With every indication of poor grace, the other demon moved off, muttering darkly under his breath.
Relieved, Sam finally exhaled but remained motionless, synthesizing what he’d just heard. They knew of his presence. The fire serpent, though not very intelligent if the demons were to be believed, had alerted one of its masters that the strange, disused portal had disgorged an unusual visitor to Hell. It also appeared that his father was taking a personal interest. That could potentially complicate matters. Sam would have to be doubly on his guard now.
He waited a bit longer, just to be sure. Only when both his demonic and normal senses told him he was alone did he leave the small alcove, setting off once more along the tunnel. The tunnel was starting to angle upwards which gave Sam a little hope. He needed to get out of these tunnels and back in Hell proper. It was there he would find what he needed. Hopefully. The fact that he was now moving upwards meant that the exit couldn’t be too far away. He must’ve traveled miles by now. Surely he was no longer underneath the sea of fire?
Sam’s guess wasn’t far wrong. The tunnel continued to angle upwards. It widened and then suddenly he was at an exit. He approached it cautiously, unsure what he would find.
He emerged on a rocky plateau of a scale almost too big to grasp. Were there any limits to this place? In this distance, perhaps five miles away, was a range of mountains. The summits soared into the empty air, almost scraping the ceiling of Hell. Molten lava spewed from the tops, dribbling fiery death down their slopes. Sam nodded in satisfaction. He’d got lucky. These hellish mountains were exactly the sort of habitat he sought.
Above him, winged demons circled on the warm updrafts. In the distance he could see other demons on the ground — some herding groups of despondent humans, others engaged in tasks unclear to Sam. Getting across the plateau would not be easy. He just hoped his glamor would stay in place long enough to get him through. If he was discovered in the open like this, it would be curtains for him. There was nowhere to run.
Keeping away from any demons as much as possible, he made his way towards the nearest mountain. He kept moving, eating up the ground with long, swift strides. The shadow of the nearest mountain fell over him and hope surged. Running now, he reached the base without further incident. It was dotted with entrances. He considered his options — not that he really had any — and picked one at random. The tunnel, much like the one underground, was deserted. It angled sharply upwards in only one direction. Perfect.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been climbing but it must have been several hours since he’d emerged from the tunnel onto the actual flank of the mountain itself. Coarse steps had been cut into the rock face, much too large for him, but he persevered, avoiding any trails of lava as he climbed. Now he was nearing the summit, a wall of rock rising in front of him. A path had been cut through it which he followed, leading him to a stunning vista. The main mountain crater was below him, spewing lava in fiery gouts. Several smaller craters were clustered nearby, and it was in their direction that he headed.
The path down was hectic and jumbled, with solidified lava forms obscuring the path almost at every turn. Eventually, he reached the bottom and scanned the area carefully. A few humanoid demons were clustered around the main crater, seemingly heedless of the lava, and a few of the remote craters were attended by smaller groups of demons. One crater caught his eye. It was isolated and unattended — clearly not a popular choice for other demons. He walked towards it, trying to look natural, and reached the side of it without incident.
From the pocket of his jeans, he pulled out the statuette Samyaza had given him.
Now, about to throw the statuette into the crater, he hesitated. Was this truly his only option — to employ the services of a demon in order to find Grace and hopefully his mother? Was this the only way? The statuette trembled slightly in his hand as if replying. Sam sighed. Once again, he really had no option. It was this or consign Grace to Hell for ever.
He threw the statuette as hard as he could into the center of the crater. With the tiniest of splashes, it disappeared into the depths of the lava.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the lava began to boil like it was alive. Sam glanced around nervously. As luck would have it, several of the other craters had started to boil at the same time so the activity at his one was not attracting any unwarranted attention.
The lava boiled for several minutes. Then, without warning, it stopped. That was it. It didn’t gradually subside, it just stopped. Sam waited. And waited. Nothing happened. He looked over at the other craters. He could just make out a few juvenile Hellhounds emerging. Fights amongst the demon Princes and Princesses had already begun, each seeking to present before the Hellhound, hoping to win their service.
Despair filled him. Clearly he was not worthy — not powerful enough to attract a Hellhound. Because of his weakness, he would fail. Without a Hellhound to assist him, Sam had no chance to find anyone — no chance at all.
He was about to turn around and give up when the lava around the edge of his crater stirred. Sam held his breath. Bringing back thoughts of the fire serpent, a massive head emerged, followed by the rest of the dog-like body. Sam had seen Hellhounds before. He’d even fought and defeated one — but this one was different. For one thing, it was smaller. It stalked up to where Sam stood motionless, its eyes level with his. The other Hellhounds he’d seen were eight foot or more at the shoulder. This was a juvenile. It was different in other ways, too. Its jaws were heavier, more massive and the claws on its feet looked like shards of obsidian. Its coat suddenly ignited into flame, shooting molten sparks over and around Sam. Despite the fact that his clothes were beginning to smolder, he didn’t move. From experience, he knew that he was essentially impervious to the fire generated by this creature. More to the point, he knew that this was some form of test. If he displayed weakness here, the Hellhound would overlook him for a more powerful master.
Sam stood his ground and met the eye of the creature. For what must have been minutes but felt much longer, the Hellhound’s fiery gaze burned into his dark irises. Instinctively, Sam knew what to do. He opened his mind to the creature, giving it access to his memories. He had no idea how the Hellhound would react, but he had to try. Perhaps the demon would find some worthy deed in Sam’s past, but he doubted it. What would some evil creature like a demon find worthy in Sam? But then again, this demon had only just been born. Were demons born evil or were they a product of their upbringing and environment? He’d soon find out.
He felt the Hellhound sift through his memories, concentrating — oddly — on random memories that Sam felt would have little significance to a demon. His moments with Aimi. Lessons learnt from Hikari. Meals shared. Then the demon’s attention shifted to more martial memories. Of him fighting other demons. Protecting humans. Making sacrifices. Finally Sam felt something pass between them.
Yeth.
What? He hadn’t spoken, and he was pretty sure the Hellhound hadn’t either.
Yeth.
The word came again, a deep sibilant voice in his head. A moment of realization struck. The Hellhound was telling him his name — and names meant power amongst demons. The Hellhound’s name was Yeth.
He stared at Yeth for a moment longer. For a fraction of a second, the Hellhound’s gaze wavered. It looked away for a moment and in that moment, lowered its head ever so slightly. It was hardly noticeable but Sam knew it for what it was. Obeisance. The Hellhound was giving him its servitude, had considered him worthy after all.
He rocked back on his heels, for some reason more pleased with this outcome than he’d thought he would be. Samael, he said, using his mind and not his words. He wasn’t sure whether this would work or not, but he’d have to learn to communicate with his Hellhound at some point. Why not now?