by Alexia Praks
Drake nodded, and Julius left.
“Don’t just stand there, Leon. Come and tell us what else the ghost birds saw,” Adam growled.
The soldier nodded and took a few steps toward the table. At that moment, the door crashed open. Gerick McNamara stood there, hands on hips, as he surveyed the room at large with interest.
“What’s this? A conference without me?” he said.
Adam ignored the question from his younger brother and snapped, “Well? Any trace of the Meridianus bastards?”
Gerick frowned for a moment and then said, “My warriors and I have traced from the south to the north of the Meridianus Kingdoms using our flying steeds. The hounds smelled Lucifer’s scent. We followed it, and here we are.” He turned his attention to his cousin, the king. “Drake?”
“Gerick,” Drake said, a dark scowl on his face. “They have just arrived in our land.”
“They set foot on our land?” Gerick shouted, his brows rising dangerously. “Surely, they are not that stupid,” he said more calmly, walking into the room.
“What do you expect? They are human after all,” Adam said, helping his wife into a chair. Vera gave her husband a slight smile and murmured to him a thank you.
“Ah, Leon,” Gerick said, slapping the demon’s shoulder. “So you are the one to bear the news?”
“The ghost birds spied them in the night past,” the soldier said. “They reported back this morn.”
“I can’t wait to slice those humans’ guts with my sword,” Gerick said with one hand gripping the hilt of his weapon
“Gerick!” Adam snapped. “You will not talk of such in front of my wife.”
The gorgeously handsome demon thinned his lips and shrugged his broad shoulders. “Sorry, Vera,” he said. “Where’s Julius?”
“Getting his crystal globe,” Adam supplied, taking a chair beside his wife.
“Are we sight-seeing again?” Gerick asked, glancing heavenward.
“Are you trying to say my globe doesn’t work, Gerick?” Julius said from the door.
“Not at all, Lord Wise Wizard.” Gerick shrugged his shoulders.
Julius narrowed his eyes at Gerick. He walked into the room and placed the globe in the middle of the table. “Drake, I need your help.”
“Aye,” Drake said, making his way toward them.
Everyone circled the table. Drake placed both his hands on the crystal ball. Julius did the same. They both closed their eyes and summoned their inner demon power to the surface. Instantly, the clear ball turned cloudy with smoke and waves of blue-green color.
“I see him,” Julius said, his voice thick. “It’s so cold. The water is so deep. Lucifer is alone.”
“My poor Lucifer,” Vera cried, leaning against her husband for support.
“The storm is brewing, strong and evil,” Julius continued.
“Is Lucifer all right?” Vera whispered, turning her teary eyes from the misty magic globe to look at Julius. She saw that his forehead was starting to sweat, his face scrunched in concentration.
“Hush, love, Julius is working,” Adam said.
“Wait, I’m growing warm. I’m not cold anymore,” Julius said, frowning as though he were confused.
“Lucifer is all right,” Vera asked.
“Whoa, it worked?” Gerick said, raising his brows.
“I can feel his happiness. Nay, he is sad again. No wait. ’Tis a different color, a different warmth.”
“For God’s sake, Julius, make up your mind,” Gerick snapped.
“Perhaps Julius is seeing more than just Lucifer,” Leon suggested.
“That is possible,” Adam said.
“So is Lucifer all right?” Vera asked again.
“I don’t know. I…” Julius frowned for a moment. “Wait, I can distinguish the difference now. Lucifer, I feel him. I see him. He is in a small vessel. They have passed the Siren Sea of Death and are on their way to the Deadly Hollow Cave by the beach of our land.”
“They’ve arrived,” Vera said, her voice sounding oddly hoarse in her own ears.
Julius opened his eyes and released his hand from the globe. “Now we know they are here and Lucifer is with them.” He turned to Vera. “Don’t worry. We’ll save Lucifer from those human bastards.” He nodded and turned to look at his friend. “Drake?”
“Why is Drake still holding on to the crystal ball?” Gerick asked, looking at his cousin, wide-eyed.
“Drake?” Vera touched Drake’s arm.
Drake’s eyes were closed and his face was a composed mask. In his mind’s eyes, he saw the coldness of the sea, the whirling of ice-blue water rushing about him. The stormy wind gusted around him as he stood his ground. Then he was flying. He was in the air. He could feel the fresh, cold air fluttering against his skin. He looked down, and below him he saw a vessel. He felt himself descending toward the ship, and then his body went through ceilings and floors. Down below in the vessel was a prison. There he saw two figures lying side by side. He recognized Lucifer. The other boy wrapped his arms around Lucifer as a mother would to keep her child safe and warm. He saw the youth looked up at him, his soft-brown eyes begging him, and his delicate hand reaching out to him.
Drake felt a sudden coldness settling in his heart. A feeling he had never felt before. He opened his eyes and removed his hands from the globe. He looked around and saw his comrades watching him.
“What did you see?” Julius asked. “What happened?”
“I saw Lucifer,” he said. “They are coming up to the beach as we speak.”
“Then let’s go rip their limbs apart,” Gerick said, heading toward the door.
“Stop!” Drake shouted. “Don’t be such a hothead.”
“Well, we can’t just sit here and wait for them to come through the castle door,” Gerick snapped.
“Gerick, I won’t have your temper killing my son,” Adam said firmly. “What is it, Drake?”
“We will surprise them. I think they have more than ransom on their mind,” Drake said, narrowing his eyes.
“You don’t mean…?” Gerick looked at his cousin in disbelief.
“The Pearl of Life!” Julius said, his eyes wide.
“The gall of them,” Leon said with his hands fisted.
“It has been ten years since anyone has reached this far,” Drake said. “Come, we leave now.” He turned and led the way out of the study.
* * * * *
Chapter V
AS STRANGE AS IT MAY be, Cecelia sensed as though someone was watching over her and Lucifer as they slept. In her fitful slumber, she dreamt of a pair of gray eyes boring into her, as if finding her interesting and seeking into her inner thoughts. She laid there on the cold, wooden floor with Lucifer snuggling up against her. A gust of cold breeze swirled into the room out of the blue. She sensed Lucifer’s shiver and wrapped her arms around him, pulling his small body even closer to her. The ship swayed, rocking them back and forward and side to side, reminding Cecelia once again of where she was and how she came to be there.
As she laid there with Lucifer in her arms, she remembered the gray eyes in her dream; the color bottomless and mysterious, giving her a sense of intrigue. It was a pair of the eyes that could only belonged to the demon king. A shivered coursed down her spine, and she tightened her arms around Lucifer as if for comfort.
A whimper escaped Lucifer’s lips, which drew Cecelia’s attention. His body shook violently as he cried out in his sleep, tears flowing down his cheeks. She held him tight in her arms as she soothed him with soft, sweet words. Poor boy, she thought, to be dragged into such a condition. Surely, his family must be frantic searching for him.
Eventually, his whimpering stopped and his body relaxed. Cecelia eased her holding of him and kissed his forehead.
“You are a brave little boy,” she said softly.
It was about an hour or so later that loud noises could be heard from upstairs and then the swaying of the ship came to a stop, telling Cecelia that they had reached
land. She sat up in alertness, her eyes searching about her.
“Lucifer, I think we have stopped,” she said softly.
Lucifer frowned at her for a moment, as if confused. “What?”
“Come, we must try and escape before they come down for us.” She got up and walked toward the locked door. She wiggled it a few times. When it didn’t budge, she tried to pull the chains.
“It won’t work. It’s too strong,” Lucifer said, rubbing his sleepy eyes. “If only Papa were here, or Uncle Drake, or even Julius or Uncle Gerick,” he groaned.
Cecelia’s hands were getting sore. She slumped down and rested her head against the wall. She was tired and hungry. She would never escape this, she thought and felt very depressed.
“You two!”
Cecelia bolted upright. A man headed toward them and then unlocked the chain.
“Out!” he shouted, “and no funny business.”
Cecelia and Lucifer staggered out of the prison as he opened the door. They were rudely escorted with sword pointed at their backs up to the top deck.
Cecelia felt for the first time in days a gentle breeze caressing her face as they came up. She breathed in the fresh, open air and stared wide-eyed at the sight before her. The beach was long and wide, with white sand that stretched to the endless horizon. Behind the beach was a jungle of lush tall trees and exotic flowers of unimaginable sizes, shapes, and colors.
She searched around her and realized that not one man was in sight except for the one escorting them.
“Where are your men?” she asked curiously.
“No questions! Start moving!” he snapped, shoving his sword against her back. “There!” he nodded toward the beach.
Cecelia went to the floorboard and walked down the ship, Lucifer following behind her.
“That way!” he said.
The sands were deep and porous against her boots. She found it more tiring than walking on hard earth. Once they had reached the jungles, she found herself stumbling over vines and dead wood many times. Lucifer, on the other hand, seemed to know his way around. When she fell, he helped her up. He didn’t at all seem to be very tired as she was, which she thought a bit odd for a five-year-old boy.
It wasn’t long when they came to a small camp. The men were there with their tents and weapons. They were sitting around a fire with some unfortunate odd-looking bird—it had the head of a bird and the body of a cat—that had been stripped to the skin and now was roasting upon the pit of a fire.
“Go, sit there!” The man behind them shoved her.
Without a word, Cecelia went to sit by a tree. Lucifer made himself comfortable beside her.
“I’m hungry. Won’t they give us some food?” Lucifer groaned, looking at her with his sky-blue eyes large.
“I don’t think so,” she said, her mouth watering at the sight of the odd bird. The skin was turning, glistening and golden brown, and its fat was dropping from its skin, landing on the spiting fire.
She turned away, ignoring her hunger and diverting her thoughts to finding a route of escape. A man came to her then and tied her hands and feet. He did the same to Lucifer.
“To make sure you two stay put,” he said, grinning at them, showing his stained, yellow teeth. His breath was stinking and hot against her face.
She gagged in disgust.
They had their meal and gave none to her and Lucifer. She closed her eyes, pretending sleep so she wouldn’t have to watch them eat the bird while her tummy grumbled. She was drifting into a slumber when she was kicked awake.
“Get up. We’re moving,” a man snapped at her, and then he proceed to cut her and Lucifer loose.
Freed, Cecelia stumbled up, aiding Lucifer at the same time. They walked through the jungle for a long while before they came to the mouth of a cave.
“In there. Get the boy,” Jackson shouted.
Cecelia was alert because Jackson sounded rather excited. She watched as one of the men came to them. He stared at her and pulled Lucifer from her side.
“Come,” he said, shoving Lucifer so hard the boy fell to the ground.
“Don’t you touch him!” she snapped and shoved the man back. She bent down to help Lucifer. “Can’t you see he’s only a child!”
“Don’t care!” the man said, dragging Lucifer.
Cecelia would have none of it and pulled Lucifer to her side.
“Come!” the man said through gritted teeth.
Cecelia glared at him. She wouldn’t let Lucifer go. The boy turned and wrapped his arms around her waist for support.
“Where’s the boy,” Jackson shouted, looking at them.
“Come!” The man dragged them both toward his captain.
“You, lead us in.” Jackson pointed a finger at Lucifer.
“I won’t,” the boy cried. “’Tis against the rule. I will be punished.”
“Lead us in,” Jackson snapped, drawing out his sword. “Or bear the consequence.”
Lucifer widened his eyes as the sharp blade was pointed near his throat.
“Don’t do anything stupid!” Cecelia shouted, her body shaking with rage. “He is only a boy.”
“Now lead us in.” Another man shoved her from behind.
Slowly and hesitantly, his body shaking uncontrollably, Lucifer walked into the cave with his hands clutching onto Cecelia’s. The men followed them.
Inside was total darkness. The men lit their torches. Instantly, the flames lightened up the hollow passageway.
“Walk faster!” Jackson snapped, shoving both her and Lucifer forward.
“He’s only a child,” she snapped again.
Jackson only laughed. “Lead us, demon, to the Pearl of Life.” His callous voice echoed in the silent cave.
Cecelia’s heart kicked in her chest. So this was the Cave of Doom where the Pearl of Life was rumored to exist. She was right; the men did come to steal the pearl.
“How long to go?” a man asked.
There was silence except for the thudding of their footsteps.
“I said how long to go?” the man hissed again.
“I don’t know,” Lucifer cried, his grip tightening on Cecelia’s. She pulled him closer to her as they walked.
“There, I see it,” Jackson shouted excitedly, laughing. “There!”
“Let’s get it,” another man said, rushing toward the clearing.
He was about to reach the end of the passageway when he stepped on something that moved beneath his foot. He frowned, and before he knew it, the ground opened and swallowed him. He screamed to his mates for help. One rushed forward with his hands reached out, but he was too late. The man fell into a pool of molten lava below.
Lucifer shoved his face against Cecelia’s side. She could only stare at what had just happened.
“We must be careful. There are traps everywhere here,” Jackson shouted, nodding to his men. “You two!” he snapped, looking at both Cecelia and Lucifer. “Come here and lead the way. Everyone, stay behind them.”
What a clever ploy, Cecelia thought. Those coward men, they’d rather let a child and young boy die first.
“I’m scared,” Lucifer whispered to her.
She looked at him and patted his shoulder in encouragement. They both started moving again. They took each step carefully so they wouldn’t step into another trap.
Once they’d reached the opening of the cave, they were thrust aside as the men made their way toward the huge waterfall. High above them was the cleft of an opening. Clear blue sky from above shone upon them.
The shower of water streamed around a small island. There Cecelia saw the largest clam she’d ever beheld in her life. And inside its opened mouth was the Pearl of Life. It was a small thing and its pinkest color shone against the hot ray of sunlight.
“’Tis our luck all right, captain,” one man said, smiling.
“Aye, Joe, let’s get across,” Jackson said, pointing to his men.
“Is the water deep?” another asked.
One
hopped into the stream. It barely reached his chest. “Nay, not at—” He didn’t finish the sentence, for he started screaming in pain. “Aaghh…” The agony in his voice echoed like death, and birds high above them hiding amongst the trees dispersed in every direction in fright.
“What happened?” Jackson shouted.
“Get me out! Get me out!” Joe screamed, his hands scrambling for his mates.
“Pull him out!” Jackson shouted.
Two men hurriedly pulled Joe out. As he landed, the lower parts of his body steamed with smoke. His breeches stuck to his legs; his boots were burned and melted to his feet.
“What kind of water is this?” Jackson shouted, twisting his face in rage toward Cecelia and Lucifer, demanding them to answer.
Cecelia turned her face away. Her heart sank at the thought of ever getting the pearl herself. If those men couldn’t get through, what chance had she?
“I said what kind of water is this?” the captain snapped. When none answered, he stalked toward them. “Tell me!” he growled, pulling Lucifer up and shoving the boy about.
“Stop it!” Cecelia snapped angrily. “You cannot treat the boy this way.” She pulled Lucifer into her arms. “Leave him be.”
“Get out of the way!” He slapped Cecelia with the back of his hand, sending her falling to the ground.
When she looked up at him again, she touched her sore face, glaring at him.
“You, tell me now,” Jackson growled.
“I don’t know,” Lucifer cried.
“You nuisance bastard! No point in keeping you,” he growled, drawing out his dagger.
Cecelia panicked when she saw the knife moving toward Lucifer’s stomach. She got up and raced to the boy, thrusting him aside. The blade slid through her arm as she and Lucifer fell to the ground.
“Damn nuisance, the both of you,” Jackson snapped, throwing away his dagger and drawing out his sword. Cecelia stared wide-eyed as he raised the blade high, intending to kill them.
“No!” she whispered, closing her eyes.
She felt the blade moving slowly down toward her heart, its sharp coldness inches from her breasts. That split second felt like an eternity.
The next moment, she opened her eyes and saw an arrow hit the captain’s hand, sending the sword flying, landing in the stream. The sword shriveled, and within seconds, it was destroyed into nothingness.
