it only stopping when the scent of Amelia abruptly turned as if they had run straight into the thick of the soul weed. I paused to look back down at the tunnel the way I had come, knowing now that they were obviously being chased.
“That's my girl,” I commented to myself knowing that Amelia most likely had made this decision to go where the Hellhounds could not follow. I continued to run with supernatural speed to the end, following now the scent of the Hellhounds, knowing that they wouldn't give up that easily. Not even when they had been forced to go around the forest.
As soon as I was free from the soul weed above me, I took to the sky once more and only dropped down when on the other side, back to where I could see the broken temple. After this I picked up their scent once more and it became easier to follow, meaning it hadn’t been too much time that had passed before they had been here. This also meant that it most likely took them a while to make their way through the harrowing forest.
I picked up speed until eventually reaching an access tunnel that led straight down to only one place,
The river of Phlegethon.
There were six main rivers in Hell, and they all led to different places, in different realms. There was the river Styx, the most prominent of all due to its central location, as all rivers connected in some way to this one. It was also known as the river of hatred and was named after the Goddess Styx.
The Acheron was known as the river of pain. It is also one most travelled upon for beings like Charon and only one of many Ferrymen, who used this as a way to transport the dead. The river known as Lethe was said to be one of forgetfulness, aptly named from the Goddess of forgetfulness and oblivion, a Goddess known as Lethe.
The others were Cocytus, the river of wailing and naturally not known as a joyful boat ride. And the last was Oceanus, the only river known to be connected to the mortal realm, crossing over at certain parts of the world. Most common was at the place the humans had called the Bermuda Triangle. Hence the disappearance of ships and planes over the years.
But as for Phlegethon, this was known as the river of fire. It was also the only river that led straight to the depths of Tartarus. If legend was correct, the tale goes that Phlegethon runs parallel to the river Styx in only one place. It is said that the Goddess Styx was in love with Phlegethon, but she was consumed by his flames and bitterness for their lost love, and was therefore sent to Hades. Eventually, when Hades allowed them to reunite, a new river formed and connected at only one point in Hell…
The Realm of Lust.
Standing on the edge of the spiral tunnel I could see for myself that getting down there mustn’t have been an easy task. In my eagerness to reach the bottom quickly, I jumped and kept my wings curled close in the free fall, only opening them to aid in my landing. The moment I reached the bottom two things struck me, the first being the dead Hellhound and the second was the strangest by far.
“Keira?” I said her name the second I felt the lingering essence that she had been here before and had unknowingly left her mark. I knelt down to pick up one of the shell casings of a bullet, raising a brow in question. But then my memories came back to me and I was soon muttering another name,
“Wild Bill Hickok.” I shook my head at the character that being was and continued through the broken door with haste.
However, the moment I breached the opening I heard it at the same time feeling it.
Another heartbeat, but this time it was one that was struggling to carry on. Meaning, combined with the blood I scented, it could only mean one thing…
Nero was dying.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Bloody Betrayal
After a quick scan of the cave, I found a dead Hellhound with a slashed underbelly still burning from its infernal insides spilling onto the cave floor. It was one still being fuelled by the flaming river it had died close to, for its essence was still yet to be fully extinguished. I focused on the diminishing heartbeat, noting the droplets of blood that led the way,