by Hunter Blain
Within minutes, we were approaching the Earth’s upper atmosphere, and I throttled way back on the warp drive, not willing to risk hurting the real world.
As I oriented on the United States, I thought about Depweg and how he had built a family from people who didn’t actually exist. I mean, the stream of time he had been in was a shadow of our universe. And now that I had returned Depweg to the correct river of time, the stream should collapse and no longer threaten our time line.
So why was I having trouble accepting that what had happened had arguably been what was best. I mean, fuck Gabriel for not telling me…but a part of me knew I didn’t want to know. It was best that I had gone in blind; otherwise, I don’t think I could have done it to my best friend.
Even in my short time there, the world had felt very real, especially with Lily.
I forced my mind to play out a scenario where our roles were reversed, with me living a relaxed life with the woman I loved and Depweg having to come convince me that I had to leave it all behind…and that I couldn’t take her with me.
My brain whispered a thin, see-through lie that I would have understood, shaken Lily’s hand, and then left my ideal life behind.
My heart folded its arms while rapidly tapping a foot in annoyance, and I knew it was right.
I had to fight letting my head hang in shame as I dropped the warp drive completely and willed my wings to manifest to take us the rest of the way home.
Glancing at the ivory sphere, my heart ached for Depweg. I wanted nothing more than to take back all the terrible, unforgivable things I had said while my pride had been off the leash.
But it was too late.
I briefly entertained the idea of begging Gabriel to let me go back in time to just before I left so I could warn myself to keep my damn mouth shut…but I knew the archangel wouldn’t go for it. He would probably be right and claim that I might destroy our universe or something.
I had to admit to myself that my friendship with Depweg was not worth more than all of creation. You would think it’d be easy to do that, but the heart was a stubborn bastard, all muscle and ready to fight the fat sack that was the brain.
Orienting on the Gulf Coast, I continued to glide toward home.
My mind shifted to the brief hours I had enjoyed with Lily, and I longed to see her more than ever.
I didn’t care if she was the Unseelie queen and still had a life debt over me. I wanted…needed…to see her. To hold her in my arms and taste her lips. I needed to smell her hair while gliding my fingers over her smooth skin.
My brain did a surprise haymaker and reminded me that she owed a life debt to Samael, and now that he knew where she was, would use that power to influence me.
Once again, I had to remind myself that all of creation was not worth a relationship. But this time, even my mind had to take a pause and consider. I would die for Lily.
The location where my mansion was within the state park came into view, and I aimed for where I thought the backyard was. Of course, I couldn’t see my home due to the epic wards Locke had worked out with Director Baker, but I knew it was there.
As I aimed like a missile toward where I thought the backyard was, there was a blur as I passed through the ward, and had just enough time to fully extend my wings and yell, “Oh shit!” before crashing into the pool.
I hit the concrete bottom hard enough that I was pretty sure I heard cracking. The question was: was the noise bone or stone?
Letting myself float to the surface like a buoy of shame, I looked up into the surprisingly starless sky and jetted out a stream of water from my puffed cheeks.
Looking toward the house, I saw the sliding door was open, but the kitchen was empty.
As I swam to the side and pulled myself out, I realized it had been both bones and stone that had cracked as I looked down at the black eye I had given the beard and beanie logo at the bottom of the pool. Cracks spiderwebbed out from the left eye, and I cringed.
Looking back toward the house, I sighed. “At least Locke didn’t see.”
“Hi there,” Locke called out jovially from the outdoor sitting area.
“Aw, man,” I moaned as I slowly turned to see him sitting with the were siblings…and a dark-skinned troll.
Seeing Meli made me immediately remember Depweg, and I let the sphere manifestation drop.
“You goo—” I began to ask Depweg right as he stormed off toward the house without so much as an acknowledgement to me or the group seated on the other side of the pool.
Locke pushed himself up to his feet, mouth agape. “Your room is to the right!” he called out. “Look for the nameplate!”
As Depweg disappeared inside, I walked toward Locke with a single hand held up, gesturing for him to sit back down. Taking my cue, he hesitantly eased back into the chair.
I joined the group, sitting in a seat opposite Locke. The were siblings sat on a couch to my right and the troll sat on an identical one to my left.
“Who’s this?” I asked, thumbing to the stranger.
“John, this is Russell,” Locke began with a clinical professionalism that seemed to be more about reassuring the troll rather than me. “We are granting him asylum here.”
“Asylum? From Faerie?” I asked with an arched eyebrow. “I thought TayTay was doing a bang-up job there.”
“That’s the problem,” Locke explained, his tone shifting to a serious one I knew meant business.
Letting my feet drop on the glass coffee table hard enough to make Locke’s coffee cup bounce, I took off my beanie, strained out the water, and then replaced it atop my dripping hair.
“Don’t suppose this can wait. I’ve had a doozy of a day, I tell ya h’what.”
“It can’t,” Meli harshly said, drawing my focus to her. I was about to get mad due to how mentally exhausted I was, but then I saw her pale face lying in the hole next to her son.
My expression softened, and I turned back to Locke. “Why…not…?”
It was Russell who spoke up next.
“He’s going to trap Queen Lilith!”
I yanked my feet off the coffee table with a loud squeak of wet boots across glass and sat bolt upright while looking at the troll.
“Who?!”
“The man in white!”
As if on cue, thunder rolled across the sky, and I looked up, noticing the ominous black clouds as if for the first time.
Locke saw me and added, “It’s not just Samael we have to worry about.”
Through clenched teeth, I squeezed my eyes shut and hissed out, “Of fucking course it isn’t.”
“Magni…” Locke began, trying to find the words.
Hearing his name, I briefly willed my thoughts to stop fixating on potentially losing Lily, who I knew would be hard to trap.
“What about him?” I asked with mouth hanging open and eyebrows climbing toward my hairline.
“He…he’s become a sorcerer and has taken over Faerie.” To emphasize his point, Locke pointed an index finger toward the black sky as another crack of thunder rolled like a ferocious predator about to charge.
Silence stretched between the group for the full length of the thunder.
“Ha!” I cried out in absolute disbelief. “Bullshit!” When Locke’s face didn’t reveal he was joking, my heart sank as I pondered on his words. I was too tired to fight the idea, and decided to accept what I was being told as fact…for now.
“Okay, okay, okay,” I jabbered while my chaotic thoughts collected into a coherent idea. “Magni has taken over Faerie…which means Taylor and…and Lily are what, missing?! An-an-and Samael has set a trap for Lily?!”
“He told me to tell you before sending me here,” Russell admitted sheepishly, burdened with shame.
“That’s the part that worries me,” Locke admitted with a sigh and crossing of his arms. “Samael made sure you would know he is setting a trap for…Lily.” I noticed Locke mimicked the name I had been using for Lilith, and I appreciated the gesture. She was
more than Lilith to me…she was my Lily. Now more than ever.
“I want to ask where he’s setting up the trap,” I breathed out as I aggressively dragged both hands down my wet face, pulling my skin to the point it hurt. “But with Faerie gone, I can guess where.”
“I don’t suppose I can convince you to not go back,” Locke said without any strength behind the words, as if he were only speaking to satisfy his own need to hear it being said aloud. We both knew I’d go to Hell to save Depweg. I sure as shit would go to save the woman I loved.
Depweg.
Looking toward the house, a notion that felt perverse came to me, and I turned to Meli.
“What?” she asked, arching an eyebrow as her gaze flicked between me and Locke.
“I need to talk to you after this, alone,” I informed her, trying to use a soft voice with the hopes of making her more receptive.
“Anything you need to say to her, you can say to me,” Ben interjected with a puffed-out chest. I admired his desire to protect his sister.
I let my eyes linger on Meli, silently urging her to comply.
“No, it’s fine,” she said, placing a hand on Ben’s arm.
“But—” he began to protest when Locke interrupted.
“Does this really matter right now?” he asked in exasperation, feeling the importance of the main topic at hand.
“Yes,” I answered coldly, keeping my eyes on Meli. “But you’re right. How long do we have?” My gaze latched onto Locke’s, and he animatedly shrugged.
“I have no idea! But I’m willing to bet not long.”
“Okay. Locke, go to the war room. I’ll meet you there so we can formulate a plan.”
“We don’t have a war room.”
“Then meet me in the freaking room where we have, like, holograms and stuff to go over strategies!”
“We don’t—”
“Just go inside and I’ll find you!”
Locke stared at me for a moment longer before nodding and getting up to leave.
“Come on, Russell,” the wizard instructed our guest.
“You too, Ben,” Meli said softly.
Her brother mean-mugged me for a full three seconds before deciding to honor his sister’s request and following the others inside.
“What?” Meli asked nervously once we were alone.
My eyes flicked to the house where I thought Depweg’s room was, and then glided back to Meli.
55
After speaking to Meli, I went inside in search of Locke. After several annoying minutes of opening almost every door except where the guest rooms were, I stopped in front of the gym.
Looking inside, I saw the big stone balls powerlifters trained with that Ludvig had wanted.
Opening the glass door, I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorframe as I remembered the large man.
“Wish you were here, buddy. I sure could use your help right about now.”
Naturally, my mind drifted to Hayley, and I was slapped in the face with the realization that I wouldn’t be able to use her help either.
Before I could even bring up the idea, my brain put a big X through Depweg’s name, and I knew I really only had Locke to help me with what was coming.
Hearing Locke’s familiar footsteps come up from behind me, I looked on the far mirrored wall to confirm what I had suspected.
“I miss him too,” Locke said reverently.
I only nodded in agreement, leaving my gaze on the heavy stone spheres.
“John…I-I-I don’t know what we can do. I know we normally come up with some insane plan to complete an impossible objective…but I’m not so sure on this one.”
“All of our main players are out of the game,” I droned as I turned to rest my back on the doorframe, lazily glancing at Locke. It was as if inevitable defeat had already stolen my vigor.
“You sure Depweg can’t help?”
“I’m sure,” I breathed out as I let my chin drop to rest on my chest.
“It’s just us, then…”
“Looks that way.”
“Well,” Locke said with building enthusiasm that felt forced, “There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side.”
My mouth smiled on its own, but my eyes refused to participate in the gesture.
Lifting my head, I pushed off the doorframe and forced myself to stand up straight and proud.
As if the simple gesture that signified confidence had triggered actual confidence in me, an idea which I knew was the only answer formed.
“I’m going to Hell to save Lily.”
Locke nodded, understanding that I was probably going to ask him to face his worst fear and go with me.
“You will go to Faerie and try to slow down Magni. At least until I get back…with Lily.” I threw in the last part to remind the universe I wasn’t leaving Hell without her.
Locke thought about my words before he began slowly nodding in agreement.
“Yeah. I think that’s the best course.”
“You might want to snag the crystal that Depweg is wearing. It’ll help keep you attuned to our time. Plus, I don’t think he’s going to be needing it for a while.”
“What do you mean?”
I looked past Locke in the direction of where Depweg’s room was in the mansion.
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
“When do we leave?” Locke asked after a few moments of silence.
“Now.”
To Be Continued…
Epilogue
Grand Island, Nebraska, 1990
White loafers stepped from the tree line toward the headless body of the were-demon once known as Jose.
Drying blood filled the air with a sharp metallic odor as the rising sun promised to bloat the corpse in the coming days.
The featureless black cat—which rested in the man in white’s arms—hissed and recoiled at leaving the safety of the shadows produced by the trees. After a moment, it stopped trembling and dared a look at the light that coated its little body.
Lolth peered up at the host holding her in bewilderment. She had never experienced the sun in her long, long life.
“This is merely one of the gifts I offer, my friend,” Samael explained while stopping next to the huge corpse. “On top of a new host. One befitting a goddess such as yourself.”
“Why did you save me from the stupid vampire?” Lolth asked, suspicion evident in her tone as her eyes dropped to the headless monster lying motionless on the ground.
“I’m a fan of your work. Isn’t that good enough?” Samael said with a sly smile that projected she didn’t have any other choice but to take his offer.
“Your help with the black hole was invaluable,” Lolth admitted as she chose her words. “But the vampire turned my very creation against me and stranded me here.”
“I know. I designed the black hole to bring you to this stream of time.”
Lolth knew she stood no chance defying the Judeo-Christian Devil who had obliterated countless deities across all faiths of man. But she couldn’t help but look up at the man in white and ask, “Why?”
“The gates of Hell must open,” Samael said in a low tone. His smile never left his face, but his eyes…his eyes grew dark. “And everything is going according to plan.
“Now, please, enter into your new host and let us return home.”
Lolth looked down at the demonic corpse, did a little jump out of Samael’s arms, and sank into the chest of the monster. The skin darkened to a pitch black, but unlike her shadow form, the details remained evident as a new head grew from the eviscerated neck.
Purple eyes blinked to life as Lolth looked up at the sun, no longer afraid of the light.
Pushing herself to her feet, Lolth looked down at her new body—feeling the power coursing through her veins—while a long, terrifying obsidian sword grew from her fist.
“I could get used to this,” she purred, turning the physical object in her hand over and over, marveling that it wasn’t ju
st made of shadows.
“Good,” the man in white cooed. “When we get back, I would like you to do me an itsy-bitsy favor…”
Epilogue Part Two
Depweg wept where he sat on the edge of his bed, the years of bliss he had been blessed with replaying through his mind over and over again, giving fuel to the tears that spilled down his face.
In all his life, Depweg had never experienced such exquisite joy and fulfillment to his very soul.
He ugly cried, unable to keep the wails of torment from bursting past his lips to fill the silence of his room. Their faces kept reappearing once his anguish reached what he thought was the peak of sorrow, sending another wave of untold pain through his heart.
“No! No, no, no, no, NOOOOO!” was all he was able to say, cupping his face in his hands to the point where his own voice echoed off his palms, hurting his ears with the redirection of sound. “Please…no…” he begged the indifferent universe.
After several minutes, Depweg’s diaphragm was sore from forcefully heaving along with his tear ducts, which had worked overtime to produce enough tears to threaten him with dehydration. Snot dropped from his nose as Depweg’s eyes stared at the blurry floor.
His anguish decided it was time for a cigarette break and diminished, leaving a hollow shell of a man sitting on the edge of his bed. Numbness slowed his heart while his muscles fought to keep a heavy head from falling off slack shoulders.
A knock sounded, and Depweg managed to turn a head filled with concrete toward his door. He willed his mouth to ask who it was, but nothing came out.
Another knock came, and Depweg heard the most beautiful sound in the universe.
“Depweg?” Meli asked as she twisted the door handle and slowly began pushing into his room.
Depweg quickly wiped his face with his pillow, throwing it back on his bed before seeing the sheen of snot and tears reflecting the low light of his room. Moving fast, he turned the pillow upside down to hide his shame and put on a fake smile as Meli entered his room.
