They wound round and through the valley, sometimes losing sight of the sky as the slopes went vertical and crowded above them. The scrub faded away, leaving nothing but bare rock. Her feet ached. Walking wasn’t something you were supposed to do for any length of time, like, ten minutes, max. This guy was a torturer. He’d brought her here as some sort of evil cross-country challenge, some sick plan between him and mum to help her get fit.
She was about to turn and tell him, when the valley opened up, the walls replaced with a plain, stretching away to the slate-grey sky. Squatting slap bang in the middle of the space was a castle. An actual, turrets, battlements, portcullis castle.
‘Yeah, alright, that’s not bad.’
Martin laughed. ‘It’s funny you should say that because actually, it is.’
She looked up at him, eyebrow raised.
‘It’s rare for a demon to be quite so overt with their presence here. He must be powerful.’
The second eyebrow followed the first. ‘Sorry, confused. Demon? Powerful? Um, huh?’He nodded, quite calmly, as though she’d asked him about the weather. ‘Yes, most demons, despite their bragging as and when they get to earth, live in holes in the ground, or maybe a little shack. There aren’t many I know of that live in something like that.’
She put a hand on his arm, mmm, muscley. ‘Where are we?’
He looked at her. ‘You really need to ask?’
‘Yes, I really need to ask.’
‘Hell.’
‘Jokes.’
‘No.’
‘Oh. So, like, actually hell, you know, where the devil lives and all that?’
He nodded again, smiling slightly. She thought about slapping him, then decided against it. He was actually quite nice, when he wasn’t being completely infuriating. She thought she should probably be more surprised, or scared, or something, about where they were, but she just couldn’t summon up the energy. He waved a hand out across the plain.
‘It doesn’t look much like the pictures, does it?’
‘I don’t know, could do with a bit more fire, but otherwise, you know, dark, scary. Seems to work to– Why did you bring me to hell, you crazy?… uhh, you’re mad, completely mad, Jesus.’
He patted her shoulder, smiling sheepishly, and pointed at the book she still clutched in one hand. ‘Because your Mum’s here.’
‘If Mum ended up in hell, she deserves to stay here for being so bloody stupid.’
She turned away from him and stomped across the open stone. He came alongside and they headed toward the castle in silence. Only when its long shadow fell across them did she get the urge to run. This was, without doubt, the stupidest thing she’d ever done, which was an impressive claim. Martin put a hand on her shoulder and the warmth of it gave her some small hope, kept her moving.
‘What’s the plan?’
‘I can locate your mother, once we’re inside. I’m hoping we can slip in without the demon knowing we’re here.’
He stepped up to the door, and tried the handle. With a creak like an opening coffin, the door swung inward, pulled by an invisible hand. With one last look at the dying sky, she stepped into the castle.
Next instalment: Friday 25 October
