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The whip cracked again from the nearby slave platform, and Marnie winced.
“Can we come out of hiding and get out of here yet?” she said, some of her bravado gone. She was trying her best to put on a brave face, but I knew her emotions were warring inside of her.
“Yeah,” I said as I gave the chain a gentle tug. “Come on, let’s head toward the rear exit. Lust is the next circle… but we may need to find some kind of lodging for the night. I’m not sure you or I are ready for the second circle just yet. It’s been an exciting enough day. Plus, the gaps between the circles aren’t always forgiving.”
“So, the Fat Tuesday vibe definitely fits gluttony, but what are the others like?” she prodded as we walked.
A demon with two heads leered at her as she passed, and I yanked on her chain for emphasis and gave him a look. To her credit, she scurried dutifully behind me and kept her head down. She played the part of the meek slave very well.
But when no one was immediately staring at her… Dear God, the woman could chatter.
“So,” she said, then popped her lips. “Tell me about the other circles?”
I sighed. “Do you know how to be discreet and quiet? Is that even something you can do?”
“Nope,” she said as she popped her lips for emphasis again. Luckily, we were leaving the city center behind, and the street was less crowded.
“Fine,” I conceded. “Walk beside me, but keep your head down. The others you will hopefully be lucky enough not to encounter. You read the book. There are no surprises, really. There are nine total, but we’re already on the third. We need to get you to level one, which is Limbo,” I explained.
“I still don’t know why I ended up here and not Limbo,” she said, chewing her lip thoughtfully. “Then again, I don’t even know why I’m in Hell at all.”
Of course, I could have explained to her that when I pulled her down, I pulled her directly where I wanted her—my level, the vineyard’s level. If you're stealing a soul, living or otherwise, you don’t parade them through the front door. Besides, she was expecting too much from Limbo. It wasn’t what religion had made it out to be… at least not anymore.
Wanting to keep her from delving into the why too much, I figured I should answer at least some of her questions. I began ticking off the levels on my fingers. “There’s Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery. Treachery is where the betrayers go, the worst of the worst.”
“Judas,” she said, more a statement than a question. “And Lucifer? Er, Satan? For betraying God?” She noticed my slightly impressed look and blushed. “I had to go to Sunday School. Not much else to do in Delaney as a little kid.”
As usual, I opted not to tell her about my own past in Delaney, but I did nod with understanding. “My parents were very religious, my father mostly. His views on things were… warped.”
Marnie looked at me with so much tenderness and knowing, and her eyes broke my heart. “I get it. A lot of real conservative people in Delaney don’t practice what they preach. It explains your whole greaser vibe, though, probably my rebel act, too.”
She toyed with the chain around her throat idly, and something about the flash of helplessness and captivity I saw there overtook me for a second. On the one hand, I loved her like this—bound to me, dependent on me. On the other hand… flashes of my father and brother came to mind, souring the image. It comforted me to know that at least Marnie had consented to her chains.
“So, um, what do you do down here?” she said. “I mean, do you have a job like some of these other demons?”
Great, that wasn’t an awkward question or anything.
“I’m… between jobs at the moment,” I said gruffly, hoping she wouldn’t pry any further. “My last position was… well, my boss was toxic. I’m hoping for something else soon.”
She chewed over the answer for a moment, then grumbled. “Well, at least you want to work. Better than some people I know.”
“Like B—” I started, about ready to blow my cover. I bit the name Beck off quickly and tried to recover. “Like bastards?”
“Yeah,” she said sourly, luckily not catching my faux pas. “Like bastards.”
Just as soon as her face had darkened, it brightened again. Jesus, the girl could give me emotional whiplash.
“Hey, so… tell me everything! What are all the rules in Hell? All the famous people you know…. Oh! What even are all the jobs? Did you ever have one of those market stalls?” She stopped abruptly in her tracks and stared up at my skeletal face, then clapped. “Ooh! Are you like… The Grim Reaper?”
“No, no, and no,” I said dryly. “And there isn’t just one reaper. There are many. There are too many deaths every second of every day for just one being.”
“Hey, so you knew I was a living soul as soon as you saw me, right? That’s why I have to hide. I may as well have a neon sign over my head,” she muttered.
“Yes, it’s obvious.” I sighed. “I thought I made that clear.”
“Okay, but why were you at the river?” she said curiously, quickening her pace to match mine. “I mean, you were there, under the tree. Why?”
If I were able to die, I might have died right then. A shock of cold fear ran through me, making even the tips of my toes tingle.
