Limbo's Child (Book One of The Dead Things Series)

by Jonah Hewitt

Maggie raised a stern eyebrow at him and he decided there was no discrete way to say it, so he just pointed one finger slowly upward. Her eyes followed it all the way up to the empty sky and the overhanging clouds or cavern roof, whatever it was. She looked up puzzled for a moment and then back at him. As her eyes widened and her mouth opened soundlessly he knew she understood.

  “No,” she said faintly, bringing her hand to her mouth.

  “Yes,” he said, nodding vigorously.

  She turned around in a tight circle pulling her hair back from her forehead before asking, “But…but you said it was impossible!”

  He shrugged and said, “I thought it was impossible!” not sure he quite believed it himself. “But I guess it’s not.”

  “You guess?!” she was getting angry, but she calmed herself. “I’m sorry…it’s not your fault, it’s just…” She looked like she couldn’t think of the words to say. “How?” she finally said simply.

  He looked around frantically. The garden didn’t seem secure enough, so he reached down and grabbed Maggie by the hand and pulled her into the dark, inner chamber of his small tomb.

  “Fooont?” Hiero tooted curiously, jumping down and following them.

  “Nep?” Maggie exclaimed as he pulled her roughly in and closed the tomb door just after Hiero squeezed past. “What’s going on?! Why are you going back? How are you going back?”

  Nephys dropped his pen case on the small table and turned to look at her. He wasn’t actually certain how to start or how much he should tell her or whether she would even believe. Then he felt the warmth of the stone and decided to start there.

  “This is why and how.” He unfolded his hand and the small, glassy pebble shone on his palm, its bright green light flooding the small tomb chamber. He wondered for a moment if she would be able to see it all but that notion was erased when he saw her expression.

  “Oh, my…” she put her hands to her mouth, but her wide eyes expressed her shock perfectly, as well as a faint glimmer of something else like recognition.

  “You can see it?!” Nephys asked excitedly. He was glad to know he wasn’t the only one.

  “Yes…yes I can see it. It’s beautiful…it’s so green. I had…I had almost forgotten.” She turned away a moment. “Two days in Limbo and I had already forgotten,” she said almost in shock. She turned back quickly.

  She reached out towards it. “Is that…” she was about to say something else but she was cut off by a sudden fit by Hiero.

  “FaRghanntafoonttulapoooont!” Hiero was doing backflips and stabbing the ground and walls in a fit of something like manic rage. Hiero nearly stabbed the bed into splinters. The stone bowl tipped over, shattered and instantly reformed.

  “Hiero! Stop it!” Nephys closed his hands on the stone and went to try to calm the angry bagpipe down, but Maggie called him back.

  “Nep!” Maggie reached out frantically for him. “What’s going on? What’s this about going…back?” Nephys turned and faced her. She was terrified. He tried to ignore the sounds of Hiero thrashing around the small room and concentrate on her for a moment.

  “I don’t know really…it’s just…” he hesitated. He wasn’t certain how much he should tell her, but then he thought, “Who else did she know? Who was she going to tell?”

  “The Chamberlain told me…” he began.

  “The Chamberlain?!” He couldn’t tell if her expression was from shock or confusion. He had forgotten that she was new here and didn’t know much.

  “Yes, he’s the second in command to Death himself. He told me I had to take the stone back through the Gates of Erebus.”

  “But the tide of dead souls…you said…”

  “I know!” Nephys shuddered at the thought. “But, he…the Chamberlain…he said the stone would protect me…he also said the god, Anubis, would help me.”

  “Anubis?! He’s still around?” She pulled her hair back from her forehead again.

  “Um…I guess.” Nephys wasn’t really certain what she knew or understood, but he had no more time. “But he told me I had to go…right now.”

  “I don’t understand! Why are you taking the stone out of Limbo?!” she said frantically.

  Nephys swallowed. “It’s for the Necromancer.”

  Hiero’s fit came to a sudden stop. The silence was eerie. Nephys turned to look, but Maggie called him back.

  “The Necromancer?! What has he got to do with all this?!”

  Nephys looked back at her curiously…a question started to form in his mind, but then Hiero started throwing another fit. He picked up the stone bowl, smashed it, let it reform and smashed it again.

  “Hiero!” Even though he couldn’t harm the bowl the sound was extremely irritating.

  “Nephys!” Maggie called him back and had even pronounced his name correctly this time.

  “What?” Nephys looked back at Maggie’s anxious and desperate expression. “Oh…the stone. The Chamberlain told me that I had to take the stone to the Necromancer. He said that the Necromancer was failing, that he was near death and that he needed the stone to restore the balance between our worlds, I’m not sure how exactly, and that only I could take it to him. He said it was important, so I have to go…now. ”

  Maggie went white. Her eyes unfocused and she wandered off a bit before lowering herself onto the remnants of Nephys’ bed. She looked numb. Even Hiero paused, but when Nephys looked at him he just smashed the bowl again.

  “STOP THAT!” he yelled, but Hiero just ignored him.

  He turned back to Maggie. She looked utterly forlorn. He had to say something.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be back. Eventually,” He added trying to sound encouraging. “Don’t worry. You’ll have Hiero to look after you.” That last part stuck in his throat. He wasn’t so certain if that was comforting or not, but he had to say something.

  They both looked at Hiero expectantly. “Flubbit,” Hiero droned out before smashing the bowl again.

  Nephys looked back at Maggie. Her eyes looked moist. He swallowed. “Well…Goodbye.” he said abruptly and he turned towards the door, but she jumped up off the bed and pulled him back once again.

  “Nep!” Her eyes darted side to side like she was unable to look directly at him.

  “Maggie, I’m sorry but the Chamberlain said I had to go right away.”

  “I know, I know,” she said trying to slow her breathing, “But I need to tell you something first.” She swallowed hard and looked at him. “I know we haven’t known each other very long.”

  “Maggie…” Nephys whined trying to pull free, but she wouldn’t let go of him.

  “AND!” she went on forcefully, “And I know that you don’t owe me anything more after all you’ve done for me…but…” She paused and tightened her grip on his arm. “I need to ask you to do me a favor.”

  Nephys sighed. “Maggie, I don’t know…I need to go.”

  “Just listen to me.” She gripped his arm a little tighter and her lower lip trembled as she gathered the courage to say what she was going to say next, “I need you to take a note to my daughter.”

  Nephys just blinked in disbelief. Hiero stopped smashing the bowl and went dead silent. “I…I don’t think that’s allowed. No one up there is supposed to know anything about the afterworld! There are rules!”

  “I know it’s against the rules, Nephys,” she said emphatically. He found it odd how she could suddenly pronounce his name correctly. “But…but I really want…no I need…I need my daughter to know I’m all right.”

  “Maggie…I don’t think I can…”

  “Please, Nephys!” She gripped him by both arms. “I’m begging you. I really need her to know I’m ok.”

  Nephys rolled his eyes. “How will I even find her?” He hoped to dissuade her. “I could wind up on the other side of the world from where she is!”

  Maggie was undeterred. “It’s not hard, I can give you directions. We live just outside Ephrata, Pennsylvania, just off East Mohler Church Road.”

&n
bsp; “I don’t even know if I will be going anywhere near there!” Nephys complained.

  “TRUST ME!” she implored, “It’s important. There’s no street address, but it’s the second drive after you pass a large, white church heading towards Reamstown, can you remember that?”

  Nephys sighed, “Yes, I can remember it.” Nephys had remembered half the books in creation, of course he could remember it, but he decided not to share that with her cause it might sound like he was bragging.

  “Repeat it for me. East Mohler Church Road. Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Second dirt drive past the old, white church.”

  “East Mohler Church Road. Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Second dirt drive past the old, white church.” he repeated tonelessly, resigned.

  “Good. So you’ll take a note for me?”

  Nephys bit his lip and looked at her and then at Hiero who was panting furiously, holding the bowl over his head as if ready to drop it at any moment. What she wanted violated all the rules, but even though she was still asking, Nephys knew that she knew he would eventually cave in and consent to her request.

  “All right, but make it quick,” Nephys said at last.

  Hiero slammed the bowl one last time before instantly snatching the pen case from the small bedside table and handing it to Maggie. She certainly had him very well trained. Maggie took out one of the reed pens and looked around for something to write on. Nephys helpfully looked through the rubble of Hiero’s fit, pulled out a small scrap of papyrus and handed it to her. She snatched it from him and turned her back to him. She paused with the pen over the small piece of papyrus, took a deep breath and held it in thought.

  “It must be hard to think of what to write to your daughter from beyond the grave,” thought Nephys. The regrets, the last moments, the things left unsaid, all the parental advice she wanted to give but would never get the chance.

  For a moment, Nephys was afraid that she was going to take all night but then she took one more breath, and plunged the pen into the palette. Nephys noticed she used the red ink. Less than two seconds of rapid scribbling later and she was done. She rolled it up and handed it to him. He took it gingerly, but he didn’t even get the chance to look at her awkwardly before she pulled him into a tight bear hug.

  Nephys blinked in a mix of discomfort and surprise for what seemed like ages. He couldn’t even remember the last time anyone had hugged him. He felt warmer and more alive than he had felt in centuries. She gripped him tightly for a moment longer before releasing him. “We’re family now, Nep. You and me.” she said simply. She was trying to put on her tough act, but she had to sniff back the tears.

  “FAAARnfarnt!” Hiero bleated, not to be ignored.

  She smiled at the protesting little imp. “And Hiero too.”

  “VARN-Flubbit!” Hiero replied. Nephys couldn’t tell if he was happy or insulted by the inclusion.

  “You should take Hiero with you,” she prompted suddenly, “Might come in handy.”

  “Hiero?!” Nephys said in horror.

  “PARAANT?!” Hiero hooted hopping up and down and violently stabbing the ground with his butcher knife.

  “OH, NO!” Nephys protested. “Taking the note is bad enough. Imps aren’t even supposed to be in Limbo let alone the land of the living. I’m already going to be in trouble enough taking this note back!”

  “Are you sure?” she asked.

  Hiero spat up a black piece of phlegm and stared venomously back at him.

  “Definitely,” Nephys said firmly. Then he looked back at Maggie. She had resumed her usual pose, hands in back pockets. Tears were running down her cheeks, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away. After all the urgency of the last few minutes, now that it came to leaving, Nephys found it hard to go.

  “Well, you best get a move on!” she said at last, sending a half-hearted kick his direction, but her eyes held back more tears. Nephys stepped back, smiled, and left without saying goodbye one last time. He was out of the garden and halfway down the street before he turned to look back. Maggie was there at the gate watching him go. Hiero was stomping mad at her feet. She leaned over to say something to him. Nephys could just barely make it out.

  “It’s ok, I know about the cats, I can handle myself. Go!” she told him.

  The imp looked from her to Nephys before it trundled off after Nephys like a demented puppy. The little monster had nearly reached him before Nephys responded.

  “No, no, no, no, no!” Nephys took a few steps forward and waved the imp back. “NO, HIERO! Not this time! You have to stay and take care of Maggie!” he ordered the little bagpipes back. Hiero stopped, whined and deflated, nearly dropping his massive butcher knife. “For ONCE, please listen to me,” Nephys demanded. All of the pipes on his back laid flat and he let out a sad, little droning honk. He looked forlornly back at Maggie and then back to Nephys, but he didn’t move. Satisfied that the imp would stay, Nephys turned back down the street and ran for the causeway.

  “I told you to go back! Now for the last time GO!”

  “Garbaanbatanflabit,” the small imp grumbled.

  “I heard that!”

  Hiero had dogged Nephys all the way to the edges of Limbo. Nephys’ pace had slowed recently, but he had run most of the way. Still the little monster had kept pace, always careful to drag himself no closer than thirty paces behind Nephys, like a dejected pet. Whenever Nephys turned around to see if he was still there, he caught the vile thing acting as if it just happened to be in the same vicinity by chance.

  Nephys ignored him for a while and pressed on, hoping to out pace the little monster. Twenty minutes of fast walking later, Nephys hadn’t heard Heiro’s idiosyncratic drone for quite some time so he stopped and peeked over his shoulder. Sure enough, Hiero was still there, thirty paces behind as always.

  “Ugh,” Nephys grumbled. This had to stop. He marched back to where the little imp was waiting.

  “Enough! You have to go home! You can’t come with me to the land of the living – it’s just not right. More importantly, Maggie’s all alone, and she has no one to watch over her. You have to go back and take care of her!”

  “Flubbit,” it muttered despondently, stabbing the ground absent-mindedly with the butcher knife. It looked up at him with eyes like a child that had been told he couldn’t go to the amusement park, but Nephys decided to be firm.

  “I mean it! Now go!”

  Slowly, the imp turned himself around and began stabbing the ground, dragging himself in the opposite direction, at a lugubrious pace, back towards the city and Nephys’ tomb. A few steps on it looked back over its shoulder at him.

  “Go!” Nephys said adamantly pointing back towards the city. “I’m not going anywhere until you go home!”

  Hiero let out a long, droning whine, but ultimately relented and started walking away. It was interminable, but finally the creature dragged itself far enough away it was a tiny spot on the edge of the city. Nephys didn’t move but watched it until it had nearly disappeared. Satisfied that he had finally gotten through to the demonic bagpipes, he turned around in a huff and picked up the pace considerably. A few minutes on, he looked back over his shoulder, almost certain that Hiero would be thirty paces behind him again, but the imp was nowhere in sight.

  “Finally!” thought Nephys, but in truth it made him a little nervous now to be on his own. A short while later, he left the city and entered a rocky, debris-strewn plain that led to the causeway that crossed the black river that separated the land of the living from the world of the dead.

  By the growing number of ghosts and souls wandering around aimlessly in their new surroundings, Nephys could tell he was approaching the causeway to the Gates of Erebus. The vast plain surrounding the city of Limbo was less soggy on this side. The foundations had been shored up long ago by toppling eons of rubble into the swamp. Instead of sand or marshy soil underfoot, there was dry broken marble, gravel and brick. This was the causeway. It was a great, raised thoroughfare, a road of smashed tombs and gravestones l
eading from the Gates of Erebus to the edge of the city. There was nothing graceful or planned about the causeway at all. Unlike the elegant, crumbling temples and tombs, the causeway was a haphazard and ad hoc affair, piled up in great haste.

  During the first taste of the Black Death, the souls had piled up so thick and heavy on the far side of the river Styx that the ferryman, Chiron, simply couldn’t keep up. First he had to abandon the skiff for a larger boat, and then later he had replaced the bark with a broad barge. He reduced the usual fee of a gold coin to a copper groat, and then eventually, because there were so many, he waived the fee altogether and just shoved them on by the dozens no questions asked. The barge listed and nearly sunk under the weight, and still he carried on, but things only got worse. By the end of the plague he was beating them off the giant barge with a large oar like cattle before returning to the opposite shore to fill up the barge once again.

  Eventually, he gave up and left altogether, for where, no one knows. Not that anyone could blame him. There were just too many. The souls crowded on the far shore, helpless, unable to wade across and unable to go back, and always new souls arriving, pressing on them, driving them forward. The newly arrived pushed at the great mass of souls ahead of them, but the crowds of newly departed had nowhere to go. They were shoved into the flood of the great river of death, where they were washed away, down into the marshes of lost souls or beyond, lost forever.

  Finally, the last remaining residents of the acropolis in Elysium came to their aid. They knocked over the temples, tombs and gatehouses, broke the stones down and tossed the rubble haphazardly into the river. More and more they tore down, destroying nearly a third of the city in the process. Once the gates of the city had been glorious with many great and beautiful statues, but now only a large field of rubble greeted the newly deceased to Limbo.

  Desperate, they kept on, throwing all the broken pieces into the river at a furious pace. Eventually, they had constructed a broad, earthen dam of debris, thrown across the wide Acheron with little forethought. As he trod on the broad path, Nephys could read the names of departed kings and gods in the broken inscriptions and epitaphs beneath his sandals: Gilgamesh, Agamemnon, Thutmoses, Qin. None had been spared the indignity.