Page 50 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

The car’s headlights drew the attention of the reptilian guards stationed at the portal. Their lack of graphite uniforms suggested they weren’t Chosen, but ordinary sentries. Two of them stepped forward, inspecting the vehicle.

Constantine eased to a stop. “Are you ready?”

She would never be. “You remember what I said about the coat, don’t you?”

“What’s with the obsession with your coat? It’s not even cold outside of Antambazi.”

“It’s just… precious to me. Sentimental value. Look, that must be it.” Amelia pointed to a shimmering black expanse stretched like a silk veil between two neighbouring trunks.

They parked a few metres away from the guards. The sentries surrounded the car, hands resting on their holsters at their hips. One of them gestured for the windows to be rolleddown. Constantine obliged. Amelia’s music echoed through the night, and all the reptilians fell into a trance.

Constantine drove the car towards the strange material they assumed was the portal. The treetops closed in around them, and the car’s front pierced the black expanse.

Not even a beat later, he slammed on the brakes and reversed sharply. “It’s a trap. The portal leads to Hell.”

Amelia’s hand remained extended out the window, keeping the reptilians in their stupor. Time was pressing. “What are you talking about?!”

“Those flames?” He pointed ahead, where darkness stretched out. “That’s Hellfire. Trust me, I’ve been there. You can’t mistake them for anything else.”

“Constantine, there’s nothing…” She fell silent, because movement did indeed appear ahead – a massive lorry hurtling towards them at high speed. “Someone’s coming!”

“Who?”

Perhaps the lorry was delivering goods. They must have stumbled upon one of the trade portals connecting to Earth. But why wasn’t it slowing down…?

“Constantine, pull over! It’s going to hit us!”

“Who the hell is going to hit us?!”

She reached for the wheel. She couldn’t afford to lose anyone else. Not again. Not the way she had lost her parents and Sammy…

“Amelia, there’s nothing in front of us!” Constantine yanked her hands off the wheel. “And your music’s stopped! Those reptilians will wake up any moment now.”

She blinked.

The lorry flickered. For the briefest moment, its shape dissolved – revealing only blackness beyond it.

Her eyes widened.

“It’s not real,” she whispered. “None of it is real.”

The flames, the lorry, and even the looming sense of dread – everything was part of the illusion guarding the gate.

The portal reflected fears.

She raised her hand to restart the music a second before the lorry was about to collide with them. “It’s magic. An illusion! The portal shows you your fears. I’m not seeing flames – I see the lorry that killed my family. I think we just need to drive through it.”

The lorry was still speeding towards them, yet it never seemed to get any closer.

Constantine’s fingers tightened on the wheel. “If you’re wrong and that really is Hell…”

“I’m not.”

The necromancer stared straight ahead. Whatever held him captive prevented his foot from pressing the pedal.

“Please, just drive!” Amelia reached over, covering his hand with hers.

He exhaled, his lips forming a grim line. Then he pressed down on the accelerator.