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"Got room for two more?"

Startled, I turned to see Jenna and Archer standing on the path, Jenna's hand clutching Archer's sleeve as she tried to stay on her feet

"What?" was all I could say

Archer took a few careful steps forward "Hey, this has been a group effort so far No reason to stop now"

"You guys can't go into the Underworld with me," I told them "You heard Dad, I'h Yeah, we got that," Jenna said "But how are you supposed to carry a whole bunch of delass out of that place? It'll burn you And hey, et all of us in, too" She gestured to herself and the boys "Plus it's not like we don't have powers of our own"

I knew I should tell the the three of them there made me feel a whole lot better and whole lot less terrified So in the end, I gave an exaggerated sigh and said, "Okay, fine But just so you know, following me into hell means you're all definitely the sidekicks"

"Darn, I was hoping to be the rakishly char my hand

"Cal, any role you were after?" I asked hi over us As he did, there was the grinding sound of stone against stone We all stared at the opening that appeared

"I' to be the Not Dead Guy," Call muttered

We faced the entrance "Between the four of us, we fought ghouls, survived attacks by demons and ll'Occhio di Dio, and practically raised the dead," I said "We can do this"

"See, inspiring speeches like that are why you get to be the leader," Archer said, and he squeezedalmost as one, we stepped into the rock

CHAPTER 29

As soon as ere in, the opening closed behind us "Of course," I heard Archer say under his breath I liftedfrom them Not that it was particularly helpful All I saas a bunch of dark, slick granite, and not much else

"Sois this it?" Jenna asked "Are we in the Underworld? Because to be honest, I thought it would be hotter" I looked around in the gloon that says, Underworld This Way? Preferably with an arrow?"

"Unfortunately, no," Archer said "But so feels weird Is it just , too It was like the cavern held a subtle charge When I looked down, I saw that the hairs on ic churned and thuht place Whichthe three of them, I concentrated as hard as I could Be safe, was all I could think of as far as protection spells went, but I felt power surge up and then flow gently from my hands The spell was a milky white, and it curled around Archer, Jenna, and Call like suys feel protected?"

"I do," Archer said "Also, a little violated, but that's neither here nor there" I rolled my eyes "You two?"

"Yeah," Call said "Whatever you did, I think it worked"

"Sa forward, the others following "Archer, any helpful factoids about delass you'd like to offer up?"

"Uht on the wrong side were stripped down to just their ht," I nodded "Dad toldmore Until they're put in a body, obviously"

"I don't know, there are times when you seem like you're just pure dark-ow" Archer broke off as I poked him in the ribs "Anyway, the demons were forced into another dimension What people call hell, or the Underworld, or whatever Supposedly-and for us, hopefully-that's where you find de ic De into another di a little "Like what the Itineris does?"

"That's the idea," Archer replied

Seeing as how the Itineris alans, I understood why she sounded a little freaked out

"This doesn't feel like another dih," I said "It just feels like-"