Courting Death | Book 3

T W E N T Y - T H R E E

T W E N T Y - T H R E E
Return to Paradise

PARADISE WAS JUST as beautiful as I remembered it to be. Although I did not have the best memories attached to this place, it was still a scenic spot filled with unrivaled paragon aesthetics. The green that lined the entire span of the forest charged me with a wave of peace and serenity and I couldn't help but wonder what life would be like to live in such a wondrous place. Then again, Hell did not seem that bad either.

"Why aren't we directly in Heaven?" Minnie's voice came from slightly behind me, most likely having her question directed to Dimitri. The question she asked was one in which I perhaps would have questioned myself if I had not known better. Before I could reply, however, Dimitri spoke up.

"Although I am able to access Heaven with the help of the potion, it does not mean that I am able to bring my magic over. In Heaven, I will be rendered powerless and hence the furthest I can transport us is here, in the midway section of Paradise." He answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"But Dee, aren't there angel camps here?" I asked, frowning. "The last time I was here was when you took me away from Lucius's camp and that time where Fabian got me out of Heaven. Surely they are still here to guard their borders?"

"Not anymore. We've scouted ahead and found out that all the angels had retreated back to Heaven after the battle in Hell. They are most likely preparing themselves for the next war."

"And hopefully there wouldn't be one." Minnie prayed but what she requested was too good to be true. The desire for war lived in everybody's hearts, some just much quieter than others. It was human nature to seek destruction and these angels had been influenced by that negative mindset.

"That is if everything goes well." With a grave expression, Dimitri started to trudge forward, his steps heavy and almost pained. "Come on. We have to cover as much ground as possible before the sun sets. Once the third day is over, Addison will become weaker than ever before and our chances slimmer. It will become much more dangerous to travel so we need to be fast."

The journey towards Heaven's Falls was much longer than I remembered it to be. By the time the sun was ready to set and the world was a blanket of red and yellow hues, my legs were already sore from constantly walking. Each turn and maneuver we made, though undoubtedly beautiful, looked exactly the same as the last and I began to question if we truly knew the way out of this place.

"Are we lost? We've been walking for hours." Minnie grumbled, voicing out my thoughts perfectly. Though she said the words with as little of a whine as possible, it still made Dimitri's eyebrows contort with slight irritation that anyone could see well on his features.

"Paradise is a big place. We'll be there soon," he simply responded, playing with a wire ring on his finger.

Minnie conceded with just a nearly inaudible sigh, her pace picking up once more just so that she could maintain at our average speeds. I, on the other hand, had my attention diverted. When I raised my hands before me, placing it against the bright rays of the last light of day, I couldn't help myself but take in a shocked gasp of air.

While my hands were very translucent and in the shade of the ugliest pale green in the world during the first day, it was nothing when placed in comparison to this. Though my forearms were covered by the long sleeves of my knitted gray sweater, my wrists leading to my fingers were most definitely see-through, so much so that it resembled a sheer piece of artistic clothing. It looked like a piece of fabric drifting through the wind, not even enough to stay solid on the ground when a gust of air blew at it. In other words, I looked deader than even the spirits of Hell.