by Robert Ross
Chapter 13
The Road to Hell
The noise of the party washed over them as Kellan and James continued to stare over the railing at the empty spot where Lucifer had been moments before. Kellan tensed as he heard James take a deep breath, his eyes burrowing into the young Sentinel. Kellan ignored him and stared back in from the balcony, his mind racing, as he took in the scene of people talking, laughing, drinking, all oblivious to what had just occurred.
“I’m staring at you,” James said from Kellan’s right.
“Oh, I know you are.”
“I’m not going to stop staring at you.”
“Yeah, I pretty much know that too.” Time stretched out with the two standing in silence and Kellan finally turned to his friend. “James, what he did was totally uncool. I mean it was a real dick move. I was going to tell you when —“
James held up a hand. “Dude. Stop. You seriously don’t want to begin your explanation by blaming Lucifer for being uncool. I can’t even believe I just said those words. In fact, I’m trying to decide whether to simply freak out or punch you in the face and then freak out.”
“Please don’t do either. I can explain.”
James narrowed his eyes. “Really? You can explain what, exactly? Angels? Lucifer? Sentinels?” He paused holding up a finger. “Oh, wait, if Lucifer just came calling, I suppose you’ve had a tete a tete with God as well.”
“No, haven’t met God,” Kellan grumbled.
“Aw, too bad mon frer because that would have been the hat trick of non disclosures to your best fucking friend. Oh wait, maybe I’m not your best friend. Maybe that’s why you didn’t tell me about all this supernatural shit.”
“No, James, no, you are my best friend.”
“I don’t think so, Kellan. Best friends don’t keep shit like this from each other.”
Kellan looked down, not wanting to meet his friends eyes. “It’s because you are my best friend that I kept it from you. It was selfish I know but —“
Kellan’s Apple Watch gave a soft chime. He ignored it. “It’s just that I wanted one person in my life to —“
The watch chimed again, then twice more in rapid succession. Kellan growled, “Jesus…what the hell,” then stretched out his left arm so the sleeve rolled up and glanced at the glowing watch face.
“Jesus,” Kellan said again.
“What?” interjected James, “You haven’t met God, but Jesus texts your stupid watch?”
“Huh? Oh, no. It’s Lucifer. Apparently he’s pissed I haven’t left the party yet.”
“Show me.”
Kellan held out his wrist but the watch face remained dark. “Not on your watch Kel. I can’t see shit on that.”
Kellan shook his head slightly reaching into his back pocket for his phone, unlocking it and both men turned to regard its screen as Kellan tapped open the Messages app.
“How do you even know it’s Lucifer. Do you have him on speed dial or something.”
Kellan glared at James, “No, idiot. I never even met him before tonight.”
“Don’t call me idiot. My best friend calls me idiot and you, apparently, are not my best friend.”
Kellan sighed. “Look at the number James.”
James did. “666.666.6660” He looked back at Kellan, “Seriously?”
“I don’t know! Maybe he’s just pulling my leg or maybe he takes the whole number of the beast thing seriously. Who the fuck cares. It’s clearly him. Read the message.”
James looked back to the phone which had gone dark then gave a meaningful glance to Kellan who unlocked it again.
James read the messages out loud but kept his voice to a whisper:
Message 1: Kellan, you have not left yet. I am not a patient being.
Message 2: It strikes me that you may not know how to reach me directly so I will provide you directions to where convergent ley lines have made a natural entrance. It may be guarded so be sure to leave your human friend behind.
Message 3: Map Link: Underground Atlanta (under construction 2017)
Message 4: If you don’t leave the party in 5 minutes I will kill James or Naomi. Not sure which.
Message 5: See you soon <3
James looked up. “Time for you to go.”
Kellan grimaced, “James, I—“
“Dude, you think I’m pissed at you now? Just wait to see how pissed I am if you get Naomi or me killed by Satan. You are not off the hook by any stretch. I am going to your house. I am going to steal whatever old, expensive, shit you have there and then go home to drink it. If my current mood doesn’t improve, I may draw on your leather with a sharpie.” James sighed, letting out a long breath, then reached up and grasped Kellan by the wrist. “You be careful. I don’t want you dying before I get to exact the full measure of pain I plan to visit on you.”
Kellan quirked a smile, “Jerk.”
James smiled back, “Bitch.” Then with the barest pause, he added, “Go to the devil.”
Kellan shook his head, then glanced around quickly to make sure they were still alone and unwatched. His eyes sparked to life and a portal rotated into existence at the farthest corner of the balcony. Through it could be seen what looked like a dilapidated mall dimly lit by construction lights. Kellan closed the distance to the portal, hopped through, and turned briefly to look back at his friend.
For his part, James simply flipped Kellan the bird with one hand and gave him a thumbs up with the other. The portal winked out, leaving Kellan alone in the orange-yellow gloom cast by the low energy lamps scattered about.
“OK, now what?” Kellan said to the open air then took out his iPhone and looked at the map. The glowing blue dot showed that he was in the general vicinity of the marker dropped by Lucifer’s text, but the underground mall didn’t allow for any signal to get through so Kellan was on his own.
He glanced around and took in the surroundings. It was quite a mess and a far cry from its heyday. Historical references began to flash through Kellan’s mind as he looked up and down the cobblestone streets of this city beneath a city.
The buildings were erected in the post civil war reconstruction boom of the 1860s and 70s with Underground Atlanta benefiting from the viaducts built over the many railroad tracks that helped give Atlanta its original name, Terminus.
Kellan paused and whispered, “Terminus? Hey, I can’t believe I never made that connection before. That was the name of the compound in Walking Dead where those cannibals lived. Maybe I should bring Juliet’s new boyfriend here on a field trip. Kinda appropriate that it can also serve as a gateway to Hell, huh? Yep!”
Kellan winced slightly at his having both asked himself a question and then, worse, answered it. A moment later, he shrugged it off as his attention was drawn to an old 19th century gas lamp. Kellan ran his fingers along its cold iron as his eyes took in the historic plaque. It told the story of Sam Luckie, a free black man who was killed when a Sherman artillery shell struck one of the 50 lamps erected by the Atlanta Gas Light company in 1856. Kellan felt the information nestle into his mind and combine seamlessly with facts already he’d already stored. “Well, now I know what Luckie street is named for. I always wondered why it was spelled that way.”
The young Sentinel leaned against the lamp post unsure where to go next. To his left he saw the remnants of Cafe Du Monde, a replica of the famous New Orleans coffee and beignet house, and suddenly had a strong desire for cafe au lait and the the little square donuts.
Right…Hell first, beignets later. Now, how do I find this entrance, Kellan thought as he played the text messages again through his mind. Convergent ley lines.
Kellan had used a massive ley line to find the Seal of Solomon, but that was in the open ocean without other distractions. This situation was very different. He closed his eyes and thought back to his time with Micah in the workroom as his old mentor patiently explained his understanding of the structures to creation. Ley lines were a part of this structure and one that Kellan had dismiss
ed to Micah’s imperfect understanding of scientific principals. Energy pathways, stone circles, and the like were nonsense so Kellan had simply nodded politely while letting his mind drift as the elder Sentinel had described them all. Fortunately for Kellan, he didn’t necessarily need to be paying complete attention for his mind to absorb information and now he pulled the lesson forth, truly considering it for the first time.
He smiled sadly to himself as he heard the voice of his teacher in his head. “Kellan, the world is made up of vast weavings of energy that most will never see, but we can see. Remember, my young friend, that as you channel the Ordered power of creation, your eyes will be open to secrets your mortal brothers will never know. We cannot practice your ability to truly see within this place for it is not part of creation. When you return to the world, make every effort to hone this skill for it will not come naturally. Even while channeling, your mind will try to slip off of the new reality that is being exposed. You will need to focus your mind and grip it tight. The best place to practice is where many ley lines converge because that is where their power is magnified exponentially based on the number that are brought together. In many such places you will already find constructs used to channel the energy. Stonehenge is one such example as are the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Mayan Temples of South America. Even your very city has a powerful convergence over which train tracks have been laid. Promise me that once we are done here, you will seek out this place and hone your ability to find and use the energy inherent to ley lines. Kellan? Kellan are you listening to me?”
The young Sentinel shook his head, clearing away the reverie and suddenly feeling sheepish for both not having paid attention and for not doing the very thing he had been admonished to do.
“Better late than never,” Kellan said cheerfully to the open air and he felt his eyes warm as the energy flowed though him. He looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The gloom was pushed back somewhat and everything took on a brighter, sharper, image, but that had always been the case when he held the power. Kellan often likened it to having Elven night vision. Not nearly as good as Dark Elf vision he reminded himself, but better than nothing. Still, no ley lines revealed themselves as he continued to cast about.
Kellan decided to try another tact. He released the power, closed his eyes, and took it up again. This time he immediately saw a cobweb of thin glowing lines illuminating his closed eyelids. “Ah Ha!” Kellan exclaimed triumphantly and he opened his eyes. The ley lines immediately vanished. Well that’s strange, they didn’t do that on the boat, thought Kellan with frustration.
He closed his eyes again and repeated the attempt. With his eyes closed the lines reappeared and Kellan did a slow circle taking in the entire area. They were amazing. Dozens of pulsing lines of energy coming in from many directions. The colors seemed to slowly pulse with green, red, and occasional violet energy as two or more converged. With his eyes still closed, Kellan began to walk toward a spot in the distance where all the lines seemed to come together. After several steps, he tripped over a curb lost his balance and lay sprawled in the street.
Kellan looked around, embarrassed and reminded himself that the place was completely abandoned. Still, he had an image to uphold and how would it look, God’s unchecked hand on the world, tripping over curbs like an idiot. Not good…it would not look good, he thought to himself. Ok, let’s try that again.
Kellan closed his eyes, channeled the power, and watched the lines reappear. He slowly squinted his eyes open ever so slightly. The lines wavered, threatening to vanish, but the young Sentinel willed them to remain and slowly they again became substantial. Kellan repeated the process several more times. He slowly opened and closed his eyes until he could look around while still being able to see the glowing ley lines traversing the underground city before him. Kellan made a mental note to ask his Micah avatar why the island ley lines acted so much different than these, then set the thought aside as he snickered, “This is really cool. It’s like I’ve got a built in HUD. Micah, I’m sorry I ignored you, buddy. Hopefully my lack of practice won’t get me killed.”
With that, Kellan turned southward where the lines traced off into darkness and began to walk. Occasionally a new line would join the one he was following and, as it did so, the previous ley line became more substantial. After about ten or fifteen minutes of wandering, Kellan found himself staring at a stairway headed down into pitch black. All around him ley lines converged from every point on the compass. Six intersecting lines alternating Red and Green all met that the stairwell. Above it bore an aging sign that read “Dante’s Down the Hatch.”
“Oh, wow,” said Kellan as a starburst of memories cascaded though him. He recalled a nervous young Kellan descending these stairs with his prom date and felt his feet take the first tentative steps as he walked down into darkness.
Kellan reached the bottom and held out a hand as he willed a glowing white sphere of light into being. It hovered for a moment, then floated ahead of him. The sphere illuminated a magical scene where wine bottles of every imaginable shape and color hung from the ceiling and, within the gloom, could be made out the stern of an ancient clipper ship.
The young Sentinel smiled, “Of course it would be here. Where else would it be.” He looked around at the converging ley lines which all traced their way to helm of that ship on which was carved numerous dining booths that had been home to decades of entranced diners enjoying Dante’s famous fondue. The six glowing lines all buried themselves into the massive wheel that would have served to steer the ship had it actually been seafaring rather than home to one of Atlanta’s iconic restaurants of a bygone era.
Kellan slowly made his way up to the ship’s bridge, his glowing sphere leading the way. Once there, he paused staring at the intricately carved ship’s wheel, then reached out and placed a finger where all six ley lines converged. Nothing happened. He cocked his head trying to puzzle out what to try next, then walked around the wheel to view it from behind. The ley lines did not extend out the back but rather disappeared into the wood. Kellan completed his circuit and once again stood before the wheel. He grasped it with both hands and tried to turn first left, then right, but the wheel refused to budge. This is starting to feel too much like some stupid online puzzle game and you know how much I hate those, Kellan thought then ground his teeth in frustration as he started to nod to himself. Instead, he shook his head and grasped the wheel again. This time he reached inward and drew deep on his power. His eyes burned with the effort and he could see pale green reflecting on the wood as he, again, tried to turn the wheel.
To his surprise, it turned easily and Kellan gave the wheel a shove causing it to spin freely. The young Sentinel closed his eyes against a sudden onset of vertigo and tried to steady himself by reaching for the nearby railing. He stumbled as his hand met nothing but air and would have fallen if not for someone grasping his arm. Kellan opened his eyes in alarm and found himself on the receiving end of a broad smile that seemed to genuinely touch his benefactors pale blue eyes.
“Careful Kellan, that is one Hell of a first step.”
The Sentinel stared at Lucifer with a flat expression, “Very funny,” he said dryly, “You are just a laugh riot.”
Kellan peered out the thick glass at a beautiful pastoral scene. Acres of rolling green hills spread out into the distance with old hardwood trees dotted throughout. He turned to regard Lucifer who looked much as he had at the CDC, save for the casual attire. The fallen angel now wore a waffle henley, faded Levi’s and stood bare foot on an elaborate silk area rug. He looked up with a serious expression. “Ice?”
Kellan just gave him a blank expression.
“Ice? Do you want ice in your drink?”
“Uh, are we in—“
“Hell,” said Lucifer impatiently, “Yes. Obviously. Where else would you be when you channeled Ordered power, with specific intent, at a ley line convergence?” He held up the glass again and waggled it.
“Ice? In Hell? Sur
e, just for the conversation value, I’d like ice, yeah,” answered Kellan.
Lucifer didn’t respond but nodded and dropped a perfect sphere of ice into the double walled glass then carefully poured an amber liquid over it until it rose two thirds of the way. He set down the glass, and repeated the process, then joined Kellan by the two story window and held one out.
Kellan accepted the glass, “What is it?”
“Bourbon. Try it. It’s good.”
Kellan just stared at Lucifer, glass still held outward, “Why do you look like Bowie?”
Lucifer took a breath and made to answer but Kellan went on, “Why does Hell look like Downton Abby?”
The fallen angel raised an eyebrow as if asking, are you done? Kellen took a long pull from his glass and then stared at it intently. “That’s really good.”
Lucifer smiled broadly. “Yes, it is isn’t it. I must admit, I tend to indulge myself in, well, most everything. If you are going to be the Devil, you might as well enjoy the perks. Am I right?”
“Uh,” said Kellan, but Lucifer waved away his answer.
“So, you think I look like David Bowie?” he asked with a knowing smile.
“I don’t think you do. You do. There is no think about it.” Kellan reached into his back pocket and turned on his iPhone, then frowned. “No signal.”
“It’s Hell, Kellan, you never get a signal in Hell.”
Kellan laughed despite himself. “Yeah, well that at least makes sense, I was just going to pull up a picture of Bowie to show you.”
Lucifer looked at the Sentinel with incredulity. “Show me a picture? I know what David Bowie looks like, Kellan. Do you think someone like him could be alive and me not know about him. I’ve been to his concerts. I’ve had dinner with him. Have you had dinner with David Bowie?”
Kellan noticed his mouth had slowly fallen open during Lucifer’s response. “No. No I’ve never had dinner with David Bowie. Did he know—“