Hellbound: Chronicles

by Brashear, Nicholas

  “Why did he want to get rid of me?”

  “He wanted to succeed in what his brother had failed at. Like I said, you’ve made quite a name for yourself. Not many mortals will stand against an Elohim and live to tell about it, but you, you’re different. There is something about you.”

  “There is nothing special about me. I’m on a mission and I won’t let anyone stand in my way, including you.”

  “And I’m far out of your way, Jon. Trust me, I don’t want any trouble. I’ve just got my wife back, and that’s all this was to me. You have to understand that.”

  “I don’t understand forfeiting someone else’s life in order to get what you want. I’m a good man, and you were just going to throw me to the dogs.”

  “I was, but I don’t have to do that anymore.”

  The door opened behind us and I turned to look. There was a woman standing there.

  “Phillip,” she said as she entered the building, “what’s going on?”

  “Get him!” Phillip shouted as he pushed me back.

  I regained my footing and went to put the blade against his throat again. He ducked and tackled me to the ground. I rolled backwards and threw him off. He smashed into the wall next to his wife. She slammed the door and ran to the corner of the room, cowering in fear. I stood up and turned to face Phillip. He was lying motionless on the floor. I walked over to him and as I approached him, he grabbed my foot and pulled it from under me. He went to dive on top of me and I shoved my blade into his chest, burying it deep in his heart. His eyes opened wide and he looked over at his wife. She was crying and looked terrified as he was dying on my blade.

  Phillip began to smile as his eyes locked with those of Jennette. “Don’t worry, Love,” he gurgled out. “I did this for you. I will always love you.” He coughed again and spurted blood all over my face before he finally died.

  I stood up and pulled my sword from Phillip’s chest and I started walking towards Jennette.

  “Please!” Jennette pleaded. “Don’t kill me! Just leave me to mourn my husband!”

  “Where is Callista?” I demanded.

  “It doesn’t matter anymore! She’s as dead to you as my Phillip is to me!”

  “No! She’s the only friend I have in this godforsaken place! You’ll not take that away from me.”

  “Mammon will take her just as you took my husband from me! He’s going to kill her when she doesn’t give him what he wants.”

  “No!” I charged Jennette and pulled my sword back to strike at her.

  “Please, no!”

  “Callista, where is she?”

  “She’s at the palace.”

  “Where?”

  “I don’t know! Just please! Leave me alone! She’s at the palace! Please! That’s all I know!” She was crying and appeared distraught, as understandable as it was. I released Jennette from fear as I lowered my sword.

  I didn’t want to be heard as I headed towards the palace, so I pulled the amulet from my neck. Light again swirled around me, but the weight was lifted this time. I placed the amulet back around my neck and looked at Jennette. “Where is the palace?”

  “It’s that way!” Jennette screamed, pointing in a general direction.

  “Know that I did not intend on killing your husband, as much as he deserved it,” I told her.

  “You lie! You’re a murder!”

  “I am no murderer! He left me no choice!”

  “Mammon will surely give you no mercy. I pray he does not. Phillip didn‘t do anything but try to get me back in his possession. But you! You had to come in and end his life! Why couldn‘t you just have died like we had planned?”

  “I’ve got better things to do.”

  I walked through the door and as I did my rage subsided. That’s when the weight of my deeds finally hit me. I fell to the ground and began to weep for Phillip. As much as he did deserve it, I was no killer. I didn’t want him to die, and I was sorry for the way the entire situation played out. I had broken my promise to end the fighting. I had broken a promise to myself.

  I stood up and wiped the tears from my eyes. “Okay, Jon,” I said aloud. “You have to get Callista back. She’d do the same thing for you. You need to leave this pain behind for now and focus on what’s important. It’s time to get moving. It’s time to go to the palace. It’s time to face Mammon.”

  11. Siege of Castle Greed

  I began to make my way in the direction Jennette had pointed out for me. I had no idea where I was going or if she had given me the right direction. For all I knew she could’ve left shortly after I did to report the situation before I could get there. I took a right out of Jennette’s home and walked straight on. There was a four way intersection immediately in front of the house. I stopped and looked in all directions and didn’t see anything. I needed to stay vigilant. I couldn’t be found by one of Mammon’s men on my way to the palace. There was a line of buildings left and right, and forward, there was one building on either side of the street and then another street immediately behind them. I went to that new street. It was a “T” intersection. To the left there were two streets and a few rows of buildings. To the right, there was one street and a line of buildings that I couldn’t see past. I took the left and started to head toward the first street. As soon as I turned the corner, there was someone standing in front of me.

  “Welcome back, Jonathon Cowley,” Marcus Sanctus greeted.

  “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t call me that anymore,” I responded.

  “My apologies, Jon. I’ve become rather forgetful as of late.”

  “No problem. Now get out of my way.”

  “Are you in such a hurry that you wish not to discuss the rather exciting happenings of Greed.”

  “As a matter of fact I am.” I tried to sidestep him, but he moved with me and wouldn’t budge. I went to push him, but he caught my hand and wouldn’t release it. He had strength like I had never known, but didn’t seem to be trying to hurt me at all. There was something oddly familiar about the situation, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I didn’t recall Marcus doing it to me before. Still, I had other worries on my mind.

  “You have become one that is quick to resort to violence.”

  “I am not. You’re just in my way.”

  “Where are you heading?”

  “It’s none of your business! Now get out of my way.”

  “I think not. I see that you’ve added yet another notch in your belt.”

  “A notch in my belt?”

  “Phillip was an innocent enough man. Is Callista so important to you that you would end the life of another to get to her?”

  “I didn’t kill him to get to Callista. How do you know all of this!?”

  “You didn’t have to kill him. You could have let him live. Yet, his blood spilled on the floor of Hell for the last time.”

  “I didn’t want to kill him! It just happened that way…”

  “The same way that you killed Trevor, or was it more like when you killed Niles?”

  “What are you getting at? I have to get to the palace and save Callista!”

  “Why not just let her die? You’ve let others die before. How is she different?”

  “She just is! I don’t want anyone to die! I don’t even want to fight anyone. It just keeps happening.”

  “As the world is, so is Hell.”

  “What the hell are you talking about!?”

  “You make your own path, Jon. Be careful to follow the right signs.”

  Marcus released my hand, turned around, ran forward, and then went inside a building. My curiosity and frustration was peaking and I wanted to follow Marcus into the building, but I knew that I had more important things to do, so I kept on my path to the palace.

  “I hope I make it in time,” I whispered to myself.

  I looked forward and down the block, I could see a massive building probably standing five stories into the air; the biggest building around. ‘That’s got to be it!’ I though
t. I ran down the block. I was somehow excited to see it.

  When I got to the corner of the street I could see the palace in all of its glory. The palace was a lot bigger than I had anticipated, not to mention well-guarded. The building was the size of a city block and soared into the air. There were battlements going across the top of the palace and there was a massive door in front at the top of a short set of stairs. The entirety of the building was made of the very familiar black stone that was constantly around me. There were guards patrolling the perimeter of the building, and there were four stationed at the door, two on each side. The sides of the building were supported by six flying buttresses that spilled into the street.

  ‘Okay,’ I thought, ‘how am I supposed to get in there?’ I was drawing a blank. I couldn’t figure out how I would possibly be able to get past so many guards without one of them spotting me. Even if I was in armor, I figured that one of them would eventually spot me, but I had to get in there. I had to save Callista. I knew that she’d do the same for me, and besides that, I wanted to save her. We didn’t part ways on such an easy subject, and I figured that if I helped her escape from the palace that she’d be happy to see me. I was struggling to get through Hell without her, and I didn’t want to chance it anymore. It was nice to have company that wasn’t trying to kill me, too. ‘I got it!’

  I backtracked down the street until I came across an alley. I couldn’t see anyone down it, so I walked to the middle and screamed, “CHARLIE!”

  “What do you want, Jon!?” he asked from behind me. I turned and he seemed fairly angry to see me. There was no smile. I needed to make this quick.

  “I need something from you,” I explained.

  “I told you that I would come for you when I was ready,” he responded.

  “That’s not what this is about. I need some help from you.”

  “I’m not in the business of helping mortals. I have important things to do, and you are interrupting that. Should I reconsider our original agreement?”

  “No! Don’t be hasty. I just…I need to borrow that sword.”

  “My sword? Why would you think that I would let you borrow my sword?”

  “It’s barely even your sword! I’m the one that stole it, asking to borrow it for a few minutes isn’t asking much.”

  “True as that may be, the sword belongs to me now. Why do you need it anyway?”

  “I have to get into the palace. My friend has been captured and taken there. I have to get her out.”

  “Callista?”

  “Yes. Mammon has her, and I’m going to get her back, but I can’t just walk in the front door.”

  “Mammon is a fool. Take the sword, but know this: I am not giving you the sword because I feel pity for you or your companion; I’m giving you the sword because of the surmounting disdain I feel for Mammon.”

  “You don’t like Mammon?”

  “Why would anyone care for that sack of filth? He cares nothing for the ways of the Elohim. He envies mortals and wishes to live as they live. Why do you think he takes women and forces them to work for him in his palace? He even makes them clean and work in his kitchens. He doesn’t have real food and no one ever eats there, but he makes them work anyway. He wants to be a mortal and as far as I’m concerned, he will be given the same respect as one.”

  “Thanks Charlie.”

  “Do not thank me, Jon. Be sure, you will pay for that sword.” His smile returned to his face.

  “I thought as much.”

  “Be careful not to lose it. That weapon is more valuable to me than your life. Call for me when you are done with it. Goodbye.” He vanished leaving the sword lying on the ground.

  I walked over to the weapon laying there motionless. It looked just like any other sword, but I knew the truth. I was nervous. I didn’t know how it worked and it’s not like Charlie left me an instruction book. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to pick it up and keep myself from flying straight up. I didn’t know how high the cave was or if there was a ceiling at all. For all I knew I could pick up the sword and just keep flying upwards into eternal darkness for the rest of my afterlife. I had to think of way to get to the top of the palace.

  ‘Okay, Jon,’ I thought. ‘You need to think long and hard about this one. You already know that you have to get inside there to save Callista. How am I going to do it? How can I keep myself near the ground? Maybe if I just…Yeah! That’s it!’

  I wanted to be prepared for anyone that may be on the roof of the palace so first I said, “Macto Luminarium,” and I was again surrounded by light and the armor appeared. I grabbed the hilt of Charlie’s sword and just like before, I started flying into the air. As soon as I could see the top of the palace I snapped my fingers and appeared there. As soon as I did, I dropped the sword. It “CLANGED” to the ground and I was safe. I made it on top of the palace. I wasn’t flying into nothingness, and what’s more, there weren’t any guards!

  ‘I guess Mammon isn’t too concerned with an aerial strike,’ I thought. ‘It’s a good thing for me that he doesn’t know Jonathon Cowley!’

  I looked around and in the corner opposite me there was a wooden trapdoor in the floor. I walked over to it. The door was rickety and there was a small, iron handle. It was round and when I lifted it, it was heavy and cold. I slowly pulled it. I didn’t know what was going to be waiting for me on the other side and I was in no hurry to find out, but I had to get through the palace and find Callista. The door opened and revealed a set of white stairs leading down into a small room that was only big enough to house the stairs. I walked down.

  The stairs crawled down the left side of the room. The room was made of all white stone and there was a red door with long golden handles just to the right of the stairs with a red banner on either side. The banners had a golden wolf etched into the fabric.

  I put an ear to the door in attempt to hear what was awaiting me, but there was no noise. I grasped the handles. They were supremely shiny, but very dusty. It was as if no hands had touched them in a very long time. The handle was cold and I could feel fear shoot up my arm as my fingers brushed it.

  Slowly I pushed open the door. I was still in armor, so I had to do everything slowly. I didn’t want to alert anyone to my presence before I was ready for them.

  Down the hall, there were three doors. Two of the doors were on the right and were moderately large, but the one on the left was absolutely huge. After the hall passed the room on the left it turned behind it, but as far as I could tell, that was the end of the floor. The place was massive, though, and I was assuming that the rooms were going to follow accordingly.

  The first door on the right was ahead of the lone door on the left so I thought I would venture there first. I had no idea where I was or where they would be hiding Callista so I thought it would be best for me to explore as much as I could before anyone noticed me.

  ‘I hope that if anyone does show up, they aren’t going to recognize me,’ I thought. ‘I think this get up is pretty good, but it’s only going to last as a disguise for so long. I have to avoid being seen. If anyone spots me and decides to talk to me, they are going to realize pretty quickly that I’m not an Elohim.’

  I crept to the door and grabbed the golden handles. They were much like the last set of handles, as were the others on the floor, but I could tell that these were used slightly more often. There wasn’t any dust on them.

  I was nervous, but I needed to be brave. I needed to hurry up and find Callista before it was too late. The door was heavy. It opened up and as much as I wanted to keep my eyes closed I left them wide to see what was awaiting me. The door creaked open revealing a massive library. There were bookshelves lining all the walls, stretching to the ceiling. There was a set of ornamental chairs sitting across from one another with a small table sitting between them. There was a cup and saucer left on the table.

  ‘This must be his study,’ I thought. ‘No one is here. Hopefully they won’t be soon either.’

  I turned ar
ound and shut the door behind me. The door on the left side was next. I was anxious to see what was behind it. I was hoping it would be another empty room like the last one. I grabbed the golden handles with more vigor this time, less afraid than the last door. I opened it up just as slowly, however. It was bedroom. There was a four post bed and a bunch of other decorations. It was clearly Mammon’s bedroom. This room like the last was empty. I was beginning to think that the only guards here were at the front door. The palace seemed lifeless. I walked at a normal speed to the next room. I wanted to run, but I knew that if there was someone around, they would hear the armor clanging as I moved.

  I grabbed the handle to the last room on the floor. I swung it open. I couldn’t see anything as there were no lights in this room. It was pitch black. There was a bizarre smell emanating from the room. I pictured pools of blood and decided that I needed to investigate. My thoughts raced to the image of Callista being tortured and eventually killed. My stomach grew knots and I walked in. As I entered the room, the door slammed behind me. I went to remove my amulet thinking maybe the light would flood in and I could see what was happening. As I did, I was blinded at first. As the light began to dissipate I could see again and make out what was in front of me. There was a huge mat of pillows all covered in blood. Resting on those pillows was none other than a sleeping Theodus. Just as the light began to fade, his eyes opened and was one of the last things I saw before the room returned to the blackness.

  He groaned as he stood up. “Macto Luminarium,” I quickly spouted. The light again filled the room. He moved away from the bed and revealed a fire place that had been roaring behind the behemoth hound. Light flooded the room from the fire and I could see what was happening. I knew I had to be quick or I’d be the hounds’ next meal before I knew it.

  He lunged at me all fangs and tongue. I snapped my fingers and was behind him with my sword drawn. He flicked his tail at me and I tried to block it with my shield but to no avail. It pushed me back and I fell to one knee. As I was standing up, he was turning around. I slashed wildly in front of me and managed to knick his nose. He let out a very short whimper and backed down.