Chapter 19
XIX.
We walk for days, sheltering in caves when we spot souldiers on patrol. We take turns sleeping in shadows, huddled close to walls, and gripping our weapons.
Nate doesn’t discuss his time in Lot Thirteen with me, but he relives it every night, thrashing in his sleep and waking up covered in sweat. When I ask about it, he brushes me off, making some joke about perspiring in Hell being the norm.
But I don’t push it. I have my own nightmares of Ferus and my father laughing as they shove me into the Ignis River, or of my altered image in those mirrors. I can’t carry Nate’s pain, too, and I’d never expect him to carry mine.
The water I’d brought disappears quickly, and my dress becomes permanently plastered to my body. I chastise past Devica for not bringing a change of clothes as I stash the now empty bag behind a boulder.
“We’re almost halfway there.” I stand with my toes peeking over the ledge and point below. “See those islands ahead? That’s Aquarum—the city of water. Things’ll get trickier from here. There won’t be as many caves as Lapis.”
“Lapis?” Nate furrows his brows.
“That’s where we are now. The city of stone. Not everywhere in Hell looks like this. Father made a whole world down here.”
Nate plops onto the ground and dangles his legs over the edge. He squints to make out the city in the distance. “It’s so…red.”
“Yeah.” I lower myself beside him, my aching feet tingling gratefully at the break.
Aquarum glows from here. It’s the first city we’ll encounter that isn’t lit with torchlight. Instead, three blazing orange balls circle the sky, lighting the scarlet waters of Lake Sanguis below.
Like Lapis, each of the lots is housed on an island.
But unlike the pepper-black cliffs and gray waters we’ve spent weeks traversing, Aquarum consists of a massive dark-red lake and muddy shores.
Tall, twisted trees surround each lot, their branches straining against the sky as though they’re screaming along with the prisoners.
“It’s like the worst beach ever,” Nate breathes.
“Pretty much.” I lean back on my palms and stretch my spine. “And the only way around—other than that bare shore with no cover—is by bridge or boat. I’d prefer to take what bridges we can, as they’re faster. But Father will likely have guards posted at all of them. We’ll have to play it by ear.”
My words sound more confident than I feel.
Leaving Lapis means leaving what last bit of comfort I’ve had.
I grew up with stone. I learned how to harden myself to fit in with my surroundings.
Granite won’t change or surprise you. Water, on the other hand, is as difficult to control as fire.
It’s constantly moving and shifting, dragging you under when you least suspect.
“We’ve gotten good at that,” Nate murmurs. “Being a team.”
I don’t give him the satisfaction of a reply, but he’s not wrong. We’ve spent ages together, and I haven’t considered ditching him once. If anything, his presence provides a comfort I wasn’t aware I was lacking. I’m almost going to feel bad when I turn him in to Father after all of this.
Standing, I brush the dirt off my dress and give one last glance to Lapis before heading down the ramp. When we reach the bottom and the crimson lake looms into view, I shudder and wrap my arms around myself.
Water isn’t something I’ve had much experience with. Partly because I’ve only flown around in Father’s chariot, and partly because the stories he’s told me about what lurks in these waters are scarier than the monsters in the books I’ve read.
“Dev, stop.” Nate yanks me behind one of the poles marking the bridge entrance and points. “Look.”
I follow his gaze. Two souldiers flank the end of the bridge, each clutching a long spear. Upon their backs, they carry steel bows and sacks of arrows.
“Damn,” I whisper. “Souldiers aren’t usually armed like that.”
“That means your dad’s scared, right?” Nate’s breath prickles my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “He can’t beat us without better weapons.”
I face him, my mouth a tight line. “Father doesn’t get scared.
All of this is a game to him. He’s playing with us.
I’m pretty sure part of the reason we’ve made it this long is because he’s letting me get as far as possible and believe I’ve beaten him, only to take it away.
” I sink against the pole. “Maybe we should give up.”
“After all this? No way.” Nate places his hands on my shoulders and stares into my eyes, his gaze unwavering.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last few days, it’s that you’re strong as hell—pun not intended.
I believe in you.” My face heats, and I drop my gaze to the ground as he continues, “There’s only two of them. We’ve beaten more than that before.”
“That’s not all of them.” I gesture to the ledge on the other side of the bridge, where metal glints as the light catches it. “There are more up there. And they’re armed with arrows as well. The moment we move from here, they’ll start shooting.”
“You’re immortal and I’m dead. They can’t hurt us.”
I study the backs of the souldiers on the bridge.
The metal tips of the arrows gleam red and silver as they march in front of the door.
“Those aren’t regular arrows. They’re made with demon blood, like my sword.
They may not be able to kill us, but they can bring us down and arrest us. Then Father can kill us.”
“Only if you let him.”
I stare at him through narrowed eyes. “I hate when you do that.”
“Do what?” His lips curve into a sly grin.
“Know me enough to know I hate losing,” I grumble, then blow out a stream of air and scout the area. “Okay, so the bridge is the easiest way across the lake, but it’s not the only one. We’ll have to take that.”
Nate follows my gaze and raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
I scrutinize the dinghy secured to the dock by a rope.
It may have once been a burnt orange, but time has eaten the paint to a deep bronze. It could fall apart the moment we set foot in it.
And it’s our best option.
“It’ll have to do.” I calculate the gap between us and the vehicle and grimace. “I don’t know how we’re going to get there without the souldiers seeing us. There’s no cover.”
“What if we make them think we’re somewhere else?”
I wrinkle my forehead. “How would we do that?”
He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “We use fire.”
I glance around us. There aren’t torches here. Aquarum, with its multiple suns, doesn’t need them. “That’d be a great idea. If we had any fire.”
“We have you.” Nate breaks two chunks of rotting wood off the back of the pole obscuring us from the souldiers. “And we have these. You light them with that fire thing, and we chuck ’em in the opposite direction and run like hell—pun intended this time.”
I crush my fingers into a fist. “It’s not that simple, Nate. My powers are new to me. I don’t have control of them yet. I’m more likely to set us on fire than that wood.”
“What are you talking about?” He holds up his wrist, the scar from the tracker now a white line that’s barely visible above his flesh. “You shorted out my tracker.”
“And almost burned you alive in the process.”
“But you didn’t.” He drops the wood and tugs my wrists. “Devica, we’re either going to be skewered like souvlaki or hole-punched like Swiss cheese. I’m not really a fan of either possibility. And I’m apparently kinda hungry. Nevertheless, this seems like a fire power situation to me.”
I kick at the mud with my boot. “I know, but—”
He flattens my hands on his chest, his heartbeat steady against my palms. “Would I do this if I were worried you couldn’t control it? I believe in you, Dev. It’s time for you to believe in you, too.”
“Fine.” I pick up the wood and cradle the pieces in my trembling hands. “But if I set either of us on fire, it’s your fault.”
“Noted.”
I nod toward the souldiers on the cliff. “As soon as these light, I’m going to throw them that way. Be ready to run. And stay low.”
“Got it.” He gives me a half smile. “You can do this, Devica.”
His words sink into my skin and straighten my spine.
I close my eyes and focus on the broken planks, their weight in my hands, the jagged edges splintering my palms. I picture them bursting into flame as I mutter pleas to them under my breath.
My shoulders sink when I open my eyes. There’s not even a hint of smoke lingering in the air.
I hurl the wood onto the ground. “I told you I couldn’t do it.”
“Yes you can.” Nate picks up the discarded planks. “‘From a little spark may burst a flame.’ Even Dante believed in you.”
I raise my eyebrows at the familiar name. Inferno was one of the first books Father brought back from Earth. He’d yelled at me when I’d stolen it for myself. Father loved books written about himself. He found them hilarious. It was the only time I heard him laugh.
“Did you just quote Dante? In Hell? To the Devil’s daughter, no less?” I cross my arms. “You know most of it is wrong, right?”
“Oh, I’m aware.” A chortle escapes Nate’s lips before his face grows serious. “But he’s not wrong here. You got this. Try again.”
I bite down on my lip and grab the boards from him with a sigh. Holding them in front of me, I push harder with my mind, imagining the flames running through my veins, starting from my heart, up my arms, and into my palms.
I focus on the warmth of Nate’s body so close to mine, the faith shimmering in his eyes, the way he refuses to look away, even as the enemy is literally at his back.
Or is the enemy in front of him? I’m no longer sure.
The way he trusts me without question. He’s so certain I’m going to help him get home. Meanwhile, I’m going to use him and hurt him more than any demon did in Lot Thirteen.
I’m the villain in this story, and he doesn’t even know it.
The wood sparks and catches with a burst, searing my palms and pressing out from my flesh. I gasp but keep a firm grip. This isn’t like my lessons or the times I set myself on fire. These flames are controlled by me, not the other way around.
“You did it,” Nate whispers. “I knew you could.”
“Nate, run. Now.” I hurl the wooden balls of flame across the bridge. They light up the sky and sink into the lake with a sizzle. The souldiers shout, and arrows sail toward the plank.
They continue shooting at nothing as I dash for the dock, curling my fingers to douse any lingering flames. A smile edges up my lips. Mr. B. would be proud.
Nate’s already in the boat by the time I reach him, undoing the rope that secures it to the dock.
The maroon water slaps against the shore, spattering my skirt, and I freeze when it penetrates through a rip in the fabric and hits my bare leg.
This was a bad idea.
“Devica.” Nate holds out a set of oars. “We have to go.”
I shake my head. The dinghy is smaller than it appeared from across the shore and cracked along the edges. It’s gonna topple over the moment I step in, plunging me into the water, where the lake monsters will devour me.
“I can’t,” I whisper.
Nates wrinkles his nose. “This was your idea. I’m not sure what’s happening, but we don’t have time for it. Get in, or let your father’s souldiers arrest you. Your choice.”
The words are barely out of his mouth when a souldier cries from above, “There they are!”
The words snap me out of the mud, and I grab the oars. Blood pulses loudly in my ears as Nate eases the rope from the dock.
I take a deep breath and step into the boat.