Into the Abyss

by Brenda K. Davies

  Leaning against the wall, I was glad to find the skellein, Lix, awake. He held his skeletal head between his bony hands as if he had a headache. When he lifted his head, there were no eyes in his skull, but I felt his attention focused on me.

  Lix wore a green tie with numerous Santa Clauses on it. All the Santa’s were bent over to reveal their white asses as they looked behind them to grin out from the tie. Whereas before the tie would have been amusing, I didn’t find any humor in it now.

  Since coming to Earth, all the nearly identical skelleins had taken to wearing assorted accessories to differentiate themselves from each other. After the war with Lucifer, only twenty skelleins remained, thirteen of them lived at the wall with Kobal, and seven were with us.

  Lix lifted the flask tied to his waist, uncapped it, and gulped the skellein’s most recent brew. All the skelleins enjoyed their booze, but Lix consuming his entire flask before releasing it was out of character for him. The metal flask clattered against the rocky floor as Lix’s attention returned to me before he focused on Amalia, and his jaw clenched.

  I stepped in front of her, and my eyes narrowed on Lix. The skelleins loved their drink, games, and play as much as they enjoyed killing, but I’d never seen Lix so angry before. Bowing her head, Amalia edged back to lean against the wall of the cave. The angels lowered the bodies again.

  “How is it going in there?” Corson asked me.

  He sat with his back against the wall and Wren’s limp body in his lap. Her pale blonde hair spilled over his arm; a couple of her fingers twitched before going still again. Corson’s eyes glistened with a desperation I’d never expected to see from him.

  “I think there’s a horseman involved,” I said and revealed to them what I discussed with Amalia.

  “Sloth,” Corson growled.

  “But does he have the power to do this to so many for this long?” Erin demanded.

  Caim waved his hand at the bodies. “Obviously, he does.”

  When I paused to take in everyone, I realized there were fewer bodies in here than I first thought. Only two skelleins remained, one of them was Lix.

  An uneasy feeling grew in me as I looked to Corson. “Where are the others?”

  “Dead,” he said flatly.

  I suddenly understood the look in his eyes and why Amalia had edged away from them and their emotions.

  “Oh no,” Amalia whispered.

  Lix’s head turned toward her and the hostility he emitted increased.

  “Stop looking at her like that, Lix,” I snarled at him. “She’s trying to help us.”

  Lix’s hand went to the sword strapped to his side before falling to the ground. Erin walked over to kneel beside him and rested her hand on his shoulder.

  “How long were we in there?” I asked.

  “In total?” Raphael asked.

  “Yes.”

  “A day and a half,” Raphael answered.

  “How long did it feel?” Erin asked.

  “About the same,” I replied.

  “Sloth shouldn’t have that kind of power,” Corson said, drawing the conversation back to the horseman. “Or at least he shouldn’t have enough power to keep it up for this long. Sloth can make others lazy enough they eventually waste away and die, but this is a big undertaking even for a horseman.”

  “If he has enough power to put them under, even for thirty seconds, the jinn can get into their minds.” Straightening her shoulders, Amalia stepped away from the wall. “You’re assuming all the humans and demons went under at the same time. True, many of the bodies were centered in one area, but not all of them. You’re also assuming this was all based off one wish, and because of the number affected, I did too, but I’m beginning to think there is more than one wish going on here.

  “If some of the jinn moved through the humans on the outskirts of the camp, they could get people to make a wish without knowing what they were doing. Demons might have been more suspicious about what was going on, but not people, and maybe not even demons as they’ve had little to no interaction with the jinn before. Working this way, the jinn could take out solitary people until someone made the group wish. Then, with the help of Sloth, they could take them all down at once.”

  Everyone in the cave remained mute as they digested her words.

  “What if we find whoever made the group wish, would there be some way to stop it if we brought them out of the Abyss?” Erin finally asked.

  “Unfortunately, no, and that wisher may already be dead,” Amalia said. “Mara said she wished for something, and if she was the group wisher, she’s already gone. If she’s not, then it still makes no difference.”

  “Then what do we do to stop it?” Corson snarled.

  “Don’t talk to her like that,” I warned him.

  Corson glowered at me while he cradled Wren closer. Then, some of his anger eased, and he took a deep breath. “I realize you didn’t do this and you’re trying to help,” he said to Amalia, “but you have to understand—”

  “I do,” Amalia interrupted. “I can feel the sorrow and terror of everyone here, but yours is so raw and so…” Her voice broke off as she wiped away the tear streaking her cheek. “I understand.”

  Erin rose and started pacing while she spoke. “Okay, so there is no easy fix. Is there anything we can do? Can you bring more of us into the Abyss with you? Would that help?”

  “I…” Amalia held her hands before her as she gazed helplessly at them. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We barely got away from the jinn when they found us, and having more in there would make that more difficult.”

  “They know you’re in there?” Lix inquired.

  “Yes.”

  “I used the cloaking illusion to avoid them; I’m still a little drained from it,” I said and told them about our encounter with the jinn.

  “What if I go in there?” Raphael inquired when I finished speaking. “If I draw on the life in there, I may be able to bring the place down.”

  “You would intervene to save the lives of others?” Caim inquired, a sardonic smile curving his lips.

  Raphael’s violet eyes were chips of ice when they flicked toward Caim. Hostility simmered between the angels as Caim’s grin widened.

  “If they are still alive, I’m not intervening; I’m merely freeing them from a trap,” Raphael replied.

  “That’s splitting hairs, brother, and you know it. Is Earth already having an impact on you? I cautioned you it would. Is it making you more humane, or perhaps feeding on the wraiths is already starting to turn you from your angelic nature?”

  Raphael’s shoulders became rigid. “Nothing is turning me from anything,” he replied crisply. “I would not be healing anyone.”

  “But you could be interfering in their natural course.”

  “Enough,” I interjected. “We have far too much going on without adding your childish bickering to it.”

  Both angels gave me an irritated look but remained quiet.

  “Besides, I don’t think bringing the whole place down is a good idea,” I continued. “It may kill everyone in there.”

  “Let’s not do that then,” Erin said and glanced worriedly at where Vargas and Hawk remained immobile against the wall.

  “Could we all go in and kill the jinn?” Caim inquired.

  “No!” Amalia cried. “I won’t allow that! I don’t agree with what they’ve done, but I will not allow you to harm my family and friends!”

  “Weren’t they going to kill you?” Lix demanded.

  “They’re not happy with me, and my unshi Olgon is furious about what I’ve done, but they won’t hurt me.”

  They all stared skeptically at her.

  “It’s true,” I said. “I saw and heard the jinn when they were unaware we were there. The jinn may be ruthless when it comes to everyone outside of them, but they do love their own.”

  I didn’t include her uncle in that assessment; he would kill her if she got in his way. I suspected Amalia knew this but was
still holding out hope his love for her would win out and he would let go of the anger ruling him.

  “Really?” Corson asked doubtfully.

  “I didn’t believe it either, but yes, they care for each other,” I said.

  “So where does that leave us?” Erin asked.

  “I might have an idea,” Amalia said. “I’m not sure it will work or if they’ll help us, but I may be able to get the Faulted to intervene. There might be something they can do to help.”

  “And how do we do that?” Corson asked.

  “I know where they live. I’ll go to them.”

  • • •

  Magnus

  I stood at the edge of the grove of calamuts, stunned to discover the Faulted jinn had made their home amid the towering trees growing from the ruined remains of an area devastated by bombs. A couple of months ago, we’d come across another grove of calamuts on Earth, but we’d traveled too far since then for this to be the same one.

  The calamuts originated in Hell, but they’d found their way to Earth and were spreading throughout the land. Twice the size of the tallest Earth trees when full grown, these babies were only a few hundred feet tall, but I didn’t doubt they’d easily kill any threat walking beneath them.

  The Faulted were less of a danger than I’d realized if the calamuts allowed them to live here. The calamuts didn’t tolerate violence beneath their boughs, and if the Faulted resided in this forest, then the calamuts would protect them.

  The black leaves shone in the sun filtering through them, turning them a more purple color as we strolled beneath the sweeping canopies of the calamuts’ branches. Unlike the Earth trees in this area, which were barren in February, the calamuts retained their leaves, and small balls of growing prury fruit hung from the limbs of the more mature calamuts.

  Broken bits of homes rose from in between the thick trunks, and a towering chimney nearly touched the bottom branch of a baby calamut. Scorched land crunched beneath my feet as did the shattered remains of some of the things humans once cherished.

  Amalia bent and lifted something from the ground. Wiping away the soot coating it, she revealed the broken face of a child’s doll. One blue eye stared out at us, but a chunk of the cheek beneath it was gone and the body was half rotted away.

  “What is this?” she asked.

  “A doll,” I replied. “Human children play with them.”

  The look on her face said she didn’t understand why. When a roach skittered out of the doll’s rounded lips, she released the toy, wiped her hands on her dirty dress, and continued walking.

  “When did the Faulted move here?” I inquired.

  “A month ago,” she replied. “They stayed in a few other places before this one, but I think they’ll stay here.”

  “Corson and Wren encountered some jinn who lived in part of the ouroboro’s den.”

  “Some of the jinn used that as a place to, ah… play, but they didn’t reside there.”

  “Were you with them?”

  “I was probably nearby, but I didn’t join in the fun. No one ever mentioned running into two demons down there though.”

  “Wren was human at the time, and they slipped away before the jinn realized they were there.”

  “Wren was once a human?”

  “Yes.” I explained Wren’s transformation to her while we snaked through the trees.

  When I finished, she remained silent for a few minutes before replying, “I will save her.”

  “Amalia—”

  “We’re almost there,” she interrupted, and the distant sound of laughter drifted to me.

  CHAPTER 23

  Amalia

  The laughter died when the Faulted spotted Magnus and me standing amid the calamuts. Then, Rislen rose, and stepping away from the fire they were gathered around, she glided toward me. Her feet didn’t seem to touch the ground as she moved, but a small crunch of debris accompanied her steps.

  “Amalia,” she greeted and clasped my hands.

  A radiant smile lit her beautiful face, and her black eyes sparkled. Pulled back into numerous small braids, her black hair intertwined into a single braid that hung to her ankles. At eighteen thousand nine hundred fifty, Rislen was the eldest Faulted jinn and the one in charge of them. Her aura of love warmed me as she squeezed my hands.

  Because the Faulted were also empaths, their ability deflected mine a little, but I was still able to pick up on some of their emotions. Rislen once told me this was because my empath ability was stronger than average, even though I wasn’t immortal yet. The Faulted were all confused about my arrival here with a demon, but they were also as happy to see me as I was them.

  When Rislen released my hands and opened her arms, I stepped into them. “Rislen,” I murmured.

  “Easy,” she soothed as she ran her hands over my hair and down my back. “Tell me what is going on.”

  Reluctantly, I released her and glanced at Magnus. Rislen followed my eyes, and I felt her uneasiness. “Why have your brought a demon here?” she inquired.

  “I have much to tell you,” I said.

  She reclaimed one of my hands and drew me toward the fire, but her eyes remained on Magnus.

  The other Faulted rose, and I made my way around the circle to embrace them all. Magnus’s eyes held a steely gleam as he surveyed the Faulted while he followed me. He exuded displeasure when I hugged the male Faulted.

  When I released the last Faulted, he clasped my elbow and gave each of the three men a look that caused them to shift uneasily. I frowned at Magnus, a bit surprised by his possessive hold. Yes, we’d skirted around sex, and he’d declared he would have me, but I’d never seen a non-Chosen demon act possessively of another before.

  Then I realized that, if he hugged Rislen or any of the other women here, I wouldn’t like that either. In fact, the idea made my blood boil a little. I didn’t have time to think about my reaction as I sat beside the fire. The flickering flames warmed my face and warded off the growing chill in the air.

  “Won’t you sit?” Rislen asked Magnus when he stood beside me.

  “I’d rather stand,” he replied.

  “The trees won’t tolerate any fighting here,” she said.

  The leaves of the calamuts rustled as if in agreement and turned over though no breeze stirred the air. Magnus glanced at the calamuts before looking at Rislen again.

  “I understand; I’ve seen what they can do,” he said.

  Rislen focused on me. “Now, what has brought you and this demon here?”

  The story poured out of me in a torrent of words and emotion. I struggled not to cry when I spoke about everything we’d witnessed, but I couldn’t stop the tears from spilling as I recalled Corson’s woe and Lix’s desolation.

  Rislen rested her hand on my knee. “You are still so young,” she murmured as she patted my knee. “You are not as in control of your ability, or as capable of blocking what can be the overwhelming emotions of others. You will get there, and we will help you learn how.”

  “I don’t doubt that,” I told her. “But I’m not here to learn how to control my ability better.”

  Rislen’s hand stilled on my knee, and a ripple of unease went through the Faulted surrounding me. “Then why have you come?” she asked and glanced at Magnus.

  “I’ve come to ask for your help in the Abyss. Can you aid us in freeing the rest of the innocents trapped there?” I inquired.

  “No.”

  Never before had I seen Rislen icy or distant, but she became both in an instant as she removed her hand from my knee and settled it in her lap.

  “Rislen—”

  “No, Amalia. We do not condone what our brethren do, and we will have no part of it, but we will not go against the other jinn, and we will not interfere in what they do. We do not stand with our kind in this, but we do not stand against them either.”

  “But it’s not standing against them!” I cried, and Magnus rested his hand on my shoulder. The touch helped to calm my rising pa
nic. “It’s not, Rislen. It’s helping those who need our help.”

  “It’s helping those who kept us locked away,” Aral stated.

  “They didn’t put you there,” I said. “And there are humans involved in this. They had nothing to do with Hell.”

  Aral’s blue eyes were intense when they met mine. The yellow freckles spattering his nose and cheeks matched his hair. “They didn’t let us out either, and those humans willingly participate in this war.”

  “Can you blame them?” I demanded, and Magnus squeezed my shoulder again. “Look at what we have done since coming to Earth!”

  “Not all of us,” Rislen said.

  “No, not all of us, but you condone the actions of the others.”

  Rislen’s calm façade slipped a little. “We do not condone what they do.”

  “By doing nothing, you’re allowing them to wreak havoc on this plane and its residents. They’ve joined with Astaroth, demons, and the horsemen who want nothing more than to rule Earth. Do you think any of them will be okay with you sitting on the sidelines throughout it all?” I demanded.

  “The jinn will not allow anything to happen to us,” Aral stated.

  “So you believe Astaroth and the angels will allow the jinn or any demon to survive if they eliminate the palitons?” Magnus inquired.

  Rislen glanced at him before focusing on a tree over his shoulder. “We will not go against our kind.”

  “Rislen, please,” I breathed.

  “I’d advise you to take the same course of action, Amalia. We all helped to raise you, and we all love you. If you do nothing to harm the jinn, you will be forgiven for trying to interfere, but if one of them dies because of this, you won’t have a home amongst any of us.”

  My breath sucked in, and I would have recoiled if Magnus’s hand hadn’t kept me in place.

  “I think it’s time for you to go now, unless you intend to give up this traitorous quest and reside with us,” Rislen finished.

  “Many will die if we don’t help.”