“ENOUGH!” she screamed, covering her ears, her eyes blurring with tears. As soon as she said this aloud, she felt herself hit the bottom of where ever it was that she had dream walked into. The landing was not as hard as she had expected, but it was still hard enough to knock the breath from her. She remained where she had fallen for a moment, crying with her eyes closed, afraid to look around and see where she was. She felt what she thought was grass beneath her, and wondered briefly if Hell had grass.
Then the rattling began. It sounded as if thin slices of bone were sliding against each other, a sound that turned Annaleah’s blood cold. It was quite loud, as if whatever produced it must be at least ten feet tall. If this were a snake, she thought through her terror, it must be the most horrifying one ever known in any realm. All the more reason to keep her eyes shut. Along with the sound came a low, resonating growl that came from everywhere at once and filled the air with its vibration. It began as a low, throaty timbre and rose just sharply enough to become a little louder than the sound of rattling bones, letting her know just how much danger she was in.
Annaleah didn’t want to open her eyes, but curiosity won out over fear, and she found herself looking at something that stopped her heart for several beats. Before her was a chimerical creature, its head lowered to the ground, putrid breath streaming from its flared nostrils. The head was huge, shaped like that of a monstrous dog, though it was covered in large boney scales. As she looked closer, she could see these scales covered its entire body, each one vibrating against another, producing the wretched rattling noise. The creature’s eyes were burning intensely, and though one glowed a faint red color and the other a sickly green, they looked human. The mouth was curled into a menacing snarl, the lips black and roped with drool, barely covering sharp daggers of yellow teeth as long and thick as her fingers. The neck was thick and stout, and though covered in scales, there was evidence of powerful musculature. The body was that of an enormous cat, from its paws to the curves of its legs. It held itself in a predatory stance, as if ready to pounce on her. From the shoulders of this beast grew giant white bat wings, bloodied and torn, spread wide in the air before her, as if to let her know of its dominance over her. Arched over its back was a long white scorpion tail, its deadly stinger dripping thick, colorless venom. Instead of being covered with a carapace of any sort, the tail too was embedded with scales of bone, all vibrating against each other. No other part of this creature moved, making the beast appear to shimmer.
Annaleah was too frightened to move, though the sounds this strange creature made rose in volume so much so that she desperately wanted to cover her ears. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks as she imagined what this thing might do to her, the pain it would inflict on not only her body, but upon her very soul. For this was the sort of place where souls went to be punished or destroyed.
Annaleah closed her eyes and sent up a silent, heartfelt appeal to her Goddess. It was a simple prayer, but because of its sincerity, laden with power. “Please,” she intoned with all the strength her emotions could muster. “Help me.”
From high above came the piercing screech of an owl, followed by the fluttering of wings. As if startled, the terrifying creature before Annaleah raised its head to look for the source of the sound, and folded its wings back slightly, ceasing its own growling and rattling. Annaleah, emboldened, also turned to look. It was Bubo, eyes intense, beak open and claws spread and ready for an attack.
“Bubo!” Annaleah cried, sending gratitude up to her Goddess for hearing her. The nightmarish creature turned away from the advancing owl at hearing her speak, and gazed at her hatefully, which proved to be a mistake. As its huge head turned to look at her, Bubo flew by Annaleah, the wind from the owl’s mighty wings bringing a rush of fresh air. As the beast opened its mouth to growl again, Bubo caught the side of its head in her claws and tore at its flesh. The creature reared up on its hind legs, the mighty wings spreading as if it were about to take flight. It tried without success to swipe at Bubo with its sharp ivory claws. The roar of anger and pain the creature gave was equally as terrible as the growl, and much louder.
Looking around for something she could use as a weapon, Annaleah saw some large stones lying in the sparse grass. She grabbed one of the larger ones and took careful aim at the beast that fought Bubo. To her delight and amazement, the stone struck the creature and embedded itself in its sickly green human-esque eye. Howling in pain, the beast shook its head, trying to shake off Bubo and loosen the stone from its socket.
“That’s quite enough!” said a loud male voice, and though it rang with authority, it was also seductively melodic. At once, the creature stopped its frantic efforts to disengage the owl and the stone, and dropped its head in a sign of submission and respect. Bubo also stopped fighting, and, releasing her claws of scaly flesh, flew to Annaleah’s side.
Looking around for the source of the voice, Annaleah spotted what she thought was a very tall man, surrounded by a bright reddish-orange aura, walking towards her. He moved through the gloom with supreme grace, as if he were gliding over the ground. His clothes were black and fit loosely, flowing behind him like ink as he came closer. His hair was long and blood red, and moved around him slowly as if it were alive, though there was not a sigh of wind in this forsaken place. The long tresses flowed beside and behind him in a mesmerizing manner, as though he was under water and the currents were moving his hair languidly. Behind him were what appeared to be large wings, the same bloody red color as his hair. Though they were folded tightly to his back, Annaleah could see that they were much different than those she had seen on the Professor, and inspired terror instead of awe. They appeared to be made of scales and leather. She couldn’t tell if they were wet, or just shiny and slick. The man’s face was very pale, his features sharp and angular. He looked almost fairy like, though far, far more dangerous.
A voice spoke inside Annaleah’s mind, one she found at once to be familiar and strange. A woman’s voice told her, “Don’t look into his eyes, Annaleah, whatever you do.” Before she looked quickly away from him, Annaleah saw the man smile wickedly as if he had heard the voice too.
“I hope Tantibus here hasn’t scared you too much, Annaleah. That wasn’t much of a welcome I’m afraid,” said the man whose hair seemed to slowly dance of its own accord. Like a slow fire, if fires burned under water, she thought, still not daring to look at him after the warning. His voice was hypnotic, musical and serpentine. He turned to address the beast, whistling for it to come to him. The creature obeyed, its head lowered as it came to his side.
“Be still, Tantibus,” the man told the beast. Reaching long, thin fingers towards the stone embedded in the beast’s eye, he plucked it out, and then began speaking in a tongue Annaleah recognized at once from her dreams. Almost immediately, the creature’s wounds were healed.
“Now then,” said the man, straightening. “I see you have one of your guardians with you, Annaleah. Very well. I have no wish to fight with you. I have come to make you an offer. I am Satanael, and you, my dear, are in my domain. You have come to the very outermost part of it, as should you have come any further your survival would not be assured. I can make certain for you, however, that no matter where you go, you will be safe. You have power within you child, the likes of which no one has ever seen before, but you lack the ability and knowledge to control it. Let me show you what you are. Let me be your teacher. I will give you all that you desire, fulfill every dream. I will make you rich beyond imagining, more beautiful than Helen of Troy, wiser even than King Solomon. I can teach you to harness your power so that none oppose you. There must be so much confusion going on within you now, little one. So much is happening, and yet you have no idea why. Look at yourself in my presence child, you are glowing. Can you feel your blood coursing faster, hotter, stronger? Do you know what you are?” His words were like a musical chant, spoken with a serpentine accent, seductive, dangerous and otherworldly.
Annaleah did feel different, as
if she were both bursting apart and coming together all at once. She noticed that the man before her did not appear to be as tall as she had thought, and then she realized he had not shrunk, but she had grown. She looked at herself, and saw arcs of light moving like fire beneath her skin, like those she had seen in her dream with the Professor.
"You see," continued the man before her, "you are not who or what you have thought yourself to be your whole life. You, my dear, are quite special.”
He looked away, as if reflecting on the importance of the words he was about to tell her. “Why do you think you are having these dreams? Why do you think you are changing in my presence?”
He shook his head and made a tasking sound. “So misunderstood all of your life; ridiculed, mocked, even openly despised. The humans among you could tell you were different, and they hated you for it. That is what humans are so very good at, hating and fearing those who aren't like them. They could feel it every time you were near them, but none of them ever took the time to figure out why you were different or what made you that way.”
Satanael paused, leaning closer before he continued. When he spoke again, his voice had deepened in its timber.
“How lonely you must have been, yet you never hated them for it, did you? It only drove you to stand out and to be who you are, even though you still aren't sure what that means. Your innocence is precious. It is a beacon to those of our kind.” Satanael straightened up and took a breath, watching her keenly. “You see, you and I are not so very different. Though we may walk different paths, we are of the same lineage.” His voice held a sense of pride, as though she should know what lineage he meant. “I say to Hell with those who didn't try to understand you, who opposed you for your remarkable, wonderful differences from them. They didn't deserve to breathe the same air as you!”
Satanael spoke so convincingly that Annaleah looked at him for a moment, but avoided his eyes. He looked passionate and angry, his mouth drawn in a tight line.
“I will never let you feel lesser than anyone else again, nor will I tolerate others disrespecting you. I will show you what it is that you are, Annaleah. Come to me, be my disciple. I will tell you everything."
Annaleah considered his offer. Her heart raced and her breath became ragged with anxiety. Her mind spun blindingly fast inside her skull, which made her close her eyes to steady herself. It was a tempting offer, but one laced with danger. She could feel trickery oozing off of him. Though he was skilled at hiding it, still it hung in the air between them, a silent but present energy in the air.
Yet, she wanted answers. He was powerful, that much was an utmost certainty. What was it that he knew, and could it be possible that he would indeed protect her?
He leaned back, his arms crossed, giving her room to contemplate his offer. He looked so self-assured, as if he knew she would say yes to him. Annaleah looked briefly to his face, still avoiding his eyes. Smugness clung to him.
His words had held power, seduction, and the promise of a certain knowledge withheld from her for far too long. He emanated an energy that was calming and intimidating in equal measure, something akin to an enchanted delirium. Still his hair moved about him, like serpents dancing a dance of disillusionment.
There was too much trickery about him, and Annaleah’s instincts told her to run. This was not a man who could be trusted, powerful and full of promises or not. His offers were tailored to suit her temptations. Her wishes were played upon, his seductive voice plucking at the strings of her wants to elicit an unyielding desire to say yes.
“Resist him, Annaleah!” the voice cried again, snapping her out of her daze. It was spoken with desperation. Clarity came to her again, washing away what felt like a hypnotic enchantment. He was a trickster, and a liar, this she knew instinctively. She had to fight him, and she had to do it now before she lost her willpower and gave in.
“Don’t say yes,” Annaleah told herself in her mind, as she struggled to disentangle herself from his enchantment over her. “This is Hell and you are talking to the Devil Himself. He is the master and father of all lies, he is tricking you!”
Annaleah prepared to tell him that she had no intention of following him, when she opened her eyes and accidentally caught his gaze. His eyes were strange, deadly and beautiful, the same blood red as his hair and wings. As she looked into them, panic fluttered in her heart, as she remembered the warning not to look into them. It was too late, she was instantly hypnotized, drawn into his mind by his sheer force of will. She saw herself dressed in fine clothes and wearing beautiful jewelry, adored by both men and women. She saw herself writing strange symbols and felt the knowledge of countless generations fill her mind. Great power filled her veins and surged in her blood, making her more self-assured than she had ever felt before. She saw scenes where others bowed before her and accommodated her every wish, fervently hoping to gain her favor in return. She felt herself being seduced by the man who stood before her, his lips hot fire on her skin, his skillful ministrations bringing wave after wave of ecstatic pleasure. There were diamonds and gold draped on her, silk sheets, champagne, berries, chocolates and candles. Heady, intoxicating incense smoke filled the opulence of the room.
"All of this is yours, and more," his voice spoke within her mind. His words were low and soft, dripping with seduction, and they soothed her fears, as if each word uttered had reached inside her soul and stoked her into submission.
Somewhere off in the distance, Annaleah heard the familiar call of her owl guardian, this time echoing loudly and with determined ferocity. Hearing the screech, she was brought back to the desolate darkness, the spell broken as Bubo flew against this mysterious man. It was almost painful to be released from his enchantment. Feeling somewhat drunk after looking into his eyes, Annaleah tried to take in the scene before her. Bubo had flown at Satanael, her wings flapping angrily in his face in an effort to break the eye lock. Satanael reached out and grabbed Bubo effortlessly, throwing her down beside Annaleah. Bubo fell with a cry of distress, feathers floating out around her.
In horror, Annaleah rushed to Bubo’s side and knelt beside her, reaching out to smooth her feathers as tears began to stream down her face.
"Bad choice, Annaleah. I want you to remember this when my legions are ripping you and your loved ones’ limb from limb. I am not an unreasonable being, child. I offered you all that you could have ever wanted.” His voice sounded thicker, laced with disappointment and a modicum of sadness.
“I would have made you my queen!” he said, awe coating his voice, “In return I get your guardian's wrath. I have been nothing but kind and respectful to you, Annaleah. This is how you answer my offer of such gifts?”
Again he made the tsking sound, and shook his head.
“Such a pity. Now go. Prepare yourself for war."
As soon as his last word was uttered, Satanael stood no more before her. The creature called Tantibus was gone too, as if they had never stood before her at all. Annaleah looked down once more to see if Bubo was alright, and saw that the owl was glowing with a soft golden light. Curious, she touched the bird gently, and gasped when the owl did not move or respond.
"Bubo!" She cried, more tears stinging her eyes.
"It's alright, Annaleah, " said the same female voice that had spoken in Annaleah's mind earlier. She turned toward the source of the voice and saw a woman bathed in golden light. She was dressed modestly in a simple white lacy dress that fell just above the knee. Her hair was long, blonde and curly, her eyes a piercing shade of pale, burning green. She wore a pentacle around her neck on a silver chain, and no shoes on her feet. She looked like Annaleah, if Annaleah were a bit older, and smiled at her with love in her eyes.
"Bubo will be just fine. She is a special bird, an avatar. She offered to carry my spirit to you. She is still while my spirit is free, but she will be okay, I promise. Do you know who I am, Annaleah?"
Annaleah walked closer and nodded her head. "Are you my...mother?" The woman smiled at Annaleah, her eyes sp
arkling with love and warmth.
"That's right. I am your mother. I am so very proud of you, Annaleah. Look at you, all grown up. You're so beautiful." Annaleah reached out to embrace her mother, but went right through her form.
"I am not a physical being anymore, even in this place," her mother explained. "Though someday you and I will be able to hold one another again. You haven't much time left here, honey. You dream walked here to this awful place, but there was no way I was going to let you come alone. You need to know so many things. You must talk to Seth. Tell him what you saw here. He knows a lot more than you think. It is time for your Uncle John to tell you what he knows of your father, too. He may say some things that might hurt you, but you’ll know the truth from the lies.”
There was so much Annaleah wanted to say, so much she wanted to ask. It wasn't fair her time was almost up. She had never wanted to come to a place like this, but now that things had turned for the better, now that she was with her mother, she didn't have much time. It wasn't fair.
"I am always with you, my darling. Don't ever forget that. You are so much more special than you now know, and I’m not saying that because I’m your mother. I’m saying it because it’s true. I love you, Annaleah."
Through her tears, Annaleah said, "I love you too, Mom."
Then she felt a sensation of floating, only this time it wasn't exactly falling, it was more a feeling of being sucked upwards very quickly. Again came the confusing sounds of voices that Annaleah couldn't quite understand. She was falling upwards at such a quick speed that she didn't see anything this time, in fact the rush of wind was so great that she did not open her eyes, until all at once the feeling of being pulled upwards faded.
She heard the beeping of a machine, and voices again, and when she tried to open her eyes, found that the room was brightly lit, and full of doctors and nurses.
The Otherling Page 13