by John Hook
“We don’t actually disagree on that.” Roland let a rare smile creep onto his face. “We just disagree about what that best, most right thing is.”
“So, let me see if I have this right,” Izzy interrupted. “We are going to walk in with the prisoner escort and ask this stupid but dangerous Demon King if we can go to Haven.”
“Good summary.”
“Oh, good. It’s one of your usual plans. I was worried we had something really clever in mind.”
“I didn’t think my other plan would work.”
“And that would be?” Izzy already knew the answer.
“I kick the Demon King’s ass.”
“Glad to see you’ve considered all the angles.”
Blaise shook his head. “Why not go in the gate and duck down an alley. We could do some reconnaissance and proceed on our terms?”
“That would complicate things.”
“How?”
I looked at Roland. He nodded.
“Because the dark men would be obligated to try to stop us.”
“We’d probably succeed,” Roland intoned.
“That’s why I said it was complicated.”
“As I keep stressing, our deal with the Demon King depends on our meeting expectations. There are very particular, almost ceremonial rules about how we conduct ourselves when we enter their part of the city. Most of the rules are there, I’m sure, to maintain their separateness from all humans and, at least in part, to prevent an attack on them. We will never do—or allow—anything that threatens our ability to meet those obligations so long as the demons pose the threat they do.”
“And you don’t think you could march in and take them?” Blaise asked.
“Frankly, we don’t know. They won’t let enough of us in to mount a full-scale attack. Further, we don’t actually know how many demons there are, since we aren’t allowed to see any significant portion of the city. We march in on one avenue that runs from the gate to the great dais where the Demon King holds court. There are enough demons in attendance to have us well outnumbered, though we might be able to fight our way through them. However, we have no intelligence on their true numbers or ability to fight back. They keep things that way.”
“Okay, we do things your way and hope the Demon King helps us get to Haven, as that seems to be where Philip was going.”
“Unless he’s in a cage because they wouldn’t let him go,” Izzy added.
“No.” Roland looked up. “If this Philip is who I think he is, they let him continue on to Haven.”
“They just send him on his way?”
“No, you get demon guides.”
“Probably get pissed at you if you whack the demons.”
“Probably even if you lose them.”
“How badly pissed?”
“Don’t know. It has never happened. Would like it not to. Once you get to Haven, if it exists, whatever it is, it probably stops coming back on us.”
“How nice for you.” Blaise had a bit of an angry glow in his eyes.
Roland studied Blaise and looked back to me. “Is this one going to be trouble?”
“You keep referring him as ‘this one’ and I bet he will.” I commented as Blaise looked amused. “Eventually, you’re going to have trouble with all of us because we have a fundamental disagreement. However, you are helping us and I promise we are not going to have that fight now.” I looked at Blaise. The fire in his eyes faded but did not go away. He nodded.
“What about Rox?” Izzy asked.
“Roland will give her an escort back. She will be under his protection”
“You trust the dark men?”
“I trust Roland.”
I didn’t feel any better than Izzy about leaving Rox on her own with a not entirely friendly group, but it would have been even more dangerous if she struck the fancy of the Demon King.
“Let’s get started. We have a long day ahead.”
“Quentin.”
I looked at Roland.
“The man who came through here, the man you are looking for.”
“What about him?”
“He told of your town. A town where humans were free. The Demon King got him talking and it just came out. The demons were very interested. They were interested in ours too, which is why we made ourselves valuable to them. They may be planning something for your town.”
“No doubt. We dispatched their forward party on our way over here. We’ll deal with that when the time comes. In the meantime, Rox can alert Rockvale.”
Roland didn’t say anything else and we moved out from the great hall.
When we came out to the street, the people of Zaccora were already being rounded up, having been kept overnight in a warehouse on a side street not far from the mansion. They were not bound in any way, but were herded. It was hard to watch. I knew I would not be able to let this go, that I would be back for the demons, the dark men or both. However, for now, nothing would be accomplished by disrupting what was about to happen.
The people being herded were not as withdrawn as the mass of Rockvale had been. They were, in fact, both fearful and hopeless. There were just enough dark men in the procession to insure they were surrounded. The Zaccorans walked four across and there were two dark men on either side of each row with two full rows in front and in back. Roland and one of his trusted captains took the lead. Izzy, Blaise and I formed right behind him. We walked down the main street as if in formation. The streets and any shops or clubs were deserted. No one wanted to be near this grim parade. We marched along following the ribbon of lava that then curved away and we ended up at the center of the city outside the gate. The gate was a solid door of dark, polished wood. We couldn’t see what held its beams together, but it clearly would take quite a lot to even make a dent in it. Apparently the demons really liked their privacy. Two of Roland’s men walked up to the gate and rapped three times with their bats. They then returned to their positions.
For a few moments, nothing happened. Then several demon faces appeared above the gate. They were the same larger gray demons we had encountered coming here. They looked over the procession and then one of them rested their eyes on us. I grinned and made a smarmy shooting gesture at him with my thumb and forefinger. Since there are no guns in Hell, he had no idea what it meant.
“Who are they?”
“They are with me.” Roland explained.
“Why aren’t they with the others?”
“They are seeking audience with your great King.”
“Why would he see them?”
Roland looked annoyed. “Maybe he won’t. Are you going to make that decision for him?”
The demon was flustered. The others made the scream that demons seem to pass off as laughing. Apparently second-guessing the Demon King was out of the question and this demon was uncomfortable with Roland even suggesting it.
“Bring them in,” the demon shouted.
There were another few moments of silence and then the sounds of a large crossbar being slid back. The door apparently had a seam down the middle that I had missed, as it opened from the middle, swinging to either side, pushed by demons. It was clear they were very heavy doors. There were brackets formed of a treated and hardened leather-like material that must have been used to hold the massive beam we heard being slid away before the doors opened.
We entered the walled portion of the city. I don’t know what I was expecting, but the contrast to the human part of the city was startling. Apparently these demons were very different from the more primitive cave-dwelling demons we had around Rockvale.
The buildings were similar to the city outside the walls, except smaller scale. There was very little that was over two stories. Everything was constructed of stone and adobe with wood trim. The walls were clean, almost scrubbed. There were ugly, weedy bushes growing in pots all around, but as scrubby and pathetic as they looked, they appeared cultivated. Many roofs were thatched and they must re-thatch them often because they all looked new.
It was as if, living separately from the humans, these demons actually took pride in themselves. Not that it changed anything. They were still demons. Putrid and ugly and stupid. Petty, psychopathic, entities that drew their pleasure from the torture, sexual exploitation and humiliation of former humans. I would never be able to live with them. I would seek any and every opportunity to exterminate them.
We made our way down a central avenue past throngs of curious and taunting demons. I tuned them out. I saw Blaise starting to tighten up and put my hand on his shoulder.
“There is nothing we can do now that won’t end up with us as protos running through the woods. We will do something. Later. I promise.”
Blaise eased up, but he wasn’t happy. I could see something stirring deep inside him. I could sense that I wouldn’t want whatever was being stirred up aimed at me.
None of us had weapons, of course, unless Izzy had palmed another arrowhead, but I didn’t think so. I looked at Izzy and gave an almost imperceptible nod toward Blaise. Izzy understood and brought himself up with Blaise. We knew if Blaise went off half-cocked, Roland would deal with him before the demons even had to.
We finally came into a large square. Except for where we entered via the street, the entire square was ringed with demons. As we approached their ghastly smiles widened showing their multiple rows of sharp teeth. It had been long enough since I had been a part of such a spectacle that waves of revulsion hit me and the old anger flared up. I pushed it down. I needed to appear goofy and upbeat in this setting.
It was definitely going to be hard. In the center of the square was a slightly raised circular stone dais. On the dais was an absolutely mammoth demon. He was easily twelve feet tall and quite big around. His slick, oily body bulged with muscle. His claws were long and razor sharp and he had a shock of white, very wiry hair pulled back across his head. I had never seen such genetic variation in the tribe of smaller green demons that had been in Rockvale. The other gray demons were themselves of varying sizes and I guessed from how they were grouped and body language that in this demon tribe, size was rank. There could be no mistaking; the behemoth on the dais was the Demon King.
Roland stopped us and made a signal to those behind us, giving a shrill whistle as he did. The dark men moved aside and the demons moved in. From out of the alleys came shirks. I had first encountered a shirk in Rockvale. They were human male slaves, thugs really, that attended to the needs of demons. They always wore the same sleeveless black shirts and black pants and dark boots. They led the captives off none too gently, but for now the captives seemed grateful it wasn’t demons who came for them. As they were brought past the demons, randomly, a demon would lash out with claws as a human passed, tearing flesh. Other demons huddled close-by would start with their inhuman tittering.
One larger demon overlooking the operation grabbed one woman and dragged her off, screaming into an alley.
I could see Blaise about to jump.
“You can’t help.”
“Maybe getting turned into a proto is better than just standing here and taking it.”
“Maybe for you. But it won’t help anything and I think we are more useful if we can help. This is going on all over this world. We can and will do something about it, but we have to pick our battles.”
“I plan to.”
We had been speaking low and turned and faced the King. Roland stood in front of us.
“Who are these, human?”
“They seek an audience with you.”
“Do they? Have them step forward.”
The Demon King seemed delighted as we stepped forward. It was actually more horrifying than anything else. He looked like a big grinning frog.
Roland stood aside. He didn’t look comfortable. I stepped up first with Blaise and Izzy right behind me. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I conjured up all the dopey cheer I could manage and said: “Wow, I didn’t know they piled it so high down here.”
The Demon King let his pride swell, which just increased how demented he looked.
“It is good of you to notice. It is good for you to show your respect for my power.”
I turned to Izzy who had managed to conjure a tee shirt that had a big picture of the Demon King on it, except he really looked moronic with bulging eyes, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth and missing teeth in front. Words were printed around the head that said “Demon King Rools!”
“Oh, yes,” Izzy shouted. “We know we are at your mercy.”
“What do you want then?”
“We had a friend who came to you a short while ago. He may have called himself Philip. He told us he was looking for a place called Haven.”
“Yes, there was one like that.”
“Is this place Haven real?”
The Demon King leaned down and put his face near mine, like someone explaining to a dull child.
“Yes, of course it is.”
“What happened when he asked?”
“I let him go. He was not like the others.”
“We would like to go too.”
“All of you?”
We all beamed. I heard Roland moan behind us.
“Why are you happy? Humans are not happy here.”
“We are happy because we have been able to meet so great and powerful a leader.”
Blaise stepped up. “Anyone can see that demons are great and strong and it is only right we serve them.”
Blaise showed no change in expression, but you could tell his anger was right below the surface. He was getting the hang of this.
“You three are unusual. Do you come from the place of free humans this other talked about?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me, are their defenses strong?”
I thought about this very carefully. I wasn’t sure what a good answer would be, but I knew he would want to invade. If I told him they had good defenses, they would likely keep us for further information.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m not very important. However, I have never seen them be able to defend themselves.
“It pleases and amuses me to let you go to Haven. Perhaps your friend is waiting for you there.”
However the look on the Demon King’s face and the faces of the demons around him did not leave me optimistic.
This had to be a trap. And we were about to find out what.
9.
The Demon King was a true despot. All-powerful and unquestioned, naive in his understanding of the world, without an ounce of empathy or pity for those he oppressed. The demons followed him blindly and never questioned him. He had no wit, no intelligence, no subtlety. Yet somehow he held all, demon and former human, under his sway like a very dangerous child all were afraid to rouse. He had probably never earned his power which, meant someone had most likely laid the laurels upon his head. They were the ones who were really in charge.
I was betting on either a Shade like Janovic, or, more likely, a Manitor. Chances were good that whatever Haven was, I was moving in the direction of that power. I had been lucky with Guido. He had an interest in stirring things up, although I still did not know what that interest was. He had decided I was somehow useful to whatever his motives were and that kept us protected in his territory. However, I knew I couldn’t prevail against his powers.
Well, at least not without the blue energy, a voice whispered inside me. I ignored it. There had been that odd power that I was able to absorb in my battle with Janovic. It was some kind of magic and it felt alien inside me. I gave it back to Guido. That’s not how I operate. I only trust myself and my feelings, not myself on magic or drugs, which to me is the same thing.
If this road led me to another Manitor, it was unclear what I could do if I was on his—or her, I suppose—radar. Not if the others are like Guido, who could foil any attack by simply willing me to the other side of the room. And I have never really seen his full power.
This fell under the category of “things I can’t really do anything about
,” so I stopped thinking about it.
Roland gathered his dark men in formation, this time facing the way out, the gate at the far end of the avenue. He saluted the Demon King and turned to me.
“I hope you find what you are looking for.”
“I’ll be back.”
“I will hope so, although I consider you a troublemaker.”
“Make sure Rox gets back safely.”
“I’ll look after Rox. You have my word. I understand protecting your own.”
I nodded.
Roland stepped to the head of the dark men and led them down the avenue to the gate. I watched them go. I watched the gate close and a gang of demons replace the heavy wooden beam that held the gate shut.
The Demon King assigned three demons and two shirks to our party. It was then as if he forgot we existed. He climbed off his public dais and waddled into town accompanied by the taller demons. We didn’t matter to him anymore. That was interesting. It indicated he was a gatekeeper, but had no real stake in whatever Haven was.
We set off. At the opposite end of the avenue was another gate, but this one had a small door cut into it, allowing anyone with a key to unbolt it. Izzy, Blaise and I stared straight ahead, not wanting to catch a glimpse of something in the demon city that would set us off again. It didn’t help. Every so often we could hear screams echoing against the stone alleys. It made me want to drive my short sword into the Demon King’s head. Unfortunately, I didn’t have it with me.
We set out into the woods behind the city. The three demons took the lead, walking swiftly. They pulled further and further ahead as the elevation started to increase gently. They seemed to have little interest. Behind us were the two shirks. They hung back a ways and also seemed to have little interest in us. They were surly and probably didn’t like us or this job, but we weren’t considered a threat.
“So, where do you think they are taking us?” Blaise asked.
“To whatever it is they call Haven.”
“You think it’s real?” Izzy asked.
“I think we don’t have any idea what it actually is. A good place for humans is not one of the possibilities, but I don’t know what it could be.”