There is a river made of flame that traverses and connects all of space and time…

The skillful sometimes use this river as a means to transcend to the higher worlds…

And the reckless sometimes use it as a means of escape…

The last thing Simon remembered was a bright flash, then the sensation of being burned, frozen and turned inside out all at the same time, then nothing. When he came to, he was leaning over a public toilet, puking his guts out.

Simon stumbled out of the stall. “Good job, kid,” Blake said. “First time on the Phlegethon, huh?”

“Yeah…last time, too.” Simon washed his face at the sink, gargled tap water, and spat. “Did you see those cops? They looked crazy. I just knew I was gonna’ end up like Rodney King.”

Blake handed him a bunch of paper towels. “I think dead girl was on to something. I want to check with some of my contacts; try and corroborate her story. And we need to find out where she’s being held. If hell’s about to break loose, we’re going to need all the help we can get.”