“Your friend,” he muttered in understanding.
“Yes. I have to try to save her.”
He ran a hand over his chin as his gaze shifted to the crevice above us. “What if you cannot?”
“I have to try,” I repeated.
“Gillian, if something happens to you while you are trying to do this, then you won’t be able to sing to close the portal. You’re needed to do that. It is bigger than the loss of your friend’s soul.”
My eyes narrowed. “Not to me, it isn’t. I’m the reason Janna was taken. I need to try to free her or I won’t be able to live with myself. Do you understand?”
“Si. Of course, I do. But—”
“There isn’t another option. Belphegor wants me. He’s set up a trap. So, I’m going to go to him. If he doesn’t kill me on the spot, then I might have a chance to free Janna and get out.”
“Then I will go with you,” he stated as if he planned to escort me across the road.
“I don’t want to risk anyone else. I don’t want your death on my conscience either.”
“Does that include him?” Lucca asked as his eyes went to the slit in the stone.
I turned to see John standing there, waving at us. Odd, I hadn’t seen his horse. Perhaps he’d left the animal by the river this morning. Turning back to Lucca, I said, “No. He needs to open the portal on this side, but he’s not coming with me.”
“It is insane to go alone,” Lucca said.
“And it’s too risky to take you with me.” I started climbing up the path to the crevice.
Without John leading and the rope holding us together, I placed my steps carefully, my eyes searching in the still weak morning light for the holds we’d used. Behind me, I heard Lucca starting to climb, and I cursed him silently.
While one part of my brain argued his case saying it would be useful to have another person along, the emotional side feared losing anyone else because of me. Then, illogically, if I could have someone with me, I’d prefer it be Fireball Bob. At least he could set things ablaze if the whole, admittedly weak, plan failed.
I’d almost reached the top when John reached a hand down and pulled me the rest of the way up. He turned his gaze back to Lucca, who was still a little below and asked, “Is he coming also?”
“No. And neither are you.” I stepped inside the crevice to give him more room on the edge.
“Yes, I am,” John answered.
I shot an annoyed look at him. “No. I can’t let you.”
“Then I don’t open the gateway, and none of you get to the portal across the bridge.” He offered his hand to Lucca, who grabbed it as he hauled himself the rest of the way up.
“Why would you?” I asked. This wasn’t John’s battle. Nor was it Lucca’s.
“I promised Gavin,” John answered. “Besides, I know enough magic to stay alive.”
I gaped at him, not believing what I heard.
“If he goes, I go,” Lucca said. “It is my duty.”
Exasperated, I barked, “Fine. Do what you want to do. Let’s just do it.” I stalked toward the hidden portal with John and Lucca falling in behind me. I had no doubts that Ferko and the rest of the team would soon be along.
Once the portal was open, we made good time to the bridge across the chasm. Lucca proved himself useful and provided more light with his glowing ball, which helped us move along faster.
I stopped at the bridge, steeling my nerves to go across it. While I wasn’t afraid of heights, walking across the narrow path presented another issue altogether. John pulled out the rope again and linked me to him, then to Lucca, who still insisted on coming. Lucca worked hard to project the light orb in front of me, so it meant we all stayed close together, although in a single file, as we crossed.
With the extra light, I found it easier to see the stone trail and to keep an eye out for anything that might trip us. Trying to avoid looking beyond the path, I placed one careful step after another while keeping my arms out for balance. While I still feared falling off the bridge, terror didn’t grip me as it had when I first saw it.
Now and then, one of the roach bugs would dart across the path, then disappear over the side to go down the rock. I found it unnerving how easily they sped across without a bit of concern for the fall if they lost their grip.
About a third of the way across, I began to feel more confident and picked up the pace a little. Lucca and John kept right with me. I kept glancing ahead expecting to see a few yiaiwas guarding the portal, but nothing moved around it. The arched silver door beckoned us on, and I fought to not break into a run to get to it.
A prickling feeling that something—a break in the stone, an attack of some sort—anything, might stop me from reaching the portal would occur. Less than five feet from the other side a loud screeching and the sound of wings brought me up short, and I twisted my head around to look for the source.
A bat swooped past my head, followed by another and another while my eyes focused on the mass of creatures returning to the cave after a night of hunting. Holding myself together, I fought the urge to slap at them as they soared past as I kept telling myself they wouldn’t hit me if I didn’t move. Behind me, John and Lucca had also stilled.
“Just bats. They’ll settle in a few minutes,” John said in a calm voice.
We waited. I took shallow breaths as if even a deep breath might startle them, but gradually, they circled to the roof and settled on their perches, until only a few still flew around, turning as they progressed upward. Legs feeling a little shaky, I resumed walking and gratefully stepped to the broad ledge that led to the portal.
As I examined the area, I watched John and Lucca step across through a reflection in the gleam of the polished obsidian alcove. Only a few feet wider than the silver portal, it provided room enough for a pair of guards, but none stood on duty. Other than a few symbols inlaid into the metal, the solid silver door bore an inset bolt to lock it to the stone on the left side.
This was it. Belphegor’s realm waited for me on the other side. I planned to surrender to him as soon as I stepped through and hoped that would lead me to Janna. Flimsy at best, but I needed to find her quickly, then I expected to figure a way back out for both of us.
Glancing at John, who was studying the portal, checking to see if it had any traps, I motioned Lucca to the right side where we could speak without him hearing us.
“So you are making yourself bait,” Lucca objected when I told him to stay behind while I attempted this scheme.
“I have to.”
“It is suicide,” he stated, leaning closer and baring his teeth. “Belphegor will kill you.”
“Not if I can blast him first,” I shot back. “Maybe I can’t kill him, but I might be able to stun him long enough to grab Janna and get out. If John can throw an illusion spell on me, I might be able to get there quicker.”
Lucca looked pained. “I understand your desire to save your friend’s soul, but you have a greater purpose. You are forgetting the bigger issue. You need to seal the gate.”
Did he think I hadn’t thought about it? “I know that,” I said and pulled out my phone. I touched the recorder button and called up an audio file that read chant. I showed it to him and said, “I’ve recorded the spell. If anything happens to me and I don’t come back, seal the door and use the recording.”
He took the phone and pocketed it, but said, “That may not work. It may take your live voice and whatever magic you possess to do it.”
“Then let’s hope I come back.” I turned and joined John at the door.
“No traps, no lock,” John said. “Are you ready?”
I nodded. “But just me. You stay here.”
“Let me at least escort you in,” he insisted.
Deciding it was easier to yield than waste time arguing, I nodded and stepped back as he pulled the door open.
My mouth dropped in surprise. This was not what I expected.
Chapter 33
I HAD EXPECTED HELL.<
br />
This was far from it. While the colors were muted tones of blue, red, gray and brown, the world before me looked like a subdued-dusk version of Earth. I stepped into a field of flowers with maroon blooms and almost black foliage similar to the ones that had grown in the interim cemetery. Unlike those, these didn’t grab for me with thorns and twisting tendrils of vines.
Ahead a black stone palace glistened in the dull reddish light of this world. I heard the door shut behind me, a clunk as the bolt shot into place, then John’s voice said, “Welcome to Abakera, Belphegor’s realm.”
“You aren’t supposed to com—” My voice choked as I turned and saw, not John, but the beautiful face of Zak.
He smiled at me and said in his sound-of-angels voice, “Hello, Gillian. Did you not know I’m a master of illusion?”
“Z-Zak,” I stuttered, shocked at the revelation.
He offered his arm and said, “Come. Let me escort you to my palace.”
Like a slap across my face, the truth hit me, and my knees nearly folded. Zak was Belphegor. He’d been leading me here all along. And he’d duped me with his tale about John being Gavin’s friend. Damn, I’d fallen for it so easily.
Not looping my arm in his, I pivoted toward the palace and began walking, my thoughts whirling as I started to reassess the past two years of my life. Calling himself Zak, Belphegor had entered my dreams shortly after I’d gained the ability to see the dead in the ethereal cemetery. He’d convinced me of the altruistic nature of my gift. Why? Had he started manipulating me to this encounter from the beginning?
He caught up with me after ten or so yards, stepping ahead of me a little. “You’re angry,” he said.
“I should blast you from here to that monstrosity you call a palace,” I grumbled back. “But I came to find Janna, as you well know. And I will find her.”
He laughed, a merry, yet irritating sound. “Do you think you can just grab her goodie-goodie soul and waltz out of here?”
“If you planned to kill me, you would have done it already. So, I still have a chance to try.” I spoke bravely, but I was so screwed.
How could I manage an escape when he knew my plans already? I should have suspected John Walker, a man coming out of nowhere and claiming to know Gavin. Not only know but be able to communicate with him while he was in a coma? I was so naïve.
“So, John was just an illusion and not sent by Gavin,” I muttered, my anger seething below the flat tone of my voice.
“Not entirely. John told you the truth yesterday, but today, he is still asleep by the river while I take his place.”
Abruptly, he spun to face me, grabbed my left wrist, and yanked me to him. Through a nasty leer, he growled, “Who says I don’t like to play with my victims a bit? Aren’t you even curious why I orchestrated this drama?”
Pulling my arm back to try to free my wrist, I felt his fingers dig into it even harder, and I gasped at the pain. “No. Release my hand.”
“Liar,” he hissed, his face nose-to-nose with mine, then he flung me away like a ragdoll.
Flying a good ten feet or more, I landed face down in the flowers, crushing the ones below me. The rest of the field became agitated, as a keening sound filled the air and the scent of dung filled my nostrils. I choked, sucking in a pollen that made me cough and burned my throat. Forcing myself onto my elbows, I pushed up, feeling pain in my legs, knees, and wrists where I’d tried to cushion my crashing body. But nothing felt broken or sprained, just jarred from the impact.
By the time I’d climbed to my feet, Belphegor stood in front of me and motioned to the imposing structure about a half-mile away. I started limping that way as I tried to work the aches out of my body. I fumed with anger, but afraid of what I might say or do that would provoke him, I didn’t want to talk while we marched.
Belphegor, on the other hand, seemed determined to impress me with his cleverness. “Once I learned about your new ability to travel, I began to shape you to my design. With surprising ease, I was able to enter your mind while you slept.”
I shot a glare at him and took several quick steps to get further ahead of him. I didn’t need to hear how he had manipulated me. I already knew that. He’d simply reinforced everything else I’d learned about my paranormal ability. And I’d fallen for it.
“No need to be angry about it,” he said. “You were heading that direction anyway. I merely helped you along a little. Then I sent my watch team in to see how you progressed.”
“You mean the yiaiwas?” I said.
“Well, you call them that. I have other names for them. But, yes, I sent them.”
“Where are they now?” I asked, annoyed that I couldn’t seem to just ignore him and was now opening my mouth. “I thought they would be all over the place here.”
“Here?” he laughed. “Oh, no. They inhabit a lower level. I only summon them when I need them.”
A touch of alarm shot through me. Was Janna on that level rather than here? If so, how did I get to it? Belphegor saw the concerned look on my face and misinterpreted it.
“Did you think I would want to surround myself with them at all times? I hardly need them to maintain my security. I am quite capable with myself and my palace guards.”
Now I knew he had guards at the palace, but they weren’t the yiaiwa. So what were they?
As we drew nearer, I noticed farmlands surrounding the palace ahead and smaller structures, built from the same stone, along the exterior walls. I observed movement in the area and realized it was a village with inhabitants going about their business. Stunned, I squinted to see more details, but I couldn’t make out much yet.
As we came closer, I began to see the human-like forms working in the closest fields. Although shaped with heads and a body, they had legs and two sets of arms that they seemed to be able to manipulate as needed. Like the yiaiwa, they were black with appendages flowing in and out of their bodies. One turned its head to look at me with glowing red eyes, but it didn’t show any signs of hostility. It nodded its head to Belphegor, then resumed raking the dark umber dirt.
“What are they?” I asked.
“Discarded souls,” he answered. “Those who don’t make it to the upper planes, but are sent away. I bring them here where they continue their existence.”
“Is this Hell?” I couldn’t believe it would be so simple. These creatures had no individuality, no features to mark them by gender or race.
“Oh, no, not Hell. Just a lesser realm for those rejected by the Gate.”
I puzzled over that statement as we continued into the town where dozens more of the peculiar souls wandered through on tasks they did by rote.
Near the palace entrance, an odd-looking market filled about two hundred yards with shops offering crafted goods, clothing, and food from the fields. But none of the creatures stopped to look at the items. None seemed to show any interest in anything except its specific task. None seemed to wear any garments or eat anything, so why raise food and make clothing, jewelry, and other goods?
I followed Belphegor through the arched doorway leading to the entry to his home. Twenty-five black marble steps took us to the silver door, much like the one we’d entered from the cavern, and he pushed it open. I had expected guards at the entry, but a single alien-looking being dressed in black robes greeted Belphegor as we stepped inside.
“Welcome, my lord. You bring a prize home. Shall I fetch a cage?” The creature spoke in a toneless computer-like voice.
The alien looked humanoid with scaly gray skin and three beady yellow eyes set in an oval face. A large snout protruded from the middle over thin, lizard-like lips where a narrow tongue darted forward to lick them.
“Not at this time, Gweerak,” Belphegor answered. “Bring refreshments to the hall.” He stepped past the creature—a butler?—and I followed him as he crossed the foyer to the double doors on the right. I glanced at the walls that bore no decorations only the symbol that represented Belphegor evident on them.
He pushed
the doors open and strode through heading toward the end of the room where an over-sized chair sat facing the doors. I briefly noted the long hall with chairs lined up along the walls, and a half-dozen pillars on each side supporting the ceiling. My gaze flicked to the cage to the left of the make-believe throne where my heart leaped to see Janna sitting cross-legged within the half-her-height square box so she could only sit or crawl within it.
She was here. I breathed a sigh of relief. Captured, but still alive and not devoured. She looked up when she heard my hurrying footsteps cross the thirty feet of hall to get to her.
“Janna. Are you all right?” I asked, aware of how foolish that sounded. Of course, she wasn’t okay. She was being held captive in a cage. Why couldn’t she get out?
“Gilly... No, you can’t be here,” she moaned as I approached. Her shoulders slumped, and she dropped her eyes to the floor of her cage before she brought them up to look at me again.
“I came for you.”
I slowed to a stop as I reached the box of thin silvery bars that held her. I ran my eyes over her noting her soul appeared to be unharmed, but she looked dejected to see me. She shook her head, her golden hair falling limply forward.
I spun to face Belphegor, who’d now taken his chair and gazed haughtily at me. How had I ever thought Zak was a beautiful spirit?
“Have you tortured her?” I demanded.
“Of course not. I simply brought her here and imprisoned her while we waited for you. I had expected you sooner.” He crossed a leg over his opposite knee and sat back. His eyes shifted to the end of the room as Gweerak brought a tray to set on a square table by Belphegor’s chair.
On a signal, the servant stepped to the side of the room and brought one of the straight-backed chairs that lined the room to the opposite side of the table. He poured two glasses of drink from a pitcher on the tray, set them on the table, bowed, and departed.
Belphegor picked up one glass, then said, “Have a drink. You’re probably thirsty and maybe even a bit hungry. Enjoy the foods raised here. They are perfectly safe, I assure you.”
A Song of Redemption Page 36
