Our journey began a few weeks after the death of my good friend Ares, when the elephant bearing Lord Solune appeared at the gate of the city where I live. The first time he came, he had brought an army. This time he came alone.

  For several days he held council with Wesp, our mayor. On the third day I was asked to join them.

  Wesp and Solune sat side by side on high seats. Solune occupied the throne once used by the city’s magistrate, while the mayor’s chair stood beside it. Wesp seemed changed. She wore a white robe like the lord’s, a silver ring gleamed on her finger, and she looked older than I remembered.

  Wesp asked me kindly to kneel. I did so, and then the lord rose. He descended the steps of the dais and placed his hand upon my head.

  It felt as if a beam of white light shot from the crown of my skull straight down my spine. I staggered and had to place both hands flat on the floor to keep from collapsing. After a few seconds he lifted his hand again. Slowly the strange sensation faded.

  When I could sit upright once more, he said gently,

  “Triton, would you like to see your friend Ares again?”

  “Ares? But he is dead. I saw with my own eyes how he went up in flames!”

  “The body could not withstand the energy,” Solune replied, “but Ares is not dead. His true self returned to his own body, and he awoke upon the world he called Earth. Show me your bracelet.”

  I raised my arm. My bracelet was glowing with a bright purple light.

  “This bracelet comes from Solune—my home world, the central world of the Sixth Circle. Your soul belongs to the Sixth Circle, but you were born into a body of the Seventh. Because of that you can go to places no one else from my circle can reach—not even I. I have set myself the quest of finding Ares. Will you help me?”

  “Of course, my lord.”

  “Be cautious. You will travel to dreadful places. We must descend into purgatory, and from there you must go even deeper—into the hells themselves. My technicians will give you every protection they can. But some of those worlds have never been visited by anyone from our circles, and we do not know what awaits you there. There are great dangers. It is possible you may not survive. Think carefully, and tell me tomorrow what you decide.”

  “My lord, I am not afraid. I will go with you.”

  A smile appeared on Wesp’s face, and for a moment she looked again like the girl I had once known.

  “Triton, I hope with all my heart that you find him. I would so love to see him again. But the lord does not search for Ares because of me. We need him. And I cannot come with you.”

  She raised the hand that wore the silver ring.

  “I have a city to care for now.”

  Wesp rubbed the ring, which glowed softly. Two of the city’s priests entered the hall.

  “Would you be so kind as to follow us, Chosen One?” asked the elder priest.

  “Chosen One?”

  “It is merely a title,” Wesp said with a small smile. “You have been chosen to carry out an important task.”

  The priests led me to a side chamber. I had to undress while they began measuring me with great precision.

  “We will make clothing for you like that worn by Ares,” one of them explained. “A suit of steel armor with a leather undergarment. But it will be better than Ares’s equipment. It will protect you not only from blows, but also from poisonous gases, deep water, extreme heat, and extreme cold. The metal will be stronger and lighter. The leather more flexible—gas-tight and waterproof. And your helmet will tell you everything you need to know. Leather and steel we can produce here. The helmet, however, will come from a higher circle.”

  During the week that followed I visited the priests regularly while they crafted the suit. Every piece was made precisely to my measure.

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  On the seventh day the helmet arrived. As expected, it fit perfectly. By then the armor was finished as well. The leather under-suit was lined inside and out with delicate threads of precious metal arranged in mystical patterns, and the metal plates of the outer armor were designed to match them exactly.

  I put it on for the final adjustments so that helmet and armor would fit together perfectly. It was not uncomfortable, though it felt stiff and heavy.

  While we were still working, the priests and I were summoned to Wesp and Lord Solune.

  They were once again in the throne hall. This time Wesp sat upon the high seat, while Solune sat at a table to one side of the chamber. In front of him lay a backpack and a long sword in its sheath.

  “Are you ready?” Wesp asked.

  “I hope so.”

  “Break a leg,” she said, springing from the throne to embrace me.

  The lord rose immediately, wasting no time.

  “Buckle on your sword and take this pack. We leave at once. The first world will be easy. Malebolge lies directly beneath Lantha—it is the central world of the system. The lord of Malebolge knows we are coming.”

  He turned and strode from the hall.

  “Follow him,” Wesp said. “You too, priests.”

  I took the sword and the pack and hurried after him.

  At the city gate his elephant was already waiting. Wagons stood ready for the priests, loaded with their entire workshop. For me there was a fine black horse, saddled and bridled.

  I cannot remember whether I had ever ridden a horse in any of my previous lives. In this body, certainly not. After the first day I was in terrible pain.

  During the first week I was mostly occupied with learning to ride and growing accustomed to the weight of my armor. The journey lasted several weeks, and during that time the priests taught me how to use the helmet.

  Eventually we came upon a curved line of hills stretching from one horizon to the other. Atop dozens of hilltops stood crystal towers. An old, crumbling road ran parallel to the ridge, with a branch leading to each tower.

  I had been here before.

  Beyond those hills lay the Crystal Sea. I remembered landing there in my previous life.

  Solune signaled that we should turn left. We were not alone on the road, though it was far from crowded. Each traveling party had a heavily armed escort. In our group I alone carried a sword, yet the travelers approaching us gave us a wide berth.

  After passing dozens more hills we arrived at a large waystation surrounded by a sturdy wall. It resembled a fortress. Opposite it ran a broad road leading toward the hills. At the summit stood a structure of crystal, far larger than the ordinary towers.

  As we approached the fortress, a trumpet sounded. More than a hundred people streamed out through the gate carrying banners and formed ranks on either side of the entrance.

  When Solune’s elephant drew near, the people threw themselves flat upon the ground. Only the banner-bearers remained standing, their faces turned away.

  The elephant knelt. Lord Solune parted the curtain of his canopy and climbed down. He walked into the waystation. The moment he passed through the door, everyone rose to their feet again.

  I was helped down from my horse, and the priests and I were led inside.

  The priests were given an empty stable where their workshops were quickly set up. I was shown to a large chamber on the top floor. It had a fireplace, an enormous bed, a marble bathtub already filled with hot water, and a balcony overlooking the road to the crystal tower.

  I even had my own chambermaid.

  Her name was Salina. She helped me out of my armor and asked which fragrance I would like in my bathwater.

  “Orange blossom,” I said.

  Wonderful.

  Afterward she brought me a silk robe and slippers and led me downstairs. We passed a large tavern hall filled with singing and music. I was about to go in, but Salina tugged at my sleeve.

  “No, Chosen One. The lord wishes to dine with you.”

  She guided me into another part of the building. This section was far older. The stones were weathered, and the corridor she led me through was narrow and winding.

  She stopped at a plain wooden door.

  “Behind this is the divine dining hall,” she said. “I am not permitted to enter.”

  Inside, the small room smelled stale. Several men were setting the table. They looked up when I entered.

  “Please take a seat—we are not quite finished yet.”

  Scented candles were lit and flower arrangements placed on the table. Slowly the musty air cleared. At last a great chandelier was lit, filling the worn chamber with warm golden light.

  Then platters were brought in—cold meats, fruit, hot vegetables—and finally a whole roasted suckling pig.

  The servants withdrew. When the last had left, Solune stepped into the room from behind a tapestry. He walked to the table, took a large knife, and carved several pieces from the pig.

  “Take as much as you like. After we are finished it will go to the priests. Whatever they cannot eat will be thrown into the sacrificial fire.”

  “Why do they do that? You don’t eat meat, do you?”

  “A misunderstanding. A half-forgotten protocol. We have neglected the lower circles for too long. The people are so happy that a god is staying here again that they insist on making a sacrifice. So let us at least ensure the poor creature did not die in vain. To honor this innocent pig—and to avoid offending our hosts—I will eat meat tonight. I shall atone for it after our quest.”

  The skin was crisp, the meat wonderfully tender. We ate in silence.

  Afterward I took an apple, while Solune chose a cluster of berries.

  “Rather ironic,” he said. “A nameless slave enjoys the finest rooms, while the ruler of a hundred thousand worlds must sleep beneath a roof full of holes and watch the stars through them. The divine quarters have not been maintained for two thousand years, so I sit among ruins. And a god must not be seen, so I cannot even amuse myself. But you are the Chosen One. You receive the magistrate’s chamber—and tonight you may celebrate in the tavern hall.”

  He smiled faintly.

  “Enjoy it. Because tomorrow you go to hell.”

  “To hell?”