THIRTY (TERRA POV)

"Oh my God, how could we let this happen?" I mumble while tears keep running down my cheeks. "We've lost her..."

"This is my fault, I failed my mission," Ru answers with a sad tone of voice but I barely pay attention to her words, I'm too busy dealing with the desperation that seems about to suffocate me... I don't know what to do, I don't know what will happen now. How are we supposed to live without her? We have to go back to the Wind Rose, where every room would remind us to our girl, to tell Raven, Maeve and our friends that we've lost Ruby... and get on with our lives. We'll take care of her dogs even if they won't understand why their adored mistress won't come back.

"I can't do that, I can't live like that..." I whisper trying to take a deep breath because I feel I'm running out of air. I think I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown... My head is killing me and Iselen is making it worse, banging on the damned door nonstop while yelling her name, trying to open it unsuccessfully. "Enough! Stop doing that, you're getting on my nerves," I cry angrily, getting up. "We've lost her. Ruby's gone... Face it, stupid bloodsucker!"

"Don't you dare speak to me like that, Terra. I'm not giving up so easily and I'll open that fucking door even if I have to demolish this house and bring one of those human bulldozers to this basement," the vampire turns around and looks at me angrily, pointing at my nose with her index as a warning. I shake my head while feeling my rage vanishing when I see determination in her eyes and sadness floods my heart.

"Iselen, she's not here and won't come back..." I answer and tears run down my cheeks again when I move closer to her to hug her. "You're a stubborn bloodsucker but it'll be useless right now... Babe..." The vampire shoves me away abruptly, staring at me with a furrowed brow, her skin is pale and she looks confused and lost. "I'm so sorry, my love, but..."

"Oh God..." Iselen gestures nervously, moving her hand closer to her heart, like she's about to have a cardiac arrest even if I know that's impossible because she's not human. "Terra, oh my God..."

"Babe, calm down," I try to hug her again, worried. I think there's a chance that my girl is having a panic attack or something like that and I don't know what to do, I don't know how vampires react when they go completely mad driven by desperation, but I bet it's not pretty at all. Ru gets up, confused, and looks at us quietly. "Iselen, please, take a deep breath... You need to calm down."

"No... no..." the vampire waves her hand pointing at her chest. "You don't understand it... I can feel her... Ruby..." she explains while I stare at her totally confused. "I still can feel her inside..."

"What the hell are you talking about? You've lost your mind..." I try to get closer to hug her again but she puts her hands on my shoulders, squeezing hard while looking right into my eyes, deadly serious.

"I still can feel her blood, Terra. Do you know what that means? She's alive."

"That's not possible, nothing lives in hell," I reply angrily, trying to step back but bumping into Ru who's staring at the door with squinty eyes while grumbling quietly.

"Well, that's true... but not entirely true. It depends on what you consider to be hell, I mean, nothing lives in the ninth circle but there're many anterooms that are not really part of Satan's kingdom and some magical creatures that were alive managed to sneak into them and came back to talk about it. Only a few, that's true, they were very special supernatural beings and not humans like Ruby, but she's not just human... she's the key. Even Dante, the famous Italian poet, said that there was antechamber behind the hell gate and beyond it was river Acheron that's the real border of the Averno."

"Terra, I swear, I can feel her," Iselen nods firmly. "The echo of her blood inside me, real blood, sweet and delicious that still runs through her veins. I don't feel her soul, her spirit, ghost or whatever... I feel her blood mixed with mine... and with yours. You both live inside me and I could find you everywhere..."

"Even in hell," I finish her sentence and the vampire nods again, smiling. Sadness vanishes from my heart finally, giving way to hope, and also fury and determination. "We're going to rescue our girl and we'll kick Michaela's ass so hard that she won't be able to sit down in a century."

"That's my feisty lady... Welcome back, plush toy," Iselen smiles, hugging me tight this time and kissing my neck gently before letting me go, turning around to look at the angel. "How do we get in?"

"Eh... I don't know, to be honest." Ru seems taken aback by the question and thinks about it for a few seconds before shrugging. "I know there're several doors but don't know where all of them are located and don't know if all of them lead to the right antechamber..."

"We need more information," I grab the angel's hand and drag her towards the staircase. "We have to go back to the Wind Rose and check the books in the library, I'll call my witch friends and will tell them to find out who those creatures that managed to sneak into hell are and how we can do it now. Maybe one of them is willing to tell their story. Do you think that crazy demon hunter, Elric, may know something about it?"

"I'll go to visit his cave to ask him in person, he keeps some interesting books there too..." Iselen climbs the steps two at a time and looks ready to fight an entire army of demons as long as she can bring the human back with her. "And don't forget about Raven, she's a half-demon and maybe knows how to open the door."

*****

"Is there anything in there?" I ask wearily and Maeve shakes her head, moving away the big book she was reading carefully because it's very old and the parchment is fragile. "Ruby's been locked up in hell for 24 hours... we have to get her out of there, damn it!" I growl frustrated, looking at the shelves that are almost empty because we've taken all the books that contain references to hell and we've read them looking for a clue about how to sneak in. They're scattered all over the floor now and the room is a mess. Not that I care... my entire life is a mess right now.

"You should take a nap, you need it..."

"I couldn't sleep," I shake my head and the druid looks at me, worried. "I managed to rest a few hours lying next to Iselen when the sun came up and she collapsed on the mattress."

"It's okay, calm down, Terra. We'll find a way..."

"We must get her out of there as soon as possible, I don't want her to stay in hell any longer than she should, surrounded by demons, the souls of evil humans and who knows what other nightmarish creatures... What if they take her to the real hell? She'll die and there's nothing we can do about it..."

"The vampire still feels her blood, there's hope..." I nod while flopping down on an armchair, exhausted. Raven walks into the room, followed by Iselen who's holding a big mug of coffee and sips at the hot liquid, half asleep, before sitting down next to me, sighing. It's still too early for her... I brush a lock of soft hair away from her forehead and she smiles sadly, giving me her mug. I must look terrible if she thinks I need it, pale and with dark circles, probably, giving that the bloodsucker never shares her coffee... but it's not time to rest. We have to rescue Ruby.

"My family can't help us," Raven shrugs, crossing her arms over her chest while watching the terrace where Ru is lying next to Chance and Charlie, again in her dog form. The three animals look sad and ignore the fairies and squirrels that are fluttering and running around them. Lea, Zara, Alfonso and the necromancers did a great job cleaning the garden and they're having breakfast by the pool now. "They know the location of some hell gates but they cannot be opened without the right key."

"And our key is inside now," Iselen replies, heaving a sigh. "I can still sell my soul to a demon in exchange for her..."

"I don't recommend that," Raven cuts her off abruptly even before I can open my mouth to say no, outraged. I'm not going to get one of my girls back losing the other one. "You can't trust them, they never keep their promises and will find a way to trick you, you'll end up trapped in hell, both."

"And what are we going to do?" the vampire grumbles angrily, taking her mug from my hands and drinking a big gulp.

"I may have something for you," Maeve gets up while reading something on her phone screen. "A friend of mine, another druid, says that she knows a nun who told her once that she'd been able to take a look at the hell antechamber. She's the granddaughter of a powerful witch, or something like that, and found a spell in her grandma's book. My friend sent me the address where she lives now, in a convent... in France, in Clermont-Ferrand."

"A nun," I repeat surprised. "I thought these people had easier access to heaven, why would they want to take a quick peek at hell?"

"To know what they're missing?" Iselen suggests, shrugging before getting up abruptly. "The angel can take us to France in a few seconds and I bet we'll make a good impression if we get there with a celestial being... Ru, let's go! We have a lead. How long it would take to carry us to Clermont-Ferrand?"

"A minute since we have to cross the Atlantic Ocean and it'll be a bumpy ride," the girl with silver hair answers immediately, walking into the library. "Where are we going?"

"A convent of the nuns of the Order of St. Clare," the druid shows us a map on the phone screen and Ru nods, gesturing at us to move closer to her. "I hope you come back home soon with good news... don't even think about doing anything stupid you both alone. We want to help this time..."

"I promise," Iselen raises her hand, smiling, before grabbing the angel's hand. "Let's go. Wait a minute, what time is it in France? If the sun is shining, I'll become a roasted bat..."

"It's 5 a.m. in the morning, still two hours before dawn, enough time to talk to the nun but don't dawdle," Maeve confirms after checking her phone again. "You have to find Sister Marie-Agnès and tell her that Brianna is sending you."

A minute later, we land in a garden patio with a beautiful fountain in the middle, there're some nicely-cut bushes and blue and pink hortensias. Ru looks around with curiosity, at the stone building with light grey windows, while Iselen and I try to catch our breaths and don't puke. The angel didn't lie when she said it was going to be a bumpy ride... Luckily, the cool night air helps us to feel better, it's dark and quiet around us so I guess the nuns are sleeping. How are we supposed to find the one we need without waking up the others?

"Shhh..." Iselen gestures with her hand at one side of the patio where there's an open arcade. Someone turns on a light behind a window and we decide to get closer cautiously after the vampire pulls up the black hood to hide Ru's silver hair again so she can't give away our position. A quick look confirms us this is the kitchen, with white tiled walls and cabinets made of steel like the ones we could find in a professional restaurant, and a nun wearing a dark habit and a light grey veil is making coffee and opening a bag of cookies. Iselen shrugs, looking at me quietly and waiting for me to make a decision. I nod, taking a deep breath and pointing at the door.

"Sister Marie-Agnès?" I ask softly and the woman turns around, surprised, but doesn't look scared even if there're three strangers walking on tiptoes to get into her kitchen. "Brianna sends us."

"Oh, yes, mon amie Brianna, the druid..." The nun smiles and waves at the chairs around the table, we all sit down while she pours cups of coffee and puts a plate full of cookies in front of Ru who looks at them confused, not knowing what to do. Iselen solves the problem moving the plate closer to her and grabbing one cookie. "What can I do for you? We only have one hour before my sisters get up, it's my turn to make breakfast today, but it's better if they don't see you. The Mother Superior doesn't like it when magical creatures visit me in the convent, she thinks it gives a bad image, you know... Catholics are not supposed to mingle with..." Marie waves her hand again, pointing at us, but smiling kindly at the same time.

"But most popes used to have astrologists, wizards and fortune tellers working for them," Iselen mumbles before taking another cookie and the nun nods, giggling amused.

"Those were different times, I'm afraid. What do you want from me?"

"Our... friend... is trapped in hell, a demon kidnapped her but we know she's still alive and we want to get her out of there," I explain leaning forward, anxiously. "We don't know what door we should choose or how to open it but Brianna told us that you'd managed to take a quick look inside..."

"I see..." Marie drinks her coffee lost in her thought before sighing. "It was actually mémé, my grandma, the one who got in, she was a powerful witch and wanted to learn a very special spell that only a demon could cast... It's a long story with a bad ending... The point is that I only saw the antechamber from the door threshold when she opened it to get out. I don't think I can help you, you can't get into hell without the right key and don't know where you can find one... Unless an angel opens the door for you, of course."

"Angels can open the hell gates?" I ask shocked, looking at Ru who looks back at me surprised and puzzled.

"Yes, they can. Archangel Uriel keeps the master key and he'll open the gates in the end, at least, that's what the Book of Revelation says. Angels can go anywhere, no place is forbidden to them in the universe, but don't feel comfortable down there so they don't visit the Averno often. But finding an angel willing to open a gate for you is more difficult than finding a key."

"No worries, we have one who's very happy to help us," Iselen points at Ru and she waves her hand at the nun shyly, pulling her hood back to show her silver hair. Sister Marie opens her eyes wide in shock and remains quiet staring at the angel for a long minute till the vampire snaps her fingers in front of her face, bringing her back to reality. "What we should do after opening the door?"

"Eh oui, sorry," the nun blinks but keeps looking at Ru who seems to believe that her reaction is funny and even takes the hoodie off to show her the little white wings. "You said your friend is alive and a demon kidnapped her... It means that she's still waiting at the hell antechamber; since they didn't expect her visit because she was dragged inside hell before it was the right time for her, she's not on the list and they have to fill the admission paperwork."

"Demon bureaucracy? I can't believe this," Iselen shakes her head, frustrated.

"Oh, shut up, this is good news for us," I whisper angrily. Sister Marie is staring at the angel and ignores us while we argue till the vampire snaps her fingers again. "If we manage to sneak in, what we should do next? How do we find her? How can we avoid the guardian demons?"

"Oui, of course, those are a problem..." the nun seems to think about it for a few seconds. "And in addition to that, hell is some kind of labyrinth with many rooms and long dark corridors full of traps, very dangerous, you'll need protective charms, spells and very complicated rituals... I think I'll lend you my grandma's journal. She wrote everything about her adventure in the underworld but it's all in French."

"No problem, we both speak the language," Iselen answers and Marie gets up slowly, staring at the white wings mesmerized.

"I'll be right back..."

"She's a lovely lady," Ru smiles and I nod while drinking my coffee and eating a cookie absentmindedly. This rescue mission will be more difficult than I expected and we'll need the help of our friends to decipher that journal, all those rituals and spells, the truth is that werewolves are not as good at handling magic as witches, druids or necromancers. Vampires are better than wolves but Iselen doesn't pay attention to spells books, usually, unless she needs a specific one for whatever reason.

"I'm back, you'll find everything you need in this notebook," Sister Marie gives the small volume to Ru who takes it smiling happily.

"You're very kind, thank you very much." The nun nods but remains silent and keeps staring at the angel, hypnotized, while we wait for her to say something else or give us more instructions. A minute ticks by and the vampire looks at me awkwardly, I shrug and point at the patio with my finger discreetly. It seems to me that Sister Marie doesn't have more useful information for us and we have to go back to the Wind Rose before the other nuns get up or the sun rises and burns the bloodsucker.

"We'll give you the journal back as soon as possible," my words seem to bring her back to reality and the woman nods, watching us while we get up and Ru puts her hoodie on again.

"Will she come with you?" she asks quietly, pointing at the angel. "I'd like to see her one more time. I had a dog when I was a toddler, I loved him... Marshmallow. My grandma suspected that he was my guardian angel but I never saw his true form. They aren't allowed to show it, you know..."

"I met Marshmallow, he was a teacher at the academy..." Ru smiles and nods.

"We have to go," I reply grabbing the angel's hand and dragging her towards the door. "We'll be back with the notebook and you'll have time to talk about your old puppy and angels for as long as you want but we're in a hurry now."

"Yes, of course, I'll pray for you. Good luck with your rescue mission and thanks for this opportunity... it's amazing to meet a real angel. Do not eat food inside hell! You could get trapped inside."

"Fuck! Does that mean that Ruby's been there for an entire day without eating?" Iselen asks angrily while we walk across the patio towards the fountain. "We have to get her out of that antechamber as soon as possible."

"Do you still can feel her?" I ask worried and the vampire nods. "Okay, let's go."