The Book of Doom - By Barry Hutchison Page 0,32

it over there? I’m not sure. Is it really foggy, or is it just me?”

“It’s foggy.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. I was worried I’d gone blind. Phew!”

There was another crackle of lightning and Zac saw Angelo’s outline through the mist. He was boy-sized again, and he no longer had a tail. Both good signs, but Zac wanted to be sure.

“Are you... OK?” he asked.

“Oh, don’t you worry, I’m fine,” Angelo said cheerfully. Zac jumped as the boy’s slender arms wrapped round him in a hug. “But thanks for asking. I knew you cared really,” Angelo said. “By the way,” he added, “is anyone else naked?”

Zac leaped back as if he’d been electrocuted. He tried to push Angelo away without actually touching him, which proved to be just as difficult as it sounded. “Get off,” he said. Reluctantly, Angelo stopped hugging him.

“It’s funny. One minute I’m being strangled by Odin, the next I’m here. Where is here, by the way?”

“The Nether Lands,” said Herya.

“What?” asked Angelo. “Beside Belgi—”

“No,” said Zac before Herya could open her mouth. “A different one. And what do you mean? Are you saying you don’t remember what happened in Valhalla?”

“Not really,” replied Angelo. “I remember them trying to cut my head off. That’s not something you forget in a hurry, let me tell you.”

“Then what?”

Angelo thought. “Not much. I remember they grabbed you. I remember... I remember Odin picking me up, and not being able to breathe, and my head going all tingly and then... And then I woke up here.”

“What about the bit in between?” Herya asked.

Angelo didn’t reply.

“Well?” the Valkyrie pressed.

“Um, sorry,” said Angelo. “It’s just, you see, I’ve got no clothes on. And you’re, you know, a girl. And so, thinking about it, I probably shouldn’t be talking to you.”

“You are very modest for a demon.”

Angelo snorted. “Demon?” he laughed. “I’m not a demon. Demons are big horrible ugly monsters. I’m an angel. A bit like you, but, you know? Proper.”

“Half angel,” Zac reminded him. “Half angel and half...” He left the sentence hanging.

“Well, human, obviously!”

There was stillness in the fog.

“Obviously,” said Zac, after a while.

“He doesn’t know,” Herya realised.

“Know what?” asked Angelo. “What don’t I know?”

A howl interrupted them. It sounded closer than ever, but it bounced around inside the mist, making it impossible to tell which direction it was coming from.

“Nothing,” said Zac, remembering Angelo’s earlier rant about how horrible all demon-kind was. “Doesn’t matter. We need to move.”

“Right you are. Should I put my trousers back on, do you think? They’ve got a bit stretched and ripped somehow, but they’re not too bad. Maybe I can sort of tie the torn bits together so they stay up.”

“Yes,” said Zac. “Trousers. Definitely trousers.”

There was a soft rustling of fabric. “I’m not very good at knots,” Angelo said. “Can you help me?”

“Definitely not,” Zac replied. “Figure it out.” He turned to where he guessed Herya stood. “You said Argus is here somewhere.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You did; you said—”

“I said we could get to Argus from here,” the Valkyrie clarified. “The Nether Lands connect all the Afterworlds, including the one where we’ll find Argus.”

“In that case, Angelo can take us to wherever he is. He can move between dimensions or... whatever they are. It’ll mean holding his hands, but he’s wearing trousers now at least.”

“No, he can’t. Not here. There are many ways into the Nether Lands, but only one way out. A portal.”

“Where is it?”

“The portal can be found right at the top of the Mountain of Eternal Torment, in the Cavern of the Endless Damned.”

Zac winced. “Oh, great. Really?”

“No, not really. Just kidding,” said Herya. “It’s in the middle somewhere. At the lowest point. The Nether Lands is like a big bowl with the portal at the bottom.”

Zac scuffed a foot across the ground. It sloped slightly downward in one direction. “Right. Then we go this way.” He reached out into the fog. “Grab my hand. Then we can all stick together.”

“Yeah, in your dreams, mortal,” said Herya. “I’ll take the demon’s hand and the demon can take yours.”

“Angel, not demon,” Angelo laughed. “You’re such a Mrs Mix-up!”

“OK, fine, whatever,” Zac sighed. He fumbled around until he found Angelo’s left hand. Herya was already holding on to the right.

“This is nice, isn’t it?” Angelo said, his broad smile wasted in the fog. “This is really nice. Three friends, just hanging out, holding hands.”

“Just what I always wanted,” said Zac. Then they all set off down the slope into the deepest depths of the Nether