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I hadn’t counted on Grizelle leading me to an elevator occupied by Snow

In fact, I came to a dead stop when I saw him

He was clad in the same studded and hooded black patent-leather wetsuit as Grizelle and me, but without my familiar’s protective silver-ht I caught Snow glancing at ed

No I had to keep cool and think That’s what I had to contribute to this yptian bloodsuckers and their uess at

I could also speculate about what the Inferno brought to the table I’d assumed Snow had unsuspected resources and powers I’d suspected he could or would fight the Karnak bunch, but I’d had no idea how battle-ready he was or why

Why was the Inferno so well equipped for fighting vaas? Or was this gear designed for fighting ular face looked scarier fra white ray, not black However he looked or whatever he wore, he was the last ht but the first I’d like to hurt

"I’ll walk," I said, looking for a nearby exit sign that would indicate a staircase

"Not possible" Grizelle grabbed lass capsule She placed ht and stood between Snow and myself We all faced forward

The stainless steel door closed and the elevator shot doard, scenes like a fillass walls

Okay, I’e film nut This descent reminded me of that hokey thirties’ Gene Autry Western-space movie serial, The Phantom Empire, where the cave’s elevator led to a hidden futuristic world beneath the singing cowboy’s Radio Ranch

"This is a joke, right? Why are we going down?"

Snoered without looking at uards as you say, we’ll need to e along the Las Vegas Strip without attracting notice"

A force? That sounded serious For an instant my heart lifted I didn’t dare be hopeful Ric could be dead by now

We whisked past areas as vast and dully dark scarlet as the planet Mars and as crowded as solimpsed mutant beasts and humans, monsters and vistas of fire and ice The levels pulsed in turn with such colors as lusty red, poison green, gold, the rust of shed blood

"The Seven Deadly Sins," I whispered

"Consider this a theme park under construction," Snow said "The plans are secret, so I expect you to honor that"

A theme park of Dante ’s Inferno, of Hell itself!

No one can say this Snow dude isn’t cookin’ on all four burners, Irma put in

I didn’t answer her, but she made not one more risqu�� remark about my recent indiscretion

The elevator whooshed to a sudden but smooth stop and its doors slid open

All around us ancient stone pilings formed wide arches This was the foundation of the many stories of vast modern theme hotel above us It looked like an old sewer systeh the hood I touched h-tech accessories in a low-tech environment

So this was the cistern of Hell

It stank

Not of sulfur and brimstonehated word! but of daas?

"Call itmy unspoken question Had the damned Brimstone Kiss an striding alongside the dark, broad water

I followed, scenting an odd tinge of briround Maybe it was just the reek of uessed were three Las Vegas Strip blocks I figured ere at the back of the Inferno layout

The area opened up into an underground plain of stones and arches Through one of the arches rows of huge freight elevators were disgorgingthe same metal-imbedded wetsuits we did, except they were less shiny, and had Inferno security force badges on the shoulders They were pulling trolleys loaded with racks of weapons, everything frouns to swords and axes to flame-throwers

Behind them came another cadre of wet-suited people

I froze when one of the newover one shoulder and a nasty-lookingto fix ave hiht, we’d know our own by the uniforiven the weaponry

I eyed Snow’s back He’d believedinstincts of the Karnak crew

"You’re here because-?" I asked Sansouci

"Christophe convinced Cicereau the Karnak vauessing that you’re behind this"

"Why?’

"Ever since you hit town, things have been going to Hell" He looked around with a raised eyebrow "My orders are to protect our forces first and kill vampires second, but I’ll watch your back"

"Why?"