by T. G. Ayer
Aeacus rose and pointed one finger at Gavriel, as if in accusation. Evie did not expect the bolt of pure light that sparked from the Judge's finger. It struck the angel, then merely circled around Gavriel in an flickering embrace. At once, Gavriel was encased up to his shoulders within a black marble pillar. It would have held most people but the Judge had forgotten they were dealing with God's Archangel. Not some puny human. The marble shook as if an eruption was building up within the column, and before Evie could exhale Gavriel burst from the column in a shower of black stones and dust.
It appeared that she had misjudged the God-men who sat before her. Minos rose and from his side he drew a gleaming silver-white object shaped like a lightning bolt. Heavy artillery. He pointed the bolt at Gavriel, aimed and let loose a thunderbolt so loud the building shook and the snakes hissed in unison.
Gavriel had no chance. None at all.
Shocked and horrified, Evie stared at Gavriel, or rather, what he had become. The bolt had not disintegrated the Archangel as she had expected to. No, it had in fact cast the living Gavriel into a solid statue. A strange glow radiated from him. From his skin and face and body. She was sure the shimmer had nothing to do with the Angelic nature of the prisoner. Perhaps it was whatever power emanated from the bolt that now entranced Gavriel into an un-moving solid statue.
Great.
How was that for helping her out? Immediately Evie had the grace to be ashamed of her ungratefulness and her ingratitude. Gavriel had brought her all the way only because she'd wanted to come. No matter how much he disagreed with her, he supported her all the way. What in Hades was she supposed to do with Kampe in Gavriel's absence?
She steeled her voice and twisted her fingers around each other to stop the shaking. "If that is the collateral what are the boons?"
"The boons are what you came here for. You wanted to speak to Daniel? So you shall. Gavriel here shall have the chance to see his wife in Elysium." Almost as an afterthought he said. "And there shall be a boon for you which ... well let me just say you will know it when you receive it."
Evie shivered.
But it was not fear which rippled through her body and coursed through her very flesh. It was pure violent anger at being duped. She was about to say just that when she caught Gavriel's eye. His entire body was petrified. All except his eyes. The skin and flesh below his right eye were frozen much like the rest of him, pulling his face into a grotesque, almost unrecognizable shape. But Gavriel still managed to stare straight into her soul.
His voice echoed in her mind, like a spirit lost.
Don't say a word. This is all you are going to get. Take it. And be careful.
Chapter 21
Evie stood outside the temple feeling bereft and alone. Part of her was glad she left the judgment hall. Seeing Gavriel solidified in the pillar was unbearable enough without the terrible knowledge that his life, and probably hers too, now lay in the success or failure of her task.
Kampe.
What did she know about Kampe? She was a half-woman, half-dragon who could probably eat Evie alive just for looking at her. And Minos thought Evie was capable of finding this Pearl, whatever it was? He was sending her on a mission to retrieve jewels. She stopped herself from shaking her head in disgust.
But just maybe he knew she was not capable, knew she would fail. And when she failed he would have Gavriel and Evie both stuck down here in Tartarus for as long as he pleased. She wouldn't put it past him either. She didn't trust any of these Judges. Not with their track records. Evie suspected the three Judges had an ulterior motive for the task. It seemed as if they had been well prepared for her request. Whatever it was they were after, Evie could only wonder.
Her feet were now planted on the first step of the marble temple. They felt like lead weights. Like the rest of her body. It was impossible. She stared out at the black valley, her heart heavy in her breast. Impossible. She had no idea where to go. Gavriel was incapable of telling her. She hesitated and glanced over her shoulder, peering into the darkness of the black temple. Perhaps the Judges would give her some direction?
But, when she returned to the Hall, all that remained was the stone Gavriel. She stood there for a long and silent moment, studying the angel. When Minos had struck him with the bolt Evie had thought he'd transformed Gavriel into a solid form of himself. On closer inspection she realized she'd been wrong. The angel was encased in a clear tube of nothing, as if embedded within a pillar of glass, unable to move, unable to help her.
Angry, and frustrated, Evie hit the column with the flat of her hand, the sharp crack of skin hitting solid glass rang through the Hall, mocking her from the carved cornices, and the engraved pillars encircling the Hall.
Gavriel stared back at her. Shared frustration simmered between them.
"Help me," Evie cried. Then considered how incongruous her words were. She straightened. She was not the one encased in a pillar of glass. She, at least, was able to walk around, breathe, talk.
She lay her heated forehead against the calming coolness of the pillar.
Well, at least it's good for something, she thought, angry with herself and the Judges.
At last she raised her head, to say goodbye to Gavriel. She had to leave. Be on her way to find Kampe. Gavriel met her eyes and within them she found not an ounce of hopelessness. Just strength and encouragement. As if this test was just routine.
He held her eyes, steady, then looked directly at where the Judges had sat.
Evie followed his gaze and found nothing. The marble table and chairs were gone. Not a speck dust out of place to indicate they had even been there in the first place. Evie threw a questioning glance at Gavriel to find him staring at the Hall again but this time he raised his eyes a bit. Assuming he meant to look past the Hall, Evie trained her eyes at the furthest end of the temple and noticed something marring the solid blackness of the marble. Her feet took her there of their own accord and she bent to pick up a gleaming black feather. Larger than an angel's feather, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow, it sparkled against the dark marble. Evie stared at it as if it would soon tell her where it came from.
She shook her head in disgust. The feather was about as much help as Gavriel was. Evie opened her mouth and was about to ask the voiceless Gavriel what now when a screeching caw reached her ears.
The demonic bird which had chased them from Tantalus to the temple.
"That's the plan?" She looked at Gavriel. "You want me to enlist the help of a giant scavenger that just a few minutes ago wanted to have me as a snack?"
The look in Gavriel's eyes said that if he were able, he would be shaking his head, fed-up with Evie. He almost rolled his eyes and Evie felt a spurt of laughter rise in her throat.
"Okay, okay. I take the hint. I'll find the bird. Don't go anywhere okay. I'll be back." Evie spoke the words over her shoulder as she walked back to the entrance to look for the flying monstrosity with claws larger than her head.
She scanned the sky and didn't need to wait long. The avian monster swooped past, screeching at Evie like a mother scolding her young, sending a dusty, musty odor up her nostrils.
Despite her instinct saying this was most probably the stupidest thing she had done in a long time, Evie walked to the edge of the cliff. The drop to the valley below was sheer and deadly, and normally heights did not affect her, but today her stomach heaved at the sight.
"Show me where Kampe is," Evie shouted out as loud as she could, certain that Tantalus and the poor water-bearing women would hear her too.
The bird circled above Evie, as if it had heard and understood nothing. Evie sighed.
Well it was worth a try.
And she had taken Gavriel's advice so he wouldn't be able to point a finger at her for resisting his advice. She sighed and watched the bird make a wide circle above her head, then head off down the valley toward a pass up ahead.
There she goes. Probably has something better to do anyway.
Evie was about to
return to Gavriel with the news of her lack of success when the creature banked wide left before making a full turn and flying back toward her. Its great black wings sent a draught of hot air toward her. It circled above her again and flew off in the direction of the pass. Once more, and Evie was certain the bird showing her the way.
Evie descended the stairs, keeping an eye on the large, dark splotch in the grey sky. It circled above as if to be sure Evie was following. Reaching the valley floor, Evie kept her eyes on the bird. Strange creature. Its wings glimmered as it flew, as if its dark feathers hid something beneath it. Something extraordinary.
Following the bird on foot became increasingly tedious and Evie decided that flight would be much more speedy and enjoyable too. A niggle of doubt irritated her, her inner voice reminding her that she shouldn't attract too much attention. In spite of her doubt, she breathed deep and centered her energy on her back, focusing dense pressure on the seam which encased her wings. Her back bulged with an answering pressure, but that was all. Evie tried again and nothing. Frustrated she tried one more time, then resumed walking, a dark scowl painting her face. Disgusted she cursed the Judges.
Another one of the tricks of the Gods of Judgment. Something they had conveniently omitted to tell her. Evie wasn't surprised. Those guys didn't seem to be the most honest of types. Evie gritted her teeth. Neither she nor Gavriel had come before the Gods to be Judged. What right did they have to pronounce a judgment and a task upon her?
Julian.
His scroll had been crucial to Evie gaining access to Tartarus, even if it meant she had to perform this task. She wondered if he would have had any power over these three Stooges to relieve her of this task?
Now forced to walk, Evie undertook that task with bad form. How long she was able to stay angry would depend on what progress she made in her task. Heading to the pass she craned her neck to see the tops of the two walls of rock as they rose and almost touched at their closest points.
She passed through the natural gateway, feeling insignificant and tiny. A mere speck of life in this dark dead place. Even the light of an angel is nothing within Tartarus and now she couldn't even use her wings.
Chapter 22
The change in the landscape was confounding.
Passing through the gateway Evie moved into another world. Lava had flowed in rivers within this valley. Evie stood at the edge of a deep ravine dotted with columns of stone which provided a pathway to the other side. Evie's knees quivered when she looked down into the depths of the slash in the earth. A river of boiling lava flowed slow and steady within the chasm. It seemed the rise and fall of the burning river had eaten away at the rock pillars to such an extent that some of the pillars balanced on rock columns the thickness of Evie's hand.
She decided it was best to avoid those particular columns.
Still, the rocks gave Evie cold sweats, even in this sauna of a place. The bird still circled above, cawing as if asking what the delay was. Evie hesitated. With her wings bound by the stooges she had no way of saving herself should she fall from one of those columns.
The bird cawed again. Gavriel. Julian. Even Daniel. Reasons for Evie to steel herself and move ahead. She had to get the Pearl and free Gavriel. The only other option was to make herself comfortable here in Tartarus, as without the Pearl there was no way out. Even her visit with Daniel took a back seat when it came to Gavriel's life.
Evie stepped out onto the nearest stone pillar. Her knees shook and she knew that was not a good idea. She had to keep it together. There was the sense of each stone step as a floating table, so fragile, with the river of molten rock moving far below. Evie stepped onto the next stone, her heart shattering as the edge of the platform burst into a shower of shale and fell away into the red river below. She took a deep breath and focused on the next stone, stepping onto it and moving her balance as gracefully as possible. Progress was interminably slow.
Each stone seemed further and further apart until Evie found she was halfway across. Her heart thudded. The next stone step was further away, so far that Evie had to do more than lunge to make it safely onto the flat surface. She'd need a running jump to launch herself across the gaping maw of the ravine. But she didn't have sufficient space to take the leap. And without her wings she had no way to add to her anti-gravitational abilities.
Half-way there. But how to go forward without breaking her sorry neck. Evie glanced over her shoulder. But she knew that Minos was not above supplying her with any sort of temptation to force her to stray from her task. The stone path was challenge enough. Evie faced forward and eyed the next step. It was all or nothing. Looking behind her she moved to the very edge of the step then held her heart in her hand as the heel of her boot slipped. Stone shattered, spitting from beneath her foot and sending shivers of horror through Evie's body. She tamped down her hysteria even as it rose to break through her throat. She steadied herself, took a good look at the column beneath the pillar to ensure it would not break in two beneath her weight. Good.
It looked solid.
Evie took a deep breath and ran. Pushing hard, knowing she didn't have enough of a running start to take her time. At the edge she pushed off, flailing her arms hoping by some miracle it may increase the airflow beneath her. But something was wrong. There was a warm downdraft that seemed to pull on her weight and Evie felt herself begin to fall. In spite of the pull, she still persisted, aiming for the stone.
But she was falling. Perhaps to her death.
Fried angel.
Falling.
Behind her shocked lids she saw Patrick in the monastery garden grabbing hold of her ankles the first time she flew. The first time she threw a coin into the Trevie fountain in 200 AD. Patrick arguing with her for tending to the injured on the battlefields of the Holy War, risking her life because she was not immune to death. Isabella, the beautiful little girl she'd played with who grew to be a ruthless Queen. Ling, who mouthed off at Evie the first time they met. Ash's incomparable beauty that was sometimes blinding. Even Flash and his quirky smile.
Then her fingers caught at the edge of the step, heat bursting over her fingertips where her nails ripped off as she grabbed the edge of stone. She held on, her heart thudding, everything now hinging on whether she was able to get herself back up again. Without shattering the stone.
It seemed impossible now.
Her feet dangled in the air above the roiling lava. Her useless wings pressing against her back, wanting out. Evie hated herself for relying on her wings so much. But her training had not been for nothing. All that sword-fighting shooting with her bow had strengthened her upper arms. Slowly she put all her strength into her upper arms, using her muscles to pull herself up on her fingers, high enough to hook an elbow and a knee over the edge.
For one fearful second Evie's head swam. Fear. Vertigo. It didn't really matter. All that mattered was that if she gave in it could well mean the death of her. So she grabbed on harder. A knee found purchase, then a thigh. She hung butt down until she got her breath then lifted herself over the edge and collapsed dead center of the step. She'd be hyperventilating soon if she weren't careful, but she lay still and tried to think of something happy. But all she could see was Gavriel's stony face and staring eyes.
The bird cawed and brought her back to reality.
Back to the realization that she lay shivering upon a column of stone which could potentially collapse into the molten river below. Evie roused herself, pushing through the lethargy of shock which gripped her, clouding her vision.
Slowly Evie got to her feet, pushing up through the quivering in her knees. Thankfully the next two steps were easy enough to maneuver, just two small leaps which were fairly stress-free. Not so easy when one's knees were wobbly, but she made it. When she reached the last one her heart fell.
The other side was too far away. Too far to jump. She peered over the edge. The ragged remnants of another stone step lay between her. The last step before freedom. If she jumped and missed she would
be skewered like a piece of meat, with jagged pieces of rock piercing through her body.
The breath that left her was somewhere between a sigh and a wail. Now what? Going back was not an option. Going forward seemed impossible. This was beginning to be too much effort. Why did she ever say she wanted to see Daniel? If she had known there was this much effort involved she would easily have just dealt with her awful murderous parent by forgetting him.
She certainly hadn't had it in mind to be risking her very life for him. She sighed and reminded herself of Gavriel, stuck in his glass column prison. Of his eyes staring out at her unable to express what he wanted her to know. Of the possibility he could see his wife in Elysium. It was now for Gavriel that she risked her life. A part of Evie no longer cared if she ever got to see Daniel. But for Gavriel she could not give up. Thankfully she had understood what he meant about the bird.
The bird.
Evie scanned the skies, craning her head to find the damned creature. The skies were a constant drab grey, dull as ever. Stood to reason since no sun shone in the underworld.
She squinted. There it was, flying a tight circle, high above her. So high it was a mere speck of dust in her vision. Evie waved, then figured waving wasn't going to get the birds attention, so she put two fingers into her mouth and let out an ear-splitting whistle. Long and loud enough that the bird would hear.
It worked. The speck became a blob, and soon transformed into a noticeable bird shape. It didn't take long for the creature to be close enough that Evie could see the striations of rainbow colors glistening in the oily blackness of the feathers. The bird flew past her, buffeting Evie with a gust of air.
"Help me," she yelled. Then she laughed at herself, shaking her head as tears filmed her eyes. She was actually talking to a giant bird.
She looked up and gritted her teeth in frustration. The creature had no idea what she wanted it to do. It tired of flying past her in long sweeps and drew away from her. Then it turned, swooping back down on her like an eagle aiming its deadly talons at its prey.