by Jana LaPelle
“I’m afraid to ask, demon boy,” I utter the words that no one else is willing to say aloud, “Tell us.”
“Thanatos, your brother from another mother,” Daxell jokes with a sly smirk, trying to break the tension.
“Very funny, laugh it up, demon boy. So Nyx was a busy deity when it came to propagating. I’m not laughing by the way.”
“Yes you are, your lips are twitching. You need to work on your poker face, honey cheeks.” Daxell grins back at me.
Grinning at his playful side, I continue, “Seriously, Daxell. Why do you think that Thanatos never went to sleep?” I ask looking around our little group. The firelight casting odd shadows here and there under the ever-present crimson sky.
“Because, princess, he became one of the four horsemen as told of in Revelations, in the Christian Bible.”
“Wait? The four horsemen? As in the foretelling of the end of the world?” My mind is reeling. Where is it that I’ve heard about the four horsemen. Did my parents make mention of them at one point?
Poppy is bouncing up and down and then takes flight in her agitation, before she announces, “The four horsemen were there Lillie. Don’t you remember? Our parents mentioned seeing them the one time -”
“After the battle that brought down Morríganna! That’s where I’ve heard talk of them, but how do you know that Thanatos is one of the horsemen?” I ask, confused as to how Daxell knows the identity of one of them.
“Because Thanatos is the only horseman that was identified in Revelations. I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come, I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth. Death is Thanatos and Hades is Tartarus, brother to Nyx. I believe that Thanatos may be able to answer some questions about our ancients because he never went to sleep.” Daxell lets us think about that for a few minutes. All is quiet except for the snapping and crackling of the fire in the fire pit.
“Well, if things weren’t bad enough, now we need to go huntin’ down these horsemen. Cause you know that if we find one, then we’ll more than likely find them all. So what we’re really talkin’ bout is the beginnin’ of the end of days?” Pipperton asks. He doesn’t seem particularly perturbed, but that’s Pip for you.
I swing my gaze over to Daxell and wait for his answer. He shakes his head, “Not necessarily, the Bible is not clear on the seven seals and when they are to be opened, although, it stands to reason that the first four seals have been open for a very long time. Conquest, war, famine, and death have been around forever. I think that the opening of the fifth seal will signify the beginning of the end of days.”
“I think you’re right. They were there when Mama and Da took The Morrígan out. They were just watching. Waiting.” I pause, “They’re waiting for the next seal to be opened, but I think we may be getting sidetracked here. The seals are important but I’m not sure that is what we should be focused on. Once we make it out of The Underworld, we need to talk with my parents, and The Dagda, we need more information. The horsemen, or Thanatos, can help us better understand what happened back then and possibly understand why some of the Primordials are awakening now. Until then … we need to get some sleep. We travel to the Lava Fields in the morning.”
The rest of the evening we discuss the lay of the land and determine how long it should take us to get to the Lava Fields, as well as the distance that we will have to travel over the fields which sounds more like an enormous fiery lake to get to the island we seek. An island that will be filled to overflowing with discarded and random lost items. Dragon balls and troll turds, how in the name of all that’s righteous are we going to find what we’re looking for, it sounds like we will be looking for a needle in a haystack.
As I snuggle into Daxell to get a few hours of sleep, I look over to see the face of a stone statue in the rubicund light of The Underworld. She’s exquisite. The look on her face is serene as she lays on her side, her hand beneath her cheek in her forever slumber. I can’t help but wonder who she was and if I knew her in another life. Not all of them look so peaceful, some look as though they were tormented and others look mournful in their sleep. The trees and the vegetation that has grown up around them a testament to the time that they have spent in this place, forever forgotten. Sighing, I close my eyes and drift into a fitful sleep as thoughts and disjointed images dance around in my mind, hauntingly disturbing.
“Sleep, honey cheeks, I’ve got you,” Daxell’s lilting baritone voice drifts into the recesses of my mind, soothing my fears and uncertainties, allowing me to succumb to slumber.
41
The Fiery Pits of Hell
(Lillie Joanna)
The Barren Lands were exactly that, not very memorable, and not much going on. There’s nothing but scorched, dry, and cracked earth for as far as we could see once we traveled more than an hour into the desolate lands, and beyond that was the Lava Fields. After only a couple of hours of travel by flight, the lava is within sight and the heat has become sweltering. The sky has taken on an orangey-red hue, which is actually refreshing for a change. The sky doesn’t seem so dark and dreary here, but hell’s fire and brimstone, the heat is stifling the closer we get to our destination.
In the distance, the lava lake glows an orange-yellow against the crimson skies, in some places the molten rock is more of a yellow, then again, in other areas the crust of the lava appears as an ashen black with crisscrossing cracks of an orangey-red. A blue-white lightning dances over a volcano on the horizon, which appears to be the source of all the lava. The plumes of smoke drift away on the breeze as lightning coalesces above the spewing mountain, the electrical storm is stunning. I can’t help but stop to watch the show as distant thunder rumbles over the land. From this point forward the plan is supposedly simple. We fly over this blistering hot molasses-like lake to get to this ridiculously stupid island. So … easy peasy … right? Except for the fact that the freakin’ fire demons seem to be engaged in an epic battle of some sort. Or? Are they just playing around? I don’t think so, for whatever reason they are riled up and going up against one another. The fiery demons are lobbing globs of molten rock in high arching throws at one another. Sprays of lava arching overhead backlit by the distant lightning remind me of a Jackson Pollock painting as I take in this most surreal scene.
Our group covertly landed on the steaming rocky terrain and wearily watch the fire demons engage in their skirmish. We take cover behind several huge rock outcroppings some distance from the blackened lava shores. Poppy’s wings are fluttering in agitation, “What now?” She demands. “We can’t just fly above them, they’re launching lava balls at each other as if they’re playing volleyball or some equally annoying game. How the hell are we going to get by them without attracting attention now?”
“We need a distraction. Something that will give us time to slip by them unnoticed. I’m afraid that we’re going to have to split up.” Daxell is quick to supply, the look on his face is fierce in his determination.
“There has to be another way, Dax.” I’m quick to protest. I can’t believe that we’ve come all this way to have to split up now.
“Daxell’s right, Lillie, we gotta split up. This is where we’ll part ways … for a time.” Pipperton pulls me into a brotherly hug. “Gods, I’ve missed you Lillie, and it’s been great catchin’ up, but it’s time that we go our separate ways … for now. I’ll make it back to The Otherworld as soon as I can. Us imps, well, we’re pretty darn indestructible, so once the fire demons are distracted by us, go. Go quickly. I don’t know how long we can keep’ em occupied.”
“But …”
“No buts, Lillie. Ya gotta do this. Ya gotta stop Nyx and we’ll do what we can to help you in your task. If we think we can follow you without the fire demons on our tail then we will, if not, then, hopefully, I’ll see ya back in Faerie.” He grins down at me, his crystalline blue eyes twinkling, his whitish blonde
mohawk flopping haphazardly over his forehead reminding me of the teenager that I met so long ago.
Pulling him close and hugging him tightly, I whisper hoarsely, “No theatrics, Pipperton. You hear me? I mean it. You stay safe. Paynga will never forgive me if you go off and do something stupidly brave.”
Chuckling, he pulls back, placing his right fisted hand over his bare chest and raises his left, “I solemnly swear not to do nothing remotely theatrical or stupidly brave.” Then he winks at me, smirking the whole time.
Punching him in the chest, I mutter, “Always the comedian.” Then turning to his uncle and Fynwrick, I say, “Please, all of you be careful. If these demons are not easily distracted, then we will find another way. All right?”
“We’ve got this. You just go find that whip and get it back to Luc. We’ll see you soon.” The two turn back toward the fire demons that stand at least eight feet tall in the molten rock fields that have become their battleground.
I see that Pip and Poppy are saying their goodbyes. She flutters up to his cheek and sweetly lands a kiss there, and I could swear that Pipperton blushes under his ruddy complexion. He nods with a gentle smile, so unlike him, and then he too, turns to head out toward the fire demons, leaping into the air. Whatever has them riled up, has the lot of them still going at it. I distinctly remember Daxell’s fathers saying that we needed to steer clear of this area and these demons.
Ironic.
Don’t you think?
And here we are.
The demons stand unaffected by the scorching hot lava, their bodies are defined by the silhouette of their charred forms that are licked by multi-colored flames. There are areas of their shape that looks like charcoal, their figures scorched and black, their skin, if you could call it that, cracked allowing the fire from within to glow and spark flames that flare to life around them. Flames ignite and flicker around them as if they are the very essence of the fire, by their very nature. Their battle continues to ramp up. The males and females alike unable to find common ground.
Flashes of images threaten to bring me to my knees.
Civil unrest amongst even those that are born of the same cast.
If this is happening in The Underworld, then what is happening in the other realms?
By the gods. Whatever has awakened, this is just the beginning. Jillisandra’s prophecy comes back to me, “The daughter will seek the mother, but the mother must not be raised, lest chaos be unleashed upon all the realms.” I had no idea that Morríganna was such a force to be reckoned with.
Daxell is by my side, “Once they make their move, we need to move and quickly.”
“I know. I don’t like this, Daxell. I don’t think we should split up.”
“I don’t like it either. I’ll try to slip into the shadows but there aren’t really any here for me to catch hold of.”
Poppy is in front of us in an instant, “Don’t forget me. I can’t follow you into the shadows.” Her delicate face is pinched in concern.
“Poppy, I want you next to me. Hang on. I have no idea what will happen next.”
No sooner than the words are out of my mouth, and Poppy lands on my shoulder taking refuge in the crook of my neck, then Daxell wraps his arms around me and simultaneously shifts to his demon form. In a matter of seconds, we are launched high into the air. His beautiful dark feathered wings carrying us high above the fire demons below. I stifle my scream so as not to alert the fire demons. Once Daxell gains a certain height, he effortlessly holds our position.
Turning, I see that the imps have taken a running leap into the air. They’re gaining the fire demons attention by … what? Throwing rocks at them? “Are you freakin’ kidding me? What the hell are they thinking? That’s their plan?”
“Give them a chance, little one,” Daxell’s demon urges. I adore his growl. “I’m fast. I just need them to garner their attention for more than thirty seconds and then we are off.” He hovers in a stationary position above the scene that is playing out below us. His sturdy wings beat patiently in slow downward strokes, as the three imps deploy their epic distraction.
“I should have stayed with Pipperton,” Poppy whispers, her voice wobbles just a bit, “they’re going to die a painful fiery death.”
“I’m going to kill Pip the next time I see him, their distraction is so lame. By the gods …” If the situation weren’t so dire, it would be comical.
“Calm down, little one,” my demon murmurs in my ear.
It’s at that moment that the three imps divide and begin their attack on the fire demons drawing their undivided attention from their skirmish. Pipperton is the imp on point as he dives and taunts these demons. I stifle a gasp as the fiery fiends direct their ire at his infinitesimal form. He looks like a sprite from here compared to their larger form. He speeds away, quick and agile as the other two cover his departure. The coordinated attack is having the desired effect. Daxell’s demon springs into action as soon as the demons turn to follow our imp friends. He’s quick. In the blink of an eye, we are speeding past the now empty lava fields heading toward the distant island, which is bigger than I thought it would be. The closer we get the more detail I’m able to make out. To the far right, there’s a mountain and at the foot of the mountain, a large open pantheon style temple stands amidst all the odds and ends. My heart sinks once again when I see all the stuff, things, junk. It’s everywhere. Piled in mounds with no rhyme or reason.
Poppy whistles, “Sassafras and scarab beetles, what an unholy mess. What now?”
42
Treasure
(Lillie Joanna)
We fly low over the dump of an island and I mean that in the most sincere way. Everywhere we look there’s stuff. Even on the shores that lead down to the lava lake. I’m left to assume that the demons who live here could care less about all the junk on the shores of this place. Little by little that stuff is falling into the molten rock never to be seen from again as the flames dance over the items as they sink into the depths to be incinerated. I guess that’s what eventually happens to all these discarded things.
We land not that far from the shore on one of the many paths that wind through all the piles of discarded items. Piles and piles are everywhere. Daxell has shifted back, and for an instance, I can feel a flicker of our bond and then it’s gone again. Looking up at him, I can sense that he felt it too because his face hardens into a mask of grim determination. He’s ready to get this over with and get me back to Faerie.
“All right, I have no idea as to where we should start. Do you think that we will run into any of these demons that seem to have a hoarding problem of epic proportions?” I ask, my voice low.
Poppy springs off my shoulder to flit here and there, anxiety coming off her in waves, “I think that we need to stick together. This place is giving off a bad vibe.”
“We stay together. As soon as we find what we came for we are out of here.” Daxell growl whispers to both of us.
Slowly, we begin to aimlessly look around, no real starting point, no real plan, because how in the world can you devise a plan to search this place. After what seems like hours wandering around not having any luck, Daxell stills and places his finger over my lips. He cocks his head, listening.
“What do you hear?” Poppy mouths as she ties her long ebony hair back into a high ponytail.
Then I hear it too. It sounds like someone in the distance is arguing. Picking our way through the winding paths, the three of us come closer to two fumbling, bumbling smaller than dwarf demons. Turning the corner we see the two locked in conflict.
“I founds it! Not you. Gives its back!” One of them hisses at the other. The two smaller demons fight between themselves, the object in question is a plain black backpack, I could swear that it is the one that we are seeking, it looks fairly new and obviously does not belong in this realm. The straps are being pulled in opposite directions, nearly pulling the bag in half as the seams begin to tear. The tiny brown-skin demons continue to grapple with one
another over the very item that we have traveled over the Lava Fields to find. The gnome-like creatures with their dark leathery skin continue to bicker over the item as if it is a precious treasure.
“It be my treasure, my prize! I wants it back!” He squeals, his voice rising in pitch and irritation.
The other demon waits until his screeching companion pulls hard on his strap with a mighty yank, then he lets go, sending his opponent flying backward. Quick as a snake he’s on him and smashing him over the head with a random shoe lying next to them. “I be rewarded by our master. Not yous. Stupid yous. Yous wants to keeps it for youself. Stupid yous. Stupid.” He smashes the shoe over the other’s head one more time drawing a yellow like blood from the gash on his head. The other demon scrambles to his feet in triumph with the now filthy and torn backpack. He crows his excitement at having gained the upper hand, clutching his precious treasure to his chest.
He doesn’t get two steps before the bloodied demon hops up and launches himself onto the others back, smashing a candlestick over the other's head. As the poor bastard stumbles and falls to his knees his attacker deftly wrestles his prize out of the others too long and spindly fingers. “My prize. Our master does not come here. He be more concerned with his treasures o’gold, his collections. This be our horde.” He punches the offending demon one more time for good measure as he pulls his plundered treasure to his chest, his twisted overly long fingers clutching it tightly. There is no doubt in my mind that he is referencing Mammon. Collections? Treasures of gold?
Everywhere around us, there are piles of things in no particular order, socks, shoes, plates, pictures, pillows, articles of clothing, smoking pipes, chairs, odds and ends of every type. I can’t even begin to understand how all this stuff came to be here. I can’t imagine that anything of value has landed here, but who can tell. This is hoarding gone wrong on so many levels. The question remains, how are we going to get the backpack back?