by Leo Romero
I felt my face scrunch up in anger. “Frog—” I shouted, but was stopped mid-sentence as massive, rough hands grabbed my shoulders and hoisted me up off my feet like I was a doll.
My eyes widened. “Whoa!” I shouted as the air rushed past me. In a flash, I was face to face with a centant. Its mandibles opened and closed on the air, a series of grating clicks emanating from beyond. Its insectoid eyes studied me with as much empathy as a shark. It flipped me up and grabbed my right calf in one hand and my left forearm in the other. It rose up on its hind legs, raising me in the air like a trophy. I bobbed up and down like I was riding on an inflatable bed in a pool, the whole room coming into view, a vast landscape of buzzing paranormal lunacy. It was taking crowd-surfing to a whole new level.
My mind reeled with terror and uncertainty as the world flashed by. Before I had a chance to even begin to struggle against the vise-like clutch, pain gripped my midsection. My teeth clamped together as my abdomen stretched tight. The centant was pulling me in two directions and I was helpless. I groaned in agony as my innards were being split in two. Now I knew what it felt like to be put on a rack!
If I make it outta this, I’ll be seven feet tall!
Pain rocketed in my mind. The centant pulled harder and I thrashed and flailed on the air in response. My reaction was instinct. I focused as much light magic as I could into my free hand until it buzzed like electricity. The centant yanked harder, its ticks and clicks intensifying. Stretching agony tore across my abdomen. With a mind hazed by pain, I threw a desperate hand up and out toward the centant’s face. A blinding flash of light exploded out of my palm, and right into the centant’s eyes. They absorbed all of the light, the intense shock causing the centant to let me go and throw its hands up to its tender eyes. I fell for what felt like an age, my stomach shooting upward as I went down. My side smashed into the stage, pain jolting across my whole body, my breath momentarily stolen. I let out a groan as my eyes tried to refocus as fast as possible. Through bleary vision, I watched the centant go into a craze. With its hands still up to its eyes, it got up on its hind legs and slammed its font legs down on the stage as hard as it could. It repeated the movement over and over, each time drawing closer toward its intended target. Me.
My eyes bulged as the bottom of its hooves dominated my view. Holy moly. Panic sobered me and I rolled away. Those hooves smashed down onto the stage behind me, the reverb shaking me. I snatched a relieved breath, but I had no time to waste. The centant had already raised its hooves again to bring down on me. I jumped to my feet and leaped away like a toad hopping from a lily pad. The centant missed again but immediately swung its horse flank around. The dumb idiot smashed into the other centant, knocking it off the stage. It fell right onto bunch of paranormals, crushing them to death. The blinded centant carried on kicking and hopping, its arms outstretched. All the while, it neared the edge of the stage. It teetered and fell off, joining its buddy. In the next instant, the freaks were all over it, stomping on its head and body. The centant kicked out its horse legs in blind fury, catching some of the assailants, sending them sprawling.
Now that the centants were off the stage, the paranormals seized the opportunity and raided it. I backed up against the hordes, right as a yell from behind made me spin.
I took everything in, my heart beating like a bass drum. Zane was still grappling with Jharek. I growled to myself. I’d taken out a bunch of monsters and a centant, and this pussy was still grappling with a skinny-ass elf. Behind him, Von Blatt was frantically trying to unlock Pegasus’ cage. Pegasus was kicking on the air in excitement at his imminent release, but Von Blatt’s rubbery claws were making it a difficult task.
I rotated this way and that. Where was Aurora? Was she still here? She had to be.
I went to call her when a loud thump behind me made me spin. One of the centants had risen to its feet and was swinging its massive arms like pendulums, clearing the way of paranormals attacking it. When it was free of their burden, it leaped up onto the stage and rose up on its hind legs, its jaws open wide in a soundless scream. It landed back on all four legs and charged, its hooves clopping across the stage, the sound reverberating in my mind like the drums of war. The freaks that had already dragged themselves up onto the stage joined it on its stampede. And they were all heading my way.
Panic tore through me. “Aurora!” I blurted out loud, my only hope. “Let ’em have it!”
The centant’s charging hooves shook the stage beneath my feet. The freaks ate up the distance and my heart lurched. A siren blast exploded out of nowhere, the hellish din drowning the cacophony of noise like a rat caught in a whirlpool. Centants were sent sprawling, monsters were whisked up into the air to join the already airborne creatures who were sent on their way like they’d been caught in a tornado. The noise smashed against everything in the room, causing it to literally shake. She didn’t let up. I grabbed hold of my ears, the noise invading my mind like a military coup. My face was contorted in pain, but it was all good. Aurora was taking care of things. The further away those centants were from us the better.
When they were all blown back, she came to an abrupt halt, remnants of that noise still trembling through the room. I let go of my ringing ears and checked the place out. Bodies were sprawled all over the floor amongst overturned chairs like an earthquake had just struck. In a way it had. I nodded to myself. Nice work, A.
A noise made me turn around. Zane was still grappling with Jharek. I rolled my eyes. Amateurs. I marched over there.
“I’ll get you, you cheat!” Zane sneered. But in reality, he wasn’t getting anyone. I grabbed his shoulder and peeled him off Jharek. Without hesitation, I sent Jharek a right hook. His jaw caught it full on. Jharek’s eyes rolled up and he hit the deck and stayed there, KO’d.
I gave his prone body a firm nod. “See, that’s how you do it,” I said to Zane over my shoulder.
Zane straightened his jacket. “Another second and he would’ve been down.”
Yeah right.
A clang of metal caught my attention. Von Blatt had finally removed the padlock off Pegasus’ cage and opened the door. He hurried Pegasus out, all the while taking paranoid glances around him. Pegasus trotted out of the cage, his eyes lighting up. Frogface didn’t waste a second mounting him. He kicked a today foot on his side and Pegasus’wings splayed far and wide.
“No you don’t!” I shouted and dashed over to horse and frog. Pegasus was about to take off when I managed to grab hold of Von Blatt’s cloak at the last second. I yanked hard, throttling Von Blatt, causing his prosthetic tongue to pop out of his mouth. He subsequently pulled on Pegasus’ reins, making Pegasus rise on his hind legs until he was almost upright. I tugged harder and Von Blatt unglued from Pegasus like a sheet of Velcro, falling down toward me. I stepped back, allowing him to crash on the hard floor where his butt jarred. He let out a croak of pain.
I snatched a deep breath and took a running jump toward Pegasus. I managed to land on his back, and the moment I did, Pegasus’ power tremored through me, a magnetic aura that glued me to his back. That way I wouldn’t fall off once we were airborne. I nodded to myself. He really was a majestic beast, a godly creature a cut above his peers. He let out a loud neigh and I patted him on the side of his muscular neck. “It’s all right, boy,” I told him. “You’re safe now.”
He rose up on his hind legs and I held on tight. He kicked the air in triumph with his front legs and fell back down on all four. I let out a laugh. “Freedom feels good, huh?”
Behind us, Von Blatt recovered from his blow and was on his feet. “He’s mine!” he exclaimed.
Both Pegasus and I turned our heads back to look at him. He was busy tugging at Pegasus’ tail. “Give him back!”
Pegasus let out a growl and kicked his hind legs back, catching Von Blatt full on in the chest. Von Blatt let out an ugh! and was thrown across the stage like a beach ball, crashing into the baize table. It collapsed under his weight.
I laughed. “Full house!” I said and t
urned my attention back to Zane. I cocked a thumb over my shoulder. “Get on!”
Zane dashed over and looked up. “I’ve never been on a horse before.”
“You think I have?” I replied. “Just get on!” I reached back and grabbed his upper arm, giving him a lift up. The idiot ended up going on backward. I shook my head.
Now we needed to get out of there. My attention turned to the rest of the room. The paranormals were recovering from the siren blast. They were pissed and heading our way. Leading the charge were the two centants, their mandibles snapping.
Near the front of the stage, Aurora was slowly fading back into view. Maybe her siren blast did something to negate the effects of the potion. I don’t know. Whatever the reason, we needed her help.
“Aurora, get us outta here!” I shouted. “Now!”
Aurora began opening up a portal. The freaks were closing in on the stage. Pegasus let out a concerned neigh.
Aurora opened the portal and then shut it down. “Wrong!” she said and tried again. She growled in frustration as she closed the latest one.
“Aurora!” I said in concern as a centant leaped up onto the stage.
“I can’t get it right!”
“Aurora, just get us outta here!”
With a scream, she threw open a portal. Where it led to, who knew? Right then I didn’t care, I just wanted to get out of there.
“Come on!” Aurora yelled and hopped through the portal.
“Go, Peggsy!” I shouted. Pegasus lowered his head and powered toward the portal, his strong legs pumping.
The centant lowered its head and went into a gallop, leg muscles rippling. It was looking to cut us off, stop us from getting to the portal.
I gritted my teeth. Now it was a straight up horse race.
“Mr. Stone!” Zane shouted in terror.
I released a yell. Pegasus lowered his head and pumped his legs harder, his hooves smashing against the stage in a frenzied staccato. Wind rushed past me as the world flashed by. I caught a glimpse of the centant heading right for us. Up ahead was the portal, tantalizingly close. The centant cut across our path and threw out its huge arms. Pegasus leaped into the air and splayed his wings. They flapped a couple of times, keeping us in the air long enough for the centant’s momentum to take it out of harm’s reach as it grabbed nothing but air. It galloped along the stage below us. I watched it go with a smile on my face.
Pegasus landed back on the stage and without breaking stride, slammed into the awaiting portal.
Chapter 10
We thundered through the portal to wherever it led us, wind whistling by. Aurora was standing there, waiting eagerly for us. She jumped out of the way as Pegasus galloped along, hitting the deck. I whipped my head back to see her sprawled on the ground. “Aurora!” Zane and I shouted simultaneously.
I pulled up Pegasus’ reins. “Whoa, boy!”
Pegasus came to a screeching halt. I turned us around, my eager eyes looking for Aurora.
Relief bombed inside me once I saw her on her haunches, frantically closing up the portal. She managed to get it zipped up once again and everything was dumped into an eerie calm.
I slumped down on Pegasus’ back. “Everyone okay?”
“Peachy,” uttered Zane, prostrate across Pegasus’ hind. Pegasus threw his tail up, getting it in Zane’s face. Zane coughed and shook his head. “Hey, that tickles!”
“You okay, Aurora?” I asked.
She was on her butt, her hands outstretched behind her. “I think so. That was a close one.”
“Isn’t it always?” I replied and lifted my head to take in our surroundings. We were in a valley of dust. High mountains rose up to the inky Netherworld sky like jagged teeth. A milky river split the valley, ebbing slow and steady past us, thick like blood. A dense jungle of gnarly trees and knotted vines sprawled off to our right. Fear and trepidation swelled in my stomach. “Uh-oh,” I uttered.
“Where are we?” asked Zane.
“We’re on Monster Island,” I answered, dread filling my heart.
An inhuman cry cut across the air and my mind: a mix of crow, bat, and jackal with a bit of demon thrown in for good measure.
Zane gasped. “What was that?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Could be anything. Anything your mind can think up, that thing could be something worse.”
“You know you’ve got a great way of making people feel calm when under stress, Mr. Stone.”
“Can’t handle the heat, get outta the kitchen.”
That cry sounded out again, this time closer. Pegasus got on his hind legs and kicked out with his front, causing Zane to drop off and hit the dust with a yelp.
“Easy, boy!” I said, rubbing his neck to try and calm him. He got back on all four hooves and briskly shook his head.
Zane got up on his knees. “Aurora, get us out of here,” he said in a shaky voice.
Aurora began waving her hands in circles and cutting them across the air, but to no avail. She tried again. But nothing was happening. She stared dumbly down at her hands. “It’s not working.”
I shook my head. “No dimensional exits on Monster Island. Entrances, yeah, but no exits.”
Aurora crinkled her brow. “Why not?”
“’Cause you don’t want some of the stuff that lives here escaping.”
“How do we get out of here?” she asked.
“By boat. Anyone who comes to Monster Island comes with a trekker, someone who knows their way around, someone who could get you out if things went wrong. You never come here alone.”
“And now we’re here alone!” Zane said with a gulp.
That unspeakable cry went off again.
Zane took a shuddery breath. “Okay. No sweat. We’ll all get on Pegasus and he’ll fly us off the island! Thank God for Pegasus!” he said with a grin.
I shook my head.
Zane’s grin melted. He began shaking his head along with me. “No?”
“No,” I said, looking down at Pegasus. “I noticed it straight after we went through the portal. Pegasus stopped humming. Magic is nerfed here. He can’t fly.”
“But he’s got wings,” noted Zane.
“Very observant. You might also realize that generally, horses can’t fly. Birds and even dragons are designed for flight, not horses. Too dense and heavy. It’s the magic that gets him in the air, and then his wings give him the thrust he needs once he’s up there. The magic is his rocket fuel. Without it, the wings are useless.”
Zane rolled his eyes. “Great! So, how are we going to get out of here?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
Zane slapped his thighs. “Awesome!”
Aurora stepped up to me. “You’ve been here before, right?”
“Many times, but only with a trekker.
“Then you must recognize something.”
I looked around. I noticed a peak in the distance, jutting up from a cloud of Netherworld mist.
“That volcano up there in the distance must be Brimstone Mountain.”
“What are those things flying around it?” asked Zane, referencing the creatures circling its peak.
“Harpies.”
Zane gulped. “Nice.”
My mind began working. “If that’s Brimstone Mountain, this must be Scorpion Valley, which makes that the River of Molten Bones.” I pointed at the syrupy white river flowing next to us. “So over there somewhere is the Labyrinth of Hades, which is of course missing its Minotaur, Milos, since I bagged him.”
“You went into the labyrinth?” asked Zane.
“Yeah. Full of booby traps and all sorts of nasties it is too. Had my work cut out that day lemme tell you.” I turned in the opposite direction. “So, that way must be the Garden of Tranquility, which isn’t much of a garden nor is it tranquil. It’s an ancient cemetery populated by some of the angriest, most evilest specters you’d ever hope to meet.” I pointed east. “That way is the Sanctuary.”
“Well that soun
ds safe,” said Zane “Let’s go there.”
I shook my head.
Zane watched me. “No?”
“No,” I affirmed. “It’s a haven for drunken cyclops and fungus-addicted ogres.” I sighed. “Nope, we’re going to have to go through there.” I nodded toward the forest ahead of us. “The Forest of Death.”
Zane rubbed his head. “Could they have given it a better name?”
“Sure. They could have called it the Forest of Slaughter or the Forest of No Return or the Forest of Murder or the Forest of Butchery or the Forest of Getting Your Ass Handed To You or—”
Zane showed me his palm. “That’s enough, Mr. Stone. I get the idea.”
We all stared at the forest ahead of us. The darkness beyond the first row of trees and vines awaited. A mystery. A terrifying mystery.
“Is that really the only way out of here?” Aurora asked.
“Yep! Out the other side there’s a port where trekkers will let us hitch a ride on one of their boats. They’ll get us back to a part of the Netherworld where we can open a link back to Earth. All we have to do is make it through there alive.”
Something rustled inside the forest, followed by a gargled cry, and a twisted roar of anger and pleasure mixed together.
Zane grabbed his bald head with both hands. “Why oh why did I agree to come to this godforsaken place?”
“’Cause you wanted to score some points with Aurora.”
Zane’s back straightened. “Mr. Stone, I am a man of many talents. Losing my life is not one of them, and so it would be a poor choice for point scoring.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just get on Pegasus and let’s get moving. People are waiting for me.”
Zane and Aurora gave each other grave glances. “After you, m’lady,” Zane said, holding a hand toward Pegasus.
“Why thank you,” Aurora retorted as she came over. I helped her up and she mounted Pegasus.
“Room for one more,” I said and Zane hopped up, this time facing the right way. We all squeezed on his back and he took the weight like a champ.
I took a deep breath. “Here goes.” I got Pegasus moving and he trotted toward those ancient, gnarled trees and already I could see some of them were scarred with claw marks. Vines hung from branches like snakes, who knew, some of them probably were. Pegasus’ hooves vanished inside the ground mist gathered around the base of the trees as we entered the Forest of Death. The thicket of trees swallowed us whole and everything turned thick with cold mist and vegetation. It was almost suffocating, like we’d just entered a bubble. A musky aroma of death and decaying wood filled my nostrils and my nose twitched. I glanced back and I couldn’t see the entrance anymore, just those trees as if they’d moved across, trapping us in. Even though it was dark, lanterns had been hung on various branches, most probably put there by trekkers so they wouldn’t get totally lost if they found themselves foolish enough to have to pass through the forest.
