Kobal said. “The laws are differentnow.”
“Notourlaws!” someone from the bar shouted.
“Iamgood atriddles,” Erin said from behind me. “Could I do it for all ofus?”
Excited murmurs raced through the crowd oncemore. “Never had that happen before.”
“Could be interesting.”
“But each person is supposed to beworthy.”
“Finally something to stir things up.”
“Do you get many humans trying to crossthrough?” I inquired, yelling to be heard over them.
“Oh, aye,” the one with the cane replied.“You humans are such a strange lot. Some of you come for curiosity,and some come because you believe you can actually be of help tous.”
Titters of laughter escaped from some of themand they elbowed each other in a jovial, conspiring way.
“And still others believe Lucifer is simplymisunderstood, that they will be able to help fix him or make adifference. Morons. Some believe he is a God and worship him. And,of course, there are still demons looking to exit and enter. Afterthe humans first tore open the gateway, we were unable to stop theflow of those escaping Hell, but over the years, we have gotten abetter grip on it,” the one with the cane continued.
“What about the things escaping the seals?”Vargas inquired. “Are you stopping them?”
They all turned toward him and I felt thehostility in the room ratcheting up again. “Take it back,” Hawkhissed at Vargas from under his breath.
“I don’t think I can,” Vargas whisperedback.
“What is behind the seals are abominationsthat should never be set free. They obey no rules,” one of the onesat the bar said. “There is no stopping their outpouring, not untilthe gate is closed and the seals are stopped from falling.”
“We might be able to help with that,” I said,and Kobal’s arm tightened around my waist.
The one before me planted his cane into theground and leaned closer. His head canted to the side as he studiedme. “You’ve definitely marked her, my king,” he murmured. “But howwould any of you be able to help with closing the gate? You arehumans.”
“Some of our kind figured out how to open it.Perhaps we can figure out how to close it,” I fibbed.
“Does not matter. You must pass the test!”another shouted from the bar.
“How many have been allowed to pass through?”I asked the skellein peering at me.
He waved his bony hand through the air. “Afew, but if they thought to survive Hell, they were sadlymistaken.”
Wonderful.
