by Nathan Parks
“I do not wish to use you. I wish to have you join me. The Clans have lost their way, and there is no longer time to continue doing things the way things have been done. We are on the verge of a new dawn, a new era. It is time for change. I want you to be you but to understand that we, together and with others, will usher in a new age. The time of the Clans are done.”
“So, you are recruiting me? What do you know about me?”
“I know enough. I know you pretend to work for my mother. I know that you have served the Clan that hails me its hero. I also know that you have enough grit and determination that you will not stop until you are playing a leading role, and that is what I am offering you.”
“What do I do?”
“Kill my mother.”
Denora stood in disbelief. Did she hear him right?
“Hecate?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm . . . that simple, huh?”
“I didn’t say that, but you asked what you could do.”
“I have something else I need to take care of before I head back.”
“The Nephelium? No, she is not for you . . . or at least yet.”
“To what end? I don’t understand any of this. I am here to find out what information I can about the three inside this church. I am led straight into a woman who, I consider, is the one who got away. I am told you have been killed, and yet here I find you . . . yet, not you. I am talking to a teenager who, in reality, is the temple of what is prophesied as our greatest warrior. You stand here asking me to follow you, one of whom I have only heard, and to kill one who, to the question of some, is the top in the power listing of the Clans.”
“Time will show, but I will not force you. You must make the choice yourself.”
“I guess you will know if I do.”
The young lady nodded, “I will. I believe your time is not yet, but it is coming.”
Right before Denora’s eyes the young lady, once again, broke into a congress of ravens and with a rush flew off into the cold sky.
Chapter Twenty
Eve was still fuming as she listened to Isaiah explain to her why they were headed back stateside. He was trying his best to convince her to go with them to Eden, but she was standing firm on heading back out on her own.
“Eve, I get it. I understand. I was rejected the same way, but this isn’t about us. This is about the world we live in.”
“You sound just like Leah; but again, you did work with her for a while,” Eve spat back. “I owe them nothing!”
“I didn’t say you did. I am saying that you may be able to add dimension to this in a way only you can.”
“By putting my boot up Leah’s . . .”
“Eve,” Tanisha interrupted. “I don’t know these people. What I do know is that, in the few hours I have spent with you, you have a lot to offer. I also would like a face with which I am familiar to be with us, even if I’ve only known you for a few hours.”
“Nice try, Cupcake, but I’m not the mushy, sentimental kind; and the little game of string-pulling you are trying is not going to work.”
Tanisha slammed the chair beside which she was standing against the desk.
“Ok, listen! I don’t care what you are or where you are from. I don’t care what people have done to you or not done for you! What I do care about is the knowledge that this world as we know it is facing a possible onslaught that no one can even understand. What I do know is that I love my husband, and I want to live out my days with him in the world as I know it. What I also do know is that, for whatever reason, I like you, Eve. I see in you a fighter, and Lord knows we need all the fighters with us that we can have.”
Eve stood there somewhat surprised at the outburst and, at the same time, amused.
“Ok, so maybe calling you ‘Cupcake’ was a bit much, but the chair didn’t do that to you. As for what you are saying, I hear you . . . I do. I also hear Isaiah. I know both of your hearts are in the right place; but for me to go with you and stand beside you means that they all . . .” she motioned in a broad circle, “they all would get what they have wanted: me! For me to stand beside you means I stand beside Leah! I refuse to do that!”
Isaiah walked around and stood between Eve and Tanisha. He got as close as he dared to, being in Eve’s face.
“You saved me, Eve. You never gave up on me in the last five years. Please trust me when I say that I need you with me. I’m going to do this, no matter what; but in order for me to do this, I’m going to be walking into the same lions’ den that you are avoiding. Please walk with me.”
Even though she claimed to not be “sappy” or focused on emotional sentiments, Isaiah knew she understood a direct plea from someone about whom she cared, even though that list was very short. She stood silently for several minutes and then threw up her hands.
“I will go with you. Honestly, if you both are leaving, then there is no reason for me to stay; and if I am returning stateside, then I might as well go with you both . . . but with a caveat.”
“What is that?” Isaiah asked.
“I’m not committing for the long haul. I won’t say that I will just up and leave, but I also am not promising to stay. I am here to help you both and do as little as possible to help out Leah and the Alliance.”
“Fair,” Tanisha stated. “I do need and want your help, Eve. I didn’t know you before, but I am glad I know you now. I am going to help the Alliance but only because, in helping them, I help my husband. I don’t owe them anything; and in fact, I don’t want to work with them anymore than you do. I just want my life back; and I hope with that, my husband.”
The female Nephelium nodded, “I can stand behind that.”
“Then, hopefully, we can all leave tomorrow,” Isaiah stated, “no matter if we like the Alliance or not. It is a necessity that we all work together right now, and I would rather be working with you both beside me.”
* * * * *
“Lano, I want to play hide-and-seek!”
“No.”
“But you won’t play like you used to. We always play it.”
“I DON’T WANT TO!” Lada’s brother raged. He turned around and grabbed a book that was on the small table near him and threw it at his sister. “Playing is for babies! The time for playing is gone!”
The little girl was able to dodge the book her brother threw. Her eyes were wide for a brief moment and then began to flood with tears.
“That hurt!”
“I didn’t even hit you, Lada!”
“It hit my feelings!”
“It can’t hit your feelings!”
Lano’s sister nodded, “It can, and it did.”
The young boy’s hands clenched and unclenched. He felt rage quickly fill his soul. He looked at his sister and felt an uncontrollable desire to unleash on her with all that his young body could muster. His young mind could not comprehend all that he was feeling.
His sister sat on the floor just a few feet away from him. She rocked back and forth, silently crying over the feelings that supposedly the book hit and hurt. The reality of it was that she was crying because her brother had never thrown anything at her, and it had hurt her feelings. She felt her brother becoming angrier and increasingly more hostile toward her. She just wanted to play, but Lano started spending more time by himself.
There were many times that he kicked her out of their room, closed and locked the door, and then remained alone. What really confused the little girl was that she knew he was alone in the room while she sat outside the door; however, at times she thought she could hear her brother talking to someone inside the room.
“Lada, you need to leave,” Lano quietly stated to her. “You need to go somewhere else.”
“Why? I don’t want to leave.”
“Just go!” This time the young boy was firm and a little louder.
She wiped her tears with her arm and stood up. She looked over at her brother. He stood with his arms straight down to his side. She could tell that he was angry,
and his eyes were almost black, glaring at her.
She turned and shuffled toward the door. Her head hung low, and her hair fell disheveled around her face. As she reached for the door knob, she looked back at her brother.
“Lano?”
Her brother’s expression never changed; he stood, glaring at her.
“Is the monster still with you?”
She was scared to look at him.
“Get out!” he screamed.
He started grabbing anything his small hands could pick up and throwing them in the direction of his sister. Lada quickly ran out of the room. She moved so quickly that the door did not fully latch. She fell in a crushed, small, crying heap. Her eyes flooded with tears, and her heart shattered in only the way a young child experiences when the innocence of life turns into the death walls of reality.
As she sat sobbing, she could hear her brother’s voice. She slowly looked up and realized that she had not closed the door completely. Her crushed soul quickly turned to fear. What if her twin realized it? He would be mad! She quietly slid closer to the door and reached up to pull it closed. As she did, she observed movement in the room through a small crack in the doorway. With her hand on the door knob, she placed her forehead against the door and tried to look in without moving the door.
She couldn’t see her brother, but she could clearly hear what sounded like her brother once again talking to someone. She pushed the door open just a little bit more to see if she could catch sight of Lano. She could see the left side of her brother. He was facing away from the door and looking toward the side of the room of which the view was obstructed by the door. He clearly appeared to be talking with someone, but with whom?
“I am scared,” she heard her brother say in a timid voice to whomever he was speaking. “I don’t want to do this.”
Lada put her hand over her mouth as she gasped at the sound of a female voice. The voice sounded familiar, but the little girl couldn’t fully recognize it.
“Lano, you want me to play hide-and-seek, right?”
The young boy could be seen nodding. His body was not rigid and defiant, as it had been moments earlier when he directed an outburst toward his sister. Instead, he was docile and almost wilted.
“I want to play with my sister.”
“No!” the unknown female voice stated. “I told you that for now we play games together. We have fun together, right?”
Again, Lada could see her brother nod. She felt her small body shiver. She was too young to understand that her body was experiencing a fight-or-flight reaction to the scene playing out in front of her. She only knew she felt scared and frozen . . . trembling, as well.
“I like having fun with my sister, also.”
“You will get the chance to play with her again once you have helped save me. You want to save me . . . like a strong warrior fighting to rescue the princess, right?”
Again, he simply nodded.
All of a sudden, Lada let out a quick scream as a large, black-as-night raven flew past the crack in the doorway and perched on the top of a bookshelf that was in her limited viewing area. She fell back, looked up, then took off running down the hallway as she saw the raven focus on her and stare.
Chapter Twenty-One
The Abyss was broken up into a unique system of trenches, areas, circles, and realms. Logistically speaking, Mantus ruled over a larger area than any other Clan Overlord could hope to rule over. He had more troops under his command than any Clan had in their respective houses, but the Abyss was still—no way around it—a banishment from any form of normal existence.
Through fear of the Abyss, the control that he maintained over those of his kind was immense; but what good was that if those who entered his realm could not leave and those who were not within his realm did not want to visit?
The Mortal rendition and view of Hell was gimmicky and almost laughable. The Abyss was far worse than the comprehension of a mortal mind: darkness that lived; darkness that breathed. Fire that was unquenchable, yet fire that would not allow the screams for permanent death to be met with relief.
Malebolge was the eighth realm of nine that could be found inside the Abyss. The Abyss consisted of nine different regions or realms. Each contained their own hellish nightmares, but each were not equally horrendous. The eighth realm was reserved for creatures that made one’s biggest fears appear like fluffy cotton candy at the county fair.
If a Fallen was sent to the Abyss, they were imprisoned within Malebolge. If a member of the Alliance fell in battle with an Eternal, they found themselves vanquished to one of the outer realms of the Abyss where silence and loneliness was the most maddening effect, but where these same elements were embraced for healing and restoration. In this realm, one could leave once they had regained their essence of existence. Malebolge was no such realm.
Ashmedai relished in his role as captain within the ranks of the Malebranche. The very name of those he led was dark and ominous within itself, but the ancient definition of this name was what ripped at the heart of the bravest of warriors. The name Malebranche meant “evil claws.” This was derived from the ability to shred a being all the way through the life source of that creature. It also described the tools that were used by these torturers. Each one was known to carry different, roughly-forged grappling hooks that would be used to pierce the body of prisoners within Malebolge. Those who found themselves in combat with a Malebranche would quickly discover themselves pierced and even hung as a fresh kill to writhe in agonizing pain.
The captain was not a Malebranche himself. He despised these beings that had been created simply for their enjoyment of the pure and sheer delight of torment and torture. They were grotesque, resembling mangy dogs with tufts of hair, bulging eyes, and razor teeth and void of any real intelligence. No, he was not one of them, but he enjoyed having them under his control.
“Drag, you are in charge for now,” Ashmedai stated to one of the creatures. “Mantus called me to a meeting.”
The Malebranche sneered as acidic drool dropped from his mouth. His eyes seemed to bulge even more with excitement.
Ashmedai took off down the different black-rock pathways that would lead him up through the various levels of the Abyss to the well carved-out and designed complex from which Mantus ruled.
He was curious about what his boss wanted him for. The Demon could not remember the last time he had been summoned to meet with Mantus. He would see the Overlord here and there, usually when he would stop in to check on Legion or when a new Clan member was banished to Malebolge; but it was rare. Being called to a meeting was definitely unique.
Steam spurted out of different fissures within the rock formations he walked past. Long ago, he had stopped worrying about being burned by these bursts. His skin, like all who had come to reside within the Abyss, had become thick, similar to a leathery armor. The nerve endings, likewise, had long ago become numb.
The Demon was medium height with a strong, muscular build. The right side of his body held scars and element aspects of his surroundings from a fall into a fire cell when he had gotten too close to a Malebranche in full reaction mode. The creatures became like rabid dogs with no understanding other than that they were in full attack mode once incited.
He had been knocked against a rock formation with molten lava flowing down the side of it. The incident left him with severe scarring; but with it, he had learned that he was able to maintain a continual burning within his scars. There was no pain, but the appearance it gave created a figure of fear and trepidation.
He moved quickly along the different paths, brushing off any attempts by other Underlings to speak with him. He entered a long hallway that had been cut into the rock bed. The hallway led to a series of rooms, as well as to other corridors. He reached for an iron handle and manipulated the latch so that he could open the door. He stepped into a large room that held a shiny black table.
Mantus sat on one end of the table, diligently poring over several documents and note
s. He barely looked up when Ashmedai entered. He motioned for the captain to take a seat beside him.
“Have a seat, Brother.”
The Demon did and then leaned back, studying his Overlord.
“What did I do to gain this unique request?”
“Nothing, actually, but I needed to meet with you away from everyone else.” Mantus looked up. “I need to talk to you about something that requires it to be kept between us . . . not even Dumah can know right now, clear?”
“Clear,” the Demon stated.
He was truly curious now. For Mantus to not even want his brother to know about the meeting made this meeting even more intriguing.
Mantus continued, “I do not know what I expect your response or reaction to be with what I am going to share with you. I personally do not care, but I do want you to know that however you respond will be tolerated in this setting. What will not be tolerated is confidentiality broken.”
The captain nodded his head and leaned forward. He tried to take a look at the documents sitting on the table in front of the Overlord, but he was unable to make out anything of value that may give him a heads-up concerning the subject matter.
“Since the time we were all exiled, so much has changed for most of our kind,” Mantus began. “We have witnessed so many come and go, and we have watched the Houses rise and some even fall.”
Ashmedai nodded in agreement as he listened intently. He saw the “general look” emanating from all over his leader’s face.
“We have changed. In my personal belief, there has been change that was not always for the best; but we have rolled with it. You, Brother, were one of the fiercest warriors that Scintillantes had before the War of the Serpents.”
“I am honored by that remark.”
“How do you feel about everything?” Mantus asked with clear indication that it was a loaded question.
“Everything? Not sure what you mean. Everything here?”
“All that has transpired with our kind since our exile.”
