Hell's Pawn

by Jay Bell

  “I ’ve figured it out now!” Dante complained half-way up. “I can do it myself, so let go of me.”

  B y the time they reached the animals, the streets of P urgatory were exposed before they too dissolved into nothing. They saw no sign of the child of C haos. Perhaps it, like so many others were doing, had disappeared back to its proper home. O nly the invading armies remained behind. Deities were cheering in celebration, clapping each other on the back and boasting about their feats. J ohn rose to their level, but he couldn’t join in their gaiety, not yet. He found the coach and shoved Dante inside, but someone was still missing.

  “Thank the inferno! You’re okay!”

  J ohn turned and resisted the urge to throw himself into R immon’s arms, but only just. The incubus didn’t share J ohn’s reservations. He pulled him into a hug, and J ohn let himself enjoy the moment, since it wasn’t of his doing.

  “I knew you would manage,” R immon said as they separated. “J ohn G rey, liberator of Purgatory. How does it feel?”

  “Not bad,” John laughed. “Are the gods okay?”

  “M ostly. S ome received serious injuries, but I think they learned a li le humility in the process. Tell me what happened to you!”

  J ohn told him, and as he did so his audience grew until every being present was listening to his story. W hen he reached its end, the cheering began anew, except now the cheers were for J ohn. He felt very much like a hero, and oddly enough the feeling was mostly embarrassing.

  “I was down there too, you know,” Dante’s muffled voice complained from inside the coach.

  “We have much to thank J ohn for!” a voice boomed over the crowd. Above them was Asmoday. The portly demon had been completely absent from the ba le, probably waiting somewhere safe until the whole ordeal was over. He was here now though, and John knew why.

  “J ohn’s actions were brave,” Asmoday continued, “but so was the decision all of you made by coming here today. We have shown that no force in existence can stand against us when we are united, not even Heaven! No, not even Heaven, for they were the puppet masters behind the blasphemy of P urgatory. Heaven held the souls of our people hostage, hoping to drain and weaken us, and it is Heaven that must be made to pay!”

  The crowd roared. The sound was deafening. M any more pantheons had arrived, J ohn noticed. News about the ba le had spread. He saw African gods, wild and powerful in appearance. Then there was a woman dressed in white with a coyote at her side. B ehind this pair was an army of Native American warriors. There were many other beings J ohn had not met before, but he pulled his a ention away and looked at Rimmon.

  To his surprise, the demon nodded without J ohn saying a single word. R immon snapped his fingers and turned away. The steam coach followed behind him as the crowd parted. No one took much notice of their departure. All a ention was riveted on Asmoday, whose speech was continuing to gain momentum. O nce outside the crowd, John was finally free to speak.

  “You know what I want to do?” John asked Rimmon.

  “Does it involve Heaven?”

  J ohn nodded. “We have to warn them. I don’t think Heaven is behind this, at least not entirely. I want to see the truth for myself, preferably without an army at my back.”

  “We should hurry, then.”

  “But how will we get there? We don’t have anyone to take the driver’s seat.”

  “I ’ve given that some thought.” R immon whistled. From out of the crowd B olo came bounding toward them, his tongue hanging out one side of his mouth.

  “Bolo?” John asked.

  Rimmon nodded and smiled. “All dogs go to Heaven.”

  * * * * *

  There were clouds. B ig, fluffy, and edged with a hint of blue reflected from the surrounding sky. J ohn hadn’t expected Heaven to be anything like this, mostly because it was exactly what he expected. Hell hadn’t been a pit of flames, at least not most of it, so on their way here J ohn prepared himself for anything except the pearly gates below.

  The bank of clouds they landed on was filled with people, throngs that put summer crowds

  at Disneyland to shame. E motional greetings and hugging were the predominate activities. J ohn was sure that many of these newly arrived souls had just come from Purgatory, and allowed himself a moment of pride as the coach landed.

  Their arrival went mostly unnoticed. J ohn stepped out of the coach and went to the front seat to set B olo loose. The dog had done well. He didn’t belong in Heaven, any more than he did any other realm, but his natural seeking ability had led them here well enough. Rimmon had simply talked to the dog, and Bolo had done the rest.

  “You realize we could have used the dog to get to Chinatown,” Dante complained as he jumped out of the coach.

  Dante’s eyes turned red, and in a voice similar to R immon’s he said, “I didn’t know if it would work. We could have ended up back in P urgatory or anywhere else for that matter.”

  “Well, you could have tried, rather than unleashing Fumiko on the world,” Dante said in his own voice again.

  “We could only risk it once P urgatory had fallen,” came the demonic response.

  “Otherwise a neutral soul such as Bolo would probably have been pulled—”

  “You’re a racting a ention,” J ohn interrupted, smiling at a chubby woman who was staring at Dante with some concern.

  “S orry,” Dante/R immon said to her, a wisp of smoke escaping from the side of his mouth. The woman had the good sense to continue on through the crowds, not looking back until she was a safe distance away.

  J ohn sighed. “There’s no point in you possessing Dante if you’re going to constantly talk through him.” He waited for a demonic comeback and nodded with satisfaction when it didn’t come.

  The importance of R immon remaining incognito was driven home when a M inister of O rder passed through the crowd, just three people away from them. The glass man was clearly flustered by the unexpected number of arrivals and didn’t notice J ohn, although it did spot the coach and move toward it. L uckily they had already walked some distance away, but now their transportation was lost.

  “W hat do we do now?” J ohn whispered as they joined a stream of people moving away from the edge of the cloud bank.

  “I don’t know; ask directions!” Dante hissed back.

  “On how to get to God?”

  “Why not!”

  J ohn looked around for a friendly face, a description that applied to every person he could see. S ince they all appeared nice, he se led on the most handsome. That turned out to be a tall man with well defined cheekbones and brownish-blond hair. He was dressed in a pilot’s uniform and was holding a gray cat that he was kissing as if they had just been wed.

  “E xcuse me,” J ohn said as he approached, glancing at the name tag. “J ace? Are you new here too, or do you know your way around?”

  J ace noticed him and smiled. S uddenly J ohn’s feelings for R immon felt more distant. “I ’ve been here a li le while,” J ace answered. “I was just picking up my cat.

  You have no idea how long I was waiting for him. I think he got lost on the way.”

  “He was probably stuck in P urgatory with the other beasties,” Dante said. “We just set them all free, so you owe us a pint.”

  “Nice,” John muttered.

  J ace chuckled. “I t’s all right. They say there are no lies in Heaven, so I suppose I really am in your debt.”

  John felt relieved. “We were just wondering if you could point the way to God.” Jace’s face fell. “That’s not as simple as you might think.”

  “He’s gone missing,” J ohn said. J ust like all the other pantheon leaders, G od would be gone, too. He had been so caught up in their recent victory that he hadn’t thought of the one remaining mystery. I f the leaders of each realm weren’t trapped in Purgatory, where were they?

  J ace’s eyes darted through the crowd. His smile was natural, the perfect show for anyone watching, but his tone was serious. “Let’s walk.�
� J ohn followed along, waiting for him to say more. As the crowds thinned, so did the clouds, revealing green grass below their feet. W ildflowers grew in abundance, their colors as varied as their scents, but the smells were complimentary, a perfumist’s dream of perfection.

  “The clouds are only for show,” J ace said. “People need a clear signal that they haven’t shown up in the other place, if you know what I mean. The rest of Heaven doesn’t look that way, which is a shame because I really like the clouds. C ouldn’t get enough of them in life, and it’s no different here.”

  Majestic mountains appeared before them as they entered a valley.

  “How beautiful,” John said. “I’m sure we’ll be very happy here.”

  “No, you won’t,” J ace replied. His cat was riding on his shoulders now, while keeping a wary eye on B olo. “You don’t belong here. Not that you aren’t welcome, but there’s something different about you. Both of you. Did you really liberate Purgatory?” J ohn nodded. “P urgatory had become a prison, and a lot of people blame that on Heaven. P owerful people. We don’t have much time to find out if there’s any truth to their claims.”

  “Things are good here,” J ace said, “but something is wrong. E veryone asks about G od when they arrive—who wouldn’t—but they soon learn not to. There are these things, men made of glass, and they say that no one can look upon G od. These men say they are the word of G od and his representatives. They’re handsome as hell too, but they make your skin crawl.”

  “I ’ve seen them,” J ohn said, “and I don’t think they have anything to do with G od.

  In fact I think they might have done something to him.”

  “I can believe that,” J ace said. “M ost of us try not to worry about it much, but you hear things sometimes. There’s a place—”

  “That’ll be it then,” Dante interrupted. “Anywhere no one is supposed to go. That’s where we’ll end up. There’s no getting around it.”

  “Can you take us there?” John asked.

  Jace nodded.

  The world around them had changed yet again. The grass was still under their feet, but the mountains had been replaced by structures of light. J ohn marveled at them, overwhelmed by designs beyond reasoning. G lowing girders were the basis, while the walls were made of harmony, held in place by pieces of song and finished by the resonation of the correct vibrations. These concepts were alien to J ohn, but here they made instant sense. They just felt right.

  “B eautiful, aren’t they?” J ace said. “That’s just the beginning of it all. The transition into Heaven is gradual. The lands beyond are even more abstract and utopian. O nce you’re in there, you never want to leave. I ’ve only gone so far myself, but always come back before it’s too late.”

  “Why?”

  “O h, I suppose I ’m not ready yet. I was waiting for S amson here, of course.” J ace’s expression was wistful. “There’s someone else I ’m waiting for too. The both of them, if that’s what makes them happy. There’s a lot more room for love in Heaven than there ever was on Earth.”

  J ohn didn’t fully understand, but felt it wasn’t his place to ask. “S o what do people do in there? Sing hymns all day, play harps, that kind of thing?”

  “No,” J ace laughed. “Well, there are people that are into that. Those sorts of people.

  They have their own place in Heaven. M ost of us just enjoy our lives. I know, we’re dead, but it doesn’t feel like that. I n fact, it feels more real here than it ever did back on Earth, as if we were all only dreaming of life until we finally woke up.”

  “B ut what do you do?” J ohn considered the outfit J ace was wearing. “You were a pilot in life, right?”

  “A flight a endant actually, but seeing how this is Heaven I figured I ’d give myself a complimentary upgrade.”

  J ohn smiled. “Fair enough, but don’t you miss having that job to do everyday? O ne of the worst times in my life was when I lost my job and didn’t work for months. For the first few weeks I tried to treat it like a vacation, but soon I was going crazy to actually do something with myself.”

  “Type A personality.” J ace nodded. “I can understand your concern, but there’s no limit to the things that can be done here. I’ve only experienced the very first level of an infinite array, and my mind is constantly being blown away by each new activity. You can create here, not just buildings like those on the horizon but entire environments.

  You can also compose multidimensional music that makes instruments back home sound like cheap toys. Then there are these strange emotional raft rides, relivable life experiences that you can share with others, but you see them from every possible perspective at once. Or you can just eat ice cream and watch the living.”

  “Is that what you do?”

  “Sometimes,” Jace said. “You watch the people you love, and when they feel joy, so do you. W hen they face conflict, you try to guide them as best you can. I like playing guardian angel, especially for him. I ’ve always been patient, so some of us wait until we no longer have to.”

  There was a moment of silence in which J ohn felt he had been taken into J ace’s confidence. He liked this man. J ohn couldn’t imagine that he’d had many shortcomings in life and was exactly the sort of guy that J ohn would have been thrilled to meet.

  “Plus you can see into locker rooms,” Jace added, causing John to laugh.

  The horizon had changed again. No longer were there mountains, or strange structures. The horizon was only a perfect blue sky. The field they were walking on had grown more wild, countless species of flowering plants all thriving happily together.

  “There aren’t many people in Heaven,” J ohn commented. “We haven’t seen anyone since we left the crowds behind.”

  “That’s how it works here,” J ace explained. “I f you are lonely and desire company, you find it instantly, but because we currently need to be alone, we are.”

  “Funny,” Dante said, “I keep getting the feeling that you two want to be alone.” Jace smiled. “That would explain why the walk has taken this long.”

  “You mean it’s optional?” J ohn asked. “I ’ve enjoyed talking with you, but time is of the essence.”

  Jace nodded. “And so we are there.”

  I vy crawled over the worn, rounded stones of the co age, a thatched roof covering its single story. Thick glass filled the round windows on either side of the entrance, while ancient yellow paint peeled off the wooden door, the color matching the sunflowers growing around the co age. A pathway of flat stones led to the door, passing first a small herb garden barely distinguishable from the wild brush that filled the valley.

  The co age was surrounded by a swarm of angels. They flew in a cylindrical formation, stretching from the ground to higher than the eye could see. The dozens of angels, each winged and robed, looked just as they were usually depicted, but rarely did any artist capture their colors. E very angel’s wings had a different shade of feather, some sporting a single color such as cobalt blue or chartreuse, while others had wings like tropical birds, orderly patterns of feathers in multiple colors.

  “They’re beautiful,” John said.

  “They are,” Jace agreed. “This is the only place in Heaven where you see angels. Old souls say that it once was different, that angels and even G od would walk among the people. B ut now they circle that co age. Anyone who comes too close is always carried away by the angels. They’re sort of intimidating, like the glass men are, but more like a big brother or parent. The glass men are just—”

  “Monsters,” John said when Jace failed to find the right word.

  “Yes, monsters. Anyway, I think he’s in there. I think that cottage is God’s home.”

  “Then this is where we part ways. It’s going to get dangerous from here on out.”

  “I ’m not afraid,” J ace said coolly. “I believe the angels are good, that they’re protecting G od, as ridiculous as that might sound. B esides, I ’d like to meet the big guy, too.”

>   “This isn’t a social call,” Dante said. “There’s a bloody huge army hot on our heels, and we have to get past those angels and warn G od as quick as we can. O nce we’re in there, I ’m going to ask him why no one in the afterlife ever does anything heroic but us because it drives me mad.”

  “O kay,” J ace said, taking it in stride, “but I still don’t see what makes you any more qualified than me.”

  “I’m still alive, and he’s possessed by a demon,” John said.

  “And the dog?” Jace asked without blinking an eye.

  “He’s the team mascot.” J ohn grew serious. “You’re right that we don’t belong here, and there truly is a tsunami of trouble rising up behind us. I t’s best if you go somewhere safe, if only for your cat.”

  “Ah, the old ‘concern for others’ trick,” J ace said. “Very well, I ’ll respect your wishes, but it was a pleasure to meet you. And thanks again for springing S amson out of jail.”

  J ohn offered his hand and J ace accepted it. “Awkward timing, I know,” J ohn said,

  “but if this were Earth, I’d ask you for your phone number.” J ace raised an eyebrow but smiled. “G ood luck, J ohn. I f you do find G od, give him my love.”

  W ith his cat dozing contentedly on his shoulder, J ace returned to the flower-covered valleys they had passed through. J ohn watched him leave before the importance of their mission came rushing back.

  “We have to hurry,” he said, marching toward the co age. B olo barked in excitement and bounded ahead of him.

  B efore they even reached the garden, two angels dropped from the sky. O ne had black and gold wings striped like a bumblebee, which complemented his ebony skin.

  The other, slight and female, had narrow wings of pale blue. B oth angels were smoking hot, like supermodels who had just finished a heavenly photo shoot.

  “This area is off limits,” the female angel said.