“Just jump at it. You’ll get pulled in,” said a familiar voice behind us.
Cole was the first to turn around, but the rest of us were close behind him. “Gemma.”
Her gray eyes brushed over Cole almost like she was assuring herself that he was okay, even knowing that he was, before turning her gaze to the rest of us. “You guys going right now?”
“That’s the plan,” Sam said.
“I’m coming with you.”
I smiled. For a girl who seemed to keep people at bay and not let anyone close, she sure was taking an interest in us. Or maybe it was just Cole.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Cole said, going to her side.
She nodded. “I can help. I know things that you all don’t.”
“Like what?” Sam asked.
“Like how to get out of Hell once you’re there.”
“Isn’t there another portal?” I asked, my nerves making my stomach shake. I thought there would be another portal like this one.
“No. This is a one-way portal. You cannot get out this way.”
“Then how do we get out?” The thought of being trapped in Hell, that soulless, colorless place was a living nightmare.
“You can leave the underworld at any place at any time. All you need is a Lucent Marble.”
“We don’t have one of those,” I said, frustrated. We didn’t have time to find one of these Marbles; we needed that scroll back. Now.
“They are in Hell. You can get one when you get there.”
“Where are they?” Sam asked.
“You can find Lucent Marbles at the bottom of any body of water,” Gemma responded.
“But the water there is disgusting. It’s thick and black—it looks like chunky oil,” I said, recoiling at the thought of going into the water.
“How do you know?” Sam asked, alarmed.
“My dreams,” I said simply. They were actually nightmares, but it turns out that they might be helpful.
“Of course they will be in a disgusting place,” Gemma quipped. “Did you think that the way out of Hell would be easy?”
“How do you know all this?” Cole asked Gemma.
“I’ve been around a long time. Plus, I have the books.”
“The books?” I asked, intrigued.
“Leather-bound books that pretty much tell you everything about Heaven and Hell.” Gemma continued, “The Marbles are translucent, clear. It’s why they’re called Lucent. The water is so thick it coats them and makes it very difficult to see on the bottom. Sam is the only one that will be able to get them. He alone is strong enough to swim to the bottom; the fact that he’s a hellhound and incapable of drowning gives him the time he needs to find them.”
“I’ll find one,” Sam vowed.
I wondered why she didn’t include Logan in her explanation. He was a hellhound too. Wouldn’t that make him capable of going down there?
“To leave Hell, all we need to do is smash it onto the ground and a portal will open. Move quickly because they do not stay open for long.”
“We could not have gotten this far without your help, Gemma. Thank you.”
Gemma didn’t know what to do with my sincere thanks. It seemed to embarrass her. So she said, “Let’s get this done.”
I turned away to join Sam at the fountain.
“Wait! There is one more thing you must know before we go,” Gemma said quickly.
We turned toward her once again.
“This is very important. Our time in the Underworld is limited. You cannot stay there for long.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“A human who has not died does not belong in Hell. It’s the same reason you cannot go into Heaven, only the InBetween. Your soul is still in your body.”
“If we can’t get into Heaven, why can we get into Hell?” Cole asked.
Gemma smirked. “It’s Hell. Of course it would allow you in, in hopes that you won’t get out and you will lose your soul.”
I hadn’t realized I could get any more afraid than I already was. I pushed the feelings away before Sam picked up on them. He was already worried enough and rethinking his decision to allow me to come.
Gemma spoke again, drawing me out of my thoughts. “When you’ve been down there too long you will begin to feel your insides shake. A violent shaking. The outline of your body will begin to blur as your soul begins to separate from your body. You MUST leave when this happens. If you don’t your soul will be stolen and you could be lost in Hell forever.”
“Thanks for the pep talk,” Cole quipped when we all stood there a little freaked out. “Way to give us some courage.”
Gemma shrugged. “I never said this was easy, but knowing what you are walking into will give you greater odds of walking out.”
I nodded.
“Let’s go,” Sam said, taking my hand. Stay close to me.
Lately his protective nature made me bristle, but not this time. This time I was grateful for it.
“Just jump at it?” Sam asked Gemma again, glancing at the fountain.
She nodded. “It will recognize you because you are a hellhound. It only opens for those it recognizes. As soon as you jump, it will open and we’ll follow.”
He glanced at me then back at the fountain.
Together we jumped.
* * *
Going through a portal to Hell didn’t hurt, but it didn’t feel good either. It was like being sucked through a giant vacuum and then being pushed out the other side. I would have fallen on the ground if Sam had not been there to catch me.
I rested my cheek against his chest briefly before he set me on my feet, trying to make the moment longer than I knew it could be. Cole followed me through the portal and hit the ground with an oomph. Gemma, of course, landed gracefully.
The portal snapped shut, instantly leaving us trapped in Hell.
We are not trapped, Sam reminded me before turning back to our first view of Hell. Well, their first view.
We were silent as we took stock of our surroundings. The place was as I remembered it: a completely colorless, barren landscape that appeared to have been destroyed by fire. The sky was sunless with nothing but gray, threatening low-hanging clouds. Beneath our feet was not grass, but dirt and sharp rock. The entire place spoke of despair and pain.
“I think we should find at least one Lucent Marble before we do anything else,” Sam said.
“Good plan,” Gemma agreed.
“Let’s go,” Cole said, clearly ready to do what we came to do.