I was dreaming. I had to be. I was still in my bed, but it had come with me to a rather pleasant grassy glade flanked on all sides by broken pillars. The dream was exceptionally real; I could smell wildflowers and ash carried on the breeze kissing my face and matting down the grass, and feel this maddening itch in my brain and back.

I was still in my date dress, lying atop my sheets. Grex was sitting beside me.

And true to form for super realistic dreams, I was more intelligent than normal.

“....Wuh?”

“Be at ease, my mistress. You are safe. Just lie back and relax.”

“Where are we?”

“Hell, of course. Sometimes demons dream. Sometimes they dream of what is, and what will be. Sometimes, they even dream of what should be. And you, my beloved mistress, can call to me in your dreams.”

He waved at me.

“Hello.”

Jerk.

Said jerk decided to lay hands on my fire ant bitten back, and started massaging ever so gently. Warmth flowed from his hands, and the itch lessened. It felt wonderful, and I really should have been alarmed by the ripping sounds, but I wasn't. I mean, yes dreams could be significant, but they were still dreams.

A few more moments and I felt something tear free, the itching stopped and my nerve endings lit up in bliss. The tearing hadn't concerned me, but the feel of something attached to me flopping around managed to peak my interest. It seems that in this dream, I had wings.

They were like Grex's, but not. Grex had raven wings, black as pitch. Mine were a dove gray, and salt and peppered with a stray black or milk white feather here and there. They were also wet and uncoordinated, as if I were a baby bird.

I wanted to get up, but Grex had a hand on my back, forcing my face into my soft pillows.

“Calmly. My mistress. I will take care of you.”

I was able to watch from the corner of my eye while he dragged the long fingers of his hand through my left wing. The dry air felt wonderful worked between my feathers.

“What are you doing?”

“Preening you. If I do not, your wings will irritate you, eventually.”

For long moments we worked on my left wing, then switched to my right when it dried. I tried to bask in my brain fog. Too much drink, again, I supposed. Or maybe those weird nuts were making me hallucinate. I almost fell asleep again before he was done. Can someone fall asleep in a dream?

After he had moved each individual feather, the pressure on my back disappeared, and he offered me a hand up. All bemused, I took it. Managing to keep my new appendages out of the grass and dust was easy, almost second nature. I just had to keep them flexed a certain way, like how you would flex an arm to make sure it didn't rest at your side when you ran or something.

It felt weird, but at the same time perfectly normal. A glance as Grex kept me upright revealed I was even angling my wings the way he did. The grass was like a soft carpet, and I could hear birdsong in the distance. There were no other sounds close to me but what we made.

Grex led me out of the small glade and of all places, to a winding trail leading down; the trees were larger than I expected; I was seeing the very tips of them before. Like redwoods they reached down to the depths beyond, so far I couldn't see the ground. They weren't redwoods though; they were darker colored and with strange bark.

The trail was well kept, and wove down around a spire that was too uniform to be natural, but bore no tool marks my casual inspection could uncover. The equally well kept trail wound around it like a lazy staircase, marking the spire as not much wider than the grove itself. It made no sense, much like the fact that we both had wings and yet weren't flying. I wanted to fly.

“I know what you're thinking. And you aren't ready yet. But soon, we can fly. For now we simply walk and take in the sights.”

“Where are we?”

A gentle laugh and he replied.

“Purgatory, of course. Your demesne and home away from home. How do you feel?”

I thought about that, and it seemed to take several steps.

“Powerful, but fuzzy headed. Like I had too much wine or something.”

Grex Grinned his usual grin at my discomfort.

“Drunk on power, no doubt. You pulled too much power tonight, so I am taking steps to correct the imbalance you made in yourself.”

“Dream steps?”

He nodded.

“Dream steps, among others. I swear nothing I am doing will harm you or lead to harm.”

Something about that seemed off.

“How would me being here help?”

“You have a connection to this realm, same as we all do. It is not the source of your power, at least, not completely. But if you are wounded or imbalanced, you may come here; if you are wounded, you will heal. If you are imbalanced, you will be able to release the power drawn into the realm itself. Or you will be able to draw upon the realm itself to empower you, should you need it. You simply have to be present for it, either in waking or in dreams.”

Made sense. Now that I knew, I could focus on it and feel the little droplets in the ocean of power trying to make my head explode simply drift into the environment itself. I knew somehow, that my existence was an anchor for the realm itself.

“So that's why I have wings? Here I count as a lord of Hell? The ruler of Purgatory?”

“Correct.”

So this dream had some connection with reality, or at least the version of reality I was familiar with. The real question was how much? If I could decompress here, if my power were part of the place (as it seemed), then some connection had to exist. Or maybe I was simply dreaming it all as Grex used some other method to do this. I didn't think so however; this all felt too natural, and I knew my imagination wasn't this good.

So how much of it was real?

“And the surroundings? I expected more fire and brimstone and screaming.”

He scoffed.

“Please; I know you've read the more classical sources; After all, I helped you translate them. You know as well as I do that purgatory is a home for the not quite truly damned. Those who did not have the chance to worship God through circumstance, those who are damned through the actions of others, to name only two types of groups.”

“So... Aristotle is here?”

Grex grinned and shrugged his wings; a curious gesture.

“He's around. Would you like to see him?”

I shook my head slowly, taking careful note of how badly it wanted to fly apart. That desire on it's part seemed to be lessening.

“No. I'd be tempted to punch him if I did. He always struck me as a pretentious type. Maybe later.”

“Hmmm. Perhaps another then. I'm sure we can find someone to amuse you while you recover. Or perhaps not. I feel as if a nice silent walk through the realm you now rule will be more therapeutic for you.”

I wasn't in the mood to meet some famous damned from history, even if they were a figment of my imagination. Or maybe because they may not be; at least not entirely.

“So again, no fire? No brimstone?”

“Further down. Purgatory is a home for those that are not damned, yet do not meet the requirements to go to heaven. As such, save for a few notable exceptions, it could pass for a location on Earth itself. I'd be lying to you if I said it was all sunshine and happy feelings, however. In time you will see it all.”

“So how does one rehabilitate in purgatory?”

This could be a handy thing to know for both myself and my mom later, provided I could get him to tell the truth on it. The key would be to act nonchalant about it.

“Worried about your future, are you?”

Of course he saw right through me somehow. His grin widened at whatever expression he saw on my face; I would guess at panic, but who knows? Then in his way, he cut right through it.

“Well don't. This is your future, as well as your father's. You both belong to us and only us.”

I noticed my mother wasn't in there; her betrayal was, of course, too much. She was destined to for greater and more horrific things further down. I was at least a little happy that he didn't even try to sugar coat it for me, though I would have been happier knowing no one held the lean on my mother's soul.

I'd ask him who had the lean, eventually. Once my time got short I might try and see what they wanted for it. Of course the typical answer would be more than I could pay, but while I still had access to my time powers something could be arranged.

Tinkering with time might be right up the alley of acts that get me damned worse, however; it would be just like demons to catch my soul coming or going.

The tree lined spire eventually reached the ground, and we entered a pleasant forest. There was no more grass, but instead some kind of scrub brush mixed with sticks and other miscellaneous crap; just like a real forest. The breeze could still be felt faintly, but was mixed with some sort of scent I couldn't identify, but struck me as plant-like. From the trees, perhaps?

Problem was, my feet were still bare.

Some of the crap littered around looked sharp. I gave Grex the raised eyebrow and he smirked; bits of vines or branches wove themselves into sandals right in front of me. I raised both eyebrows this time, but stepped right into them; they were surprisingly comfortable, like everything else around here. His own feet were covered by his customary gleaming black dress shoes, which oddly enough made good sound here.

“I need to learn that trick.”

“I will teach you tomorrow if you'd like.”

“I would, if I have the time; not sure I won't be busy.”

Silently he conceded the point. I had to ask.

“So, are we headed anywhere in particular?”

He shook his head.

“Just a tour. I thought we'd take a walk through the forest as far as the river Lethe, and watch the fools as they try to cross.”

Hmm, an important question sprang to mind.

“Cross away from us, or cross towards us?”

“Try to cross to us, of course. The next realm over is far less accommodating than here. It's endlessly amusing, really. Kind of like your illegal immigrants crossing the Rio-Grande from Mexico, but far worse.”

“Worse? Do any of them make it?”

He shook his head with glee as he helped me over a particularly rough patch of brush; my wings were throwing my balance off.

“Not a one. Still, it is amusing to watch them try and escape their fate.”

Whether it was the dream, or the corruption caused by summoning and hanging out with demons and using their magic, I had to admit that it did sound a little amusing to watch people who damned themselves try and escape their punishment for such. I really had become a horrible person.

We walked in a kind of silence; there was birdsong I couldn't recognize, mixed in with the inevitable crows. Things small and large stirred in the undergrowth and in the distance, but hid or fled before I could get a glimpse. Though I thought I heard a squirrel's laughing chitter.

But there wasn't another single solitary soul around. I could sense we were alone, Grex and I, through some sense or feeling that just was. Which was a little odd. Where were all the souls damned through lack of knowledge? Surely I had subjects as the de facto ruler here?

“Where is everyone?”

“Away from here. This is your forest, my mistress. None may enter it without your permission on pain of your wrath.”

“And if I don't have any wrath?”

“Then you won't have any wildlife to hunt. And that would be a shame.”

In hell, meats are not pre-processed. Good to know. Life here, or afterlife as it were, would definitely suck here. I really didn't want to think about the lack of television or internet. And yet, if that was the only thing I had to worry about, then it would be better than the alternative.

There was sun, and it was setting by the time we made it to the shore of the river. There was even a sandy beach here, with cliffs to either side; I smelled a destination plan on Grex's part here.

Perhaps the two reclining deck chairs made of vines from the forest we just left and sitting in full view of the pleasantly warm sun were a clue. Or perhaps the table with two beers, some micro brew unless I missed my guess, sitting between them. I took the right handed seat, sinking into it easily; it somehow moved to accommodate my wings and keep them from dragging in the dirt. The beer was ice cold and a type I'd only had once, on the base. It was strong and delicious, especially when chilled.

Grex's smirk was insufferable as he sat beside me and grabbed his own.

Both chairs faced the river, and I could see across it. The view would never make this property desirable. The land across from us was cracked and dusty, bleeding salt and sulfurous vapors. It looked like a desert, oddly enough, or a badlands since there was no sand. The land was overcast and somehow looked cold to me, or gave me the impression of a permanent chill. Everything about it felt somehow wrong... and yet like where we were, there was a rightness to it.

Very confusing, to say the least.

A long pull later and my beer was still full; what felt like an hour in the sun later, and it was still cold. I could like this dream land. I readjusted my wings on the slats that were gently cupping them and focused on the warmth I was getting, which was pretty much like the sun I was used to and not oppressive at all.

And then it all went... well, to itself.

I saw him for some distance; a solitary figure traversing the indistinct haze from the other side. Soon enough the figure resolved itself into a man. A very desperate man, coated in blood and nothing else. He was running, flat out and with almost no attention paid to anything in front of him, cutting his feet and occasionally face upon the jagged rocks. Instead he looked behind him often, as if he were being chased. And he probably was.

The closer he drew himself, the more I could make out. Desperation and fear seemed ingrained in his every movement and line; resignation seemed inset in his face. I could almost feel the hopelessness, even though I could feel or hear nothing from across the burbling river itself before.

And from the distance came a few more people, looking much the same as the first. Four more men, and bringing up the rear, one woman. All clothed in their own blood and nothing else, stumbling with fatigue and blind fear, constantly checking behind them.

“Ahh, I was wondering how long it would take. Sit back and watch the show, my mistress.”

The first guy hit the water and didn't even slow down. He started swimming with powerful strokes and wild abandon. Grex was grinning, especially when the man finally looked up, water washing the blood off him. Clearly showing the slowly oozing gashes across his torso and face, he finally saw us. He paused momentarily... then started jerking in the water as something started biting him.

No, not biting him; there were eel things in the water, and they were passing through him. Each time one did, the man seemed to be less. He wasn't alive after all, he was a soul... and the eel or snake things were eating him.

With a fresh burst of panic he started swimming again, the rents in his form widening. This wasn't funny. This wasn't a laughing matter at all. I felt sick. Before I realized it I was out of the chair and closing on the shore. Grex grabbed me, stopping me cold.

“Watch. You cannot help him. He has sealed his fate.”

The man had almost made it to shore when a snake eel as large as a house rose out of the water and swallowed him whole.

But what happened next was far worse.

The four men and woman pulled up, blowing hard but silent breaths as they considered the roiling, churning, eel infested waters. Then with a shared glance, a fear loaded look behind them, and no real hesitation at all, they all jumped in. From the looks of it, two of them couldn't even swim. None of them made it as close as the first guy.

I was actually standing right at the shore; my throat hoarse from the screams. I guess they didn't hear me any better than I heard them. Grex spoke, and I never wanted to punch him more than now.

“You cannot convince them not to try. No matter how you signal them to stay, if they have made it this far, they always jump in.”

“What happens to them? Do they just... stop existing?”

That same infuriating smile.

“Your concern for the damned warms my heart, mistress. No, a soul follows some of your laws of physics; it does not cease, it simply changes form. A careful look at the serpents of Lethe shall reveal the answer.”

I was rather reluctant to get close; understandably so, I thought.

“Go ahead; I've stated before the waters of the river cannot harm you. Nor can it's residents. If you wish to bathe in it, you may find the waters to your liking. Such is the power of a lord or lady of Hell.”

I didn't want to trust him, but by contract he couldn't lie to me or lead me to ruin. So it was perfectly safe. What the hell. My arm was halfway to the water when one of the serpent-eel-snakes flew from it and wrapped around my wrist. I was proud of myself; I had managed to stifle both the scream and the bladder release.

The serpent resembled a snake more than an eel. And on it's head, where a cobra's hood would be on a cobra, was a human face locked in perpetual scream, of agony or horror I couldn't tell. To be honest I didn't want to know.

“Sometimes they eat each other, and through such gain power. It also keeps their numbers from growing overmuch. The large one is actually one of the first serpents born in Lethe; there are a few others here and there. That one is named Disen, and prefers the waters around this beach. He has been here since shortly after the fall itself. Ahh, we have company.”

A large figure loomed in the distance, I could see the horns from here, though not much else. With disgust I couldn't completely hide I threw the serpent thing away from me and back into the water. This close I could feel them in there; all of them. Thousands of corrupt souls whose only desire were the life and memories they now lacked. Pure unnatural hunger.

I backed off a good ten steps. This wasn't restful anymore.

The shape resolved itself into a 20 foot minotaur... minus any skin. I could clearly see the strangely bloodless muscles play as it moved. The horns on its head were chipped and broken, like the large stone club it carried easily in one hand. Luckily for my sanity, it was at least dressed in a dirty gray loincloth. Oddly enough his voice carried clearly across the lake; the first sounds to do so.

“Did 6 stupid souls try to cross here?”

Grex grinned wider, if anything.

“Yes. You just missed the show.”

The man-beast sighed.

“Great. More souls lost; my boss is going to have my hide! Well, more of it at any rate.”

Then the thing grinned and shrugged.

“Oh well, fewer to watch, at any rate. Have a nice day, lords.”

And he turned and left.

So very lax. So very... slothful. It offended me for some reason. The very land seemed to warp under my gaze. Grex began to look nervous.

“Grex.”

“Yes, my mistress?”

“Is there any way to save souls from such a fate, or transform them back?”

He looked relieved, if anything. I wondered why briefly before I focused on his words.

“There is no way to recover them once they have been transformed. There is no way to remove the effects of the water itself upon the average soul. However, a bridge across the river serves as a successful preventative. We have two already in place for the use of our own. At least, those demons that work for you that cannot fly. All else cannot cross, by order of the big boss himself.”

So to make another bridge or open an existing bridge up would be to buck Lucifer himself. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't justify going to war over this yet; my priority was making sure all of humanity didn't end up here. These souls were already damned, and had done it to themselves; no matter how uncomfortable it made me, they were not a priority over children and other innocents who had not made the choice.

After I made sure Hell was no longer coming to Earth, then I could do something about Hell itself. No pressure, and small easily reached goals in life, and all that.

“Grex.”

“Yes, my mistress?”

“If you are ever as lax about your duties as that guy that just left... I'll make sure you look worse, if it's the last thing I do. Such sloth offends me.”

I wasn't sure why it did, but it did. I knew without a doubt that if I could I'd make good on the threat. He smirked briefly but then schooled his features to show nothing and bowed low.

“I will not. Truthfully, on my contract, I cannot. Your will is my law.”

So at least for now I was as safe in his hands as anyone could be.

“Good, this is no longer restful. Did you have something else we needed to do?”

His gaze had actual pressure for a moment; another mystery for me to file away.

“I think you are fine now; the rest at home appears to have done wonders for you.”

I checked myself. He was right, there seemed to be no imbalance at all; my head had cleared more than a little and I no longer felt like I could simply explode at any time. The internal reservoir of power I possessed did seem to be larger overall, however.

“You're going to have to show me how to check someone else too Grex; seems like a very useful power to have.”

“I'll see what I can do. It's not an ability which can be used on everyone, however. But for now, it is well past time to return. Shall we go?”

Well since the alternative was staying here forever and watching things like what I just saw....

“Yes, let's. This place is dead.”

The odd thing was the walk back to the spire was more soothing than the walk out had been; Grex hadn't been planning to trap me here for my own safety, somehow. Which meant he had in fact just been meaning this to be a restful interlude? A dream, and not a nightmare?

How much of this dream was real, and how much was an uncomfortable parallel to my own real life situation. I really needed to talk to a shrink or something. Too bad the Summoner shrink is even more crazy than I am. I could try a normal shrink, but somehow I doubted that would work out well. This dream alone and what it meant might well drive him or her nuts.

And then as if to drive everything home, like a big middle finger in the mind, I saw it.

It was a bit of the local wildlife, finally glimpsed through the mammoth trees. It was supposed to be a deer... I think. It looked like a deer; but everything about it was slightly wrong somehow. The proportions, the gait, the face... all slightly off somehow. Even the antlers seemed off, spiraling more than I remembered a deers antlers doing. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it was very disturbing. I blew a breath in relief when it bounded off.

“Your deer, mistress. Very tasty.”

I keenly felt the press of time, collapsing on my growing curiosity.

“Some other time, perhaps.”

“You're right mistress, morning approaches.”

Wait, morning? I felt as if I'd been here for hours. Oh. Oh, I'm such an idiot. I have been here for hours. Grex and I both can dilate time; Grex is much better at it than I am. So it makes sense that nearly a day dreaming here was only a few hours there. So time dilation could affect dreams, or Grex could make it appear so... good to know. A power like that could be very handy; more than most would suspect I bet. Far too many people just focused on blasting things.

The walk up the spire was far more maddening than the walk down. The winds above the tree line had picked up, and threatened to smash us against the smooth rock itself, or pick us up by our folded wings and sweep us away, to our deaths. Grex stood between me and the outer edge, making sure neither fate occurred with a solicitousness that seemed out of place here.

Once again at the heights and with no headache to distract me, I looked around to enjoy the view. And there, at the end of my range, I saw it. What could only be another rock spire above the trees like the one we were on. And in the opposite direction, yet another.

I was looking at watch towers. My bed had been moved or carried or teleported onto a watch tower; one of a series. A watch tower that wasn't being used. I hadn't seen another demon either on the ground or in the air. So why did such a watch tower exist? Surely people weren't trying to escape this place for the shit-hole I saw across the river? Or even the worse places farther on?

Yet another thing to ask. But for now, I was suddenly tired. How I was tired in a dream I didn't know, but I was. Perhaps too much time in REM sleep or something. I sank into my bed with a grateful sigh, ignoring Grex's smirk. A moment of strange sensation as my new wings flopped down beside me, and I was once again in fully folded into the blessed, comforting darkness.