Triumph

by A L Fogerty

  Riddick finished off the ones who’d fallen, but at least two dozen were still flying after Felix. Kayla shot light from her palms, taking out one demon bat after another. The mass began to thin, but they would not relent. One of them grabbed Felix by the back of the shirt, its sharp teeth gripping the sturdy fabric like a vise. It flapped its wings, taking them both upward.

  Felix flailed, loading another round in his revolver. He shot at the bat holding him captive. His first several shots missed, but the third found its target, landing right between its eyes. The dead bat released him—right above the molten river.

  Kayla dove toward Felix, beating her wings as fast as she could and reaching Felix before he even had time to scream. She caught him in her arms. The bats were all around, closing in from every side.

  Kayla landed on the bridge. “Everyone, get down,” she yelled, opening her arms.

  Felix dropped to the floor. She let a surge of light flow from her body, radiating from her and into the demons surrounding them. The bats dropped like flies, screeching as they burned and died. Once they had all fallen, Kayla helped Felix to his feet, and they started back to the rest of the party, stepping over the bodies of dead bats along the way.

  “That was less fun than you’d think,” Riddick said, sheathing his dagger.

  “What could be more fun than fighting two dozen giant bat demons?” Kayla asked.

  “Getting the hell out of here,” Jagger said, looking around.

  “There is a path along the ridge into that cavern,” Riddick said, cocking his chin.

  “Do you think that’s where we need to go, Felix?” Kayla asked.

  “It’s as good a guess as any.”

  They proceeded down the thin path along the ridge, moving deeper and deeper into the cavern. Kayla heard the chirps of bats and decided to fly alongside the party as they walked. The cavern seemed to be an endless path of narrow switchbacks. She flew low with a torch, trying to get a sense of how far down it went, but she couldn’t see the bottom, so she returned to the party, landing on the path in front of Jagger, and offered to carry them down one at a time.

  “We should stick together,” Jagger said. “Those bats are everywhere in here.”

  “At least they’ve given up on hunting Felix.” Riddick stroked the hilts of his daggers.

  “We haven’t stumbled on any more nests,” Quinn said.

  “Let’s just keep walking,” Jagger said. “We’ve come this far. There’s no going back.”

  The hike took hours. No one had any real sense of time, but every once in a while, Malik would tell them what time it was above. By his estimation, they’d been in the cavern for four days.

  After almost an entire day of hiking, they made it to what seemed to be the bottom of the cavern. It was a huge dark room, from what Kayla could see. Turning in a circle, she tried to take in the entire expanse.

  Far off in the distance, she spotted a tiny glimmer of light. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing.

  “Could be the way in,” Felix said.

  “Please to all the gods, let it be the way in.” Jagger’s grumbling echoed off the distant cave walls.

  “Wolf Mother is always with us,” Quinn whispered.

  “I’ll go investigate.” Kayla took wing. She flew toward the small light, which appeared larger the closer she got to it. Soon, she could see that it was a smooth, open doorway cut out of the stone. She peeked through. On the other side was a city more beautiful than she could ever have imagined.

  Kayla backed away from the doorway, confusion roiling in her brain. How could there be such a beautiful place in hell? It didn’t make any sense. Hell was supposed to be evil and ugly. But then she reconsidered, remembering the stories that Felix had told them about the levels they would descend through. The king of darkness would need to convince lost souls to remain by making the place beautiful.

  She turned and launched into the darkness of the cavern, flying back toward the tiny speck of light that represented her party, her family. After quite some time, she landed within the circle of their light, trying to decide how to explain what she’d seen.

  “I found a passage,” she said. “It leads into the most beautiful city I have ever seen.”

  “What do you know about this?” Jagger asked Felix.

  “I don’t know anything about the specific locations within the levels of hell. All I know about are the generalities.”

  “Your voices didn’t tell you anything about this?” Quinn asked.

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “We've been identified, and we will undoubtedly be greeted by the locals when we arrive,” Jagger said.

  “We must stay on guard,” Kayla said. “But at least we finally found an entrance. We're one step closer to finding Oksana—one step closer to ending this.”

  The party moved across the wide expanse of the cavern. On foot, it took another half a day. By the time the party arrived at the door, they were all exhausted and ready to sleep.

  “Maybe we can find lodging and fresh food there,” Malik said.

  “And maybe we will find a legion of angry demons in wait,” Jagger said.

  “We can sleep here, on this side of the doorway. In the morning, once we’re refreshed, we will proceed.”

  “We’ll set up a night-watch rotation.” Jagger organized the group while Malik and Riddick started a fire out of whatever natural debris they could find lying around. “I don’t want to be taken off guard.”

  They put down their bedrolls and ate their meager rations. Jagger took first watch, and Kayla lay down to sleep between Quinn and Riddick. She wrapped her arm around Quinn, and Riddick wrapped his arm around her. It felt good to have them beside her. She didn’t know how she would have accomplished this mission without them. They gave her strength, purpose, and meaning. Together, they would get through this.

  She slept soundly until the next morning. Waking, she blinked and looked at the others as they sat around the tiny fire, eating breakfast. “Why didn’t you wake me for my watch?”

  “I wanted to let you sleep.” Riddick knelt by the smoldering fire. “I took two shifts.”

  She wanted to object—to tell him she was the strongest of them all and didn’t need protecting. But instead, she softly thanked him and pulled her rations out of her pack. They ate stale oat bread and jerky before packing up. What lay before them was anyone’s guess, but they would face it together, come what may.

  They continued slowly toward the glowing entrance into the city. She was the first to walk through, her hand on her sword and Bane beside her. Once they'd crossed the threshold, they found themselves standing on a pathway that led around a glimmering pool with a fountain at the center. Green grass extended on all sides, and a lush forest bordered the lawn. Beyond the park, glittering towers rose into the crisp blue sky. People walked by in brightly colored clothing, smiling and laughing. Kayla wanted to stop someone and ask about this place, but she didn't want to call attention to the group. They were clad in leather and chain mail, toting swords, bows, and magic wands. They already stuck out like the bright sun in the blue sky.

  “Where do we go from here?” Jagger asked.

  “My divining rod says that the best route toward the child is along this path.” Malik pointed down the sidewalk.

  “Then we continue this way.” Kayla took a step in the direction Malik had indicated.

  “I love your hair,” a woman said in passing.

  Kayla turned and examined the woman then looked down at her own messy braids. “The unwashed look must be the height of fashion here.” She laughed.

  “I doubt it,” Riddick said, looking around at the people. “They all look pretty fresh to me.”

  “Maybe there’s an illusion that shows them what they want to see,” Quinn mused.

  “It’s the eye of Horus,” Malik said. “It protects us from being noticed.”

  They came to a fork in the path, and Malik used his divining rod again. He pointed to the path v
eering away from the lake, and the party continued through the park. Pink trees were in full bloom, filling the air with a sweet perfume.

  Kayla took a deep breath of the enchanting aroma and smiled. “I could get used to this,” she muttered.

  “Don’t get too comfortable,” Quinn said. “Remember where we are.”

  “Don’t you think it's strange?” Kayla turned around, gazing at the beauty of the landscape.

  “What’s strange?” Felix said.

  Kayla took in the park—the blooming trees, the happy people in their fashionable clothing—and at the towering city beyond. “That we have arrived in such a beautiful place. This is hell. Why does it not look like it?”

  “What is hell supposed to look like?” Quinn asked.

  “Fire and brimstone," Kayla said. "I fought a legion of demons. They wouldn’t exactly fit in here.”

  “Felix told us about the levels of hell," Quinn said. "This is probably a place for trapping lost souls to convince them to stay. It looks beautiful, but I would wager that if you scratched that surface, you would find something much less appealing.”

  They came to the end of the path at the edge of a parking lot, where they stopped and looked around, wondering which way to go next.

  "What exactly are we looking for?" Riddick whirled on the path, ending his dance move in a flourish.

  Kayla turned to him and looked directly into his eyes. "Anything that brings us closer to Oksana.” Riddick set his jaw and nodded.

  "He has her"—Malik held out his scrying bowl—“if this is any indication."

  The party gathered around Malik and gazed into the shallow water. Reflected on the surface was an image of Oksana being held by a ruddy red hand with long black fingernails.

  "Can you see more?" Kayla implored.

  "I can try to redirect it," he said, waving his wand over the water. The image shuddered and dissolved. "It didn't work. I'm being blocked.”

  Malik threw the water out on the path, and the group stood silently for a moment while he put his bowl in his backpack.

  "There are portals between the levels. It's possible that we could find one in the city,” Felix said.

  "I would guess this place has taxis," Malik said. "We just need to find one."

  They walked through the parking lot of the park and down the street. They found themselves on a busy thoroughfare with cars zipping past. Once they were out on the main road, it became clear that the city wasn't quite as perfect or as beautiful as it had appeared at first. There were people living on the streets and garbage in the gutters.

  "See, what did I tell you?" Quinn pointed at the trash flowing by.

  Malik started waving his arms around.

  "What are you doing?" Kayla took a step away from him.

  “That yellow car is a taxi," Malik said.

  The taxi slowed and stopped, and the party climbed inside. The driver gave them a broad smile that glinted in his eyes. He was dressed in a brimmed hat and a gray jacket. “Where to?” he asked.

  "Into the city. Downtown,” Malik instructed.

  Chapter 32

  Sid woke with a start, sucking a deep breath as he sat up. "She's here." He jumped out of bed and pulled on his clothes. Through their mate bond, he could feel Kayla as close as his own heart. He’d missed her so much—his thoughts were always with her. The moment she came within range, he felt as if he'd been snapped out of a deep slumber and was finally awake.

  He left his room and went to knock on Gloria's door. It was still dark outside, so he stopped himself and instead made tea and breakfast in the kitchen. He sat at the table watching the day break out the window and impatiently tapping his foot while he drank his tea.

  When Gloria finally woke up, Sid shot to his feet and told her what had happened. "We need to go find them."

  "Do you think you can lead us to where they are?”

  "I don't know—I've never tried it before. But they could be in trouble. You know what it's like here. They'll turn on you immediately and throw you in jail or try to kill you.”

  "I'll grab my things. We’ll bring them back here.”

  A few minutes later, Sid and Gloria were out on the street, hailing a cab. When the driver asked where they wanted to go, Sid didn't know what to tell him, but he had a strange pull in one direction.

  "Head south," Sid said.

  The cab sped down the street, driving deeper into the heart of the city. Sid looked out the windows, searching the crowds for Kayla's face. He felt a surge in his heart as if something was wrong. Kayla was in trouble.

  He turned to Gloria. "We have to hurry.” A sharp pain gripped Sid's chest, and he knew Kayla was nearby. "Stop. Stop now."

  The taxi driver pulled up to the sidewalk, and Gloria paid him as Sid charged out of the cab. He scanned the streets, looking for any sign of her and his brothers or Malik.

  Gloria caught up with him, and they started down the sidewalk, past the crowds of people going about their business. The sun was growing higher in the sky, and the day was heating up. Sid wished he had his hammer, but he'd lost it long ago in Border Town. It didn't matter. If anything was trying to harm Kayla, he would take it on with his fists if he had to. He stopped at an alleyway entrance and turned, looking into the darkness.

  "Are they in there?" Gloria asked.

  "I don't know. I feel like she's close.”

  They crept into the alley, the high walls of the towering buildings on either side blocking out the sun. It smelled of trash and urine. They stepped in farther, and a rat ran under a trash can. A door above it screeched open, and a barking voice echoed off the walls. Standing in the doorway, a large man held someone by the scruff of the neck.

  "This will teach you not to visit my establishment without paying," the man said, ready to strike the figure.

  As the smaller man tried to protect his face, Sid suddenly recognized him as Quinn. He charged up the stairs, grabbing the assailant’s hand before he could strike his brother. Sid pushed the man away, and Quinn fell back against the door. Sid pulled money out of his pocket and threw it at the man then turned back to Quinn, whose eyes were wide with shock.

  Quinn's lips quivered. "Sid? Sid, is that you?"

  The brothers embraced, squeezing each other tightly and slapping each other's backs. Gloria stepped up behind them as the assailant scurried down the alley with a fistful of bills.

  "Gloria, I’m happy to see you," Quinn said, reaching out to hug the witch.

  “Where is Kayla?" Sid asked. "Is she with you? Is she okay?"

  "Come inside," Quinn said. "We need your help.”

  In the café, Sid found Kayla and the others sitting against the wall of the kitchen while an angry cook brandished a knife above them. Bane snarled in a corner. Another man was holding the telephone, speaking in angry tones to whoever was on the other side.

  Kayla leapt from her chair and threw herself into Sid's arms. He held her close, smelling the scent of her hair and feeling the weight of her body against his.

  "I knew you were here," she said. “I’m so glad you found me.”

  He tilted her face toward him and softly brushed his lips over hers. They breathed each other's breath, the moment ripe with emotion. He rested his forehead against hers, savoring the presence of his beloved.

  Malik and Gloria embraced and kissed each other softly, their reunion as ripe with emotion as Sid and Kayla’s.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” the cook barked. “These vagrants didn’t pay their bill. Now they’re going to be punished.”

  "I'm sure that this will cover whatever they bought in this dump," Gloria said, throwing money on the counter.

  "Come on. Let's get out of here," Kayla said, taking Sid's hand.

  The restaurant owner and cook grabbed at the money, and the party quickly slipped out of the kitchen and out the front door. They moved around the corner and out of sight as a police car drew up in front of the restaurant.

  "That was too close,” Sid said.<
br />
  "We weren’t trying to run out on the bill," Kayla said. "We were trying to barter. The cab driver accepted payment in trade, but no such luck with the restaurant. Where do we go now?"

  "Gloria and I have a suite in a hotel. We can rest up there before we move on. But first, I need to find a new weapon.”

  Sid used his cellphone to find a place that would sell large hammers. They settled on an outdoor supply store. There were all types of useful things in the store, from clothing to packs to bullets for Felix’s guns. Sid perused the aisles while Felix purchased bullets from a counter and Kayla filled her quiver with arrows. The group grabbed packets of camping food and water bottles along with fuel for their lanterns. Most of the hammers in the store were small and would not be suitable as weapons. Sid found a second knife to add to his belt, but he still had nothing to replace his hammer.

  “What about a hardware store?” Gloria asked.

  “What is that?”

  “A place where they sell tools.”

  They made their way to a hardware store. The warehouse was full of building materials and tools of all kinds. But when Sid found the sledgehammers, he was in love. The heads were covered in some kind of soft material, but they would still get the job done. He bought the largest one he could find and strapped it to his back. Feeling the familiar weight of his weapon and having Kayla by his side gave him a sense of ease he’d been missing for days.

  Back at the hotel, they ordered a huge feast from room service. Everyone sat around the big table, sharing the many delicacies that the hotel provided. The party was starved from their long trek through caverns with nothing to eat but oat bread and jerky.

  "We should stay here tonight," Kayla said, stripping the last of the meat from a pork rib.

  "I'd like to sleep in a comfortable bed,” Riddick said.

  "The couches all pull out," Gloria said, looking at all of the brothers. "There should be enough room for everyone to be off the floor."