Demon Flames

by M. J. Haag

  “It is odd to sense it is night, but not to see the stars or moon.”

  “That is why we will never live in these caves. We are people of the earth and sky. There is no sky here.”

  One man lays down and looks up. “No sky or moon, but the crystals glow like stars.”

  “They do seem to flicker,” another says, staring up. After a moment, he glances at a nearby pillar. Near the top, a cluster of crystals peeks from the stone ceiling.

  He starts for the column.

  “What are you doing?” one asks, setting aside his hard-biscuit dinner.

  “I want a closer look.” The man agilely climbs the pillar and clings to the surface at the top as he reaches out to touch the crystal.

  A room fills his mind. Bright and bursting with light, it beckons. He releases the crystal and joins the rest.

  “There is a cavern here filled with these crystals. I believe the crystals are the source of the power we’re feeling. Not just here, but throughout the land. To connect to the power of the land…to survive…we will need to connect with the crystals.”

  “How do you know?”

  “When I touched the crystal, it showed me.”

  “We will look for the cavern after we rest,” another says, picking up his own hard-biscuit.

  “We should have hunted before entering the cave.”

  “We can hunt here. Perhaps one of those horned hares.”

  Two of the group split off to hunt while the other three rest. The hunters trace their way back to a vast cavern filled with unusual trees. There they startle a doe, which they quickly bring down with an arrow. They thank the doe for giving her life then clean her and carry her body back to the others, along with branches from a nearby tree.

  Working together, they start a fire and begin butchering the small deer.

  “Look up,” one says. “The crystals no longer glow. They stopped as soon as we lit the fire.”

  “We’ll cook quickly and put it out again,” one says, seeming troubled.

  The fire crackles, and the smell of roasted meat fills the space. The men hungrily take their portions and put out the fire. There is a brief darkness before the crystals come to life again.

  Near the group, the deer, once a carcass, suddenly jumps to its feet, whole and healthy and very much alive. After a moment, it takes off running. The stunned men stare. One sets down his skewer of meat.

  “This place is unnatural.”

  “Unusual, but beautiful and with endless bounty, it would seem.”

  “We should leave this place,” one of the men says. Another nods in agreement. They both decline to eat the meat, choosing the dry bread.

  The others exchange looks before taking up their skewers and biting into their portions.

  I inhaled…

  The group of five steps out of the cave into the blinding light of day. The other group, who had explored the lands, is already there waiting.

  “Brothers!”

  The men embrace each other.

  “The lands are plentiful of game and harvest. But full of humans,” one of those who had remained above ground says.

  “Humans?”

  “Like the one we saw gathering. They hunt and gather but do not farm or harvest. They live together in caves. Tell us what you found.”

  “The caves are the source of the power we sense in this land. And full of hidden secrets. Come, we will show you.”

  Together, the large group explores, reaching further into the cavern’s depths. Each cave is different. Some are filled with greenery and crystals and trees while others are dark and filled with pools of water or empty of everything but stone. Some caverns are so vast the men need to rest before continuing. Through it all, the newcomers are in awe of the things they see, and find themselves brushing their fingers over the odd fruits and greenery.

  One man, with familiar-feeling bright blue-green eyes, steps up to a small tree, plentiful with fruit. He plucks a small brown globe from the thin branch and brings it to his nose. The sweet smell fills his nose and makes his mouth water. But he does not eat the fruit. He puts it in his sack and joins the others who are nearby. One of his brethren brings a finger to his lips for silence.

  Ahead, three of the fey stalk a deer. The buck lifts its mighty head, ears flickering between its massive antlers. The men move with agility and swiftly take the buck down.

  The hunters reverently thank the buck for its sacrifice as the others join them.

  “We will need much wood to cook and dry the meat for such a large kill.”

  “No. That is part of the magic here. Watch.”

  The men work quickly, taking only the choicest pieces of meat while leaving the body otherwise untouched. The meat is set aside, and the men step away from the buck.

  “We do not waste like this,” one of the newcomers says.

  “Watch,” another says, motioning the others back.

  High above, the crystals pulse with power. Energy surges from the ceiling down the walls and into the ground. The men feel the recoil of it as they watch the buck twitch. The skin knits back together, muscling filling in the void beneath where it has been removed.

  It doesn’t take long for the buck to recover. The others stand in awe as it jumps to its feet and bolts away. The two, who had declined the meat, share a look of apprehension. The others are in awe.

  “It’s alive.”

  “And whole.”

  “This place provides endless meat but no sun,” one of the two objectors says.

  All the men look up to the forever night sky.

  “We have much to learn about this place,” the one who’d collected the apple says quietly. “Were you able to connect with the plants?”

  “We did not yet try.”

  “And we did not hunt outside to know if all deer are reborn. Let us separate again. Four of us will return outside the caves to hunt. The rest should continue to learn more about these caverns. We will meet at the entrance in two days.”

  Two from the original party in the caves choose to return to hunt outside. The six who remain inside travel slowly and continue to learn what they can of the magic of the place. However, what they learn is limited. When they touch the trees and plants, they feel the power coursing through the stems and trunks, but they cannot direct it to encourage growth and health.

  Touching the crystals themselves always shows the men the same vision of a light-filled room. The men set out to find the main source of the crystals and unravel the mysteries of the underground world.

  A small group of three walks into a cavern illuminated brightly with white-blue light. Crystals descend downward from the ceiling and upward from the floor to form a pillar in the center of the room. In the middle of the pillar, a solid, huge crystal connects the top and bottom.

  Magic pulses from the crystal source so strongly, the men feel it in the air. The fey who’d plucked the fruit steps forward to the cluster of crystals and touches the center stone. Power surges through his veins. He places his other hand on the crystal and gently presses his forehead against the cool, calming surface.

  A flash of light blinds the room for a moment. When it fades, the fey steps back from the crystal. Cradled between his hands is a small crystal glowing softly. A symbol is etched onto its surface.

  “What happened when you touched it?” another asks.

  “It welcomed me to its home and gave me this gift. I can do more than feel the energy now,” he says.

  He opens his pack and removes a seed. He bends down and places his hand with the crystal on the stone floor over the seed. The soft glow brightens in pulsing waves for a moment. When the man removes his hand, a small mound of soil cradles a tiny sprout.

  “With the crystal, I have a connection to the source.”

  The next man moves forward and presses his forehead to the source crystal. The same light flashes, and he too steps away with a crystal, making room for the next to receive his.

  The six each spend time workin
g with the energy in the room until each has coaxed a plant to grow for them.

  “We should go back to the entrance and tell the others,” the first says.

  They agree and return to the beginning with their crystals.

  The men emerge from the caverns, and their eyes water at the harsh light of the midafternoon sun. It takes a moment for them to see the others standing around two fallen deer a distance from the opening.

  One of the hunters spots them and waves them over.

  “We hunted this one in the caves and brought it out. This one is from the woods. Neither has revived.”

  “Perhaps we need to wait longer out here where the power isn’t as strong,” one of the new arrivals says.

  “Or perhaps we try to use the crystals,” another says.

  “Crystals?”

  The six with the crystals explain what happened in the source cave, and one of the skeptical fey speaks up.

  “You should have left the unnatural magic down there.”

  “The crystals are of the earth as are we. Thus, the magic is not unnatural, just different. Do not fear something because it is new and unknown. We were sent out with a purpose. To find our people a new home. This land is full of life and energy. We must learn what we can then let our people decide.”

  No one objects after that, and the six step forward with their crystals. They wait for the familiar rush of power to revive the deer, but nothing comes. They try for hours, which turn into a day.

  The deer do not come back to life.

  I exhaled and an involuntary shudder ran through me...

  Ten familiar men stand on a shoreline and face a group of older fey, just disembarking from a ship. Thousands of ships dot the waters on the horizon.

  “Welcome,” one of the men says.

  “Greetings. What have you found here?”

  “These lands are different than our homeland, new and not yet grown. Yet, there is so much power in this thriving place. Can you feel it? Even here on the sands?”

  The older ones nod.

  “There are caves further inland, the source of this land’s power. The animals there revive. We will never have to worry about starvation. Plant life grows in abundance.”

  “You say the animals come back to life?” one of the Elders questions with a hint of eagerness.

  “Yes.”

  “Tell us more of this new land.”

  While the ships moor, each of the ten imparts to the elders some of what they have seen or learned. The two objectors share their concerns about nurturing a magic that would so cruelly bring back to life an animal only to see it slain and eaten again and again. The elders listen with care to everything then dismiss the explorers so they may discuss what they’ve learned.

  The rumors of the wonders of the caverns spread throughout the fey. More men come to the original explorers to listen to them speak about the land and what it has to offer. Many inspect the crystals.

  Almost a month’s time passes as the elders consider the new land. During that time, the elders visit the caves with the original explorers and learn more of its magic, creatures, and terrain. The main body of settlers stays near the shore and makes temporary homes in the trees. Not in the branches, but on the forest floor. They begin to farm, planting the seeds they brought with them from their dying homeland.

  Under the elders’ watchful presence, the explorers use their crystals to encourage growth, but their connection with the power above ground is weak. The elders grant the original ten explorers permission to use seeds in the caverns. The men work tirelessly. What grows is different from what they knew in the homeland but not bad.

  The elders make note of their bountiful results and require the explorers with crystals to surrender their connection with the source while they continue to deliberate. Everyone waits, wondering if this new land will become their home.

  When a meeting is called, the people gather among the trees and listen. The ten explorers have places near the front of the crowd.

  Four of the elders stand before the gathering.

  “We have made our decision. We will remain in this land, but we will not live in the caves. The power goes against the laws of nature. The laws we live by,” the eldest woman on the council says.

  One of the explorers steps forward.

  “The power in our home is dying. With its death, we lose our connection with the earth and plants. We will become just like the human cave dwellers and will have no power to nurture nature. We have proven we can bond with the power in the caverns and influence the nature there. The power is neither good nor bad, only the intent of the user. With this new source, our people and way of life will not die out.”

  “No. We will live above ground and connect with the power of the earth here.”

  “The power here is not of the earth, like our old home, but of the crystal. Truly, you must all feel the difference in power. There is no malice in it,” the one who had been gifted the first crystal says. “To survive, we will need to connect with the crystals.”

  “Enough. The decision has been made.”

  “You have decided on behalf of the people. I ask to be allowed to decide for myself. I wish to live in the caverns.”

  “Then you are not of the people. The cavern lands are forbidden.”

  Denial rises from some of the men in the crowd. During their time waiting, they had heard of the energy that the crystals offered.

  The first to receive his crystal turns from the elders and makes his way through the crowd. Others follow, until just over three hundred men split from the main tribe and begin their journey to their new home.

  I exhaled…

  “We cannot allow them to return to our lands,” an elder says to another.

  “What do you propose we do?”

  “Seal them inside, taking their memories of their lives with us. To help them understand the fault in their thinking, we will curse the deer within the caverns. Each time their flesh is consumed, they will return a shadow of their former selves.”

  The others on the council agree.

  “We will need many of our people and the power of the six crystals for this banishment.”

  The elders chip away at the small cluster of crystals and take pieces of the broken crystal to give to the people.

  Over one hundred of the oldest fey squat to the Earth, pressing their hands against the soil. They sing to the trees and Earth and bend the power of the land to their will. The Earth rumbles and shakes. The singing grows louder, weaving a web of power over the minds of the men now in the caverns.

  The Earth closes over the entrance to the cavern, blocking out any way into the underground realm. With the unnatural magic locked in along with those who chose to use the magic they should not bear.

  The Elders remain in place as they finish the curse upon the men who have gone against their laws.

  “Mya…”

  I inhaled painfully…

  The light fey move from the place they had temporarily called home to escape the memory of brothers, cousins, and friends, who no longer live with them but remain trapped under the soil and a constant sour reminder of the sacrifices made. The elders weaken as the power of their homeland fades.

  The fey begin to mingle with the humans, who are much more than what the fey first believe. They are beings born without any type of magic. Beings who survive the lands, respecting it as the fey do. The fey learn from them and soon find themselves living in villages with the humans and taking human spouses.

  The powers from the fey’s homeland fades, and only their half-fey children survive the loss.

  Underground, the dark fey thrive with the source’s magic. Memories of the sun and life above ground have disappeared.

  The men set out on a large hunt for meat. They plan to use the skins for clothing and bedding, for they have nothing. The deer they slay and consume morphs into something dark and rises again. But this time when it stands, it howls.

  Seven

 
; The power in the crystal pushed my finger away, releasing me from the vision. My stomach clenched nauseatingly, and I swallowed down the bile that wanted to rise.

  I looked at Drav in disoriented shock. His features, though darker, were the same as the man who’d picked the fruit. The same as the man who’d first touched the crystal. All the pieces fit together in my head, and the resentment over his callous disregard of my freedom of choice seemed insignificant in comparison to what had been taken from him.

  He didn’t understand the situation like I now understood it. He’d brought me underground because he truly believed this was a place of safety. Instead, it was a prison. His people had put him here because he and his friends had differing opinions. That wasn’t even the worst part. They’d taken his memories. Everything. He’d stolen me to save me. But, his people had stolen from him because he saw the world differently.

  “Mya?” Drav said softly.

  His concerned gaze traced my face.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said a moment before I flew at him.

  He caught me in his arms and held me tight. His cheek pressed against the top of my head, and he breathed in deeply, running his hands down the curve of my spine.

  “You have no reason for sorrow. I told you, I accept and understand your anger.”

  I pulled back and looked up into his odd eyes. Eyes that had once been blue like the sky. Eyes that had changed as he’d adapted to his life underground.

  “I’m not sorry for being mad at you. What you did is wrong. And I still want you to take me back to the surface. But Drav, I saw you and your people when I touched the crystal. I saw what you don’t remember.”

  He frowned.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Before you came here, you lived in a forest. The trees were bigger than any building I’d ever seen. There was magic in that place, but it was dying. That’s why you came here. At least, I think it was here, to the states. It was so long ago it’s hard to tell, and the magic in these caves seems to warp distance or something. It would explain the hellhounds in Germany. Oh, the hellhounds! Drav, those were once deer.”