by R A Oakes
“What if we could reach the crack in the wall without being seen?” Zorya suggested.
Chen glanced at Flame and asked, “Well, is it possible? Where’s this crack located?”
Flame pointed towards the center of the lake. “Look in the middle and then look over at the wall to the far right.”
Chen smiled grimly at Zorya and said, “Well, I guess that settles that.”
“Give our hosts my warm regards,” Zorya said in resignation.
“Sure, the last thing I want to be accused of is bad manners,” Chen said cynically as she began walking out of the recessed area of the lagoon and into the main body of the lake of fire.
“Shouldn’t we follow her?” White Angel 19 asked.
“Not yet, but take me out of my sheath, slowly,” Baelfire said.
“She shouldn’t have to stand alone against whatever’s out there,” the youngest White Angel protested.
“Chen knows what she’s doing,” Baelfire said.
“What is she doing?”
“She’s the bait.”
“Why does she always have to be like this? Why does she always have to be the first to put herself in harm’s way?”
“It makes her happy.”
“She has a strange view of happiness.”
“Don’t we all?” Zorya said. “Over 500 years ago, I was a powerful sorceress. People called me the Lady of the Well. But I freely chose to give all of that up.”
“I knew you hadn’t always been a horse,” White Angel 19 said.
“How could you tell?”
“I don’t know. I just did.”
“Well, I gave it all up.”
“Why?”
“To be part of something bigger than myself.”
“That’s all? Sounds impersonal.”
“It wasn’t. My daughter’s life was at stake.”
“I didn’t know you had a daughter.”
“Long ago.”
“What happened to her?”
“She became mortal and eventually died.”
“How?”
“Not now, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“Why did you, then?”
“Because, like you, she, Baelfire and I fought side by side.”
“What do you mean she fought side by side with the two of you? Only the heir to Baelfire can do that.”
Zorya hung her head and sighed. “She was a lot like Chen. A lot like her. And, yes, she was the first heir to Baelfire. The first person to ever wield the magic sword.”
“She was as warlike as Chen?”
“Time’s were hard back then.”
“And life’s not hard now?”
“It was the beginning of civilization as we know it. It was during the rise of the very first Kardimont king.”
“What was your daughter’s name?”
Zorya didn’t answer. Instead she said, “Baelfire?”
“Yes?”
“Chen doesn’t die today. Not today.”
“Understood,” Baelfire said as tiny purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red lights suddenly appeared around them all.
“I want to be out there by Chen’s side once she draws our hosts into the open,” Zorya said firmly.
“What was your daughter’s name?”
“Later, please, I need to focus,” Zorya said evasively.
In the distance, creatures were appearing on the far side of the lake. Chen was a solitary figure making her way towards them, feeling no fear, even willing to confront them alone. She was beyond life or death. She was home.
“War is the height of creativity,” Chen had once told Aerylln. Now, the youngest White Angel looked back to the day her stepmother had told her that. At the time, she’d taken Chen’s words as being little more than bravura and bluster. Today, she knew differently. “Chen’s creative isn’t she? I mean when it comes to fighting.”
“There’s no one else like her.”
“Except for your daughter?”
“Yes, except for her.”
“What was her name?” the young angel persisted, but Zorya remained silent, watching what was transpiring out on the lake with great interest.
First 100, then 200 ghosts appeared. A little later, their ranks swelled to 300 and 400. Yet what surprised White Angel 19 the most was how beautiful they were, even though she could feel evil pouring off of them like a plague. But her heart almost stopped when she saw their eyes. Vacant, cold, hard, unforgiving.
Still, Chen continued walking towards the center of the lake, a lone figure doing what she was born for, facing hopeless odds with no chance of survival.
“Not today,” Zorya mumbled. “Not today.”
“I’m with you,” Baelfire said quietly, not wanting to intrude on her friend’s thoughts.
Chen was almost in the middle of the lake.
“Now,” Zorya whispered.
The magic warhorse, Baelfire, the youngest White Angel and the other angels stepped out into the open. Marcheto, Flame and Jewel followed close behind.
As soon as the army of ghosts saw the youngest White Angel engulfed in flames holding Baelfire over her head and riding Zorya who was also made of fire, they stopped advancing on Chen. The other angelic members of the Council of Aeryllns quickly fanned out along the left and right sides of White Angel 19, the horse and the sword. Marcheto, Flame and Jewel stayed in back of this winged armada.
“Raven,” Zorya said while they were making their way towards the center of the cavern.
“What?” White Angel 19 asked.
“My daughter’s name was Raven.”
“Did she dress in black like Chen?”
“In a way you could never imagine,” was all the magic horse would reveal, for those days were long past, extending back into another time and another age.
“I’d like to learn more about Raven, and the first Kardimont king, and the creation of Baelfire.”
“I’ll tell you all about it someday, but not now.”
As the small group of warriors continued walking out to join Chen, the ghosts began slipping behind them, encircling them and cutting off any avenue of escape.
“Why are we offering ourselves up like a meal for these evil creatures?” White Angel 19 whispered.
“Patience,” Baelfire advised. “There are forces operating here that are greater than you can imagine.” Then, in silence, they watched the ghosts coming closer and closer, some riding chariots, others on foot gliding gracefully along the surface of the lake of fire.
“How can these beautiful, elegant women be such evil, demonic ghosts?” the youngest White Angel asked Chen after catching up to her. “And being transparent makes them look even more like artistic creations.”
“Evil takes all forms,” Chen replied, ever pragmatic and practical.
“But it’s wrong to make beauty into something that’s so terribly evil.”
“If evil did nice things, it wouldn’t be evil.” “I know, but I still think it’s wrong.”
“Well, that’s life. Anytime I see something good, decent, appealing or promising, I know something bad is going to happen. Becoming indifferent to even the most beautiful sunrise makes you far less prone to disappointment.”
“But they’re captivating,” Aerylln insisted. “I’ve never seen so many beautiful women.”
“That’s the first clue.”
“What do you mean?”
“Too much of a good thing. They have to be evil.”
“Why?”
“This much beauty doesn’t exist naturally. Too much of a good thing in any form is an invitation to failure.”
“So plain ordinary people are better?”
“No, they’re just as bad. Plain ordinary people get less attention. A person you think is worthless can be the one you need to watch the most.”
“I’m going to go nuts.”
“Been there, done that.”
Both mother and daughter fell silent once more as the army of beautiful, into
xicating, hate-filled beings closed in on them. And then Chen had an idea. Maybe it was time for her stepdaughter to grow up. Maybe it was time to provoke that growth. And so, with this in mind, the warrior woman looked at the advancing demons and smiled.
Upon seeing Chen’s reaction, the ghosts in front felt a hint of danger. The tiniest flicker of fear swept through their dark, decaying hearts. More was soon to come.
“White Angel 19, tell me more about this belief that beauty shouldn’t be abused and misused.”
“It’s just wrong, that’s all.”
“Why?” Chen probed, her intentions becoming almost as wicked as the creatures approaching them.
“I like beautiful things. I don’t want to have to deny myself the joy of appreciating the beauty around me. I need to have my soul fed. I like looking up at the stars on a dark night.”
“I remember what happened the last time you were stargazing back at Skybrook Castle,” Chen said seeking to open an old wound.
“That was wrong, too. Those drunks should’ve left me alone. What they got was their own fault. They had it coming.”
“Yes, they did. You showed them.”
“I did, didn’t I?”
“And you yelled at your father afterwards.”
“That was fun,” While Angel 19 said, remembering the confused look on Lord Pensgraft’s face when she scolded him for intervening.
“Well, these ghosts are using the beauty of the heavens for evil purposes,” Chen said, beginning to spin her web. “It’s like taking the stars out of the sky, making them into the beings in front of us, and ruining everything good and decent in life.”
“I hate them,” White Angel 19 said.
“I hate them, too,” Chen said, encouraging her stepdaughter’s anger.
“We need to teach them a lesson they won’t soon forget,” the youngest White Angel said taking an important step towards Chen’s version of becoming a woman. That is, a stage in a young woman’s life where she becomes increasingly impatient and intolerant, while embracing violence as a means of conflict resolution. Reaching maturity, Chen style.
“But what can we do? I’m at a loss personally,” Chen said displaying an uncharacteristic indecisiveness. “If I was younger maybe I’d be bolder, but I’ve seen too much disappointment. I hope you don’t end up like me looking down an endless tunnel of bleak expectations.”
I hope I don’t either, White Angel 19 thought, shaken by the possibility of having to endure such a fate. Suddenly, she saw the ghosts in front of her as being a direct threat to her own happiness. Not just a threat to her life, but to everything she cared about.
“I can’t let evil deprive me of the joy of beautiful things,” White Angel 19 said firmly.
“My life would have been different if I could have avoided that trap,” Chen said feigning a sweet melancholy. “I let evil wear me down one cruel disappointment after another. Eventually, I stopped trying, stopped caring. I guess it will be the same for you. But at least I’ll have someone who sees life the way I do. I’ll appreciate the company.”
What if I do end up like my stepmother? the youngest White Angel asked herself. I don’t think I could stand being so depressed all the time.
“We’ll be like sisters, White Angel. We can nurse our pain together. We can go out and get drunk and debase ourselves in taverns with men we don’t even know. I can’t even remember how many times I did that in an attempt to drown my sorrows. It went on for years until I got a grip on my shattered feelings,” Chen lied, her flair for the dramatic now in full sail.
White Angel 19 almost vomited at the thought of such sordid things happening to her.
“And you can kiss a nice young man like Marcheto goodbye. If you love him, as you say you do, you wouldn’t want to ruin his life by letting him be with someone like you. Women like us should keep away from good men.”
White Angel 19 was now so upset and aghast over the possibility of ending up as a tavern wench that she forgot that Chen had found a good man. After all, Chen had married White Angel’s father, Lord Pensgraft. But the young woman was no match for her borderline evil stepmother’s ability to put anyone into a deep, dark funk.
“I’m not going to end up like that!” White Angel 19 shouted.
And now Chen pounced. They didn’t call her the black leather panther for nothing. Pointing at the hundreds of hard- eyed, cruel, malignant warrior ghosts surrounding them, Chen yelled, “They’re the ones who will do it to you. They’re the ones who are going to pull you down into the mud. They’re the ones who will cause Marcheto to run from you. Look at them all. Look at the face of your enemy.”
Chen watched her stepdaughter’s face and saw that she was close to losing control. The black leather panther gave the young woman a final nudge. She gave White Angel 19 a reason to strike back. Clutching her throat, Chen started gagging, then stumbled and fell. “They’re doing something to me, White Angel!” Chen cried. “They’re killing me!”
“No! No! No!” White Angel 19 screamed. Then she rose up to her full height, spread out her wings and shouted, “Death to these evil women! Death to them all!”
Instantly, the entire cavern began shaking, the lava beneath their feet began churning, and White Angel 19 turned into a beacon of light, a powerful, forceful light with the burning power of a dozen caverns of lava.
“How dare you strike down my mother?” she shouted. “How dare you attack my family?”
Chen lay on the surface of the lake, her body being tossed around by the turbulent lava as the entire cavern began rocking from side to side. But inside, Chen was smiling.
Playing her role to the hilt, Chen lifted herself up on one elbow and said, “Avenge my death and speak well of me to my daughter, Dylancia.”
Gagging one more time, Chen held her throat with both hands and dropped back onto the surface of the lake, remaining motionless, seeming to have expired.
“I’ll kill you all!” White Angel 19 shouted enraged.
The youngest White Angel looked around at the other versions of herself and shouted, “Stand by me or never let me see you again. Ever.”
The Council of Aeryllns was stunned, having never seen their youngest member lose her temper before. But the White Angels realized they had to support her, or they’d be living with her wrath for who-knows-how-long. And so holding their swords aloft, the angels shouted, “Aerylln! Aerylln! Aerylln!”
White Angel 19 and the other angels formed a circle around Marcheto, Flame, Jewel and their fallen stepmother as superheated pure plasma energy burst from them all, instantly vaporizing the ghosts and filling the entire cavern with brilliant, powerful, supercharged light.
Cracks began forming in the rock walls and ceiling. The original crack running up and down the entire height of a wall was soon only one of a hundred others just like it. Large chunks of rock began falling from the ceiling splashing into the lava while cracks in the walls began splitting open wider and wider, lava draining out of the cavern at an enormous rate.
Suddenly, the brilliant light shut off totally as White Angel 19 collapsed from exhaustion almost falling off Zorya, but Chen came alive and leapt onto Zorya’s saddle holding her stepdaughter tightly in her arms.
“Master, we feared you were dead. You had us all very worried,” Flame said.
“I’ll bet,” Chen said cynically. “The only people attending my funeral will be the gravediggers, and I don’t even trust them to show.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’re mistaken,” Flame said.
“Cut the chatter,” Chen commanded. “You say you’re my bodyguard. Well it’s time you earned your title. Get us all out of here.”
Now that the enemy had been vaporized, Flame personally didn’t understand her master’s sense of urgency. Forgetting that this type of environment wasn’t like home for the others, Flame said, “Hey, what about if we go down and watch all this lava pouring into the bigger cavern miles below this one? It should be quite a sight.”
“Have yo
u lost your mind?” Chen shouted. “Not all of us are straight out of hell like you are.”
“Well, we can’t always choose the manner of our birth,” Flame protested, sensitive to having been born on the other side of the tracks. Way on the other side.
“I couldn’t care less about your origins, but this isn’t a pleasure trip. Get us back onto dry land anywhere near Dominion Castle.”
“Not a pleasure trip? I, for one, am enjoying myself.”
“Don’t make me have to tell you again,” Chen shouted, as it seemed like the whole bottom of the cavern was dropping out from under them.
Flame took one last nostalgic look at the beautiful, collapsing lake of flames and sighed. Then pointing to a gaping hole in the ceiling, she said, “Let’s head that way.”
As they shot back up towards solid ground, Chen held her stepdaughter tightly, leaned forward a bit and asked Zorya, “How’s White Angel 19 going to feel about what she did once she wakes up and returns to human form?”
“Don’t worry,” Zorya said. “You gave her plenty of legitimate reasons for fighting.”
“But what will she think when she finds out I faked being dead?”
“Don’t ever underestimate the goodness of Aerylln’s heart. She’ll be thrilled that you’re alive and won’t ask any questions. Just let her think she saved your life.”
Looking at the young woman she was holding in her arms, Chen felt optimism for the first time in years. But she caught herself and thought, Quit thinking positive. That’s one sure way to really get yourself killed.
“We’ve still got Swarenth and 10,000 gargoyle warriors to contend with,” Chen said to Zorya. “And even if Balzekior’s power is greatly reduced, she could still be dangerous.”
“I’m happy for you,” Zorya said. “You have all sorts of conflicts facing you. You more than likely won’t live out the week. Probably none of us will.”
Chen brightened at that thought. A short life lived to the fullest. And she intended on savoring every moment.
Zorya had emphasized the fearsome nature of the challenges waiting for them back on the earth’s surface, not as a way of discouraging Chen but as a way of rewarding her. Chen had performed well today.
A small ache filled Zorya’s heart. The black leather panther reminded her so much of Raven. Stop it, Zorya told herself, there’s no sense thinking about the past. The present is what matters. I only hope Baelfire and I can at least keep Aerylln, Chen, Pensgraft and Dylancia alive through all of this.
