by Sam Cheever
I dropped the woman’s arm and turned in the direction she’d shown me. “If I’m very lucky she won’t even know I’ve been here.” I murmured.
But the woman had already lost her focus when I dropped her arm, and she was shuffling off down the hallway, head hanging low.
I found Hades in the throne room. He stood with his back to me, long muscular legs spread wide, in a warrior’s stance, looking through a wall length window at his kingdom beyond. The big hands he had entwined at his back twitched and worked at each other. Something in the droop of his broad shoulders told me he wasn’t having a good day.
“Your majesty?”
He turned, his eyes widening in surprise at seeing me there. “Monad Nuria!” In spite of himself his gaze slid behind me, as if expecting Persephone to jump out and yell boo. He took several steps toward me and then stopped suddenly, his handsome face paling noticeably. “You shouldn’t be here.”
I was amazed at the sight of the fearful, hen whipped man before me. When before I’d encountered Hades, it had always been on Olympus. The trembling character I saw before me in the Field resembled that Hades not one whit.
“I understand, your majesty. I’ll be very brief. But I must ask you a couple of questions before I go.”
He took a deep breath and settled his hands at his back again, nodding briskly. I imagined that the long fingers were worrying themselves again behind him. “I am following a couple of plotters, an elf named Aubrie and a faery named Dawnia. I have reason to believe they visited the Underworld. Have you seen or spoken to them?”
Hades shook his head without hesitation. “Nay. None such have visited us here. Are you certain they came to the Underworld?”
I nodded.
He walked to his throne and sat down, draping himself sideways on the gold and velvet chair. Fortunately my question had made him forget, for a moment, his fear of his wife finding us together. Rubbing his long fingers over his chin in thought he said. “Mayhap they visited the pits. But that seems doubtful.” He gave me a knowing look. “Their kind would take the pits hard indeed.”
I nodded, thinking of Ian’s reaction to being within miles of them.
“I wonder…” he started.
“What folly is this!”
Persephone’s shrill voice pierced Hades’ thought processes like a sharp knife through soft pudding. He leapt to his feet guiltily, though we were fully clothed and stood half a room apart.
I stared at the king, willing him with my gaze to stand tall and firm, like the god he was, against his wife’s irrational insecurities.
He might have heeded my will had he dared to glance at me. As it was he seemed to be trying to remove his wife’s unspoken accusation of infidelity by pretending I was nothing more than a fold in the light, a bent sun ray settled in the center of the vast throne room.
Persephone didn’t appear to be buying it. “How is it you come to entertain this strumpet in your rooms, husband?”
Her emphasis of course had been on the word entertain, implying for anyone within earshot that Hades and I had been writhing naked on the floor like a couple of barnyard animals. However, my ears heard the word strumpet all too clearly.
I turned on her, my face hot with anger. I opened my mouth to speak but didn’t get the chance. Persephone lifted an arm and a bolt of lightning shot out of her extended fingers, sizzling across the room directly at me. I leapt to the side and rolled, coming to my feet a couple of yards away from where I’d been. The bolt crashed through something large, sending debris flying around the room.
Ian stepped into the room, breathing hard as if he’d been running.
Persephone’s fingers were twitching toward me again.
My eyes widened and I prepared to enter a wrinkle but suddenly the queen of the Underworld’s arm shot skyward. She yelped in surprise, her beautiful face filling with rage. She turned to Ian. “How dare you…”
Ian flung dust over himself and the queen and they disappeared from view.
I screamed his name. Not another warrior taking his own life down in exchange for mine. Not this warrior…
I ran toward the spot where they’d disappeared and stood there, inhaling the residue of Ian’s faery magic, along with the smoke and dust created by Persephone’s angry attack. Suddenly I wondered what she had hit with her thunderbolt and turned toward Hades.
He stood looking at what was left of his throne, his elegant features pale with shock. As I approached he looked up. “She missed me by this much.” Lifting his fingers he showed me the smallest of spaces between his thumb and forefinger.
I nodded. “You really need to do something about her jealousy, majesty.”
Rather than taking offense, as he would if he were in his right, godly mind, Hades simply nodded in agreement.
I grabbed his forearm, not caring anymore what the bitch goddess might do to me for touching her husband. I might have just lost the best thing that had ever happened to me. At least I was going to make damn sure his sacrifice had been worth it. “Your majesty, do you know anything about these plotters I spoke of? It’s very important. It could mean the end of the Council of Gods as we know it if I fail to find them in time.”
Hades’ eyes lost their dazed aspect as my words sank in and he shook his head. “I told you true, Monad. I know nothing of these two about which you speak.”
I dropped his arm, sighing in defeat.
“But there was, of course, a recent visitor to my lands. As you are aware, I did speak with her.”
My head jerked up and I retraced my steps back to him. “What visitor? I know nothing of this.”
“Why it was the angel of course. She said she was working with you. I’m surprised you didn’t know of her visit to me.”
I felt all of the air leaving my lungs. Etta! Damn her to the pits for eternity. She was still one step ahead of Ian and me. And we no longer knew which side she was working on.
I looked at Hades, feeling as if I’d already failed in my mission and all was lost. “What did the angel want?”
“To speak to Mack of course.”
I frowned. “About what?”
Hades shrugged, examining his fingernails. The current subject fell into the “Not about me” category for Hades and was thus not worth too many of his brain cells.
I took a deep breath to retain my temper and said, “Your majesty, this is important. If this plot succeeds it could destroy Olympus.”
I didn’t bother telling him it would destroy the Earth because that would be like telling him the giant fire ant colony North of Olympus would be destroyed. He could care less.
Hades forced his dark purple gaze back to me. “I do not know of that which they spoke. The angel left directly after conversing with Mack’s spirit and Mack went into his eternal life orientation phase.”
“I need to speak to Mack.”
Hades shook his head, returning his gaze and attention to the all important royal hangnail. “That is not possible. He cannot be disturbed once he has entered orientation.”
I nearly stamped a foot in frustration. I thought about whether it would be possible for me to find Mack myself in the Underworld.
“Don’t even consider it, Monad.” Hades fixed a narrowed, purple eye on me. “If you disturb Mack’s spirit during his orientation he will not settle well into eternal life.”
Damn! I’d forgotten Hades’ ability to discern intent. I frowned, thinking. As I opened my mouth to question him further the air beside me wavered and Ian stepped out of a wrinkle. He gave Hades a small bow and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the travel layer with him.
We left a perplexed Hades in our wake and headed quickly toward the garden where we’d entered the Fields. When we reached the garden we stepped out of Ian’s layer. He turned to me. “What did you find out?”
“I found out we’ve been following Etta’s magic signature rather than Aubrie and Dawnia’s.”
Ian stared hard at me for a moment, his milk chocolate gaze swirl
ing with agitation. “Are you certain?”
I nodded. “She was here. She spoke to Hades…and to Mack.”
Ian’s eyes widened in surprise. “Mack?”
“Yes.”
“We must speak to him and find out what she wanted.”
I shook my head. “He’s in his eternal life orientation. He’s unreachable.”
Ian swore.
“My sentiments exactly.”
“We need to get back to Earth. We’re not doing any good at all here. Maybe Faerydae or Tana have learned something useful.”
I shook my head. “No. We have something we need to do first. Etta apparently never performed the task we asked of her.”
Ian frowned. “No, it would seem that she’s had better things to do.”
I turned away and called the Watcher. As the portal started to shimmer into view I glanced at Ian. “I guess you and I will have to visit the one true God instead.”
“Lovely,” groused Ian.
The Watcher’s ugly face swam into view at the center of the portal. He looked worried. “Nuria. I’m glad you contacted me. I was about to call you back to Earth.”
“Why? What’s happened?”
“Faerydae has been taken prisoner by Aubrie and the impertinent elf has declared war on Tana.”
Ian stepped up next to me. “Is it too late to stop him?”
The Watcher cast his beady eyes in Ian’s direction. “The first arrow has flown. Dawnia tried to overtake Tana from within and she was captured. Tana has vowed to hang her from the courtyard tree at Midnight, under the faery moon.”
Ian swore.
“She’ll hang her own sister?”
The Watcher’s beady eyes were filled with pain. “I don’t think she has a choice. She cannot be seen as weak right now. Not with the elves trying to break down the gates to her kingdom.”
I turned to Ian. “This is a nightmare.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face and turned back to the Watcher. “What is Zeus doing about this?”
The Watcher shook his head. “He’s sent a few Monad Warriors to Tana but she refused them. She wishes to handle the Elvin uprising on her own. She thinks anything less will be seen as a sign of weakness that will just bring this back around to her doorstep again.” The Watcher shook his head. “Damn her for her stubborn pride.”
“No, she’s right, Watcher. The elves are watching her actions closely for signs that they can overcome her. And they have proven their patience over the millennia. If they are defeated now in a way that highlights Tana’s weakness, it will not matter. If they think they can win at another time…another place, they will simply wait and try again. Tana needs to put them firmly and decisively in their place once and for all.”
“We must stay with our plan.” I looked at Ian.
He shook his head. “There is no time for boondoggles Nuria.”
“It isn’t a boondoggle. If we can get Him to insert the humans into the battle on the faeries’ side, we might be able to catch the elves off guard and give Tana the edge she needs to beat them back. The humans’ involvement, on Tana’s behalf, will be seen as a sign of her power, rather than a weakness.”
“It might work, Ian Lavelle.” The Watcher added helpfully.
Ian stared hard at me for a long moment and then finally nodded. “All right, but let’s make it fast.”
I looked at the Watcher and his hands were already busy designing our pathway to Heaven on the air. It was a complex design apparently, built on many levels, with numerous twists and turns. Moments later he wiped his wide, sweaty brow and gave me a nod. “Good luck young ones. This is truly a cluster you’re being asked to unravel.”
I threw the Watcher a kiss as he faded away and grabbed Ian’s hand. “From Hades to Heaven in one day. We should get frequent flyer miles.”
Then I reached into the portal and closed my eyes as the dizzying trip began.
Chapter Seventeen
The One, True God
Heaven’s nice.
Everything is all clean and tidy and white.
So much white.
But it’s a slightly uncomfortable environment for free thinking individuals…who might have broken some of the golden rules along the way. Ian and I stood in an all white room, staring at a very stubborn clerk dressed in white, who was perusing a white leather appointment book and frowning.
Finally the woman shook her head and looked up at us, censure sparking in her pale green eyes. “I’m sorry, Warrior Spirit…”
Was there just the slightest tinge of disgust when she said my title?
“I have no appointment in the book for you. You’ll have to come back in a year. He’s booked up until then.”
Ian made an outraged sputtering sound and I touched his hand, fearing he’d throttle the snotty clerk.
“I don’t think you understand. This is end of the world as we know it type stuff. I can’t come back in a year…if I came back in a year the world would be ended…there’d be no reason to come back then.”
The woman just shrugged and stabbed a short, pink finger at the book. “I’m sorry. We have rules…”
Ian stepped forward. “How about this for a rule…when the world is ending you put the Monad and the Elfaery at the front of the list to speak to God.”
The woman frowned, “Elfaery?”
Behind the woman, two tall, white doors opened and a large, disembodied voice joined us in the room. “ENTER.”
I resisted an almost overwhelming urge to poke my tongue out at the woman as I moved past her.
Ian apparently didn’t have my maturity or restraint. “I guess He liked my rule.” He told her as he walked smugly by.
The first thing I noticed upon entering the room was the light. It filled the room, gathering at the edges and corners and pulsing there as if trying to escape. The second thing I noticed was the heat the light was putting off. I felt like a bug standing next to a giant light bulb.
There were no furnishings in the room. Only the light.
I gave a slight bow, but I wasn’t sure which direction to point myself in so I felt awkward and unsure. Beside me, Ian lowered himself into a deep, elegant bow. “Holiest of Holies. I beg your patience with my sinful presence and prostrate myself before your wisdom.”
I turned and looked at him, lifting an eyebrow helpfully.
One corner of Ian’s mouth curved upward.
A deep, throaty sound filled the room. At first I thought we were under attack and I reached a hand toward my long knife. Then I recognized it as laughter and relaxed.
I was used to being laughed at.
“IF ONLY YOU MEANT THAT, IAN LAVELLE.”
Ian shrugged, grinning.
“WHY HAVE YOU COME BEFORE ME?”
Ian opened his mouth to respond but I jerked my gaze to him and lifted both eyebrows in warning. Double barreled censure. He sighed and closed his mouth, flinging a hand toward me as a signal to proceed.
I turned to the center of the far wall, where it seemed the light gathered more thickly. “Sir, we have a situation on Earth.” I stopped, expecting him to break in with questions.
“GO ON.”
“We believe there is a plot afoot to take over the Council of the Gods and the magical world. We have been following an elf and a faery whom we know are involved, but they are being led by some higher power which we haven’t yet been able to discern.”
“HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE HUMAN REALM?”
I forced myself not to sigh. That was the crux of the problem. I knew unless I could build a case for human involvement He would not help us.
“The leaders of this plot have involved humans. We saw several of them in a meeting we attended…”
“SEVERAL? YOU WISH ME TO INTERVENE BASED ON THE INVOLVEMENT OF SEVERAL HUMANS?”
I shook my head, deciding it would be best to get right to the point. “No, sir. I wish for you to help us fight the plotters by inserting the humans into the fight on our side.”
S
ilence.
We waited quietly, barely breathing.
Finally, “AND WHY WOULD I ENDANGER MY PEOPLE FOR THIS?”
Ian finally couldn’t stand it. “Because if the magical world is overcome by these plotters the human realm will suffer, sir. These are unscrupulous types, bent on gaining power at all costs. They would not treat the human dron…um…creatures well.”
More silence.
“I SEE NO REASON TO INTERVENE IN MATTERS OF THE MAGICAL WORLD. WHEN MY PEOPLE ARE THREATENED I WILL ADDRESS THOSE WHO THREATEN THEM. YOU MAY GO.”
“But sir, I…”
The doors opened behind us and we found ourselves being ejected, gently but forcibly.
We stood in the outer office, under the smug gaze of the stubborn clerk, and watched the doors slide shut.
Before they closed completely the one, true God gave us a last snippet of questionable advice. “BEWARE THE TROJAN HORSE.”
We stood staring at the closed doors, frowning. Slowly, I forced my fists to unclench and turned to Ian, “Confucius had nothing on that guy.”
Ian nodded. “Earth?”
I nodded and lifted my hands to call the Watcher.
~ ~*~ ~
The Wood was unnaturally quiet when we entered. The smell of magic hung thick in the air, along with smoke from burning trees. The ground was littered with bodies, small and large. Dead sprites lay in bright, crumpled piles alongside blank eyed elves and the occasional demon.
A warning shriek filled the air and something huge and black lifted into the air. We found ourselves looking into the bright, black eyes of a feasting harpy. She held the gutted, limp body of a dead faery in her claws, her enormous wings beating the air with a terrible whump, whump, whump as she peered at us. Her deadly maw was spread wide, coated with blood, and she shrieked again as she lifted higher with her meal. I tightened my grip on my weapons and readied for the attack.
With a final shriek, the harpy lifted away from us and headed toward her cave.
Ian shook his head. “The harpies have a smorgasbord here.”