RISE

18 - Lots of Talking in This One

Aaron felt awful for leaving so abruptly, but Elvorix had whisked him away to hide behind a rock. Mere seconds later, he pointed to where Gourmal's figure had appeared, and was approaching the castle at an impossible speed. Elvorix did not allow him to wait and make sure Amelia was alright. He whispered to him that she would be in more danger if they were caught now.

Staying concealed from the view of the demon lord, they weaved through rocks farther up the mountain until they found Aaron's dragon. Aaron climbed on and waited for Elvorix to give the all-clear to take off. Elvorix peeked over a rock and watched the demon chat with Amelia before she led him inside the castle.

Elvorix took off first, and Lathe followed with Aaron clinging to its back. Once again, they went to a place that Aaron had never seen before, which was no surprise considering how little he'd seen of Hell so far. He decided that, just like El wanted to travel the Earth, he would need to explore as much of Hell as he could if he planned to rule there.

This new landscape was a desert, miles and miles of soft sand dunes. They flew above the breeze blowing the sharp sand around, but Aaron could see that there were people stuck throughout the dunes, attempting to swim out of the sand only to be engulfed in more and more. There also seemed to be worm-like creatures with sharp teeth that would weave in and out of the sand and attack anyone who was able to get too free. Aaron had to remind himself that these people were there for a reason, and that he shouldn't be upset to see it. Their auras were certainly indications of such; each of them had a red flashing light pulsing from their center. Aaron stopped himself from asking which sin this represented; somehow, he didn't think he wanted to know.

They flew over the landscape toward an oasis, an area with lush, green gardens and buildings of ancient Egyptian architecture. All of the swimming humans were headed in this same direction, and it seemed like that was where they were trying to go, though most of them were being washed backwards by waves of loose sand. Elvorix descended near the center of this place, and Lathe alighted gently next to him. Aaron was relieved that, despite the surrounding windstorms, the air was mild and sand-free here.

The center of this small city held a beautiful marble fountain sculpted in the shape of a sphinx. The water flowed from its mouth into a large, round pool, which split off into shallow rivers that carried it throughout the city. Demons wandered around leisurely, cooling themselves by lounging in the rivers and pools or stepping under the smaller fountains that were placed at various points along the waterways. The air was humid and smelled sweet. Contradictory to the chaotic environment at the mall, this place seemed like a place for demons to come to relax.

Elvorix started leading Aaron to one of the buildings, with large steps in front where more demons lounged, being fanned and served drinks by human slaves. Aaron saw that several of the demons were dressed in the ancient Egyptian style, as well, and some of them looked like the depictions of the god Anubis.

"El?" Aaron asked, unable to ignore his curiosity. "Was this place designed after ancient Egypt, or did the demons here influence the ancient Egyptians?"

"A little of both," Elvorix answered cheerfully. "Egypt was a grand civilization that inspired many demons. In those days, we had few humans to torture, and we were much more influential in the lives of living humans. As the population grew, and advanced civilizations became common, we became busier here and less interested in the world above."

Aaron was enchanted by the idea that these demons had actually witnessed the development of Egypt, and almost started asking El more personal questions about what it was like during that time, both in Hell and on Earth, but he remembered that Elvorix wasn't alive during that time, either.

There was no time for more questions, anyway, because at the top of the steps, they found a sort of pavilion – at least, there was a roof held up by stone pillars, and inside were various pieces of furniture, each with a few demons chatting quietly together (or, Aaron looked away bashfully, engaged in other means of entertainment). El led him to one specific demon who was sitting alone. He wasn't as muscular as Gourmal, but was very much taller – the tallest demon Aaron had ever seen, actually. His skin was such a dark black that it was difficult to discern his shape, blending in with its own shadows. Across his skin, however, were intricate gold designs. They didn't look like hieroglyphs, but Aaron sensed that the ancient-looking markings had meaning. This demon's horns and tail were black, as well, but his wings had stunningly brilliant gold feathers that matched the gold markings.