As darkness started to overtake the grey, the mottled glass lanterns suddenly lit as if someone had clicked their fingers. These were situated around the boat, dangling over the water from foot long poles. What encased the glass of each lantern was a wrought iron snarling mouth with the teeth holding the glass square in place, making it look as though a snarling dragon was breathing fire.
As for the front of the boat, there was one I could see that was the largest of the design and that too had its mouth wide open, only with the flames deep inside it looked as if its head was on fire. As if this boat couldn't be menacing enough, I thought wryly.
But then, if I thought this boat was bad, then the one that passed us took creepy to a whole new level and I found myself quite comfortable on the one that I was sat in. The one that passed us was much bigger than this one, although it looked to be made of the same material, making me wonder if it was something that could protect the boat from the everlasting flames. At the bow of the boat was a giant winged demon who was actually part of the boat itself. His spine arched down the centre and all the way under the water and up the other side where it ended in a spiked tail that held a large lantern at the other end. The large skeletal creature had two giant oars in its hands and it singlehandedly propelled the vessel forward being that it was the height of a building. Its bat shaped wings were stretched out like giant sails with each point roped to the edges of the boat, making them curl inwards to catch the wind. The only part that had any flesh was the thick meaty arms that obviously needed the muscle to complete this particularly strenuous task.
Its face had barely any flesh beneath the skin, it looked like wet paper had been placed directly over the bone for he had no nose to speak of just a gaping hole. His eyes didn't move from the centre point facing the direction in which he was headed. Eyes that sat deep into his skull and if it hadn't been for the reflection of the flames in the lantern, I wouldn't have even known they were there.
But this wasn't the most horrifying part, no that came from his payload sat on the opposite side of the boat, closer to his spine’s tail. It was a cage with every single inch cram packed full of desperate crying souls. Each one trying to reach out to me as it went past, as if they all recognised life and were trying to cling on to it.
I didn't want to know where he was taking them exactly, as all I wanted to do was rid the memory from my mind the second it passed. At this rate it was going to cost my father a fortune in therapy, that or my credit card was going to get a hammering.
The river continued on, but then the moment it started to get wider, was when I realised that we were coming to an end, for it started to open out into a lake. It was one that was surrounded by little lights, telling me there was a town there. The closer we got the more I could see, like the other boats that were dotted here and there. They were floating on the water that I quickly noticed was no longer flaming.
As for the other boats, for the most part they were unoccupied and left to create moving shadows from a distance. Multiple docking stations curved around the landscape, framing the large lake and I couldn't help but notice that we were heading towards the biggest one.
Thankfully, my journey was at an end.
After we approached the dock, the boat rocked to a halt just where I could step off and as I stood, I felt strangely weird about leaving without saying anything, even though up until this point I had barely said a word.
“Okay, well thanks for the lift…erm...happy boating and all,” I said in a strained voice before giving them a salute and wondering quite frankly what the hell I was doing!
Naturally, I stepped off the boat muttering to myself,
“Really, Fae…happy, fucking boating?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Bounty Claimed
After walking along the dock, I realised that the prospects of seeing a town weren’t as hopeful as they seemed when back on the boat. Of course, it didn't help that I couldn’t actually get into what I’m sure was a town, not considering it was situated behind a towering wall that looked as if it had been made from mud.
It was still raining, making the whole thing slick and wet, surprising me that it wasn't actually crumbling away to nothing but sludge. The houses that I'd seen situated around the lake only belonged to those who owned boats, and not one of them was open to the idea of taking me to the Realm of Blood and Death, not even with the promise of a truck full of treasure that Lucius no doubt possessed and would have paid. A few harmless looking demons had asked me what was behind my back and I told them nothing but clothes.
This was when I decided that to try to beg for a lift from strangers probably wasn't the best of ideas, not especially considering what I was carrying. The Eye of Crimson was most likely classed as one of the most wanted objects in all of Hell. Meaning that for anybody powerful enough, or stupid enough to want to use it, then it meant I had a large target on my back.
Lucius' brother had obviously believed that anyone could use it, unless watching Harpies explode into black sand was how he got his kicks. Either way I believed the outcome was still a shock to him. But that did mean that if he had been under this dangerous assumption, then, in all likelihood, this would be everyone else’s assumption too. Needless to say, that me possessing it was not actually a good thing, making me now very wary about even speaking to anyone.
Of course, those I had spoken to were curious to know why a mortal was in Hell, one of which asked if it was even possible. At least that's what I think he said considering he had a mouthful of protruding teeth that gave him a considerable slur. Another one had been drunk off his ass and having a merry old time with a female demon that had six breasts. She was laying naked on the bed and it looked as though her main job was to be milked or she was getting ready to feed her litter. Either way the second he suggested I join them was when I was on my own merry way.
In fact, it was the small demon after this who was only the size of a dwarf and had the horns of a bull, that actually offered any help. And after stepping sideways out of his door (on account of the big horns) he pointed to the gated keep that was the entrance to the main part of the town. I thanked him after receiving a grunt in return and for some reason, he then butted the side of his house three times before walking back inside…sideways of course.
“Ooookay,” I said, wondering if this had been some sort of ‘good luck’ thing. Like when someone sees a magpie or throws salt over their shoulder if they spill it. Did Hell have its own version of old wives’ tales?
I ended up shaking my head a little as if I hadn’t just seen what I had and turned in the direction he'd shown me. I also had a pretty good reason to believe that he was not going to be the last strange thing I saw this night.
Notably, I stuck out like a sore thumb being there, as there weren't that many demons walking around in mortal vessels. But then, as for behind the wall, I was still yet to find out, because after knocking on the door my plan abruptly ended. This was when a little window was opened and a gruesome face full of eyes told me to fuck off. After that the window was slammed shut and I looked up at the sky still pouring with rain, asking anybody up there who would listen to give me a break.
Unsurprisingly, no one answered.
Of course, if I eventually did get inside, I wasn't holding out much hope for a reputable community, as no creature had batted an eyelid at my appearance, where I was covered in blood and dirt and soaking wet. Well, one thing was for sure, and that was I couldn't just sit out here in the rain all night. And as much as I hated to admit it, I most likely had a better chance in finding someone to help me behind those walls, than I did on this side of them. I turned around and leant back against the door before saying,
“Come on, Fae, think damn it, think! There's got to be a way inside!” I shouted, banging my fist against the door and hearing the guard grumbling once more and telling me to fuck off,
“Yes, yes, I heard you…Asshole!” I shouted back when suddenly the door swung open and my body went
falling backwards. I was flat on my back in the mud looking up at a huge demon. One, I should add, that currently had all of its six eyes staring down at me. Each one ran in a line down the length of his face and was positioned at the start of where six antlers began. Each antler joined up to form two huge arch shape horns high above the top of its head. It was also hairy, smelled like rotting cabbage, and had a row of large yellow teeth that looked jagged and in desperate need of a dentist. Although, I was also pretty sure if this guy turned up next in line for the chair, then that dentist would run out of the building screaming from looking at his teeth alone. Forget about the creepy bug eyes.
He was as hideous as he was mean, and he looked like the asshole that I had claimed him to be. However, he also looked about two seconds away from being the last face I would ever see before he killed me, meaning that I had to act quickly and hope the big bastard was slow.
His hands were a combination of antlers and bone, so that when I scrambled backwards, his fist connected with the earth and not my face. He tried to reach out and grab me, but my foot was caught in the middle of the two sharp ends of his antlers, thankfully missing my skin. I pulled my foot through the gap quickly got to my feet and ran for it down the muddy path.
“Get back here, mortal scum! Seize the girl!” he bellowed as I continued running, trying not to get my foot stuck in the mud as the rain was making the path difficult. Thankfully though, it was also one that wasn’t well lit, which meant that the second I rounded a corner I did the only thing I could think of and that was jump over a small fence before curling up against it.
I pulled the hood over my face hiding myself in the mud and hoped it was enough to camouflage me. I waited as I heard the gatekeeper catch up to where I was lay hidden and heard him barking out orders to his men,
“Find the girl and when you do, crush her skull, for she can't have gone far!” Great, that sounded fun…not! Thankfully I still had the Eye strapped to my back and boy didn’t I know about it, as I had felt it when I fell backwards, landing on the damn thing! If I finally got back to the mortal realm I could now add a trip to the chiropractor to the list of things I would need to do to get over this ordeal.
I gave it as long as I possibly could lying there shivering in the mud and trying not to gag with the stench, now praying that it was actually mud and not just demon faeces. Well, I was gonna look the pretty picture when Lucius did finally find me, I thought with a groan and a roll of my eyes as I pushed my body up, ignoring the squelch of mud between my fingers.
By the Gods, but what I wouldn't have given in that moment to come across a vacant house that had a bathtub full of steaming hot water, a bottle of wine, and a plate full of food…I would have added pizza, but I didn't want to push my luck with the wishing. Besides, I very much doubted they had an Italian takeaway around these parts.
I got up and looked around to find that if I stuck to the back alleys and in between the houses, I had more chance of finding somewhere or someone without bumping into the guards. I added to my list of wishes and I hoped they got bored of looking for me sooner rather than later.
The town wasn't the same as the one where Nero’s shop had been. This one was definitely more of the rustic kind, as the houses were made of mud and some strange netting. The roofs were spiked with bales of dried grass dumped on top of them. It could have been soul weed and the thorns were used to hold the straw like substance in place.
None of the roads or pathways were paved and with the constant downpour, walking through them became like walking through sludgy snow. In fact, after about ten minutes of trying to get to what looked like the centre of the town, my legs were killing me! They felt as if I had weights attached to my ankles every time I lifted up my knees.
Forget about the bath, all I needed was a bed and that was because I felt as though I could sleep for a week. The centre of the town was in the shape of a diamond and at its centre was the gruesome sight of torture. At the very least I could say I was glad that all that was hanging from the noose was the skeleton of a demon without legs, not a fresh-looking corpse. Only one wing remained, telling me that whoever had been hung, had lost parts of its body before being put there.
“Therapy, Fae…lots and lots of therapy,” I muttered to myself as I finally came across what I was looking for…a Tavern. Now the last time I had been in one of these I’d had three powerful shifters at my back, so I wasn't sure I was making the right choice by walking into an establishment filled with drunken demons that most likely wouldn't give a demonic rat’s ass about my problems. But seeing as I hadn't come across anyone other than pissed off guards, then from the sounds of life humming behind its doors, I knew this was my only choice.
I had run out of all my options.
I went to pull the door open, when suddenly it disappeared from my hand as someone had done it for me, making me have to get out of the way quickly so they didn't just bulldoze into me. Thankfully, the big creature looked two sheets to the wind and staggered off without even acknowledging my existence. I crept inside with the door swinging closed behind me. I made sure my hood was up, so I could potentially get away with not looking so obviously human, and I squeezed myself in between all the bodies that were clearly there for a good time.
Some creatures, beasts, and demons were recognisable from books, research, and even stories told by a family member. But I would say these only made up about ten percent of the occupants currently packing out the space. Because as for the rest of them, I had no clue what they were. There were ones that looked more animal than human, and most of these were a combination of more than one.
Some had wings that were folded tightly to their backs due to the lack of space to move, and others had scaley tails wrapped around their waists so they wouldn't get stepped on. There were more horns than in a hunting lodge and each of these ranged in both size and shape. Even skin tones went from albino white to blazing red, to black as night.
Being someone with as much of a curious nature as I always had, then admittedly, it was hard not to stare. But then equally as clumsy as I was, it was also hard not to fall on my ass or get that same ass kicked by first knocking into someone. Thankfully, the one demon I had knocked into already was blind drunk and actually apologised to me thinking it was his fault.
In fact, due to the obvious lack of kindness I would find in a place like this, I homed in on this person thinking that in them I might be able to appeal for their help. Naturally, in this state they were probably too drunk to do much, but at the very least I might get a coin or two to pay some kind of ferryman to take me closer to Lucius’ realm.
Of course, this was until a demon, who later turned out to be his lover, grabbed me back by the scruff of my neck and accused me of feeling up his boyfriend. I had to say it was most likely one of the strangest moments of my life and when I tried to explain that I wasn't trying to take advantage of the blue skinned demon who had buck teeth and his large dick on show, I found myself stuttering for the right words.
“I told you to put that away!” The demon, who still had me by my neck, snarled at his boyfriend nodding down at the dick in question, which like I said, was hanging free, and swaying with his movements as it was close to his knees. I swallowed at the thought as the thing looked more like a truncheon and something to batter you with, than something that would give you pleasure. Of course, having me staring at it didn't help matters, meaning that the hairy demon that held me now brought my head closer to his snarling face and said,
“See anything you like, bitch, for I will make you spin on it!” I frowned and despite his threatening hold, I found myself saying,
“I thought you were jealous a second ago, now you want me to ride the damn thing…jeez, make up your mind!” I knew instantly that this was the wrong thing to say the second it came out of my mouth because his hands around my throat tightened and I was suddenly gasping for breath.
“Oh, she's cute, let her go Bubba and let's play with her, not break her,” the long
schlong demon said, coming to my defence. His boyfriend let me go and I fell to my knees coughing and gasping for air.
“See, she's in the right position now,” the blue demon said with his surprisingly high and squeaky voice for such a brute. I quickly gained my feet before giving him any more ideas on how to choke a mortal and his boyfriend chuckled at my quick movements.
“Not so willing now, are you?” he sneered, making me shake my head a little and say,
“I knocked into him by accident, dickhead. What part of that made you think I was coming on to him and wanted to play hide the Pogo stick, huh?” The demon did a double take and I didn't know whether it was the surprise that I was answering back or more about the fact he had no idea what a Pogo stick was. To be honest, I think it was a mixture of both.
Either way the second something penetrated his thick hairy skull, the one named Bubba (which I thought was a fitting name) growled and reacted by lunging for me, making me duck out of the way quickly. However, by doing so I fell into another demon, which in turn made him fall into another demon and so on and so on, until five of them were all piled at the end of the bar covered in whatever ale they were drinking. The music of conversation stopped abruptly, and every demonic head turned my way.
“Okay, well this couldn't have gone any worse…” I said backing away into a corner, and as if the Gods were truly against me, they chose that moment to make things a lot worse. As suddenly the gatekeeper burst through the door, flanked by two guards before all three stormed inside taking all of about two seconds to find me.
“You just had to go and say it didn't you, Fae?” I muttered looking up at the Heavens and wondering if it existed at all or just filled with empty space! I mean hello, were there any Gods up there even paying attention to shit or were the buggers all on vacation?!
Roots Of Rage: A Vampire King Paranormal Romance (Transfusion Saga Book 9) Page 18