Before he could answer, they were launched up hundreds of feet into the air. The elves, Rafe, and Logan all screamed as the ride took them up, dropped them a few dozen feet, and then took them up again. For a brief moment, during one of the pauses, Logan opened his eyes and was met with one of the most beautiful scenes he’d ever seen in his entire life. They were hundreds of feet in the air, and to his right, the magnificent Pacific Ocean stretched out before him as far as the horizon would let it go. Off to his left, he could see the bustling boardwalk, framed by the beautiful mountains off in the distance. Then the ride decided it was going to drop them again, and his eyes instinctively whipped shut. After a few more ascensions and drops, the five of them were all safely back on the ground. The safety pieces on their chests clicked loose, and Logan raised his up and slid down out of the ride vehicle. “I think I liked that more than the roller coaster,” Beth

“Hey, us mortals don’t all have magical magicfire powers or giant, super-strong demons or supernatural pets,” Logan argued. “We have to settle for the things we accomplish with our own two hands, our creative minds, and our blood, sweat, and tears. That bridge is one of those accomplishments.” “‘Merica,” Rafe added.“We have a famous bridge as well,” Abina spoke up. “It goes across the River of Souls and is guarded by a demon that the Egyptians called Xsf-Xmw.”“Uh, is Abina having a stroke?” Rafe asked.“Exactly,” the curvy woman continued. “That’s why we just call him Xavier.”“He’s actually quite friendly, once you get to know him,” Beth acknowledged. “His little unicorn horn is adorable as well.” “There’s a unicorn man guarding the main bridge in Hell?” Logan asked with a chuckle as he turned Shadow onto the exit for the Golden Gate Bridge.“Don’t be ridiculous,” Kelda shot back. “He’s a demon with a deer head and a single horn. Unicorns don’

“Then where do you think she is?” Logan asked as they drove down the streets of San Francisco. “At the tower with the rest of those assholes?” “I’d bet money on it,” the redhead nodded in agreement. “Though I don’t know what they intend to do with her.” “I do,” Kelda said grimly. “She’ll probably be sent to be ‘reformed’ like Sister Tris and I were when we would misbehave.” “Reformed?” Logan asked, raising an eyebrow. “It’s just fancy talk for ‘tortured until we promised not to do it again,’” Abina growled. “My sisters would be gone for days at a time when they were being reformed.” “Azar and his minions found that fear was a good way to keep people in line,” Beth explained. “There’s a reason that all of his elves are familiar with their fear powers, even if some of us refuse to use them.” The elves's words caused a fiery rage to simmer up from the very core of Logan’s being. “They are dangerous, sister,” Abina argued. “Ira’s magic destroyed an enti

Logan felt a dull rage building up from within him. “You’re the asshole responsible for all this?” he growled as he summoned red Hellfire into his hands. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t toast your ass into a crisp right here and now.”He promised himself that he’d keep his cool, but standing face to face with the man responsible for all of their recent hardships triggered his anger.Oliver retracted his hand. “Now, now, Mr. Ralston,” he said as he held out his hands, “there’s no need for violence.”“Brrroooo,” Rafe turned visible again. “You and your friends just literally tried to trap us and skewer Logan alive. If that’s your idea of pacifism, I really want to see what you think violence is.”“Ohh!” the white-haired man jumped giddily. “You brought the goblin along!” “I’m gonna give you about five more seconds before I rip you to shreds,” Logan warned. “You’d better start talking. Now.”“You see?” Oliver clicked his tongue. “The goblin throws around

Logan nodded, happy to be alive himself. As he dismissed his flames, he reached into his pocket to pull out his cell phone and checked the time.It was eleven fifty. “We only have ten minutes left, with five floors to go!” he warned the elves. They sprinted up the final set of stairs and came to a dead end. In front of them was the door for the sixty-first floor, but there was no maintenance hatch or ladder leading to the roof.“Well, shit,” Logan shook his head. “There’s still the entire screen part of the tower above us.”“There must be some sort of entrance out on the main floor,” Beth suggested.“Ah yes, the Ohana Floor,” Logan wheezed. “I remember reading about this. It’s the communal space with the beautiful views of the city and the bar and the lounge area.”“Maybe we’ll have to return here after we’re done with our mission,” Abina joked.“As much fun as that sounds, I don’t think I ever want to see this building again in my life,” Logan snickered as