by Alexie Aaron
“I don’t imagine it’s a step to sit on like Brian has, but I don’t really know what Mia will face. It’s her pit - or is it? It could be the demon’s.”
“I’m going to stay behind and wait for her,” Ted said.
“No. I will stay. I can hide from the beast.”
“Why is it always you that saves her?” Ted asked.
“Ted, I’m sorry for the problems I have caused the two of you. I’m a selfish, immature, insecure being. For that I’m sorry.”
“I’m not exactly winning any prizes for my confidence either. She deserves better. After I smack her backside, we are going to have a serious talk,” Ted said and walked off.
Murphy pushed his hat back on his head in surprise. He tried to follow Ted, but a thick line of salt stopped him. While they had been talking, Ted had covertly surrounded Murphy with salt.
“What is this place?” the demon asked Mia.
“It’s not the island. I kept my promise,” she said, looking around at the pink-fog-filled landscape. It was cold and hot at that same time. “What do you despair of the most?” she asked it.
“Never knowing my name.”
Mia concentrated and forced the being, first, from her mind and then from her body. The demon that stood with its back to her had a humanoid form. It had nubs where wings must have been. The creature stood seven feet and had a muscular form that was eerily familiar to Mia.
“You’re one of the fallen,” Mia said. “Turn around.”
“No, you’ll be upset with me.”
“Why?”
“I’m naked and, er, happy.”
Mia took off her jacket. “Here,” she said, placing it in the long fingers of the demon.
“This isn’t going to cover much.”
“How about I keep my eyes upward?” Mia offered, knowing she would probably check him out anyway.
The demon tied the sleeves behind his back and let the garment fall forward like an apron. He slowly turned around.
His face was triangular, and it sported a goat’s beard. Horns protruded through the skin of the forehead and curled backwards. His eyes were fearful, orange in color with big black ellipses instead of round pupils. His nose was more of a snout, and the teeth that were exposed, even when its mouth was shut, were canine.
“You hate me.”
“No, I don’t. I admit I’m not fond of flesh-eaters, but I don’t hate you. You’ve changed.”
“How?”
“You’re very insecure. Ah, damn, I just figured out what I despair of the most,” Mia said.
“What?”
“Insecure males. I attract them like locusts to a wheat field.”
“But I’m not insecure normally.”
“Then it’s this place. You see, I took you to the Pit of Despair. It’s where the priests send the demons in New Orleans.”
“I should be mad, but you did get me off that damn island,” he said. “So where do we go from here?”
“I haven’t a clue. Mbengar mentioned that there were minders. Hello? Is anyone about?” Mia said, first in English and then in Demon.
The demon-with-no-name looked at her. “You speak demon.”
“A little bit. It’s very hard to learn. Without a demon to converse with, I’m afraid my tenses are all over the place.”
“I could converse with you. Please don’t leave me alone,” he begged.
Mia narrowed her eyes. “I’m not leaving, but I do think we shouldn’t just stand here.”
“I like your boots. I’ve seen steel like that before,” he recalled.
“They used to be a shield for an angel,” Mia said. “Come to think of it,” she said, reaching behind her. “Looky here what I have.”
“That’s an archangel’s dagger!” the demon shrieked.
“Shush,” Mia warned.
“Are you going to kill me?”
“I will if you keep crying. Man up.”
“Oh, that was so sexist,” a familiar voice said from behind her.
“What was that?” the demon asked, clinging to Mia’s side.
“It’s who was that.” Mia moved cautiously forward through the pink fog. It occurred to Mia that this was her least favorite color, and she really hated this hue of pink; it reminded her of Pepto-Bismol.
“Don’t leave me!”
Mia stopped, turned, walked back, and grabbed the hand of the demon before she walked into the pink fog once again. “What I most despair of is this color of pink, insecure males, and being responsible for insecure males,” she amended.
“That’s why you’re so attracted to me,” Abigor said. The fog dissolved around him. The commander of sixty legions of demons wore a finely appointed black suit with a rich blue brocade vest. His dark chocolate eyes adorned his handsome face. There was no doubt of his military background. He radiated an intensity that weakened Mia’s knees.
Mia dropped to ground, pulling the demon-with-no-name with her. She waited in silence.
Abigor took a moment to take the dagger out of Mia’s hand before he helped her to stand. He placed a foot on the back of the demon to separate him from Mia.
“Mia Cooper Martin, what brings you here?”
“I was going to ask you the same question. I seriously doubt a Duke of Hell would be babysitting the Pit of Despair.”
“How astute. One of my squires alerted me to your presence. You don’t belong here. You’re upsetting the minders. And what is that thing you have brought with you?”
“Long story short, it’s a flesh-eater that I made a bargain with. If I got him off the island on which it had been exiled, he would stop Lamia from killing my husband, friends, and various crewmen.”
“Are you still married to that tall fellow?” he asked.
“Yes, Abigor.”
“And you said Lamia. I haven’t heard of her for hundreds of years. Who is this?”
“The demon-with-no-name.”
“No, he’s a myth.”
“I don’t know who he is, but on the island where he was exiled, he’s very powerful. He eats fresh human brains by punching through their skull. I don’t know why he’s acting like a big baby, but I assure you, he’s normally quite impressive,” Mia said, mortified.
“It’s the pit,” Abigor said. “It’s making him this way to torment you. Normally, they don’t get twofers down here.”
“Gee, I feel lousy right now,” Mia said.
“Why?”
“I sent a sweet demon I used to be engaged to down here.”
“I know. Who do you think my squire is?”
“Sticks?” Mia asked, her face lit up with happiness. She caught the beginnings of a pout from the proud Abigor and said, “You chose well. He’s the heroic type.”
“I noticed the boy does shine when it comes to taking one for the team,” Abigor said. “But I fear, I’ll have to kill him now.”
“No!”
“You like him more than me.”
“No, I don’t. It’s the pit. It’s making you insecure,” Mia said quickly. “No one is more handsome, more powerful, with one fallen exception, than you.”
“Good catch,” Abigor said. “Sticks, bring a leash.”
Sticks arrived. He was taller than Mia remembered. His twiglike arms had grown into branches. His face bore a noble look. He handed Mia the leash.
Mia started to put it around her neck.
Abigor cleared his throat. “Not you. Around your pet,” he ordered.
“Oh,” Mia said, blushing. “He’s not my pet.”
“He is until I say he’s not,” Abigor instructed.
“Yes, Duke.” Mia knelt and slid the strange fiber around the thick neck of the demon. She looked to Abigor and asked, “Can he stand?”
“He does have two legs…”
“I mean, may he stand?” Mia corrected.
“Yes, come on, I do believe I am feeling a wee bit insecure,” Abigor said.
They walked for a while in the fog.
“I hear you have new wings.
”
“They’re too big, but yes, they’re beautiful.”
“They caused quite a scandal topside.”
“There was a misunderstanding caused by a jealous birdwoman.”
“Mia, entities are always going to be jealous of us. You have to learn to deal with such pettiness. God made us beautiful.”
“I appreciate you lumping me in with you popular kids but…”
Abigor laughed. Sticks waited a beat and joined in.
“Where are we going?” Mia asked.
“It takes a while to get out of the pit, doesn’t it, Sticks?”
“Yes, but it is better than being eaten by a snake,” the demon commented.
Mia winced, remembering her folly when she first dealt with the tree-living being.
Abigor laughed. “Oh, Mia, you are a delight.”
“Why are you torturing me?” Mia asked.
“Because you brought your problems to Hell. Did you expect a parade?”
“No, but I didn’t expect to be part of a parade,” she said, pulling on the leash. “Can I have my sword back?”
“It’s a dagger, and no you can’t. It’s mine now.”
Mia frowned.
The fog cleared, and Mia saw a gate before them. She stopped.
Abigor sensed this and turned around. “What’s wrong?”
“I take it that’s the exit.”
“Yes, we use a lot of gates here. It impresses the lower demons.”
“I’m not sure of this, but I get the feeling when we exit the gate, whatever makes my pet compliant and insecure will stop.”
“Yes, and you will no longer be plagued with insecure men. Here anyway,” Abigor added. “I can’t control your world. Yes, I can, but Lucifer would be irritated with me… again.”
“The demon-with-no-name was exiled to the island and his name stripped from his own memory for a reason. I don’t want to bring something horrible past this gate.”
Abigor did a double take. “Are you telling me you’re concerned about Hell? What gives you the balls to think you know better than I…”
Sticks stepped in front of Mia. “Sir, she fears what this demon could do if he was to learn his name. She is protecting our kind.”
“And you, my squire, are protecting a human. That takes some nerve, Sticks.”
“I’m still fond of her. I don’t want her ripped into little pieces,” Sticks said.
“Don’t punish him,” Mia said. “I’m the one. I’m the one who has messed up again.”
“Now you’re protecting each other. Lucifer, what did I do to deserve this?” Abigor asked. “Sticks, she’s a married assassin. She kills our kind. She came here with a dagger.”
“Sword,” Mia said.
“Dagger,” Abigor corrected. “An angel’s dagger.”
Mia put her hand to her head. The stress of the situation must have given her a headache. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. “I know,” she said, turning around, looking at the demon on the leash. “I know who you are. I know your name.”
The demon looked down at Mia, his large orange eyes filled with questions, but he dared not ask them.
Abigor reached over, caught the leash, and jerked the demon to the ground.
Mia fell prostrate too. She knew better than to push a demon lord.
Abigor lifted her up, using one hand, and flipped her over his shoulder. “Sticks, take the demon to a holding cell. Make it a strong one. Mia and I need to have a little confab.”
“Don’t hurt her,” Sticks said.
“Why does everyone think I’m capable of hurting women?” Abigor asked. He smacked Mia’s backside and warned, “If you cry on my suit, I’m going to do worse.”
Mia bore the humiliation in silence.
“She’s in trouble, isn’t she?” the demon-with-no-name said.
“Yes, she is.”
“She knows who I am,” it said.
“She does.”
“I just wanted my name back.”
“By all accounts, you’re a horrible demon,” Sticks said. “There will be a judgement.”
“Yes, there will be a judgement, but I will survive it as long as she does.”
“You don’t fool me. You don’t care about her as much as you fear, if Abigor kills her, you will never know your name.”
“That…” the demon stopped talking. On the island, he would have agreed with the walking pile of sticks, but something stopped him from doing so now. “It would be a problem if I never found out my name, but I would be sad to see such a creature end her days on earth.”
Chapter Thirteen
Whit watched as the boat arrived. Ted jumped out and carried a small Pelican case into the jungle. He returned quickly without it. He assisted the crewman with turning the Zodiac around. He waved Whit’s group over who were waiting on the rocks.
“Come on, not much time,” he said. “We’re going to try to make it over the reef and move within the eye until we get to a sheltered cove.”
“What did you leave here? Is it contraband?” Whit asked, too conflicted to just let things be.
“Just some C4 Patrick was going to use to excavate. The captain refused to try the reef again until it was taken off the boat.”
“I don’t blame him,” Whit said, helping Ted to push the boat into deeper water. The team got in, and Whit took a firm hold of Ted’s collar and pulled him in the boat.
“Why did you do that?” Ted asked, rubbing his neck.
“You had the look of someone who really wanted to stay,” he said. He studied Ted’s face. “Damn, Mia’s there, isn’t she?”
“I’m not sure. She was planning on exorcising the demon and taking it to Hell with her. If she returns, I don’t know where she will return to.”
“Where’s Murphy?”
“I salted him in my room,” Ted said.
“Let’s get the men safely on the boat and come back for her,” Whit said.
“WAIT!” someone called from the beach.
Whit and Ted turned to see Anders running into the water.
“Don’t leave me here!”
“It could be a trick. That’s the container the demon moves in,” Whit said.
“If Mia was successful, it’s no longer there. Anyway, if it’s the demon, then it can’t cross the reef. It will turn to ash. I believe one of the ghosts will be able to see if the man is possessed,” Ted said. “Plus, it would ease my worries if I knew I wasn’t leaving Mia on the island.”
“Crewman, circle back. We have another survivor,” Whit ordered.
Bob turned the boat.
Anders swam fast and hard to shorten the distance.
Together, Whit and Ted pulled the man into the crowded Zodiac.
Anders coughed out some swallowed water before he spoke. “The demon left me for a blonde woman. The rocks below her opened up, and the woman jumped in.”
“Is there still a hole in the rocks?” Ted asked.
“No, she caught the edge with one hand. I reached out to save her, but she let go and the hole closed.”
Ted sat back.
“What is it?” Whit asked.
“She’s not coming back to the island. She closed the portal. She’ll have to find another way out,” Ted said.
Daphne took the opportunity of Ted being off the boat to enter his cabin. She wanted to find out more about the tall passenger. A home phone number or email was her objective. The man wore a wedding ring, but in Daphne’s mind, marriage was only an obstacle. This guy had to be rich to travel in such style, and Daphne liked rich.
The cabin looked like a whirlwind had hit it. Sabine Norwood’s clothes were hanging out of the drawers. Daphne took a moment to straighten them. She hadn’t seen the woman in a while. She must have been taken off the ship by the Coast Guard, which left Mr. Martin on his own.
The sitting room was clean with the exception that someone had spilled a lot of salt. Daphne walked out and returned with a small vacuum and cleaned the mess
up. If she was going to seduce Theodore Martin, she was going to do it in a clean stateroom.
No longer trapped by the salt, Murphy moved quickly out of the stateroom to the outer deck. He saw the inflatable boat overloaded with people. The crewman steered the boat on a direct course for the Azure. Because of this, the boat was jostled by the existing waves. Murphy moved out over the water to the boat, conscious that the seawater leeched some of his energy away.
Mia was not on the boat. Besides Bob, it carried Ted, a large blonde man, and Whit and his men. Murphy needed to check the island before the yacht moved too far for Murphy to return to it safely. He moved into the veil and then over the water. He stepped out of the dimension and onto the beach. He followed a trail from the beach and paused at the black plastic box labeled with “Caution: Explosives” stickers on it. This must have been the C4 the captain ordered off the ship. According to Burt, C4 needs a great shock or friction to cause it to explode. Still, the captain had the right to demand it be taken off the boat. It was setting atop a volcanic shelf. They must have figured out that it would be safe here until it could be collected.
“If I were Mia, where would I go to perform the Pit of Despair ritual?” he asked himself. The rain-soaked ground answered him. “Inside.”
Murphy moved at ghost speed. He found a vent that led downwards. Rushing through it, he all but tumbled into a large cavern. Most of the place looked like a sluice full of disgusting, decomposing biological parts. Mia would have looked for higher ground to perform the ritual. He moved to the high ledges, searching them for a place that would not only hold the chalk, but would be large enough to open the trap to Hell.
There were ghosts drifting around. They moved like lobotomy patients in a black and white movie. Murphy was careful to not make eye contact with any of them. It was cruel, but his time was short. Moments later, he found what was left of the rectangle. He could see where Mia had smudged the side to close it after her. She wasn’t looking to come back this way. He worried that she wasn’t thinking that she was coming back at all, but he pushed that from his mind.
The cavern shuddered. He saw the ghost population move to the center. They seemed to line the body of water in the middle of the place. Rocks tumbled off the walls and rolled through the spirits into the water. Something was happening above him. He had a bad feeling it was the beast.