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“Go.”
I was dismissed. The world faded back in and Roman was squeezing harder trying to get me back.
“You with me?”
“Hel wants me to go to the portal,” I said.
“How do you know it’s real?” Layne asked from the window, finally turning our way. Here I thought she was tuning us out.
“It’s different there. Everything feels sharper. Cold. Scents. The colors. All of it is more intense. My hallucinations don’t usually change scenery,” I admitted.
“Then let’s go,” Roman said. “Call your demon or something. We shouldn’t approach without backup. Who knows what’s waiting for us.”
“Monty!” My voice echoed in the room, and he popped in a moment later.
“Hel just came to me. She wants me to go to the portal,” I proclaimed.
“This can’t be good. But ignoring her will only make her suspicious. You ready?” Monty asked me. I nodded, glad he would come with me.
Instead of using the elevator, he reached for me, and Roman latched onto my arm just as he whisked me away.
The darkness surrounded us like a cold cloud before it dissipated, revealing the portal in front of me. The gargoyles were already surrounding it, claws out and crouched in defensive stances. They were likely awaiting a fresh wave of demons, but I knew Hel wouldn’t send me down here for that.
We all waited for it to escalate as the fires raged on, shooting out of the cracks in the earth. The scent of fire and crisp cold permeated the air as it raged on, but I was growing annoyed by the wait.
Anxiety laid into me with its unrelenting grip, each moment we stood there with our weapons in hand had it settling in further until I was ready to scream. With higher emotions and worries came the fucking shadows, joining the array of creatures in the courtyard.
A blast of icy wind slammed out of the portal, throwing the gargoyles and us away from it. If not for Roman, I’d have hit the ground.
“Shit, sorry,” I groaned, rolling off of him as I caught my breath. We helped each other to our feet in time to see Monty drop to his knees, along with every gargoyle in the place.
Two demons stood before them. They weren’t like the other demons I’d seen before, but large and imposing like the commander. One wore a black leather armor that clung to his muscled frame. The charcoal skin peeked through and was lined in scars that burned with the embers of Helheim’s blue fires. Like Monty’s face, his held a bone mask, this one resembling a large ram, thick horns curling on either side of his head.
The second demon was smaller and lithe, his robes billowing and white which stood out intensely against his coal-black skin. His fire wasn’t as strong as the larger demon, but it smoldered under the surface and in the eyes of his bear skull mask.
“Rise,” the smaller man called. His voice was high pitched and grating, and I winced at the sound.
“This must be the girl we’re meeting,” the second answered in a deeper voice.
“I’m Harlow,” I said with confidence despite my nerves. “And you would be?”
“Askaal, the warden of Helheim,” the older said, giving me a bow that had me even more confused.
“And I’m Gravik, Hel’s adviser,” the second answered with a bow as well.
And that brought an army of gargoyles and Monty to their knees? Odd.
“Why are you here?” I asked. She said they’d have answers, but I wanted to know what demons that garnered this sort of respect were doing this side of the portal.
“As blunt as Hel herself.” Gravik chuckled. “I’m here to make sure you do the task you are destined to do, and Askaal is here to protect us.”
“And what task is that?” I asked, not giving anything away. He eyed me, studying me, with his head slightly tilted. It resembled a dog, and it might have been funny if this whole encounter didn’t have me so on edge.
“Shall we go somewhere we can talk?” he asked. His formal way of speaking was throwing me off guard. I’d been around the brutish and possessive demons, and here he was acting like a strange form of a gentleman.
“Sure,” I hedged, turning to Monty. “Ivar?”
I could feel his annoyance at the name, but I didn’t feel like sharing something so intimate with these demons. Or give them ammo to use against him for being so casual with a mere human.
