Into The Abyss (Demons of Astlan) (30 page)

Jenn was
beginning to figure out that there was no easy way to get out of her bonds, when she heard soldiers approaching the tent and greeting her guards. 
Great
, she thought,
Exador's probably back and wants information. Won't this be fun.
  She hadn't felt like talking too much to Gastropé since her first encounter, but he had insisted on cataloguing things that Exador had done to past people on his hit list. 

It wasn't pleasant, and hadn't made Jenn feel any better.  Fortunately, she felt herself to be of sterner stuff than Gastrop
é. The poor wizard, whom she'd actually come to view with a mix of pity and contempt, was getting desperate.  The more he talked, the more nervous he got, the more he started spouting off crazy ideas on getting away.

The flaps to the tent parted, and a really short person was instructed to enter the tent.  The only light in the tent was a small brazier between the door and the center pole.  It had been lit a few hours earlier as the evening started to approach, to take
the chill off in the room.  As the short person entered the tent, Jenn gasped, it was Rupert!  How in the Abyss had they managed to capture him?  What was that damn demon doing anyway?  Some guardian.  Unless the demon had turned Rupert in, because he knew Jenn had the book and the game was won.  That must be it, Jenn thought angrily.

Rupert stumbled into the tent,
clumsily; he seemed to be walking kind of funny.  His face was also rather red, as if he'd been crying.  It took a lot to make Rupert cry.  What had those bastards done to the poor kid?  Jenn tried to move forward.  Maybe it was the demon's betrayal; Rupert had placed all his trust in the demon and now he saw it for what it really was, it must hurt.  "Rupert, what are you doing here?" Jenn asked as she tried to rock forward, the ropes on her ankles and wrists made it difficult in her current  sitting position.

Rupert shook his head in a short quick manner, and pursed his lips as if to say, "Shh shh."  He glanced covertly behind him to make sure the flaps were closed again, which they were.  He shuffled over to Jenn, as he did, he noticed Gastrop
é.  "What's he doing here?"  Rupert asked in a whisper.

"He botched trying to take us, so now Exador is going to punish him."  Jenn answered also in a whisper.  She wasn't completely sure why she should whisper, neither she nor
Gastropé had bothered earlier.  "More importantly, what are you doing here?"

Rupert moved around behind her, out of both her sight and Gastrope's.  "I'm here to rescue you." 

"Rescue me!" Jenn exclaimed, a little too loudly.

"Shhhh, be quiet!"  Rupert hissed vehemently.

"How are you going to rescue me?"  Jenn asked, twisting around to try to see what Rupert was up to.  He'd moved around behind Gastropé.  Jenn's eye's bulged and she gasped slightly.  Somehow, when Rupert went behind her, he'd managed to slip his bonds, and was now tearing a piece of his shirt off, very quietly.  "What are you doing?" she asked.  "How did you get free?"

"I'm just a kid, they didn't tie me very tight," Rupert replied.  "I'm ensuring we aren't given away."

"Please," Gastropé broke in, unable to see what was going on; he was shifting around but was apparently tied to the tent pole.  "Please, if you’re going to escape, take me with you!"  Gastropé whispered urgently.  "I won't give you away, I don't want to die! I won't give you away."  He was sounding extremely desperate.  Desperate enough that Rupert paused for a moment. 

"I don't believe you, you're the enemy."  Rupert stated as h
e stuffed the strip of his shirt into Gastrope's mouth as a gag. 

"No, no, please, Exador is going to kill me or shape change me or do something hor...mmmmphh,"
Gastropé was cut off by the gag.

Jenn was torn, true he was the enemy, but
certainly, he was going to face an awful fate. 
Wait
, Jenn thought as she stopped herself,
this was ridiculous
.  She was thinking like they were actually going to escape.  There was no need to feel like she was leaving Gastrope', because they weren't going anywhere.  "Rupert you still haven't told me how you think we are going to get out of here.  You've got to be crazy."

"No," Rupert answered, smiling back at Jenn. "I'm not, but you're going to think I am."  He moved behind Jenn.  She couldn't see what he was doing, but he was messing with her bonds.  "Jenn, lay on your stomach, please."

"Why?"

"Because I said so.  Come on Jenn, we haven't got much time."  Rupert responded.  Jenn decided to play along, given the earnestness in his tone.  She flopped over and placed her bound feet near Rupert.  Rupert reached down and a few seconds later her feet were free.  He had a knife!  The little squirt had smuggled a knife in!  That was how he broke free of his bonds!

"Rupert, why didn't you tell me you had a ...." Rupert's hand went over her mouth.

"Shh, we don't want the entire world to know," he told her.  She felt him messing with her wrist ropes again
, another few seconds and a bit of tugging later, her hands were free. 

"Great, thanks Rupert!" She whispered
gratefully.  Her wrists and ankles were so sore; she just sat up and rubbed them for a few moments. 

"Now comes the part where you'll think I'm crazy, and why I had to gag him."  Rupert gestured over to
Gastropé who'd been watching the whole thing with pleading eyes and tears dripping down his face.  Jenn's heart went flip flop seeing him look so pathetic.

Rupert went over and hunched down over the brazier as if trying warm his hands.   What was he doing Jenn wondered?  He seem
ed to be talking to himself.  He'd obviously lost his mind.  Rupert went on for almost a minute, getting almost feverish in his mumblings.  Jenn's feet and wrists were just coming back to life from being a sleep.  As soon as they felt a bit better, she'd go over and comfort the boy.  He was obviously traumatized.  Behind her, Gastropé gasped. 

Jenn turned to look at him.  He was staring wide-eyed at the boy.  It looked like some sort of fearful comprehension was illuminating his face.  Like he knew what the boy was doing, and it terrified him.  Jenn felt a chill race down her spine.  Surely, surely, the kid couldn't be that addlepated could he?  Even if he
were, there was no way a nine year old boy could pull it off.  Was there? 

As Jenn turned to stare fearfully back at Rupert.  A sudden u
pdraft in the room seemed to suck all the air right towards the fire.  The fire roared up, towering above Rupert.  Rupert stumbled back, surprised but excited and smiling in triumph.  The flames shot up, lapping against the ceiling, roaring like a bonfire and producing even more heat.  There was no way any normal brazier of that size could produce that much flame. 

Commotion started from outside the tent as the guards realized something was definitely wrong.  Rupert stumbled over by Jenn as the flames widened, blocking Jenn's view of the tent flaps.   The flames were starting to eat at the roof of the tent.  Pretty soon the entire tent would burn down!  What the hell had the kid done?  They'd all burn to death if the demon he conjured didn't kill them first.  The guards by this point, had opened the flaps and were screaming and yelling for help.

As the first of the guards started through the flaps, or so it seemed from Jenn's obscured view, a hole seemed to appear in the middle of the fire.  It was as if someone were literally ripping a hole in the fabric of space, directly in the middle of the fire.  Giant demon claws emerged from the hole, widening it further.  This was certainly not the traditional method for demons coming into Astlan, Jenn thought.  Through the hole, Jenn could see what looked to be the fourth order demon, and as the hole got large enough, what appeared to be some sort of cave behind him. 

A guard came stumbling into the tent with a coat in hand, trying to get close enough to smother the flame.  As he came around the fire, he saw the demon claws already through the hole, and then a giant hoof coming through the hole.  He screamed at the top of his lungs and cowered back.  Almost immediately three other guards came charging into the
tent and around the fire.  Apparently, they couldn't see the hole from the other side. 

By the time two more guards had come in, the demon had stepped completely through the hole.  Its horns were ripping against the ceiling of the tent which was blackening with fire from the flame in the brazier.  The demon's massive hooves were causing the very rug to
smolder and start to smoke. "Good job, Rupert!" The demon thundered in a gravelly bass voice.  Jenn was gasping, partly from the smoke, but mainly from the fact that Rupert had actually managed to summon the damn thing. 

Somehow or the other, despite the confusion, Jenn heard or noticed
Gastropé over the yelling of the guards and the roar of the fire.  She glanced over, he was squirming madly, trying to get free of his bonds and the tent pole he was tied to.  She had a moment of panic; even if the demon somehow got them out of there, Gastropé would surely get burnt alive by the flames. The entire ceiling of the tent was now ablaze and bits of it were falling down.  She had to duck as she got to her feet to avoid them.  Seeing Gastropé's desperate attempts, she knew she couldn't leave him to die, enemy or not.  She ran over to the tent pole and began fumbling with the knot in the rope binding him to the pole. 

As Jenn struggled with the knot, one of the soldiers stabbed at the demon with his sword.  The sword bounced off the demon's hide.  The towering demon turned its gaze away from Rupert and Jenn and directed it toward the offending guard.  Almost faster than the human eye could follow, the demon's right hand shot over to his left side and grabbed the blade of the sword.  Fire spewed down the blade of the sword from the demon's hand, washing over the guard and onto the soldier's hand and arm.  The soldier screamed in pain, releasing the sword and stumbling back against the tent wall. 

As the guard hit the tent wall, the center pole swayed dangerously.  The tent was now sufficiently aflame as to weaken the overall structural integrity, and it almost went down.  Almost, but not quite.  Looking at the guard with eyes blazing with power and hatred, the demon shouted.  "All of you soldiers! Run now, or I will slay you where you stand!" 

The soldiers ran outside the tent.  One slashed a hole in the side of the tent and ran out that way.  Through the large hole he cut, which began to rip upwards, towards the flaming roof, Jenn could see a ring of soldiers surrounding the tent.  Finally, she gave a last tug and the rope holding
Gastropé to the pole came free.  At the same moment, the rip in the tent reached the remains of the ceiling, and the flames racing along the ceiling reached the top of the tent.  The tent pole began to slowly fall over, taking the now blazing tent with it.  They were all about to be roasted alive.

The demon looked around
hurriedly.  Apparently, it recognized the danger of the flaming tent to the people inside, and further noted the ring of soldiers outside.  It seemed to pause for a second, then looked back to the hole through which it came.  The hole had been shrinking slowly since the demon's full emergence, but was not yet completely closed. 

The demon stepped over to the hole and stuck its hands in, pulling it wider.  "All of you," it thundered at the three of them, "through the hole.  Now!" It shouted as they hesitated.  Rupert leapt through, between the demon's hands.  Insane kid, Jenn thought, out of the fire, into the lava.  Panic began to seize her. 

There was only one place that hole could go.  The Abyss.  To go into the Abyss was surely death for a human.  No mortal could withstand its flames, nor the millions of terrors that existed there.  The Abyss was the home of Evil.  Only the damned were sent there, to be tortured and defiled by demon kind.  Unfortunately, Jenn was seeing no other alternative.   She could stay and be burned alive, or she could throw herself into the Abyss.  Literally to damn herself to certain extinction, her soul to eternal damnation. 
Better to perish cleanly in the flames of the tent,
she thought.

Death by flame would have to be the choice.  Except that Rupert had already thrown himself in.  That sweet and innocent child had unknowingly thrown himself into damnation!  She couldn't let his soul rot for all eternity in the Abyss!  But what could she do
?  Jenn couldn't fool herself, she knew she had no power to bring them both back from the Abyss.  No mortal being had that power.  But it was her fault he'd gone.  He'd come to rescue her, and now he was damned until the end of time.  It was her fault, and she'd promised herself that she'd protect him.  Jenn closed her eyes in pain, indecision and agony.

"Come on you fools!" 
The demon shouted.

No matter what the choice
, the boy was in her care.  If there were any shred of hope that he could be salvaged, Jenn had to take it. She'd argue with the demon herself to force at least Rupert's return.   No matter the cost to herself, no matter the sacrifice.  If she could in any way save him, she had to try.  She opened her eyes, fearful resolution and determination giving them an edge.

Steeling herself, she dragged the still tied
-up Gastropé with her.  Inch by inch she seemed to move.  Parts of the flaming tent actually falling on her, and burning her slightly before she could shrug them aside and drag Gastropé the few feet to the hole.