The ground was lined with glowing red coals. I looked back to the left and had to stifle a laugh. It was one of those laughs you get when you’re about to do something really stupid. It did not do the trick of breaking the tension and stress I felt. I trudged forward, taking one step onto the coal.
It burned my foot, but the pain wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I knew my body would quickly heal, but that didn’t make the pain any less intense. In order to save my energy as well as my power, I refused to heal myself as I continued across the coals. I felt my skin begin to melt into my thick leather boots. I clenched my teeth and moved forward.
Sweat trickled down my cheek as I turned the corner. Fire licked off the side of the wall, and I wasn’t able to duck in time. It exploded across my face. I could feel blood dripping off my chin. I closed my eyes for a brief second; the pain made me want to pass out. Instead, I said El’s name and pressed forward.
As I rounded another corner, a river met me. The River of Souls. What I wouldn’t do for it to be a real river I could jump into to cease the burning of my flesh.
Blue and white fire steamed off the river as people lifted their hands out of the water into the air and fell back again only to tumble into the crowd of souls.
I’d seen a lot of messed-up stuff in all my years of living. I used to be an Original, after all. I was Uriel; I was an archangel. Though in my current state, El had blocked the memories from my human consciousness. I thought it a kindness. To remember such things would be nothing but cruel. For a human to remember perfection would drive them insane. And as a Fallen, my curse was to be part human.
I sighed and looked at the souls, each of them reaching for something they would never get. That was the big lie of Azazeel. People would swear their souls to him, usually in hopes of fame or fortune, and in return, he would hold their souls captive until their deaths. When they died, they lived this life for eternity. Azazeel would promise freedom if only they could reach their bodies from the river into the air. He promised everything to them, but it was never accomplished. So they went around and around below the earth, lost in a state of never being able to escape the imprisonment of their own doing.
A boat was near the edge of the river’s shore. I jumped into it and carefully rowed myself across the two hundred-foot spans. No souls tried to grab onto the boat. Sadly, it was the one thing they couldn’t see. It also kept them from escaping. I wondered if they would be able to escape if they could see it, but I wasn’t here to help them. I was here to save a girl I had come to love.
I cursed aloud and continued rowing. Adonis would kill me if he heard me say that aloud. Atlas and Alexander would probably help him. It wasn’t as if I was his favorite person. Not that it was totally my fault. Thanatus had a lot to do with that, but I didn’t stop him when I should have.
The paddle hit the opposite edge of the shore. I tied up the boat and hopped out. This was where I was supposed to morph into some sort of creature and look nonchalant as I waltzed into the prison and stole Athena.
Right.
I searched my mind for a disguise that would work. Quickly, I ran my hands over my cuts and burns, healing them and disguising myself at the same time.
I decided to change into a forgettable Phantom. It would be typical to see a Phantom down here, and I could pretend to be infatuated with Athena, which would take next to no acting on my part.
I walked quickly down the steps to the prison. Once I reached the opening of the cave, it spread into a tavern holding thousands upon thousands of prison cells lining the walls of the cave.
“Who are you?” A Phantom stepped in front of me, gripping his black sword.
“Nice sword.” I pointed. “That new?”
“You lost?” The Phantom growled.
“I’m found.” I laughed at my double meaning and pulled out my sword. I had made it black to match his. I quickly searched his mind, using my old power to find his weakness. It just so happened to be weaponry.
“Thanatus just gave me this for helping him steal Athena.”
The Phantom’s eyes narrowed, then he took in the sword. I had etched in the name of Thanatus as well as a few other fun inscriptions that looked to be in the angelic tongue, when really they were gibberish.
“He rewarded you?”
I nodded. “And he has decided to reward you as well.”
The Phantom’s chest puffed out. “Is he to visit us? Here?”
Time for nothing. I quickly morphed into what I remembered Thanatus looking like. “I already am.”
“My lord.” The Phantom fell to his knees. “I’m not worthy.”
“No,” I said coolly. “You are not. Yet I find myself impressed with your ability to guard the prisoners. Now, run along and give me a few minutes alone with the girl. We have business to attend to.”
“My lord?” The Phantom looked skeptical, probably because Thanatus never visited the lower prisons. He found it beneath him, literally.