Chapter Twenty-One

Aeron felt his wings shake as the large bay doors slowly swung open. The first thing he noticed was the heat. It felt as if a wave of molten iron was assaulting him. The intense temperature caused the tips of his feathers to turn black; some older ones simply fell off, only to burn to ashes the second they hit the ground. Of course, the Demons were unaffected by this. They looked more relaxed now than they had ever been. "That has got to be one of the worst excuses to start a fight I've ever heard," Aeron thought as he unbuttoned his jacket. "So, Zia got angry, and that's why bullets started flying?" If he didn't know the girl, he would've said that the entire situation was laughable.

"You look horrific," Zia chuckled as she pushed some loose strands of hair out of her eyes. Tiny beads of sweat clung to her bangs and rolled down her forehead like rivers as they practically crawled out of Charon's ferry.

"I could say the same to you," Aeron scoffed as he slipped on a pair of light blue gloves. They were just a little something he picked up in Heaven before he got this assignment. "There," he thought as he took a deep breath of warm air, "now I'm feeling better." The gloves were made from an insulating fabric, so they helped stop his fingers from burning away in the searing heat. Sadly, the same couldn't be said about his neck and face.

"And here I thought you were supposed to be some badass Angel warrior," Elizabeth said as she tiredly tugged at her shirt collar. "What? Is it too hot for you?" Aeron wasn't sure if she meant that as an insult or as a joke—either wouldn't surprise him.

"How are the other ambassadors staying cool?" he thought as they finally took their first step on damned soil. The dock they had landed at appeared to be carved from gigantic, polished bones, with a large ocean of burning blood churning underneath. Aeron had to give credit where credit was due. The Demons knew how to build. Sure, the materials they used were a bit disturbing, but the product they made from said materials was simply astounding. The bones were all ground down into flat planks, and the burning lake provided an excellent contrast to the overwhelmingly depressing atmosphere. Artificially created stars hung above in the dark purple sky, and the blazing sun that stared down at them from above was unmoving and eternal.

"Simply breathtaking, is it not?" Aeron flinched when he felt a large hand grab his shoulder. It seemed as if Dr. Leeson could just feel how uncomfortable he was. "You may find Hell's landscape ugly at first, but—if you give it a chance—I truly believe that it can become your wonderland. After all, there's only so much Heaven can offer a man like yourself." When the Demon spoke, his voice was quieter than the whispers of the wind.

"Oh, stop it," Aeron responded as he jokingly pushed the devil's hand off his shoulder. "Last I checked, I wasn't looking for a different job." Dr. Leeson just grinned and nodded as he hustled to the other end of the deck.

"We'll talk later, Templar," the Demon said as he waded into the crowd of sweltering diplomats. The second he was out of earshot, Aeron scowled and wiped some sweat off his brow.

"That fiend's too smart, dammit." He would have to be more cautious when talking to Dr. Leeson. Somehow, the devil was starting to see through his facade. If he ever discovered his true nature, then there would be trouble.

"Hurry up, Aeron!" Zia yelled as she and her guards dashed to the other end of the deck. After taking a second to straighten out his shirt—which was now drenched in sweat—Aeron sighed and hurried after them.

"Wow," that was the only thought that crossed his mind. What else could he think? Nearly everyone in Heaven told him that Hell was, well, hellish. However, what the Angel was seeing was anything but. With every step, there was something new. There were vendors selling goods on the roadside and countless pedestrians going about their daily lives. The architecture was also a sight to behold. Many buildings towered high above the clouds of sulfur, getting progressively shorter the closer one got to the town's center. There was also a complete lack of mortal souls roaming the streets, as the only pedestrians he saw were Demons. "Wait… what's that?" Aeron thought as he saw a faint golden aura shimmer through the skies above. However, as quickly as the abnormality appeared, it vanished. "Ah, it's probably nothing," he thought while tearing his gaze away from the clouds. There were more important matters to worry about than some strange lights.

"Ms. Lombardi, isn't this supposed to be Hell? Where are all of the damned?" Elizabeth asked—the girl was as curious as she was intelligent. Her sparkling eyes gleamed over every little detail of the demonic city, leaving no stone unturned.

"They're all down there," Zia told her bodyguard as she pointed to a small grate that sat in the center of the cobblestone road. Fumes of smoke and gas poured out of it at temperatures that would sear the skin. And it didn't take a genius to tell what or who was fueling the flames.

"How morbid," Aeron thought as he stared through the grate. Far below the city streets was a gigantic lake of lava and fire. Wading within it were thousands upon thousands of poor souls. They were too far away for even his Angelic ears to pick up their anguished cries. However, in some strange way, that was a good thing. After all, none of them would be able to do business with the damned constantly screaming in their ears.

"Those sinners make up the foundation for this great city. Whenever we Demons aren't at work, or if we want to spend some quality time with our families, we come here," they heard Dr. Leeson explain from the other end of the caravan. The devil was currently enthralled in a lengthy conversation with a few Drakes and Giants. Several bodyguards were also talking to some of their demonic counterparts—they must've been curious.

"If the summit goes as smoothly as this, then I don't think you'll have much to do, Ms. Lombardi," Aeron said as he turned to the ambassador. However, she didn't respond. Zia was as silent as a corpse.

"Is something wrong?" he thought as he stared at her sad face. The ambassador seemed to be preoccupied with something. Her eyes were glued to a small dot on the horizon, and her movements were unnaturally sluggish. "Now, what could've caused this?" the Cherub thought as he followed the girl's gaze. It didn't take him long to discover what she was staring at. In the distance, in the middle of the burning lake, was a small island. It was little more than a rock jutting out of the flames. However, to many, it served as an oasis. Several damned children and elderly had taken residence there. Their bodies were all extremely malnourished and burned. If they were still amongst the living, these extreme conditions would have killed them already. Some of the youngest looked like dolls, with arms and legs so thin they couldn't move. Most of them were either crying or sleeping. The only group doing neither appeared to be the elderly. They all sat near the edge of the island to give the children more room to rest. A few moments later, one of these sorry souls—a frail older man with only a few strands of hair to his name—turned and looked at them. His eyes must have met Zia's for a moment, as, the second his gaze locked with theirs, the ambassador started to shudder.

"This is wrong," Aeron heard Zia whisper as she tore her eyes away from the island. At this point, the rest of the ambassadors had already moved on. None of them spared those poor souls so much as a glance. They were the only ones who stayed behind. The four of them just stood there, taking it all in.

"Okay, I get it. You feel sorry for them," Aeron mumbled as he grabbed Zia's shoulder. "But we can't do anything to help those people now. Their fate was sealed the second they landed in Purgatory. Stop crying for those that don't deserve it." Aeron wasn't sure how much of that was his honest opinion or just straight lies. He sure as hell didn't care about these damned souls, but, at the same time, it wasn't like he could just ignore them. "The afterlife isn't supposed to be fair," he thought. The entire setup of damning souls for eternity was inherently unequal, but that was how the Universe worked.

"You don't have to tell me!" Zia yelled as she pushed Aeron's hand aside. "Let's… let's just go." It was evident that this place was starting to get to her. "Elizabeth, do you know what hotel we are staying in tonight?" she muttered as she gently massaged her aching temples.

"Um…" the girl started as she did a quick once-over of their surroundings. "It should be just down this road." Aeron sighed when he saw Elizabeth begin to sweat. The girl had no idea where they were. Without any warning, Aeron unfurled his wings and took to the skies. The gigantic cityscape below him was a sight to behold. He could see every building, alleyway, and shop for miles.

"Now, where are you hiding?" he thought as he looked for the rest of the caravan. Thankfully, it didn't take him long to find them. The others weren't too far ahead. So long as Zia didn't mind a little jogging, they would have no problems catching up. However, just before he started his descent, something interesting caught his eye. "What's happening down there?" the Cherub wondered as he saw a few fireworks explode above the opposite side of the town. "Are the Demons having some sort of party?"

"Hey, Templar! We're still waiting down here!" Aeron scowled when he heard Elizabeth's annoying screech. Could he not have a second to himself?

"Good things come to those who wait," he told them as he perched himself on top of one of the lampposts. "The group isn't that far ahead. If you guys hurry, you should be able to catch up to them." As he spoke, the Cherub pointed down to one of the more minor roads. "Just follow that path, and you'll find the hotel."

"You sound like you aren't coming with us," Kashif commented as Aeron slowly floated back into the sky.

"There's a lot to see here, and I'm curious. Why? Is that a problem?" he asked the bodyguard as Zia started to walk away. "You know, Ms. Lombardi, if you or one of your lackeys want to tag along, I won't stop you," he said.

"I've already seen enough of this place for one lifetime," she hissed as Elizabeth and Kashif hurried after her. "If you want to explore, then go right on ahead. I'll be at the hotel." Aeron shrugged as he watched Zia disappear behind one of the buildings. That woman needed to learn how to relax.

"Damn, I'm starting to think like Jeremy," Aeron thought with a smile as he returned his gaze to the other side of the city. "I guess that means more fun for me." With that, he pressed his legs against the face of one of the buildings and pushed off.