“Is by getting Beth the hell out of here,” Tucker finished for her as if it made perfect sense.
“Exactly.” Asia directed her attention to me. “Believe me, I never do anything that doesn’t benefit me and right now I’d love nothing more than to see the back of you. Hopefully before any real damage is done to the Third Circle.”
I remembered Hanna mentioning the Third Circle back when I’d arrived, but I didn’t understand why it was under threat.
“What are you talking about?” I demanded.
“Asia’s referrin’ to the rebel faction that wants to see Jake brought down,” Tuck explained. “They feel he’s been neglectin’ his duties of late.”
“I don’t believe it,” I said. “How can a faction of demons plot against their leader?”
Asia rolled her eyes. “Jake isn’t just a demon, he’s a fallen angel. He’s one of the Originals, the ones who fell with Big Daddy right from the very beginning. There are eight of them, the Eight Princes of the Eight Circles. Of course, Lucifer himself presides over the ninth … the hottest circle of Hell.”
“So if there were only eight original demons,” I said slowly, “all the others must have been created by them.”
“Oh, wow,” Asia said mockingly. “Not just a pretty face. Yes, the Originals run the show. The other demons have no real control, they’re disposable, nothing but worker bees. The favored ones are assigned to the torture chambers or invited into the beds of the power players. Sometimes they band together to try and overthrow one of the Originals. Course, they always fail.”
“What if they were found out?” I asked.
“Jake would slaughter them all.”
“There ain’t nothing the Originals won’t do to protect themselves,” Tucker said. “Jake more than anyone.”
“So how does this rebel faction plan to overthrow him?” I asked.
“They don’t do much,” Asia shrugged. “They’re idiots mostly, waiting around for a chance to damage his power.”
“I thought you were his biggest supporter,” I said, trying to keep my voice level. Maybe we could bargain with Asia after all. “Why haven’t you told him about this?”
“It never hurts to keep a few things to yourself,” Asia said.
“Are the rebels angry with Jake because of me?” I asked.
“Yep.” Asia threw up her hands. “They’ve expressed their concerns but Jake won’t listen.” She sneered at me. “There’s no accounting for taste, I guess.”
“Aren’t you putting yourself in danger by helping us?”
“Haven’t you heard the expression ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’? Let’s just say my ego is wounded.”
“Can you tell us what you know about the portals?” Tucker asked.
“I didn’t say I knew anything. But there is someone out back who might. His name’s Asher.”
Heavy drapery across a back wall led to an alleyway where a demon in an Italian suit was waiting for us. Asher turned out to be in his mid-thirties. He was tall with dark hair cropped close and a face like a Roman emperor. A cowlick fell across his forehead and there were pockmarks on his cheeks. He was chewing on a toothpick, unaware that he looked like a cliché from a gangster movie. His nose was slightly hooked and he had the same flat shark eyes that identified him as a demon. He was leaning against the wall but moved gracefully forward upon seeing us. He looked me up and down; his curiosity quickly replaced by disapproval.
“That outfit isn’t fooling anyone, sweetheart,” he said. “You don’t belong here.”
“Well, at least we agree on one thing,” I replied. “Are you with the rebels?”
“Sure am,” Asher said. “And I’ve got exactly two minutes so listen up. What you’re looking for you won’t find in this district. The portals take many forms, but the one I’ve heard most about is in the Wasteland, outside the tunnels.”
“I didn’t know there was anything beyond the tunnels,” I said.
“Course there is,” Asher sneered at me. “Nothing living of course. Only lost souls roaming until the trackers drag them back.”
“How will we recognize it?”
“The portal? Look for the tumbleweed drifting back and forth across the Wasteland. When you leave here head south and keep going. You’ll know when you find it … if you make it that far.”
“How do I know we can trust you?” I asked.
“Because I want to see Jake burn as much as you do. He treats us like dirt and we’re sick of it. If he loses his conquest so soon, his power will be challenged and we might have a chance of overthrowing him.”
I saw Asia roll her eyes behind Asher’s back and wondered how far-fetched his plan really was. It didn’t sound like Jake’s authority would be questioned any time soon. Tucker nodded his thanks and took me by the arm, steering me back through the club. I assumed he knew how to find the Wasteland and followed obediently.
Before we left Club Hex I caught sight of Asher again. He was at the bar talking to Asia and leaning in close. I saw his tongue dart into her ear as his hand traveled up her thigh and guessed what she must have used to barter the information from him.
It occurred to me how devoid of trust or loyalty this place was. Everything was built on a foundation of lies and deception. It was impossible to tell who was working with, sleeping with, or manipulating whom.
I realized at that moment that even if I lived in luxury as Jake’s queen, I was never going to survive here.
18
Portal
“YOU should go back,” I said to Tucker as we trudged through the dingy tunnels. “This was my idea. I shouldn’t drag you into it. Tell Jake I ditched you and you lost sight of me. Asia will back you up.”
Even as I spoke the words I knew it was too late for Tuck to turn back. If he returned to Hotel Ambrosia without me, Jake would unleash his fury on him.
He must have known that too, but all he said was “You’re not goin’ out there alone.”
“I won’t let Jake hurt you,” I told him. “No matter what happens.”
“Let’s not think about that now.”
Tucker set off ahead of me at a swift pace. I had no choice but to follow.
We didn’t have to go much farther than the club district before the terrain started to change dramatically. The air became suddenly sultry and the landscape barren as a desert. It seemed as if all color and life had been sucked away, leaving nothing but an empty gray husk. Fog swirled overhead, blotting out whatever it was that passed for sky down here. We had left the confining tunnels behind, but we were still trapped in a strange dimension that had no beginning or end. The worst part was the ever-present sound; all around us the air was filled with the muffled wailing of lost and wandering souls. I could feel their presence as they moved past us, like a ripple of heat in the already-stifling atmosphere. I couldn’t see them, they were nothing more than a passing shimmer in the air, but I knew they were there and nothing could drown out their preternatural cries. A horrible, suffocating sense of desolation washed over me, as if my soul were being tugged from my body. My heart beat faster and I felt an overwhelming urge to stop. In response Tucker took hold of my hand and picked up his pace.
“I’m tired, Tuck,” I heard myself say.
“Don’t slow down,” he whispered. “This place has that effect on people. We have to keep moving.”
The Wasteland didn’t seem to affect Tucker in the same way. Maybe it was because his time in Hades had lent him immunity. Or maybe it was because I was an angel and could sense the acute despair of every soul around me.
“If we linger too long the Trackers have a much better chance of picking up your scent,” Tucker added.