Blue Hell And Alien Fire (Middang3ard Book 4)

by Ramy Vance

“It is much deeper than that. I heard you spoke with the Forest Spirit. Speaking to you as soon as possible afterward was important.”

  “How did you know I spoke—”

  José raised his right hand. In the palm of his hand was a hexagram. Its corners were bright white lights. “I am connected to you all,” he explained. “I do not see and hear everything, only what is important. You speaking to the Forest Spirit was important. He told you things you must understand and make sense of. Things the rest of the Mundanes may overlook, simply because they were not aware of them. These are the sort of things we must talk about.”

  Suzuki smiled and shook his head, thinking José was just trying to flatter him before sending him on a suicide mission. “And what do I need to be thinking about that no one else would notice?” Suzuki asked.

  “What is the Dark One?”

  “I have no fucking clue.”

  “You have multiple clues.”

  Suzuki sighed in frustration. He wasn’t used to the kind of José who spoke in riddles. “Are you going to elaborate on what those clues are?” Suzuki asked.

  “Suzuki, do you believe that everything is related? That everything happens for a reason?”

  “Sure, I guess. I mean, there has to be a reason for anything to happen. That doesn’t mean those reasons have meaning. They’re just a cause and effect relationship. Like the distribution of energy. What does that have to do with anything?”

  José had already packed another bowl. His face was shrouded in smoke as if he were exhaling himself. “Why don’t you think the Dark One is an alien?” he asked.

  “Why? Because aliens are fiction. Or, I mean, not like any of the stuff I’ve seen wasn’t fiction before. But aliens in pop culture are…I don’t know, they go against the basis of physics. Traveling from other planets and shit? The way we think of it is impossible. I can’t believe Myrddin is thinking about sending a rocket to fight him in space. It can’t be that simple…because…if…holy shit…everything the Forest Spirit said is true, isn’t it? And so is what I thought. He is an alien, but not like from another planet. He’s from another dimension. And he’s godlike, just like what’s in the earth. The hollow earth. In the center. But it’s not on Earth. Diana said Middang3ard is hollow. Are you saying the Hollow Earth theories are real?”

  “What do you think you would find if you were to search?”

  Suzuki stood up, his fists balled up in frustration. “Could you cut the riddle bullshit?” Suzuki shouted. “Just give me a straight answer. You can’t show up here like this and just...” Suzuki stopped midsentence. His face was hot, and it was hard to speak. He felt like he was choking on something and suddenly needed to sit down. There was a heavy weight on his chest, and he was gasping for breath. Before he knew it, the tears were coming. Through the sobbing, Suzuki managed to say, “I didn’t even get to say goodbye, you know. And then you come here…it’s all riddles, all…” Suzuki broke off, crying.

  A warm presence touched Suzuki’s shoulder. He looked up to see José, smiling down at him. “I know it hurt, Suzuki,” he said. “But I’m not gone. Not from you all. I never will be.”

  “But you died. I watched you die for me, for all of us.”

  “No one lives forever, Suz.”

  “Except for the Dark One.”

  “I came for three reasons. To remind you that the Dark One is your responsibility, and yours alone. To speak to Chip. And I don’t know why completely, but to speak to Sandy.”

  My responsibility? Suzuki thought. That made no sense. All the forces of the realms were trying to take down the Dark One. What made him Suzuki’s responsibility? José must have been confused or meant something else. Maybe all that he was trying to say was Suzuki must share responsibility with the rest of everyone. But he did say “yours alone,” Suzuki thought.

  José stood up and held out his hand for Suzuki, who tried to take it, completely lost balance, and tumbled through José. José’s laughter filled the tent. “Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t try to make a Jesus joke.” José chuckled. “I’m very glad you’re over that phase.”

  Suzuki stood up and brushed himself off. “Why is it my responsibility?” Suzuki asked.

  “There are things I don’t understand about where I am. It is chaotic. Nothing seems to make sense. Ideas come into my head that I know are true, but I don’t know why or how they got there. This place is a battlefield—the Dark One’s battlefield. There are some of us fighting, but we are greatly outnumbered.”

  “How do I know these aren’t ideas sent from the Dark One? How do I know you weren’t sent by him?”

  “Have I told you anything that would make you think so?”

  Suzuki wracked his brain, going through everything José had said since he first appeared. There was nothing. He sighed as he accepted this was another thing he was just going to have to take on faith. “Come on, you said you wanted to talk to Chip and Sandy, right?” Suzuki asked.

  Suzuki walked out of the tent, followed by the ghost of José. The rest of the Mundanes and Horsemen were sitting around the remains of the fire, Smuggles sleeping in the ashes as the sun began to rise in the east, peering through the tangled jungle of the island. Beth looked up at Suzuki as he looked around at the Mundanes. He could see the worry in their eyes. Obviously, Beth had told them all what she had seen. To be honest, he would have done the same thing.

  Suzuki raised his hands in assurance. “All right, I know what it probably looks like, but hear me out.”

  Stew stepped forward first with a soft smile on his face as if he were about to deliver a hard truth to a confused child. “José’s dead,” Stew said. “I know it’s hard to accept, and none of us have really been talking about it, but the guy is gone. It’s fucked up, but he’s gone. That’s one of the reasons we’re out here, one of the reasons we’re fighting. So this doesn’t happen to anyone else. As long as the Dark One is out there…”

  Stew stopped talking as his eyes fell to the ground. He followed a stick floating in the air as it traced letters into the dirt. It simply said, “When did Stew become sensitive?”

  Sandy laughed as she knelt by the floating stick. She ran her hand through the air where an arm would have been. She smiled wide and almost squealed with surprise and glee. “Holy shit, Suzy,” she exclaimed. “You aren’t crazy. We were so fucking worried. Can you actually see José?”

  Suzuki cast a quick glance at José and nodded. “Yep, as clear as day,” he said. “And he didn’t come to speak with just me. He wants to talk to Chip and you.”

  Chip’s face looked as if it were about to fall apart. There were tears in her eyes, and her lips trembled as she backed away from the rest of the MERCs. “Me?” she murmured.

  “He says he’s not angry, not with any of us. He just came back to talk.”

  “I want to see him. I need to. Can I try?”

  Suzuki checked with José, casting him a quick glance. José nodded his assent, and Suzuki told Chip she could give it a shot. Chip stepped forward as Suzuki directed her to where José stood. Her eyes changed color and began to cycle through different light ray spectrums. As she cycled, the corners of her eyes opened up as if to allow more light in. After a couple of minutes of trying, she sighed and said, “I can’t see him. Could you…talk to him for me?”

  Suzuki nodded and asked, “What do you want to say?”

  “Tell him I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”

  Chip’s voice quivered as the usual robustness disappeared. She fell to her knees, her whole body shaking as she wept and repeated over and over, “I’m so sorry.”

  Sandy turned and went to her tent. She returned after a few moments, holding the head of the orc necromancer. She crouched next to Chip and took Chip’s hand. “Here. Let me help you. Hold this.”

  Chip took the head, its eyes wide and white, mouth hanging open as if it were in shock. Sandy ran her hand over the head’s face and whispered something quietly. A cold wind rushed through where the MERCs stood.<
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  The lips of the orc moved, as if an electric jolt had gone through the head. The mouth began gumming back and forth, the eyes rolling about as if they had been seized by a vision, whirling about, mad and searching. The skin took on life again, as much life as you could see within an orcs head to begin with. The mouth yammered back and forth as spittle trickled down its chin, from where nobody knew. A hoarse voice, somewhat similar to José’s yet different, like a multitude of other voices were speaking in unison, some of them pained, others in what could have only been described as ecstasy, came through the mouth of the orc. “Chip?” the voice wheezed.

  Chip held the head up so she could look into its eyes, which had taken on José’s soft brown. “José?” she asked. “Is that you? Is it really you?”

  “I have so much to say to you. I never stopped loving you. I’m sorry. I’m so goddamn sorry.”

  Chip cried as she held the dead head close to her cheek. “Don’t be daft, you idiot,” she managed. “If anyone should be apologizing, it’s me. I’m the git who snapped you from this world. I—”

  “It wasn’t your fault. I know it wasn’t your fault.”

  Chip was silent. The head muttered something and Chip held it to her ear, listening intently, her eyes growing wider and wider. “I love you too. I’ll always love you. I’ll never stop loving you,” she whispered. “And I will. I promise. I’ll take care of it when it’s time.” And with that, Chip stood and handed the head back to Sandy. She walked over to Diana and sat next to her. Diana took her hand and held it tight.

  Sandy stared at the eyes of the dead orc. “What do you want to talk to me about?” Sandy asked.

  A sigh like the rustling of leaves came up out of the orc. “I need you,” José said through the orc. “I need you to come with me. There…there is a thing I need you for. A way-line…the planes… I need to take you with me.”

  Diana jumped up, her eyes flashing as she held back tears. “No!” she shouted. “Whatever you need her for, I can do it! You will not take her when you can have me.”

  A roar came from the orc’s head, a thousand screams of pain and pleasure. “No!” José shouted. “They will need you and Chip. You cannot leave them for what is ahead.”

  “And you will risk her? Risk her fucking life? She can’t go there. She’s never been. It could destroy her.”

  “Did it destroy you?”

  Diana shook her head as she looked at Sandy, who looked more than confused. “What is he talking about?” Sandy asked.

  “He wants to take you to the realm between realms. The realm of the dead, chaos, and life. The realm where the Dark One came from.”

  “Then I’m going.”

  “Do you have any idea of what you’re talking about?”

  Sandy nodded her head solemnly as she stood. Suzuki had never seen her look this serious. The corners of her mouth were tight, and her eyes were focused on something that could not be seen by the rest of the MERCs. “It’s what the Shishigami told me,” Sandy whispered. “Someone has to find the Dark One’s name. There’s power in a real name, a true name. And José is right. We can’t lose you. I won’t pretend I don’t know how strong I am. But there’s still so much I don’t know. If I–if something happens to me, the Mundanes will keep going on. But if something happens to you, what are we going to do? This is beyond simple fetch quests. This is a war. We need to be realistic. You aren’t expendable.”

  Stew grabbed Sandy and turned her to face him. “What the hell are you saying?” Stew asked. “What makes you think you’re expendable?”

  Sandy caressed Stew’s cheek and smiled sadly. “Babe, we have to be honest with ourselves. We’re at war. We can’t keep pretending all of us are going to make it. We’re going to have to make sacrifices.”

  “You can’t just run off on some—”

  But Suzuki didn’t hear what Stew had to say because Fred chimed in, speaking for the first time since they had come to the island. Suzuki, the imp said while stirring in the Mundane leader’s body. Sandy is right. She must go. There are things in the nether realms only certain people can access. Certain people like your extremely violent and very pretty magic-user.

  You think Sandy is pretty, Suzuki mused, not because he was teasing Fred, but because the imp never expressed any appreciation for beauty in any creature, human or otherwise.

  Shut your foolishness, human, Fred retorted.

  “Ah, sorry. I was just—”

  I know what you were just. But Child of Dust, human…Suzuki…if José is right, this is exactly what we need to stop the Dark One. Send Sandy, but she cannot go alone. She needs someone to guide her. Someone more knowledgeable.

  José is—

  Fred hissed. José, as great as he is, is only human. She will need a guide who understands death. I will need to go with her.

  You? But—

  But you worry about your magic, whelp.

  Suzuki pursed his lips before nodding. That and I worry about you. And Sandy. We haven’t agreed for her to go, and—

  This is what could end the war, foolish human. If there is only a small chance of that, we must try.

  Suzuki knew Fred was right, but losing his familiar would mean he was out of the fight, too. Humans couldn’t remain on Middang3ard without a tether to magic.

  As if reading his thoughts, Fred answered, I can leave behind an imprint of me. The imprint will lack my wit, but you will maintain your tether. And your magic.

  Suzuki shook his head. It’s not just that. What about you? Sandy? You’ll need to die to go there and—

  You and I have both seen things worse than death, Suzuki, Fred hissed before pausing. Then in a soft voice uncharacteristic for Fred, he added, Suzy…this is a chance. Perhaps our only one. I will need to join her if she is to have a chance of success and—

  Fred’s thoughts were cut off by Sandy yelling, “I’m not sacrificing myself in vain! But I’m going to do what I think has to be done to stop the Dark One. You should too.”

  “This is to stop the Dark One? Is that what you’re saying this is about?”

  Sandy looked away, unable to meet Stew’s or any of the other MERC’s eyes. “There are things I need to know,” Sandy finally said. “There’s a reason Diana went to the place between realms. I need to go there, too. Otherwise…oh, fuck it. It’s why I’m here. It’s the whole reason I’m here on Middang3ard. All of us have a role to play. I don’t know mine completely, but I know I’m supposed to go there.”

  Stew was angry; it was evident from his face. But even Suzuki could see this anger was coming from fear. “Why do you have to?” he shouted. “Why do you have to risk your life? Is it because of something a fucking deer with a face told you? How the fuck do we know any of this is actually real? How the fuck do we know this isn’t something the Dark One is orchestrating just to fuck with us, huh?”

  Stew yanked the orc’s head out of Sandy’s hand and held it up so it was eye level. “All right, if you’re José and all this is on the up and up and you’re reaching out to us from beyond the grave, give us a sign. How’s that sound? If we’re supposed to trust you, how about you give us a reason to, other than just playing with everyone. Give me some proof we should be listening to you!”

  In the distance, there was a powerful roar. The earth shook and trembled strongly enough that the MERCs almost lost their footing. An earthquake rolled through the jungle as smoke rose from its highest peak. The MERCs couldn’t help but watch as molten lava began to pour from the tip of the island’s mountain.

  Stew shook his head in disbelief. “There’s no way you orchestrated a fucking volcano.”

  The lava stopped flowing. It had been nothing more than a spurt of the hot red stuff, but the earth continued to shake. The Smuggles who had been sleeping around the fire jumped to their feet and went screaming into the jungle after they saw the humans, leaving the MERCs alone. One of them was holding an orc head, staring into it to gain some kind of understanding. The rest were quiet.

&nbs
p; Suzuki knew it was José.

  This wasn’t some test from the Dark One.

  If there ever was a sign, the exploding volcano was it.

  He just didn’t know what he was supposed to do about it.

  Suzuki turned to ask José what was going on, but he was gone as if he had never been there. “Okay, can we all admit something really fucking weird just happened, right?” Suzuki asked.

  The MERCs all nodded in agreement. “All right, so what are we going to do about it?” Suzuki asked.

  They deliberated for nearly twenty minutes. Diana was adamant about Sandy not going to the place between realms, especially since José had vanished. She said it was a terrible idea to go there, try to find José and take care of whatever it was that she thought José wanted her to. Unsurprisingly, Sandy hadn’t changed her opinion. She was going. Either Diana was going to tell her how to get there, or she was going to find out herself. Finally, Diana agreed that she would show Sandy how to slip between realms.

  The next order of business was what do concerning the volcano. Stew thought they should either investigate or leave the island. It wasn’t that far away but, as Stew put it, “What the hell are we doing here if we’re just going to let a volcano go off after our friend’s ghost responds to me asking for a sign?”

  Stew had a point. The MERCs decided they would see what was going on with the volcano.

  Now all that was left was saying goodbye to Sandy. No one had actively spoken about the dangers she was going to come across other than Diana, and even then, she had been uncharacteristically quiet. The only indication this might be more than a simple goodbye came when Diana threw her arms around Sandy and told her she loved her and she had to come back; there was nothing more important than coming back. “You’re my daughter,” Diana whispered through tears. “I didn’t even know I wanted a daughter, and you’re my daughter.”

  Sandy didn’t bother trying to say anything in return. She hugged Diana, and her eyes were wet when she released the embrace. Then Sandy went down the line of friends, hugging them all and giving them a kiss on the cheek.