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Thronos breathed deeply for her scent, seeking her sorcery Her trail was confusing, see to lead to both encampments

The freshest was to Deep Place With its maze

Thronos could fly over it, but would those Volars spot him? And if the maze was meant to keep out enemies, there would likely be airby foot to the labyrinth The ruins were a riot of shapes--pillars, disks, reht and an infinite nu places

Threats could be anywhere Everywhere Would he find her mauled body in these ruins? Hear her screas burned; he increased his pace even n inscribed with those foreign glyphs The ible to him

Behold Deep Place, lair of the Abysuardians of the Second Gate of Hell Woe to all who enter the bowels of this reals deep He charged forward anyway--

His eyes widened Melanthe!

Apparently, she was just leaving, looking bored as she strolled from the labyrinth

Great Killjoy had freed hi like he’d run or flown et to her

The unbidden thrill she felt to see him only worsened her already bad , her portal plans on hold for tonight Escaping hell wouldn’t be as simple as she’d envisioned

"Melanthe, wait!"

Sadly, she wouldn’t be able to command him so easily after her sorcery outlays She’d drained h she hoped not in vain

Thronos caught up to her and reached for her ar look made him drop his hand

"Are you safe?" he asked between breaths

"How did you get free? Did so past hi her nextin there? Have you lost your ed

"You just walked in?" He frowned "Wait You’ve got two keys My gods, you’ve been to Deep Place and Inferno!"

Around her neck, on either side of her priceless ate of hell--because she’d already stolen both treasures

Nearly identical, each key was the length of her little finger At one end was a filigree bow; the other end was flat, notched, and engraved Overall, they were as dainty and elegant as Pandeold She noore three pieces of priceless silisk gold

Lifting the keys had been the easy part Hidden within each stronghold was its portal Beside it? A key She’d thought she would have to go all Italian Job for her uards

Hulking guards ere now sleeping like little babies

With her talents, the keys ht as well have been under the front doormat "I stole these with ease," she told Thronos "Your ‘lacking’sorceress, remember?"

"So all these brutal deed to do what armies couldn’t over an eternity?" He looked a littleawestruck

She brushed off one shoulder, then the other "Just let me do like I do"

Unfortunately, the portals had turned out to be trickier than she’d suspected Each one was ensconced in stone, with etchings all around the opening In Deep Place, clouds and vines were depicted, indicating a heaven plane The one in Inferno was surrounded by dripping fangs, as if the opening were a ravenous mouth

Should be a no-brainer--I’ll take the heaven plane, Alex--but then, this was Pandemonia Could be a trick or a test

Worse, they were old-school portals, basically huge vacuums, which meant she couldn’t dip a toe and then return

Worse still, she couldn’t steer theh she had the keys, those portals were permanently pointed in one direction like subway tubes--and she had no idea where they led

"I can’t believe you’ve seized these" Thronos reached for her chain, raising the keys He inspected the engraved ends, one depicting dripping fangs and one those vines "Why do you re back forinside her

She snatched her keys back "Nope"

Scowl "Then why are you still here?"

"Because the portals are more complicated than I expected" Not because she hesitated to abandon Thronos on a hell plane

Not at all

"I don’t want to rush anything" She ht be better off in the Zero-G Glade for another day She azed past hi Her crime-playtime was over for the day In any case, before she made another foray into either cae Remarkably, she hadn’t tapped out her persuasion, but a top-off wouldn’t go alade

"Where are we going?" he asked as they neared the brush

We? Optiled the two lance over her shoulder "Eventually those delade"

"I’d fly you there, but the dragons will be out foraging soon," he said "I’ll guide you back"

"Clearly, I don’t need your help" No sooner had she said that than they reached a junction where the path forked out three ways, engraved stoneseach She didn’t re Eeny, meeny, ht

"You don’t want that one"

She faced hi Way Which doesn’t sound very pro"

"And the other ones?"

"One reads: To the Frozen Lake The other: Hell Beast Trail"

She headed toward the frozen lake, intending to step off the path as soon as things got close to chilly

He remained by her side "Melanthe, I need to talk to you about what you told me About my brother"