Read Online Ruby Shadows by Evangeline Anderson - Free Book Online

of
the jacket draped over his broad shoulders impressively—he looked
like a Fortune 500 businessman.
    I
couldn’t help looking down at myself, contrasting my own outfit
with his. I ’d had
no idea what to wear but since we were going to be traveling
through a strange region, (major understatement, I know) I had
decided to dress like I was going on a long plane trip.
Accordingly, I had on a pair of jeans, a dark green t-shirt, which
I had tucked in, and some comfortable black ballet flats I knew I
could walk in for hours without pain. Not that I thought we would
be hiking through Hell—at least I certainly hoped not. But I was prepared if I had to.
    I
had an extra shirt and a pair of jeans as well as a lined windbreaker stowed
in my leather satchel under the water bottle and Sponge Bob
sandwich container. I know Hell is supposed to be hot, but Laish
had made a comment to me before, that parts of it were terribly
cold and lonely. So I had made sure to bring the jacket along with
a change of clothes.
    In the pocket
of the windbreaker was one more thing I thought I might need—two
antique silver coins from Grams to pay the ferryman. After Laish
had accused me of not being up on my mythology, I had done a little
research. I had no idea if the river Styx and its skeletal
ferryman, Charon, were real or completely mythical but I wasn’t
taking any chances. To the best of my ability, I was
prepared.
    I hoped.
    Laish’s eyes
flickered over me—was that a look of disapproval I saw on his face?
Or something else? He said nothing, however, except to ask if I was
ready to go.
    “ As ready as I’m going to be,” I said. I gave Grams one last
hug. She held on so tightly, I was afraid she wasn’t going to let
go.
    “ Come back to me safe and sound,” she whispered at last. Then
she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and finally released me. Her
eyes were bright with unshed tears as she looked from me to Laish.
“Take care of her,” she said, in a voice that trembled only a
little.
    “ I will,”
Laish said simply. He took my hand in his and looked into my eyes.
The expression on his face was so intense it sent a cool shiver
down my spine. I couldn’t help remembering our bargain and
wondering if he intended to collect on his debt the minute we
landed in Hell. What would he do to me? What—?
    “ Fear not, Gwendolyn,” he murmured. “Just take a deep breath.
We’ll be there before you know it.”
    I opened my
mouth to reply but just then I felt a hot wind rush over me,
scouring my entire body from the top of my head to the tips of my
toes.
    Then, abruptly, it
ended.
    “ It’s over now,” Laish said quietly. “You can open your
eyes.”
    I
hadn’t even been aware of closing my eyes in the first place but
when I opened them, I saw we were standing someplace else. Someplace dark and
hazy with a red tinge to the black sky.
    Hell.

Chapter Eight
    Laish

    I watched my little
witch with some trepidation, wanting to make sure she took the
dematerialization and rematerialization all right. She seemed a bit
shaken at first but she adapted quickly, taking a deep breath and
moving away from me as soon as she could.
    I
frowned. I had hoped that being in such threatening surroundings
would bring her closer to me , rather than driving her away. But she was wary of
me—I could see the guarded look in her lovely green eyes. Inwardly,
I sighed. Clearly I would have to work harder to gain her trust.
Which wasn’t going to be easy considering the trip we were about to
undertake and the way we were going to have to travel.
    “ Wow.” Gwendolyn gave a shaky little laugh and tried to straighten
her long black hair, which had been blown about during our trip.
“That was some ride.”
    “ It is the fastest and most efficient way to travel,” I told
her modestly. “It is a pity we cannot simply dematerialize straight
to the edge of the Abyss but there are laws governing movement
through the circles of Hell which may not be broken, even