He glanced over at Nalarin and saw her looking back at him with a hungry gaze. “How far away is our destination?” he asked. They were halfway through the required actions to satisfy the blood-oath. She still had to take him to her designated spot, and Will needed a subordinate to open a gate to him. Once that happened, he was free to do as he pleased. But if his students failed, and he didn’t signal the Shimerans, then he would be in violation of the oath and subsequently die.

  “Less than an hour,” she responded. “There’s no need to rush.”

  Will had told his friends to open the gate at hour twenty, just to be sure it was within a day and that he would have time to get there. “I’d prefer to get there sooner rather than later,” he answered. “Your portion of the oath is fulfilled when we arrive, so I’d think you would prefer to get there quickly.”

  He could only see Nalarin’s eyes, but he saw a hint of something flicker across them as she answered—was she preparing some deceit? “Despite what you may have heard about Hell, there are many pleasant entertainments you would enjoy. We have food, wine, and soft beds, along with a variety of companions your mortal eyes would find unfathomable.”

  Will scanned their surroundings, noting the barren, rocky plain. Aside from a few boulders with interesting shapes, there was nothing worth seeing. “Really? It doesn’t look like much.”

  Nalarin held out one hand, palm down, and a wide disk of black stone formed, similar to the travel disks Will often used. She stepped onto it and offered him a hand up. “Allow me to show you the sights.” He hesitated, but she added, “I am bound by my oath to get you to the designated place. Do you doubt me now?”

  “I’m not interested in a tour.”

  “Should we fail to reach the place where my army waits, there’s no reason I cannot name wherever we stand instead. It wouldn’t be ideal for me, but our oath could be fulfilled. It’s in your best interest to stay with me, wherever I wish to go.”

  Sighing, Will relented, stepping onto the disk. Nalarin was right, and it was his own fault for not making their oath more specific. She could take him any place she wanted, and he had no right to protest. The disk took off, accelerating to a blistering speed while he studied the demoness from the side of one eye. Fortunately, I was not the only one to make a mistake, since you failed to clarify that my gate be from Spela rather than simply from my subordinates.

  Nalarin saw him looking and removed her helm, smiling as they raced through the hot air. “Would you like to see my bedroom first?”

  “I’m a lover of the great outdoors,” said Will. “I’d prefer to see the wilderness here.”

  Pouting, she agreed with some reluctance and took them on a long route that led to scenes Will never expected. The rate of speed her travel disk was capable of was simply incredible, and the spell also seemed to include a subtle protection that limited the wind speed that struck them as they went. No matter how fast they traveled, the wind in their faces was never too much. Barren plains flashed by to be replaced by badlands decorated by steppes and canyons. Beyond those, she took him to mountains that sported bizarre, spiky trees and fauna so hideous that some of the creatures went past ugly and back to lethal beauty.

  There were dark forests that reminded him of the densest woods of Faerie, populated by numerous demons of all descriptions, some furred and others covered in scales. Everywhere they traveled, a red sun bore down on them with oppressive heat and poisonous turyn. Will fully intended to remain awake until he returned home, but as time passed, he began to wonder if he would have the endurance.

  Settling to the ground on a grassy plain dotted by small groups of trees, Will saw they had come to a stone fortress. Nalarin pointed toward the heavy wooden gates. “This is my home. You must be thirsty after all this time.”

  Tired, Will shook his head. “I’m not interested in your bedroom.” They’d spent many hours exploring the terrain, and he wondered if the time for his escape was close. “Surely the time must be near.”

  The demoness gave him a dark smile. “Your destination is here. Look no further.” The gates opened, and she led him through the bailey and into a courtyard that almost looked pleasant. “Ware the grass,” she told him. “The blades will draw blood if they touch bare skin.”

  So much for running barefoot, he thought wryly.

  Inside the main keep, she showed him to what appeared to be a throne room. The central space had been cleared and a table laid out with various foods. Pitchers holding wine and water taunted his dry lips. Taking up a crystal goblet, Nalarin filled it with wine and offered it to him. When he refused, she shrugged and lifted it to her own mouth. “It’s your loss,” she told him. Then she tore a strip of meat from what looked like a roast bird and slowly chewed, showing obvious delight. “The food is perfectly harmless, I assure you.”

  The constant dry heat had left Will feeling weak and somewhat woozy. Ignoring her entreaties, he summoned a small jar of water from his limnthal and splashed a little on his face and collar before drinking most of it. Feeling better, he realized he should have used the new spell Aislinn had taught him, so he summoned his notes and refreshed his memory before casting it on himself. The cool air was a welcome relief, waking him up and making him feel sharper almost immediately.

  He studied the food, and although it did indeed look good, Will doubted it would hold up to his own cooking. “If we were in my land, I would cook a meal that would send you into despair at having to return here.”

  Nalarin snorted. “Given your distrust of my provender, I would not give you the satisfaction of tasting yours.”

  “Fair enough,” he admitted. Then he asked, “Is this the designated place?”

  She gave him an odd glance. “So eager to see the end…” she paused, then added, “…of our journey. It is close to us now.”

  “Show me.”

  “Very well.” Nalarin took him down a long hall to a set of stairs that descended into what was surely the foundation of her fortress.

  Remembering his dark days in Lognion’s dungeon, Will hesitated. “We haven’t seen many of your servants. I thought you’d have an army of demons gathering to exploit the gate I’m providing.”

  “Never fear, my sweetling, the important ones are here. We have no intention of wasting the gift you’ve given us.” She gestured toward the stairs, but when he didn’t move, she took the lead. “The place I want the gate is down here. If you don’t follow, you’ll violate our oath.”

  “If you betray me,” he warned.

  She looked back. “If I betrayed you now, I would die. It’s in my best interest to show you the desired location for your gate.”

  Will was already well aware of the small loophole that remained for her—he’d left it in to entice Nalarin into accepting. “After you name the place, your part is done.” She could kill him then and face no repercussions. It was on his shoulders to make sure the gate was opened.

  The demon-lord laughed. “You think I will stop you? If your gate isn’t opened, I’ll have given away a fortune in driktenspal for nothing. Or perhaps you fear I will turn on you after your gate is created? You were not so timid when we made our bargain. The merciless strength you showed then was so great I would not dare to risk such a confrontation.” Her tone was mocking as she added, “Has something changed? Is it my betrayal you fear, or have you plotted your own? Despite your fury against my kind, you are not known for sacrificing your own. Is there some seed of compassion that has weakened your resolve?”

  As her words hammered home, Will knew he was teetering on the brink of ruin. Whatever lay at the bottom was obviously a trap, but if he refused to go, he would die regardless. He’d expected something of the sort, but what confused him was Nalarin’s willingness to taunt him beforehand. Was she that certain of victory?

  Will took the first step, following her down. “I fully intend to complete our bargain.”

  The stairs went down roughly fifty feet before the first flight was finished and they reached a short platform. From there, they turned ninety degrees and continued for another fifty feet before turning again. Nalarin took him down a dozen or more such flights before they reached the bottom of the stairs, hundreds and hundreds of feet below her fortress, deep within the bowels of Hell. There, they came to a small room with a single stone door. Infernal runes covered the stones around them, glowing ominously.

  The demoness touched the stone door and it slid away, disappearing into the wall. A hallway stretched before them on the other side, illuminated by yet more nefarious symbols. She waited until he had entered before touching the door casing, whereupon the entrance sealed itself. A warding seal appeared on the interior side of the door, though once again Will knew none of the symbols or language used. “What’s this?”

  “A precaution,” said Nalarin. “It’s occurred to me that you might want to open your gate somewhere other than where we discussed, since it wasn’t specified in the oath. If so, you might bring an army of allies through to assault my home. This door will ensure that nothing on the other side of your gate will go any farther than this.”

  He no longer had to wonder if she’d noticed the loophole in his half of the oath. Shit. Still, he had no intention of returning the way they had come. Once the gate home was open, he’d be taking it to escape. With a nod, he followed her down the long hall. At the end, they passed through another door, and behind them massive slabs of stone slammed down one by one, sealing the path they’d taken with thousands of tons of dark basalt. “You really take your security seriously,” he remarked, trying to hide his nervousness.

  “You have no idea, wizard,” said the demon-lord, opening the next door. Beyond it was a vast, open space. From the echoes that he could already hear, it seemed to be cathedral-like in volume, but when they stepped inside, Will saw that he was wrong. The smooth stone floor extended at least two hundred yards into the distance before meeting the opposite wall. Glancing to either side, he saw that the walls circled the area, and far above them, open sky reflected a dim red light down to the bottom of the pit.

  Pit. Will didn’t like the word, but that was the best description of the massive hole she’d brought him to. It was made all the worse by the presence of eleven figures waiting on his arrival. From the ponderous weight of power in the air, he had no doubt that all of them were demon-lords.

  He’d been expecting an army of minions ready to exploit a vulnerable Shimera, not Nalarin’s rivals. A heavy stone in Will’s stomach confirmed what he already knew. I’m fucked. Whatever trap she had planned, he wasn’t going to be able to fight his way out of it. Fighting back the urge to vomit, he smiled recklessly and asked, “To whom do I owe the pleasure of this auspicious meeting?”

  “William Cartwright, these notables, including myself, are currently the twelve reigning Lords of Hell, though we’ve recently had two changes in membership. Thanks to your efforts, we’ve had to allow more new blood into this august membership than in many millennia prior to your birth, and because of that, everyone here is enthusiastic about making your acquaintance.” She smiled, showing sharp canines that verged on being fangs.

  As sometimes happened, Will’s stress and anxiety reached levels so great that his brain shut off and years of Arrogan’s bad influence came spilling out of his mouth in nonsensical fashion. “Well, color me impressed! I’m so happy to meet all of you, I feel like a sailor who’s just had his balls and backside shaved and licked clean by a two-penny prostitute.”

  He had no memory of the words the second they left his lips, but the pause that followed his pronouncement told him he’d probably said something ridiculous. Will hoped he’d been humorous at least, but no laughter resulted.

  Eventually Nalarin continued, ignoring his statement. “This is Lord Novok, known as the Terror of the Abyss. This is Basen, also called the Evil That Walks. This is…” The names went on, along with a litany of ridiculous titles.

  Will remembered none of it, and when she finished, he asked the question that was at the top of his list of priorities. “What’s that over there?”

  “Very observant of you,” said Nalarin pleasantly, as though complimenting a child. “The center of that circle is where I want you to open your gate.”

  He stared back at her. “We’re still doing that? I was so overwhelmed by the greetings, I almost forgot.”

  She nodded. “Of course. Did you think we all met here to kill you?”

  Her statement brought a chorus of laughs. Of course, everyone laughs at her stupid jokes, thought Will sourly. “You want me to stand in the middle, I suppose?”

  “If you don’t, the gate will open in the wrong place. That would be unfortunate for you. Thankfully, I’ve completed my part now that I’ve told you where it should be,” said Nalarin. “Don’t worry, though, you still have a few scant hours remaining before the time limit is reached.”

  Will swallowed. That meant it might be close to the time when Emory and Sammy would open their gate to him. If it opened in the wrong place, he was dead. “I should get in position now.”

  “If that’s what you want, go ahead. None of us will complain,” she replied, sparking another round of laughter.

  “What’s the circle designed to do?” he asked. It was ringed with intricate designs and infernal symbols he was completely ignorant of.

  “It’s purely defensive,” she replied. “Yet another preparation to protect us from the wizard who slew two of our kindred. It won’t hurt you.” A second later, she added, “I’ll be happy to make another blood-oath to that effect if you doubt my words.”

  Their eyes met, and Will saw death and anticipation in her gaze.

  Dead if I do, dead if I don’t. “Maybe you should show me your bedroom after all,” he suggested.

  She laughed. “Take your place, mortal. The way back is closed now. If you’re too afraid to enter, I will gladly make that oath to convince you of my veracity. If even that is not enough, then all that’s left is to watch and wait for you to die here.”

  Steeling himself, Will turned and walked to the center of the room, crossing over the elaborate circle that spanned a diameter of more than twenty feet. The Lords of Hell followed behind him, fanning out and stepping onto positions marked out around the circle. The instant the first one found his place, a force-dome sprang into existence around him.

  He could tell at a glance that the barrier was formidable, but he could probably break it if necessary. A second later the power doubled as the second demon-lord found his position. It increased again as each of the others took their places. When Nalarin stepped into the final spot, the power had reached a level beyond anything Will had seen before.

  Studying the edges of the dome, Will realized it wasn’t a dome at all, and then their ploy became evident. The force effect went through the floor, creating a perfect sphere. He was sealed in. Nalarin had showed him the place, but there was no possibility of opening a gate there. The sphere caging him would prevent any contact, astral or otherwise. No magic would penetrate the shield, and no beacon would overcome it. Even an ordinary force-sphere would have done the same, but this one he had no hope of breaking.

  There were no ley lines in Hell, and he would have needed to use them to create a similar trap if they were back in his world. In Hell, the greatest concentrations of power were found in the demon-lords themselves, so they’d created a circle to combine their strength. Whether or not his will was greater than any one of theirs no longer mattered. Force effects couldn’t be manipulated or suppressed with will alone. His influence no longer reached beyond the twenty-foot diameter of his prison.

  In a few hours, the time limit of his oath would have passed, and since no gate could be opened to reach him, he would die. They didn’t have to fight him—they simply had to wait. “Well, this is stupid,” he announced, but they couldn’t hear him.

  A rune on the floor inside the circle lit up, and Nalarin’s voice reached his ears. “You didn’t think I was unaware of your plan to betray our bargain, do you?” She was standing on the other side of the circle, in the position that aligned with the rune. Eleven other marked spots aligned with the other demon-lords, in case they wanted to talk as well.

  “I’m shocked you think so poorly of me, Nalarin. If you check Spela, you’ll see that the priests there are earnestly preparing to open the gate. I promise.”

  “Dead men don’t open gates, William. Your underlings, if that’s what they really were, died more than a week ago. Nothing remains of Spela but ashes, glass, and melted stone. Did you really think we wouldn’t check? That we would take you at your word?”

  If he hadn’t already been at the pinnacle of fear, her words would have sent a cold shiver down his spine. Nalarin’s description had only one plausible explanation. Lognion had figured out their plan and had moved to make sure they would have nothing to bargain with. The thrill of incipient hysteria clawed its way through Will’s heart and mind. He nearly laughed. We got the demon-steel anyway, asshole! That thought gave rise to a different question.

  “If you knew Spela was gone, why’d you make the deal?”

  Nalarin began to laugh with a voice so musical and dread-inspiring, it probably would have made his grandmother jealous. Then she answered, “What did you say to me a few days ago? I can’t afford you? You were wrong, William. I paid a thousand pounds of driktenspal for you, and I think it was a bargain. My companions and I now can enjoy watching you fret away your last hours, until your inevitable demise.”

  The glowing rune that transmitted her voice went out before he could reply, but Will’s panic wouldn’t let him remain silent. He yelled at the impervious barrier to vent his fear, “I meant sex! You can’t afford me for sex! Death is cheap, you demonic hag! I’m human—anyone can kill me! All it takes is a sharp stick when I’m not paying attention!” He continued swearing for several minutes, taking time to address each one of his onlookers and pointing to make sure they knew who he was addressing. They couldn’t hear him, and their faces told him he was making a fool of himself, but he didn’t care.