Dirge of the Dead

by Reed Logan Westgate

  “If you stand against the faithful, you will die.” Lexxes was blunt, but it was not said out of hubris. Xlina had already faced Archam and the Seraph. She knew she could not win against such opponents.

  “Then I die,” Xlina cast a look back to the detective, “But I die drawing the threat from the city. My mark will drag my soul to hell with Amber. At least... at least we will suffer together. At least she will know I came for her. That I didn’t just give up and let the demons take her.”

  “You don’t mean to return.” Hawke placed his hand on Xlina’s shoulder. “I don’t know much about all this magic and hooey, but I know you saved that man in the alley. If this danger is so real, then what you’re doing is real noble.”

  “No one will know,” Xlina looked back at Hawke with a faint smile. “The mist will cover all traces of magic. That is the way. Tomorrow, when all this is over, I will be just another missing person who floats across your desk, detective. You will look at my picture with only a vague memory. A nagging of familiarity you cannot put your finger on. You will brush off my likeness to that of a celebrity or some tv show character and you will go about your day. That is the way of the Grand Secret, you see. If not by the hands of the Druids, then by the hand of the council. When you wake tomorrow, this will all just be a crazy dream. Quickly forgotten.”

  “I’ll remember,” Hawke focused on Xlina, his hand squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll remember you.”

  “No, you won’t,” Lexxes looked at him with a profound sadness. “She is right, it is the way.”

  “Lexxes, I need you to go to the Faithful, the counsel. You tell them... tell them I have exiled myself to the otherworld. To the necropolis.”

  “They won’t be satisfied,” Lexxes shrugged with a sigh, “They will come to claim what is theirs.”

  “Then let them come.”

  “If that is truly what you wish.” Lexxes gave her a long look, as if to imprint her very being into memory. Xlina feigned a smile and nodded affirmative. Lexxes moved close, wrapping her in a hug. “You are special, our young Baku. I will miss you.”

  “When you walk in your dreams, be sure to stop by a nightmare or two, Lexxes. You never know, you might find a Baku in the darkest of nightmares. Hiding all alone.”

  “I will, I promise.” Lexxes eyes held back tears.

  “If you happen across a Baku in those dark places... she’ll need a friend.” Xlina returned the embrace, hugging her tightly.

  “And perhaps a guide to a happier place?”

  “A Baku’s place is in the darkness; I realize that now. Nightmares are where I belong. All we can do is plant the seeds, water them, and let them bloom.” Lexxes pulled away from her quickly.

  “What did you say?”

  “Nothing, it’s just a metaphor, something an old gardener told me.” Xlina wiped a tear from her cheek and looked back at Hawke. “Are we ready?”

  “Does it matter?” Hawke shrugged, his helplessness shining through.

  “I suppose not.” Xlina turned away from Lexxes and strode determinedly toward Pandora’s. She dared not look back at the woman. Dared not make contact again for fear that her courage would break, and she would run into the safety of her arms. Hawke tipped his head at Lexxes and scampered along behind her, once again struggling to match Xlina’s pace. As Xlina crossed the next intersection, the roar of the motorcycle zooming away brought a smile to her face. Her plan was in motion. The faithful would follow her. Lexxes would ensure it.

  She picked up her pace, entering a light jog as she crossed another intersection. The fog obscured the building, but the neon sign of Pandora’s made a dull green illumination in the distant mist. Hawke huffed and puffed behind her. She did not need to look back; his breaths were so heavy she could tell he was only three or four feet behind her. As they approached through the fog, she could make out an orange glow at the base of the building. She could smell smoke in the air and taste the ashes in her mouth. Pandora’s burned.

  She could make them out, shapes moving among the fog carrying torches. The Faithful were burning Pandora’s to the ground. She charged forward, drawing her nightmare energy into her fists as she emerged from the fog like a specter. Men scattered as she appeared. They were dressed like dockhands and laborers. No fancy clothes, no uniforms. These were the simple masses, and it brought a pang of pity to her belly. They were just misinformed simple folk being directed against the great evil. She dismissed her magic and brought her fists up defensively.

  “Last chance folks, get lost,” she growled as a group of five men circled her.

  “Go, get Archam! The bitch has finally come out of hiding!” a scruffy looking man wielding a torch and wearing a plaid shirt called out. Three of his companions at the far side of Pandora’s broke out into a sprint away from the club. They disappeared into the fog.

  “I wish you hadn’t done that.” Xlina lurched forward and threw a heavy jab, causing the scruffy-looking man to back away defensively. His four friends circled her quickly, swiping with open hands and torches.

  “You’re not in a position to threaten,” the scruffy ringleader scowled. The look of pure hatred in his eyes stung her profoundly. She didn’t know him, had never wronged him. Yet his fervor had been stoked by Archam to such heights. It was chilling.

  “I am!” Hawke called from the side, drawing all attention to him. He stood with his service revolver in one hand, pointed at the crowd and his other, holding his badge up for all to see. “I’d recommend moving away from the lady unless you want to see my take on the term, police brutality.”

  “You have no authority here with your badge and gun. The faithful have come to purge the wicked from the city.” The ringleader pointed his torch at Xlina, nearly frothing at the mouth with his impassioned words.

  “You might think this badge does not mean much to your angels,” Hawke snickered, lowering his badge and pulling the hammer back on his revolver with his thumb. “But I assure you that if you take one step closer, I’ll expedite your meeting with said angel, and you can ask them yourselves.”

  The ringleader eyed his compatriots nervously. Four faces filled with fear looked back at him. Picking on a young girl was one thing, staring down the chamber of a gun was quite another. It was clear these mooks were the hired help. The mob. They were not soldiers. They did not sign up to die for their cause. The ringleader relented, stepping back from Xlina and motioning for the other to follow suit. The mob backed away slowly, still brandishing their torches.

  “Dispatch, this is Detective Hawke. We have a 451 in progress at New Pandora’s on Exchange Street. Send fire and rescue.” Hawke commanded into his radio with authority. He moved through the goons and ushered Xlina to Pandora’s front door, keeping his revolver threateningly on the enraged mooks.

  “Thanks, Hawke,” Xlina said under her breath as she opened the door to Pandora’s. “Never thought we would be racing into a burning building.”

  “You ought to try a sidearm instead of that magic hooey. It comes in handy.” Hawke teased, backing into the building and locking the front door behind them. The crowd of mooks waved torches threateningly as more folks seemed to spew from the surrounding streets. Their numbers were growing.

  “I don’t like guns.” Xlina’s voice trailed off absently as she pulled on his jacket. “Come, we’ll not linger long here. Whatever you do, don’t talk to anyone or promise anything. You’re about to meet a demon.”

  “Good god,” Hawke muttered, putting his revolver back in the holster. He followed her into the bar where Ivanka skulked behind an overturned table. The interior of the club was in complete disarray, with tables and chair strewn about. The floor was slick with fresh, spilled blood, and dismembered bodies lay scattered about. Ivanka popped up from behind a table, looking disheveled. Her blue braids frayed and hung loosely; her clothes were stained with blood. She stumbled out from behind the overturned table, holding a gaping wound in her abdomen with her left hand. She had been sliced cleanly from the lower
rib across her navel.

  “About time you showed up,” Ivanka spat as blood dribbled from the corners of her mouth. She coughed and for a moment, it appeared like her innards were about to spill out over her hand.

  “What the hell happened in here?” Xlina gasped, looking at the carnage.

  “The first wave of the Faithful,” Valeria’s smooth and sultry voice cut in from the door behind the bar. She was once more adorned in the tight red leather pants with a black collared shirt. She wielded the demon blade casually as she entered the open area. Her black boots leaving tracks on the blood slicked floors.

  “Heavens,” Hawke swallowed hard as Valeria’s allure hit him like a freight train. Xlina glanced at the detective to see his eyes glassy and his jaw slack. With barely an effort, the demon had inflicted her allure on him. She was not even sure if Valeria had done it intentionally or if it was sheer proximity to the lust demon.

  “You brought company,” Valeria casually wove through the assorted corpses and overturned tables. The sanguine blade wet with fresh blood.

  “He called for help. The building burns,” Xlina gestured toward the front of the building, but Valeria merely shrugged, raising her hand and snapping her fingers.

  “Flames are a poor choice of weapon against the infernal, my dear,” Valeria snapped away the flames effortlessly as if the fire itself bended to her will.

  “We need to go,” Xlina grew determined once more. “I will lead the Faithful away from the city. I plan to make a stand at the necropolis.”

  “The necropolis? You believe Oxivius has the secret to reviving Amber all stashed away?” Valeria turned a wry smile.

  “I believe he had a plan to revive you. Now that he is gone, I am going to use it to bring back Amber.” Xlina nodded affirmatively.

  “You told the other woman you did not plan on...” Hawke interrupted and Xlina was relieved to see Valeria had loosened her allure on the dumbstruck man.

  “I lied.” She answered bluntly. “The Cauldron of Rebirth is in the Necropolis. I am certain of it. I think Oxivius planned to use it but got sidetracked.”

  “Interesting plan, and bravo for the deception, but how do you plan on getting there?” Valeria glanced at Ivanka and her picturesque features twisted into a look of disgust. “Hell, clean yourself up Ivanka, they were only human fodder.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Ivanka shrunk back down and nearly slithered from sight scurrying away through the door to the apartment below.

  “Tough to get decent help,” Valeria watched the young upstart scamper away with a cruel look. “I doubt she’ll make it in this realm.”

  “Oxivius left me the keys to Styx.” Xlina answered, pulling the pouch containing the two coins from her pocket. She shook the bag roughly, allowing the Lydian Lions to fall into her hand.

  “Always had a plan,” Valeria sneered with contempt. “That was Oxivius for you. Thinking he had everything all planned out. The arrogant bastard.”

  “How do I use them? Do you know?” Xlina’s voice grew in intensity. She could feel the events cascading out of her control around her.

  “Toss them and call to the riverman by his name, Kharon.” Valeria answered with a smug voice.

  “Two coins for the riverman Kharon,” Xlina called loudly as she tossed the coins onto the dance floor. They bounced and clanged on the floor, settling to a stop. Xlina glanced back at Valeria, who only smiled wickedly in return. The world shuddered around them. A black mist roiled up from the coins, forming a black-cloaked figure. A decayed skull peered out from under the hood of the cloak, and Xlina’s stomach flopped. Centipedes scurried from the hollow eye socket down the cheek and into the black void where the nose should be. Earth worms hung from its jaw and as it chewed, they burst apart, sending ichor down over the yellowed bone teeth. The figure extended an arm, revealing a boney hand that pointed directly at Xlina.

  “Holy ghost!” Hawke’s face blanched and his eyes grew wide.

  “Not quite,” Valeria snickered.

  “Two bits for the ferryman,” an unearthly voice boomed from the cloaked figure before them. His robe parted, revealing bare ribs. Hundreds of glowing souls seemed to coalesce behind his ribs as they exuded an eerie green glow that filled the club. He pointed to the dance floor, and the floor gave out as if a giant sinkhole had formed on the very spot. The hole cut down into darkness with no signs of the room below them. Xlina could feel the bending of the planes. She had traveled between the planes enough with Oxivius to recognize the sensation of falling. Kharon was reaching through the planes, opening a gateway between realms.

  “I seek use of Styx once more,” Xlina called to the cloaked figure. The hole of utter darkness filled with a blood, bubbling up from within. It rose quickly until the bubbling pool was at ground level with the floor. Streams of blood lifted as if Kharon were weaving the liquid into a shape. The gore took the form of the hearse and when the outline was complete, it fell to the floor, splashing with a grotesque slurp, leaving behind the hearse exactly as she had last seen it in purgatory.

  “Two bits,” Kharon’s voice boomed as he melted back into smokey coils. The black coils curled and writhed in the air before retreating into the pair of Lydian Lions on the floor.

  “That was intense,” Xlina exclaimed as she rushed to retrieve the coins and return to the side of the hearse. The back was still jammed pack with all her belonging from the Heart’s Hearth and the Pseudomonarchia Daedonum still lay open on the hood. Precisely as they had left it. Her heart raced seeing the shiny black paint with the purple flames emblazoned on the hood. It was a poignant reminder of the necromancer. She raced to the back of the hearse and retrieved a box wrapped in blue paper with a black ribbon. She smiled as she retrieved the gift box.

  “Not crazy,” Hawke grunted, making a sign of the cross and looking up to the heavens.

  “I need to change,” Xlina said, determinedly heading to the bathrooms.

  “Is now really the time?” Valeria raised an eyebrow, looking at the gift box in her arms.

  “It is long past time,” Xlina hurried into the public restroom and leaned back against the door, clutching the gift box in her arms and breathing a sigh of relief, thankful for a moment to just be alone. The thought of poor Hawke alone in the club with Valeria nagged at her, but she needed a moment to herself. She pulled away from the door and approached the wall of sinks and mirrors.

  “Well X, time to make your stand, love,” she said to her reflection, imitating Oxivius’ voice. She gingerly placed the box down and untied the blue ribbon. She lifted the lid of the gift box and memories of leaving the Hearth flooded into her. Oxivius had tried to talk her out of leaving. He had tried to pull her from her despair, but it had been no use. Instead, she pulled closer to Valeria. Intent that, if danger was going to follow her, that it was the demon that was put in harm’s way.

  She reached into the gift box and pulled out the black woven skin suit. A gift from Penny. While her outward appearance at the hearth was the gentle old woman, Xlina had seen her as she was. Uttu, the spider mother. The athletic suit was woven from the silk of the mother of spiders. Dear sweet Penny. Xlina slipped out of her clothes and held the spider suit before her. It was pliable like a wetsuit, but durable like steel. The suit was pure black, with silver spider web design stitched into the sides that went up her obliques to her armpits and extended out under her breasts like a corset. It was sleeveless, coming up to a diamond shaped collar at her neck. Perfectly trimmed for a girl whose hands coalesced with nightmare energy.

  Xlina slipped into the magical garment, pulling it up over her shoulders like a wetsuit and pulling the zipper up from her navel to her neck. The suit was snug, but flexible. She felt confident as she observed her reflection. She was the Baku, the hunter once more. They would come for her in the necropolis. They would all come. She nodded grimly at her reflection before heading back through the door to the open club. Hawke sat at the bar nursing a drink as Valeria leaned over the countertop. She twirled
a strand of her black hair around a perfectly manicured finger as she exchanged harmless banter with the detective. Xlina strode over confidently.

  “Everything okay,” she casually remarked, stopping to study the detective with a wary eye. “Everyone still has their souls?”

  “Really?” Valeria shot her a scornful glance as she lifted a shot glass from the table and knocked back her drink.

  “We’re fine,” Hawke turned as he finished draining his beer. “Nice suit? Are you fighting hordes of goons or instructing a yoga class?”

  “Uttu, the old spider wove you a suit?” Valeria nodded approvingly. “My champion continues to surprise me.”

  “Yes, a gift from Penny,” Xlina answered. “What about our fan club growing outside?”

  “The radio’s dead and no help came.” Hawke pushed his glass across the bar to Valeria. “And your crowd of five goons is now a host of fifty. Your very attractive friend here has managed the fires, but they wait like wolves at the door.”

  “They wait for Archam to arrive,” Xlina concluded, looking to Valeria for confirmation.

  “Their first expedition into the club was an abject failure. No doubt they wait for their magical muscle.”

  “Lexxes should attempt to meet with Archam. She is probably buying us time as the counsel and the faithful barter. The druids are still lingering around as well. We should get moving.” Xlina turned to the hearse and noticed the book was no longer on the hood. She shot a quick look back at Valeria.

  “What? It’s not like he needs it anymore. Finders’ keepers.”

  “It’s my book now.” Xlina said firmly.

  “Did he leave a will? I think not, besides your marked what’s yours is mine.” Valeria scooped up the sanguine blade from behind the bar as if to stress the point as she strapped the sheath over her black collared shirt.

  “What are you doing?” Xlina barked defensively.

  “Why I am coming with you, of course. I have invested far too much time and effort to let you do something foolish now.” Valeria marched to the hearse and opened the passenger door, taking her seat while adjusting the demon blade strapped to her back.