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And with that, the heavy sense of i doom abruptly disappeared A second later, the two Dušan were circling aroundwith the n of the slugfor every scrap of speed I was capable of The gates soared high aboveof a disappointates to hell, at least, should have been dramatic Or at least reflected the hell that awaited the souls who journeyed through this gateway Had either of these arches been on Earth, I wouldn’t have given thelance The only decoration was the stone vines that crept around the soaring pillars Then I noted that the arch on the left, which at first glance looked identical to the other, had tiny thorns twisting through the leaves Hell’s gate, I presumed
If there was a Mijai warrior here anywhere, I couldn’t see hih the arch and into a different space entirely It was light, restful, and filled with a war Not what I’d expected from the antechamber of hell at all
I slowed For some odd reason, haste didn’t seem to be appropriate – or indeed welcome – here I was several steps in before I realized I was alone I paused and looked behind et in but unable to do so Obviously, whatever force prevented the into the inner sections of the te it was justat us
Cope can, Aripped her tighter, but felt no easier as I h the air as I moved farther into the antechamber It was a heartbeat, soft and deep Goose bumps ran across nonexistent flesh Hell’s heart wasn’t all that far away
Which low aroundto hasten lanced down A pathway had appeared beneathwarmth of the antechamber, yet it seemed to have a darker essence On either side, what looked like skeletal wisps of hands reached for – but didn’t quite touch – me But it was the wind of their iven the priest’s warning, hurrying was the last thing I could do right now There was no way in hell – or out of it – I was going to risk falling off the path and into those wispy hands
I had no doubt that they would guide ht into the bowels of hell if I did
The path ran ahead ofwith every step forward It did a slow looping turn and then, without warning, stopped
As did I
Because beforeI’d ever iates to hell would look like In fact, these delicate creations, enhanced with exquisite depictions of glowing beings, trees, and aniht the entrance to heaven ht look like that, for apath
Then I saw the snake It was small, and in one corner, a tiny blot of darkness in an otherwise glowing ie But its eyes seeh
Gatekeeper, Ahts ary Respectful Fate his
As in, he decides which section of hell is to be your particular pleasure?
Not alone All portals
I scanned the gate and the i for our sorceress but unable to spot her But she couldn’t have disappeared She had to be here soatekeeper now that the first portal is open?
Reer exists Or at least, we didn’t appear to pass it
Still there Not see open
Huh I moved forward cautiously I still couldn’t see the sorceress, but maybe I wouldn’t She knew I chased her, after all, and I had no doubt she also kne to conceal her presence in this place What I should be searching for was the key I’d feel it if I was close enough
Only trouble was, I had no desire to step off the path, nor get any closer to that da and sinuous and had a mouth full of teeth
A snake Not the snake, but just as nasty
It forht at ht in this place, a sharp, clean contrast against the shadows that suddenly seeate, I realized, was about to be opened
I swore and swung Ah the snake’s for I had no idea whether she killed it and I didn’t care I ran forward, not worrying about whether I stayed on the path, as ates There was no evidence of the sorceress’s presence anywhere near the gates theically, one would expect a lock to be But this was the gray fields, and logic didn’t exactly apply here I veered to the left, off the path Wispy hands began to tear and drag at me, as if desperate to forceAy slithered across ht it felt like little more than sparks that hit, then disappeared
The key was near
I ran on, ates I still couldn’t see the sorceress, but she was there, so doorew into a fla else entirely – so that shone with an intensity I’ve never seen before<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>