The Darkest Gateway

by Jeri Westerson

He rubbed at his naked chest. It was…strange. Or course, the word “strange” called to mind Kylie herself, and something else surged in him. A deep-seated longing rushed to the surface. That longing had already been there but now it seemed so overwhelming, so big inside him that it was tearing his heart apart.

  He bent over from the pain of it. What was wrong? Is this how love was for humans? How horrible! He straightened, trying to get his emotions under control. For a moment he thought his love for her would weaken him and spoil all his plans, but the opposite appeared to be true. It gave him new strength, new purpose.

  He narrowed his eyes at the road ahead. He didn’t need to hide from the narrow passages on the right where his masters were. They wouldn’t be able to find him as a human. He’d take the road to the left, the one he would have done anything to avoid before. He was heading toward Satan. He hoped the spell had given him a soul. He tried to discern if he could feel it or not. Was it that sense deep inside him that made him push on? Was it among the feelings of love he felt for Kylie? The love was so strong it overwhelmed everything else. But he didn’t mind it. It was the same feeling he’d had as a demon, he was sure of it.

  He could picture her in his mind, her dark hair framing her beautiful face, that smile, the wicked look she’d shoot him, her courage in the face of danger. He was proud of her for all she had done, how she had used her skills and intellect to survive.

  “What a human,” he said, amazed again at her feats of prowess.

  But despite pleasant thoughts of her, there was an undercurrent running through his emotions that made his mouth dry and his hands shake. Stark terror. Was that the demon or the human? Death was never something he considered before. Not his, anyway. He feared the Powers. They’d threatened him often enough, but he never felt strictly in danger from them. They enjoyed his mission certainly more than he did.

  This was no longer an intellectual exercise. He was now a human with a soul, and he could do this for her. The notion calmed him. This would save her, after all. Maybe her constable would console her. Maybe…when he was gone, she’d fall in love with him some day. He didn’t like it, but he knew it must be. She’d be safe, and he would simply remain a tender memory.

  He began to wonder what it would be like, losing this brand-new soul. If it was anything like he saw in the faces of the Chosen Hosts whose souls he had eaten, it would be painful. They screamed when their souls were ripped from them. Every last one of them had. But that pain and terror would only last for a moment. And then…oblivion. It would be just as if the Chosen Host had died and the book had closed, as it had done thousands of times before. Only this time he’d never awaken again. That didn’t sound too bad.

  He watched the dragon raptors in the distance, circling the black peaks. They obviously didn’t smell him, but others might. He hurried.

  As he descended into the valley he had never been to before, he cast a glance back to the Netherworld he knew so little about. After all, he seldom spent time here. Only when he was awakened when a new Chosen Host emerged and opened the book would he then be called by the Powers That Be. Still, it was familiar. Perhaps not as familiar as Kylie’s world.

  He let himself think of her again. Why not? He had little else to do as he walked, and he’d much rather think of her than of the fate that awaited. Of her silky limbs that wrapped about him, her willing mouth. No human had ever been as expressive in their delight with him, even those who hadn’t known he was a demon. But she knew! From the very first moment, yet she had never held back. She was not afraid.

  It had all seemed too brief a moment to experience, to be in love for the first time. He had scorned others for it. Now it was he who would be scorned. And falling for a human at that.

  Look where it had brought him.

  There was a flickering in the distance ahead. He knew it was fire. Satan must be close. He practiced in his mind what he was going to say. That he came as a former demon of the Booke of the Hidden and wished for it to be destroyed for all time. And in order to properly seal the bargain, he’d offer his new soul. That, at the very least, should intrigue Him. He did not think the offer would be turned down. An enticing proposal such as this was bound to capture Lord Satan’s imagination. Erasmus hoped that would be the case. A human in the Netherworld would be intriguing enough on its own. He was certain the bargain would be sealed. He only hoped it would be done quickly.

  “Erasmus?”

  He jerked to a halt. How had anyone crept upon him without his knowing? Beelze’s tail! He was human now. He had no senses to speak of.

  When he turned, he looked into the reptilian eyes of an old acquaintance whose feathered wings swayed with a stinking breeze. “Focalor.”

  “It is Erasmus, is it not? You smell wrong. You smell…like a human.”

  “Alas, I have been turned into one.”

  “Oh, my dear friend! What horror has befallen you? Who has done this to you? I will help you to eviscerate him.”

  Focalor looked mostly like a man except for the scaly ridge over his eyes that stretched over his bald head to his ears. His nose was large, almost like a beak. He greatly resembled a griffin, especially with his wings arching high over his body. He was naked except for a long breechclout that hung almost to his taloned feet.

  “The fault is mine alone. I fell in love with a human and I enchanted myself. I needed a soul with which to bargain…with Lord Satan.”

  Focalor threw a clawed hand over his mouth. And then he eyed Erasmus suspiciously. “You’re joking.”

  “I’m not. You smell me for yourself.”

  “Yes, I do.” He slowly shook his head. “I must say, old friend, it’s a war of the senses. I am glad to see you, yet I would just as happily eat you.”

  “Please don’t. I have a mission.”

  “But wait. You’re going to sacrifice yourself…for a human? Why would you be so insane?”

  He shrugged. “I am besotted.”

  “You poor devil. That’s why I spend as little time on that world as possible. There are far better worlds to escape into than that one. See what mischief can befall you?”

  “I had no choice, as you well know.”

  “Ah. The book.”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you must tell me, for I am curious. Who is this human creature that has stolen your heritage from you?”

  He glanced back toward the road. He still had a long way to go, but his throat was getting parched and dry, and he wasn’t sure what that meant. “She…she was the Chosen Host.”

  Focalor laughed. Erasmus expected it but it still angered him. “The Chosen Host! The Chosen Host of the Booke of the Hidden?”

  “There is no other,” he grumbled.

  He slapped Erasmus on the back. The powerful thwack sent him forward. He only just barely stopped himself from planting his face on the stony ground.

  “Oh. Sorry,” said Focalor. “You’re frail and weak now, aren’t you?”

  Erasmus straightened and brushed at his dusty jacket. “Not that frail,” he said cautiously. Even to an old friend, he dare not look weak or he could easily be devoured.

  “And yet you fell for the Chosen Host. My, my. So I take it you have not yet eaten her soul.”

  “I promised I wouldn’t.”

  Focalor clapped and laughed again. “But this is too good. Even with the evidence of my eyes and nose, I can’t believe you would have subjected yourself to this.”

  “You don’t know her. She’s…courageous. Stubborn.”

  The demon nodded sagely. Such traits were rare in the Netherworld and highly prized. Erasmus knew it would strike the right tone. But would it be enough? If he could convince Focalor to go with him and not eat him, he would be better off for the protection. But he realized he didn’t know the demon all that well. It was anyone’s guess as to what he might choose to do.

  Focalor blew out a breath and ran a hand up over his bald scalp. “I tell you, Erasmus. Eating a human is a rare treat. As I said, I don�
��t like going to that world.” His eyes roved hungrily over Erasmus.

  “I must do this thing, Focalor. It shall be my last act…of bravery.”

  Focalor blinked his yellow eyes, their vertical slits widening and narrowing. His nictitating membrane clicked a few times in succession, though each eye was not quite in sync with the other. “That is an interesting prospect. I’ve never actually seen bravery for myself. I’ve heard stories, mind. But never saw with my own eyes. That could be exciting.”

  “I could use your help. I need your protection, at any rate. I have nothing to give you in return except for the story you can tell. But I imagine it will be a fascinating one.”

  “Oh, it will.” The demon considered. “You make a very interesting argument, Erasmus. You’ve always been most intriguing to me for what you were able to accomplish with so little time.” He rubbed his chin, staring at the ground. Abruptly he jerked his head up then down. “Yes. I will go with you! I want to see this. I want to hear what Lord Satan has to say.” He rubbed his hands together. “It will be a marvelous tale to tell.”

  “Thank you.” His emotions seemed overwrought. He felt his eyes sting. It must be this human body. All its emotions were so close to the surface. How did creatures live like this?

  * * *

  Erasmus watched Focalor warily. Though they walked side by side and the demon had agreed to accompany and protect him, it wasn’t an agreement etched in stone. Focalor might yet turn on him. He hoped he wouldn’t. There would be no way to defend himself. And though he had arrogantly announced that he was no weakling, he did feel weak, weaker than he had ever felt in his life. This human body was too hot, too thirsty, he reasoned, too…vulnerable.

  “I fear…I need to rest,” he said after a long bout of wrestling with himself.

  “Really?” Focalor shrugged. “If you must, I suppose here is as good as anywhere.”

  Erasmus plopped to the ground, spine bent, wrists resting loosely on his knees.

  The demon sat gracefully opposite him. Erasmus felt his scrutiny before he looked up and locked gazes with him. “Is it strange being human? What’s it like?”

  “Miserable. There are aches and pains I never knew could be. My feet hurt. Why is that? Feet are designed to walk on. Why should they hurt when one walks?” He rubbed his belly. “And there is a hollowness, just here.”

  “You’re hungry.”

  “I have been hungry for centuries.”

  “Not for souls, my friend. For food.”

  “Ugh! I tried eating food once.”

  “What by the twelve worlds for?”

  “Because…” He’d tried it so that he wouldn’t have to eat Kylie’s soul. It had been extremely sentimental and monumentally stupid. He scowled. “Curiosity,” he growled.

  “I like eating,” mused Focalor. “There are so many interesting things and people to eat.”

  “I suppose it doesn’t matter. I’ll soon be dead.”

  “I wonder what that’s like.”

  “In another day, I would have been happy to show you.”

  A smile grew on Focalor’s face and he ticked a finger. “Now, now. I’m doing you the courtesy of not eating you.”

  “And I am grateful for it.”

  Focalor settled on the ground and leaned in. “What’s it like being in love?”

  “Terrible. Wonderful. Worst and best thing to ever have happened to me.”

  “Hmm.” He sat back on his hands, pondering. “You are selling your soul, one you enchanted for yourself. Love must be something spectacular.”

  “It is. What I wouldn’t give to see her, touch her just one more time.”

  “Good gods, Erasmus. I would never have thought it of you. You always seemed so stoic, so above the mundane, so sensible. And yet here you are.”

  “Here I am,” he said miserably.

  “Well, if this is what it brings you to I’m glad I’ll have none of it. Let me devastate a village or two, devour my prey, and bring terror to lesser demons around me, I say. That fulfills me just fine.”

  “Sometimes I wish I’d never met her. But then I hate that sentiment. For I am more than glad at the…the joy I have experienced.”

  Focalor leaned in again. “Joy? Hmm. I have found great satisfaction swooping over a village, watching it burn, the inhabitants running for their lives. But joy? I’ve never imagined it.”

  “This will be worth it. To know that she is safe, that she will live on. I…I am satisfied.”

  “I’m just shocked. But I do like learning new things. Thank you for that, Erasmus.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  “I think I will avoid falling in love just the same.”

  “That is probably a wise choice.”

  They sat for some time. Erasmus would have liked to rest longer, but he knew he must move on. He rose and took a deep breath, surprised at the gratification filling his lungs gave him. Maybe that’s what being human was about, enjoying simple pleasures.

  Otherwise it seemed thoroughly unpleasant.

  They moved slowly along the trail. It led downward to stark terrain. What lay ahead looked like a slash in the mountainside, the open maw of a cavern. But light flickered from within. They were close now. They’d only have to descend a few feet to reach the wide portal. And it would have been just that easy to simply walk through…if it hadn’t been for the harpies perched above, glaring at Erasmus with a hungry look in their narrowed eyes.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I fell asleep. I couldn’t believe I fell asleep. Shabiri kicked me awake. “Oh my God, how long was I out?” I scrambled to my feet.

  “Only a few minutes. I knew if I didn’t let you, you’d be no good to me. You were exhausted.”

  “We have to go.”

  “No kidding.”

  I wiped my eyes, threw my filthy hair off my face, and set out after her. It must have been my Chosen Host strength, because otherwise I doubt I would have been able to take another step. We’d already come a long way and there was still a long way to go. Sometimes it was steep, and sometimes it was just a long switchback of a trail, zig-zagging up the incline. We scrambled over scree, losing our footing a few times. I helped Shabiri but more often than not, and she offered me a hand. It was truly the strangest journey I’d ever been on, and that was saying something these days.

  I stopped near the top of the mountain and looked back. We’d climbed several thousand feet. The valley below stretched as far as the eye could see. The sky was a sickly yellow now with black edges like paint splashed on a canvas by a lazy artist. I could see smoldering volcanoes in the far distance with a haze of smoke lingering just above their peaks. It reminded me of Erasmus’ smoky shoulders whenever he was agitated...or turned on.

  Another volcano just at the horizon was erupting, spewing glowing bits of rock and lava high into the air. The smoke churning from its funnel was black with lightning spearing out of it. Dante didn’t know the half of it.

  What was especially strange was the lack of people. Or demons like Shabiri, I supposed. It truly was desolation. The two kinds of creatures I had seen so far were without reason, just like animals. And though they were fearsome, I feared still more any intelligent beings that might be watching us. And I knew—with the Booke’s knowledge tickling at my brain—that they were.

  “How far now, Shabiri?”

  “Down this mountain we’ll come to a land bridge. In one direction is the lair of the Powers That Be. In the other lies…Him.”

  “Is it…is it far? How many days?”

  “Days? There are no days here. One hour leads on to another. Time is very different in the Netherworld.”

  “What are you saying? Do you mean that an hour here is not an hour back home?”

  “I’m saying Time has no meaning. Days might have passed in your world.”

  “What? No! It might be Halloween already? What is the Booke doing back there?”

  “You’re right to worry. Just because it’s floating bes
ide you doesn’t mean it isn’t releasing nasty beasties back home. Just consider it not your problem.”

  “But it is my problem!”

  “My dear, there’s not a thing you can do about it now.”

  I looked back once more. She was right. I was as far from home as I could possibly be. I had to believe that Doc and Seraphina and Nick and Jolene…and even Doug’s gang were taking care of things. Jeff would see to my shop and all would have to carry on without me. For good.

  I took a deep breath. “Let’s go.”

  * * *

  Getting down the other side of the mountain was somehow not any easier than getting up it. The constant pressure on my knees as I walked in a crouching gait seemed to hurt my legs even more. And it was more dangerous trying not to slip downward facing that way.

  The landscape hadn’t changed. Except for a grayish river moving sluggishly below, snaking between the hills. I couldn’t smell it, but it sure looked like it was made of something unpleasant. “Why is everything so awful here?”

  “One man’s awful is another man’s… You’re right, it is awful here. I have no idea why this world was created as it was. Perhaps it was beautiful once, and He decided to destroy it all in a fit of anger.”

  She didn’t like saying his name. I guessed I didn’t blame her. “He has that much control here?”

  “No one really knows. We just assume. It could just as well have been the Ancient Ones.”

  “Do you consider it strange…or just normal?”

  “I guess I never really thought much about it.”

  “You are a pretty strange creature yourself. You’re just as intelligent as—” The look she gave me dared me to finish that sentence. “You’re intelligent,” I said, switching tracks, “so why would you put up with this? Maybe there are others who want a change.”

  She laughed. “Are you trying to form an insurrection of the Netherworld? Oh, He’s going to love you.”

  “I wasn’t. I just think if you don’t like something, then people should band together to make a change. Or demons should. Whatever.”

  “What a unique view you have of life. Civilizations don’t always work that way. They come and go. The Babylonians disappeared, absorbed by the other tribes and civilizations around them. Same with the Hittites and Jebusites. Change happens all the time.”