by Michael Todd
Red pulled out her dagger and looked at the blood on the edges. “I always knew these would come in handy. Those fucking Atlanteans had it coming, with their giant beady eyes and holier-than-thou attitude.”
Wilson smiled. “You are as feisty as ever. I love it. Come on, we should keep moving.”
Red sighed and dropped her arm to her side. “I’m fucking starving. We didn’t bring nearly enough rations for something this long and tedious. What do we do when we run out? Eat Atlanteans?”
Wilson chuckled. “Well, that might be our only choice, because we ran out of food at the last stop.”
Red’s eyes flared. “This is the worst. The absolute fucking worst.”
Wilson took a deep breath and nodded. “I have to say, it’s not what I imagined, but we have a job to do. We agreed to take the map and follow it. We agreed to do this for our fellow man. The council is relying on us.”
Red rolled her eyes. “Then why didn’t they bring their old asses down here? Fuck the council.”
Wilson pulled his pack onto his back. “They had to make it covert like they’ve always done. Now, if we can get a move on and get past this bend up ahead, we might find our path. And when we are done, I’ll feed you seven pizzas, a dozen hamburgers, and a truckload of cookies.”
Red pulled away from the tree and walked beside Wilson as they followed the river to the bend. “Don’t tease me with your bullshit. I am seeing cheeseburgers in the moss.”
Wilson chuckled as they turned with the river. They both stopped and looked ahead of them. Just up the river, there was a small and ancient stone temple. Its roof was domed, and the doors were heavy stone. Wilson glanced at Red. “Looks like I was right.”
Red wrinkled her nose. “Or it’s more of those idiot Atlantean beings.”
The two moved forward carefully, pulling out their daggers. As they approached, they could see writing covering the walls of the temple. Red walked up to it and ran her fingers down, pushing her dagger back in the holster. “There is some kind of writing engraved on it.”
Wilson took a closer look. “There is, but I have no idea what language this is.”
Red shook her head. “I don’t know either. I can’t read any of it.”
Suddenly a small door began to slide open right in front of her. The stone scraped, and dust billowed down. Red jumped back, putting her hand on her blade. Wilson limped close to her and the two watched as an ancient, withered Atlantean appeared. He was dressed from head to toe in thick, draped fabric and a hood perched on his white hair. His giant eyes blinked, but the look on his face was steady and serene.
Red and Wilson stepped back as the Atlantean walked through the doorway, the door sliding shut behind him. He stood to the side, his eyes trained on the two of them, his hands folded solemnly in front of him.
Red glanced at Wilson. “Old man, we need to get into this temple.”
The ancient one stood straight for a moment, ignoring her words. “Noble creatures, you have come this far. You have battled through test after test and shown your physical strength to be of righteous worth. Now remains only one more test. A true test of your soul. You will need to correctly answer one of my holy questions in order to enter into this shrine.”
Wilson’s eyes darted around. “Okay. What is the question?”
The ancient one put out his hand, a black star drawn on his palm. “What is the greatest joy of a man’s life?”
Red turned to Wilson and pulled him to the side. “What do you think?”
Wilson shook his head. “I don’t know. Men find joy in different things. Family? Work? Friends?”
Red shook her head, thinking. Suddenly a smile moved over her face. “Yes, but they all have one joy in common…”
Wilson’s eyes went bright, and he began to grin. Turning to the ancient one, he cleared his throat. “The answer to your question is an orgasm.”
The ancient one’s face did not change. He closed his palm and shook his head, letting them know the answer was not correct.
Wilson clenched his fist. “Dammit.”
The ancient one took a deep breath. “I will ask you another. What is the order to our lives? What is our purpose?”
Red scoffed. “I’ve been trying to figure that out for years.”
One question after another the two failed. Wilson had no idea how many questions he would agree to ask, but they had to get it right. Both of them had become incredibly irritated.
The ancient one asked another question and Red growled loudly, turning to the Atlantean and slamming her fist into his gut. She turned and put her hands to her head. “Goddammit! We have to think!”
With every clash of the angels’ swords with their shadow-figure counterparts, a wave of energy burst forth. It circled the six of them as they battled by the side of the waterfall. Katie growled, lunging toward her shadow figure, slicing just right of its head. It slammed its elbow into her back and pushed her behind it. Knowing that was a move for a kill strike, Katie dropped low and rolled, watching the shadow blade glide through the air above her.
Pandora hissed at her shadow form, one hand slashing at it and the other swinging her sword. The shadow figure ducked and ran around her, kicking her hard in the back. Pandora growled, turning and swinging her blade. The figure flashed back, the blade barely catching the shadow figure’s suit. It ripped a small hole in the fabric but the dark shimmer that surrounded the figure coursed out, closing the hole.
Juntto gritted his teeth, moving as fast as he could. The shadow figure was not injured like he was and was quick and nimble on its feet. It slammed its giant shadow fist into Juntto’s jaw, knocking him to the ground. Juntto caught himself, trying to shake the dizziness from his head. He growled and stood back up, only to be greeted by another fist to the chest, lifting him and tossing him through the air.
Pandora ducked as Juntto flew over her. “You all right, Frosty?”
Juntto hit the ground and bounced. “Yeah. Damn thing is strong.”
Katie jumped up and flapped her wings, taking off. The shadow figure followed, slamming into Katie midflight. The two swirled through the air, holding onto each other as they used their swords. They flew past Pandora and hit the ground, rolling across the moss and stone.
Pandora’s figure looked at the two and Pandora saw her opening. She leapt up and kicked her shadow figure hard under the chin, and it flew up and landed on the edge of the pool. “Ha, bitch. Whatcha gonna do now?”
The shadow figure rose to her feet and cracked its neck. Pandora’s face fell. “That’s a good answer.”
Katie ducked as her figure swung its shadow sword at her head. She stared at its wavering wings, the dark mist floating along the edge of the feathers. It looked like an angel, only darker and more ominous. She and the figure circled each other in a standoff, and Katie frowned, tilting her head to the side.
“Wait,” she whispered.
She could feel the angel energy pulsing through her chest and into her hand. Her sword shimmered as always, reflecting the shadow figure’s face in the blade.
Katie stood up, keeping her sword in front of her. “Pandora!”
Pandora grunted as she dodged her figure. “What? What could you possibly need right now?”
Katie shook her head. “You said only angels could make it this far, so this is a test for angels, right?”
Pandora swerved around her figure, pushing it down. “Yeah, that’s what I would assume. Why?”
Katie stopped and stared at her figure as it mirrored the movements of her head and eyes. The shadow’s armor shimmered and reflected her own. She shook her head and smiled slightly. “We’ve been thinking about this the wrong way. We’ve been thinking about it like warriors, not angels.”
Pandora rolled her eyes. “I need a little more explanation, please.”
Katie chuckled to herself. “Angels are warriors, but they are also messengers of peace.”
Pandora stopped and looked at Katie, who swallowed hard and stared a
t her shadow figure’s angry face. “I sure as hell hope I’m right.”
She opened her hand and released her sword, letting it fall from her grasp. The shadow figure watched the shimmering sword as it hit the ground and bounced slightly. She stepped closer to Katie and raised her sword to her face, running the blade down her cheek. Katie grimaced and clenched her fists, ready to admit she had been wrong.
Then the shadow figure twitched and stepped back, dropping her sword as well. Her cloak fluttered from beneath the surface of the water and wrapped itself around the shadow figure’s body, pulling the hood back up over her head. Her eyes stared at Katie, and her face softened. She lowered her head and bowed slightly, the sword on the ground disappearing into black mist.
Pandora and Juntto looked at each other and dropped their weapons as well. Their figures stopped and did the same. They stood back as the two were wrapped in their cloaks and floated across the moss to join the third.
Pandora and Juntto walked up next to Katie, watching as the three figures moved back over the water. Pandora leaned down and picked up Katie’s sword, handing it back to her. “That was some divine thinking on your part.”
Katie smirked. “You know me, sister of the divine.”
Pandora tried to hold in a laugh but she couldn’t. “Oh, yeah. Me and you are regular everyday fucking saints.”
Juntto shook his head as the figures bowed to them and disappeared into the water. “You’ve got something divine in you, whether you want to see it or not. That was some brave-ass shit.”
Pandora and Katie smiled, turning toward Juntto. Katie put her hand on his shoulder. “I would have to say you’re pretty divine yourself. Come on. If you can walk okay, we should move on.”
Juntto nodded and they turned, heading down the path beside the river.
21
Pandora hurried forward and put her arm around Juntto as his knees wobbled. Looking around her, she could almost feel things changing. “We need to move faster. Wilson has to be getting close to the sword, and we can’t let him. There are so many things that go along with it; things humans can’t even wrap their minds around.”
Katie grunted, using her strength to keep Juntto going. “We’re moving, Pandora. We have to help Juntto get through this. He took poisoned arrows for us, and now we have to carry that load.”
Juntto sighed. “Leave me and come back for me. Maybe the time will help me heal.”
Katie shook her head. “Absolutely fucking not. There is no way. We have no idea what is out here. Atlanteans, giant crabs—there is too much risk. We move forward as a team, just like you said.”
Pandora nodded. “Understood.”
She knew Katie was right; they couldn’t leave him behind, but she could hear the sword speaking to her. It was a breathless voice flowing through her mind. She shook her head, twitching slightly as the voice raised its octave in her ear.
“Hurry,” it vibrated, coming in loud and then fading.
Pandora coughed and batted her eyes, feeling the energy soaring through her. Katie looked over, noticing her spaced-out look. She slowed Juntto down and moved over to the side, propping him against a large boulder.
Pandora looked at her with panic. “What are you doing?”
Katie grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to the side. “We need to talk.”
Pandora stopped and looked down the path. “We don’t have time for this.”
Katie shook her head. “We’ll make fucking time. There is something seriously wrong going on here, but I can’t figure out exactly what it is. You are acting strangely. You need to pull it together, and you need to be honest with me. No lies, no bullshit. Just the truth. If there is something more to this, I need to know what it is. We are all putting our lives on the line to get to this sword and stop Wilson and Red. It’s not fair for us to walk in with half the information. What is up with you?”
Pandora rolled her eyes. “You are being paranoid right now, and you are putting the entire world in jeopardy.”
Katie put her finger in Pandora’s face. “Don’t you tell me about protecting the world. I’ve been doing it now since the day you were forced into me.”
Katie sighed and let her arm drop, hating to fight. “Do you see this? We never fight like this. This is the longest we’ve been separated. We usually are in each other’s heads. Like clockwork, we know what each other is thinking, and we don’t have secrets. I don’t want you to start keeping them now, just because we aren’t right on top of each other.”
Pandora stared at her for a moment, knowing that what she was saying was true. She hadn’t realized how disconnected she felt from Katie after being apart for that long. She had shrunk down into her own mind, but at the same time, she wasn’t sure whether that was a bad thing. Nonetheless, she wasn’t getting to that sword until she satisfied her.
Pandora put her palms together and tapped her lips with the tips of her fingers. “That sword is very specific. It knows who is touching it, and there is a protection on it as well. Wilson will not be able to wield it.”
Katie furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”
Pandora bit the inside of her cheek. “When it was cast down into Baylahn, guarded by the Atlanteans, it was given special protection. The higher beings knew that one day someone would try to retrieve it and wield it for evil. It is safe from everyone…except angels.”
Katie crossed her arms over her chest. “So, because Wilson isn’t of angel descent, he will not be able to steal the sword and take it to whoever is behind all of this.”
Pandora shook her head. “Nope. Not a chance.”
Katie smiled. “That’s great news. That’s exactly what we needed to happen. The problem is solved.”
Pandora watched Katie as she nodded at Juntto, her face still. When Katie looked back at her, the smile faded from her lips. She could see in Pandora’s expression there was more to it than that. “Why am I the only one relieved? And why are we even here? We didn’t need to come here if he couldn’t complete the task. We can head back out of Baylahn.”
Pandora cleared her throat. “We’re angels. We can wield the sword.”
Pandora walked toward Juntto. Katie shivered, crossing her arms over her chest. There was something in Pandora’s voice, something deeper and darker than she had heard before, and it scared her to the bone. Pandora had been on the right path for a long time, but there was something about this sword that was messing with her. It was pushing her to push them. It was forcing her to be cold and callous, keeping secrets and hungering to get to it. She was like Sméagol with the ring.
Katie cleared her throat, about to protest, not comfortable with the way Pandora was acting. She stepped toward them and stopped, feeling the ground shake slightly under her feet. A crackling sound followed by an explosion echoed through the trees and down the path by the river. Everyone stopped and looked toward the bend in the path.
Pandora’s eyes went wide. “What the hell? That has to be Wilson. We are closer than we thought. Come on, we can’t waste any time.”
Katie stared at her for a moment, seeing a frantic look on her face she had never seen before.
Mania dragged her staff behind her, glancing up from time to time, only to get even more upset that her crows were gone. The demons in the hall leading to Lucifer’s throne room lowered their heads as she walked by, seeing the scar across her arm. They knew she was in no mood to play—not that they ever enjoyed her playfulness. The absence of cawing was even more depressing to her. The silence of the hall was unusual, even for a deep layer of hell.
The demon guards pulled open the doors to the throne room and Mania stomped forward, not looking up. The longer she could avoid eye contact with Lucifer, the better she figured it would be. One thing Mania knew: it didn’t matter if she were his lover, he did not like failure.
Ahead of her in the throne room, there was a loud chorus of moans and groans. A large group of people sat in the center, their souls tortured more than most. Lucifer strut
ted back and forth in front of them, pausing as he heard the scratching of Mania’s staff on the hot stone floors.
He turned with a smile. “Ah, you have returned, my great warrior. Where are your crows?”
Mania froze and slowly looked up at him. She stared for a moment and then burst into tears. She grabbed her injured arm and hurried toward him. “My arm is gashed, and I tried to heal it, but it took far too long. That meatsacks had some sort of special weapon, and he came right after me. I have gone centuries without a single scratch on my beautiful body, and now this.”
She lifted her hand to show Lucifer the cut. He blinked at it, not changing the expression on his face. He put his hands on his hips and cleared his throat, turning from Mania. She let out a deep breath and sulked, running her finger across the torn flesh. “I will not let them get away with this.”
Lucifer walked over to a long stone table and ran his claws over the array of torture devices. He stopped with a grin and picked up a set of pliers. Holding them up with one hand, he swished his other. All of the humans tied to large stone chairs jolted, their arms forcefully coming forward. A stone pillar raised in front of each of them and stone clamps wrapped around their wrists.
Lucifer walked to the first and smiled at the woman, reaching down and plucking each fingernail one by one. She screamed in agony, something that would normally put Mania into a fair mood. She only stood there, though, her lip quivering and her eyes filled with tears. Lucifer sighed and moved on to the next human, doing the same to them.
Three people in, he paused and looked over his shoulder. “Tears, my dear, are unbecoming. Tell me about the victory.”
Mania swallowed hard and sniffled, waving her hand over her face and perfecting her complexion and makeup. “The plan started out very well. We took down the technological tools that they used to defeat us on a normal basis. The EMPs were strong and put them into total darkness.”
