Chapter 2
Twelve midnight…
Rise, Dante.
The moment the command came, the ground began to tear open, to crumble, to give way to a leap of flames that surrounded a being that rose out of the midst of Hell. He gave off the pungent odor of sulfur and was dirty with coal dust that flaked and fell off him as he stood there alone—waiting.
Rise, Dante!
There they were again. More forceful this time. Words to lead him. Guide him. Words that invaded the shadowy darkness of the being’s intelligence. They were words of authority. Words with strength that forced him to respond. Where had he heard them before? Where had he heard these words of control that slowly, very slowly made him aware? And then suddenly he felt a rush of emotions like the eruption of a black wind inside his soul, coming in gr
