by HP Mallory
I didnae even notice Gwydion until he suddenly seized Asterion’s right hand. Before the Minotaur could react, the Welshman stabbed his hand with a knife, driving it between his wrist bones. As Asterion’s palm gaped open, Gwydion raised Asterion’s hand towards the air column.
Asterion looked so shocked, he didnae make any motion to pull his hand away. Or mayhap Gwydion had magicked him into obedience? I knew not.
A kenning began to ring through the dark sky beyond the ring of lights. Even in the pitch blackness above, I could make out something parting the dark veil. A shaft of white broke through the gloom, which in turn, revealed a swirling set of clouds that spun faster and faster.
A column of air began to descend from the maelstrom to surround the losing side, prompting panic amongst the Hundred-Handed. But the air current they were trapped within stood as solid as the stone arena itself. Their many arms beat against it in vain while Theseus kept staring his death glare at the monster who vanquished him. A few seconds later, the winds sucked them all upwards, prompting more cheering from the crowd.
I could just make out Gwydion saying something in his native tongue as air currents sprang from the winds towards us. We took a couple of steps back but the air went into the knife that Gwydion used to wound the man-bull. When the winds began making a high-pitched whistle, Gwydion yanked out the knife. The winds ceased their caterwauling while completely covering Asterion’s right hand.
To the Minotaur’s outrage, Gwydion stepped out of the way. “You’ve seen the power of Charybdis at work. Now use it to free yourself.”
As the fury spilled out of Asterion’s eyes, the winds on his hand suddenly lashed out. The stones of the arena were ripped apart like the sand in the hourglass, great chunks flying in our direction along with screaming demon spectators. And yet when each such chunk or demon came close, they shrank and flew into the center of the mini-vortex in the Minotaur’s palm. There was naught but a sign or trace that they were ever there after that.
I was just appreciating the fresh gap in the walls when a hue and cry sprang up from the legions in the center. A hail of rifle fire followed, angled away from us by the wind column behind them. Asterion turned the winds in their direction. While I was sidestepping the lethal gusts, me eyes happened to see a small figure falling from halfway up the original air column. Theseus landed on the opposite side of us with a thump.
As the legions that had nearly condemned him were taken away, he picked himself up and hobbled towards the new hole the Minotaur’s winds tore through the arena. It wasnae a speedy escape, but good enough for Theseus. Asterion tried to push his vortex through the air column but the latter blocked the former. Asterion snorted in frustration as the wind abruptly cut off in his palm.
Given how crazy things were getting, Theseus’s example seemed worth following. “We’d best git gone while they can nae find their footin’!” I yelled.
The angel gestured at me with his club. “Yeah, what he said!”
As ever, the Welshman was a step ahead of us, gesturing towards the left side of the hole. “Through here!”
While the wicker armor had been welcome protection before, now it was naught but a hindrance. I picked at the straps of it as we plowed through the chaos. But the bindings stayed stubbornly tight. I finally gave up when we reached the great stone gap. The demon spectators that were nae sucked up were jumping down to our location.
Asterion glared and the winds once more sprang from his palm. He aimed the latter at all our would-be attackers, making them disappear completely while taking a few more chunks of the football field with them. The Welshman ran ahead of the enraged, empowered Minotaur, which struck me as the best way to stay out of harm’s way. I glanced over to see Besom was carrying the angel this time as she kept pace with me.
The dark once again claimed us as the winds from the Minotaur abruptly ceased. Even the light cast by the overhead vortex was fading out, its sacrifices claimed and accepted. If there were any demons who survived that fearsome attack, they were staying well away from us now. The only direction to our flight was away from the football field. Once again surrounded by the unknown, I felt a bitter sadness that me blade was nae on the trip with us.
Someone rose straight from the earth in front of us, making us all come to a grinding halt. I had me club poised to strike when I recognized Coatlique. Looking away, she turned her attention to the Welshman.
“It is done?” she asked.
Gwydion gave her a deep, theatrical bow. “As I swore it would be, my lady Coatlique. I truly doubt that anyone will dare imprison the champion now.”
The Minotaur’s nostrils flared at his friend, raising his empowered hand. “You arranged for this?”
Coatlique’s moved to Asterion and stroked his cheek. “It never would have been enough for you to escape. I had to ensure that you stayed free forever after.”
The man-bull looked down at his palm in horror. “But I never…”
Gwydion was still bowed but gradually backing away. “It’s a fearsome responsibility, son of Pasiphae, but one you are well-suited for. And now that my part in this drama is done, I shall take my leave.”
He straightened up and completely vanished from sight. As was his wont, he couldnae resist leaving some parting words. “Until next time, Tallis Black.”
I spent a few seconds staring at the empty darkness before Coatlique’s held out something unexpected: me blade. As I took it in amazement, I saw that she was returning Besom both her own blade and chainmail. Asterion reached over to loosen the straps on her wicker armor.
“Change, Lily Harper,” he said. “I shall stand between you and those who would do you harm.” He then respectfully turned his back to her so she could change into her chainmail in peace.
I felt anger burn through me as this was my responsibility. Not this man-bull’s.
My attention turned to the angel who was facing Coatlique with his hands on his hips. “Where’s the rocket launcher?”
Asterion’s closest ally shrugged. “That weapon was part of the price I paid for Gwydion to do what he did.”
A groan slipped from me lips. Giving that trickster an explosive weapon was anything but a good idea. “Meanin’ nae disrespect, but why’d ye do somethin’ like that?”
“Because he asked for it and because he confirmed what Gurdjieff told me before your arrival.”
The angel tilted his head. “So Blue Baldy didn’t go straight to the Dark Wood then?”
“Gurdijeff told me that was his next destination,” Coatlique said. “But he also knew that you would pass through the football field and that I have a tender place in my heart for unfortunates.”
Lily walked up to us, now fully clad in her chainmail. “Given all the lucky breaks we keep getting, I’m not sure we exactly qualify as unfortunates.”
Coatlique shrugged. “Even so, young one, few merit the respect of Gurdijeff to the point where he will do as they request. Now that you have proven yourselves, I shall safeguard all those Soul Retrievers who wish to return.” She suddenly sank straight back into the ground from whence she’d come, leaving nae trace behind.
The angel looked at the spot where she stood with awe. “That’s one hell of a way to say goodbye.”
Asterion strode over to us. “Coatlique has never been one to waste words or time.” He cast an uneasy glance behind him. “Under our present circumstances, it is best if we do not either. We should be on our way.”
Besom took his arm in a way that made me writhe with jealousy. “It’s a shame you can’t come with us.”
A confused grunt came from the Minotaur’s throat. “Why would you say that?”
“Because… I think you have proven yourself to be… a friend,” she answered.
He smiled broadly. “As have you, Lily Harper.”
He wasnae the only one who was confused. “Dinnae ye have a gate tae guard now?” I asked.
“I do but I also have companions who are in need of guidance through this
Circle to their ultimate destination,” he answered.
I didnae like the sound of that. While his help was undoubtedly useful, I felt less comfortable about him being around Besom. Of course the angel would pick that moment to get the closest he ever got to clear thinking.
“Yeah, well, technicallously, Taurus-zan don’t start guardin’ that gate until he gits there. An’ we never said how quick we’d git him back there, so it ain’t like we’re on another stopwatchdog here.”
Asterion nodded in approval. “Where are you bound?”
I frowned but answered. “The Grove o’ Lamentations… an’ mooch as Ah hate admittin’ this, Ah’ve nae idea where it lies in this darkness.”
The familiar light of the angel’s aura began to brighten around him. “Think you can figure out where we need to go from here, Bull Boy?” he asked.
Asterion studied the ground around us for a moment before his lips tightened into his version of a smile. “Yes, I know the way from here. Just stay by my side and we shall arrive shortly.”
I fell in beside Lily, the heavy clanking of her chainmail making her a target in the dark. The whole time, I couldnae help fearing that ‘twas more than just the armor standing between us.
FOURTEEN
Lily
The good thing about long walks, even in hostile territory like the perma-dark Seventh Circle, is that they give you time to think. While a lot of my afterlife was filled with moments of sheer terror, glorious triumph and a lot of points in between, there was also a lot of downtime between those events. That downtime gave me some space to process everything I was going through.
Maybe it wasn’t as good as a standing appointment with Dr. Carl freaking Jung—and I still couldn’t stop fangirling over that one—but it did give me time to pick apart my experiences. Of course, the bad thing about downtime was: it gives you time to think. And not all my thoughts were ones I wanted to face, never mind, process. That’s why I wasn’t happy to realize that I couldn’t stop thinking about the strange feelings I had for Asterion. If anything, they’d gotten stronger since we pulled off our own version of “The Great Escape.”
I felt drawn to him, though I wasn’t exactly sure why. Maybe because he reminded me of Tallis? Asterion was every bit as brave as Tallis and he also had the same kind of wounded heart he tried covering up by being stoic and gruff. And I couldn’t help but wonder what he looked like in his human form.
For some reason, I thought seeing his true face would help me get over this… bizarre crush I’d formed on him. Maybe it would be as simple as seeing him as a human and maybe that human form wouldn’t appeal to me? I could only hope such would be the case.
Even though he never said anything, I could feel Tallis’s jealousy in a full blast as we followed the man-bull to the Grove. Bill walked at Asterion’s side, his aura on halfway so the man-bull could see where we were going. My favorite Scotsman was doing his best to keep his anger in check but I could tell he was upset because he’d barely said two words to anyone and his hands were fisted at his sides. Yes, Tallis seemed cold and distant, something that meant he was hurt.
“Hey,” I said as I walked beside him and gave him a big smile. “You good?”
“Aye,” he answered and continued staring straight ahead.
“You did good back there,” I said, sounding like I was clearly trying to make conversation.
“Aye, you too.”
Even though he was clearly in one of his moods, I still loved him as much as I ever did. Once you got past the prickly exterior, there was a genuinely good man who wanted to atone for his mistakes.
But the deep love I felt for Tallis was different to what I felt for the Minotaur. Those feelings bordered more on the… sexual side. Ahem. Why? I had no freaking idea.
In the dimness of my ex-guardian angel’s light, I saw Asterion lift the hand he’d used to suck out all our previous problems. Just looking at it made me a little nervous. “Do I need to worry about being vacuumed up?” I asked.
Asterion looked over his shoulder at me while he put his hand back down. “So far as I can ascertain, that’s not how Charybdis’s power works within me.”
“Then Gwydion didn’t just give you Charybdis’s power when he cut your hand?” I asked, clearly confused.
“No,” Asterion said as he shook his head. “He just released it from me. In cutting me, he sparked my anger and my defenses and Charybdis was the result.”
Tallis’s stare looked almost accusatory in the dim light. “Needs some strong emotion tae kick it off, does it?”
The man-bull’s eyes shifted from us to the hand at his side. “That and undivided focus… Charybdis itself is mindless destruction. All it knows how to do is devour, which conveys to me a primal need like food or breath.”
Having experience with unwelcome spiritual houseguests made me gander an educated guess. “And it wants to get back out… something it keeps telling you nonstop.”
Asterion reluctantly nodded, turning his eyes back to the dim path ahead. “Not in so many words, but yes. That’s the clear implication of the feelings I receive from it.” He made a snorting noise through his nose that sounded equally sad and frustrated. “I used to believe that my rage was all-consuming. This force within me now makes that rage look practically civilized.”
The look in Tallis’s eyes went from angry to worried. “Is that whirlwind breakin’ loose somethin’ we need concern ourselves with?”
“Not at this moment.” Then he glanced at me with a scared look on his face. “But if that changes, I won’t hesitate to say so.” I could almost hear Tallis’s jaw muscles tightening as he watched Asterion. He was clearly torn over hating the Minotaur for his obvious attraction towards me or feeling pity for him over a situation both he and I knew too well.
I slid a little closer to Tallis, putting my arm around his waist and squeezing him tight.
He looked down at me in surprise. “What was that fer, Besom?”
I gave him a smile. “I just wanted to,” I answered with a shrug. “Just wanted you to know how much I love you.”
Relief flooded his face as he bent down to kiss me. I kissed him back as hard and passionately as I ever had. When I stopped, I caught a glimpse of Asterion looking away.
Bill got to side-walking so he could keep pace with the Minotaur while still facing him. “Yeah, I’d appreciate that early warning too, Taurus-zan. Uriel used to say that ‘better late than never’ don’t apply to all situations where ya can wind up gittin’ wiped out.”
Asterion hummed to himself. “Yes, that does sound like something he would say.”
It took a second before the full implications of Asterion’s statement finally sunk in. By the time it did, Bill had already jumped in front of our Minotaur guide, walking backwards while pointing a finger right at him.
“Hold it! Since when do you know Uriel?”
I could see Asterion’s stance tensing as much as Tallis’s jaw. “While time is something that is difficult to determine here, little angel, I can say that it has been at least a few years.”
We all kept waiting for him to say more. When a minute went by, Bill got impatient. “Well, ya gonna keep talkin’ or what, Bull Boy?”
Tallis came around Asterion’s left side. “Ah’ve gotta admit, ye’ve got me attention as well. Nae many that can claim they are acquainted with the Angel o’ Death an’ still walk ‘round whole.”
When I came around the other side, I could tell Uriel was the last thing Asterion wanted to talk about. But the cat wasn’t just out of the bag. It was busy clawing up the furniture and rug. “Will you tell us? It would mean a lot.” I gestured towards my ex-guardian angel. “Especially to Bill.”
Apparently, my plea was enough for Asterion to start talking. “Before I was forced to struggle in the arena, I was imprisoned inside a vast maze of hedgerows. After Alaire’s choice of placing me inside a labyrinth, I can only conclude he has a very twisted sense of humor.”
Most people wouldn’
t have caught it, but I could see a flash of guilt cross Tallis’s face. I had a feeling that if Asterion blamed someone for that indignity, he was standing right beside him. Thankfully for all of us, Asterion didn’t seem to notice. “As with all things down here, I was hardly alone in my torment. Other souls were dropped into the maze as well, which I would then hunt down and devour. Some fought me. Some fled. None of them prevailed.”
It didn’t sound like much of a punishment to me but then the Minotaur delivered the punchline. “Then they would heal, rise and the cycle would begin all over again and again and again. After a certain point, they ceased to be people and just became prey—nameless, faceless.”
“Sounds a lot like what we left on the Blood Plains, yo,” Bill said.
“And that would be because this maze once stood on those Plains… until Uriel came for me,” Asterion responded. He seemed to sigh through his nostrils. “To this day, I have no idea why he did and certainly not when he did. I was a monster of legend while he was an archangel of the eternal Celestial Choir. I was trapped within that maze for centuries—millennia, even—so he could have taken me out of there any time. And yet he did what he did when he did it.”
Tallis faced him then. “Did Uriel ever say why?”
“All he told me was that I was needed elsewhere. He flew over the maze on his great wings to guide me out. Then he burned the maze with heavenly fire, striking down the souls inside it one last time. After that, we became traveling companions temporarily.”
A whizzing sound suddenly went by us on our left. I thought it was an arrow but it reminded me more of a bullet, blown up to the size of Tallis’s fist. Both Tallis and I pulled out our blades but neither of us had any idea where to find our mystery visitor. All we got for our trouble was a second whizzing sound on the right.
Tallis glanced over at Bill. “Can ye put out a bit more light, stookie angel?”
Bill went from facing Asterion to falling in next to him. “Not too much more without eggfrying yer eyes out but yeah, I can do it.”
