by Jack Crosby
I was about to say she’s talking treason when my pants were removed. I was hard and she was wet and it took little time for the two areas to meet and slide together. “Do you not want to see your legacy?” She gave a sharp intake. “Just talking about it has made you even harder, more ready!”
I had been so careful for so many years, not to let these things get in the way. “Jecella, think about it…”
Hip thrusts told me she already had and made up her mind. “I plan to take every last seed you possess! Do not hold back anything my lover!”
I fell back on to the hard, sandy road. She pinned me down with her hands and with all of my energies being preoccupied, I was her slave. She licked my neck back to my ear, causing another shudder of sexual energy. “If you do not want this, then show me!”
She knew damn well I was at her mercy. She began riding me harder and I felt the impending orgasm. At the very last moment, something feral took over inside of me and I flipped her over, on to her back. Arching my back and pushing myself deeper inside her, I let it all go. Each stream I fired off caused her to smile even wider.
Chapter 14 – I’m an Idiot
When we walked back into camp, both Tiberius and Jacar were awake and looking at us. “What?”
Jacar just smiled, but the wolf was much more upfront. “You both stink of sex. Obviously you have mated.”
“Thanks for the announcement! Is there anything else you’d like to add?!”
Obviously my indignant sarcasm was lost of the werewolf. “The female, she has successfully mated. Her scent has already changed.”
Any hope of that not happening just went out the door. “Listen, no more talking about what we did, got it?”
“Death, are you sure it is wise for you to be procreating? Especially when we have a delicate task ahead of us?”
I gave the tall Pride demon the evilest eye I could muster. “Shut your yap. If the two of you are ready, I think we should get going. It’s only going to get worse for us the closer to Pandemonium we get.”
Even though no one made another comment about Jecella and I having dirty nasty Hell sex, Jacar kept smiling at me and Tiberius took another two or three sniffs of each of us. When I told him to back off, he said he just wanted to confirm I was the father, which no shit, I was. At my breaking point, “Get away from me furball!”
Jecella on the other hand was thrilled. She had a smile a mile wide and kept rubbing her stomach. Each time I saw her do that I was we headed towards the border of Astaroth’s territory, I just kept thinking that there were going to be repercussions.
Those would have to wait however. The heat was picking up and eventually getting to the point of unbearable. “We are close to the river that separates the other lands from Pandemonium. We will have to cross the River of Fire however.”
Jecella said it so matter of factly, like no biggie. “Were either of you three,” I pointed at each one individually, “going to tell me about a River of Fire?” My brain must’ve blocked out something like this. That or old Lucifer upped her personal defense.
Jacar shrugged his shoulders. “I thought you knew. It is not a new addition.”
Well maybe at one point I did, but that had been lifetimes ago. “How do we cross it?”
“To ensure Pandemonium is secure at all times, there is a single bridge that leads from an Arch-Demon’s territory. We have no choice but to cross there.”
“So Jacar, if anyone knew we were here, it’d be the perfect place to ambush us?”
Quietly, “Let us hope no one knows we’re here.”
I got the impression he was referring to Baal, his former boss. Against an Arch-Demon the likes of Baal, our little group would be sorely underprepared.
We kept walking and as we closed in on the miserably hot shores of the river, Jecella pointed west. “If we follow the river bank, the bridge will be ahead, not too far.”
Not that I had much choice, but I trusted my newest baby maker. I grabbed the lead and marched onward, hoping we would get there soon. Little balls of flame leapt from the river, sometimes hitting pretty high up on the river bank. One got a little too close to Tiberius and he yelped in annoyance.
I nearly started to cry when I saw the bridge come into view. Then I saw how much of a shambles it was and I wanted to cry for an entirely different reason. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”
“What is wrong my love?” Her voice was a low purr, which instantly reminded me of Astrid and how poorly this was going to go over.
I let Jecella slide with that one for now. “That bridge isn’t going to hold us! Look at how pathetic it is!”
Some genius decided to build a wooden bridge over the River of Fire. Different sections of the bridge appeared to be permanently on fire. Jacar put a hand on my shoulder. “Oh my friend, the bridge has that appearance for a reason. For you, not a denizen of Hell, it looks terrible. But we know that it is an illusion, meant to chase off anyone who should not be going to Pandemonium.”
Tiberius proved this point by ignoring all of us and stepping on to the bridge. “Come, the heat is not good for my coat.”
The wolf crossed as if there was nothing suspicious about the bridge, followed by Jacar and Jecella. I wasn’t so ready to believe it, but I joined them on the expedition across. There were a few times I stopped to pray for a safe outcome, and as my foot left the final section on the bridge and landed on firm ground, I instantly felt better.
“Something is following us from the sky.” Tiberius pointed up into the black sky. I couldn’t see anything.
“Weapons out people, you never know…” Whatever it was dive-bombed towards us, moving too fast for me to see. At the last minute it pulled up and slammed into the ground on two very large feet. Folding his wings behind his back, “Baal…”
The largest and strongest of the Arch-Demons, Baal was an impressive physical specimen. Picture a seven foot body builder with two large, curved bull horns protruding from his skull. His skin is such a deep red color, it looked almost black. The two pits he called eyes burned brightly.
He looked almost like a minotaur, yet the minor bull demons had nothing on him. He looked like he wanted to laugh at us before deciding to grace us with his decree. “Death, I did not believe you would be so foolish to come here and yet you stand before me.”
Even as his eyes roamed over to Jacar, “Arch-Demons are on the endangered list Baal. Are you sure you want to be here?”
He cracked all the knuckles in his left hand as thunder rolled across the land. “Beelzebub’s and Astaroth’s death does not concern me. However I have much to say to the traitor standing behind you.”
Jacar stepped around me and pushed me back to the group. “You do not get to call me a traitor Baal! You disgust me!”
His laugh rumbled deep in his chest. “You were always my favorite. As much as I’d like to squash you like the fucking bug you are, Lucifer has declared that this group is not to be touched by any of his generals.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Do not ask me Death. Maybe he is interested in seeing how you progress through the dangerous lands of Pandemonium. His palace is a two days walk from here.” He pointed off in the direction we were going to be headed. “Before you reach it, you will each have to overcome not only yourselves, but the horrors that live here.”
“I am not done with you yet Baal!” Jacar was so mad, spit flew from his mouth.
“Your life or death no longer holds my interest Jacar. You were once my crown jewel, yet I see you for what you truly are, a cracked and worthless gem.”
Jacar charged the Arch-Demon, but he took off into the air as if the incoming Pride demon was not even worthy of his attention. He was out of sight before Jacar could’ve even hit him. “Damn you Baal!”
His pain and anger boiled over. I had never seen the cool and calm demon lose it before. He began pounding the ground with his fists. I started to walk over but Jecella stopped me. “Let him express his feelings. This is
only our first test.”
As I watched him continue to rage on, I listened to Jecella. “Let’s set up camp. He’ll be in no shape to continue on after this. Everyone will need to be at full strength moving forward.”
Jacar’s outburst lasted a few more hours before he settled down. Jecella went over and put an arm around him and brought him back to camp where Tiberius had some mystery meet cooking. We ate in silence, no one wanting to bring up with how easily Baal dismissed his former general as something less than a bug. Deep down, I had a good idea that’d hurt worse than any physical blow Baal could’ve given him.
Chapter 15 – Fields of Illusion
Everyone seemed settled down. Jacar was getting back to his old self, profusely apologizing for his actions. “That was not like me to lose my cool in such a manner.”
“Listen, you don’t need to apologize for being taunted by that asshole. Any of us would’ve done the same thing.”
“Yeah listen to my baby’s daddy.” I cringed at the glaring reference to my infidelity. “Baal was baiting you.”
“The whore and the Lust demon speak the truth.” Wait, did the wolf just refer to me as the whore? “Apologizing is a sign of weakness Pride demon, one that is not like your kind.”
I really wanted to give that wolf a piece of my mind, but his words seemed to shake Jacar out of his funk. “Thank you, each of you. Friends in these parts are hard to come by.”
“Well with that out of the way, can we make haste? This place is really hot.”
The whole area here had a very hostile feel to it, very Tartarus like. Tiberius took the lead and we followed him. Don’t tell anyone, but the wolf, even with all of his snark, was starting to grow on me. Also, he was leading me away from the boiling banks of the river, so that could help in my opinion of him.
I’m not one hundred percent sure when it happened, but as I walked, I noticed I was all alone. That was strange. And why wasn’t I more panicked about it? Oh well, my companions knew what they were doing.
“Death, is that you?”
That voice sounded oddly familiar, but what would he be doing here? “Yuri old man! Long time no talk!”
My old angel contact was beside me, walking in step with me. “Yes, it has been quite a while.” His clothes were shabby and he no longer had his wings. Hmph, that was a bit sad for him. “I owe you an apology.”
“For what?”
“Betraying you to Beelzebub of course!”
He did do that, didn’t he? Huh, again, I should be mad or something, but it was all water under the bridge. “Hey, I’m still alive and that has to count for something!” I gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder.
“Stop and look at me.” Whoa, he was a bit hot under the collar. I did what he asked, because man, who needs to freak out like that? “Can you not see you are under the influence of the magic here?”
“Ahh stop it, I’m just chillin’ like a villain. What’s wrong with that?”
CRACK! He slapped me hard across the face. The fog that’d been hovering in my mind was gone. Anger flooded into me at the sight at the traitorous angel looking at me. “How dare you touch me after what you’ve done you good for nothing piece of sh…”
“You have every reason to be mad at me, but now is not the time. Just know I am serving a sentence fitting of my crime on the other side.”
I looked around, trying to spot any of the demons I had been traveling with. “Where is everyone? What’s going on here?”
“This is the first obstacle you must overcome, the Fields of Illusion.”
I spit on the ground in disgust. It was so blasted hot here, that it sizzled the moment it hit. “Great, and my illusion is a murdering, treacherous angel. Why should I not be pulling your intestines out of your asshole?”
“The name is misleading, but we are no illusions. Each of you has to confront someone in your past that has done you wrong. I guess I got the short straw with all the people that have wronged you.”
I wanted to take Leviathan and stab him in his eye, but something told me that would do little good. “So what now? Are you here to drive me to eternal craziness?”
“No Death, I am here to give you the chance at something you do not do enough, grant forgiveness.” Even as he said the words, he cringed in fear.
“I’m a forgiving guy! What the hell are you talking about shithead?”
“It looks like we’re going to be here awhile.” He snapped his fingers and two folding chairs appeared. “Would you like a seat, my feet are killing me.”
I wanted to kick the chair away, but it’d be awhile since I had a modern luxury such as a chair. “A comfortable chair doesn’t buy my forgiveness.”
“Listen to me, that is all I ask. After you hear me out, then you can give me your choice.”
I was worried about my traveling buddies, but I didn’t think I had much of a choice. Not until I dealt with Yuri. “Well, you got my attention, let’s hear it.”
I was prepared for some sob story, but not this. “Beelzebub came to me early on in our working relationship, through a Greed demon. I will be the first to admit, I wanted a better station in life, and attacking my weakness, Beelzebub had me.”
“You sold me out based on an Arch-Demon’s promise of getting a better job?”
“Not my wisest decision, but as one who continues to fall for the charm of Lust demons, you are not one to judge me.”
Zinger! I didn’t see that left cross to the old chin coming. “Fair enough.”
“The difference between you and I is that for all your faults, you do not let them stop you from doing the good work. Greed caused me to fall off the wagon and here I am.” Weariness took over Yuri.
“What is it exactly that happened to you?”
He waved his hand in the air. “I’m stuck, in between. I no longer am accepted in Heaven, but my spirit was pure enough not to end up in Hell. When you crossed into the Fields of Illusion, I was pulled from my purgatory and brought here. I know I am destined to go back, but when I was given the chance to speak to you, it was an offer I did not refuse.”
“Yuri man, you messed up big time and for that, I gotta say the punishment probably fits the crime.” He closed his eyes, resigned to his fate. “But we all make mistakes, and no matter how big, you’re right, forgiveness can be given.”
“Are you saying what I think you are saying?”
“Don’t beat yourself up over this anymore. I can’t speak for Veronica or Khloros, but I forgive you for your transgressions against me.”
A white glow circled the angel. “It appears you were not the only one being tested today.”
His wings grew back and his clothes went from disgusting to immaculate. “Looks like I wasn’t the only one you were talking to.”
He flapped his wings once and a tear rolled down his face. “It would seem not.”
“So what happens next?”
“I move on.” He said it so casually that it didn’t do justice to what was about to happen. “Thank you Death, earning your forgiveness is a monumental task.”
“As you said, who was I to cast judgement against you when I myself have my own flaws?” I took his hand in mine. “I can’t say it was always a pleasure, but Yuri, we had a good run back in the day.”
“That we did Death. May the Almighty guide your way.”
The world refocused and my companions were laying around me, each trapped in their own personal battles. I picked myself up and walked over to each of them. Tiberius came too shortly after I did, followed by Jecella, and lastly Jacar.
No one really wanted to talk about what happened, but we all agreed that we each had to overcome something from our past. “At least that’s over. I can only imagine what’s to follow.”
“Do not speak so freely Death, we do not want to jinx ourselves.”
“Don’t be so superstitious lady! Come on, we lost a lot of time battling our own personal demons.”
The three of them groaned at another of my puns
as I walked on triumphantly.
Chapter 16 – Why is it Spiders?!
The uneasy journey across the open field came to an end when we hit a mountain range that apparently circled the heart of Pandemonium. “The Stormfall Mountains are the last and strongest defense that protects the city. This will not be an easy walk.”
“Is anything easy in Hell Jecella? I’m starting to think the three of you get a kick out of watching me suffer.”
“No Death, it is nothing like that.” Yet even as he said it, Jacar was trying his best not to laugh.
“You’re all assholes.”
So with that last proclamation, we began the journey upwards. There was a semi-trail for us to follow (Tiberius claimed it had been eons since it was last used) but the sorta traveled path gave us an idea of how to avoid the most perilous parts.
“Did anyone hear that?”
“Huh?”
“Hear what?”
“I did Lust demon.”
And that pretty much summed up our dysfunctional group. Jecella snuggled up close to me. “I think there is something alive in these mountains.”
Tiberius dropped to all fours and put his ear to the ground. “It sounds of hundreds of little legs banging against the rock.”
I looked down over the path (we were probably about a quarter of the way up), and what I saw sent shivers down my spine. “Spiders…”
Thousands of spiders were running against the mountainside. And they were heading this way! Tiberius jumped up. “Run!”
None of us needed any prodding and we took off. Gone was caution to where we were stepping, that was replaced by fear. I had no idea where the spiders had come from, but they were in hot pursuit of a fresh meal.
Tiberius was at the front of our group, the fastest and also the perfect guide as he knew exactly where to step to avoid loose rock or drop-offs. Jacar was behind him, followed by Jecella, and lastly me. All four of us were pretty fast, but the spiders were gaining steam. If we didn’t so something drastic, we’d be overcome by an arachnid avalanche.
