Kris's Story

by Trudie Collins

  “How did she die?” she asked. “Old age?”

  It was difficult talking about my aunt, but I forced myself to. “No. Death gave her an enchanted necklace that made her age at a much reduced rate so that he could be with her for longer than a mortal person lives for, but it offered her no other protection. One day he was off performing his duties and she was knocked down by a wagon and crushed beneath its wheels. She was already dead before he could get to her.”

  I fell silent for a while as I gathered my thoughts.

  “Ankou was young when she died and he was brought down here to live. For a few years Death was too overcome with grief to be a proper father so he lived with me and my parents. My sisters had not yet been born so it was just us two children. We were regularly sent up to Earth to experience normal life, though never for more than a year or two. We went to school together, but were never in the same class. Every time I got a girlfriend they would end up meeting him and dump me instantly. I’m sure some of them only hung around me so they could get closer to him. Even as a child he was very charismatic.”

  “I can understand your resentment,” she said.

  “I don’t resent him. I get frustrated with him at times, but nothing more. College was even worse, as I’m sure you can imagine. My room was directly opposite his and I think he took a different girl to his bed more or less every night.” I was being completely honest with her, but couldn’t help feeling that I was doing my best to put her off Ankou. I felt like I was betraying my cousin somehow. These concerns were irrational, but they wouldn’t go away.

  “It must have been hard growing up, knowing that you were not human, yet having to live a human life. Did your parents get involved in your life on Earth much?” Rachel asked and I was grateful for the change of topic.

  I laughed. “No. Not really. It wouldn’t have been too bad for me, but can you imagine Ankou having to introduce his father to his friends? And parent-teacher evenings would have been a real blast.”

  “So you and Ankou grew up more like brothers than cousins. Did you fight often?”

  “Constantly. I often wondered why we never ended up with broken bones. Must be something to do with being part god I suppose.”

  Before the conversation could go any further we were interrupted by Rob calling out to announce that food was ready. I jumped up, then held out my hand to help her to her feet. She gratefully accepted it and I had to stop myself from gently squeezing her hand. She stowed her bag in her tent, then joined Rob and me by the fire.

  While we ate, Rachel kept staring up at the sky. “There are no stars,” she suddenly exclaimed.

  I burst out laughing. “Of course there aren’t. It’s not the real sky you know.”

  She smiled at me. “Hades not talented enough to make a realistic fake sky then?”

  The amusement dropped from my face and I snarled at her playfully, which resulted in her rolling around on the ground in fits of giggles. I did not see what was so funny.

  “When you have quite finished,” I said. Rachel recovered her composure, saw the hurt look on my face and started laughing uncontrollably again. I shook my head in disgust.

  Rob and Rachel both turned in early, so I headed off to see Death to give him the latest update.

  “Why did you take them across the great lake?” my uncle asked in surprise.

  “You know how much I love riding the turtles. I thought Rob and Rachel might enjoy it as well.”

  “And did they?”

  “Not exactly.” I explained what had happened to Rachel and Death shook his head.

  “You’re making this journey a lot harder for yourself than you need to. Why not just take the shortest route?”

  “You’re the one who said I could do what I wanted. If I have to be a babysitter, I plan on doing all I can to enjoy myself.”

  Death couldn’t argue with that. “If you don’t mind another detour,” he said, “how would you feel about taking them through the burnt forest?”

  “That won’t be a problem, but do you mind if I ask why?”

  “You’ve been showing them some of the nicest parts of the underworld. I feel they need to see the other side.”

  “Alright. What about the fire? Surely you don’t want them to go through that as well.”

  Death considered for a moment. “I will leave that up to you,” he finally said.

  “I’ll give it some thought,” I said, then bid him a good night before disappearing.

  Instead of returning to the campsite, I decided to visit aunt Fam.

  “How is it going?” Famine asked as she poured us each a glass of wine.

  I told her all that had happened since we had left her cottage then broached the subject that was the reason for my visit.

  “I’ve told Rachel a lot about myself. Am I doing the right thing?”

  “Of course,” Famine immediately replied. “It bothered her that she knew so little about you. Being completely honest about yourself will go a long way toward winning her heart.”

  “But what if she doesn’t like what she hears?”

  Famine smiled at me. “What is there not to like?”

  I stayed with my aunt for a few more hours before returning to where I had left Rob and Rachel. I enjoy Famine’s company and talking with her always makes me feel better when something is bothering me. As a result I slept well when I finally made it to my tent and felt refreshed when I awoke.

  Fire

  I was awake early the next morning and was pondering whether to tell Rob and Rachel about their next destination when Rachel emerged from her tent. She looked hot and sweaty and I couldn’t help admiring the way her clothes clung to her.

  “Did you sleep alright?” She didn’t usually look this dishevelled in the mornings and I was a little concerned.

  “Sort of. I was fine until a few hours ago when I woke up feeling like I was burning up. I feel cooler now though.”

  “Why don’t you go for a quick dip in the lake. I’ll have breakfast ready for you when you get back.”

  She took me up on my suggestion and I watched her departing back as she went toward the water.

  “These might come in handy,” I called out, holding up a towel and some clean clothes. She ran back, thanked me, then disappeared behind some bushes. I was tempted to follow her, but that would be wrong. Instead I turned my attention to preparing food and thought about what my uncle had said about taking them through the forest. It was not going to be a pleasant experience for them and going through the fire would be even worse.

  Then again, Rachel did look very nice when sweat made her clothes cling to her. I decided to leave the decision till later.

  Rob was awake by the time she returned and while we ate I told them where we would be heading.

  “I have to take you through the burnt forest.” I expected complaints, but did not receive any.

  “As long as it isn’t full of man-eating trees, I’m sure it will be fine,” Rachel said. I didn’t want to contradict her, so said no more on the subject.

  We walked for a few hours before cresting a small hill. The sight before them made both Rob and Rachel stand and stare. Burnt woodland stretched out in front of them. Everything was black; not a single trace of green could be seen and the smell of smoke hung in the air.

  “When was the forest destroyed?” Rachel asked

  “Centuries ago.”

  “Centuries?” Rob said in disbelief. “But it looks so recent. Why is there no sign of regrowth?”

  “Because everything is dead. Normal fire will damage a tree, but very rarely does it kill it. Usually it does not take long for new buds to appear, but that can never happen here.”

  “What do you mean ‘normal’ fire?” Rob asked. “What caused this?”

  “Titans.” I spat the word rather than spoke it.

  “I thought the titans were a myth, a legend,” Rachel said.

  I regarded her curiously. “Just like the Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Norse gods?” She
made no comment.

  “So what happened?” she continued.

  “There was a war. My father does not like to talk about it so I don’t know many details. All I know is that all of the gods worked together to overcome the titans that threatened all three realms.”

  “Three realms?”

  “There are four realms. Air, where Zeus lives; water, which is controlled by Poseidon; the underworld, where we are now is the realm of Hades, as you already know; and the last one is your realm, most commonly referred to as Earth. The war never made it that far, thankfully. I dread to think what would have happened if the titans had managed to get to your world.”

  “You are using the Greek names for the gods,” Rachel said. “Why?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “They have been known by so many names over the years it is hard to keep track. I use the ones that you are most familiar with so as not to confuse you.”

  Rachel looked at the forest again and shivered. “Do we have to go through it?” I nodded my head.

  It only took a few hours to traverse between the dead trees, but it felt like a lot longer. The smell of burnt wood was horrible and every now and then the charred remains of large animals could be seen.

  “Why does Hades keep this here like this?” Rachel asked. “Surely he could easily replace it with a new one.”

  “It’s a reminder of the devastation our power can cause. Though this was not caused by gods or demi-gods, it demonstrates what happens when powerful beings abuse their power. If any of the family have a disagreement so severe that it could lead to another war, Hades brings them here to show them what the result could be.”

  “That seems like a good deterrent.”

  Death hung in the air, making even me feel uneasy. It affected Rachel a lot and after a while she asked for something to cover her nose and mouth with; not that it helped much. The smell is not the worst thing about the forest; the silence is. There was no sound of any living creature, other than the three of us.

  I set a fast pace and neither of the humans complained. The trees were tightly packed together with no clear path through them so our clothes kept snagging on protruding branches and Rob and Rachel were both covered in scratches by the time they exited.

  “May I suggest a change of clothes?” I sniffed my sleeve and wrinkled my nose. I stuck my hand in my bag and withdrew fresh trousers and shirts and handed them out.

  Rob and I began to unbutton our shirts and Rachel coughed to get our attention. “You’re kidding, right?” We looked at her in confusion. “I am not getting undressed out in the open. I need something to hide behind.”

  “Rachel, I have seen you naked before so seeing you in your underwear is going to be nothing new,” Rob said. “And I am sure Kris will turn his back.”

  I wasn’t so sure that I would and had to force myself to do so. The urge to look over my shoulder was almost irresistible. Almost, but not quite. It didn’t help that the moment I removed my trousers I could sense Rachel’s eyes on me. I smiled to myself. I know that I have a good body; enough women have told me so, so Rachel would not be disappointed by what she was seeing.

  As soon as I was dressed once more I put my tainted clothes into my bag, along with Rob’s. Only then did we turn around and I was a little disappointed to see that Rachel was fully clothed. She wordlessly handed her dirty clothes over and we began our journey once more.

  As the day wore on the temperature increased and Rachel asked me about it. “You will soon see,” I said. Over the next ridge was a sight that made her stop and stare. She wasn’t the only one; Rob too could not take his eyes off the enormous inferno in front of us. Flames flared up, though it did not look like there was any fuel for them to burn.

  “You said you wanted fire and brimstone. Here it is.” I gestured forward with my arm.

  “I’ve changed my mind,” Rachel said. “I prefer the real Hell, not the one in all the books. Can we go around it?”

  Until that moment I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but Rachel’s use of the word Hell once more annoyed me. “Not if you want to reach Death any time this year.” I hated myself for saying the words as soon as they were out of my mouth, but it was too late to take them back. If I did they would know I had lied to them and would begin to question what else I had lied about. I had no choice other than to take them through the flames. They would not be in any danger, but I felt cruel for making them do it. What was happening to me? Why was I overreacting to every little thing?

  “We can’t walk through that,” Rob said. “We will be incinerated. What is it anyway? Is Hades growing a new sun?”

  I laughed. “No. This is the fire that destroyed the forest. The gods managed to contain it, but have not yet found a way to destroy it. They have no idea what is feeding it and keeping it alive.”

  “And you expect us to just walk through it?” Rachel asked incredulously.

  “Yes,” I replied. Despite my guilt about the situation I had put them in, I was beginning to enjoy myself.

  “Are you out of your fricking mind?” she yelled. “In case you hadn’t noticed, that’s fire out there and you may not be combustible, but we humans certainly are.”

  I winced. Maybe I deserved that, but it still hurt.

  “Sorry,” Rachel immediately apologised. “I didn’t mean to suggest that you are inhuman. More like super-human. Does that sound better?”

  “Not really. This is one of the reasons I tried to keep my identity from you. I would rather you thought of me as a normal man.”

  “You are far from normal I’m afraid.” How was I supposed to take that comment? Was it a compliment?

  There was an uncomfortable silence, which was broken by Rob asking, “How exactly are we going to get past the fire?”

  “As I said, we walk through it.” I said it calmly, as though it was no big deal. Which it wasn’t. For me anyway.

  Rachel shook her head, though whether in disbelief or resignation I wasn’t entirely sure. “Come on then. If we are going to be burnt to a crisp we may as well get on with it.”

  As we moved closer the heat intensified until it must have been almost unbearable for Rob and Rachel. Sweat was pouring off the two humans, making their shirts cling to their skin. I glanced back at Rachel and had to quickly turn away so she would not see my grin. We were still a fair distance from the flames when I stopped.

  “Give me your hands.” Rachel hesitated so Rob held his forward. I took them in my own, closed my eyes and imagined a protective shield forming around him. A few moments later I exhaled, opened my eyes and released him.

  “You should be feeling a little cooler now.” Sweat was still dripping off Rob’s forehead, but he confirmed that he did, indeed, feel cooler.

  I then took Rachel’s hands and repeated the procedure. I held her hands for longer than I needed to, not wanting to let them go once the protective shell was around her, but eventually I had to.

  “You can now both safely enter the flames, but don’t wander off. Stay close to me in case I need to boost your protection. I’m not sure exactly how long it will last.” I couldn’t resist winding Rachel up. As I had been expecting, she reacted.

  “What?” she exclaimed in horror and I winked at her. The look on her face suggested that she wanted to hit me. I couldn’t really blame her.

  We all moved forward again. The heat continued to intensify, but both Rob and Rachel said it was just about bearable. Their breathing was laboured, but not worryingly so.

  When we reached the edge of the flames I walked into them as though they were not there. I glanced back to make sure the other two were following, but Rachel had frozen just outside of the flames and was unable to make herself step forward.

  “You will be fine,” I heard Rob assure her. She could see that he was already inside the fire and was not being burnt, but neither that nor his words seemed to be having any effect on her.

  I watched as Rob returned to her side. “Take my hand,” he said, holding it out to he
r. “You will be alright. You know I will never let anything happen to you. You won’t get hurt, I promise.”

  I found it interesting that Rob was promising to keep her safe when he had absolutely no control over whether she lived or died. “Listen to him,” I said.

  Rob moved into the fire once more, dragging her with him. She closed her eyes, held her breath and stepped forward. Nothing happened. Her skin did not start to shrivel. Her clothes did not catch light. She did not die.

  “See,” Rob said, a smug smile on his face.

  “Will she be okay?” I was really regretting making them do this. Rachel looked terrified and I longed to take her in my arms and tell her that I would protect her.

  “I’ll look after her,” Rob promised. “Lead the way. We will be right behind you. But please take the short route.”

  I almost laughed. There is no short route.

  Rachel did not handle walking through the fire very well. I kept looking back at her in concern. Her eyes were closed and Rob had to lead her. She looked like she was constantly on the verge of screaming. I was feeling bad enough as it was for putting her through this, but when she started whimpering I almost broke down. I wanted desperately to take her in my arms and transport her out, but could not face admitting to her that there had never been a need for her to enter the flames.

  Rob was constantly reassuring her, telling her that she was alright and was not going to catch fire. He managed to lead her to the other side and we emerged out of the fire a little after sunset.

  Once they were free of the flames I looked them both over and noticed how much they were sweating. I did not feel the heat myself and had not realised how badly it was affecting the two of them. It had made Rachel’s shirt cling to her in a very nice way, I noted.

  “We can make camp here, but I would recommend moving further away from the fire.” Both of them agreed, so we walked for a while longer. They were both hungry, tired and extremely thirsty, but putting distance between themselves and the inferno would do them good.