Heaven, Hell & the Love In Between

by Downey, A. J.

  “What’s going to happen to him?” I demanded and the angel looked a bit taken aback.

  “Whatever our commander wills.” He said as if there were no other answer.

  “Gracelyn, it is all right.” Alaric tried to sooth.

  “No it’s not!” I cried, “I’m not ready to let you go. I will never be ready to let you go. Nothing is ever going to be all right again!” my lip trembled and my eyes welled with tears. This was it. This was good bye. I would never see Alaric again and that was just… just... Well it was blatantly unacceptable!

  “I will give you but a moment brother.” Hasdiel said, giving Alaric a short bow and me a look of deep sympathy he vanished in a flash of light.

  “Gracelyn, my love, my small one.” He gripped my face gently between his hands and let me go, rising out of my bed, his hand pressed to the gauze taped over his wound. I scrambled to my feet after him.

  “No, don’t go.” I begged, “Alaric please, I need you.” He closed his eyes and bowed his head as if praying.

  “I must. I never should have come to you, but I did, and I will cherish every moment I have had with you.” He stepped back towards the corner of my room, the irregular puddle of darkness gaping on my floor.

  “Alaric please!” I hugged myself in my thin satin nightgown. His favorite, and shook, but not from cold.

  “I love you Gracelyn. Like I have loved no other before, like I will love no other from this time hence.” He began to sink into the dark.

  “I love you too.” I choked out. This was really happening. He was really going.

  He kissed his fingertips and saluted as the darkness closed over his head, fiery red eyes blazing in my direction as if to capture the sight of me forever before the darkness closed over his head. I was devastated, my heart shattered into a million pieces. I was outraged at the unfairness of it all. I wanted to scream and kick and rage at the powers that be… I loved him with everything that I was, everything that I would be from now until the end all of end all’s.

  I looked at the slowly receding pool of darkness and a resignation took hold in my chest. No. No this would not be the end of our story, it couldn’t be the end of our story. I wouldn’t let it. Even if I had to follow him, to Hell, or wherever he went during my waking hours.

  I clutched the scale pendant from his armor in my hand tightly until it cut into my palm. Not knowing what I was getting into or what would happen, I took a deep, deep breath, and before I could lose even one iota of my resolved I leapt, feet first into that puddle of dark…

  Chapter 29

  I didn’t think, which was strange, I always thought about what I did before I did it, I never made impulsive decisions, never made a move without considering every angle first but that’s what I’d done this time. I made a complete and utter leap of faith, feet first into the unknown and I fell.

  My bare feet didn’t connect with my bedroom carpet as I’d half expected them to, no, I fell and continued to fall through the suffocating black. I couldn’t tell if it was so dark because my eyes were closed or not. I thought they were open. I squeezed them shut and opened them again and wish that I hadn’t.

  The dark had given way to a great underground cavern. I was impossibly high and falling, below me a glittering undulating sea, wait, no, that wasn’t right, a sea moved in one direction. The movement below was a push and pull, a back and forth of give and take and the color all wrong, there was no blue but rather browns and blacks and grays. Panic seized my chest as I fell and fell, the wind plastering the thin satin of my gown to my body was hot and unforgiving, tearing the scream from my throat and whisking it away before I could really even hear the sound.

  The roar was deafening, much more than wind, the grate and clang of steel reached my ears in a cacophony of sound that raked across my senses and along the inside of my skull like talons and I continued to fall, helpless to anything but my plight, to be dashed upon whatever undulated below.

  A screech, I twisted in the air and screamed anew, pin wheeling my arms I tumbled midair plummeting head first as the winged creature came for me. It was brown, and naked, leathery skin stretched over an elongated skeletal frame, impossibly long arm reaching as its bat like wings kept it aloft. I screamed anew as it caught me by the ankle, talon like fingers digging into the skin of my calf and shin, raking down my leg to the top of my foot. Tears stung my eyes though from the pain or the biting wind I don’t know. I struggled in the thing’s grip as it looked down at me, mouth pulling into a rictus grin displaying razor sharp pointed teeth.

  A human shout dragged my attention away from the thing, an Angel winged nearby, and he’d spotted the thing with me in its clutches. With powerful strokes of its dove gray wings he drove through the hot fetid air in our direction and I sent up a silent plea that he would make it in time. Terror rode paramount in my mind as something heavy landed on the back of the thing that had me. It dipped, quickly and screamed, the sharp ichor cloaked point of a blade protruding from its chest. It let go of me and I screamed again, but it caught me up with its monkey like rear foot. He had simply been freeing his hands, because with the change of angle when I looked up, I could clearly see between his legs and yep, the winged demon thing that had me was clearly a he and not an ‘it’.

  My terrified mind prayed harder. I was helpless in this situation. As helpless as I could be. We were still plummeting toward the undulating mass below all though we were close enough in our descent that I could make out what it was I was seeing. Fighting. As far as the eyes could see were men, angels and demons with sword and mace and maul and whatever other weapon that could be brought to mind, locked in combat, each side pushing, the lines moving back and forth. The creature that held me gave a final shriek, and my head snapped up, whatever had landed on its back had finished it, and as the winged horror went into its final death throes… it dropped me.

  Chapter 30

  I screamed for lack of anything productive to do but a shout below me came just as I swept past the angel with the dove gray wings, he threw out his hands and I reached, caught hold and my shoulders jerked violently in their sockets, I cried out but held on for everything that I was worth.

  The angel shouted something I didn’t understand, I bit my lip and he tried again, the language pattern different than the first. He tried a third time and a fourth and then I caught on.

  “English!” I screeched.

  “Hold on!” he shouted, and beat his powerful wings, once, twice, a third time. We gained a little altitude. My hands were sweating and I could feel myself slipping.

  “I’m slipping!” I shouted.

  “Hold on just a little longer! Trust me!” he shouted in a foreign tongue that was musical to the ear, a lilting sound and I redoubled my effort to hold fast.

  “I’m going to let you go!” he shouted, “Trust me! You will be fine!”

  “Alright tell me when!” I shouted.

  “Now!” he said and I let go and fell. I screamed and was jarred roughly as I was caught by another angel, powerfully built with tawny golden wings. He had me behind my back and beneath my knees and I wrapped my arms around his massive shoulders to stabilize myself.

  “What is your name?” he shouted above the din.

  “Gracelyn, my name is Gracelyn!” I shouted back.

  “I am Karael. You’re safe now Gracelyn.” He winged us toward the back of one of the clashing tides. Neat rows of tents, stretched as far as my eye could see to the cavern’s back wall. These rows were broken by open areas dotted with camp fires. Larger tents were scattered here in there. It was a veritable city of canvas of every color and hue. We circled an avenue between tents and as we got lower and lower, shouts went through the camp.

  “Thank you.” I said as we neared the ground. Karael smirked, his cool green eyes laughing. He had a generous mouth and long auburn hair that was pulled back into a short tail at the nape of his neck, curling softly. He set down, alighting on his feet with surety. He straightened with me in his arms.
I was grateful that my nightgown had fallen modestly back into place. While I had been upside down modesty had been the last thing on my mind, but now my cheeks burned with humiliation. The angel with the dove gray wings set down next to us.

  “Karael! How is she?” he asked.

  “She is Gracelyn and I’m fine, thanks…” I hadn’t meant for it to come out sounding so harsh but I really disliked it when people talked about me like I wasn’t there. A throw back to when my parents had died and it had suddenly become the thing to do. I swallowed really hard and looked at the angel with the dove gray wings.

  “Thank you.” I said to the gray angel. Karael was grinning.

  “I’d say she’s doing remarkably well Rizoel.” He winked at the angel with gray wings, I noticed now that his hair was salt and pepper in color, his eyes a liquid silver though his face was still youthful in appearance. The whole image was quite striking.

  “Uh, Karael?” I said.

  “Yes Gracelyn?” he purred. Was he flirting?

  “Could you put me down please?” I asked. He searched my face, the grin never leaving his.

  “I could, yes.” He said but made no move to do so. He was definitely flirting. I swallowed hard, our audience had grown. We were at the center of a ring of warriors. Angels, some of them, some of them like Alaric, looked like they were from the other side, trying to turn a new leaf. Some were human, like me… Men, women, armor and manner of dress all across the march of time.

  “Please,” I said, and tried not to let the trembling I felt into my voice. “Put me down.” Everyone was talking at once, languages overlapping one another. I was the center of attention and all eyes were on me. I bit my lip.

  “I quite like things the way they are at the moment.” Karael was saying. I began to squirm.

  “Please put me down!” I was beginning to panic. I shoved at his breast plate and he laughed.

  “All right, all right, hold still!” he set me carefully on my feet. I winced, the ground was sharp bits of gray shale. I took a few hurried but careful steps away from him into the center of the growing ring of bodies.

  “Is she human? Is she alive?” someone asked. I wrung my long braid between my hands. Across from me the crowd shuffled back and forth, making way for someone or something and my breath caught in my throat. I had no idea what was about to happen to me but people and angels were moving to either side, making way for whoever came forward. My heart leapt into my throat.

  Two figures emerged from the crowd, the bodies around them parting like water. One was an angel and stood to the left of an imposing figure in black scale mail. He looked up, his eyes zeroed in on me and my heart stopped in my chest. All conversation around us simply ceased and one piercing cry could be heard in the sudden quiet.

  “Alaric!” I screeched and bolted for him. He thrust his shield and helm to the angel next to him who managed to take the round wood into his hands but dropped Alaric’s helm with a muttered curse. I flung myself at him. He opened his arms and I crashed into him, wrapping my legs around his hips and my arms around his neck. He crushed me to him. I buried my face in the side of his neck.

  One of his large limbs curved around my back, the other my shoulders, his hand cradling the back of my head as I sobbed into his neck. An explosion of voices and chatter around us. His grip on me tightened and he murmured into my ear four words.

  “Hold on to me.”

  I thought to myself as his long strides carried us into the forest of tents, good luck getting me to ever let go again.

  Chapter 31

  “Just hold on to me small one, we are almost there,” he murmured, his long strides eating up the ground as we delved further back into the rows of tents. He paused between two and scanned the area before darting across an open area. He ducked into the mouth of a tent and pulled the flaps closed behind us. Inside the tent was nothing like the outside. It was quiet, well lit by these glass spheres giving off a soft white light. They sat upon the corner of a small writing desk, on top of the massive wood pillars on the four posts of the bed and on either end of what appeared to be a workbench. Alaric took a seat on the side of the bed and steady in his lap I could finally ease up on the death grip I had around his waist.

  “Is this your room?” I asked and he laughed lightly.

  “No, small one, it is a friends. My tent will be the first place they look for us. This is a friends.” He smoothed the loose tendrils of hair back from my tear stained face.

  “How are you here?” he asked and peered into my eyes. I blinked.

  “I followed you.” I said.

  “You followed me?” a frown wrinkled his brow.

  “I jumped into that weird pool of dark before it shrank away.” His hands cradled my face gently, his eyes widened in surprise.

  “You jumped into a closing portal?” he asked.

  “I guess so, if that was what that thing was.” I sniffed. He crushed me to him and wouldn’t let me go and I wouldn’t have it any other way. A shuffling movement behind me had us both looking. The angel he’s thrust his helmet and shield at came through the tent’s entry way. He spied us on his bed and quickly closed the flap before anyone could see from the outside. Immediately the sounds from outside ceased.

  “Oh no. Not my tent brother…” the angel gave Alaric a pointed look. His wings were black, like a raven’s and his hair was equally dark, so dark that it held a blue sheen in the light. He raked a hand through the unruly locks and turned deep soulful brown eyes on Alaric.

  “Is my tent being watched?” Alaric asked.

  “You know it is.” The angel replied.

  “Hence why I am in your tent brother.” Alaric smiled serenely.

  “How in the Savior’s name did she get here?” he stabbed a finger in my direction.

  I opened my mouth to speak but then closed it. It was a good question. I turned to Alaric.

  “She jumped a closing portal.” He said calmly. The angel blanched and crossed himself. Which made me blink. They do that too? From both of their solemn faces I gathered what I’d done had been very, very stupid, but right now I didn’t care. I was right where I wanted to be, in Alaric’s arms… in… Where was here?

  “Where are we?” I asked quietly, disrupting whatever they were thinking about.

  “Welcome to the first layer of Hell.” The angel grinned at me but it held no mirth whatsoever.

  “Thanks,” I said, then, “I’m Gracelyn.”

  “Hofneil, but you can just call me Neil.” He gave a nod of his head, eyes flicking to Alaric.

  “Nice to meet you Neil.” I murmured.

  “You weren’t lying.” Neil said to Alaric and I smiled at the modern turn of phrase. Alaric cocked his head to the side quirking an eyebrow in question.

  “She’s pretty in the picture, but she’s a knock out in person.” He set aside the shield and helmet and stepped closer.

  “Picture?” I asked. Alaric stopped Neil from saying anything by speaking first.

  “How long until we can move? She is hurt and I want to tend to her wound.” Neil frowned.

  “Hurt where?” he asked.

  “I don’t know yet, I smell the blood and it stained her gown when she ran to me.” I bit my lip and tried not to snap at the both of them.

  “Guys. I’m right here.” I reminded them coolly. I began to reluctantly untangle myself from Alaric but his arms tightened around me.

  “Not yet.” He said.

  “Agreed. Let’s get her to your tent, you’ve got more stuff.” He peeked out the front of his tent.

  “Is the way clear?” Alaric asked.

  “For now. C’mon, I’ll scout the way.” He darted out and Alaric got to his feet. I clung to him like a spider monkey.

  “Hold on love. It isn’t far,” his voice was soft and tender in my ear. Thank you God for getting me back to him so quickly. I sent out into the ether, and wondered… Could God still hear my prayers from Hell? I hoped so.

  Chapter 32

  W
e wove our way between tents, Neil acting as our lookout. Eventually we came to one slightly larger than the rest. We were at the back and Neil bent, untying the bottom from one of the stakes holding it to the ground. He gave Alaric some hand signals and heaved the canvas up enough to duck under. He popped back out a moment later and lifted it enough for Alaric to duck underneath it.

  The interior of the tent was black. Not black as in dark, but black as in everything in it. From the canvas walls, to the bedding to the thick, richly carved furniture. All of it in varying textures of black. It was a little overwhelming at first but so Alaric that I found myself smiling.

  “What’s so funny?” Neil asked.

  “It’s just so… Alaric.” I said and was met with an answering grin.

  “It is.” He agreed. The interior of the tent was lit like Neil’s tent and it dawned on me that the direct light didn’t change Alaric into the twisted creature I’d seen by the lamplight in my bedroom.

  Alaric marched to the bed and set me gently onto the voluminous bedding. I reluctantly let him go. Neil hissed when he saw my ankle. It was bleeding pretty badly. What is it about being hurt that it doesn’t really hurt until you see the blood? This injury was like that. I hadn’t noticed any pain but now that I could see it, the claw marks gave a low angry throb and began to burn. I winced.

  “What did this?” Alaric asked, voice strained. I described what the flying bat demon thing had looked like and he visibly relaxed. Neil handed him a basket full of stuff.

  “Okay, I’m out,” he was saying, “I don’t know how much time you two have before you’re found out but I’d make the most of it.” He looked pointedly at Alaric.

  “I’m sorry but you know she has to go back.” He said.

  “I’m not going to have much to go back to if I miss work without calling in.” I said with a frown. Neil laughed.