by Tom Keller
Softly lit up by magic and seeming out of place and time, the huge square stone temple stood on the far side of a large circular area facing east. They'd built the road around it, making it appear like it had been in this place long before the city had expanded. Except for the asphalt parking lot, it's gleaming white columns with torches of magical fire and sculptured grounds looked out of place amid the apartment buildings and trailer parks that were common to this part of town. I pulled into the empty lot and parked, then got out of my car and walked toward the temple that stood on the far side of the grounds, stopping briefly when I reached the large statue of a Gaea that stood in the exact center.
They certainly used a beautiful image, I thought as I looked up at the statue of the Goddess. She stood in front of a pool that was fed by a bubbling brook, with fountains that cooled the grounds. Standing about 20 feet tall, her breasts were bare and her robe swirled around her. Her arms were open wide, welcoming those that approached. Surrounded by flowers, it was a peaceful and serene setting, with plenty of grass and trees for followers to relax and worship the Goddess in their own way. Knowing Gaea, I expected something magical to happen, but the statue remained still, so I made my way to the temple. Walking up the ramp between the marble steps, I paused for a moment at the great doors, wondering if Gaea would even notice if I was here. Of course she would… probably have a good laugh as she waited to see what I did next, I thought to myself, then pulled the big doors open and stepped inside.
I'm not an expert on temple architecture, nor had I ever heard of one devoted to Gaea, but from what I've seen in the past, most temples are basically just dwellings for the statue of the God or Goddess they house inside. This one was different. The room I'd entered was rectangular and held another statue of Gaea. She was seated with two children on her lap, one suckling while the other stared lovingly into her eyes. It stood on a pedestal in front of the columns on the far wall. Similar to a church, an altar had been placed at the base. In front of that, pews of polished stone were laid out in half-circle rows so that each seat faced the Goddess. There were aisles on both sides as well as up the middle. On the walls, numerous depictions of Gaea were carved, some in peaceful settings, others depicting battle scenes. Seeing no one around, I made my way up the middle aisle and paused in front of the altar. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps behind me. Turning, I saw a woman in a white silken gown, her head covered, wearing gold sandals coming up the aisle.
"My apologies for disturbing you," she said, pulling back her hood and revealing her face. She was a younger looking Fae, with brown eyes and curly brown hair. "I saw that someone had entered. I am Erato. May I be of service?"
"Erato?" I replied. "An interesting name. You're a Dryad, then. Are you the priestess here?"
"Yes," she answered with a smile. "You have good eyes. Most humans cannot tell us apart. I am indeed a Dryad and I serve the Goddess as one of several priestesses here. But surely you did not come here to learn about me."
"No," I said, shaking my head. "I was just driving by and saw the temple. Thought I'd stop and check it out."
"Many are drawn here?" she said, stepping up to the small railing in front of the altar. She knelt down and then got up again, pointing to the statue as she stood. "Gaea is the mother of us all. In her house, you are always welcome."
"I appreciate that. I'm curious though. Have you ever spoken with her?"
"Gaea reveals herself to us in many ways," she replied, nodding her as head she spoke her name. "I feel her presence even as we speak…"
"No doubt," I replied, trying not to sound too much like an ass. "But I was just wondering if she ever came around anymore. Like she used to… before The Fall, I mean."
"Such a question is better answered by those wiser than me," she replied, dryly. "If it is theology or religion you wish to study, we offer classes. Here, let me get you a pamphlet." I followed her back to the entrance where she turned and led me into a small room. It was a bookstore, with a variety of texts and manuscripts behind the counter. She reached for a pamphlet and handed it to me. "Perhaps you can find that which you seek here."
As I took the pamphlet, there was a noise from the other room. I moved to the doorway and saw the great doors at the entrance swing close.
"Expecting someone?" I asked, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I pulled the entrance door open only far enough to peek outside before a blade thrust through the crack toward me. I pulled my body back and then slammed the door onto the sword. The sound of hard shoes running could be heard from outside.
"No," she replied, coming up behind me. "Very few visitors come by this late."
"I was afraid you'd say that." I cracked the door open again and let the short sword fall to the ground.
"By the Goddess," she muttered, watching it bounce on the tile. "This should not be happening. To desecrate the temple is sacrilege."
"I guess someone didn't get the memo," I replied, picking it up and jamming it through the door handles to bar the entrance. It looked Demon made. Even so, it probably wouldn’t hold for long, but it was better than nothing. I took her by the arm. "Let's worry about that later. First, is there another way out of this place?"
"Behind the statue," she said, pointing towards the back of the temple. "But this is foolishness. Death cannot follow you here."
"Tell that to the guy with the sword," I said, reaching behind my back to pull my gun as I led her back toward the altar. Damnit! What I wouldn’t give for my bident or sword and Charlie at my side right about now. It sucked, but I had to work with what was available. "You have a phone?"
"Technology is forbidden within the temple," she said, pulling out of my grip as she saw what I held in my hand. "As are weapons. Wait. I know of you. You are the human… he that was kissed by the Angel of Death."
"Now it's you that has the good eyes," I replied, taking her by the arm again. "Come on. We've got to get you somewhere safe." I walked her around the altar and through an arch that led to a tunnel beneath the statue. When we reached the back door, I stopped.
"There is no reason to fear," she said as I released her. "The Goddess will protect us from harm."
"Look, I'm not asking you to question your faith," I said as the sound of someone beating on the front doors reached me. "But trust me on this, Gaea expects guys like me to handle things on our own. Now, where's the rest of the staff?"
"I am the only one here. There are no services on Cronus' day. The other priestesses are at the Neptune for our weekly harvest dinner. It was my turn to stay behind."
"Okay, then," I said as the beating became louder. "Is there a place close by you can hide?"
"Of course," she replied. "There are several outside rooms behind the columns that are used as offices. But I must protect the temple." She reached up and grabbed my shoulder. "I will stay with you. Together we will stand up to those who would violate Gaea's house."
There was a loud crash as the front doors finally gave way. I grabbed the priestess and pushed her through the back door. Cutting between the columns and the temple wall, I led her around the corner to the first doorway I could find. It was time to play hardball and I needed her out of the way. Still, I'd need to handle it delicately.
"Erato," I said, pushing her through the unlocked door. "While I would gladly have you at my side in battle, I believe Gaea has spoken to me. I must fight these creatures alone. To do that, I need to know that you're safe. You're the only one that can tell the others what has occurred here if I fall. Can you do that for me?"
She stared up at me for a moment. Then, as if seeing me for the first time, she spoke in a soft tone. "What is your name, warrior?"
"Robert Hoskins," I replied as I began to close the door.
"It shall be as you say," she said, leaning forward to stop it from closing. "I leave it to you to punish those that have defiled the Goddess' temple." She reached up and cupped my cheek with her palm. "You shall be forever known as a Hero of Gaea." Then she stood on her t
oes and kissed my forehead before pulling back and letting the door gently close on her.
Gaea's Hero. You gotta love it. I shook my head and stepped back, taking a position behind the end outer column. I watched the back door and waited. It didn’t take long.
I don’t know what dark hole these two got dragged out of, but they were the ugliest little bastards I think I’d ever seen. Probably some kind of hybrids, with short legs, long arms, and puffy faces that looked like they'd been used as a punching bag in their spare time. They burst out the back door and went running down the stone steps, only stopping when they reached the grass to look around. Lousy tactics or not, since one held a sword and the other a revolver, they weren't getting any breaks for looks.
"Hey, shitheads!" I shouted, stepping away from the column.
Startled, they both twisted to face me. The one with the revolver started to swing it in my direction before he fell to the ground from a double tap of my own gun. The second one gave a guttural howl and rushed toward me, his sword raised. I shot him a couple of times as well. Definitely not the brightest Demons I've ever met. What I wouldn’t give to have the sword of Cronus back, I thought, kneeling down and taking the one he'd dropped when he fell. It was a crappy Demon blade, but better than nothing. Making sure they were both dead, I kicked the revolver away from the other one and made my way back up the stairs to see what other surprises whoever was gunning for me had in mind.
I was through the doorway and crouched to the side of the passageway under the statue in an instant. Everything was quiet. That was a bad thing. I still had no clue what I was up against here. Creeping through the tunnel, I made my way to the rear of the altar where I could get a view of the entire chapel. It was empty. Oh, just because I couldn't see anyone didn’t mean I was safe. No. Someone was still out there. Even as a human I could figure that out. There was no way these two Demons were acting alone. They'd been nothing but distractions to flush me out. But whoever was out there was playing it cautious now. I moved along one of the side aisles to clear the place. Not exactly in the best position being all by my lonesome, but there was still plenty of cover should someone appear. I made my way to the front entrance and stopped out of view of the open doorway.
Whoever was out there was way too confident. I'd spent a lot of time here which meant they weren't that worried about anyone else showing up. Of course, without a radio and no phones in the place, there wasn't much chance of me calling it in. Not to mention that my car was quite a distance away in the empty parking lot. Damn! I needed to let someone know what was going on. I'd have to use the priestess. I cautiously headed back the way I came. Stopping at the door I'd left her at, I knocked gently to avoid giving my position away.
"Erato," I whispered. "It's me, Robert. You okay in there?"
"Yes," she replied as the door cracked open. "I heard weapons, have the interlopers been vanquished?"
"There's two less of them for what it's worth," I replied, slipping through the doorway into the small office. "I think there may be more. Quick question. I saw a few oak trees out there. Can you use one to travel somewhere else?"
"Yes," she replied, looking up at me. "But I cannot abandon the temple. The grounds cannot be left unoccupied."
"You're not abandoning it. I'm staying. Hero of Gaea, remember? Consider guarding the temple my quest. I'll protect it while you're gone," I said, keeping the door cracked open enough to monitor the outside. "But we need to let someone know what's happened here." I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my police I.D. and handed it to her. "Get to the Neptune where your friends are. Then find a security guard and give them this. Tell them what's going on and that I need back-up. They'll know what to do from there."
"A Heroes' quest?" she said, phrasing it like a question. "That is the one thing I cannot deny. Come then, the nearest tree is not far."
"Make it quick," I said as she pointed which way to go. This time I followed her, and after a sprint of about 50 yards, we stopped in front of a large oak tree.
I covered her as she called out to the Hamadryad that possessed the tree. There was a soft golden glow and I turned around as she tapped me on the shoulder.
"Good luck, Gaea's Hero," she said, taking my head into her hands and kissing me. Then she stepped into the light and was gone.
I retreated to the other side of the oak for cover. Swatting at a fly, I scanned the grounds with my eyes. Wait a minute, I thought. What the hell was a fly doing out at night? Son of a bitch! I thought that asshole was dead, at least he had been in my world. But what beef did Beelzebub have with Robert here? I could understand the two Demons I'd taken out. They were nothing but bottom feeders and cannon fodder. They had no allegiance to anyone or anything except the almighty dollar. Once dead, no one could prove who'd sent them to storm the temple. But Beelzebub was something else entirely. While trickery and deceit were the normal tools of his trade on Earth, that didn’t mean he couldn’t summon hellfire if he wanted to. Robert must have really pissed him off for him to show up and risk getting his hands dirty against a human.
I guess it didn’t really matter what the story was. For all I knew, this was all part of Gaea's reason for sending me here. But at least I now had a good idea what I was up against. I took stock of my weapons. One piece of crap sword, my gun, and the religious dagger I'd grabbed from the car the other day. The dagger was solid gold if I could get close enough, but if I was going to face off with the kind of forces a Demon Prince from Hell could muster, I needed something that didn't require me to get that close.
I sprinted back toward the temple. Even with the occasional tree or hedge, most of the grounds were pretty open. I needed to reach my car before any more Demons attacked. At least the building would offer some cover and concealment for part of my way there.
I'd made it to the front corner of the temple without any further problems. Taking my time, I chose a spot near the outside statue of Gaea for my next stop. I was just ready to run toward it when I was attacked from above. So much for thinking I had a plan. It was a rookie mistake. You'd think I would have remembered to look up. The winged Demon hit me like a ton of bricks and we tumbled down the stone stairs, my gun flying from my hands. I still had the sword, but it was next to useless against the Demons scaly hide. His clawed hands and tail had a much better time against my clothes and now human skin. I was bleeding from half a dozen places when his wings embraced me. I struggled for a minute, letting go of the sword and holding my breath as I wiggled and made enough room to reach for the dagger I carried under what was left of my shirt. Thanks to the religious magic woven into it, it was a pretty good bet it would send him back to Hell.
The symbols on the hilt glowed as I pulled it out and buried the blade in his chest with both hands just as his wings tightened around me for what would probably be the last time. We fell to the ground as he spasmed and they unfurled. Thinking it was over, I started to get up, but a pain in my stomach drove me back to my knees. I looked down and pulled the armored tip of his tail from my gut, knowing it was a mistake when it burst into flames as blood spewed out from the wound and ran down my legs. I fell forward. I retrieved the dagger and slowly began to crawl away from the now smoldering Demon. I started up the stone steps, leaving a trail of blood in my wake, finally stopping at the top. Ignoring the pain, I pushed myself into a sitting position and leaned back against a column. Dropping the dagger, I clutched at my wound. What the hell, I thought to myself, at least I'd die guarding Gaea's temple like I'd promised.
There was movement on the grounds in front of me. I focused on the darkness and watched as a swarm of flies looking like a fast moving cloud flew toward me over the grass. As it got closer, they shrunk in size, and then the figure of a well-dressed man in a grey suit appeared and walked up the steps toward me. Beelzebub. Man, I really hate that arrogant prick. Too bad I hadn’t made it to the car. I could have used that Thunder Hammer now!
"Oh, Robert, I simply cannot continue to allow you to be such a thor
n in my side," he said, standing over me, gloating as his hollow eyes glared at me. Then he bent down and swiped a finger in my blood, lifting it to his lips as his tongue flicked out to taste it. He licked his lips and then grabbed me by the neck. "You are dying. I imagine it is quite painful."
"I hadn’t really noticed," I replied, coughing. I pushed him away and then reached down and picked up the dagger.
"Courageous till the end," he said, grinning. He stood back up and placed his hands on his hips. "I wonder how long that will last? Ahh… revenge is sweet. Very soon I'll rip your Soul from that body myself. I have plans for you, Robert. Big plans. Plans with exquisite pain."
"Give it your best shot," I said, pointing the dagger at him. "I'm not going down easy."
He started to reach for me again but there was a flash of lightning and Beelzebub was suddenly flung into the air. I heard him crashing down somewhere below the steps, out of my view. Then there was shouting and the sound of thunder. A few seconds later, there was more lightning and a cloud appeared. As my eyes focused on it, it slowly transformed itself into Kyras, the Queen of the Keres. She sheathed her sword and knelt beside me.
"Where did you come from?" I croaked, dropping the dagger and wiping blood away from my mouth. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but I don’t remember calling out your name. I thought we had a deal?"
"The Demon was correct in one thing," she replied, looking down at the wound in my belly. "You are dying. Your Soul has called out to me. I have come to take you to wherever it names."
