Of Saints and Sinners

by Erik Lynd

  Abigail waited a few minutes to make sure the goblin was gone before speaking. “Goblins this close to the surface--that can’t be good.”

  “My guess is the lizard creatures our friend is making might be driving some of the deeper denizens of the Undercity out of their usual lairs. Yet another reason we have to stop him fast,” Silas said.

  Abigail nodded towards Lily. Silas realized he was still holding her with his hand over her mouth. She was glaring up at him.

  “Oh, sorry,” Silas said, and let her go.

  She stepped back a few feet from them. “I don’t know what exactly is going on here, but I want out. Now.”

  “I know this is a lot to take in, but we have told you the truth. If we don’t find Webb and his army there won’t be a New York to go back too,” Abigail said. “You’ve seen enough to know this is true.”

  Lily looked down, but Silas saw she was not buying it. Time to work in his forte--temptation and greed.

  “Look at it this way, Lily. You’re an academic right? Aren’t you the least bit intrigued by the little glimpse of this new world that we’ve shown you? I mean, think about it. You’ve seen goblins and lizard creatures and are talking with a real saint and a handsome devil. Even if you don’t fully believe we are who we say we are, you know we aren’t your average, run-of-the-mill agents,” Silas said.

  Silas could tell that gave her pause, so he plowed on.

  “You’re an anthropologist? Think about the potential for the mythological cultures that you can now be introduced to. Think of the books you could write!”

  “And you’d do this? If I help you, you would help me understand this new world? This Veil and this Pale you talked about in the limo ride over, I know you didn’t tell me everything, but it is real? There’s a whole world of the supernatural around us?”

  For a grad student at a prestigious university, she was kind of slow on the uptake. “Yes, there’s no going back now. The Veil has been lifted from you. Help us, and we can give you some pointers; leave and you’re on your own in this new world.”

  She chewed her bottom lip as she thought about it. Abigail pulled him aside and they stepped a little way from Lily.

  “You know Moreales would never let a credible book be release about this.”

  “Of course, and even if he did, no one would give it any credibility. They’d laugh her right out of any university she worked at. The important thing is that she doesn’t know that, or at least the greed for this knowledge won’t let her think it through. Besides, it’s not as if she’ll get nothing from it. She gets to learn about fairy tales and fantasy and all that bullshit. You tell someone like her that all that stuff is real, and her curiosity will never let her put it down again.”

  “Okay, I’ll do it. The deal is back on,” Lily said.

  “Great! Let’s get going,” Silas said, avoiding Abigail’s disapproving look.

  Lily led them off down the subway tunnel. They cut through three more side tunnels, each looking more unused than the last. Finally, it opened into a larger space and they could hear voices ahead, many voices as though in conversation.

  “Must be one of the side markets,” Silas said to them. “The Bazaar area is like the central hub of the Undercity; it’s where all the inhabitants and many foreigners from topside go to find whatever they need. It makes the markets in the Middle East look tame and ordinary. Almost anything can be found in the Bazaar. But like any place with money flowing through it, the area has those who are in control, and setting up shop there comes with price. Those who can’t afford to pay set up shop here, on the outskirts.”

  “When you say control, you don’t mean in a strictly legal sense, do you?” Lily asked.

  “There is no formal law here. More like an agreed upon list of rules that can change from time to time..You just hope you’re the rule changer and not the one caught with their pants down. It’s more like a collection of mob bosses running the show rather that any sort of official government.”

  “Like this Phil guy that wants you bad,” Abigail said.

  “Yep. Like Phil. And they’re pretty much all assholes.”

  “I’m surprised you don’t spend more time down here. Sounds like your kind of place,” Abigail said.

  “Yeah sometimes I do sort of miss it. But really there’s so much more going on up top. Not much call for a rock and roll band down here.”

  As they got closer, the talking became louder and he could smell liquor. “Looks like it might be a bar, new place. I don’t remember it being here before.”

  Light from hanging lanterns appeared ahead. Lily and Abigail switched off their head lamps. Soon they saw a doorway in the wall with lamps to either side of it. Above the door was a sign that read “First and Last Chance Saloon”.

  “I guess it depends on which direction you’re traveling,” Silas said.

  Near the door a small group of people stood, talking loudly. It looked as if they might have just been kicked out. From inside Silas could hear loud conversation and even some music from an old juke box. On the other side of the door a man leaned up against the wall. Silas reached out a hand to stop them.

  “A Bone Gnawer,” he said quietly. He heard Mort whistle softly in his ear piece.

  The man leaning against the wall was no man at all, but a Bone Gnawer. It stood a little over six feet tall, but appeared stocky and squat because of the layers of muscle under its worn leather clothes. Its face was the wrinkled black mask of a long-dead corpse surrounding small beady eyes. Large teeth, sharpened to points, lined its small mouth. It wore its species’ traditional black leather clothes, which functioned as armor, and a belt that held as assortment of weapons, including sharpened blades and a large pistol.

  “Whatever you do, stay away from it Silas,” Mort said through the ear piece.

  “They’re mercenaries, usually working for those who control the Bazaar, but always open to the highest bidder. When they’re around it can only mean trouble,” Silas said.

  “Funny, that’s what Mort said about you,” Abigail said.

  “True, but they also like to eat people, and I never really developed a taste for human flesh. My point is, they’re usually working for someone, and until we know who it is, let’s avoid them. They rarely work alone, so there’s probably more nearby. Just walk on by the bar.”

  They walked on the far side of the tunnel. It pissed Silas off that he had to slink on by; if it hadn’t been for Lily, he would have busted that Bone Gnawer’s face just for the hell of it. Of course, if there were a few of his friends nearby it might have been more challenging.

  “You there.”

  The sound of the Bone Gnawer’s voice sounded old and unused. They spoke little, somehow communicating silently. In fact, they did everything silently, which made them the most dangerous hunters and assassins in the Undercity. Silas turned to him.

  “Who are you?”

  “Who do you want me to be? Tell you what. I’m somebody who doesn’t answer to a wrinkly shit like you,” Silas said. Well, everybody said he couldn’t control his tongue. He felt his demonic fury rising.

  The Bone Gnawer laughed, at least Silas thought he did, though it sounded more like a growl. “I think you be the one they call Silas. I can smell Hell on you.”

  Silas turned and gestured for the women to walk in front of him then turned to ignore the Gnawer.

  “Phil is looking for you,” the Gnawer said.

  Silas turned, ready to fight if the Gnawer attacked. If its friends were not around, it would be quick. But the Bone Gnawer did not move from the wall. It raised its hands in a placating gesture.

  “I no work for Phil,” the Gnawer said. “I just wanted to warn.”

  Silas doubted that. Bone Gnawers never helped without something in it for them. Silas turned his back on him and they continued.

  “I don’t understand. I’ve used this path a few times and never seen a bar or a… what did you call that thing?” Lily asked.

  “A
Bone Gnawer,” Silas said.

  “Right, I mean with this whole world that exists down here--I should have seen something right?”

  “The mind protects itself. You did see something I am sure. You would probably have seen a group of drunken homeless men sitting by the side of the tunnel or whatever your mind would dream up to protect you from what lies behind the Pale. Come here enough times though, and your mind might have started to see the truth. Or perhaps one of the denizens would have attacked you. It is far more dangerous down here than any normal human really knows,” Abigail said.

  “What about this Bazaar? Surely that can’t be so easily hidden from normal humans.”

  “That is different. It hides itself from civilians. If you came close to discovering it you would find yourself veering off subconsciously, trying other routes. If, somehow, you could have overcome that subconscious impulse, you would have found your way blocked. It is hard to find the otherworld if you do not already have the Veil lifted,” Abigail said.

  “Now, of course, you’re fucked. You’ll see everything and everything will see you. You’re on the other side now, and fair game,” Silas said. “My advice is never come down here again, assuming you survive this trip.”

  “As tactful as ever, Silas,” Abigail said.

  “Here,” Lily said and pointed at a crack in the tunnel. “We go down that.”

  “Tight fit,” Silas said.

  They stooped and squeezed through the crack. It only went about twenty feet before spitting them out into an even less used sewer tunnel. Water ran along the bottom of the passage, about two feet deep. Lily dropped her pack and pulled out knee-high rubber boots. Abigail also had a pair on loan, Silas assumed, from Lily. Silas looked at the water and grimaced. He did not usually travel via used sewer lines when in the Undercity.

  “The water is mostly run off from above. You won’t find much sewer sludge in this part of the sewers; they aren’t really used anymore. What you’re seeing is the remnants of an underground stream; further down it meets with some others to form a river,” Lily said.

  “A river under New York?” Abigail asked.

  “Yeah, there are actually a few. When the city was being built not much care was given to creeks and streams. They were simply rerouted away from whatever they were building. This caused a lot of artificial rivers to form. Some are fast-moving, complete with rapids--and in at least one case, a significant water fall. Oh great,” Lily said.

  Silas followed her gaze. A small archway off the sewer was blocked by a pile of rubble.

  “This wasn’t there the last time I came through,” Lily said.

  “Could it have collapsed recently?” Abigail asked.

  “Possibly, but unlikely. Believe it or not, everything is pretty stable down here. Besides, look at the ceiling; it still looks intact. No. I think someone purposefully blocked this off.”

  “Webb and his followers. After you and Doug stumbled upon their little hiding place they probably wanted to close up some of their back doors,” Silas said. “The question is, which way now?”

  “I can’t help you much right now. You’re off the map that I have of the sewer system. I can see if I can find an alternate way, but not knowing the destination makes it a pain in the ass,” Mort said.

  “I know another way around, but it involves a large stream and that waterfall I mentioned,” Lily said.

  “Do we have much choice?” Silas asked.

  “No I suppose not. I’m just glad I brought all that gear.”

  She led them off down the sewer. They made a few more twists and turns and the water became deeper. Silas could no longer avoid getting in the water, the current tugged at his legs.

  “That’s a strong current,” Silas said.

  “Like I said, it builds up. We’re close to the waterfall.”

  Silas could hear the roar of water further up the tunnel. It did indeed sound like a waterfall. Another five minutes of walking brought them to it. They stood at the mouth of a tunnel and the water spilled past into a part man-made, part-natural cavern. The water fell twenty five feet to a large pool below. A river continued beyond the cavern. On one side there was a shore of dry land with several other passages leading off.

  Lily began pulling out rope and other climbing equipment.

  “Can’t we just jump?” Silas asked.

  “You can, but I don’t know how deep that pool is. Besides, it’s pretty gross water. We can repel down and get to that spit of dry land against the corner there.”

  Silas nodded and then jumped. He landed in the water, but it only came up to waist height. Good thing Lily had not jumped; she might have broken a leg. He looked up and saw her fastening two ropes to large pieces of concrete rubble.

  “I’m doing at least two ropes at a time in case we’re in a hurry coming back and can’t wait to take turns,” Lily said.

  Silas nodded. That made sense; they didn’t know how quickly they would be returning or what might be chasing them. When she had the ropes secured, she and Abigail started repelling down.

  As they left the top of the waterfall, Silas saw movement in the darkness and two Bone Gnawers appeared at the top.

  “Look out,” Silas cried.

  But it was too late. Knives flashed out and sliced neatly through both ropes. Lily and Abigail fell to the pool below. To Silas’ right more Bone Gnawers spilled into the cavern from the side tunnel. It was a trap and Silas was pissed at himself for not seeing it coming. He turned to the group of Bone Gnawers on the dry land.

  The water erupted around him and something strong gripped his calf from below. He didn’t even have time to cry out before he was pulled under. Tendrils like iron bands wrapped around him under the murky water. Silas reached out to grab at whatever had a hold of him--he doubted it was another Bone Gnawer--but his hands came away with nothing. The bands around his body grew stronger.

  A Water Elemental, it had to be. It was almost impossible to defeat a Water Elemental in its own environment. He began to pull at the only thing he could find, the solid tendrils of water around him. Even as he pulled, the tendril would disappear and another would take its place. It was like trying to catch the wind. An Elemental would not be here naturally; a sorcerer had to be involved, and Silas was pretty sure he knew who it was. It was a trap all the way around, and they had fallen into it nicely.

  His feet found the ground and he heaved himself above the water, pulling the tendril with him. The only chance he had was to get to shore, and to do that he needed to get as much of his body out of the water as possible. Of course, the shore was crawling with Bone Gnawers, but he would have to deal with that when he got there.

  He shoved again with his feet and pushed himself a little more out of the water, then fell back in, but a little closer to the shore this time. He could see that both Lily and Abigail were also caught up in the Elemental. The Bone Gnawers above were watching with smiles on their small, teeth-filled mouths.

  The tendrils lifted him out of the water and slammed him down against the shore, but they did not let go. He felt one of his ribs crack and his breath left him in one large whoosh, but he clawed into the earth trying to hold onto the shore. The tendrils pulled at him, dragging him back to the churning water and certain death for his mortal form. His fingers carved gouges in the stone shore of the river as he tried to slow himself.

  Then a Bone Gnawer slipped a black iron band around his wrist. Instantly his demonic fury left him, like a door had been slammed shut on it. Silas cried out in surprise as he felt his strength dissipate. A second iron band was quickly slipped on his other wrist. And with the click of the band closing, everything that made him better than a mortal, everything that made him a demon, was gone. He was left a simple mortal husk.

  He gasped in shock and despair. The Water Elemental was no longer trying to drag him back to the water. But it didn’t matter, it was over. He tried to reach inside himself, to find his demonic spark. Nothing. Just an emptiness that seemed to go on foreve
r.

  The watery tendrils receded, their job done, but Silas lay there unsure of what to do next. Lily and Abigail were deposited on the ground near him. They were unconscious and he hoped they weren’t dead. Without his demonic senses he couldn’t tell.

  Bone Gnawers stepped aside as a handful of the lizard creatures stalked into the room, followed by Mr. Webb.

  “Well, well Mr. Robb, it seems we finally get a chance to meet in a less hectic setting,” he said.

  Silas rolled onto his knees and tried to sit up. His ribs screamed in pain and what he could have ignored moments ago, now almost brought tears to his eyes. He felt weak and feeble and, for the first time, what he thought might be fear. He looked down at the black bands around his wrists and realized what they must be.

  “Demon manacles,” Webb said, and with a gesture the black bands pulled themselves together, effectively becoming handcuffs.

  Silas knew of them and had even seen a pair a few times, but they were rare. Their creation was a closely guarded secret and involved the risk of almost certain death for the creator. On mortals they would be nothing more than ugly bracelets, but when placed on a demon they effectively rendered him mortal. It cut the demons off from their fury, the part of them that made them demons. Short of permanent confinement to the Void, there was nothing worse you could do to a demon.

  And Silas knew of only one person who might have had access to demon manacles.

  “I have to admit, I would never have known what exactly you were without a little help,” Webb said, a greasy smile under his aviator sunglasses.

  From the passage the huge bulk of Mephisto appeared. “Hello Silas. Fancy meeting you here.”

  Silas glared at him.

  “That was a merry chase you led my hounds on.” He walked over until he was only a few feet from Silas. “After you left without paying my price, I got to thinking. That Saint would make a great trophy to present to my demonic superiors. Might even be enough to gain back some of my dominion stripped from me decades ago.”