The imp’s gleeful expression dropped. Vero took this to be a sign that they had solved the riddle correctly and outwitted him. But then the imp began to smile. He fell to the ground, laughing.
“You’re so stupid,” he said between laughs. “You chose the goodie-two-shoes!”
Vero shrugged to the others. He could feel his heart beating faster.
The imp stopped laughing and got back on his feet. “You are wrong. The king chose his oldest son . . . and his middle son. He decided they would rule together, as they had both honored their father properly.”
Greer smacked her hand to her forehead, shaking her head in frustration.
“No, he didn’t!” Ada said.
“Yes, he did. A good king desires only two things — wealth and the fear of his subjects. And as a matter-of-fact, the king threw the youngest son to the lions for being so worthless.”
“Oh, that’s ridiculous,” X said.
“I told you imps are evil spirits.” Pax spoke into Vero’s mind. “To him that conclusion would make perfect sense.”
The imp pulled a huge knife from a sheath tied around his hip. X and Ada pushed back against the pillar. Vero’s eyes went wide. But then the imp stuck the blade tip under his fingernail and began to clean it. A wad of dirt came off onto the tip of the blade. He licked the tip clean. Ada’s stomach heaved as he continued to clean the rest of his nails and eat the grime from underneath them.
“Relax, Ada,” X said in a low voice as he watched her try to suppress her urge to vomit. “Close your eyes and think of something else.”
Ada tightly shut her eyes. After a few moments, she appeared calmer.
“So we’re stuck here?” Greer asked the others, the panic rising in her voice.
“Don’t you live with any other imps?” Vero asked the imp as he continued to clean his nails.
“Don’t be stupid. I would kill any imp that crossed my path!” he said, suddenly angry. “Death to them who would try to steal what rightly belongs to me!”
“You mean us?” Kane tentatively asked.
“Yes, you will make me six delicious meals.”
Ada gasped and opened her eyes.
“Eat us!” Pax’s voice cracked. “You’re gonna eat us?”
Greer flashed the imp her most charming smile. “I thought you wanted us to stay with you forever?” she said, batting her eyelashes.
“After I eat all of you, then you will be a part of me forever.”
Ada shrieked. “I wish whoever’s dream we’re in would wake up so we could get out of here!”
The imp walked over to his campfire. He picked up several branches from the ground and threw them onto the flames.
“Guys, we need to do something quick!” Pax said. “I think he’s getting that fire ready for us!”
“Hey, excuse me!” Vero shouted.
The imp turned around.
“I was thinking that I’d like to be the first.”
The other angels looked incredulously at Vero.
The imp walked over to Vero. “Oh, you do? Do you?”
“Yes, I’m so skinny, I’m not as good tasting as the others. So you might want to start with me first and work your way to more nicely marbled meat.”
“Is that a fat joke?” Greer muttered to the others.
“You know, save the prime for last,” Vero said.
The imp narrowed his eyes and stared at Vero for a moment, sizing him up, but then he chuckled. “Because I am such a nice guy, I’ll grant your wish.”
The imp began to cut the rope around Vero’s wrists. He stopped for a moment. “If you try to escape,” he whispered in Vero’s ear, “I will slay all of them before your eyes.”
Vero slowly nodded.
The imp sliced through the rope, and it fell to the ground. Vero stood, flexing his wrists and trying to get circulation back into them. He walked toward the swirling river.
“Hey, the fire’s this way,” the imp pointed.
“I know. I just thought you might want me to drink some water first. So I’ll cook up plump and juicy.”
“What the heck is he doing?” X whispered to Kane.
Kane shook his head. He had no idea. Vero crouched down before the river. He cupped his hands to scoop up the water. The imp kept a watchful eye on him. Vero turned his back to the imp, placed his right hand in the water, and mumbled the same passage Ada had recited moments before Kane had stuck his hand in the flames at C.A.N.D.L.E. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you . . .” Just as the flames had become docile, the water around Vero’s hand drew calm. A ripple expanded outward into a bigger circle, and the surface became as clear as a sheet of glass.
Suddenly Vero’s body jerked. “Don’t let him take me!” Vero yelled as something tugged on his arm from under the water.
“Who?” the imp shouted, alarmed.
“There’s an imp in the water! He’s trying to steal me!”
“Vero!” Kane yelled, thrashing against the ropes that bound him.
“Quick! He won’t let go!”
The imp ran to the river’s edge. Vero’s body was now halfway into the river. The imp looked into the water. His eyes went wide when he saw another imp staring back at him.
“Don’t you steal what is mine!” he shouted, pulling his knife from its sheath.
The imp waded into the river and stabbed blindly at the face of the other imp. Vero yanked his hand out of the water, and the currents once again grew violent. The waters swirled and knocked the imp off his feet. Yet, he was determined to kill the other imp. He stabbed wildly but, confused by the rushing waters, accidentally stabbed himself right in his thigh. He howled in pain as the water around him turned red with blood. He looked at Vero, realizing he’d been tricked. Vero waved to him as the waters swept him away.
“I’d clap for you, if I could,” Greer smiled to Vero.
“Heck, I’d give you a standing ovation,” X said.
Vero walked to the pillar and knelt to untie Greer.
“How’d you do that?” Ada asked.
“I remember when Kane stuck his hand in the fire at C.A.N.D.L.E., the flames around his hand became real calm and still. But the second he removed it, they started dancing again. That imp was so darn greedy, I knew if he saw his reflection, he’d be convinced it was another imp. I stilled the water long enough for him to be able to see his reflection, and then pulled it out once he was knee deep. Although, I didn’t expect him to stab himself.”
“That was a bonus,” Greer said, standing up and stretching her arms. “That little creep was going to eat us.”
17
HYENA’S DEN
Greer, can you still feel the soul?” Kane asked as the fledglings walked across the imp’s bridge.
“Faintly.”
“Anyone else getting anything?” Kane looked around at the rest.
“No,” Vero said.
X shook his head. “Me either.”
“At least I’ve got something . . .” Greer said.
Just as she was about to step off the bridge, Greer screamed. The donkey had appeared out of nowhere again, blocking their exit from the bridge.
“I wouldn’t go that way,” the donkey spoke.
Greer put her hand over her chest, trying to catch her breath. “You gotta stop doing that, you freak!” she shouted.
“So unappreciative,” the donkey said.
“What’s wrong with this way?” Vero asked.
Greer stood on her toes and tried to peer over the donkey. “Yeah, I can tell the soul is somewhere on this side of the river.”
“There is also great danger on this side of the river,” the donkey said.
“You keep talking about this danger but won’t tell us what it is!” Greer said, stomping her foot. “And thanks for the heads up on the disgusting imp!”
“Hee-haw!” the donkey whinnied.
Greer covered her ears.
“The imp is nothing compared to her,” the donkey said. “Hee
d my words! Turn around!” The donkey vanished, and the fledglings looked at one another.
“This is truly a weird dream,” X said.
Ada frowned. “Maybe we should listen to him and go back.” She pulled Vero by the back of his shirt, stopping him from stepping off the bridge.
“We’ll never win if we do because the soul is this way.” Greer pointed to the land across the bridge.
“You sure you feel him?” Ada asked.
“One hundred percent. But I’m not convinced it’s a him.”
Ada thought for a moment then released Vero’s shirt. They stepped off the bridge, but the moment their feet touched the ground, the landscape changed into a hallway lined with lockers on both walls and even on the ceiling.
“Whoa, how did this happen?” Kane asked.
“The soul is in here somewhere,” Greer said. “But I can feel it’s real confused.”
“I’ve had this dream a bunch of times,” X said, his eyes scanning the ceiling of lockers. “I can’t remember which locker is mine.”
“Me too.” Ada grimaced. “And I have a test and need to get my pen out for it, but I can’t remember the combination. It’s a horrible nightmare.” She shivered.
Greer gave her an annoyed look. Suddenly, the soul flashed around the corner.
“There it is!” Vero shouted, pointing to where the soul had just disappeared.
The angels ran down the hallway and turned the corner. The soul was frantically going from locker to locker, stopping momentarily in front of each one. Wherever the silvery being hovered, the locker handles rattled, as if an unseen hand were desperately pulling on each one, but none opened. Kane pulled the fort-i-fire from his pocket, but the soul took off down the long hallway once again.
“Don’t let it get away!” X shouted.
The angels sprouted their wings and flew after it. The soul stopped and pulled on more locker doors, and Kane was able to get within a few yards of it. He paused his flight and took aim, but then a locker door opened, and just as he was about to throw the fort-i-fire, the soul slipped inside. The door slammed shut behind it. Kane lowered his arm.
“Quick! After him!” Vero shouted.
Kane hesitated, his eyes scanning the lockers. “Which one was it?” he asked in frustration.
“Definitely this one,” Greer said as she flew past Kane. She tugged on the locker handle. “See? It’s unlocked.”
Then Greer screamed as the door swung open and the donkey poked his head out into the hallway.
“Nope, nope, not this way,” the donkey said.
Greer slammed the door shut. “That stinkin’ donkey is gonna kill me,” she said, trying to catch her breath. From inside the locker, the donkey’s voice was heard echoing, “So unappreciated!”
“Is it the wrong door?” Vero asked.
Greer stared at it and scratched her head. “I don’t think so. It feels like the right one.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s the door the soul went through.” X nodded.
Pax tried to open the locker doors around it. None would open. He shrugged. “It’s our only option.”
Vero looked around at the others. “Okay,” he said at last and opened the locker door.
The donkey was no longer inside. Greer stuck in her head. It was pitch dark. “Guess I’m going first,” she said to the others, her voice echoing in the narrow metal space.
Greer stepped inside the locker and squeezed her body through. One by one, the others followed her. The back wall of the locker was nonexistent. The fledglings walked straight through, and Vero felt sandy ground beneath his feet. A hot, arid wind blew in his face. After a moment, a soft light began to grow, and he could see the land before him. It was barren, cast in shadows. He saw rolling brown hills dotted with sparse shrubs, the desolate horizon broken only by a few stone structures. Then Vero glimpsed a silvery light. It dove behind the cluster of stones.
“The soul just went behind those rocks!” Vero said, pointing.
Greer looked confused. “No, I’m not feeling it there,” she said, shaking her head.
“I saw it too!” Kane said as his wings sprouted. “Let’s go!”
“No, I’m telling you, that wasn’t our soul!” Greer shouted.
Kane didn’t listen to her. He took off in the air and headed for the rocks.
“Stop him!” Greer shouted as her wings shot out.
The others hesitated as they watched Greer fly after Kane. The silvery light had certainly looked like the soul, but why was Greer so certain that it wasn’t? Vero threw his hands in the air. “Let’s go.”
Vero, X, Ada, and Pax chased after them. Kane hovered over the stone structure. He pulled the fort-i-fire from his pocket when Greer grabbed his wrist.
“Get off!” Kane yelled. The light moved from around the rocks into the open as Kane struggled against Greer. “It’s a perfect shot!” he yelled. “Let go!”
But Greer wouldn’t release his wrist. She twisted his arm behind his back. “It’s too easy!” she yelled. “Don’t you see that? He wants you to throw it at him!”
Kane stopped struggling. “What do you mean?”
“My best guess is that it’s Melchor,” Greer panted. “He can appear as light, the same as the soul.”
“I think she’s right,” Ada told Kane.
Greer released Kane’s arm. “Of course I’m right because I feel absolutely no connection to whatever that light is.”
“It does resemble Melchor,” Vero said.
The light figure extinguished itself and vanished.
Kane narrowed his eyes and jerked away from Greer. “That guy is getting on my nerves!”
Vero had to agree. “Yeah, he does have a hugely unfair advantage.”
“He was trying to trick us into losing,” Kane said. He paused and turned around to look at Greer. “Thanks, Greer, for stopping me.”
“Anytime,” she smirked.
Kane examined the horizon. “Which way now?”
“Toward those shadow lands over there,” Greer nodded.
Vero got a sick feeling in his stomach as he looked at the darkened wasteland.
The fledglings flew over the barren lands with Greer leading them. Vero saw a circular depression about the size of a big pond below. Greer began to descend. “Land next to the big crater,” she told the others.
The fledglings landed on the rocky ground. Greer scanned the area. “It’s here somewhere.”
With each step on the sandy ground, the fledglings’ feet kicked up more and more dust. Vero looked down at his white sneakers, which were now brown.
“Sure this is the right way?” Kane asked Greer.
“Yes,” she said, forging ahead.
“I wish it weren’t,” Pax said, his eyes nervously darting around. “I’d like to get out of here.”
“There,” Greer said in a voice barely louder than a whisper.
The others followed her gaze to a small opening in a hill. There was an archway dug out of the earth, though not tall enough for the angels to walk through; they would have to stoop to get inside.
“Let’s go,” Kane said.
As the angels walked toward the hill, a low demonic growl stopped them dead in their tracks. Their heads whipped around, looking for the source. Ada stepped behind Vero.
“What was that?” X asked, his voice squeaky with fear.
“Best case scenario . . . a bullfrog with a sore throat?” Pax said.
Another growling sound echoed over the barren land, sending a shiver up Vero’s spine. Many more snarling sounds soon joined in. The angels stepped closer to one another. Then the sounds turned into loud, high-pitched cackling noises — almost like hysterical laughter. Ada grabbed the back of Vero’s shirt again as they saw the source of the crazed laughter walking toward them.
“Worst case scenario . . . a pack of hyenas,” Pax said, his face white.
“Why can’t this soul just dream about pink ponies and rainbows?” Vero asked.
Four hyenas began to circle the angels as they huddled together. Their heads were broad, with dark eyes and large rounded ears, and they had golden-yellow coats speckled with black spots. But it was their legs that fascinated Vero most. Their front legs were much longer than the back legs, and this made their gait most unusual — it looked as if the hyenas were constantly walking uphill as they circled them. Vero noticed how the hyenas’ cackling unnerved Ada. Her hands began to shake and she pulled harder at his shirt.
“They’re really, really, really, really, creepy,” Ada said.
The hyenas’ circle tightened around the angels. Beads of sweat dripped down Ada’s face.
“Fly!” Greer shouted.
The angels shot into the air. But Vero’s heart sank when he heard X screaming below him. He looked down and saw two hyenas were playing tug-of-war with X’s left wing.
“X! Hold on!” Vero yelled.
Vero rocketed to the ground and landed right behind the hyenas. He scoured the desert floor and pulled a decent-sized club-shaped root ball from a dead tree stump — the only weapon he could find. One of the other hyenas turned its attention to Vero and sprung at him. Vero somersaulted into the air over it and hovered over X. He swung wildly at the two hyenas as they continued to pull on X’s wing. Kane and Greer flew down and dive-bombed the hyenas, getting close enough to kick at their faces and retreat. Vero hit a hyena in the head, stunning it. It released its grip on X’s wing.
“Yeah, who’s laughing now, you stupid hyena!” Kane shouted as he kicked the other hyena attacking X on top of its head. But the hyena refused to loosen its grip on X’s wing.
Ada and Pax had flown down, grabbed some stones, and shot back into the air, pelting the other two hyenas to keep them away from X. “Guys, it’s killing me!” X shouted, trying to push away the hyena that still gripped his wing, his face contorted in pain.
Greer made a daring dive at the beast. “You get off my friend!” she shouted as she landed a roundhouse punch right to the hyena’s gut with everything she had in her fly-by. Her eyes went wide as the pain in her wrist registered, but below her, she heard the hyena’s laughter turn to gut-punched agony. As Vero continued to swing at the other hyena, it caught the club in its mouth and clamped down on it, snapping it in half. The hyena then turned its attention back to X who still lay helplessly on the ground. The hyena bit X’s arm. He screamed in pain as the two hyenas dragged him across the sand toward the opening in the hill.
Pillars of Fire Page 17