“Um, there’s only so much I can tell you. But I’m a little of everything, mostly you can consider me as the Goddess of Humanity.”
“Did you see her?” Gramps asks.
“Who?” Zac asks.
I bite my lip and nod. His face crumples in relief and sadness. It spills around the room like sticky tar. “She’s happy, Gramps, and waiting for you when the time is right.”
“I have more questions,” Duncan says. “But they can wait until after we work on a plan to defeat Lawrence and prevent the end of the world.”
“So just another day in the life of the Scooby Gang,” I mutter.
“Scooby Gang?” Archan says.
I pat his arm. “Sorry, all roles have been filled.”
He huffs a laugh into my hair. “Do you have the maps?” Archan asks.
Lucifer nods and from nowhere produces an enormous sheet of paper and rolls it out. It almost fills the large table. I lean forward and trace my finger along a curve on the blueprints, studying the concentric rings and notation. Aaden’s gaze is glued to the document, his brain no doubt committing it to memory for analysis at a later date. Duncan snorts a laugh.
My eyes snap to him. “What?”
“Dante’s inferno?” Duncan says, glancing at Lucifer.
Lucifer shrugs. “Sort of. Dante was an asshole with a wicked sense of humor. He produced a misleading yet accurate description of Hell.”
I frown. “Hell is structured in nine circles?”
Lucifer shakes his head. “Yes and no, there are ten levels, not nine, and it isn’t ever-increasing circles. Each level is a dimensional layer which gets deeper and further away from the one you experience on Earth.”
“What’s the ninth level?” I ask, tapping my finger on an immense structure outlined on the plans.
“Treachery. My kingdom, my ruling palace—where I reside in Hell.”
“You have a palace?”
He grimaces. “It’s not a fairy tale, Natia. You won’t find any unicorns or dashing princes.”
“What’s it made of?”
“Onyx and iron.”
My mind struggles to construct that image. “Can I see it?” I ask.
Lucifer’s lips twitch as Archan’s arm tightens around my waist. “Maybe.”
“And the tenth level?” Duncan asks.
“Tartarus,” Archan states.
I suck in a breath in surprise as Lucifer points to the center of the plans. “Tartarus is in the deepest depths of the universe. In order to reach it, you must breach the other nine layers of Hell, each one stacked upon the other. There’s an entry and exit point for each of these dimensions.”
“Can’t you just teleport to your palace?” Zee asks.
He nods. “Sure, but that doesn’t help us.”
“Why not?” I ask. “Surely, if we can get to your palace and defend the gates of Tartarus—that will stop Lawrence?”
He shakes his head. “It doesn’t work like that. I can teleport to any area of Hell. But to breach the levels and create a tunnel of sorts, you must pass through each one. The tunnel is barred to those that don’t pass through it; including me.”
