iron gate, stood who I was sure were the Lumenian warriors. There were thousands of them, all clothed in grey. When I saw them, I knew that there truly was going to be a war. And the best part was that I was caught right in the middle of it, and if I was lucky, I’d even get to die for causing trouble for those around me.
“Stay close,” Valoel told me as she helped me off the horse. I followed her as she headed over to the angels who all stood behind the gates. I could hear screaming voices around us, souls crying for help, and I understood why Gideon said I couldn’t handle the Underworld. He was right, hearing the painful cries made me want to stop and help them.
“Princess,” one of the angels said, bowing to Sela.
Sela asked him, “Is there a problem here?”
“King Babylon saw the fallen star and sent us here, but we can’t enter because the gate is locked.”
Sela didn’t get a chance to answer because Gideon’s voice called out from behind us. “What are you waiting for?” he asked irately, appearing beside us. I wanted to go over to him, but Valoel took my hand and stopped me.
“The gate is locked,” Sela said, and then out of nowhere, a tiger and a lion appeared in front of the gate. I tightened my grip on Valoel’s hand.
Gideon smirked when he saw the animals. “Panic and Pain,” he said. “I knew D would send you to do her dirty work for her.”
I knew the story of the Underworld, and I’d watched Hercules enough times to know that Pain and Panic were Hades’ minions. What I didn’t know was that they’d be vicious animals.
Gideon walked to the animals. I almost screamed for him to stop, but I bit my tongue when I remembered he wasn’t human. “Pain!” Gideon called. “Where is Tristan?”
I watched bewilderedly as the animals transformed into people—a woman and a man, both approximately in their twenties.
“Gideon, welcome,” the man, Pain, said with a smile. He backed away as Gideon approached.
Gideon asked, “Do you want to open the gate, or do you want me to?” He didn’t wait for an answer. Instead he released a powerful flame that erupted against the iron. The gate cracked open with a loud, grating sound.
“Don’t make me ask you about Tristan’s whereabouts one more time,” Gideon threatened, and then suddenly, with a flick of Gideon’s hand, Pain levitated in front of him.
“He’s on his way to see D,” Pain wheezed in a choked voice. “Please don’t kill me!” he cried. There was a crash as Gideon threw Pain hard on the ground and made his way to the gate. Gideon took another step, and then two swords appeared out of nowhere. Pain and Panic blocked his way.
“You cannot enter,” said Panic. “And don’t try to fight, because you’re already surrounded.”
Sure enough, when I glanced around, I saw that all sorts of creatures surrounded us—the kind that looked like they’d died and come back to life. They were nameless creatures I had never before seen, not even in horror movies or my worst nightmares. All of them had dark eyes and icy breath, and they carried fierce weapons. Their faces showed anger and nothing else. I squeezed my eyes shut, blocking out the sight of them. I figured if I couldn’t see them, then my fear would lessen.
My breath was now coming out sharply. Terror raced through my body as the screaming around us became louder and louder.
“Abigail, hey, breathe,” Valoel whispered beside me.
I forced myself to open my eyes. “I’m fine,” I lied and inhaled deeply.
“Sorry about this, Gideon, but I’m afraid no one is going home today,” Panic rasped.
“It’s time!” Pain shouted.
Suddenly, spears flew in every direction. Both the Lumenians and Grandinians held weapons, and some were able to shield themselves before the spears hit them. But others fell screaming from the sky. I didn’t have time to shield myself, but luckily for me, Valoel had my back.
“I love killing,” Panic told Pain loudly from inside the gate as it began closing. Gideon was quick, though. He managed to blast the gate into flames again and rushed inside. Valoel, Sela, some Lumenians and Grandinians, and I managed to leap inside with him before the gate was magically replaced and closed.
The area we entered looked like a battlefield. It was a large field with heat and steam emerging from the ground beneath.
Valoel let go of my hand and flew