There was silence between Evie and the half-man, half-demon. The only sounds were the clopping of the horse's hooves and the sound of their own breath. The journey felt endless, the road stretched out endlessly before them, but then the landscape shifted.
Mirrors began to appear along the side of the path. They didn't reflect the world as she saw it. No—these mirrors showed things twisted and wrong, warping the little light there was into terrifying shapes. Her eyes caught on one of the reflections. It was the half-man half-human image, but he looked even more monstrous, his features were clearer, his elf-like ears, his red fiery eyes, and his curly horns.
She shivered, unable to hold back her question any longer.
"What are you?"
He kept his gaze forward, with his crimson eyes never blinking. His voice, when it came, was deep and had a rough edge to it.
"I am what they call a Drakulon," he said. "First of the Devil's soldiers. All other demons kneel before me, respect me, obey me, and dare not to challenge me."
What the fuck did she just hear? First soldier of the Devil? She was trapped, and the creature leading her deeper into Hell wasn't just any demon—he was the highest-ranking monster at Satan's command. Her terror was growing with every second she spent in his presence. And she was alone with him.
As they continued, the mirrors gave way to something far worse. A ladder appeared before them, rickety and wooden, stretching across a pit of bubbling lava. Evie could feel the heat and the ladder creaked under the horse's weight as they stepped onto it, wobbling shakily..
Evie's heart began beating rapidly. The silence was unbearable. She needed answers, needed to understand why this was happening. Shortly, her fear turned to fury.
"Why am I here?" she demanded with a trembling voice. "I'm dead, I get that—but I don't belong in Hell. There has to be a mistake."
Drakulon said nothing. He remained silent, focusing on the fragile ladder beneath them. The ladder still creaked as they moved, and the lava bubbled below.
"Answer me," she demanded as she turned to face him. "Or I'll throw myself into the lava! Let's see how useful I am to your 'Grand Master' then."
The Drakulon scoffed. "You won't do it. You're bluffing."
But Evie wasn't. She leaned dangerously to the side, with one hand slipping from the horse's mane. The ladder swayed and the horse neighed nervously. She felt the heat of the lava beneath her, but she didn't care. She'd rather burn than be dragged into Hell without knowing why.
Drakulon's head tilted slightly, but still, he said nothing.
Evie threw herself farther to the side, feeling her balance shift. "If you don't tell me now, we're both going down!"
For a moment, she thought he wouldn't respond. But then, as she leaned too far, his arm shot out, gripping her tightly by the waist to stop her fall. But it wasn't enough. The ladder wobbled aggressively under them, swaying dangerously as the horse struggled balancing itself steadily.
"Tell me why you're taking me to the Devil!" she demanded. "Or we both go down."
She could feel the horse was on the edge of falling.
"Tell me!" she screamed, giving him a countdown. "Three… two… one—"
Then, to her utter shock, he released her. Drakulon let her go.
Evie's eyes widened as she felt herself fall, falling towards the lava below. Her scream echoed through the caverns of hell, but it stopped abruptly as she hit the molten pool of lava.
She expected excruciating pain, to feel herself burn alive—even though she was a ghost— instead, there was only an odd sensation, like sinking into thick water. She couldn't tell up from down, it was like she was weightless.
Her body sank deeper and deeper into the lava, and then, just as suddenly as she fell through it, she landed hard on solid ground. She gasped, looking around wildly.
What the fuck just happened?
Drakulon landed beside her on his horse, his fall was smooth and controlled, as if the fall had been nothing, as if this were all part of his plan.
"What the hell was that?" Evie demanded with a shaky and disbelieving tone. She panted, still reeling from the experience. "Why did you let me fall?"
His expression was impassive. "That lava was the shortcut to the pit of Hell. The ladder was just a longer way."
"Why didn't the lava burn me? I'm condemned to hell right? I was supposed to feel unending torment the moment I entered that lava."
Drakulon turned to face her, he was confused as well. "Yes, you are condemned to Hell. It should have hurt."
Evie shook her head. "But it didn't."
He didn't respond, but there was something in his eyes—confusion. This had never happened before.
Before she could ask him questions, there was a bright crimson light that appeared, illuminating the path ahead of them. A small straight road led to a massive circular space, and at its center, perched on a throne of fire and iron, was the Devil himself.
The sight of the devil made Evie swallow the hard lump that wasn't even in her throat.
The Devil was a monstrous figure, larger than all the demons she had seen. His skin was the color of burnt ash, dark and cracked with molten lava veins running across his muscular form. His wings were enormous and they burnt with fire. His horns were curled back from the side of his head like a ram's, they were sharp and huge.
His eyes were pits of fire, burning with malicious intent. In his hand, he held a sword—a golden sword. He exuded power, command and cruelty.
Drakulon immediately dismounted his horse and dropped to one knee, bowing low before the Devil, with his head almost touching the ground. "Master," he said with reverence.
Evie still stood, she couldn't move, couldn't even think. This was the Devil—the true ruler of this realm. She had never imagined the pure terror that came with standing in his presence.
The Devil's grin widened, with his fiery eyes locking onto her. "So," he said with a deep authoritative voice. "The girl has arrived."
Evie swallowed hard. Her heart pounded and her fear doubled as she stared into the eyes of the most dangerous being in existence. And for the first time since her death, Evie felt truly, utterly terrified of what was to come.