by Leah Silver
I tossed the blade on the counter, not wanting to have anything else to do with it. In doing so, I caught a glimpse of my hand. The speck of black had already grown.
Frowning, I pushed it to the back of my mind as best I could before striding to the damaged centrifuge.
“How did you get infected?” Sara asked, coming closer and taking my hand. I couldn’t help jerking it away from her.
“I don’t know. That sorry excuse for a supernatural touched my bare skin. But it was more than that, I think. He almost seemed possessed. None of the others were responsive at that moment. And he suddenly came to life.”
“Why did that guy come after us?”
At least the centrifuge had stopped smoking. But he’d broken it well and good. I could only hope what was inside was intact. Carefully, I pried the top off. “Because we’re close to something. I think you’re right. I don’t think this spreads like a normal plague. And as such, it can’t be cured like a normal plague, either. It needs some encouragement.”
My wheels started turning. Could I charm a plague? It acted like it took orders from whoever was controlling it. Could I counter that with the cure?
The contents of the centrifuge were toasted, but it didn’t matter anymore. I knew what I had to do. And I had to do it quickly. The speck on my hand was already the size of a dime. In a few hours it would be a quarter. In a matter of days, I’d be nothing but a pile of ash like those in the sick bay.
Excitedly, I went back to the freezer and took out another vial of Sara’s blood.
“What are you thinking?”
“I think I’ve got it.”
Ed
That time I thought I could handle a fire demon, and was wrong
I needed to make one thing clear—I didn’t deliberately separate from the group. Despite Merry’s protests to stay together, which I one-hundred-percent agreed with, that ridiculous demon straight out of Mordor didn’t leave me much choice. Perhaps his resemblance to Tolkien’s Balrog was why I went all Gandalf the Grey and told them to run. Too bad I didn’t carry a magical staff that could dissolve the ground beneath the beast. Truth be told, I didn’t need one to accomplish that, but I hadn’t thought of it. Unfortunately for me.
Honestly, Merry was the demon hunter. She probably could’ve handled it without breaking a sweat. But I hadn’t thought this bugger would be as much trouble as he turned out to be—and I said this from a dank, cold dungeon.
All right, so this was what happened.
Levi had called. I’d found in my years with him that most everything could always be blamed on him. He’d explained his brother—yeah, I didn’t know he had a brother either—attacked them, but it was under control. He thought he was close to a cure, which was good since he managed to get himself infected. Merry hadn’t been too pleased about anything he had to say, considering the brother character went after Sara. Oh, nor had she been thrilled that Levi was now infected. Couldn’t say I blamed her. We needed him to find that cure. Levi dying was not on the agenda.
While she’d been yelling at him over the phone, she drew some attention to our little crew. We’d been walking down the street in the middle of downtown New Orleans. That had been our mistake, thinking we were safe out in the open. But that son of a motherless gravedigger was bold, I’d give him that much.
The demon rose out of the asphalt behind us, black at first, but then the lava burned through. He opened his mouth to scream, and I could feel the heat blasting my white hair away from my face. If my beard had been longer, he might have singed it. That really would’ve pissed me off.
“Wonderful,” I said, turning to meet the new foe.
“What do you want, Daevas?” Merry asked. How did she keep track of all the demons?
“You.” His breath smelled like sulfur, and I resisted the urge to cover my face.
“Well, I’m a bit busy. Perhaps we can meet up another time?”
“Now,” he said.
“Man of few words,” I said to Oscar. He didn’t respond. Levi would’ve laughed or added to it. Wait a second, did I actually miss that arrogant vampire?
Merry impatiently sighed. “Daevas, I don’t have time for this. And you know if you put a stake in the ground, I’ll make good on my promise to send you beyond the veil. I told you, no more chances.” She was talking to him like a child facing punishment.
He didn’t seem cowed. Instead, he took a menacing step forward.
“You know what?” I suggested. And it was then my big mouth got me into trouble. “Why don’t you guys go on ahead? I’ll nip this in the bud and catch up.”
Merry eyed me like I’d just had a bucket of slugs come out of my mouth. “Why would we do that?”
“Because this isn’t worth your time, and I’m here to help,” I insisted. Stupidly.
“No. He’ll listen to me. I just need to—”
Daevas cut her off with a swoop in our direction. He missed every one of us, but the heat he left behind singed my eyebrows and the tip of my beard. He’d ruined my beard. That had been what sealed it.
“Now, that’s quite enough,” Merry sternly said. When he reached for her, I sent a shot of water at his hand with a flick of my wrist. The steam that rose off him was every bit as hot as his body, but it proved a distraction. If his cries were any indication, it hurt him. He deserved it.
Problem solved. All I’d had to do was douse him with water, and we’d be out of there. “Really, I’ll take care of this. Go on. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
Oscar pulled on Merry’s arm, gently but firm. “Come on, Merry. He’s right. We don’t have time for this.”
She hesitated. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I know. Honest. It’s no big deal. I’ll catch up with you.”
A fireball sailed past me. It singed the edge of my cloak, so I turned to face my adversary. “Now, that was unnecessary.”
“She is not leaving.”
“Yes, she is,” I insisted, opening the heavens and bringing a deluge of rain upon the street. Humans ran in all directions, unable to see the fierce demon, but still fleeing from the precipitation. Whatever got them out of harm’s way worked for me.
He screamed. It sounded like thunder, adding to the stormy effect. “Quit your bellyaching.” I said. “Go back where you came from.”
I began chanting in his language, an ancient tongue, commanding him to leave. He growled and stepped toward me, his skin hardening and turning black under the rain, making his movements stiff and cumbersome.
I spoke louder, and a chunk fell off his head, crashing to the street below. This would take longer than I thought. Practically yelling at the beast, I’d commanded him to do as I said. Redundant, but it worked.
More non-essential parts crumbled off his body, and victory had been within reach. I just had to wait for it.
His legs started to go out from under him, and he came tumbling toward me. I took a few steps back, but the curb tripped me. I stumbled, which forced me to take my eyes off him. In that instant, he’d snatched me up, but before he could squeeze me to death, my enchantment worked, and we were both transported beyond the veil.
Shockingly, the other side of the veil isn’t very homey
Perfect. Just perfect. I’d never get a beignet now. The beast held onto me, screaming with fury. But he couldn’t really hurt me, not since we were both on the other side of the veil. At least, that was my theory.
A sick curiosity made me look around, taking in my surroundings. I’d always wondered what it was like for souls down here. Seemed very…red. And hot. But that was likely because the stupid fire demon had hold of me.
“You’ll pay for that, wizard. You’re meddling in things you ought to stay out of,” he growled.
“Oh, really? I always thought saving another race was rather noble. I mean, if you’re going to meddle in something, why not that?”
He kept his grip on me, stomping deeper into his realm. Basically, in the exact opposite direction I wanted
to go. “If you don’t mind, I think we can go our separate ways now,” I suggested. Too bad I wasn’t a charmer like Levi.
Rocks rose all around me, creating a sort of cave-like appearance among the red glow. Demons of all kinds mingled around, and they seemed very purpose driven. None spoke to Daevas, though. They kept their heads forward, almost marching toward their destinations. Something was going on. Even though I’d never been there before, I could tell something was up. Demons were never so purposeful unless it benefited them somehow. That thought alone made me press the issue with my captor.
“I’m afraid I must insist you release me. We’re done. We have no further business together.”
He stopped walking, gazing down at where he held me in his hands. “You honestly think you won’t pay for interfering in demon work?”
“I…” I trailed off. I suppose I hadn’t thought of that.
“I thought wizards were supposed to be smart,” Daevas scoffed.
I didn’t dignify that with a response as he trudged deeper and deeper into the void. The area was losing its red glow, and darkness fell. The air cleared, and it smelled almost fresh.
“Where are we?” I asked out of sheer curiosity.
“You’ll soon find out.”
He wouldn’t answer me, because that would be too easy. Tall, dark trees began to rise from the ground in the distance. When had we gone outside? This place was trouble. Supernatural scholars had studied the void and the lands beyond it, but none had come close to what I was seeing. Problem with studying it was that only the demons had been to it, and they proved to be unreliable sources of information. Often, they gave outlandish information just for laughs.
One thing was for sure, normal souls who journeyed beyond it didn’t come back. Someone always had to be the first. Or so I told myself as Daevas’ footfalls started to crunch over a thick layer of leaves.
No creatures stirred in the dark forest, and no moonlight cast shadows among it. The trees looked black, as did the ground beneath us. The only thing that cast light was Daevas’ body as he marched along, bringing me further and further from my entry point.
“How much further?” I asked.
“The sooner we get there, the sooner your fate will be sealed, wizard. I would’ve thought you’d want to delay this journey as much as possible.”
“If we’re being honest, I’d rather not be on the journey at all, thank you very much.”
Daevas snorted. “Fair enough.”
The air grew humid as we walked deeper into the forest, and he approached a huge tree. He stood in front of it for a few heartbeats. Just as I was about to prompt him, a door opened at the base of its trunk. It revealed an entire world inside. It was almost beautiful, in a dark and terrifying way.
Bare white branches crept along the walls and wove together, creating a ceiling of sorts. Magic throbbed from the walls, but it didn’t make me want to draw near. There was a darkness to it that made me want to get the hell out of there.
“Daevas, I’m not sure this is a good idea.” No one wandered the corridors when he walked us down the narrow hall.
The demon’s laugh echoed unnaturally off the close walls. Walls that seemed to reach for us as we walked by. They snagged my cloak and scraped along Daevas’ glowing skin. Somehow, they weren’t singed. This was the creepiest place I’d ever been to. It was obvious I was only scratching the surface of what this side of the veil had to offer. Wonderful.
We stopped before a great white double door, carved to look like the bare branches that surrounded us.
On their own accord, the doors opened outward, and Daevas stomped through without hesitation.
“Daevas, what a surprise. I hadn’t expected to see you here so soon.” The voice was low and breathy.
The room was huge. Right at the end of it, a dark, unnatural shadow fell where the voice came from, making it impossible to see what kind of creature was speaking.
“I’ve brought you a wizard.” Daevas knelt before the source of the voice.
“A wizard isn’t what I asked for.”
“I know, sir, this wizard came between the hunter and me.”
“I see. Well, he shall be punished then. And what shall we do with you?” Water rose from below rather suddenly. The fire demon’s feet sizzled.
“Please, master, give me another chance. I will do better.”
“I’m afraid you’re out of chances. With the hunter and with me.”
Before I could react, the water was up to the demon’s hand. I started getting wet, but he didn’t let me go. The water was rather cold, too. His body was doing nothing to warm it, as I’d hoped it would. His grip on me tightened as the water rose to my shoulders.
“I’ll kill him if you kill me.”
The voice laughed, and I realized I was pretty much fucked. “Daevas, you’re an idiot,” I said through clenched teeth.
The laugh that boomed out of the darkness did nothing to set my nerves at ease. “Well, your wizard is smarter than you, Daevas.”
Daevas started to squeeze me, and I was just about done. Was there a place beyond, beyond the void? Honestly, I didn’t think people could die once they’d gone beyond the void. But the way he was squeezing me made me think otherwise. It was all too much, and I couldn’t process what was happening.
“Enough,” the voice said. The squeezing stopped, and the water ceased its rising. “Wizard, you might be useful to me. I think I will put you to work.”
In that moment, Daevas cried out in pain and released me. I fell to the ground in a heap and scrambled away. Of course, I was seized by two of the voice’s lackeys. But it was worth a shot.
“Take him to the mines,” the voice commanded over Daevas’ screams.
I could still hear them, even as the double doors closed behind us. The two men dragged me along, and I struggled to gain my footing to walk on my own.
“If you’d just let me walk, I’d gladly go with you,” I said. “Well, I suppose that’s a bit of a lie. I won’t gladly go with you, but I’ll be compliant.”
The two creatures shared a glance and stopped, giving me a chance to stand up properly. “Much obliged,” I said and gestured ahead of me. “Lead the way.”
They continued, each holding on to one of my elbows. If I wasn’t their prisoner, I’d feel like we were some kind of trio in the Wizard of Oz. Although, these creatures weren’t nearly as attractive as the lion and the scarecrow. And the Mother knew I was a long way from Dorothy.
They were small, only coming up to my shoulder, grey skinned with black patches all over. Their bright green eyes reminded me of snakes, but their skin reminded me more of Oscar when he was in his true gargoyle form.
“What kind of creatures are you?” I blurted out. No need for niceties beyond the veil.
They glared at me, and I wondered if I was wrong. Flattery always went a long way no matter, right? “It’s just that I’ve never met creatures so fascinating. As a wizard, I like to keep catalogues of those I meet.”
They shook their heads and kept silent, sharing a knowing glance between themselves. I wondered if their mouths, spreading nearly from ear to ear, were strictly for eating and not speaking. I hadn’t seen their teeth, but my imagination ran wild. I couldn’t help but press them. “Are you demons? Or something else?”
No answer. Not even a look in my direction while we trudged down the long hallway. We came to a door on the left. A winding staircase led down. Down was a direction I certainly did not want to go.
“Can we talk about this?” I asked, putting the brakes on.
They grunted as they took a firmer hold on my arms, and then shoved me into the stairwell. It wasn’t wide enough for all three of us, so one of them went ahead. The one behind me stayed close, not shoving, but not letting me dilly-dally. We went around and around the wooden staircase, deeper into the depths of the tree. Lining the walls were occasional lights, but they weren’t flames. They were magic with their own light source. It was a rather breathta
king, and I wanted to stop and examine them. But my jailers wouldn’t have it. When I did try to stop, I got a firm shove to the low back, and I nearly lost my footing. The guy out front grunted, ready to catch me apparently. But I didn’t need him. Thank the Mother. I was afraid he wouldn’t be very soft or gentle for that matter.
We walked for what felt like an eternity, and I wondered what Merry and the others were doing. Hopefully questioning that goblin we’d been tracking, which was the entire reason we were in the middle of downtown when Daevas popped up in the first place.
I took out my phone, stumbling a bit as I tried to get a signal. “Too much to hope for out here,” I said, feeling foolish. Neither of my captors responded, not that I was surprised.
I stowed my phone just as we arrived at the bottom, and the staircase opened to a sight I had difficulty comprehending. The ground was solid, but covered in long, narrow grates at regular intervals. As I approached them, I could see they were swarming with snakes, the same color as my captors. Countless green eyes looked up at me before slithering on, over top of their brothers and sisters.
“What is this place?” I asked, but I didn’t get an answer. I was escorted to a room to our right, and quickly shackled by my wrists and ankles. Once I was contained, a demon came in.
This demon had a similar grey tone to his skin, but his eyes were more normal, although still bright green. He was huge, filling the entire doorway. He stepped aside to let my captors out.
“Hello, Edthar.” His voice boomed in the small space, and I cringed. “What, you don’t like me?”
“You’re just very loud.” I held up my hands in a gesture of surrender, but he only talked louder.
“Well, I’m here to explain what you’ll be doing. You’re mining venom.”
“Venom?” I asked, struggling to keep up.
“You heard me. Good. I was worried I’d have to talk louder for you.”
“Mining it how?”
“By milking snakes, of course.”
“But…I’m a wizard, not a snake handler.”