“So, you’re letting him free!” I cried.
Peregrine shot me sarcastic, dry look. “No, I’m not.” I sunk into myself, but he crossed the hall to tilt my chin up. “I will give you a few minutes alone with him, so you can see for him for yourself. I cannot say what state he will be in when you get there, though, Nicodemus. Gehenna is cruel to all who reside in it, and you know that better than anyone.”
I swallowed the heavy lump in my throat. “I don’t care; I just want to see him.”
He nodded once. “I will give you ten minutes. After, you must promise to never go behind my back again. If we are to trust one another, I need to know I can trust you in even the most difficult situations, like this one. Otherwise, this Realm will collapse onuncertainties and betrayal.” His eyes cut me like glass as he gave me this warning.
I stuck my hand out for him to shake, which he did firmly. “On my soul, I will not break my word, so long as Decimus comes out of this unscathed.”
“He should be so lucky that I have a soft spot for you,” he hissed toward Decimus, who yelped and hid behind my back in shame.
“Ten minutes?” I repeated.
“And not a minute more,” he replied.
“I’ll… show you the way.” Decimus flinched when he passed Peregrine, who rolled his eyes with a side-smirk. I returned the gesture and followed Decimus down the fire-ensnared pathway, which was perfumed by the smell of decaying bodies and tar. I plugged my nose against the scent with a shiver, but Decimus remained unfazed. “You get used to the smell after a while,” he blandly informed me.
“How!” I hacked.
He shrugged loosely. “Kind of don’t have a choice, do I?”
I frowned heavily and decided not to continue, so he wouldn’t upset himself more.
When we reached the wall of vast cells in the belly of the Layer, Decimus brought me to one in the far-back corner, which was isolated from the others. The cell itself was surrounded by hot, heavy fire that radiated from every angle, hot enough to burn the skin from flesh in seconds. From the window in the cell, I could see the outline of a single person surrounded by three masses, all who were lying on the dense floor in a ball.
I went to touch the bars of the window but Decimus snatched my hand and wrenched me backwards. “Are you insane? Do you want to lose your hand?”
“I-… sorry.”
He brought his hand up and drew a wide circle on the surface of the door, which made the blinding fire simmer down to a tolerable and subtle low flame. He touched the handle a few times to test that it was cool enough before sticking his key in and unlocking the cell. The door swung open loudly, hitting the opposite wall with a loudclang. “Hey, Atlas; you got a visitor.”
Dad didn’t move a muscle.
Now that I could see him in the light, I was horrified by what I saw.
He was covered in lash marks, cuts, bruises… he looked like he had been thrown into a wood chipper. Some of his wounds were still leaking blood, but he had given up trying to tend to them. His shirt and pants were barely able to protect his thin body, which was near skin and bone. His hair was a disheveled clump that he had attempted to braid to keep out of his face, but the braid was falling out.
Decimus cracked his fist on the cell door, and this time, Dad flinched heavily at the sound. “Look, dude, I’m not going to play games with you today. Do you want to see your son or not?”
“My… son…?” Dad’s voice came out warbled, like he was talking through television static.
“Yeah, Dad, it’s me… Nick?” I warily attempted.
When he heard my voice, his eyes cut through the dark room and found their way to my face. He picked his head up slightly to really make sure it was me, and when he found it was, he let out a pain-filled gasp. “Nick? My Nicodemus?”
“I’m here, Dad…!” I rushed into the cell and slid onto my knees so I could take his thin hand and pull him up. His bones were so brittle that I was certain they would snap when he brought himself upright, but they survived the blow. I combed through his bangs until I found his face, which was hollow and starved beyond comprehension. “Gods, Dad… what have they done to you…!” I wheezed as tears immediately spilled down my cheeks.
He brought his arms around me and tucked his face into my collarbone, where I could feel he was crying as well. “I’m so sorry, Nicodemus, so incredibly sorry!”
“Don’t upset yourself, it’s ok, I promise.”
“Nothing about this is ok!” he wailed, shuddering against sobs fighting to break free. “This… This fucking mess I created! Gods, what have I done to you, to the world, to myself!”
“I’m doing everything I can to get you out of here, I swear. I swear, I won’t leave you here, I won’t!”
He abruptly leaned back and took my face in his shaking hands. His expression was dead serious, completely stone as he spoke, “Listen to me: donotdo anything to piss Peregrine off. I have made my bed, and I have to lie in it, but I do not want you involved in this matter whatsoever. This alone is far more than you should have done.”
“I can’t just let you suffer like this!” I bubbled out.
