Against the Fallen

by Devin Lee Carlson

  His hands still wrapped around my back, Sabree asked, “We’re here already? You should have done this yesterday. It’s your fault we lost a whole day. Remember that.” He leaned on his left foot first and then balanced himself on both before he released my pack. His legs wobbled as he hobbled ahead to check out the pool.

  “Stay behind me and don’t touch anything.”

  Deaf ears fell on my orders. Before I could speed to the rescue, Sabree dipped his fingers into the pool and froze. His screech scared off the lingering reptiles that approached, curious about our sudden intrusion. Instead of coolness, scalding heat blistered his flesh.

  “Damn it, Sabree. You never listen.” Already at his side, I stated the obvious. “That’s steam not mist.”

  His hand tucked between his legs, Sabree managed to grit his teeth between grimaces. “How are we going to cross the falls into the tunnel? This was an asinine idea.”

  “Your asinine idea if I recall.” The Malakhim had purposely overshot the heat in this particular hot spring. “Not my idea of a warm blissful soak.” I cupped a hand over my chin as my wary gaze scanned the rocks around the falls. “Maybe I can JLS or ASAP us to the other side. You’ll have to hitch on for another ride.”

  “Again?”

  Sabree’s trepidation while reasonable was unjustified. Granted, JLS speed compared to the quick dash through the mangroves were parked on opposite ends of the speed spectrum, but better than submerging oneself in boiling water. A wee white lie should ease his mind. “This short a distance won’t bother you as much.”

  “Hope not.” Sabree squeezed his legs tighter. “The pain’s not letting up. Not healing. Without your anti-ness, we would’ve never made it this far. Looks like I owe you now.”

  “Don’t be daft. This is all part of the deal that I owe you. We’ll get through it. We’re unstoppable.” I opened the medic bag and uncapped a tube of burn salve. “Hold out your hand. The cooling frost should numb some of the pain.”

  “Burn salve? You thought of every possible scenario.” Sabree rubbed the ointment over his fingers and pocketed the tube for later. “Stay put. Let me climb aboard and fasten my seatbelt before you take off.” Again, he wrapped his arms around my back. “Ready for takeoff.”

  The red-hot springs and waterfall disappeared. Darkness then brightness. The same leaf-blower force tugged our skin. My mind slipped into Sabree’s. Either curiosity or my dark side insisted that I intrude on his experiences.

  His stomach leapt into his throat and his head spun. Brightness blinded Sabree for a second until he focused on the dark tunnel, its entrance challenging us to enter. His stomach climbed up his throat until he heaved at his feet. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and glared at me. “Doesn’t matter how close or far. It’s the same jarring ride.”

  Aye, I got the gist, able to read him like a book with flashy illustrations depicted on every page. “No need to worry about another JLS flight until it’s time to leave. Saying adios to this place will be worth the vertigo.” My eyes squinted at the suspicious tunnel. Its mouth yawned dark and wide, challenging us to venture forth. Neither gate nor door prevented our trespass. “Best be careful. Every step cautious from now on, beginning with the entrance.” I continued to read Sabree’s mind although, if caught, he’d blast me for it.

  What I read first made me smile to myself. He already dreaded the JLS road trip home, but after a stolen glance at his blistered hand, he knew it would be the only way out. Steady on his feet, Sabree eyed the cavernous mouth. The dimensions measured eight-feet-high by twelve-feet-wide. He understood the height but not the width. Angel wings? he thought.

  What did he mean by angel wings? Then it dawned on me. Someone had carved the cave entrance wide enough to accommodate creatures with wings like the Malakhim. “Odd, there’s no gate,” I whispered aloud. “They left the door wide open.”

  “Not a good sign.” Sabree froze when I stepped nearer to the opening and paused. “The Malakhim are cocky creatures like me, positive their death ray would disintegrate any trespassers who entered.” My hair blew upward, settled, and blew again. A slight breeze chased away the humidity.

  “What’s up with your hair?”

  “Something whooshes by the entrance, back and forth every nanosecond. Can’t see anything, but I can hear it. A slight breeze. My hair’s proof.”

  Edging closer, lingering behind me, Sabree leaned to the left and skipped back a step. A rush of air rustled his bangs. He grabbed my arm when the whoosh breezed by him again. “What do we do now?”

  “I’ll speed up to see what’s going on.” As always, my speed resolved almost every challenge the island threw at us. Sabree backed away, wiping his eyes when a dust devil formed at my feet and my body blurred from view. In the course of the few thousand years Sabree spent on Earth, he mentioned that he once knew of only two Fallen who shared the gift of speed. They always complained that misting or flying ranked higher. Apparently, neither one knew how to exploit the gift to its full advantage. Or maybe they didn’t have the stamina the Colton tablets offered.

  I popped back into view. “Aye, good thing you can’t see it.”

  “Why?”

  My arms spread out to demonstrate length. “The size of the blade. It’s a pendulum. It swings across the twelve-foot span, stops, swings back to the other side, stops, and then repeats. No idea what power source runs it. Maybe solar.”

  Sabree hid nothing from my probing mind. Not something easily forgotten, the years it took him to heal from the guillotine replayed in his thoughts. “Can you speed by it when it stops on one side?” he asked. “With me in tow?”

  “Easy peasy.” We laughed at Ariane’s favorite answer for anything effortless.

  “Then why are we wasting time?” Sabree reached over to climb onto my pack.

  “Wait. Not my back this time.” After Sabree sighed like a disappointed teen, I sidestepped around and hugged him. “Better you in front just in case I miscalculate the area behind me. This way, if I misjudged the depth of my entry, the pack will die, not you. Understand?”

  In answer, Sabree squeezed tighter, tucking his head under my chin. “Ready.”

  “I’m shoving you away on the other side, so you won’t puke all over my hiking boots.”

  Sabree raised a thumbs-up and squeezed me with both arms when my body began to vibrate. The gravel beneath my feet danced a hoedown over my boots. The ground disappeared, and darkness swept over us. Less than a second later, I leaned against the cave wall while Sabree landed on all fours and dry heaved.

  “Oh, my God. How do you get used to that?” Glancing around, unsure of our surroundings, Sabree shook his head. “Wow. Did the pack survive?”

  “Lost the hammock. No biggie.”

  Jumping to his feet as close as he dared, he gave me a quick hug. “For once, I’m glad I listened to you.” He stepped back to have a look around. “Do you see any other traps?”

  “No, but I bet this is the spot where the Fallen turned to ashes once the death ray incinerated them.” I bobbed my head, so the headlamp swept a beam across the ground. “See that pile of ash in the corner. Definitely the result of a death ray. At least fifty souls.”

  “Fools. What were they thinking? How did they get past the falls? Or the pendulum?” Sabree clicked on his headlamp to reveal the path ahead. Narrower, the three-foot wide tunnel descended in a slightly downward slope into darkness. “Perhaps, I should learn to live with my stealth.”

  “We got this far. Remember, I owe you, and I always pay in full.”

  “Wish I never opened my big mouth. Lead on, your anti-ness.”

  We squeezed through the tunnel, sometimes narrow, for what seemed forever, when only half an hour had passed. What was Sabree thinking, claiming this trip would take us only two hours to get an answer from White Ghost. More like, he was not thinking.

  I snapped to attention when a thin metal objects whizzed by me. “Duck!” I cried. “Darts!”

  Sabree bent over until he
fell to his knees. Something sharp sliced his upper-left arm. His body dropped to one side, landing on the floor, his head smacking the stone wall. “Ouch!” One hand probed his shoulder for injury. “I’m okay, just a flesh wound.”

  Gasping breaths my only reply, he called out. “Brian?” He called out again, his voice hitting several octaves higher. Sabree looked up, making sure he aimed his headlamp my way.

  My beam met his, blinding us both. Sabree moved his head to one side and choked on a gasp.

  My coughs drowned out his own. Twenty or more darts peppered my chest and arms. One stabbed me near the groin. A creeping numbness rushed from the dart tips into my veins. One by one, I plucked each dart and tossed it aside. An expletive fell on each one I removed, the curses fouler as the number increased. Then several f-bombs spewed when my gaze narrowed in on the last dart inches from my groin.

  Couldn’t blame Sabree for chuckling at the sight of me, a walking pincushion. His awareness that I survived the onslaught and was already healing made it easier to express his dry sense of humor. A chill raced through our veins when he asked, “Do you think they’re poisonous?”

  “Aye, more of an annoyance.” I sniffed the sharp end of the dart that hit too close for comfort. “Definitely a chemical odor. A wee bit woozy but nothing I canna handle.” My brogue slurred as I named off the organic compounds unfamiliar to Sabree. One side of his upper lip curled, announcing his ignorance. Tipped to one side, I leaned against the same wall without moving a muscle. If by chance another booby trap waited to be triggered, I would not be the one to set it off. “Give me a sec to recover.”

  Examining his own injury, Sabree squeezed his shoulder until blood oozed from the wound to expel any poison the dart might have left behind. Below the gash, a puddle of blood not dust pooled in the dirt. “I’m good.” A crooked smile looked up at me. “Sorry I laughed. Mon Dieu, you took the brunt of that ambush.”

  The comical image flashed in my mind. Stifling my own wit, I said, “Aye, bonny lass. My big foot must’ve triggered some kind of lever. Set off the bloody thing and, oops, too late.”

  “Lass?” Sabree’s eyes narrowed as he stared up at me. “You’re loopy. Must be a potent poison.” He let out a sigh. “What if we had switched places? The poison’s probably potent enough to knock me on my ass for a week. Better you than me. Hey! Did you feel that?”

  “Sure did.” The ground rumbled underneath my backside, my back flat against the wall.

  “What’s going on?” Sabree asked as he sat taller. “Are you shifting into gears?”

  “Not me.” I leaned into Sabree and tilted my head until our foreheads bumped. “Watch it.” The ground trembled beneath us. Pebbles jittered to life.

  “I think we have a bigger problem than knocking heads.”

  “Complain to Houston,” I growled. “We got enough of our own.” My hand tapped his shoulder while holding a finger up to my lips. “Hush, something’s off. The ground’s upset.” Dust sprinkled on top of our heads. “The ceiling too.”

  “Snap out of it.” Sabree dug inside his pants pocket for some tablets and poked two into my mouth. “Chew. Heal, damn it.”

  Sabree had hit it on the nose. My nose. The tablets would help me purge the poisons from my system. As I chewed, the gravel bounced around our feet. A déjà vu visual slammed me in the gut. Boulders? The rest stop from hell? I sobered up, my eyes focusing on the gravel and rumbling walls. What was different? I blinked several times at the crimson puddle. One hand shot out to point at it. “Your blood! Look at how the gravel clusters around it. Like they’re attacking it.” I stood straight as I studied the small chamber. The Malakhim death ray detected Sabree’s blood—Fallen blood. Probably wondering why it didn’t disintegrate the intruder at the entrance. “We’d better haul ass before the floor opens up or something worse.”

  “Wai—” Sabree pulled away. Before he hollered a yelp, I yanked him on his feet and rocketed us into the next tunnel. No sooner than we dashed over the threshold, the roof behind us caved in. Once settled inside the hall leading to the next wherever, I rifled through the medical kit and pulled out an ace bandage, wrapping it around Sabree’s arm.

  “Easy, Brian. Why didn’t it go after your blood?”

  “Mine turns to dust like it’s supposed to.” My fingers gently squeezed his other shoulder. “Look, hang on, we’re almost there. I sense it.”

  “How? Is the compass stone vibrating?”

  “Must be an archangel thing.” I mouthed a toothy grin before I pulled an about-face down the tunnel. The way back was no longer an exit. Rubble had filled the entire room. At least my senses bubbled to the surface long enough to react at the worst possible moment or we’d be crushed inside our own tomb.

  “You okay? You still sound loopy. How are we going to get out of here?” Sabree ran to catch up. “Are you sure you’ve never been here before? Nothing gets by you.”

  He was right on one account. Nothing did get by me. Couldn’t afford to let it. We marched on to the next level.

  3 3 3

  Surprisingly, no other booby traps other than a gas bomb and nail-ridden floor slowed us down. Both times, I grabbed Sabree and raced out of the chamber, so fast my hiking boots glided over the nails as if it were a bed of ice. The treads declared otherwise, torn to rubbery shreds. I didn’t mind the future prospect of shopping for another pair along with a new hammock.

  An hour later, we stopped in front of a sealed passageway. A large ruby about six inches in circumference glimmered in the middle of the marbled slab. The jewel sang to me as if tempting me to push it. I bowed to a restless Sabree. “I rule over every gem and stone.”

  “Don’t touch it.” Sabree’s eyes burned turquoise outlined in red.

  “The ruby’s begging me to press it. Press it, aye, but then I’m going to bloody well snatch it and take it home.”

  “That’s your kleptomania talking. Listen to reason.” Sabree scratched his scalp. Dust sprinkled from his frizzy mop. “It’s another trap. Too blatant to be anything else.”

  “Behind this door, door number three, is the White Ghost’s keep. I’m certain my archangel blood will activate it. Either way, the stone’s mine. I see a purpose for it in the near future. A lock of sorts.”

  “Three? There’s only one door. The poison’s warped your mind. Last thing you need is another stone. I’m going to change your name to Stone Collector.”

  “And you have a jaguar fetish. Gems house mystical powers unlike your useless animal spirit. Where has it gotten you so far?” I pulled the GPS stone from my pocket and held it in front of the ruby. It glowed bright white instead of blue. “Confirms my theory.” I bowed in front of the sealed door.

  “Open it already.” Sabree folded his arms across his chest.

  “You’d better duck and cover just in case this goes bad. I’m rarely wrong.” A scoff burned my ears. Although expected, I ignored Sabree’s snarky remark, hoping he listened to my advice. My fingers hovered over the ruby as I held my breath, jabbed the jewel, and stepped back, bumping into Sabree.

  Nothing happened. “Bugger. It didn’t recognize me. Well, take this you bloody rock.” I pried the ruby out of its setting. Smooth and cool, it nestled in my palm. “A keeper.” I glanced at Sabree whose creased brow and down-turned lips showed disapproval. “Uh, oh.”

  The ground rumbled as the marble slab pulled apart, each half moving into its adjacent wall like a set of pocket doors. Radiant rays burst from the room, blinding me for a moment. I thrust out an arm to stop Sabree. “Stay behind and enter only when I do. The slab might slam shut between us.”

  “Makes sense. Do you see it?”

  “Aye,” I whispered. My breath caught when I tried to describe the celestial splendor. I choked on the lump in my throat. “See for yourself.” I reached behind and pulled Sabree alongside as we entered the keep. Sure enough, once we set foot inside, the slab doors slammed shut. I glanced behind and wiped my brow on a sleeve. Sabree was intact. No arms, legs, or h
ead missing.

  A humming sound like a chorus of angels singing the sweetest high notes brought my attention forward. “Oh my God...” Behind me, Sabree choked on a sob.

  Imprisoned within a transparent crystal dome, except for the swirling kaleidoscope of Caribbean-blue hues, the White Ghost differed from any apparition I had seen. Millions of twinkling micro-stars encompassed its humanoid form. No longer a blinding white light, a soft glow warmed those within the keep. Harmony, goodness, and empathy oozed from its being, especially its eyes—two brilliant stars located centrally near the top. Its head, I assumed. A deep sadness claimed the being overall.

  The unearthly creature, neither male nor female, appeared to be more heavenly than any of the Malakhim. Way beyond my comprehension. I stole a glimpse at Sabree, who seemed quieter than usual. My jaw tightened when the shimmering lavender hue brightened my friend’s eyes. “Sabree, meet White Ghost. White Ghost, meet Sabree.”

  A musical voice jingled like wind chimes ringing in a summer garden. “I refuse to acknowledge you,” the star-like being announced. “An archangel imprisoned me. Unworthy of my time.”

  We glanced at each other and then stared at the source of the melodic voice. I responded first. “Looks like the ball’s in your court, Sabree. It doesn’t like me.” I nudged him forward. “Ask away.”

  3 3 3

  The cosmic spectacle astounded Sabree. Never had he imagined coming face-to-face with such a celestial being. Never during his life in the portal universe had he experienced such holiness. And never had he found himself so lost for words. Sabree wiped his eyes as he stepped forward. Another nudge and he could touch the dome if he chose. Behind him, Brian spoke.

  “Be careful what you say. You only get one question per visit.”

  His friend made sense as usual. Sabree knew for certain that Brian, still childlike in ways, possessed two remarkable attributes: protecting those he loved and possessing an abundance of common sense. “Good point, Brian.” Nothing like asking the White Ghost how he or she was doing and then presto, that counted as his one and only question.