Dante's Inferno

One

The scent of sulfur permeated the air, filling the room, and overpowering the incense and candles lit about. The various flames cast an unearthly scattering of dark shadows on the young boy's face, warping its innocence. He shuffled carefully along the wooden floor, mindful of the intricate chalk inscriptions he had so diligently rendered earlier. The boy fished a ticking pocket watch, weathered with age, from his jeans. The resounding snap it made as he closed it, echoed through the eerily quiet attic bedroom, his mattress shoved hazardously against the wall, his sparse belongings piled upon it.

A backpack stuffed full of texts on demonology, astrology and divination, various candles, colored powders in jars, a knife stamped with symbols in the hilt, a mirror inlaid with spirit-silver, a wad of cash and a toothbrush. The boy's bare feet scuffed against the grit and grime of the old, rotten wood without seeming to notice. Grey eyes, the color of clouds before a storm, flickered intensely, scrutinizing every detail of his pentagram, as he chewed on the straps of his leather bands that were knotted around his wrists. One in particular, the only tied with a stone, had its black hue embellishing the fire's light. Pale skin gleaned from an avid avoidance of sunlight, nicked with old scars, shone among buzzed hair that was scarcely concealing his scalp.

"Dante." The boy started with a quiet jump, spinning around to face the speaker. Another boy stood in the doorframe, this one clothed in a long rain coat dripping with rain, and boots that squelched with every step. Dante glanced outside at the clear bright night, not a cloud to be spotted, and focused his attention back upon the newcomer.

"Watch where you're standing Carter," Dante's voice sounded aloof, but earnest cobalt eyes, hidden in a lean frame and sandy hair obeyed quickly, stepping smoothly away from the dusty white circle without a fuss. Carter shook his head like a dog, and droplets sprayed from the strands of his pale hair, far away from the chalk.

"Is it almost ready?" Carter breathed, jamming cold bloodless hands into pockets as a poor attempt in seeking warmth. Dante allowed a glimmer of pride show in his hard face, and gestured widely around the room.

"The candles and incense are all lit, the wards are drafted, and the pentagram inscriptions should be correct. I was just checking for any misspellings before we begin." Both boys stood shoulder to shoulder, eyes squinted against the light and smell, staring at the fruit of their hard long labors.

"I can't believe it." Carter started animatedly, mouth twitching as he struggled for words. "All these months, and tonight is the night, I mean, honestly, are we really going to do this?" The words were soft with nerves and excitement, but they did nothing to dent the cold exterior Dante bore. Dante flashed his watch's face at Carter, before sliding it back into the folds of his clothes.

"Almost midnight. You ready?" Dante responded, ignoring the question. Carter swung the bag he was carrying off his shoulder, its contents hidden from view, except for the oddly dark stains on the canvas, to Dante.

"Yep. Got everything you needed." Dante answered with an agreeable noise before hefting the heavy sack into the center of the circle, laboriously setting it down to avoid any disturbances of the words. One useless gesture, and it would be the end of them both.

"Alright!" Carter exclaimed, clapping his hands together and rubbing them. His movements caused the argentite pendent he wore to swing against his chest. Its odd design strikingly similar to an eye, gleamed lifelike the poor lighting. "Here we go!" Carter slid a sideways glance at Dante, his eyes pooling over with candlelight. Dante noticed the stare, and nodded, his face all sharp angles and odd edges.

"Remember Carter, whatever happens-" Carter cut him off with an impatient sigh.

"I know, I know, whatever happens, don't enter the circle, and don't interrupt your incantation. We went over this a million times, so stop worrying! Come on, we are going to miss the timeframe."