by Jim Proctor
“Yes, that is a problem. I hadn’t expected you to come after me.”
“You should have,” she replied.
He looked into her eyes for a moment. “Yes, I should have. I’m sorry. When the time is right, I’ll get you out of here.”
“I’m not leaving without you,” she said.
“You may not have a choice. If you get a chance to leave, take it,” he said.
“I won’t leave you behind,” she said,
“Jaz… please, trust me,” Angus said.
“All right,” she said.
“Now, I need to rest,” Angus said.
“If you could get to your cumulus, you could defeat her,” Jazeen said.
“We’ve been through that. I can’t. With that much power available, I could free you and Emmett, though. It’s a moot point, anyway. She has it. Now I need to rest. I’m going to need all the strength I can muster to face her,” Angus said.
* * * *
When Jazeen awoke, the dungeon was dimmer than before. She hadn’t meant to sleep. The smell of hot food wafted through the dungeon. Looking toward the stairs, she saw the witch standing there with a tray. Walking along the row of cells, the witch put a bowl and a cup on the shelf of each of their doors. Then, coming back to the middle, she stopped at Jazeen’s door.
“Aren’t you hungry, dear?”
“How do I know it isn’t poisoned?” Jazeen asked.
The witch’s hand shot out, and every nerve in Jazeen’s body was aflame with agonizing pain. She writhed and screamed.
Angus jumped up and ran to the bars of his cell closest to Jazeen. “Leave her alone!” he yelled.
The witch lowered her hand and smiled at Jazeen. “If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t poison you. Where’s the fun in that? Now eat.”
The witch walked to Angus’ cell and stared at him. His hands were trembling. There were two pills on the shelf next to his bowl. Darting forward, he grabbed them, tossed them into his mouth, and swallowed.
Venefica laughed. “Oh, Angus. You are so pathetic.”
“You think so?” he asked. “I grew bored with life and turned to drugs for entertainment. You, on the other hand, torment and kill people for your pleasure. Maybe I am pathetic, but you are a vile, disgusting creature.”
She glared at him, then turned and rushed up the stairs.
Turning to Jazeen, he said, “Eat your dinner while it’s still warm.”
“I think you made her angry,” Jazeen said.
Angus nodded. “Yes, I did.”
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea, under the circumstances,” Emmett said.
“I agree,” Jazeen said.
Angus chuckled. “Well, then, I guess my coming here wasn’t such a good idea.”
“Do you have a plan yet?” Emmett asked.
“I had a plan before I came here,” Angus replied. “The trouble is, it didn’t include rescuing you two, as well as your son. I’m still working on an alternate plan.”
“Maybe I can help,” Emmett said.
“I’m listening,” Angus said.
“She rarely kills anyone herself. Feeding people to demons is her favorite method. She likes to hear them scream,” he said. “She has a room upstairs she calls the Chamber of Doors. There are thirty doors, and you have to pick one to go through. One leads to freedom. The others lead to hungry demons.”
Do you know which one leads to freedom?” Jazeen asked.
Emmett smiled. “Yes, I do. I painted it yellow.”
Angus laughed. “Does she know?”
Emmett’s smiled vanished. “Yes, I’m afraid so. I helped her last three prisoners escape that way. She caught on, and I told her what I had done. It was stupid to tell her, but I was gloating. It felt so good to have outsmarted her, for once. I didn’t think about how she would react,” Emmett said.
“I don’t understand. Didn’t she notice the door was yellow?” Jazeen asked.
Angus shook his head. “Nope. She is completely and totally colorblind. I don’t mean what people typically call colorblind. To her, everything is shades of gray.”
“She’s probably had Eric repaint it already,” Emmett said.
“If you knew which door led to freedom, why didn’t you leave?” Jazeen asked.
“I can’t. She cast a spell on me. I can’t pass through any door that leads to freedom. I could have walked out the front door, otherwise.”
Angus nodded. “And that’s how you knew which door in the chamber led to freedom.”
Emmett nodded. “She was beaten by her own spell.”
“You see, Jaz… negative magical energy causing something positive to happen. Of course, it’s a lot worse when positive magical energy causes something negative to happen. That’s why I gave it all up,” Angus said.
“It’s a shame that such a beautiful woman is so evil,” Emmett said.
“She hasn’t always looked like that. She’s changed her appearance,” Angus said.
“Captain Watson mentioned that. He said she was obsessed with perfection, and she’d probably be the most beautiful woman I’d ever met,” Jazeen said. “He was right.”
“When did you talk to Rupert?” Angus asked.
“He came with me. I read the last part of your journal, and I studied your recent travels on the ship’s GPS. I flew to Port Zebron and convinced him to help me.”
“Rupert is here in Tenebris?” Angus asked.
“Yes. He was going to come here with me, but I told Fluffy to keep him on the airship,” Jazeen said.
“That’s good. I’d hate to have to come up with a plan to save him, too,” Angus said.
“Don’t worry about me,” Emmett said. “Save this young lady. I can’t leave, remember?”
“We can’t leave him here,” Jazeen said.
“Unless we find a way to break her spell, we have no choice. He can’t leave,” Angus said.
“Then we need to break the spell. How can we do that?” she asked.
“Well, one sure-fire way is to kill her,” Angus said.
“Can you do that?” Emmett asked.
“No, I can’t,” Angus said.
“Can’t, or won’t?” Jazeen asked.
“Both,” the wizard said.
* * * *
“You know, Eric, I thought it would be fun having Angus Beaph here, torturing him until he told me where his cumulus was. Now that I have it, I’ve lost interest in him,” Venefica said.
“Yes, mistress,” Eric said softly.
“You’re not pouting still, are you?” she asked.
“No, mistress,” he replied.
“Come with me,” she said. She stood and swept out of her office. Eric followed. The witch stopped at the secret door and unlocked it. After she stepped through, she beckoned him to follow. Up she went with Eric close behind. After a few turns, she took a torch from a sconce on the wall and continued to climb. When the stairs ended, she handed him the torch.
“Go around the room, light all the torches, then come back here and wait for me. Do not touch any of the doors, and do not go down the steps,” she said.
“Yes, mistress,” he said before setting off through the gloom.
When she reached the dungeon, she went directly to Angus’ cell. Unlocking the door and pulling it open, she stepped back and waited.
Angus stood and walked out of the cell.
“Well, it seems your little chemical helpers have done you some good,” she said.
Angus nodded. “I feel a little better. The sleep helped, too. If I had known how comfy your beds were, I’d have come here centuries ago.”
Venefica laughed. “Come with me.”
“Where are you taking him?” Jazeen asked.
“Upstairs for a little game,” Venefica said.
“Don’t go, Angus!” Jazeen said.
“It’s time, Jaz,” Angus said. He winked.
Venefica climbed the stairs. Angus followed, sticking close to the inside curve where the stai
rs were narrowest.
“Did my former servant tell you about this room, Angus?” she asked when they reached the top.
“Yes, he did. Not very imaginative, really,” he said.
“You know that stupid girl brought your cumulus with her in that stasis jar?” she said.
“Yes, she told me.”
“Now I have tremendous power at my disposal,” she said with a smile.
“There is far more power in that jar than you realize,” he said.
“Good. I’ll be sure to put it to good use, unlike you.”
Angus smiled. “I’m sure you will. And now, if you don’t mind, I’ll just go pick a door and get this over with.”
“Yes, let’s finish this, once and for always,” she said.
Angus crossed the room and swept his hand over a door. Moving on, he did the same at the next. Around the room he went, pausing at each door, passing his hand over the surface. Finally, he opened a door and went through. The door closed.
* * * *
Jazeen and Emmett sat in their cells listening. Emmett, of course, knew what to expect. Jazeen did not. When the horrible, agonized screams began, she dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands.
“Angus!” she screamed. “No, Angus!” She began crying.
“I’m sorry,” Emmett said. “Eric must have repainted the door.”
Jazeen was sobbing uncontrollably when Venefica reached the dungeon. Unlocking her cell, she stepped back. Jazeen jumped up, screaming in rage, and ran at the witch.
Venefica’s hand shot up. Jazeen froze in place, eyes wide, mouth open.
“Did you learn nothing last time, you foolish girl?”
Jazeen rose off the ground and floated toward the stairs, landing gently on the first step.
“Now walk,” Venefica said. “I’m not going to carry you to your death. You’re going to walk on your own.”
Jazeen began climbing with the witch close behind. As they approached the first door, Jazeen spun and kicked the witch hard in the abdomen, sending her tumbling down the stone stairs. She ran to the door, turned the knob, and pushed. The door was locked. She pushed and pounded on the door for a moment, then began running up the stairs. After just a few steps, she froze as burning pain coursed through her body. Venefica, blood oozing from a cut above her left eye, came limping around the turn and glared. The witch raised her hand, and Jazeen floated into the air. Up they went. The pain was so intense, Jazeen could barely breathe.
At the top, the witch set Jazeen down and lowered her hand. The pain stopped. Jazeen fell to her knees, gasping for air.
“You know how this works. Choose a door,” Venefica said.
Jazeen turned, looking at all the doors. One caught her attention, but she passed her eyes over it quickly. Walking across the room to a door, she studied it for a moment and then went to the next. Five doors later, she stood in front of a door and studied it. On the door in pale yellow letters was the word Libertas.
As quickly as she could, she threw open the door and ran.
Chapter 30
Venefica's scream of rage made Eric flinch and back away. The witch waved a hand and a pickle jar appeared, hovering in front of her.
“I’ll teach her a lesson she’ll remember for the rest of her life,” the witch said as she unscrewed the lid of the jar.
A tiny point of light floated out of the mouth of the jar. Venefica made a gesture with her fingers, and the light moved slowly toward her until it vanished into her chest.
Eric didn’t know what had happened. There had been a flash of light and a scream, then the bright light was gone. The witch was lying on the floor a few meters away surrounded by the shattered remains of the pickle jar. Moving toward her still body, he bent down, put a hand on her arm, and shook it gently. “Mistress?” Realizing he had no time to waste, he grabbed the chain around her neck and yanked it free. Then, as fast as he could, he ran down the stairs.
“Come, quickly,” he said to Emmett as he unlocked the cell door.
Emmett stared at his son, seeing him for the first time in more than a decade.
“Hurry!” Eric pleaded.
Emmett jumped up and ran after Eric as they took the stairs two at a time. At the top, they found Venefica still on the floor, unresponsive. Her dress, which had hugged her figure, lay loosely around her. Emmett placed a hand on her neck.
“She’s still alive,” he said.
“We don’t have much time,” Eric said.
“What do you mean?” Emmett asked.
“There’s no time to explain. We need to leave, now!”
“We can’t. Not while she’s alive. This needs to end, now,” Emmett said.
Grabbing the witch’s arms, he pulled her up and over his shoulder, surprised to find she was at most a meter tall. Turning, he carried her to a door and paused.
“When the screaming stops, you’ll be free. Go down to her residence and leave through the front door,” Emmett said.
Before his son could reply, he opened the door and trudged along the hallway beyond.
Eric waited, his heart racing and pounding in his ears. He jumped when the terrible screaming started. Then, after what felt like an eternity, the screaming stopped. The hallway beyond the open door vanished, and daylight streamed in through the frame. Eric ran down the steps and found the door locked. Fumbling with the witch’s keys, he found the right one and went through. Turning right, he went to the front door and ran out into the sunshine. He now remembered where his home was.
Chapter 31
Jazeen cried uncontrollably as she stumbled along the path leading to the port. A few passersby asked if she needed help, but she pushed them aside and went on. Up the gangplank she went and stepped into the wheelhouse.
Fluffy ran to her and Jazeen fell to the floor, wrapping her arms around the cat, sobbing inconsolably. Fluffy purred and licked her face.
“Well, now, that went better than expected,” Captain Watson said.
“No… no, it didn’t. Angus… is dead,” Jazeen said between sobs.
“I thought I told you to trust me,” Angus said.
Jazeen looked to the stairs where Angus was climbing into the wheelhouse.
“Angus!” she yelled as she wiped her eyes and struggled to her feet. Running to the stairs, she picked him up and hugged him tightly.
“Okay, okay, put me down,” he said and kissed her on the cheek.
Finally, she put him down and knelt in front of him, laughing almost hysterically.
“I thought you were dead,” she said.
“So did the witch,” Angus said with a smile.
“But Emmett and I… we heard the screaming,” she said.
Angus nodded. “Yes, that demon did scream quite loudly, didn’t he?”
“You mean… you killed a demon?” she asked.
“I did,” he replied.
“I thought you couldn’t kill anyone,” she said.
“I can kill a being of pure evil.”
“Then why didn’t you kill the witch?” she asked.
“Believe it or not, she wasn’t purely evil,” Angus said.
“I don’t believe it,” Jazeen said.
“Well, it’s true. That’s why I couldn’t simply kill her and be free.”
“I heard more screaming while I was coming here. Was that her?” she asked.
Angus nodded. “She opened the stasis jar.”
“But I thought it was full of magical energy,” she said.
“Remember, I told you about my ex-wife only learning how to channel magical energy without learning about the energy itself and how it behaves?”
“I remember, but I don’t see the connection,” Jazeen said.
“My cumulus was full of positive magical energy. The witch could only channel negative energy. She never understood that. To her, power was power, and she thought she could harness it for her own use. She was wrong,” he said.
Jazeen stared at him for a moment. “The Black W
itch was your ex-wife?”
Angus nodded.
Jazeen was silent for a while. Finally, she said, “Okay, so I understand why she couldn’t make use of your power. I still don’t understand what happened when she opened the pickle jar.”
“Large amounts of one kind of energy will displace the other kind, and positive energy gets stored inside the channeler. That stasis jar contained a huge amount of positive magical energy. When she absorbed it, it pushed away all the negative magical energy in the area. It left her completely powerless,” the wizard said.
“And that killed her?” she asked.
Angus’ smile faded. “No. Emmett killed her. While she lived, the enchantments she cast on him and Eric continued to hold. Either Emmett or Eric had to kill her to allow the other to escape,” he said. “Emmett took her through a door and fed her—and himself too—to a demon.”
Jazeen gasped. “That’s terrible!”
“He sacrificed himself to save his son,” Angus said.
“Couldn’t he have strangled her, or something?” Jazeen asked. “He didn’t have to die.”
“In spite of all she had done to him, Emmett was a kind soul. He didn’t have it in him to kill her himself,” Angus said.
“Well, couldn't he have thrown her to a demon, then come back?” she asked.
“The hallways beyond the doors were trans-dimensional portals. She created them with enchantments. Twenty-nine were passages that led to the place where the demons live. One was a passage to her front lawn,” he said. “Once she had died, the enchantments ended, and the tunnels vanished. He couldn't have come back.”
“So the witch is dead, Emmett is dead, and Eric is free. I don’t suppose we could have hoped for more,” she said.
Angus nodded. “Only one of them could have lived.”
“Did Eric know Emmett was his father?” she asked.
“No. The witch didn’t tell him, and Emmett chose not to tell him in the end. He didn’t want his son to go through the rest of his life knowing he lived because his father died.”
“How do you know all this?” Jazeen asked.
“I sensed it.”
“If you went through a door leading to a demon, how did you get here?” she asked.
“After Venefica went down to the dungeon to get you, I came back through the door into the chamber. I told Eric what would happen when she opened the jar, and I told him what to do. I marked the exit door and left. And now, I think we should get underway,” Angus said. “The witch may be dead, but her thugs are not.”
