The Devil's Highway (Journeyman Book 4)

by Golden Czermak

  Adrienne’s response was calm and collected and as such, Marcus calmed down too. “When the two of you left, the Ring’s protection just… stopped … and Joey was quickly being overwhelmed by the poison. We had to cast a spell, essentially freezing him in a moment of time, though the poison is still working its effects. Whatever this shit in him is, it’s potent. I’m terrified that if Joey makes it through, he’s not going to be the same person anymore.”

  “It’s not a matter of if, darlin’,” Gage corrected, giving her another light peck, “just when.”

  “I hope so,” she responded, “because this is wearing on me.”

  “It must’ve been when we went through the doorway,” Marcus said, still transfixed on what had happened. “There was a large doorway in the mountain itself, Ady. It was absolutely massive and I’ve never seen anything like it – so different than the Peruvian gateway we pulled you from. There was an actual frame with panels, so many things I can’t even describe carved all over them. That portal worked differently than the other one too; a two-way passage instead of just an exit. We were sent to another world and when that happened, the Ring’s power must not have been able to cross the threshold back here. Seems to makes sense, though with any of the Solomon Six I’m shooting primarily in the dark.”

  “Another world?” she asked after a short giggle. “That’s certainly promising! Speaking of the artifact, did you happen to find the next one while you were there?”

  “Well yes, we did find it but there was a complication,” Gage added, his expression gloomy. “Like a massive cock-up bigger than the one you’re used to.”

  “Why is it you always manage to make good news turn bad so quickly, Gage?” Adrienne said, face washed over with concern. “That doesn’t sound good at all. So are you telling me the trip was unsuccessful?”

  “Sadly we are,” Marcus said, stepping back; he took a seat beside her at the window. “One of the demons probably has the next treasure. At least we know which one it is – the crown.”

  Adrienne's heart sank, filled with so many questions.

  Looking at Gage, he was indeed crownless; the thought of him running around with one on his head sent shudders down her spine. His ego was big enough already and a halo would have swelled it to epic proportions. She imagined his head so large that he couldn’t fit through the entrance portal, quickly shifting to a random vision of him wearing a sparkling tiara. She couldn’t help but snicker, until her eyes found his again. “Shit,” she continued, returning to the serious nature of the conversation. “Do we know what the Crown of Immortality actually affords Dajjal? I mean he’s already an immortal, right, so there can’t be that much of an added benefit?”

  “He has the benefit of us not having it,” said Marcus, his face pressed hard against his calloused hands. “Whatever else it does do; it isn't going to help us out for sure.”

  Adrienne creased her forehead, rubbing on it; she felt a headache stirring in the recesses of her brain. “Wait… wait one a second. You said one of the demons has the artifact. As in more than one. Not just Dajjal? Seriously, what fresh hell is this?”

  Gage sputtered, knowing full well that she wasn't going to like his upcoming answer. “A Hell Knight’s been thrown into the mix, Ady. Just keeps on getting better, doesn't it?”

  “Jesus, which one?”

  “Botis,” Marcus replied. “With an ego just as big as Dajjal’s. With both of them there, we had to get out quickly, shit and snow hitting the fan. Because of our hasty departure, we weren't able to see which of them finally got the crown from the king of the frost giants.”

  “I highly doubt Dajjal is gone and you have got to be kidding me. Frost giants?” Adrienne asked, astounded. “As in the Norse ones? On second thought, don’t answer that for me as I've clearly fallen into a universe full of crazy and you're going to have to pull me out of it again, guys.”

  Just then, the door jostled and creaked its way open.

  Ty walked into the room and was surprised to see Gage sitting there, since it had just been Adrienne and Henry at Joey’s side since he had arrived. Councilor Jane Carter had even paid them a visit, promising the full resources of the Order at their disposal. Regardless, Ty knew who the large man was, though the same couldn’t be said the other way around.

  Gage wondered for a moment who the oddly familiar man was, getting confirmation once Marcus laid eyes on him.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Marcus sneered.

  “It’s such a pleasure to see you too, brother.” Ty was unfazed by his sibling’s tone of voice, as if this type of exchange was normal for them. “It’s been what, two years at least –possibly three?”

  “I’m serious, Ty,” Marcus rebuked, leaving the question unanswered. “What. Are. You. Doing. Here?”

  Ty sighed. “Did you not leave me a message, Marcus? Or did you expect me to ignore it, not following through like you’re so used to doing since you get overly wrapped up in paperwork?”

  Gage was feeling uncomfortable, not having seen this side of Marcus before. He was prepped for it based upon their road trip to the Peak, but things are normally much different in reality than played out in the mind. This was like watching an argument, when forced to be in the same room, unsure if you should stay or go. Gage chose to stay quiet and stay put, but readied himself to break up a fight before it happened.

  He didn’t have to wait long, Marcus shooting up and out of his chair.

  “Yeah I got in touch with you, jackass, and you didn’t answer or return my call,” he said, raising his voice several levels. “So you’re damn right about that, I didn’t expect you to heed shit.”

  “Well, despite what you’re claiming I showed up after your call,” Ty contended, “and you were the one that wasn’t here. Just like after mom and dad were –”

  “Don’t even talk to me about them,” Marcus decreed. “You’ll only tarnish the memories I have left of them and those are few and precious. And if you didn’t already know, I wasn’t here because I was out there, oh trying to save the world. That’s a damn sight more than your reckless ass has done.”

  “Save the world?” Ty responded. “Leaping from a cog in the corporate machine to adventure seeking Journeyman! That decision took what, an hour to make? Listen, you may be working on noble things Marcus, but don’t presume for a second that you have any idea what I have been up to.”

  Gage started to speak up, “Now come on guys, let’s stop this before…”

  “Nothing good, I bet,” Marcus snapped.

  “Oh really?” Ty said as he snapped his fingers. The letters inked on the back of his right hand glowed with a faint red light again, this time causing Joey to convulse aggressively as the spell was ended. His body jittered like a fast forwarding video cassette tape before falling still once more. He was breathing normally, like taking a nap.

  “Don’t you ever fucking do that again!” Marcus shouted. Brother or not, there was a reckless rage that overtook him and he bounded toward Ty, ready to take out years of pent up aggressions on the man who just harmed the one he loved. He didn’t get far though, Gage striding between the two of them. He pressed a hand against Marcus’ chest, feeling it shaking violently underneath.

  “Whoa there,” Gage said in an attempt to calm his friend. “Now’s not the time; we’re all pretty high strung right now.”

  Marcus didn't answer, glaring at Ty while his own breathing continued to be labored and heavy with animosity.

  Gage glanced over Ty’s way, too. “As for what ya just did, broski, I’m gonna have to agree with Marcus. Do that to Joey again and I’ll personally make sure to kick your ass into next week.”

  Ty nodded, respecting Gage’s reputation. He was rather impressed with his brother, the fire in his eyes signaling that he had finally emerged from his shell.

  “Your friend is alright,” Ty said, pushing up his glasses as they tried to slide down the bridge of his nose. “I probably deserve getting throttled and a lot more, but
I figured that the Ring’s power had returned and the spell could safely be removed.”

  “You figured?” Marcus shouted again. “What you really mean to say is that you just assumed something once again and took a reckless course of action. You’re a goddamn piece of shit!”

  Adrienne shifted herself, looking at Gage rather wildly, their awkward expressions probing each other on what needed to be done to break this up. Thankfully the conversation’s steam seemed to be dwindling on its own.

  “You know Marcus, as much as I love this little family reunion, in due time I promise that you can let loose on me for all these years we've never gotten along. But right now, we really need to focus on your better half laying in that bed. The demonic crap inside of him has got to be drawn out.”

  Marcus turned away from him sharply.

  “Ya okay buddy?” Gage asked before lowering his hand in response to Marcus’ nod. “Take a seat and a load off for a little while.”

  Adrienne had been looming protectively over Joey since the spell was removed, mainly to stop him getting injured any further. “If you both are done… Ty, you mentioned a cure earlier. Can you please fill in Gage and Marcus – without yelling?”

  “Yes,” Ty replied, speaking to Gage. “This I’ve already told Adrienne and was coming up here to update her; from what I’ve been able to ascertain from my time in the labs with Henry, this poison is fundamental in nature. It contains dark magic like the spell that struck your former house in Texas. Now it would be nice if there was a traditional remedy for this like another spell, some herbs – I have plenty of those as Marcus can attest to, or even a tincture. Sadly, there isn’t one. It is going to require another means entirely to cure him, something with incredible punch to knock out the poison’s power.”

  “And that means is what exactly?” Gage asked, motivated yet highly concerned a new mission was about to be underway. “Let me guess, another artifact of some kind?”

  “You would be correct, Gage. A cup in this case.” Ty mentioned it so casually one could have been forgiven in thinking he was referring to a chipped wine glass. “Well, the cup, actually.”

  Adrienne got giddy like a schoolgirl, having already rifled through years of lore in her mind. “Are you talking about the thing I think you’re talking about?”

  “Could you two make any less sense right now?” Gage moaned, aggravation mounting.

  “The one and the same,” Ty confirmed, shifting his eyes out to the vista beyond the window; there was a smudge on his glasses from when they slid down earlier. “The Holy Grail. It has healing capabilities beyond any ordinary cure for poison. If there’s anything that can cure your friend Joey, it’ll be a drink out of that cup.”

  Gage gave Ady a sympathetic look. “Now I know how ya feel when you talk about all the crazy. Well this should be something nice and easy for us to get,” Gage said sarcastically, propping himself against a section of stark wall. “Where’s this going to be taking Marcus and I then?”

  Ty removed his glasses entirely, rubbing his eyes briskly before wiping the lenses with a cloth pulled from his leather jacket. “You’re going to be headed out for Rennes-le-Château; it’s a commune situated in the southern part of France. Oh and before you give me ‘no’ for an answer, you’re going there with me. You’re going to need my help once there to get the Grail.”

  Marcus looked up from his spot in one of the inflexible chairs, simply overjoyed at the prospect. Thankfully he hadn’t settled in, standing up before he stormed toward the exit. “I’m going to need some fresher air.”

  Gage was briefly tempted to stop him, but didn’t. “Okay, but don’t go too far, Marcus. Join ya here in a few?”

  “That’ll be fine Gage,” he said when he reached the door. “Just you.” Pulling it open, he whispered as stepped through and let it close behind him. “Happy fucking New Year, for everyone other than us.”

  KAHLI APPROACHED THE Grim, standing amidst the ruins of the same abandoned subdivision that Dajjal had come to months before.

  “What is that I sense?” she asked him, stepping over derelict power lines strewn amongst the sidewalks in her heels. There was a tingle in the air, similar to what Reapers felt once a soul was harvested, but this was different – much more potent.

  “What you are feeling is the death of a demon,” he told her, holding out a rotting hand as if to feel the air. He could touch what was left behind and the impression of it was pained and tormented. It felt good. “This was not just any lesser creature mind you nor a simple exorcism. No, this particular being was Astaroth, a Great Duke and Hell Knight, part of the unholy trinity of the First Order. He has been smited in the most abhorrent of ways. Humbling isn’t it: all of those titles and renown simply ending right here on a suburban street in the middle of nowhere. A quick swipe of a shard, like that you carry in your vessel’s purse, was all it took to bring his world crashing down.”

  “How is it Dajjal came by such a thing in the prisons of Hell?” she pressed for an answer, though Death did not give her one. “You know as well as I that the killing of this many celestial beings hasn’t occurred here since the War of Heaven, except perhaps the recent events on –”

  “I care not about those other places,” Death interrupted. “Only the Earth… for it is mine.”

  Kahli grew more irritated at his lack of communication. “Regardless of what you care about or what you think is yours, all of this must end and soon. I've risked everything to set you free and the least you can do is offer me an answer! The others may have had ill methods, but they were right. The cosmic balance is being tipped in a direction that it should not go and if it falters too far, recovery may not be possible.”

  She was wearing her slinky black dress, which shimmered as she removed a dagger from her bag. Swiping it casually through the air, a thin line of silver appeared, gleaming like a strand of mercury. It expanded like a rippling door and she motioned for him to pass through the gash. “Come, let us go. We have stayed here too long.”

  He abided by what she said, his robes undulating as he drew himself across the threshold; they both entered the dark and narrow spaces between the worlds. In his bony right hand, he bore his crooked wooden pole and in the other the blade that Kahli had obtained from the Parisian auction appeared. Touching the two of them together, there were ghostly cries amongst a sudden burst of dust and smoke. His shroud writhed as if it were made of serpents and soon the motes faded away. Once the dust had completely vanished into the black, the scythe shimmered with an ethereal glow, born anew.

  “It is ready,” said Death with glee, though his gaunt face remained unexpressive.

  Kahli looked over to him, not expecting an answer to her next question. “Ready for what?”

  Death held the scythe aloft and grasped his hood in his free hand. Lifting it over his face, there was a flicker deep in his empty sockets and he spoke again with the voice of hundreds of fathomless souls.

  “Not for what… for whom. My dearest sister the weapon is ready for the man who does not fear us. He is now ready to become who he is meant to be.”

  THE END

  Homeward Bound (Journeyman Series One)

  Seal of Solomon (Journeyman Series Two)

  Made to Suffer (Journeyman Series Three)

  COMING IN 2017:

  Then Hell Followed (Journeyman Series Five)

  Running on Empty (Journeyman Series Six)

  STANDALONE SPIN-OFFS COMING IN 2017:

  Stories of the Order - Shadowmen

  (Pronunciations in parenthesis)

  Gage Crosse

  Adrienne Elkins

  Joey Mosely

  Henry Abington

  Marcus Sheridan

  Councilor Jane Carter

  Councilor Timothy Randall

  Councilor Allete Popov

  Dax Wallace

  Brandon Byrne (Burn)

  Nathaniel Cole

  Gabriel Shepard

  Dajjal (Da-jal)

  Councilor
Drogir (Dro-gear)

  Councilor Tyrol (Tie-roll)

  Councilor Quileth (Quill-eth)

  Hell Knight Botis (Bow-tis)

  Kahli (Ka-li)

  Nabila (Na-bi-la)

  Uriel (Your-i-el)

  Azrael (Az-Ra-el)

  Samael (Sam-a-el)

  King Thrym (Thrim)

  Mot (Mot)

  Thanatos (Than-a-tos)

  Hades (Hay-dees)