Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Nina
Ijumped to my feet, spinning towards the voice. My heart hammered, and my hands balled into fists.
“Where did you come from?” I spluttered.
A tall, clean-shaven man stood casually a few paces away, hands tucked into the pockets of his loose-fitting black trousers.
He appeared to be around my age, perhaps thirty if the years had been kind.
His blonde hair was slicked back, a few unruly strands falling across his forehead.
It brought my attention to his eyes – they were an eerie shade of cobalt blue.
He had dewy, smooth skin and sensuous lips, and his broad physique was evident under his black shirt, which was slightly tight around his upper arms.
He was . . . startlingly beautiful. I blinked, finding the strange specimen completely out of place against our barren surroundings.
When he didn’t respond, my irritation flared.
“W-who are you?” My voice sounded shaky and hollow, swallowed by the vastness of the wasteland.
His lips twitched, almost as if entertained.
The man stood relaxed, which made me even more uneasy.
He finally straightened, brushing a speck of ash from his sleeve with an unhurried movement.
I noticed the green snake tattoo that coiled around his wrist, its body vanishing beneath his sleeve.
On his hand gleamed a golden ring, its black stone catching the light.
“The name’s Leander,” he said, as if that should suffice.
I turned in a slow circle, desperate to ground myself, but the landscape offered no comfort. The heat was stifling and carried a harsh brimstone tang. Growls echoed from the distance, sending another wave of panic through me.
“Where am I?” I whispered, more to myself than to the stranger.
“Hell.”
The word hit me like a blow to the gut. I staggered back, my breath catching as the implications crashed over me.
I’m in Hell.
But why? Why was I here? Wasn’t I meant for someplace else? The thought swirled inside me, turning my stomach into a nauseous pit of dread. Who had deemed me unworthy?
Leander raised an eyebrow. “Disappointed?”
My mind rebelled, clinging to the idea that this had to be a mistake, a nightmare, a cruel trick of the universe.
“No,” I said, shaking my head.
No, no, no, no, no . . .
“That’s not possible. I’m not—” The words caught in my throat.
“Dead?” Leander offered, his tone playful.
The grin that followed made my stomach twist.
Is he enjoying this?
“This can’t be real,” I said, trembling. “I’m dreaming. That must be it. Maybe the fire, the pain, put me into some sort of hallucination . . .”
Leander chuckled, the sound rich and delicious, like melted chocolate.
Get your priorities together, Nina.
“Oh, it’s real, little Champion. As real as the ground beneath your feet.”
Champion.
There was that word again. What did he mean by it?
I glared at him, at his stupid smirk, and shook my head, refusing to hear his words. I pressed my sweaty palms against my arms and felt the smooth, unbroken skin beneath my fingers. No burns. No scars.
“I was on fire,” I stammered. “Where are the marks? The burns? I should be . . .”
“Hell has a way of erasing things. Cleaning up the mess, so to speak.”
I glanced at my hands again, turning them over, searching for evidence of what I’d endured. But signs of the fire’s torturing kiss were gone – completely erased – and deep down I knew the reason why.
I’m dead.
And I’ve arrived in Hell.
Would Tobias forget me, too, just like the others who disappeared? The ones we never named after they vanished? Maybe they’d all ended up here. Maybe I’d finally joined them.
My knees went weak as fragments of memory flashed through my mind. The woods, my brother Tobias, and the searing pain as the fire consumed me.
“I’m in Hell,” I whispered, the words escaping before I could stop them. “What did I do?”
“Ah, the age-old question,” Leander said, his tone almost wistful. “Why you? What sins tipped the scales?” He shrugged, and there was a glint of delight in his eyes. “Some truths spoil the pleasures of Hell. All that matters is that you’re here.”
“I’m not meant to be here,” I said, though the words rang hollow even to my ears. A knot of doubt tightened in my chest. My memories blurred.
Oh, Mother, is this what you call justice?
“This is cruel,” I spluttered.
“The quicker you accept it, the better.”
Something growled far out on the horizon. Smoke rose from the fractures in the ground, concealing whatever waited out there. My breaths came shallow as I gulped dry, burning air.
This heat is truly suffocating.
I hate this place already.
Leander stepped closer, his eyes sparkling with delight. “I’m here to escort you to the city,” he said. “Follow me.”
I took a step back, shaking my head. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
His smirk softened, and for a moment, I thought I saw pity in his eyes. “Stay, then,” he said, gesturing to the wasteland. “Though you should know, the things that roam The Crossing will have picked up your scent by now. And they aren’t nearly as charming as I am.”
“What’s out there?”
Leander’s grin returned. “Furies, mostly. They don’t take kindly to lost souls wandering their territory. But by all means, wait here if you want to meet them.”
Feral growls came again. Had the beasts really picked up my scent? I didn’t want to stay to find out. My inner voice screamed: Run, hide, flee to safety! But I needed to stay rational and accept that my only option was to follow Leander.
He seemed to be the lesser of two evils.
“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “Lead the way.”
He turned to the mountains. I hesitated, glancing at the cracked plains he’d called The Crossing. With my arms wrapped around myself, I trailed after him.
A bright red light shone beneath me with every step, as though the ground reacted to my presence.
The token at my waist did nothing to save me from this fate. I yanked it off and threw it, watching it slip into a crack and disappear.
The chants, the pyre, the stupid charms. None of it had mattered.
It had all been a useless tradition clung to by people who never knew what they were up against. Ultimately, I was no different from the man with the crooked nose, the one devoured by the wetlands.
Only he had vanished quietly. I had gone out with a fiery bang.
I knew with certainty that the dangers had always been real, and whether I was in the forbidden zone or the open clearing, I never stood a chance.
“What did you mean before? When you said I was just in time . . . in time for what exactly?”
“A game with the damned. And you just stepped onto the board.”
My heartbeat faltered. “What kind of game?”
“If I told you everything now, where would the fun be? Let’s make it through The Crossing.”
We reached the base of the mountains and passed under a twisting black arch, its edges bright with a pulsing red light.
I stepped through and felt a tingle shooting up my hands, then my shoulders, and around my neck.
The sensation turned into something hot all over my body, and it was utterly unpleasant.
“What’s happening to me?”
“You’re now a temporary citizen. Think of it like an invisible ticket printed onto your soul. We can’t let any soul or creature wander into a domain of Hell without a proper invitation, can we?”
“I guess not.” I blinked. How was any of this real?
Mother, if you wanted me punished, you could’ve just struck me with lightning.
Leander waited ahead, clearly unimpressed by my semi-catatonic state. The crimson light from above illuminated his silhouette. I’d seen handsome men before, but never like this. My throat went dry, and I couldn’t tell if it was the stifling heat or Leander’s presence.
I need to stop ogling the man . . .
Apparently, I do deserve this afterlife.
I gulped hard and increased my pace, narrowing the space between us. I made an effort not to look at Leander's physique.
We trekked through the mountain pass until we reached a bridge across a river of molten fire.
It stretched so far that it disappeared into the horizon, obscured by a shimmering haze.
I hesitated at the foot of the bridge. Whatever waited on the other side couldn’t possibly be worse than The Crossing.
Could it?
Leander turned, tilting his head as though reading my thoughts. He gestured towards the bridge. “You wanted answers. They’re waiting for you that way.”
The molten river hissed and churned beneath us, its heat curling around me.
“Answers or not,” I muttered, “you could’ve made this a little less ominous.”
Leander didn't respond, but the corner of his mouth lifted, as if he were thrilled by the danger. I fought the impulse to roll my eyes. Perhaps he thrived on chaos, wearing that grin like armour. Still, I couldn't help but wonder if that look meant, Careful – you might begin to like it here.
I scanned the bridge for weak spots before daring another glance at the river below. Heat surged upward, and for a heartbeat, I could have sworn the lava hissed my name. I told myself it was the heat playing tricks.
Keep walking. Don’t look down.
One wrong step, and I’ll be ash.
“Who are you, exactly?” I asked. “Are you dead too?”
“Didn’t catch it the first time?” he drawled. “Leander, your charming, ever-patient escort to the Domain of Temptation. Try to keep up.”
“Temptation . . .” I echoed. “Wonderful.”
Oh, this is getting a whole lot worse.
“The shock will wear off soon.” He flashed me an irksome grin over his shoulder and marched confidently across the bridge.
The way seemed long, and by the time we reached the other side, my legs wobbled like jelly. My focus had been locked on the bridge beneath me and the infuriatingly composed and silent figure of Leander ahead.
The heat was terrible, but this man wore ironed clothing and showed no signs of sweating or dehydration. After some time of fussing and cursing Leander (in my head), I lifted my gaze. The reality of how far I was from home hit me.