The guard nodded his head and quickly left the infirmary.
“What happened?” The healing fairy asked as Ben lay unconscious, as blood poured from his nose.
“Damon and I were practicing battle magic. He stepped in the way.” I lied, trying to protect my husband.
She glared at me as she placed her hands over his body and began to chant quietly as she closed her eyes. Her assistant was cleaning up Ben’s nose and assessing him for any other injury.
After a few moments, the healing fairy opened her eyes and looked my way, “I suspect internal injury, but it’s hard to tell as he is a human, and my magic works best on the supernatural.”
“I understand,” I said in a panic. “What can be done?”
“He needs to be in a hospital with proper human medical equipment that we do not have here.” She had a bleak look on her face as she said, “Unfortunately, I believe moving him would make him worse. My magic can detect some internal injury, but it’s just hard to tell.”
As she spoke, I tried to quickly think of how we could help Ben. I suddenly remembered how I had given birth to my first son in the Pine Lake safe house back on Earth. Dr. Glintin had brought portable medical equipment to the safe room to treat me during my pregnancy and deliver my baby. If he had the equipment necessary to deliver my child, he had to have some type of equipment to run tests and treat Ben.
“I need someone to get to Earth now and find Dr. Glintin or his assistant. He has portable equipment, and he may be able to bring it and treat Ben.” I cried.
“Wonderful idea!” the fairy cried as she quickly called another assistant over and directed her to do as I suggested. The healing fairy listed off the injuries she believed Ben to have, and asked the assistant to relay her message. The assistant left the infirmary and headed to Earth.
The healing fairy returned her gaze to me and said, “Without knowing his exact injuries, there is little I can do.” She paused. Then she said, “I believe he is unconscious from shock, but I don’t believe his injuries are life threatening. His heart is still quite strong and so is his pulse. We can fix his broken nose, and when he awakes, we can give him an anti-inflammatory from Earth…but there is nothing else I can do for him. Our potions and my magic will not help him, as he is human.
I nodded my head and stood by Ben’s side as the two fairies treated and fixed Ben’s bloody nose. Soon, his nose was packed and cleaned up, and we stood by his side waiting for him to wake up.
I stood by the two fairies side waiting as time stood still. Their actions began to dawdle and time seemed to drag on as we waited for Ben to open his eyes. I watched the fairies move in slow motion as they continuously monitored and examined my beloved husband. Although I knew it hadn’t been long, it seemed like days had gone by before Ben finally opened his eyes.
“Ben!” I cried as he slowly batted his eyes.
“Miranda,” he whispered as the healing assistant was quickly by his side, asking about his pain.
“It hurts everywhere,” Ben said softly as if it hurt to speak.
The healing fairy examined the areas Ben complained about, and after only a few minutes, Dr. Campbell charged into examination room with his hands full of equipment. Dr. Campbell was Dr. Glintin’s new associate in Pine Lake, while Dr. Glintin was the seasoned superhuman doctor who had delivered my first son in a storage closet as we hid from Desmorelda.
Dr. Campbell had a grim look on his face as he marched to Ben’s side and quickly handed his equipment to the healing fairy and her assistant. He didn’t waste a moment as he quickly began examining Ben and asking him several questions.
Dr. Campbell rashly demanded the fairies to hand him equipment as he ran several tests on Ben without ever changing the grim expression on his face. Before coming to Pine Lake, Dr. Campbell had been a renowned heart surgeon in the state of Washington. His new position was an adjustment from his once fast paced, life or death job. Like most of those in Pine Lake, Dr. Campbell was a superhuman and decided to live and work with those of his own kind. Not only did the young surgeon benefit from his change in career, but also Dr. Glinton was becoming quite old and needed someone to one day fill his shoes.
After the doctor quickly performed several tests, he gave Ben a detached look and said, “I do not see anything life threatening…a broken nose, a cracked rib and some internal bruising. I believe you may also have a concussion. I would like to keep you for a few days, and I can give you some painkillers.” He looked at the assistant, “Set me up in a room. I will stay the night and be available if I’m needed.”
Without a smile, he quickly nodded his head and charged out of the room. The fairies looked surprised by his manor, but they smiled at both of us and followed the intense doctor out the door.
As soon as Ben and I were alone, I breathed a deep sigh of relief and said, “I’m glad you’re going to be okay. I’m sorry…so sorry about everything.”
Ben tried to smile, but he was obviously in a lot of pain. “It’s not your fault Miranda, you were right to tell Damon. I just don’t know what we’re going to do with him. Between him and Luke…it’s just been so much.”
“I know,” I said quietly as I shook my head and placed my hand on Ben’s shoulder.
Ben was stuck in the infirmary for a few days, and when he returned home, it would take a few days for him to get back on his feet. I couldn’t stay with my husband, as I had to return home to my children, and check in on Damon. I was grateful Nathen and Delia had agreed to move into our home, but I could see they were growing overwhelmed with the burden Damon and Luke had become. For several days Delia kept Damon heavily sedated in fear of another violent outburst.
Finally, after a week had gone by and Ben had returned home, I had an idea that I believed could settle Damon’s mind.
“I’ll use the necklace Desmorelda gave me and I’ll take Damon to visit Hell.” I told Ben as we sat in bed that night. “We’ll go together, and I’ll show Damon it’s what’s best for everyone. It can’t be too bad if he’ll be King.”
Ben shook his head, “Miranda, that’s not a good idea. Maybe one of the fairies can make a potion that will help stabilize his mind so we don’t have to keep him sedated. At least he can see his son.”
“The potion’s a good idea,” I said, “But once he is of sound mind, I think it’s important Damon and I finally se Hell for ourselves.”
Part Two
Chapter 8
As I stood in Sidhe’s grand hall, I stared at the sparkling solid marble floors in which the portal to Earth sat upon. Feeling a strange sense of melancholy, I wondered if this would be the last time I set my eyes upon this hall. Damon and I stood just outside the portal nervously as we waited to walk through. As of lately, our marriage had been rocky, but in the grand scheme of it all, we had a single common goal—our son.
I had a small bag in one hand and Desmorelda’s necklace in the other, as I stood still, staring vacantly into the portal. The two of us planned to be gone only for a day or two, but with Desmorelda, there was always a risk that our short trip could turn into the rest of our lives. I had already said goodbye to my children, but Ben followed behind us in a wheel chair as his cracked rib was still healing. I felt bad leaving Delia and Nathen to care for our three children along with my debilitated husband Ben, but they eagerly agreed for Luke’s sake.
Emerlee was able to find a potion that was said to temporarily heal a wounded mind, and after only a few days, Damon seemed to be completely back to himself. One bottle of this powerful potion would work for an entire month, but Emerlee warned that after his first treatment, it would be best to find an alternative way to treat his severe mood swings. Most magic had a consequence attached, and with long-term use of such powerful magic, there was bound to be concern. Damon eagerly agreed to travel to Hell with me, and upon our return, Damon would have the final say on our son’s destiny.
I had already said my private goodbye to my beloved husband Ben, but I gave him one last kiss bef
ore I returned to Damon, ready for our next adventure. Damon took hold of my left hand with the magical necklace wedged between. We hoped that with our hands both touching the gemstone, the magic would be divided between us both and allow us both to travel to Hell.
As if time could be paused, I turned ever slowly towards Ben to say my final goodbye. I gave Ben one last wishful smile before I faced the portal once more, ready to venture into the unknown. As I held tight to Damon’s hand, hoping he could lend me some strength, the two of us stepped forward until our bodies were completely consumed by the glowing portal. The moment our flesh was devoured by the green magical glow, I was blinded and darkness was all that I could see.
“Damon!” I screamed in horror as I felt burning heat rise over my feet. Within moments, it flowed up my entire body until blistering flames engulfed my entire body.
I screamed again as I heard Damon’s voice yell out my name. To my dread, I realized I was no long attached to Damon and the necklace was gone. It felt as if fire was swarming my body, but I was overwhelmed by the darkness and I couldn’t see. Only seconds later, I felt a stabbing pain in my ankle, and I screamed out once more. Beyond my screams, I heard Damon yell in agony as the stabbing continued up my legs and down my arms—even in my face. The pain was like a twelve-inch nail jabbing into my flesh again and again.
“Miranda!” I heard Damon yell.
“Damon,” I screamed again, but I couldn’t see a thing.
As the burning and stabbing continued to terrorize my body from head to toe, something huge and solid slammed into my body. I opened my mouth to scream, but I realized no sound was coming out. At the same time, Damon’s agonizing screams were emptied into a void of nothingness; all was quiet. Unable to hear or see, I felt alone—terrified.
As the solid object continued to slam into my body, I shuttered from the pain but my voice was hollow. Just as quickly as the world went silent, I heard a scream again, but this wasn’t coming from my ears. Instead it was coming from my mind, sharp waves of sound piercing into my brain. As the pain and burning continued on, my mind continued to scream—scream in pain, scream in misery, scream in nothingness. It seemed to go on and on forever, and I thought it would never stop, when suddenly I began to fall. I fell through more blistering flames as my skin began to melt away and slither from my bones. Though I my body was void, I was somehow still alive.
Finally, I felt my body hit the bottom of the darkness, and my bones crumbled to dust from the impact. The screams in my mind suddenly faded away until nothing was left.
“Well, well, well,” I heard a familiar voice crackle as she began to giggle in excitement.
I opened my eyes. Once more I could see. I was trembling in fear, but physically I was completely fine. The horrible things I encountered must have been all in my mind. Though everything was blurry, I looked around and saw Damon was lying next to me, appearing just as traumatized as I. My eyes began to focus as I looked up to see Desmorelda standing just above the two of us. A smirk was drawn boldly across her face.
As I glared at her, she continued to smirk as she said, “I hope you had a nice travel. I forgot to mention…traveling through hell can be a bit…rough, buuuut, now that you’re here, I’d love to show you the grounds.” She smiled as wide as she could.
“We don’t plan to stay long,” Damon said as he stood to his feet. He lifted his shoulders back and adjusted his blue button down shirt while he said in a dominant tone. “I would like to see the grounds, and I want to know everything before we make a decision.”
“Very well.” She giggled. “I see you’ve made a very wise decision, and I can assure you that the child you send with me will be in excellent hands!”
“I haven’t made a decision yet!” Damon spat as he offered me his hand to help me to my feet.
I looked around and realized our luggage was gone, “Where’s our luggage?” I demanded.
She chuckled, “This is Hell sweetie. Inanimate objects won’t come through.”
“But we’re dressed,” I said as I gazed down at my fully clothed body. Suddenly, I realized I was wearing something different than I had started in—from the looks of it selected by Desmorelda herself. I was wearing a completely transparent burgundy mesh dress; it was loose-fitting and flowing as it fell completely to the ground. The only thing I had underneath the dress was a tight fitting pair of black lacey panties, and I quickly folded my arms to cover my exposed breasts.
“This is inappropriate,” I said as I glanced at Damon’s tight fitting black pinstripe suit. He was wearing a burgundy shirt underneath his blazer, but his suit was much more conservative than my attire.
“You are my guest and will dress as I see fit,” she insisted with a smile.
I rolled my eyes, and hoped we wouldn’t be in Hell long. I quickly looked around the room to observe my first impression of Hell. It was much different than the elegant castle of Sidhe; everything was much darker and grim. The ground below us was nothing but solid, black concrete, and the ceilings and walls were wrapped with aged burgundy wallpaper, cracking along many of the seams. In the small square room, there was a single candle sconce on each wall. The sconces looked ancient, made from outrageously aged gold. Except for the four small sconces giving the room an eerie glow, there was not a single object in the entire room. Desmorelda quickly pointed her gaze towards the door and headed that way. Damon and I quickly followed behind, while I kept my arms folded across my breasts.
As soon as we left the unpleasant room behind us, we stood in a hallway that nearly mirrored the strange, dark room.
“That was a multi-purpose room,” Desmorelda began, “There are four more rooms exactly the same next door. I have used my magic to turn that specific room into a portal to and from Sidhe.”
“I didn’t see any portal,” I said as we followed Desmorelda down the gloomy dark hall. She walked quickly down the hall, not wasting a moment as her heals clicked along the concrete flooring.
“It’s not like Sidhe and Earth,” she said, “To portal between Hell and Earth, you must have a very special stone that I created. When you return to Earth, you will be spit out through portal, but when you fall to Hell, you are dumped in the room. I must mention,” she said with a sneaky smile. “A new stone is required for each travel, and only I know how to make it. When I’m ready for you to go, I will provide you with another, but once you leave, you can never return.”
“You expect me to send my son here without me ever seeing him again?” Damon hissed.
Desmorelda’s face began to glow my husband’s words. “I see you’re going to give me Luke then. He was exactly the child I hoped for.”
“We’re not giving you anyone…not yet!” Damon yelled, “We came to see what it’s like here, and only then will I decide.”
“But it’s Luke you chose? Yes?” she said with a hopeful smile.
I nodded my head and said, “We’ll see.”
Damon grunted as we continued down the hall. “What are these?” Damon demanded as we passed by several doors without an explanation for a single one.
“Oh,” Desmorelda giggled, “Those.” She smirked and said, “Just rooms—obviously not the royal quarters. That is where the workers live when they aren’t working.”
“What are the workers”? I asked.
Desmorelda sighed, “Those who aren’t part of the royal household or who remain trapped and tortured in a cell.” She stopped and whirled her hand in the air in annoyance. “I supposed you want to see one?” She quickly opened the door and switched on a light.
The room was pitiful to say the least. It was dimly lit by only a single light bulb in the center of the dirty white ceiling. Like everything else I had seen so far, the floors were black concrete. The walls were white concrete and completely undressed. The room was smaller than my closet back home and had not a single window for natural light. A twin size bed with a filmy gray blanket engulfed the center of the room, and a grimy looking sink was hiding in the corner. Adjac
ent to the tiny bed was a small, dingy chest. Besides the meager furniture, not a single piece of décor was observed in the entire room; it was impersonal and bland.
“Don’t worry,” Desmorelda said with a chuckle, “Your son won’t be staying in one of these dumps. These are reserved for what I like to call, the well-behaved demons.”
“What are those?” I asked as we quickly left the room and continued down the very long hall.
“Everyone here is…obviously a sinner,” she said, “Demons who have the privilege to stay in one of these rooms were once humans who were only mild sinners—you know, the compulsive liars, cheaters, wife beaters…the likes.”
“And what about those who did worse?” I dared to ask.
Desmorelda smiled, seeminly excited to tell us all about the horrible sinners, “Those who committed the very worst sin are subject to the cells. These are the murders and rapists.”
“What are the cells?” I asked as I thought about the cells in the dungeon back on Sidhe.
Desmorelda smiled wide and said, “The very worst of sinners live in a tiny crammed cell. There are hundreds and thousands of them lined in row after row. No bed, no bathroom, nothing!” she giggled.
“Where do they go to the bathroom…and sleep?” I wondered out loud.
Desmorelda began to laugh loudly and said, “My dear, these are horrible sinners. On the floor of course!”
“Isn’t that…disgusting?” Damon asked.
Desmorelda giggled, “That is what the workers are for. The lower spectrum of workers… they clean up after them.”
“That’s disgusting!” Damon moaned.
“Welcome to Hell!” Desmorelda said with a smile. She didn’t hesitate a moment to continue talking about the demons, “While the workers are cleaning the cells, we have guards, who take the cell demons to a holding room and beat them.”
“They beat them?” I asked in shock.
“Sometimes they catch them on fire and let them burn to ash.” She smiled amusingly, “Once their bodies turn to ash, their human bodies take form again, and they do it over and over again until their cells are cleaned.”
The Portal to Sidhe: Book 3 Page 8