“We're just going to fly over it.” I stretched out my wings. “Be back in a few.”
I launched myself into the air, flying over the lowest wave with the jump. Odin joined me, the thuds of our wings becoming a drumbeat as we rose higher and higher. The air didn't cool or grow thin, but stayed a moderate temperature as we surged over the smooth, stone dips of the mountainside. Since the mountain was a level of Naraka, reaching the top meant we had gone halfway through the level. The waves of stone continued down the other side of the mountain. But we weren't going down.
We flew over one last wave of stone and then came to an energy barrier that kept souls in their proper levels. Since we were alive, Odin and I passed through the barrier without a problem. Instantly, the sunlight vanished, leaving us in darkness. Shivers ran over my skin, reminding me that this was the level of the Abandoned—a hell for evil souls. It was empty, but the shadows still shifted, and the plants cringed in fear.
After that, we entered an even darker level of Naraka. When I was there last, my magic had been bound, and the darkness had blinded me. This time, my dragon sight took over, and I navigated across the level easily. The tormenting darkness hovered below us, but didn't move to attack. Its purpose was to torture souls, not the living. And there were no souls to be found.
The sky lightened as we entered a new level. A disgusting swamp of bubbling ooze spread up to the next barrier. Itstank of decomposing things and gleamed with putrid colors. I remembered how it had slithered up the bodies of my friends, trying to infect them with disease. Thankfully, gods can't get sick.
As soon as we were through the barrier and in the next section of Naraka, I sucked in great lungfuls of air. The stench of the swamp clung to me, but the air soon clawed it away. Gooseflesh rose in its place, horror invading me when I beheld the final level of Naraka—the pit.
Here lay the pit of sludge where my husbands and friends had almost died. Not only did it claim those tossed into its sludge, but the black, oily evil also possessed a type of sentience and would snatch anyone nearby, on land or air, to pull into its thick grasp. No one escaped the poison of the pit. Not without help.
The trickster had saved us. They pulled my friends and family out of the pit. And they didn't stop there. Katila had made a horrible mistake. He killed the Yamadutas—the guards of Naraka—consuming their power. He thought he could control the territory alone, but even Lucifer himself needs underlings. Katila couldn't control every level of Naraka. Only the first level, the Childless, could be left untended. He had to put the rest of the souls into the pit, trusting the poison to hold them. The trickster freed them too.
And it was the freed souls who killed Katila.
After that, the souls had vanished, and they were still gone. The pit lay silent, its black sludge still and glossy under a noon sun. The shore of the pit was empty as well. Nothing was—
“What's that?” I pointed to a black, huddled form and dove.
Odin followed me. We landed on the shore of the pit. There, walking across the level, was a soul shrouded in a black robe. It was one of the childless, but she wasn't crying. She was trying to leave.
The soul spun toward us and backed away, speaking rapidly in another language. And yet, with the power of Naraka, I understood her. She said, “He said I could leave.”
I held up a hand. “It's all right. I know we look frightening, but we won’t hurt you. My name is Vervain, and this is my husband, Odin. Do you need help?”
Her thin hand hovered near her hood and then pulled it back. She revealed her gaunt face, sallow-skinned with hollow eyes. Black hair hung in stringing strands down her chest. “I want to leave. He said that if I crossed Naraka, I could leave and be reborn.”
“Who said that?” I stepped closer. “Did he have dark hair and blue eyes?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “He was so kind. The woman ignored me, but he helped me anyway.”
“A woman was with him?” I glanced at Odin. “Dark-skinned? Perhaps Nigerian?”
“Perhaps.” She shrugged. “She had dark skin and dark eyes. Beautiful. She wasn't cruel, but she didn't understand why he would try to comfort a soul.”
“You were in the first level? With the childless?”
“Yes, he walked among us with the woman. I didn't notice him until he was right in front of me. He lifted my face and stroked my cheek. With his touch, it was as if I had woken up. I knew where I was. I knew I was punishing myself. Then he told me I could leave. He pointed me this way. So kind.” A tear came down her cheek. “To find kindness in Naraka is a miracle.”
“That miracle is my brother. His name is Ty. The woman he was with tricked him into being with her. We're trying to find them.”
“She tricked him?”
I nodded. “Do you know where they went?”
She shook her head. “He wanted to help me cross Naraka, but she wouldn't let him. She said they had to get back to work. Then they vanished. He looked angry. He tried. So kind. But this was my test. If I can make it to the end, I can be reborn.”
I sighed and looked across the last level of Naraka. She had come so far, but there were still miles of desert for her to cross. I looked at Odin, and he nodded.
“I wish I had gotten here sooner. But I'm sure the journey has strengthened you.” I held out a hand. “I would like to honor my brother's kindness by flying you the rest of the way. Would you allow me to carry you?”
Eyes blinking back tears, she set her hand in mine. It was cool, but firm. “Thank you. I'm so tired.”
“It's my honor.” I drew her closer and then picked her up as if she were a child. She was so light, as if she were a feather. Cradling her to me, I looked at Odin.
“I'll wait here,” he said.
