by Jae Vogel
In the end, curiosity won out over deliberation, and I decided to fly upward, along the incline of the mountain. Once I reached an altitude that was slightly higher than that of my target, I slowed to a stop.
The claws on my feet dug into the gravel and sand which made up the sides of the mountain. A feeling of relief, and also dismay followed thereafter. In front of me, on the plateau, was a demon whom I knew to be Thane.
"I see you've acclimated to your new form!"
He laughed and extended both of his wings for emphasis. He sounded victorious, as though none of this was any sort of surprise to him. Thane had always been a worldly type of person, but to believe that something as strange and perverse as this world was to be considered normal.
"How did you know it was me?” I called out, still hesitant to truly approach and close the distance between the two of us.
"The same way you knew it was me. The soul knows its partner, regardless of what plane it is on. The whole reason we are here speaking together right now is not an accident, Aria."
His words rang clearly in my mind, even though the distance between the two of us was still considerable.
Plucking up my bravery, I leapt into the air, and glided down the side of the mountain toward his position. I landed close, but not too close. Near enough to recognize him by his eyes, and some of his more basic characteristics.
Even still, the match was not exact. His body was stronger than I remember. The scales on his skin made his entire frame appear to be more boxlike in construction.
His chest was bold, and his tale was thick at the base of his spine, and tapered off toward the end, some five or six feet away.
He looked deadly, and dangerous to be around. What made me feel more sad than anything else, was that I knew he looked like me.
"Impressed?" he asked, his teeth glinting in the light of the sun.
I was more than just impressed. He had me terrified.
I stared at him, with inspired awe in my eyes. The way that he held himself was so warlike, and majestic in this form. I was speechless.
"You may see me as something which is worthy of admiration, but I can't be anywhere as beautiful as yourself."
He smiled, though the smile was edged with teeth which made my heart race.
"The way that you soared through the air. It had been such a long time since I had seen you express your natural beauty like that; it really is something."
Now it was my turn to smile.
"It really is you, Thane. Once the compliments start flowing, it’s like honey for flies, isn't it?"
He had to laugh.
"You sound upset."
"Well, a lot of shit has happened since I saw you last. I don't even know what to make of all of it."
He nodded, like he already knew what I was going to say. The non-verbal cue that he was aware of the attack too me by surprise.
"There are a lot of changes on the horizon, Aria. I just want you to know how very much all of your work here means to us."
"Us?"
"The Fae race, though we won't be called that any longer when this is all over with."
"What are you talking about? What do you mean we won't be called that any--"
"Take a look around, and tell me what you see."
He gestured out over the barren landscape. Not a single thing covered the ground, save for cracks and rocks. The whole absence of life was disconcerting, in a strange way. I felt like the world was somehow incomplete."
"I see death."
He shook his head and grinned.
I hated it when he did that; behaved as though he knew something I didn't. It was one of his many secrets. The problem was that he was both so convincing, and well-informed that I really didn't know what to expect from him.
I shrugged.
"What do you see?"
"Potential," he said, smiling obligingly. "When I look around here, I see an emptiness. You had mentioned that it reminded you of death, but can death not also be a form of transition?"
He reminded me of a winged serpent, or a fallen angel. The reference was obviously to one of the more familiar trends of occultism and esoterica within the Capitol.
Ever since a relative peace had taken hold of the city, the people's thoughts had grown increasingly philosophical. As a result, everybody and their mother were collecting Tarot decks. The cards themselves had a long life in the human realm, but their magic was trans dimensional, as was their efficacy. The Tarot was a pictorial map of the mind of the gods; well, one of many.
"I understand, but both you and I know that your a man of action, and not metaphysical speculation."
"Ha ha! Exactly!"
"And what follows Death?"
I strained my memory for a moment to think of the answer.
"Fuck your games, Thane."
"Ah ah, keep your Temper."
He squatted down and began stretching his hulking frame along the ground. I wasn't sure if it was just my eyes, but the rocks of the mountain appeared to crack and break beneath the shifting of his movements. Suddenly, the answer came.
"Temperance."
"That's right, my dear. Temperance. Let not a soul say that you are an unreflective person, and what does that mean?"
He smiled at me, and I kicked him. I didn't even bother to restrain myself.
The blow connected squarely beneath his arm. He had anticipated my movements, and captured my leg. As easily as I had kicked him, he dove in the same direction as the arc of my kick. The physics of the maneuver were brilliant. Thane had always been an incredible fighter, but the resulting power in his new form was not something I was prepared to handle.
I was immediately swept off of my feet, and launched like a throwing hammer into the air away from Thane.
The damage was minimal, but what was truly incredible was how quickly I was able to react. My wings extended out to either side of my body and stabilized my fall. Without much effort at all, I was able to hover there in the air, just off the side of the mountain.
"Temperance, means the regeneration of health, toward a balance and equilibrium!"
He shouted the sentence, and when I looked at him, I saw how happy he was with himself.
"This, is what follows after Death!"
I lowered myself down to the plateau once more. The fight was not sincere. The whole process had been an elaborate form of demonstration. Nothing more. Meanwhile, Thane was gesturing toward me, like I was some divine revelation sent here to prove his point.
"Don't you see it?" he asked with complete earnest. "Your wings! The angels of mythology do not look as beautiful as you."
The flattery was nice, but I had seen my reflection in this world. We were once Fae, but there was something darker about this place. I wasn't convinced that this form of renewal was exactly what was meant by the ancient knowledge of the cards.
"One could never fault you for your ambition."
"Precisely! But tell me, what have I accomplished in any of the realms without you by my side?"
I thought about his statement for a moment, and then decided he was right, again.
I let out a sigh.
Telling Thane that he was right more than once in a row was a terrible idea, even if it was true. He saw my expression, and it was too late to conceal my thoughts.
"You know it's true, and what's more, is I know that you and I have the same set of values, even if we tend to express them differently."
"Nope. Not this time," I replied in all gravity. "You know very well that there are things that you have done recently that I want nothing to do with."
"Well, don't hold back now..."
He smiled again.
"Well, like cozying up to all of the politicians at the Capitol."
"Keep going."
"And, trading in your combat ethic for those ridiculous boots you always wore..."
"You didn't like my boots!"
I looked up at him to see if he was being serious or not, but there was a sm
irk on his face.
"You think this is funny?"
"Not at all. I think it's one hundred percent accurate. The problem is that while you are accurate, I feel like that was a necessary sacrifice that had to be made in order to get where we are now."
Once more, he gestured around the wasteland like it was some kingdom he had inherited. In the distance, I saw storm clouds begin to roll across the desert.
"What I don't think you realize is that this entire experience is an opportunity to end all of that trivial bullshit once and for all. We're going to wash away all of the self-righteous babble, and bring the Fae back to the state of power that we should enjoy."
"And what's the cost?"
"What do you mean cost?"
What cost could possibly be prohibitive to bring the Fae back to their rightful place in the world?"
"What possible cost would be too much to insure that each young Fae grows old in the knowledge that they will not be depotentiated in the name of progress?"
"Depotentiated, that's a bit of a soft word, don't you think?"
"Well, I was going to say castrated, but you've never had a problem with that."
Another smile.
"So... I'm going to go on a limb here and say that I'm dreaming, because the last time I saw you, you looked different, even though you sound the same."
As I spoke those word, I saw his body change once more, though this time, it wasn't a new body, it was a fluctuating form. Something dark took over his body, and he changed from a handsome demon, into a horrifying creature. I continued to stand boldly in front of him, and allowed no emotion to cross my face whatsoever.
"Soon, you and I will be able to assume our rightful place in the world once more. We were never meant for the Capitol. We were meant for greater things, and this is going to be the opportunity which changes all of that for you and I."
His smile was toxic now, and the light in his eyes had changed into an unnatural green flame.
"Storm's coming," I said, nodding behind him.
The darkened clouds had risen up in the sky like tidal wave about to crash over the entire valley. The crest of the wave was a magnificent face of darkness, soaring so high it threatened even to blot out the oppressive sun.
"And with the storm, there will be floods, destruction, and complete structural change. When it has passed, the landscape that you see here will be unrecognizable. We will move forward into a new era of equality. Our tortured planet no longer oppressed by the structures of the planes."
During that final sentence, Thane's voice changed, if only for a moment. Something else had come through in its entirety, leaving me to wonder if any of us truly knew what the consequences of this Rift might actually be.
"You know how much I value equality."
"Exactly! And soon enough, balance will be restored. When that happens... I want you by my side."
His eyes narrowed, and the vision faded. The final impression that I held was being overwhelmed by a wall of darkness, except for two glowing eyes.
Chapter 13
When I woke up again, I found myself back in the car with Amethyst licking my face. Erol was technically in the back of the car, pulling some gear out from the rear of the truck. Rosemary was nowhere to be seen.
"Ugh, alright Amethyst, I get it. I'm up."
How long was I out? I thought, looking out at a darkened sky.
Around us, I saw the familiar trees of the redwoods, as well as more barren hillsides than before. Either a fire, deforestation, or higher altitude. I couldn't exactly tell which, because the only light wee had in that place came from the ignition of the car, and the headlamp that waved about erratically as Erol struggled with whatever he was working on in the back of the truck. I hopped out of the car, and Amethyst followed suit.
"What's going on?"
"Oh! You're up." "
The lamp shone right in my face for a moment, and then was diverted self-consciously to the side.
"Well, glad to see that you've at least gotten some rest. You really passed out for a while."
I nodded, and walked back toward where Erol was working to try and understand what he was hoping to accomplish.
"What's that?"
"Well, it’s an emergency tarp that I keep in the back, in case I get stranded, and need to camp outside of the car. Um. Basically, I was thinking that we may need to take a break from driving for a while, and recharge. You were already asleep, and when I looked at you, I saw that your neck was a bit cramped. I thought that with a solid place to lie down, both you and I might feel more rejuvenated with the continuation of our journey.
"You're setting up camp; that's all you needed to say, Erol."
From the looks of it, Erol was more struggling with bungee cords, and unkempt tarps than he was setting up a campsite.
"Looks like you're just making things difficult for yourself."
"Well, I wouldn't normally do this by myself, but the next site is quite a ways away, and I've been driving all day. I need a break, and it looked like you were ready for some kind of break as well."
"What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"You're serious?"
"Just get in the truck. Get in the truck, and I'll drive the rest of the way. You can sleep."
I left him standing there in the dark with a half folded tarp in his hands, and walked around to the driver’s side of the car. He stood there for a minute, and then figured it was an easier decision than not. The tarp was folded up and both of the dogs were inside of the cab once more, sitting on Erol's lap.
"I swear... I will never understand how your brain works. Are all humans this insufferable?"
The keys were left in the ignition, and the truck turned on quickly; ready to continue forward in its journey.
"So where do I go from here?"
"Well, the next place I have in mind is not so much of a theoretical location for a portal event, but a place of great potential."
"Straight, left, right... directions, Erol."
"Right, oh. I mean straight. Go straight."
We were moving forward soon enough, at which point Erol revealed to me that we were moving northwest.
Our destination was a secluded beach somewhere northwest of our current position. He theorized that due to the excessive flush of psilocybin in that area every year around this time, it would be a favorable location for a portal to open. In addition to the flora, he also had some mathematical calculations which integrated Ley Line analysis of the region, along with the other 'documented' instances of portals within his research.
I tried to tell him that none of his research was legitimately 'documented', because if it were, he wouldn't be massaging Rita to pay his bills.
Naturally, his response to that was less than favorable, but I didn't press the point. I needed him to take us there, and there was no use in pushing any more criticism in his direction than necessary.
For a long while, I sat there, staring at the highway, and listening to talk radio. The stories were mildly interesting, as were the responses of the callers, but they weren't interesting enough to hold my entire attention. The only purpose that they actually managed to serve was separating myself from the silence that threatened to swallow the car in my isolation.
Before passing out himself, Erol had informed me of the highways to keep an eye out for, as well as a few major landmarks that would indicate we were headed in the right direction. The trip would take all night, and I would be driving for the rest of the time if I had anything to say about it.
I had the unshakable feeling like we were headed for a trap. Some terrible situation was about to unfold; yet there was no alternative available to either of us. We needed to move forward into the unknown and deal with whatever savage consequences existed before us. Meanwhile, all that was asked of me was to keep my eyes on the road, and maintain consciousness while the dogs and my passenger slept in the cab.
I had a hard time feeling anything but contempt for the man, but I got t
he feeling that it wasn't so much contempt that I was feeling, but frustration on a larger scale which was lashing out wherever it could. I was so unbelievably bitter, angry and depressed, that the full magnitude of it couldn't even be expressed coherently. All I could do was stick to the task at hand, and deal with whatever emotions were most aggressively emergent.
In all reality, Erol really wasn't a bad guy at all.
He was good looking, compassionate, intelligent, intuitive, and let's face it, even if he was driven in a way that the rest of his society didn't support, you couldn't exactly call him unmotivated. The way he laid down there with his dogs gave me plenty to think about, as I wondered what his life had been like before I showed up and made things more complicated for him.
And more complicated yet, I thought.
By the time this was all over, I had some serious doubts as to where he would find himself. Then again, none of us really knew what would happen when, and if the portal could actually be opened. As far as I was aware, the only information we actually had was some combination of actual experience and theoretical knowledge. The problem was that neither of us had experience with opening the portal for any extended period of time. There was no way of knowing what would happen.
My thoughts were interrupted by the strangest conversation coming out of the speakers of the car.
"You know when I wake up at night, and I look out the window, I see her and she's there waiting for me."
"Who's that? Whose there waiting for you?"
"They are. The people. The people of light. They are asking me questions, and hoping that I do good things for them, and I just want them to know that I'm doing my best. I am doing everything I can and I don't know what to say about it except that the dark ones."
"The dark ones?"
"That's right, I call them the shadow people."
"Are these actual people?"
"Well, no. I'm not talking about humans. These are extra-dimensional beings that a previous incarnation of the government came into contact with. They are not who they say they are... I can't trust them."
"Sounds difficult... are you all right where you are at right now. Are you safe?"
"Well, of course. I'm here by my bed. I've got one standing in the corner of the room, and one standing on the side. They are telling me they live here, and that this is their home too."