by J. P. Rice
“You think they’re going to kill her?” I asked, knowing it was a possibility, but not wanting to believe it.
Alayna pursed her lips, unwilling to confirm my worst suspicions. I collapsed to the ground in physical agony, but more important, my broken heart and shame rushed to the fore. I went over my stupid plan with the return potion. Again and again and again.
Alayna curled up next to me and stroked my hair, but even that hurt. What could I have done differently? Why was I still alive while she was trapped there?
She wasn’t just a demon anymore. Even if I put aside the pregnancy matter, she was a tremendous person and friend. Her willingness to die for the mission tugged at my heartstrings as I reflected on our brief history.
She was perfect, inside and out, and I had killed her. What a stupid plan that was.
As I rolled onto my healthy side to deal with the pain, I noticed my grounder for the security system protecting my Pablo Picasso painting had been messed with. That would only happen if someone had tried to steal my painting. Looking up, I could see plainly from the defense ward that someone had tried to steal the painting.
What the fuck?
Jonathan and Felix should have been the only ones inside my house. I knew neither of them would steal from me, though.
That meant little to nothing right now. I’d gladly give this painting up to have Burn return safely. I’d give up everything, all my possessions and the two million dollars the mayor had promised me. I’d even give up myself in a trade if it came down to it. I discovered my feelings for her were much stronger than I’d originally realized.
Alayna returned to the living room with a few of my medical kits. She mostly practiced magical medicine, rarely using surgical instruments. She extracted a set of clamps and began the procedure.
“What was that whistling that came out of me and what was that green dust you sent out to mix with it?”
Alayna answered, “Did you inhale with the Dragon Horn in your mouth?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Alayna dabbed up some blood, and said, “I believe it means that you are worthy of the dragons. It took a little time for them to verify your intentions, but I think they want to help you.”
“But I didn’t even mean to do it.”
“I know.” Alayna explained, “That is why I sent my own little song up to cancel it. My music created a different language for me to speak with my dragons. In my song I sent to them I told them you are worthy and the next time you send an enchanted tune up to the sky, they should help you.”
“That’s the thing. I can’t do it if I just try. The Warden basically knocked it out of me.”
Alayna said, “Just make sure the next time that music comes out of your mouth, that you truly need the dragons. They still have to confirm that your intentions are pure, but we know that is always true.”
“So you are sure that the next time I make that sound, the dragons will come?”
“We can never be sure when talking about a group I haven’t seen in five-hundred years. However, I feel good about it,” she didn’t speak with a great deal of confidence.
“Nothing like wishing upon a star,” I added through some sniffling.
I hoped Alayna would think I was crying because of the pain. She’d always made fun of me for falling in love too easily, but that wasn’t the case in this situation. I loved Burn the same as I loved Alayna. A respectful, not lustful, love.
She had offered to give herself up so that I could get back that enchanted knife and save my life. I wasn’t ready to feel sorry for myself by any stretch. Perhaps it was poetic justice. I had gotten her killed and now karma had swung the scythe of justice.
Without Burn, my only option was to go straight into the Red Cavern, the home of the demons, and try to steal back my knife. It was a death wish, but somehow appropriate. I would die in the land where Burn was born. Perhaps we would see each other in the next life.
The mental anguish served as a natural painkiller during the medical procedure. Despite the pain of her busted nose, Alayna tried to comfort me with soothing words. Blessed be her heart for trying, but nothing short of Burn walking down my steps would do the trick.
Alayna finished the successful procedure and decided to visit the Deep Burrow to report what had happened and receive counsel from the Celtic Gods. I sank into my couch and languished in my own mire. Everyone had warned me to stay away from that evil land. Even though I’d escaped with my life, I would rather be dead right now.
I figured if death wanted a piece of me, I would go out with a bang. I started planning my suicide mission to break into the Red Cavern of demons and devils and steal back my knife.
Chapter 35
I stood in front of the giant boulder covering the portal to get into the Red Cavern. Time had run out. I had no choice except to bull rush the home of the demons to get my knife back. Nobody had heard any word about Burn, so I needed to sneak in and steal the knife back. It was a horrible plan, but it was the only one I had.
Using my good shoulder, I pushed against the rock that was taller than me. It didn’t budge.
Dressed in my rune suit that had stopped bullets before, I didn’t feel safe. I’d be fighting hundreds, if not thousands, of demons inside their underground lair. I didn’t know what to expect.
They could easily use their claws to rip my face apart or strip me of the suit, rendering me unprotected. There were a million things that could go wrong. To get out alive, I needed everything to go better than I had planned.
I kneeled down for a few moments and thought about my mom. A warm rush brushed my shoulders and neck. The wind dancer. My mother was with me. I closed my eyes and visions of my mom, Alayna and Burn danced in my head.
We were in an empty field and the sweet perfume of the flower buds tickled my nose. My favorite women sat together at a small picnic table in the middle of the field. I couldn’t hear their words, but I could surely see the smiles. Overwhelmed with joy, I levitated over the picnic table.
The three people whom I loved dearly were basking in the glow of sunshine, seemingly without a care in the world. The buzzing sensation of my mother’s spirit danced around my neck and head.
Suddenly, the peaceful image disappeared, and I prayed to my mother.
Mama, please watch over Burn and Alayna. They are special just like you. They deserve the same love and care you gave me. You would love them if you got to know them.
I might see you soon. Keep Burn close if you’ve already found her. I should see you in no time. Please don’t watch over me for the next day or two. Not because I don’t love you. Because I need to do some stuff that I don’t want you to see. It will give you nightmares if you watch the things that are about to happen.
I tried my best with everything in life. I want you—NO—I need you to believe me. I bettered my life because of you, but my time might be running out. I love you more than anything, please know that. Please. You should turn away now, but whatever happens, I will see you again in one way or another. I love you.
As I sniffled, an immense strength ran through my body, boosting my courage. I caught something out of my left peripheral and jerked my head to inspect it. The Dagda, the Celtic God of Wisdom and Power, was standing next to me.
The insanely powerful man drove his shoulder into the boulder. The uneven rock budged and then rolled over, revealing the portal to get to the Red Cavern. Nodding in silence, the Dagda strode off into the woods as if he’d never been there at all. It was the first time one of the Celtic Gods had shown up in my world to help me.
Not wasting any time, I dove headfirst into the blurry red portal.
Chapter 36
As my body squeezed through the portal and it tightened progressively, my mind wandered. Why had the Dagda helped me move the stone? His helpful action provided slight relief until another realization hit me. The Morrigan and the Dagda had a child. I worried that the Goddess of Death had convinced the Dagda to help me so that she could clai
m another victim.
It was too late for concern now. There wasn’t a reverse button for the portal. As the portal kept transporting me to the demon underworld, I prepared for battle. Burn had told me where they were displaying my knife, and the vague directions were all I had to go with.
My plan was to run in, grab the knife, and sprint back to the portal. Genius, right? I hoped they wouldn’t care too much considering the knife meant very little to the devils and demons of the Red Cavern. Perhaps they would see it as a funny prank.
The portal constricted dramatically as I continued toward the Red Cavern. As the pressure came near an overwhelming level, a flash of white light nearly blinded me. When I opened my eyes and adjusted my vision, I found myself in the Red Cavern.
Torches on the wall lit up the small meeting room where I’d met with two of the devils about three weeks ago. Burn had instructed me to sneak through the small opening in the corner of the room. Following her directions, I grabbed a small torch off the wall and entered the corridor. The narrow path was dark, musty and downright scary as three big rats ran into openings in the wall.
I brushed my hand along the wall of the underground hallway. It was chilly despite my body overheating in the furnace-like corridor. I hit the first dead end with only the option to turn left or right. Hoping Burn was correct, I hooked a right and walked down a long straightaway.
Coming to another dead end, I took a left this time. I gulped down all my emotions. A pinprick of light at the end of the path got brighter with each step I took. Taking into consideration I could bump into a demon at any time, I ditched the torch and hastened my footsteps.
Fighting in an open room had much better prospects than getting trapped in a tiny walkway. My heart skipped a few beats and the gravity of the situation landed squarely on my shoulders. I was jumping into the belly of the beast.
The flames intensified as I approached the opening. I poked my head into the room for just a second. Holy shit. Twenty demons including the Jersey Devil filled the room. Not only that, but my knife was hanging on the wall. Another amazing object sat right next to it on a dugout shelf on the wall.
The Harp of the Dagda. He had lost it about a century ago and hadn’t figured out where to find it. The Harp had the ability to change the seasons depending on the tune played. The God of Wisdom and Power helping me move the boulder made more sense now. Unfortunately, that was secondary on this mission.
I stretched my hood to cover as much of my face as possible without affecting my vision. Steeling my nerves, I prepared to make a break for it. I needed to bolt into the room, run up to the wall on the right, snag my knife and possibly the Harp, and get the hell out of, well, hell.
My mouth ran dry and sweat drenched my palms. That meant it was time for some action. Shaking my arms to get all the nerves out, I made a break for it.
Running like an ogre with his head cut off, I noticed a straight path to my knife. It wasn’t until I reached full speed and was about halfway to the knife that the demons realized something was amiss. One demon darted toward the knife and the race was on.
As I neared the wall, the demon beat me. But he snagged the Harp instead of my knife. I stretched out a trembling hand and plucked the knife from the wall. However, it appeared my problems were just beginning.
As soon as my hand gripped the handle, someone bear-hugged me from behind. The demon had tremendous strength and spoke with cigar smoke on his breath. “Put the knife down, and I won’t have to kill you.”
It had to be the Jersey Devil’s raunchy sounding voice. He had a firm grasp of me as I jerked around trying to break loose. I ripped, tugged and pulled, trying to escape the vise grip of the powerful demon. Magic was useless at this point because all I could worry about was not stabbing myself.
The flat of the blade was against my chest. Unleashing a two-part plan, I snapped my head back, butting the Jersey Devil’s chin. As soon as my skull made contact, I quickly wrenched my body in a twisting motion, and suddenly, I was free. The groaning of the Jersey Devil started a smile that stopped abruptly when I realized I’d lost the knife.
I scanned the surrounding demons for my blade. As I gazed around, the demons gasped in awe. Refocusing my attention on the enemy in front of me, my eyes widened.
The Jersey Devil dropped to both knees. He grunted, groaned and then gargled. White foam spewed from the sides of his mouth and he coughed up some black blood. A silver gleam caught my attention and drew my eyes to the Jersey Devil’s chest. Plunged halfway into his chest, the blade of my knife stood at attention.
The other demons hollered at me about how I’d just killed their leader. They closed in on me. I yanked the knife out of the Jersey Devil’s chest and put my back against the wall. Extending the knife, I jabbed at the demons to keep them at bay momentarily.
I could probably take out about ten or fifteen, but eventually I would fall. However, I didn’t have an option at this point. As the Jersey Devil lay dying on the ground next to me, I lunged at the demons. They jumped back, avoiding the blade, but more demons entered the room, making escape impossible.
The demons pulled away the body of the Jersey Devil so they could trap me completely. Just as I sprang into action, a baritone voice called out, “Stop.”
Much to my surprise and the dismay of the demons, my enemies backed away. An enormous figure who stood head and shoulders above the rest shoved his way through the demon horde.
Oh shit. Montidore.
Montidore was a devil, oh, and what else. What else? Oh yeah, he happened to be the Jersey Devil’s father.
This. Was. Not. Good.
This was the equivalent of death. The chance of survival was already slim before he showed up, but I could have escaped against run of the mill demons. Now that a devil was in the mix, death would soon follow.
Montidore stood about eight feet tall and had the body of a dark green were-lizard with bright yellow eyes. He appeared to be a cross between a lizard and a human. His long white hair and beard gave him a mad scientist vibe. His head, arms and legs were shaped like a human, but covered in reptilian skin.
He walked over to the slain body of his son and stared in silence. Cold, chilling silence. He looked at me, then the body, and turned his attention back to me. I prepared for a brawl. If I was going out, at least I could fuck up a devil before I went.
In the most unexpected reaction I could have imagined, Montidore enjoyed a sidesplitting belly laugh. He guffawed for about thirty seconds and kicked the side of the dead body. Stunned, I stood still as stone and waited for his next move.
The devil paced across the room and stopped right in front of me. Staring down with his menacing yellow eyes, he said, “Don’t judge my reaction by thinking that you won’t be punished for this. However, this one was a pain in my ass from the very start. After his failure in locking the gates of hell, he was basically dead to me.”
Damn, I didn’t want to have any sympathy for the Jersey Devil, but I had to deal with a shitty father too. The fact that his death had made Montidore happy was just lunacy.
The devil continued, “I should kill you and let my demons eat your remains. Or maybe I’ll keep you as a hostage. Hmmm. What to do? What to do?”
My life sat in the hands of a devil. I needed a devil of the Red Cavern to be compassionate and forgiving. After witnessing how he’d dealt with the death of his son, I prayed to my mother that I might see her soon.
Aka Manah entered the room, stopped at the body of his fallen associate for a few moments, and walked up to Montidore. Aka Manah whispered into the devil’s ear and the corners of his lips curled up evilly.
Montidore said, “I know what I’ll do with you. You can be my human guinea pig. We are trying to use implants to control the actions of a human body from a remote distance. I will give you a choice, however. You can die right now or let us put this implant into your calf.”
The devil held a tiny silver object on the end of his finger. There was no decision. “I gue
ss that implant is going in.” I tried to appear annoyed, but planned to remove it as soon as I got back to the earth’s surface.
Montidore called for all the demons to exit the room. He summoned his physicians to perform the procedure. Surprisingly, the process wasn’t as painful as I’d imagined. The demon doctor closed the tiny incision, and he and his partner left the room.
Feeling like I’d gotten away with murder, which technically I had, I stood up and put some weight on my right leg. I’d put one over on the Red Cavern. Stupid demons.
Montidore pressed the buttons on a remote control as Aka Manah stared intently at the devil. I felt a light twinge in my calf, but that was it.
Montidore turned to Aka Manah. “We need to work on it. Make a few adjustments.” He tapped his fingers together and looked around the empty room. “Send in the warning shot.” The two demons exchanged remote controls, and the devil looked at me. “I need to show you something before you go, Mr. Merlino.”
Aka Manah left, and a human entered the room, followed by the doctor’s assistant. Montidore ordered them to go to a table in the corner of the room and complete the procedure. Whatever that meant.
The devil set his attention on me, and explained, “My medical specialist will remove the implant so you can see what happens if you should attempt it.” A grin that the Grinch would have been proud of spread across his ugly face.
I watched as the doctor made an incision in the demon’s calf. The doctor then jammed a surgical device into the opening. He fished around for a few moments, and then slowly extracted the implant.
BOOM!
An explosion of red and black blood came from the blast. I crouched down and my face twisted into a grimace at the gruesome sight. Raising my forearm in reaction, I shielded my face. Pieces of the doctor and patient rained down, some larger body parts hitting the ground with a dead thud.