The next thing I know, I’m seated in a cramped white office on a rickety wooden chair. Lincoln sits beside me. Before us, a Mantis she-demon is perched behind a rusted metal desk. She’s tall, lanky and bright green with a tiny head, large bulbous eyes, and long bony arms with an extra set of elbows. Her black hair is pulled back into a tight bun.
“You’re late, Myla Lewis,” she says, scribbling something on a sheet of paper.
I try to understand what’s happening and fail utterly. “My personal hell is this office?”
“Obviously, and you’re tardy in the extreme.” Her mouth is teensy and has long pointed teeth.
I exhale a long breath. At least, I know this is my personal hell.
Lincoln eyes the Mantis demon carefully. “Why is there a time schedule here?”
“There is and the ‘why’ is none of your business.” She points her pen in my direction. “And for the record, this is her personal hell.”
“No offense, but when I thought of my personal hell, I didn’t picture you.” I can kill a Mantis demon with one hand tied behind my back.
“That’s because you’re a fool.” She adjusts the lapels on her three-piece suit. “This isn’t a torture pit. This is a test. And since the two of you were stupid enough to try to pass the Veil of Fire, it’s a test you’ll take together. He screws up and you still hit the torture pits, understood?”
I really want to poke her in the eye with that pen. “Yeah, I got it.”
The Mantis picks up a stack of papers before her and straightens them carefully. “First, you must fill out some paperwork.”
I roll my eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I never kid.” The Mantis glances down at the top sheet. “First question. Why did you wish to pass the Veil of Fire?”
My eyes flare red with demon anger. “That’s none of your damned business.”
She starts scribbling away. “I’ll write that you’re here to save a loved one. It’s the same reason all of you fools try to break into the throne room. You’d think the fact that no rescue has been successful since the dawn of time would discourage you a tad, but it never does.” She smacks her tiny lips. “Next question.”
I press my palms against my eyes. Damn, I hate this so much. Mindless bureaucracy, just like the ghouls stuck me with when I was growing up. I flip over my wrist and peek at my Looking Glass. Maxon is awake and crying. Only this time, instead of pounding on the walls and screaming like he did before, he now cowers in a corner, his arms looped around his knees. My strong boy, my fearless warrior, now so frightened and alone. Frustration tightens my neck.
Whipping out my baculum from their holster, I ignite the silver rods as a spear, aiming the tip directly at the Mantis’s head. “This is the part where you decide to skip the paperwork.”
The Mantis makes a series of clicking sounds and her small shoulder-wings flutter. “If you had the patience to go through all this paperwork, it would help you with this test.”
“And I said fuck the paperwork.”
Lincoln sets his hand on my shoulder in a show of solidarity. “I’d really listen to her, especially because if she doesn’t kill you, I will.” He rises to stand, takes a dagger out of his belt and chucks it onto the desktop, where it skewers the pile of sheets with a thunk. “We’re here to rescue someone, and we’re running out of time.”
The Mantis visibly shivers as she stares at the dagger. “But if you don’t do this paperwork correctly, you could end up in the torture pits. Aren’t you afraid of that?”
Lincoln struts up to her desk, pulls out his dagger, and sets it by her long neck. “Not in the slightest.”
“Fine, fine,” says the Mantis quickly. “Let the test begin.” She purses her lips. “Lower your weapon.”
“Fine.” I extinguish my baculum, but keep a tight grip on the silver bars.
The Mantis slides out the top center drawer of her desk and presses a button inside. Two doors appear, one on either wall of the room. “This is your test. Behind each door is a version of the loved one that you have decided to—” she makes a great show of sarcastic coughing. “Try and save. One is a perfect replica of your loved one at some point in his life. The other is an evil doppelganger. You are to meet both versions and then choose the true replica.”
My body freezes with shock. I’m going to see Maxon? I’ve never wanted anything more than I want to hold him right now.
“Let’s begin.” The Mantis snaps her fingers. The left-hand door swings open and Maxon races into the room, wearing a torn princely tunic. His face is dirty and lined with tears. He barrels into our arms and weeps.