Carl Prescott and the Demon Queen

by Karl Morgan

  The group headed deeper into the cavern. Pitch torches were lit as they progressed to light the way. After an hour, they reached the lowest point in the cave system. They were in a massive chamber, at least two hundred yards long and fifty wide. At the far end, a narrow tunnel led upward. There appeared to be a few inches of water on the floor. There was a series of metal posts leading across the water with a rope secured to the top of the posts. “That rope follows the shallowest part of the cavern. Keep hold of it unless you want to take a swim. The water is freezing cold, by the way.” Billy put his hand on the rope, stepped into six inches of water, and moved away into the darkness.

  “Carl, why don’t we just teleport to the other end?”

  “Sylvia, we don’t want to show too much. You and I need to fit in here in order to gain their trust. I can carry you if you like?”

  She pushed by him, stepped into the water, and moved away.

  Carl smiled at her spunk and followed the others.

  At the midpoint of the watery trek, the water was up to Carl’s chest. Sylvia looked back at him more than once to stick out her tongue. He could only shrug his shoulders.

  Without looking back, Billy said, “Watch out for the snakes. They’re not poisonous, as far as we know.”

  “Snakes?” Sylvia shouted.

  Moments later, they were surrounded by dozens of swimming snakes. Most were around five feet long with white skin that emitted a slight glow. Carl could feel several moving between and around his legs. Sylvia had moved ahead and now pushed on Billy’s back to move faster. “Won’t do any good,” Billy said. “They’re just here to say hello.”

  Carl now felt a very large snake wrapping itself around his legs and torso. Its head popped out of the water inches from his face. Carl smiled. “Hi.”

  The snake’s tongue touched the boy’s nose. “I see you don’t remember me.”

  “Slim? How did you get here?”

  The snake squeezed him tight for a moment and then unwrapped from his body. “That was just a snake hug for remembering me, Carl Prescott. Have you come to save us as well?”

  Billy and Sylvia now stood on dry ground at the end of the pool of water. “Is he talking to a snake?”

  “That’s what it looks like to me,” she replied.

  “I’ll be there in a minute!” Carl exclaimed. Billy and Sylvia sat on a large boulder to wait. “How did you get here, Slim?”

  “It was very strange. I was still in that deep cave where we met. Suddenly, I was being pulled up through the rocks and dirt. I emerged inside a massive glowing ball. I saw you there talking to that woman with Billy. Next thing I knew, I was coming apart and sucked into a strange vortex. When I revived, I was in this cavern. These other snakes are parts of me from when I disintegrated, I think.”

  “That’s an amazing story. I couldn’t imagine something like that. Now that I know, we’ll try to take all life-forms back home.”

  “Bless you, Carl,” Slim said and then licked his face. “Hold on.” Carl was lifted up out of the water by a mat of snakes that then moved to the shore where the others waited.

  Carl stepped onto the ground, turned, and waved to the snakes, which then swam away. “Where to next?”

  “What did that thing say to you?” Billy asked.

  “You mean Slim? He was telling me how he got here.”

  Billy stared back for a few seconds while he considered Carl’s words. Then he shook his head, turned, and began to walk up the incline. The others followed.

  Minutes later, the tunnel began to narrow. The tunnel ended in a steep staircase hewn from the rock. “It gets narrow close to the top, but since you two are shorter than me, it won’t be a problem.” They moved upward.

  After climbing several hundred steps, the staircase ended in a short cave on the surface. They stepped into the brilliant sunlight. Several large rocks were positioned around the cave entrance, so they sat to catch their breath after the long trip through the underground system. “The way we got into your cave seemed a lot easier, Billy,” Sylvia complained.

  Billy pointed behind them. “That’s why.”

  Carl and Sylvia turned to see a five hundred foot cliff towering over them.

  “Yeah, you two arrived at night, so you couldn’t see much. There’s another cliff not far from that cave entrance. The High Plateau reaches hundreds of miles in either direction. The city is on that side. Most of us live on this side, far from their reach. We go to that side for scavenging and to rescue escapees from the city. There aren’t enough guards to send a group here, so they leave us alone.”

  “What’s on the High Plateau?” Carl asked.

  Billy shook his head. “I don’t rightly know. You see the way we live. Back home, we’d take a helicopter up there or do a flyover to see. Look around. Chances are it’s just more of the same thing.”

  “Fair enough,” Carl replied. “Where do we find this professor? And by the way, does the professor have a name?”

  “He’s like me. Names really don’t matter here. I was just Limp until you healed me. For all I know, he might be dead already. He was hurt pretty badly when I met him. Some others who call themselves students stayed with him. It’s about four hours walk from here. Are you two ready to go?”

  The three headed across another desolate landscape, away from the cave and the High Plateau.

  After two hours, they came upon a small stream that cut across their path. A few patches of greenery ran along its course and a number of stone bowls lay nearby. Billy got on his knees, picked up a bowl, put it under the flowing water, filled it, and took a deep drink. “Ah, that hits the spot. The water’s clean if you’re thirsty.”

  Carl and Sylvia sat nearby. Both took drinks of the water. Sylvia wrinkled her nose. “Why is it so cold?”

  Carl shook his head. “It doesn’t make sense unless there are mountains or an underground spring nearby.”

  “The Goddess Alexis says they blessed all the waters of this planet to sustain us,” Billy noted.

  “Was that the name of the priestess?” Sylvia asked.

  “We do not speak of the gods in the time before,” Billy replied. “That’s a one-way trip to the executioner.”

  “What is the name of the other god?” Carl asked.

  “God Richard. He says that if we disobey, the waters will turn to blood and smite us.”

  “Aren’t you disobeying?” Sylvia asked.

  Billy stood. “No. The gods and courtesans have no need for most of us. If we leave them alone, we are fulfilling their wishes. Let’s go.”

  Just then, the body of a small bird floated downstream toward them. Carl scooped it up into his hand. “Denise?”

  The bird opened one eye. Its breath rasped in its throat. “Carl, you’re here.”

  “What happened to you?”

  “It was awful. I have so much pain. Please let me die in peace.”

  Carl held the bird with both hands and looked up into the heavens. He mouthed a silent prayer, closed his eyes, and opened his hands. Birdsong made his eyes open. Denise was sitting on his shoulder. “Thank you, Hand of God.”

  Carl noticed that Billy and Sylvia were almost a hundred yards ahead of him, so he stepped across a few well-placed stones in the water and hurried forward. “How did you end up in Bulgaria?”

  “Devin sent me to warn you about the dangers you faced. The bird funnel that delivered me evaporated just outside the castle walls. I flew over the coliseum just as the three joined their hug. You know how small and light I am, Carl. The gravity sucked me down and through the gravity wave. The last thing I saw was you stepping into the wave. Is our universe gone?”

  “No. There is still danger which I’m trying to avert. I am so happy that I found and healed you, Denise. You are a true friend.”

  “Why are you with the queen? Didn’t she start all of this trouble?”

  “That’s true, Denise, but she changed her mind. Her change saved our universe. Now, she and I are here to fix the damag
e so we can all go back and live our normal lives.”

  After another couple of hours, they neared a small hill. A larger river flowed by its base. A stone bridge crossed the river and led to a group of simple dwellings on the hillside. Some irrigation ditches had been dug to move water into arable lands, and a few acres of grain waved in the gentle breeze. As they neared the bridge, two men moved in their direction. Each held a wooden shield and spear. They stopped at the entrance to the bridge and raised their weapons. One of the guards called out, “Limp, who are these strangers and why have you brought them?”

  The three stopped and Billy bowed. “Sullivan, these two arrived on the debris pile last night. They want to see the professor.”

  The one named Sullivan lowered his spear. “Prescott?” Carl nodded. “I remember you from the mess on Founder’s Day. Jenkins and I helped you with the carousel, remember?” He turned to the other guard. “Put down your damned spear, Jenkins. It’s Carl Prescott.”

  The group crossed over the bridge. The guards went back to their stations while Billy led the others up the hill toward a small stone house near the summit. As they proceeded, other passersby stared at them. They either recognized them from the coliseum or from the school. Billy pushed open the wooden door and led the others inside. Sylvia followed and lit a few lamps in dark room. Carl followed Billy into the bedroom.

  Professor Donnelly was propped up with pillows to an almost sitting position. His skin was ashen, his eyes closed, and he looked broken and emaciated. Sylvia walked in and lit a few lamps. Carl moved to the side of the bed. “Professor?” he whispered.

  Donnelly mumbled something between shallow, wheezing breaths. Carl wiped his eyes.

  “I’ll do it, Carl,” Sylvia said. “This is my fault, after all.”

  “You know what to do?”

  “Of course, silly,” Sylvia replied with a chuckle. “I’m the immortal around here. After all of our marriages, don’t you think I healed you a few times?”

  “I apologize for doubting you, sweetheart,” Carl said and stepped back.

  Sylvia kissed Carl’s cheek. “It’s no big deal.” She picked up Donnelly’s hands and squeezed them. “Alistair, how do you feel?”

  Donnelly opened his eyes, sat up straight, and looked at the others in the room. “What happened?”

  All the streetlights were lit and several tables had been pulled into the street. A massive feast was laid out for the hundred or so residents of the hillside village. Without alerting the others, Carl had placed a shield over the town to protect from intruders while the villagers enjoyed their feast. Donnelly sat at the head of the table with Carl and Sylvia on either side. Donnelly leaned over. “Carl, where did this food come from? It doesn’t look like roaches to me.”

  “It’s a gift from Sylvia and me, Professor. We’re here to get everyone out of this universe and back home. Then Manny will destroy the wormhole connecting the two.”

  “Carl, until we get back to school, please call me Alistair. What about the god king and queen? Are you sure you can handle them?”

  “I suppose that depends on what they want?”

  “I agree, honey,” Sylvia added.

  “Is this demon your new girlfriend, Carl?”

  Carl looked at Sylvia who shrugged. “Yes and no, Alistair.” He sighed deeply. “As it turns out, I was the reason she wanted to destroy the universe.”

  “That’s not quite true, darling,” Sylvia replied. She turned to Donnelly. “Carl has called me a petulant child and spoiled brat. He was right. I acted out because my dad never paid attention to me or took my feelings seriously. Since Dad was never on my side, I decided that I would get my way, even if I had to destroy the universe to prove my point.”

  “That seems pretty excessive,” Donnelly replied.

  She laughed. “Yeah, tell me about it. Carl is involved because I chose to live as a human for hundreds of lives. In each, I fell in love with and married the person who had Carl’s soul. When I realized who he was and that we would never be together in this life, I was even more confused and upset. He had always adored me, but now I was just in the way. I started to blame him for everything I didn’t like about my life. Ultimately, I decided I had to get his attention and love back. I would destroy everything if he didn’t confess his love.” She wiped the tears from her face. “And then he did. He risked everything to save me. It’s no wonder I love him so much.”

  Carl smiled at Sylvia and then focused on Donnelly. “I’m not sure about the gods, Alistair. It’s supposed to be impossible to create a universe without three immortals and yet, here we are. If Sylvia and I are more powerful, we’ll offer to take them back. If they and their courtesans wish to stay, the rest of us will leave. Once the wormhole is closed, they can have rich, fulfilling lives here, far away from us.”

  Donnelly leaned in and whispered, “There was another.” He looked about to ensure no one else was listening. “When this universe came into being, all of us were with them and I distinctly remember three. There was something weird about the third. When I looked at her, she seemed to look like your friend.” He motioned his head toward Sylvia. “When I looked again, she looked like one of the two angels. It was quite bizarre.”

  “Who do you think it was, Alistair?” Sylvia asked.

  He shook his head. “I don’t know, but I have a feeling it has to do with the High Plateau.” Donnelly pointed into the darkness. “See over there?” A massive thunderstorm had formed over the High Plateau. Lightning flashed and rain poured down into the darkness. “Tomorrow, the rivers will be up to their banks.”

  “Let me change the subject for a moment, Alistair,” Carl said. “You remember when we were trying to contain the gravity wave and you were pulled inside.” Donnelly nodded. “I know that Burt, Aida, Grace, Barbie, Professor Thorndike, and Dean Whitehall were also pulled into this universe. Have you seen any of them?”

  Donnelly shook his head. “No. You two are the first new arrivals I’ve seen since this all began. I suppose it’s possible they are in the capital city.”

  That night, Sylvia was given the second bedroom in Donnelly’s house. Carl laid on the couch and thought about the professor’s words. He had been inside the gravity bubble, next to the three. It had only been Sylvia, Constance, and Gabriel. He began to wonder if they had left remnants of themselves behind, which somehow merged to form another. After half an hour of consideration, he realized he would never figure it out when he should be asleep. He closed his eyes and drifted off.

  He dreamed he woke on the small bed in Death’s cabin on the needle-like peak connecting life to life and the Rope Bridge. He rose from the bed and noticed his body was glowing softly. He walked over to the door and pulled it open. Death sat on a chair sipping a mug of steaming coffee. “Welcome, Carl Prescott.”

  “Mort, am I dreaming or am I really here?”

  “Probably both. Let me get you a mug of coffee. It’s a bit chilly up here today.” Death rose and headed over to his fireplace.

  Carl chuckled as he sat down at the table. “It’s always chilly up here. Did you answer my question?”

  Death set the mug down next to the boy and then took his seat. “Yes, I think I did. If you’re here, why?”

  Carl took a sip of his drink. “Do you know where I am?”

  Death cocked his head to the right. “I thought we agreed that you’re here? I’m getting confused, Carl. Why not just tell me what you want to know?”

  “Professor Donnelly said there were three that formed the new universe, but I know that there were only two.”

  Death turned his head the other direction. “That seems more like a statement than a question.”

  Carl huffed in exasperation. “Who was the third that helped create that other universe?”

  Death put his hand on Carl’s knee. “I’m still confused. You just told me you were there and there were only two. I wasn’t there, if you recall?”

  Carl looked down. “Forget it, Mort. I was stupid to
come here.”

  Death laughed. “No, you were not stupid, Carl. You were very wise, however, you need to ask questions that I can answer.”

  “Like what?”

  “Let me turn this around and ask you a question, Carl. In this life, you’ve known Sylvia since the castle was discovered under the school, correct?”

  Carl nodded. “Yeah, that’s right.”

  “Now, don’t rush your answer and take a moment to consider what I’m asking. How would you compare her now to how she was before you rescued her from the Little Bang?”

  “The Little Bang?” Death shrugged. Carl lowered his head, took a few deep breaths, and closed his eyes. After thinking for several seconds, he looked up. “She’s completely different, Mort. She’s sweet, attentive, and helpful. When we found Professor Donnelly near death, she healed him.” He smiled broadly. “She’s wonderful, actually.”

  “That’s a big improvement from when she tried to strangle you, isn’t it? I’m really happy for the both of you. Now, you can ask me a question that I can answer.”

  After a moment’s consideration, he asked, “How have Gabriel and Constance been since they returned from the Little Bang?”

  Death nodded and clapped. “To tell the truth, they’re completely different. They’re sweet, attentive, and helpful. They are very concerned with Manny’s wishes. They’re wonderful, actually. I hope that helped.”

  Carl opened his eyes and sat up on the couch. The first rays of the sun broke over the High Plateau. He shook his head. “I wasn’t expecting that answer.” He turned onto his side and fell asleep again.