by Amy Sumida
“I thought Buddhists were supposed to be peaceful?” Ty asked with horror.
“They are”—Sakuya smirked and pointed to the pictures—“and this is why. Every sin is judged, and the Buddhists are very critical. They even count the killing of bugs.
“Bugs?” I widened my eyes at her. “Even cockroaches?”
“Yes; all life is precious.” She laughed. “Souls must pay for every killing. The trials ensure that each type of sin is dissected and judged so that the soul is punished or rewarded appropriately.”
“No wonder they're such nice people,” Sam huffed. “I'd be a vegetarian saint too.”
“You think this is bad?” Sakuya lifted a brow. “This is only Meido. If you wind up in one of the Hells, you could experience anything from being buried in excrement to being thrown in molten metal. There's even a Hell called The Flaming Cock.”
“J-man Christ!” Sam swore. “What the fuck is wrong with those people? Why do they have to go straight for the dick?”
“It's not that kind of cock.” Sakuya giggled. “It's a giant rooster that breathes fire.”
“Okay; that's just ridiculous,” Sam settled down.
“Tell that to the people being chased by a giant, fire-breathing rooster,” Trevor said.
“Can we get back to the dick-biting cats?” Ty asked.
“I'd rather not.” Ted grimaced.
“The cats are for the men, but women get snakes,” Sakuya said. “A giant snake slithers into a woman's vagina and the depth they are able to achieve determines the woman's sexual sins.”
“That's it!” Ty threw up his hands and turned around. “I'm out! No penis cats or vagina snakes for me, thank you.”
Chapter Forty-Three
After researching the various landscapes we'd have to cross, we concluded that only those of us with flying capabilities should go into Meido. We'd have to cover a lot of ground and it would be far better to fly over this particular ground than walk it. That dwindled our number and prompted us to call in Azrael and Ira. Death would get to go to Hell, after all.
Azrael was overjoyed to get out of our territory. Ira; not so much.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ira huffed. “I'm not going into Meido to rescue some woman I barely know.”
“Ira, you're Famine, for fuck's sake,” Sam huffed. “Grow some anorexic balls.”
“My balls are just fine,” Ira growled. “And I'd like to keep them right where they are. Did you hear about the cats?”
“What is with you angels and the cats of Meido?” Sakuya chuckled.
“I'm not too thrilled about the pussy-snake either,” I huffed under my breath. “As much as I feel a kinship to snakes, that's not the type of connection I want to experience.”
Odin chuckled.
Kirill, Trevor, and Toby had returned to Pride Palace and sent Azrael and Ira back without them. So, our group was now the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Odin, and me. Oh, and Sakuya, of course. She couldn't fly, but one of the angels would carry her; we needed her to guide us.
“The cats can't fly,” Sam said. “And we won't be landing until we see Enma or Amy. Okay?”
“And what if we have to go into Jigoku?” Ira asked. “Did Sakuya tell you about all of the Hells?”
“She mentioned a couple,” Odin said warily. “Why?”
“Let me enlighten you,” Ira ground out. “Their names are previews of what transpires in each one. There is The Black Sand Cloud, Excrement, The Five Prongs—you don't want to know about that one, Starvation, Searing Thirst, Pus and Blood—I can't even.” Ira shook his head and looked as if he were going to puke. He took a moment to recover before he went on. “Then there is Single Bronze Cauldron, The Many Bronze Cauldrons, The Iron Mortar, Measures, the Flaming Cock, The River of Ashes, The Grinder, Sword Leaves—that one is beyond fucked up, Foxes and Wolves, and Freezing Ice. And those are just the minor hells. The major ones are—”
“Okay.” I held up a hand. “We get it; you had us at Excrement. The point is that we're going, and you don't have to come along if you don't want to.”
Ira deflated. “Well, fuck, Vervain. I can't let all of you go without me.”
“Then what are you squawking on about?” Sam asked.
“I was trying to talk some sense into you,” Ira grumbled.
“So, you're coming?” I asked.
Ira grimaced and nodded.
“Yes! The Horsemen ride again!” Ted shouted.
“We're not taking our horses, are we?” Ira asked in shock.
“Oh; I guess not,” Ted simmered down. “We have to enter through Japan; so it's probably best not to bring them.”
“Especially since the entrance is underwater,” I added. “Speaking of which; we'll need wetsuits and Scuba gear.”
“I'll have them delivered to the lake,” Sakuya said. “We can trace directly to the temple and go from there. Just give me a few minutes to make the preparations.”
Sakuya pulled out a cell phone and dialed as she walked a few feet away.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Carus?” Azrael asked. “This is a lot to go through for a woman who has never done anything for us.”
“Amy will get our backs when we need it,” I said confidently. “And frankly, I think we may need it soon.”
Azrael grimaced. “You may be right.”
“They need an hour to get our gear to the temple,” Sakuya said as she came back over to our group. “Shall we look over the scrolls while we wait?”
“Not necessary,” Sam said. “If we're just flying above Meido, all we need to know is how to recognize Enma.”
“I can do that,” Sakuya said. “But I think we should take a look at the terrain just in case we have to land.”
“She's right,” Ira huffed. “Not all of the dangers of Meido are earthbound. There's a portion where fireballs rain down from the sky.”
“How do you know so much about the Japanese Underworld?” Odin asked.
“I study Underworlds.” Ira shrugged. “I thought it might give me some insight into the human mind.”
“Did it?” Odin asked.
“Oh yeah; they're all fucked in the head,” Ira growled.
Chapter Forty-Four
We looked over the scrolls.
Ira was right; there was indeed a section where “balls of red-hot iron” fell constantly from the sky. We made a plan for Odin and I to shift into dragons so that the others could fly beneath us through that section of Meido. Being fireproof and strong sure did come in handy.
After we prepared as best as we could, Sakuya traced to the Bodai-ji Temple on Mount Osore and then texted a picture of a bare patch of rocky land to me. We all used the image to trace to her and came out of the Aether directly in front of Sakuya. All around us was the bleak, pitted landscape of a volcano crater that was tempered by the lush, green mountainsides around it. Patches of grass trailed into the pale, rocky soil determinedly, and even a few trees managed to make their way into the basin. At the center of the bowl laid a serene lake. From a distance it seemed lovely, but when I focused on it I noticed the wavy yellow lines of sulfur striping the waves that slunk up to shore and the sparse patches of reeds that grew in the shallows like the hair of a teenager's beard. Then there were the bubbling pits of dark liquids, and vents which emitted noxious gases spotting the area. The whole place smelled like a pack of wet, farting dogs.
“Is this the Bog of Eternal Stench?” I asked as I wrinkled my tortured nose.
“Smell bad,” Sam intoned right on cue.
“And we have to dive into that?” Ira asked as he eyed the odoriferous lake.
“My people have just arrived.” Sakuya pointed to a little parking lot.
The parking area was set near an arching, red bridge which led to a traditional Japanese temple. The main entrance was a sort of gatehouse. There was an open passage beneath a two-story building with tiered, upward sloping roofs. To either side of this path were glass enclosures holding intimidat
ing statues of menacing, red-skinned men. Just beyond this lay the temple; against the emerald backdrop of the crater's mountains. Beyond that was the Bog of Eternal Stench—I mean, Lake Usori.
Lake Usori; it's pronunciation sounded like “you sorry,” as in “You will be sorry if you swim in it.” I thought it very appropriate.
We followed Sakuya to a white van; the small, boxy, Japanese version of a van, that is. A couple of smiling Asian men climbed out and bowed deeply to Sakuya. They went to the side door of the vehicle and opened it to reveal boxes of wetsuits and Scuba gear. There were even little boots called tabi that were flexible and had a separation for the big toe. The men bowed again before heading toward the temple; leaving everything to us.
“Where are they going?” I asked.
“To see the Itako, I imagine,” Sakuya said. “Either that or they want to enjoy the hot springs.”
“There's a hot springs up here?” Azrael asked. “I don't know if I could relax with this smell.”
“You know; I've never thought about the fact that the Fire Kingdom lies over a volcano,” I mused. “The magma is constantly flowing, and we even have hot springs, but there's no sulfur scent.”
“Fairy volcanoes don't stink,” Sam declared with a grin.
“Thank Faerie for that.” I chuckled. “Like literally; I should thank her.”
“The hot springs here are for pilgrims and tourists,” Sakuya explained. “But most likely, those men will be visiting the Itako to commune with their dead loved ones.”
“Say again?” I cocked my head at her.
“The Itako are highly trained mediums,” Odin explained. “I've read about them; they're blind women who use the mushrooms that grow around the crater to communicate with the dead.”
“They do shrooms and talk to dead people; got it,” I said.
“Sadly, their numbers have dwindled,” Sakuya went on. “These days, the Itako have begun to take women apprentices who can see.”
“So sad.” Ira rolled his eyes.
“Ira.” Ted smacked Ira's shoulder.
“What? It's not like they can actually communicate with the dead,” Ira huffed.
“Actually, they can,” Sakuya protested. “The skull mushrooms put humans into a state where they can send their consciousness through the portal in the lake and touch the souls beyond it. Once the souls have passed beyond Meido, they can't be contacted, but the dead travel through Meido for forty-nine days; during which prayers and offerings are made for them, and they can be contacted by the Itako.”
“Skull mushrooms?” Odin asked as he looked around. “That sounds fascinating.”
“There are three types of mushrooms that grow here,” Sakuya said as she handed out wetsuits. “The Big Skull, the Princess Skull, and the Demon Skull; they are all hallucinogenic.”
“Really?” Odin asked.
“Odin, we don't have time to pick magic mushrooms,” I said gently.
“I suppose that I can come back later,” Odin huffed; his bare face making him look like a pouting teenager.
I pressed my lips together so that I wouldn't laugh.
“You're like a science geek in a god's body,” Ted teased Odin.
“A hot god's body,” I murmured.
“I'm completely all right with that assessment,” Odin said and then winked at me. “Both of them.”
We got suited up, locked the van, and headed for the lake. It wasn't as smelly as I'd thought it would be; most of the fumes were coming from the steam vents. We got our masks in place and waded into the water under the curious stares of tourists. Sakuya led the way into the deeper portion of the lake. Then we went underwater and followed her through the murky dark.
Sakuya switched on an underwater lamp; lighting up the gloom while simultaneously making it look even creepier. It was like swimming through miso soup; Sakuya's light could barely penetrate the clouds of minerals and streams of sulfur looming in the water. Still, she seemed to know the way and took us straight to the rim of the volcanic bowl of the lake; where it pressed against the volcano. The water grew warmer the closer we got to the side, but the creepy feeling persisted.
Then Sakuya dove to the bottom of the lake; where a slight shimmer gave away the invisible doorway to Meido. Sakuya disappeared into the rock—right through the illusion of its solid surface—and we followed her. Once we made it through, a rough current took us, and we were tossed about awhile until we were finally able to surface and locate the shore. Along the way to the beach, we encountered anaconda-sized snakes, but they took one look at our living bodies—and one whiff of the magic within us—and swam in the other direction.
“I hope the rest of the creatures here have a similar reaction to us,” I said as I shrugged out of my gear.
“They may,” Sakuya said. “These are avatars of magic made with one purpose alone; to torture the souls of the dead. The living don't matter to them.”
“They have enough to keep them busy.” Ira pointed to a male soul who was trying to swim across the river.
The river was so wide that it seemed to stretch for miles. But the soul hadn't made it very far before he was covered in snakes and screaming. Massive, scaled bodies tightened about him, and glistening fangs struck into his “soul flesh” over and over. Down from him a few feet, more souls were wading through shallow water; they were bit occasionally, but nothing like the poor man who was both literally and figuratively in deep water. Then, past the easier shallows, there was a gleaming bridge, and a couple souls strolled across it unmolested. Before the bridge, on our side of the river, a large Japanese man sat at a long table. Souls stood before him in a line; waiting to be judged.
“That's King Shinkou,” Sakuya whispered. “Let's try not to attract his attention; at least not until after we've reached a safe altitude.”
Odin and I found a rocky corner for privacy and got undressed before we shifted into dragons. We left our Scuba gear and wetsuits behind and emerged to find the angels unfolding their enormous wings. It was hard enough to keep a low profile on the ground, but once we were airborne, souls started screaming and pointing in our direction. King Shinkou stood as if he were going to approach us. But he was too late; we were already flying over the stunned god as he gaped up at us. Sakuya waved gaily at him and called out something in Japanese.
“That way.” Sakuya pointed. “Toward the glow.”
“You got it.” Ted—who was carrying Sakuya—angled toward the horizon.
“Second star to the right and straight on till morning,” I said with a toothy, dragon grin.
Chapter Forty-Five
I've been to several hells and seen some horrible things. The tortures of Tartarus took me months to get over. But all of those hells paled in comparison to the torments of Buddhist Purgatory. We flew over giant, blue-skinned ogres who were yanking the clothes from the souls who made it across the snake river. They hung the wet garments over the branches of a creepy tree. At first I thought they were trying to dry the clothes for the dead, but then I watched one poor soul walk up naked. He got flayed and then his skin was hung instead. Oh yeah; it got gross. I looked away and flew faster.
We made it into another zone of Meido where more demon creatures—Sakuya called them Oni—cut the limbs from the dead before tossing the souls into a boiling bay. Then there was the region with the cat and snake duo. I had thought that I had prepared myself for seeing the test of Lust, but this cat was no ordinary house pet. A monstrous feline—with features closer to a demon than a fluffy kitty—gnawed on male genitalia like cowboys with Rocky Mountain oysters. And I'm not even going to talk about the snake. There's not enough lubrication in the world to make that situation bearable.
After the snake and cat, we flew over an area where souls got strapped to a giant scale and weighed against boulders before they were sent across the fireball region Ira had warned us about.
Yes; we finally came to the famous, fiery, iron-ball rain of Meido. The iron balls came barreling out of the sky to
hit the souls like meteors striking the Earth. They burned the shrieking Buddhists; breaking their soul-bones, and blistering the feet of anyone unfortunate enough to step on one.
Flying through that flaming hail was difficult at best; impossible at worst. The balls were too heavy to deflect completely and too numerous to avoid. Odin and I both took damage to our wings, and our entire company had to land. We ended up picking our way across the blasted earth with our wings tucked in tight, and the angels cowering beneath our bellies with Sakuya. But it was the last step of our journey and the very next king who waited to judge souls was Enma.
We came out of the iron-ball storm onto a bare stretch of sandy rock with relief, and the Buddhist souls cringed out of our way as we strode up to King Enma. He sat in a wide, wooden throne that was placed between two pillars. Each pillar was topped with a disembodied head; one female and one male. The female head shrieked when she saw us, but the male only scowled—along with Enma.
The death god got off his throne and strode down to face us; his expression furious.
“Who dares to enter Meido without invitation?” He growled.
“Shut up, Enma, you know who I am,” Sakuya hissed. “Now, where is Amaterasu?”
“I wasn't talking to you,” Enma snapped. “I want to know who these gaijin are.”
“The dragons are Odin of the Norse and the Godhunter. The angels are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” Sakuya announced gleefully.
“Quite the company you're keeping,” Enma looked from us to Sakuya. “But it doesn't make a difference; you can't have her back. She entered here freely and attempted to steal souls from Jigoku. Amaterasu is mine by law.”
“Fuck your law,” Sakuya growled. “It doesn't apply to Shinto gods.”
“It does when you're in my territory,” Enma lowered his wide face to Sakuya's. “I am the ruler of Meido, and I say that Amaterasu broke our laws; she stays.”
“Look; I'm tired, hungry, and now, I'm getting angry—hangry, if you will,” I said. “So, I'm going to make this very simple. Give me Amaterasu—unharmed—and the souls which you first stole from her, or I will eat all three of your heads.” I looked pointedly at the two—now terrified—disembodied heads, to Enma, and then down to Enma's crotch. “Make that four; I'm feeling inspired by the hellcats.”