by Tom Keller
"I'm not sure I understand," I replied. "What questions?"
"Azazael was the greatest among us," he said. "Witchcraft, weapons making, deception were his trade. If he were to take up his old ways again, there is no telling how many humans would be corrupted by his teachings. Such a thing would impact both of our worlds. I need to know what it is he plans."
"I'm familiar with his history," I replied, thinking that this was the pot calling the kettle black. "But I've also heard a report of what they found. A big fat nothing. Oh sure, there was some talk about a religious order, but obscure religious groups are a dime a dozen, and that one had been defunct for a long time."
I wasn't being entirely truthful, but he didn’t need to know that. Oh yeah, Jay had told me more than what was in the report. How Beelzebub and a traitorous Angel from Heaven planned to use Azazael to threaten Satan and open the gates of Heaven to rekindle the old war. Then there was this religious order, the Holy Order of Missionary Sisters of Alexander. They had several missions in the Southwest U.S. and had apparently been connected, contrary to regular religious doctrine, to the Book of Enoch, and possibly to Azazael himself. He'd also told me about the Pilgrim reference and how my father might have been involved with them before he and my mother died. There was no doubt that Beelzebub was now the prime suspect in their death. If it was him, then maybe justice had been served after all. I doubt I could have imagined a worse fate for a Demon from Hell than to face the one true God.
Lucifer hadn’t mentioned any of that. Which left me wondering if he was trying to trick me into revealing more. No surprise there. But what if he didn't know? It's possible that Beelzebub had kept this information quiet, even from his boss. Which told me that Hell was more screwed than even I could imagine. Whatever the truth was, I wasn't going to mention it. Even if his beer was made by monks, I didn’t trust the Devil any more than you would.
"Look," I continued. "Whatever Hellhole he was thrown into has been empty for a long time. What makes you think he's even still around?"
"Time is irrelevant, as you well know," he said. "Our sentences were not. Buried under the earth until the day of judgement, then to burn and perish. If I am still here, he must be as well."
"I've read the Book of Enoch. But the hole's empty, and Judgement Day hasn’t happened yet, so I'm not convinced that's a valid argument," I said, putting down my now empty bottle and facing him. "Look, obviously he's not down there. So, either somebody screwed the pooch on that one, or something else is going on. But there's been nothing to indicate he's out here either. Not to be crude, but you're just assuming that he hasn’t already met his maker in an early barbeque."
"Your point is taken," the Devil replied. "But I do not believe that to be true. That is why I must speak with your son. He is after all, a prince of Hades, and you are his King."
"You realize he may not want to talk to you," I pointed out, not yet sure of what I was going to do. Then again, I really didn't see the harm in passing along the message. Hell, knowing Jay, he'd probably get a kick out of it. "Okay. I'll pass the message along. But let me make one thing clear. I'm not going to force him to meet with you. Prince of Hades he may be, but it'll be up to him to accept your invitation or not."
"I understand," he agreed. "That is all I ask."
"Just don’t get your hopes up," I added.
"It is enough to know that he will consider it," he replied. "Now, as I promised. You seek the jewel that is the eye of the serpent, Python. You are not alone in that quest."
"Well, that figures," I said, somewhat sarcastically. "Too many people seem to know my business, and what happened to Diantha isn’t exactly a secret. That all you got?"
"Not exactly," he replied. "But what they may not know is that the jewel you seek is in the very place that you reside. Which, given the proclivity of the Fae to congregate there, is not surprising."
"I don't suppose you could provide me with a specific location?" I asked, shifting in my chair.
"Unfortunately, no," he said. "Like you, I am not omnipotent, and she that possesses it is not destined for my realm. However, my Demons have felt its magic. They were quite disturbed when its presence was discovered, as was I."
"So, a woman has it?" I replied. "Anything else you can tell me."
"A girl, actually," he said. "She is young and does not know what it is she holds. She hides in the shadows. You must search for her there if you are to find it. Seek out the signs. You will know them when you see them. But you must act swiftly, before she is discovered by others."
"Do you guys take a class or something?" I asked, putting my bottle down and standing up. "I mean does everyone from the old days have to speak in riddles? Come on! She's in the shadows? What's that supposed to mean?"
"As I said," he replied with a grin. "She is not destined for my realm. But you are as the Gods of old. You know what you must do."
"Thank you for that vote of confidence," I said, facetiously, then turned to walk back to my ride. "I'll pass your message on to Jay."
"There is one more thing," he said, before I could walk away.
"Oh, yeah?" I replied, turning back "What's that?"
"That which you seek is more dangerous than you imagine," he said. "Other's will search for it. Its power must be contained. You must find it first to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands."
"You said it's power must be contained," I replied, walking back toward him. "Why? Diantha had the other, I didn’t see anybody clamoring to take it from her. Other than an old boyfriend that tried it, that is, and it didn't do that much for him. She carried that one for thousands of years. What's different now?"
"The jewel that was the Eye carried by the Oracle was tuned to her specifically," he said. "The spell was woven carefully, and because of this, it's ability to be used by others was almost nonexistent. This one is not like that, it is tainted. Hephaestus was angry when he crafted the spell on the necklace that once contained it. Perhaps it is that same corruption that drove him to use it in the first place. While I will admit that things of that nature usually work to my advantage, it would be better for both of us if you find it quickly, before any others learn of its existence."
"Can you be a little more specific?" I asked, sitting back down. "And how do you know all this?"
"The worlds were much closer in the old days" he replied. "There was much we knew of each other. More carryover between the realms, as it were. But it matters not. I am surprised she did not tell you herself. Python was a child of Gaea, after all. Any offspring of hers should not be underestimated. Even dead, their powers remain."
"Tell me what herself?" I asked, a little confused about how much he seemed to know.
"Have you ever asked yourself what most humans are willing to trade their Soul for?" he said in reply.
"I don’t know," I replied. "Money, power, the usual thing."
"Of course," he said. "Those are always in demand. But more importantly, they want to live forever. If they can trick me into giving them that, then their Soul would be irrelevant, or so they think."
"How often does that work?"
"So far," he replied, grinning. "Never, and that is the problem with your Eye. Imagine how many would seek it out if they knew it existed, and what measures they would take to possess it. Most humans would not be able to resist. The temptation is too great. Then there are the others."
"What others?"
"A talisman with the ability to extend life is powerful indeed. But that same power can be converted to magical energy. Unfortunately, it goes against the very nature of the universe," he said. "It will corrupt any who possess it. Be they a Fae, or a Wizard, or any magical creature. It matters not. It will change them. " He stood up and got another beer, I shook my head as he offered me one and he continued as he returned to his seat. "How many do you trust to yield such dark power?"
"I get your point," I said.
"I have told you what I can," he said, lifting his beer. "I leave the rest t
o you. I look forward to speaking with your son."
I simply nodded and walked back to the SXS. I put on my helmet and gloves, then started it and backed out of the campsite. My last view of him, still sitting by the fire sipping on his bottle, as I turned and headed back to the main trail.
I found myself driving very aggressively back through the forest working out my frustrations. I wasn't sure if it was the sight of the Devil just sitting by the fire or the feeling that I was being played again. I knew he wasn't telling me everything. No, that would be too easy. There had to be an angle somewhere. I just hadn't figured it out yet. I didn't know whether he was in league with Gaea, or just using me to stamp out the competition. I guess it didn’t matter. I had to get my hands on the Eye. If nothing else, at least he'd given me a lead. Slim as it was, it was better than nothing.
Chapter 8
Whatever Lucifer had done to make sure the meeting remained undisturbed had affected the entire forest. I hadn’t sensed any danger since we'd arrived, but Charlie was nowhere to be found. This wasn't like him, so I reached out to see what was up. You have got to be kidding me, I thought to myself. I threw the SXS in high gear and continued toward the camping area on the other side of the main trail intersecting Highway 14. I found Charlie playing with the family we'd met back at the store. He looked up when I came up over the hill, then slowly trotted out to the trail that led to the campsite.
"Seriously?" I asked, as I drove closer. I stopped near the site and turned off the motor.
"There is no danger here," he replied, jumping up and putting his big paws on the door. "I have been listening."
"Yeah. It looks like that's what you've been doing," I said.
He snorted, and then barked as the mother picked up little Ireland and headed in our direction.
"I guess I have to apologize again," I said as she walked up.
"No, you don't," she said, placing the girl down. She had a twinkle in her eye and the barest hint of an Irish accent in her voice. If I wasn't mistaken, there might have been a touch of Fae in her as well. It was always hard to tell with the descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann, or the Aes Sídhe. They didn’t come around much these days. But even if she was, there wasn't a hint of magic in the air at the moment.
"We saw him running through the forest, so I called his name. I assumed he got off his leash and we knew you’d be looking for him. He's a good dog. He's been playing with Ireland the whole time he's been here. By the way, we never did get introduced. I'm Bridged Harris. It's pronounced Breejet, but everybody calls me Breej. Jake is over behind the trailer, taking apart one of the quads."
"Well Breej," I replied, taking off my helmet and gloves and stepping out of the vehicle. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Robert Hoskins." I looked over and saw her husband elbow deep in engine parts. "What happened?"
"Jake is a great mechanic," she said. "But even he can’t perform miracles. He's rebuilt them several times. I think they're just getting old."
"I heard that," Jake said, straightening up and wiping his hands on a towel. "But she's right. I need to head into the Village and see if Ed has any parts lying around I might be able to scrounge from him."
"It's getting dark, Hun," Breej said. "Why don’t you wait till morning? I was just going to fix dinner and you know how I worry about you driving around alone on the trails in the dark."
"I can take him," I said, after Charlie nudged my knee. "If you don’t mind watching Charlie a bit longer, that is."
"We don’t want to impose," she said.
"Not a problem," I replied, eyeing the big dog. "You've been keeping an eye on him for me. It's the least I can do. I promise to get him back in one piece."
"You sure you don’t mind?" Jake asked.
"Not at all. I was going to grab a few things at the store anyway," I said, trying to sound convincing.
Truth was, Charlie didn't make it a habit of hanging around with strangers. But for some reason, he'd taken to this family, and I was curious to know if what I thought he was doing was correct. I suppose I could have just asked him, but sometimes half the fun is figuring things out for yourself. Besides, the Eye was going to have to wait until I got the SXS back to Vegas anyway, and as far as company goes, they were a lot more fun to be with than my last appointment.
"Great," he said. "That'll make it easier."
I turned over and looked at Charlie, winking as I told him to be a good boy. He snorted again as Jake grabbed his helmet from a spot next to the trailer and then got in.
"I really appreciate the ride," he said as I put it in gear.
"Like I said, I was heading there anyway. So tell me, where'd you learn to work on these things?"
"Oh, I've been a tinkerer all my life," he replied, his voice raised to hear over the engine. "Get that from my dad. But most of it I learned in the army. I was a diesel mechanic before I got out. Tanks and trucks. I even worked on a few of these over there."
"What do you mean by these?"
"Company that makes this SXS also has a military division," he replied. "We used them in operations in the Middle East. It's all desert there, and these things can go almost anywhere. Slightly different set up. It's got a diesel engine for one thing. But same basic design."
"Is that a fact?" I replied, an idea forming in my head. "What are you doing now?"
"I just started my own business," he said. "Working out of my garage for now. Kind of a mobile mechanic thing until I can build up some reserves. What about you?"
"I used to be a cop and I'm still a P.I.," I replied, trying to thread a good story. "Now days I have a company that deals with government contracts. Security work, transportation, that kind of thing."
"Government contractor, huh?" he said. "I think I met some of you guys over in the Gulf."
"Nothing quite so exciting, I'm afraid," I replied with a chuckle. "I'm more like a dispatcher. Most of its moving things from here to there. But we do have our hands in a few projects."
I pulled up next to the store a few minutes later and Jake went out back to see what he could find. As for me, I milled about a bit, grabbing a cup of coffee and acting like I was shopping for something while I made a few calls and checked a few things on the Internet.
"No luck?" I asked, seeing Jake come back empty handed.
"No," he said, disappointedly. "It was a long shot anyway. What about you? I thought you needed to get something here."
"I did," I replied, lifting my cup. "I needed coffee."
"Oh," he said after a moment. "I could have offered you that. We had some at the trailer."
"Live and learn," I said, walking back to the vehicle. "So, what are you going to do now?"
"I guess we'll go home tomorrow," he replied. "We were going to stay a few more days, but without the extra quad, it probably won’t be worth it. But I can take the girls fishing tomorrow, so that'll be something. I just have to unhook the truck."
"I see," I replied, still thinking. I fired up the SXS and turned on the light bar as we took off toward the trail. It was dark, but the LED's were bright, lighting up the forest in front of us like a series of spotlights. He was quiet the rest of the ride, and we pulled up to the trailer about 5 minutes later.
"Anything?" Breej asked, as we got out of the SXS. He shook his head and made his way into the trailer, picking up Ireland as he went inside. "Can you stay for dinner, Mr. Robert?"
"Now it's my turn to say that I don’t want to impose," I replied, putting my helmet on the seat.
"It's no bother. There's plenty of food. Take a seat when you're ready," she said with a smile, then pointed to a picnic table under a canopy just off the front door of the trailer. "Table's all set. I'm going to see to Jake and Ireland and then we can eat." She went into the trailer, adjusting the reed cross that hung over the door before calling out to the others.
If there's one thing I've learned over the years, and this has nothing to do with being Fae, it's that campers and RVers were some of the friendliest folks on the pl
anet. Breej had set out a nice spread of hamburgers, hot dogs, and barbecued chicken, as well as salads and drinks. There was probably enough for twice as many folks as were here, but these kinds of leftovers were half the fun of cooking outdoors. Afterwards, we'd moved over to the campfire and Jake and Breej started discussing breaking camp when Charlie nudged me again.
"You know," I drawled. "I hate to see you two young folks cut your vacation short."
"Well," Jake replied. "We do too. But we came out here to camp and ride. Can’t very well do that with one machine. I'll get her fixed up when we get back to Vegas. We can always come out here again."
"I know what it's like to run a business, Jake. You had to set aside some clients and make plans to be able to spend the whole week away. It might take a bit of time to make that happen again. Tell you what. Why don’t you take my SXS and enjoy it for a couple days? You can finish up your vacation and then drop it off at my place when you're done. From what you said, it'll fit in the back of your toy hauler here."
"I can't do that, Robert," Jake said. "That's an expensive machine. It just wouldn’t be right. Besides, you barely know us."
"That might be true," I replied, leaning back in my chair. "But Charlie here likes you, and he's quite the judge of character. Ireland seems to enjoy the great outdoors too. Hate to see you three have to go back to the city and cut your play time with her short."
"We can’t take your charity, Mr. Robert," Breej said, pulling a lock of red hair away from her eyes.
"Oh, it's not charity," I said, looking at Jake. "I want to hire you."
"Hire me?" he repeated, scratching at his cheek. "That's a brand-new machine. It's still under warranty and Ed's place is just a few miles away. What would you need to hire me for?"
"I'm glad you asked that, Jake," I replied, leaning forward. "Truth is, I only bought this machine on a whim. I hadn’t considered the other possibilities when I did that. I don’t have a trailer, so I need a way to get it back to town. Something you said a little while ago made me think. What I'd like to do is hire you to take this machine through its paces for a few days. Then write up a report on what I would need to do if I wanted to use this in extreme conditions in a rugged, commercial environment. High desert and lots of rocks, some sand too. Think Afghanistan, without the mountains. Anyway, that gets me the information I need to take it further, and you get to enjoy the rest of your vacation. It's a win-win for both of us."
