Hell's Heroes (2009)

Hell's Heroes is the tenth and final book in Darren Shan's The Demonata series.

Darren Shan wished that nothing about this book, not even the title, be known to the public until late December 2008. This was the second time this has happened with any of the Darren Shan books, possibly initiated by the recent popularity increase in the author's works.

It is published in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Plot

Grubbs and Dervish are talking in the cave. Dervish is dying and only has a short amount time left to live, but he and Grubbs take it in their normal humorous stride. Grubbs reflects on how Dervish has always been there for him and begins to recall memories of his time with his uncle. Dervish dies during Grubbs' reflections. Grubbs takes his body into the open air and begins the slow, painful process of digging his uncle's grave.

Nearly a month later Grubbs is fighting a snakelike demon that killed the granny Disciple. He kills it then finishes up the battle. He has been fighting wave after wave of demons that are breaking through all over the globe. He has gathered another group of werewolves but is slowly being worn down. He goes to see Kernel and Kirilli in the hospital. He has been having a reoccurring dream of Bec in Lord Loss's kingdom, and in one of his torture chambers he sees Bo Kooniart. Bec then gets Lord Loss to take them into Earth's first chessboard. Time seems to freeze as Grubbs keeps on peering into the chess room. They return and it seems that Bec has made a deal with Lord Loss, and this assures Grubbs that Bec has betrayed them. For as Bec goes back to her room she hugs Lord Loss after he has agreed to something. Something to do with lodestones. Therefore, they decide to destroy as many lodestones as they can before Bec can get to them, and go to the only lodestone that they know the location of, the one at Carcery Vale. Grubbs, Kernel, Kirilli and two werewolves Curly and Moe with the help of the government and military of the world are quickly there by plane, which the werewolves hate and helicopter which they love. When they get there, they walk around Dervish's old mansion for a while, before going to the cave. They remove the dirt and go into the tunnel and the second cave with the lodestone after Kernel tells Grubbs this might be exactly what Bec and Lord Loss want them to do.

They carry on and Grubbs destroys the lodestone by throwing it at the cave wall and grinding the other pieces together and into the ground until nothing of it remains. Then footsteps approach and Shark and Timas Brauss reveal themselves. They discuss everything that has happened, Shark confronts Grubbs and forces him to confront his fears. He apologizes to Kernel and tells him he will let him go after he opens a window to Bec, regardless of whether he wants to come with them or not.

Grubbs works for hours to open the window, Shark, Timas, the werewolves and Kirilli all go through, and Kernel is lead into it by Grubbs. Going to the Demonata Universe makes him happy for the first time in a long while. The Kah-Gash questions Grubbs before he goes through as well. Kernel sets to work on his eyes while the others relax, then Curly starts acting strangely and Bec's face comes out of her body. Bec tries to convince Grubbs it is over and that he should choose to live like she has. When he refuses, she laughs and warns him about the incoming attack. A window opens up and Lord Loss's familiars pour out as Bec's face disintegrates. They start fighting the demons then four, four-metre tall demons come through and start throwing their fellows into the lake before bowing to it, allowing the lake to kill them. Grubbs realizes that this was the reason why they were sent there to wake the lake, the real, demon master of this realm. Who up to this point was starved of food. They back away but as it splits up, they are out of time. Grubbs takes Kernel and jumps through the window towards Lord Loss's realm followed by the others. Here Grubbs convinces Kernel to help him free the prisoners after he has remade his eyes. They do so, setting all the prisoners free and sending them through a portal to Earth, killing those too weak to move through as an act of mercy. He then gives Kirilli, Timas and Shark the chance to go back but they refuse, he then goads Kernel saying he can't leave now and he doesn't.

They confront Lord Loss and Bec and start fighting the pair of them but Grubbs quickly realizes they are fully outmatched. Moe, Shark and Kirilli all fight Lord Loss but he makes short work of them. Lord Loss tells Bec to kill one of them but she can't. When Grubbs and Kernel try to reason with her, she tells them all those she was loyal to are gone, she gets the original board and the walls melt to reveal thousands of humans. Their souls are trapped inside the board and Bec melts the board killing all of them. When the last human falls the board is still glowing and Death comes from it. Its tendrils caress Bec and one of them enters her throat as she calls for Grubbs to come to her. Kernel has opened a window and Lord Loss, stunned from Grubbs's last attack can't stop him. Shark and Kirilli flee through the window followed by a reluctant Timas. Grubbs follows after the Kah-Gash tells him they could be a quartet with Death, Grubbs refuses to go through and Kernel destroys the window.