by Tim Hawken
Like the women pressing into my sides, a growing sense of unease nudged at my skin. I couldn’t quite place what it was, but there was something else different about the people here. I snuck glances at them as we moved on, trying to figure out what it was. I passed an elderly Indian woman dressed in an orange sari. I saw her look at Charlotte and nod with a sturdy razor-toothed smile. Another lady, who must have been well over six feet tall, wearing all black leather, flashed the same grin a moment later. That was it! There were no demons here. At least not full ones. At outward appearance, every single woman was… a woman. There were no disfigurements; no different colored skin tones; nothing. The only sign they weren’t totally human was their teeth. They were the teeth of The Furies, the same as Clytemnestra’s: pointed tips protruding from coal-black gums. Each one of them had a proud look about them, as well. Despite their poor surrounds, they held their heads high and their shoulders square. They bore their environment with a sense of dignity, like this was where they had chosen to be. They owned it. I began to take in the faces differently. They weren’t necessarily people to be afraid of, unless you tried to take away what they felt they had built and earned. They were just like the souls in Hell, the souls in Purgatory and the souls in Heaven. They simply wanted to feel they belonged somewhere. The difference was, these women did belong here. They embraced their fate. I wondered if I asked them to join our fight, would they laugh and say they didn’t need the barriers to come down? I suspected most would just turn their backs and stay with their sisters, as they always had.
Clytemnestra guided us well, leading us around a dogleg and through a short open space. I could see though a gap in the rooftops that we weren’t far off our destination. I felt a tug at my arm. Thinking it was Charlotte, I turned my head. A teenage girl, barely eighteen with grey eyes, dark skin and a metal stud in her nose was there instead.
“Would you like to come and look at my jewelry?” she said in a clear voice.
I paused for a moment, before shaking my head slightly and trying to move on. Her grip on my arm tightened.
“Please, ma’am,” she said. “It’s good quality, I swear.”
Mary and Charlotte both turned.
“No thanks,” Mary said. “We’re in a bit of a hurry.”
“Are you new here?” the girl narrowed her eyes at her.
“No,” Mary said defensively.
“Then smile at me.” Now the girl seemed to be getting angry. The pressure of her fingers on my arm grew tighter again.
Clytemnestra stepped forward, flashing her teeth quickly.
“My friend said we’re in a hurry,” she growled. “We don’t have time to shop. I’m sorry to be short, but we must go.”
The girl’s eyes dropped in deference at Clytemnestra’s confident tone. She bobbed in a half curtsy. “Of course, ma’am,” she said apologetically. “Maybe later, then?”
“Yes, perhaps later.” Charlotte said quickly, taking my arm out of the girl’s grip and steering me away.
I breathed a sigh of relief. It was a helpless feeling not being able to do or say anything, but stay silent and nod. We were just about to delve into another narrow street when the same dark-skinned teenager blocked our path again.
“Look,” Clytemnestra said. “I said we don’t have time, for…”
“You don’t understand,” she said, holding out her palm. “Your silent friend forgot this.”
Sitting on her outstretched palm was a plain golden ring.
“Listen, I told don’t you we don’t want any jewelry,” Mary said.
I barely heard her. My eyes were locked on the ring. My heart constricted at the sight of it. Instinctively I ran a thumb over the fingers of my left hand. There was nothing but skin.
“We don’t wear wedding rings in the Necropolis,” the girl continued in a loud voice, which started to draw attention. “They are a sign of slavery. Why would both her and the blonde one break our traditions?”
People close by stopped at the words. A ripple of murmuring spread out quickly around the crowd and suddenly everybody was looking at our small party.
“How dare you judge two women’s love?” Clytemnestra rumbled. “You would think to deny them the right to do what they want? To declare their honor to each other?”
The girl barely paused, before she raised her finger and pointed at me.
“There may be a lot of smells down here that I can’t stand. But none is worse than the stench of man!”
The last word was yelled so loud that it reverberated off of the walls around us. Every woman’s face was turned to mine. A low hiss started to sound as every one of them peeled back their lips in disgust.
I dropped my scarf down to my shoulders and the hissing turned feral. Clytemnestra pushed my shoulders.
“Run!”
SEVENTEEN
LIKE AN AMBUSH OF RABID TIGERS, the women descended. Sharp teeth gnashed toward me in a blur of anger. I started to run, but in the small space filled with people it was impossible. My companions tripped over each other in an attempt to flee. In a ball of panicked confusion, they only served to slow us down. A set of incisors sunk into my arm as the teenage jeweler savagely mauled me. I lashed out in pain. A sonic blast swept from my arm. The elements at my call tore into her face and sent her sprawling backwards, bowling over a group of would-be attackers to the ground.
“Get down!” I yelled to Charlotte and the others.
Gathering a force of wind, I sent a cyclone of power ripping away in all directions. The destruction was instant. Teetering homes fell, as pieces of loose sheeting peeled away in the gale. The savage women of the Necropolis howled in rage as they struggled to keep their feet, watching their homes disintegrate. I cut off my attack. I did not come here to demolish their lives; I came for help. If I kept this up, there was no way The Furies would listen to reason. Thinking quickly, I turned back to my friends. Eyeing our path toward The Mausoleum, I pushed a targeted weave of elements forward to clear the way, careful not to touch the buildings on either side. We didn’t need an avalanche of rubble on our heads.
“Go!” I waved forward to the women at my feet.
Helping Charlotte and Clytemnestra up as I ran, we rushed in a flurry to the tight alleyway. Mary gasped closely at our heels, a whirl of red hair and terror. Behind her, the deadly women of the city regrouped and began their pursuit. With a curdling scream, a body dropped toward Clytemnestra from the building above. The cry alerted her, and she was able to step aside as the girl struck with a mighty slap into the ground. Spreading a thick sheet of air over the top of us, I continued to run. I dare not push the same force field behind, lest I clip the trailing Mary, or lose focus on what was in front. I couldn’t risk tearing this place apart, spoiling our future hopes.
Leaping over an upturned cart of vegetables, we hurtled towards our destination. I could see it ahead, the gleaming marble white giving me faith that we might come out of this unscathed. Another woman thudded onto my shield above. From the right, a petite Asian leapt out of a side alley with a knife gripped in her fist. She swung the blade towards Charlotte. Without even breaking stride, my wife blocked the thrust and cracked the woman in the jaw with her other clenched hand. I wanted to yell in triumph, but a scream from behind stopped me. Mary.
Looking back I watched as the tall woman in black leather, who I had seen earlier, overtook her. The leather-clad Amazon bit hard into Mary’s calf, mid-tackle. They rolled forward, scrambling and scratching at one another. I skidded to a halt, ready to go back and save her, but was dragged forward by Clytemnestra.
“If you stop, we’re all lost!” she yelled.
I hesitated as two more attackers piled onto Mary, gouging their fangs into her skin. Blood-spray misted into the air, fanning upward with the sound of Mary’s pain. She writhed underneath the predators, trying to break free. Her fearful eyes locked onto mine.
“Michael!” she pleaded.
“Michael!” Charlotte’s voice echoed, pulling me the o
ther way.
Clytemnestra tried to pull me back, but I shook her off.
“No,” I spat. “This stops now.”
Anger seeped over my vision, pinpointing the heated bodies struggling on top of my friend. I could see the singular being inside each of them. Squeezing on their life forces, I dragged them up, suspending them separately in the air. I could see white lights of souls hurrying in for support, but pushed them all back with my force of will. Booming my voice outward, I made my intention clear.
“If you don’t stop, I will end these bitches’ existence. I am the Lord of Hell and you will obey my command.”
A hush fell over the alley. Movement ceased. Shifting my vision back to normal, I saw a crush of women dripping from every space around. They all eyed me with an equal measure of awe and contempt. I allowed my hold on the souls in my grasp to loosen, dropping them to the ground. The bloody mess that was Mary barely twitched amongst them. My heart cried out in sympathy, but I steeled my resolve.
“Now,” I said, breathless. “I have come to see The Furies. Only they can judge my right to be here.”
“We have already judged,” a trio of voices said behind me.
I turned to behold three fearsome angels, with bloody eyes staring death into me. One held Clytemnestra by the throat. Another had Charlotte. The one in the middle took a step forward. They all oozed with primal, elemental power.
“If you do not bow down immediately, your concubines will know all the wrath of nine hundred thousand women scorned.”
EIGHTEEN
I GLANCED FROM CLYTEMNESTRA TO CHARLOTTE and then to the Fury who stood before me. My companions were held fast by her sisters. The one holding Clytemnestra drew the dagger out from her hostage’s bun of hair and held it to her throat.
“If you do not bow down, I will flay this one’s skin off, while you watch. Then I will do the same to your wife.” The tip of the knife glowed with a blue heat. I could see that the Fury was pushing some kind of dark energy into it.
My heart told me to kneel immediately, but my pride kept me on my feet.
“I did not come here to fight you,” I said through gritted teeth, talking as much to the women surrounding us as to The Furies in front. “I came here to ask for your help.”
The hideous laughter all around made it clear how stupid I sounded. I had just wiped out a swathe of their homes and threatened to destroy their souls, and I wanted their help?
The middle Fury stepped toward me and snapped her teeth. I held my ground as she spoke in a guttural voice.
“You come declaring you are the ruler of Hell and that we should obey you. We do not obey men who think they are above us. We do not obey men at all.”
She swept her hand down, bringing with it a cascade of atomic weight onto my head. The force should have flattened me into the ground, but I pushed back, using every ounce of talent I could muster to stop it from bending my knees. Those looking on would have seen nothing, yet in the elemental view, I could behold the oldest and most basic of elements crushing from above. Had it not been for the sophistication of The Perceptionist’s training, I would have been squashed by its sheer dominance. The Furies did indeed hold a depth of force that was hard to comprehend, but I used delicate weaves to dismantle what was on top of me, so it fell to the side like invisible water. The Furies’ faces turned a shade paler, but remained still.
Then I did kneel, needing my action to show I truly meant my words.
“I do not think I am above you. Any of you.” I shouted, letting everyone present hear me. “I spoke in anger before, but listen to me now as I speak with a clear head. I am on a path for true equality for all: men, women, lost souls and those who are better off by disposition. We all should have freedom.”
The sneer of derision that came out of all three Furies stopped me short.
“Do you truly think we are all equal?” the one who held Charlotte spat.
“He does!” Charlotte said defiantly, from her grasp.
“I was not asking you,” The Fury said, jerking back Charlotte’s hair so she let out a cry of pain.
I held my anger, looking at the crowd of women first and then staring back at her evenly.
“Yes,” I said. “We are all equal.”
“Then why don’t you let your wife be the ruler?” she answered, shaking Charlotte like a puppet. “Why isn’t she the decision maker, then? Why not let her dictate your direction and carry out your plans?”
“Because he is stronger,” Clytemnestra spoke in her low growl. “He has the power of God in him.”
“God’s power?” They all asked in unison, before the middle one continued. “So, if you have more power and you are better than others, then how can you be equal?”
“We are equal in rights,” I answered.
The response was met by a murmur from the crowd.
“You are either trying to fool us, or you fool yourself,” the middle sister silenced everyone. “Power and rights go hand in hand. You cannot have more power without more right to life. The strong have more and the weak settle for less because they have to. This is how it is and this is how it always has been, no matter how much you deceive yourself.”
“That is not true,” I said, standing again.
Rather than moving backward at my motion, the entire press of women moved forward slightly. I rose to full height, to show I wasn’t afraid.
“I have the strength to take what I want,”
With a sweep of my arms I flung a spray of elements outward, pushing The Furies backward and pulling Charlotte and Clytemnestra to my side in a blinding instant. I held the three bloody angels at bay with force for a moment, as a clamor of cries echoed around. Shock at the speed of what I had done spread onto Charlotte’s face, which was now next to mine, while Clytemnestra grinned with her razor teeth.
“I have the ability to take, and yet still I ask!” I yelled, releasing my hold on The Furies and dropping to my knees once more. I held out my hands to show I meant no further violence and they paused. Their stillness rippled around through the rest of their fearless subjects.
“Do you really think that brute physical might is the same as true power?” I asked The Furies, but speaking to everyone there. “I need the knowledge of my friends to guide me. I need the passion and kindness of my love. I need the wisdom of age.”
Without looking behind me, I lifted the crippled form of Mary out of the pile of bodies that still lay on the ground, using the elements to do my bidding. Sending healing into all of the other women as well, I helped their regeneration, easing the pain of it. The women surrounding us all murmured in surprise as their comrades awoke peacefully and rose. Mary’s eyes sparked into a rush of questioning as I set her down next to me. She wobbled on her feet and Charlotte helped steady her, while I continued.
“You say that the weak have to settle for less, but look around you. Some of you are physically weak compared with others, but you have not settled for less. I will not pretend this life is glamorous, but you have more than those in the city above because you have created it for yourselves. You have a sense of safety. You have a sense of freedom not known in the rest of Hell. I can see it all in your eyes. Despite holding some kind of sin to keep you in Hell, you choose not to direct it to your friends here. You support each other, rather than take from the ones who might not be as strong. Do not speak to me of power and rights being the same thing. You are an example of how this kind of co-operation can work. Do you think that everything comes from physical might, or inner strength, or knowledge alone? All are forms of strength and, just because I may have one, does not mean I don’t need to ask my companions for help with the others. That is true power and it can only come with unity.”
Stunned looks from the eyes of the women of the Necropolis gazed out to me. Their mouths settled into pursed lips that didn’t dare raise the question, which The Furies had to voice for them.
“So then, what is it you would ask of us, Ruler of Hell?”
; I paused, nodding to Clytemnestra, who I knew would phrase it better than I could.
“All we ask for is your trust, and your tears.”
The Fury who had held the dagger to Clytemnestra’s throat came forward with it. She threw it down to the ground so it bounced in the dirt at my feet.
“You can have neither.”
NINETEEN
“NO!” CLYTEMNESTRA GROWLED as she swept up the dagger, rushing forward with it as if to stab her prey.
The other two Furies gathered quickly and sent a rush of primeval elements into Clytemnestra. It punched her in the chest and she fell backwards. Mary yelled out for me to stop, but I lunged forward ready for a further attack – which didn’t come. The act had simply been a defensive move. Skidding to a halt, I forced myself to calm. I looked back to Lotte and Mary, who were now bent over Clytemnestra. I watched the three Furies as they mustered their pride in front of their followers, who all bristled with indignity, waiting for the command to act. There was none. The Furies did not want total destruction here any more than I did. Going back to my companions, I knelt down to search Clytemnestra for serious injury. She was stunned, but okay, still clinging to the dagger in her white-knuckled fist. We helped her back up and our small group huddled together, to await what happened next.
“Honeyed words do not taste as sweet to us as bitter action,” the lead Fury pronounced to the crowd. “This man just told us what we wanted to hear. But do we trust him?”
