The Twisted Gate

by Matt Glicksman

  "Hello there," Millan said.

  The iymed sat against the wall in silence.

  "My name is Don Millan. What's yours?" The young priest glanced over at the guards. Engaged in their own conversation, they weren't paying him any attention. Millan sighed. What was he doing? He had never interrogated a demon before. This was a waste of time. He should be outside helping to cleanse the demon lord. Millan turned to leave.

  "Og tanod tjjev," the demon said softly.

  Millan came back to the bars. "You have a name?"

  "Sonojj."

  "My name is—"

  "I heard you the first time," the demon interrupted. "And when you introduced yourself to the other priests. And when you caught us by the oak last night."

  "You remember me then?"

  Sonojj snorted. "Your voice, your stench. I knew it was you from the moment you stepped in here."

  "So, what were you and your friend doing by the tree?"

  "Why do you ask?"

  "Because I need to know. You infiltrated the city and made it all the way to the center. If it wasn't for me, you probably would've escaped."

  Sonojj held up his forearms. "I would applaud your achievement, but—"

  The Nesinu priest was unamused by the display. "Why were you in the city? Nothing is out of place. No one was attacked besides me. Why were you there?"

  "No reason."

  "No. You knew the risks would be high. There's no way you would've waltzed into the city without some plan, some objective, some purpose."

  Sonojj moaned. "That may have been true, but it doesn't matter now. You stopped us. Quest failed."

  "You're lying."

  "Maybe. What does it matter?"

  Millan gripped the enchanted bars. "If you truly failed, then what's the harm in telling us your plan? What would you have gained if I hadn't interrupted you?"

  "My freedom. My hands."

  The Nesinu priest pushed away from the bars. "You're just wasting my time. Why did you call me back if you're not willing to talk?"

  "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I want to talk about something else?"

  "Like what?"

  "I hear a lot of commotion outside. When you came in, one of the guards mentioned a cleansing ritual. Tell me who you've captured."

  "You're in no position to make demands," Millan said.

  Sonojj carefully slid up the wall. He staggered toward the cell door, taking his time with each step. The Nesinu priest winced at the sight of the demon standing in the light of the bars. The previous night, he had only seen the cat form up close. Sonojj's humanoid form was grotesque with unsightly scars that crisscrossed his face. Tufts of hair circled his head, but left the top a bald island.

  "Let's make a deal, shall we?" Sonojj proposed.

  "What type of deal?"

  "An exchange of information. Tell me what I want to know, and then I'll tell you what you want to know."

  The priest contemplated the terms. Revealing any details about the day's events to the prisoner didn't appear to have any foreseeable consequence. "How can I trust that you'll hold up your end of the deal?"

  "Did you want to shake on it?" The demon outstretched his arm.

  "Ask your questions and be quick about it. Then you'll answer mine."

  "Agreed. Who did you capture and bring back to the city?"

  "The demon lord, Erynion."

  "Only him?" Sonojj asked.

  "Yes."

  "And you're sure it's him?"

  Millan paused. He had never considered the possibility of a decoy. "You tell me. Tall with long white hair. Four scars that run down the right side of his face. He'd pass as human if it weren't for the Devil's Eye."

  The demon grunted. "I told him to tear it out. Have you discovered his identity?"

  "Yes, the Prima knows. The cleansing will be completed tonight."

  "Even so, I doubt there'll be enough time."

  "Enough time for what?"

  Sonojj appeared to ignore his question. "But that's why you brought him back into the city, isn't it? How fortunate."

  "Fortunate?" Millan was having a difficult time following the ramblings of the iymed.

  A smile crept across the demon's face. "Of course. They'll come to rescue him, and that means I'll be rescued as well."

  "Is that so?"

  The smile receded. "But you're pulling my tail now, aren't you? This is a trick to get me to talk."

  Millan threw his hands into the air. "What trick? You wanted to make a deal. I've told you what you want to know, and now it's time for you to hold up your end of the bargain."

  "I don't believe it."

  "I don't care what you believe. The facts are that Erynion, your demon lord, is at this very moment restrained outside this building. Prima Mashira will soon begin the ritual to cleanse him. And when the sun rises in the morning, this nightmare will be over."

  Drawn by Millan's outburst, the prison guards gradually made their way to the prisoner's cell.

  "I've been in the company of liars for a long time," Sonojj said. "I'd bet you haven't told a single lie your entire life."

  "I was not raised to be deceptive like demons," Millan calmly answered.

  "Indeed. So, it's all true then."

  "Of course it's true. Why would you be happy about that?"

  Sonojj's laugh was barely audible. "You really fangled this up."

  "Me?" Millan said, as the two priest guards joined him.

  "All of you. Candelux. Humans. Dardan fools, the lot of you. I suppose it's not entirely your fault. A bit of bad luck. There's no way you could've known."

  One of the guards nudged Millan. "What's he going on about?"

  "Our deal," the demon explained. "I'm holding up my end of it."

  Millan jumped at the opportunity. "What were you and your friend doing last night?"

  "We were planting gate seeds in the middle of your city."

  "He's lying," one of the guards blurted out. "The Blessing of Sacred Ground was active last night for the Seductress's attack. The seeds would've been detected, if not completely destroyed."

  Millan considered the guard's statement before forming his next question. "Are you saying that when I found you two by the royal oak, you had already planted the seeds?"

  "That's correct."

  "Ridiculous," the other guard said dismissively. "He's a demon. He lies."

  "For what reason?" Millan asked.

  "It's obvious," the first guard chimed in. "He wants us distracted, searching the royal oak for gate seeds, so the demon lord can escape."

  "Not that demons need a reason to lie," the second guard said. "It's in their nature."

  "Exactly. Come on. Go enjoy the cleansing. Leave him be. He only has a few more hours left on the Surface anyway."

  "Sounds like your friends have me all figured out. What about you?" the demon asked.

  Millan didn't budge. A pit sat inside his stomach. He ran the conversation again through his mind. Everything the demon had said made sense to a point. If Erynion was captured, Verago would want to free him, but he'd need an army to do that. The only way that could happen would be using a twisted gate, and it would already have to be within the walls. The prisoner was clearly pleased at the prospect of being rescued, but there was still the missing piece.

  "How is it possible?" Millan asked.

  The iymed feigned innocence. "Why, whatever do you mean?"

  "How is it possible we weren't able to detect them?"

  "Water has an interesting effect on energy, doesn't it? Masking auras, dampening blessings."

  "You'd still have to bury the seeds in the Surface," the guard blurted out. "And like I said before, the sacred ground would've destroyed them."

  Sonojj turned his ear in the guard's direction. "And what if they weren't planted in the Surface?"

  "What? Under the water? The riverbed is part of the Surface and is equally protected. Are we done here?"

  "I don't know. Are we? The spring goe
s down quite deep, doesn't it? A little too close to the Depths, perhaps?"

  The guards were silent as Millan grasped at the final piece of the puzzle. It was true the Blessing of Sacred Ground was only effective for a small distance below the ground. To cover an area the size of Royal Oak, it would take an unimaginable amount of energy to extend the spell so deep. "You planted the seeds at the bottom of the spring."

  "That's right," the demon said.

  The other guard scoffed. "Impossible. The current of the spring is too strong to swim down, even for a demon."

  "And it would take a lot of holy energy to extend the blessing down that far," the first guard said. "I told you he's just trying to distract us. To have the Prima use her energy elsewhere, so they can save the demon lord."

  Millan pushed aside the reasoning of the guards. "How did you get to the bottom of the spring?"

  Sonojj stretched his arms and yawned. "You know, I believe I've held up my end of the deal, and then some. What you do with the information is your decision, not that any action can save you at this point."

  The iymed walked back into the shadows and gingerly lowered himself to the floor. Millan wanted to believe the guards. It would put him at considerable ease to know the shape-shifting demon was lying all along. But the final missing detail of the story pestered him. The Nesinu priest grasped the prison bars. "How did you get to the bottom of the spring?"

  The demon silently rested his head against the wall.

  One of the guards patted Millan on the shoulder. "Let it go. It was all a lie."

  "Yeah," the other guard said as they escorted the young priest back to the entrance. "You really should ignore him. Never trust a demon."

  "Go enjoy the cleansing. And the celebration afterward."

  "Ha, yeah, I'll definitely be there later."

  "Me too. I could use a drink."

  The Nesinu priest stopped in his tracks. "The anvil."

  Millan suddenly realized Lem, the bar patron from the night before, was the key. His ridiculous claim and reenactment of a demon hobbling through the city made sense of everything. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place.

  "What did you say?" one of the guards asked.

  Millan's eyes widened. "Angels help us. It's all true. They used the anvil!"

  "What anvil? What are you talking about?"

  "Last night—one of the bar patrons—out of my way!" Millan shoved his fellow priest aside. He flung open the prison entrance and raced up the stairs. Sprinting through the empty rooms of the rectory, he hurdled over pieces of furniture, barely clearing them. Adrenaline coursed through his body, pushing him to move faster and faster. He nearly slammed into the front door, pressing the handle just in time to open it.

  Back outside, most of the guild had the demon lord surrounded. As Millan entered the courtyard, the ground trembled lightly. The young priest stumbled but quickly regained his balance. He pushed his way through the crowd. "Let me through! I need to speak to the Prima! Let me through!"

  Brown robe or black robe made little difference to him. He shoved them aside all the same. There was only one color he sought, and he caught glimpses of it through the crowd. When he reached the inner edge of the circle, the ground shook violently, and Millan tumbled forward at the feet of his leader.

  Mashira bent to help him up. "Don Millan?"

  The priest locked eyes with her. "There's a twisted gate in the royal oak!"

  Chapter 27

  The Royal Twisted Gate

  For hundreds of years, the royal oak towered majestically over the city named after it. It had seen kings rise and fall, the throne change lineage. It was already a symbol of the city when Verago betrayed humanity, using the Amulet of Yezda to become the creator and master of all demons. Residents and visitors alike would come and stare in awe at the glory of this powerful tree. Each ring within the trunk held a crucial memory, and tonight would've marked the greatest of all, the cleansing of a demon lord. But the next time the sun illuminated the city, those memories would all be gone.

  The night had started out peculiar enough. Citizens flocked to one side of the city, keeping a safe distance from the rectory. There was some excitement as rumors spread regarding the precautionary measure. But other than that, there was no sign of distress in the air, not even a small breeze to shake the leaves on its splendid branches. The center of the city, where the tree had grown for centuries, was quiet and empty. Deep beneath the ground, a rumbling disturbed the peaceful night, followed by a small quake. Though it had no effect on the royal oak, the tremor would have caused some alarm had there been anyone in the main square. As the shaking grew more severe, dark vines emerged from beneath the tree, burrowing their way into the massive trunk.

  They started out small, rising in a spiral fashion, but grew thicker and thicker as they made their way to the crown of the royal oak. The bark on the symbolic tree cracked and splintered as the vines expanded the trunk outward. Large branches snapped, and while some fell outside the retaining wall, others plunged into the spring and were taken downstream. Fighting to maintain its structure, the tree groaned, but it was helpless to stop the attack. As the vines emerged from the crown, the mighty oak fractured into three pieces and collapsed. Centuries of growth and prosperity had been destroyed in a matter of minutes. In its place now stood the dark and ominous twisted gate.

  At the rectory, the priests fought to keep their balance. Some of those restraining the demon lord had released their blessings, however, Omana's binding never wavered. When the earth ceased trembling, there was a moment of serenity before chaos broke loose. In the distance, the watchtower bells rang out across the city.

  Prima Mashira barked out commands at those around her. "Get those restraints back up! You! Get inside and tell them to get the ground glowing! Archdon Vikard, take some priests and get the Blessing of Marked Defense up around the city. Focus mainly on the areas around the center. Archdon Westan, you and your group stay here and protect these priests. Archdon Omana, whatever happens, keep him bound. Angels help us if he gets free in the city. Everyone else, get to the royal oak!"

  Millan felt the excitement and terror mix within his mind as the majority of the crowd headed south away from the rectory. The small battle he'd fought at Nolka was invigorating, but this would be different, much larger. Interestingly, though, it was not the thought of hordes of demons bursting from a twisted gate that made his heart throb with worry, but rather the one demon they were leaving behind. A couple of minutes into the run, the ground began to glow. Millan occasionally checked over his shoulder to see if the Prima was still close by. Although he had walked through Royal Oak the previous day, he hadn't realized just how large the city was until this moment. As the massive twisted gate came into view, his hometown popped into his head. It was going to be a lot harder to destroy this one. A loud roar emanated from the vines, not from the voice of a single beast, but the cumulative rage of demons as they poured out of the gate. Millan wanted desperately to pick up the pace, but he knew he needed to save his energy for the battle.

  The Nesinu priest noticed the Candelux symbol light up on the buildings that lined the street, indicating the Blessing of Marked Defense was activated. He was close to joining the fight. The light beneath his feet intensified as the Blessing of Sacred Ground was brought to full ritual. Its warmth had a calming effect on the young priest, but he suspected the fray demons would find it a far more painful experience. Millan finally made it to the large area, which held the once symbolic royal oak at its core. The paladins and watchers had already engaged the enemy.

  An archdon called out instructions, "Forget the cleanse! Chain them for the soldiers!"

  Two major rifts in the twisted gate had allowed the first wave of demons to flood into the city. Based on their size and behavior, Millan deduced that these were mostly fray demons. The creatures did their best to avoid the enchanted ground and vaulted toward the humans. By the time the priests joined the fight, the soldiers had the twist
ed vines mostly surrounded. Millan and other dons began casting the chains of light. The Nesinu priest roped a funny-looking demon with shredded ears, and the closest paladin put a sword through its chest. The vines of the unholy tree ruptured as a third hole tore open. The demons flowed freely from the new exit and scampered along the unprotected path. Some of the fiends skipped along the dirt, burning their feet, while others managed to move unscathed, using the fragmented remains of the oak tree to stay off the ground. Millan circled around the gate with a group of fighters toward the new opening, but some of the demons were already out of their reach.

  "Don't chase! Stay with the gate!" someone shouted.

  Millan cursed under his breath. It seemed a group of fray would soon be loose in the city, but then a hail of arrows descended on the demons. The scorchers had joined the fight just in time. The impaled demons shrieked as they were pinned to the Surface and seared by the blessing. Those that weren't struck retreated toward the twisted gate into the waiting blades of the paladins and watchers. Things were looking up for the humans.

  Millan's head swiveled back to the unholy tree as a second wave of demons bellowed in unison. The openings in the twisted gate expanded as what appeared to be greater fray and lesser iymed emerged from the tree. It was easy for Millan to spot the difference. The greater fray, large brutish demons, charged into battle, swinging wildly and trying to inflict as much damage as possible with little regard for themselves. The lesser iymed, on the other hand, surveyed the battleground and strategically engaged their foes.

  Millan squared off against an iymed with a small mohawk. The creature wore an open vest, and a metal chain of dark energy snaked up his arm. His size reminded the young priest of the jester demon he'd fought the night before.

  "Blessing of Divine Restraint." Millan thrust his hands forward, and the chains of light flew at the demon. The iymed copied the gesture, and his unholy links hurtled at the priest. The enchanted metal intertwined midair, and each side heaved to pull the other off balance. Amid the tug-of-war, Millan glanced at the unholy tree. As the demons continuously emerged from the gate, their numbers rose at an alarming rate.