Not Just Another Fae (Vegas Fae Stories Book 4) (21 page)

"I don’t know what to tell you there," I said.
"I'm guessing that whatever afterlife the Lilin go to, it isn’t this
one."

"It will take some time to get used to," he
admitted. "Still, it is good to be alive."

"Let's hope we can stay that way. I wasn't kidding when
I said it was a dangerous quest."

"But less so now that friend Lucius is with us,"
Charlie added.

"Thank you," Lucius said. "Now tell me. What
are you doing here?

"This is gonna take a while," I said. Then I told
him the story of my first contact with the Demons and what had occurred up to
our arrival in Hades. I also added a few things that had happened before that
time, including my daughter's rise to throne and her conversation with Gaea,
trying to bring him up to speed with all he had missed. Then I told him of my
intention to find Bernd and stop whatever was opening the portals.

"You have been busy," he said when I was done.
"You will have to tell me the rest when we have the time. Especially of
how you were able to free the Lilin. That is one story I would love to hear
more of. But for now, what of the tower? It is said that Cronus once dwelt
there, but it now lies empty. What is it you seek from that place?"

"Honestly," I replied. "We need to find a way
out of here. I'm hoping we'll find one in the tower."

"You are still a God?" he asked. "That cannot
have changed."

"That's not a lot of help in this place," I
replied. "Without the Helm of Darkness to guide us, I'm kind of flying
blind here.

"So we are on our own," he said as he followed me up
to the tall structure.

"I warned you it was dangerous," I said as I
examined the tower. This close, it no longer looked bright white, instead, it
looked dirty. As if the dust of ages had found its way to it, muddying the
white stone it had been built from. It was situated on small hill of rock, and
was at least 10 stories high, maybe more. Circular, the entrance faced the
fields. On top, there was a turret that probably also functioned as a
watchtower. From that vantage point, one would have an excellent view of the
surrounding area.

"Indeed you did," he replied.

"There's one more thing," I said as I stood at the
only entrance, a great arch twice my height and almost as wide. It was built of
smooth stone that was a slightly different color than the rest of the tower.
Like Hades' Palace, there was no visible sign of a knob or latch. "You're
human again. Try not to forget that you no longer have a symbiont to strengthen
and heal you."

"Trust me when I say that the lack of its presence has
not been lost on me," he said, examining the door with me. "How do
you intend to get through?"

"I had to use blood the last few times," I said,
running my hands over the surface. "Before they would open, I mean. But I
don’t think that's going to work here." I could feel the magic, but as
before, it didn’t seem to recognize me.

"What of the sword of Cronus?" Charlie asked.

"I knew I brought you for a reason," I said,
shaking my head and feeling like an idiot. My sword appeared in my hand and I
placed the hilt against the door, then willed it to extend. This time, unlike
before, it blazed with blue fire. There was a loud thrum and the world
trembled. The tower lit up in a blaze of bright white light, the earth shaking
violently as a shockwave burst outward. We tried to keep our balance, as the
ground before us swayed and shook. It was raining dust and dirt. Lucius and I
raised our shields and we all three huddled underneath, waiting for the deluge
to stop. After a minute or so the reverberations stopped, and except for the
dust which now obscured some of our view, we were able to stand again. I looked
where the door had been and it was gone.

"Not exactly the response I was expecting," I
said, moving forward. It was dark so I used the sword to illuminate our way as
we entered the now accessible chamber. "If anyone didn’t know we were
here, they do now."

"Perhaps we should find your exit before any come to
investigate," Lucius said as Charlie began to search the room we had
entered. It didn't take him long.

As Lucius followed across the threshold, the door
rematerialized; the way back now blocked. I raised my sword to get a better
view, the blue flame lighting up the large empty space. A staircase on the
opposite side wound upward along the inside of the structure, leading to the turret
on top. The steps were huge, probably three times the size of what I was used
to. It sort of made sense, considering that as a Titan, Cronus would have been
a giant.

Scrambling up the two-foot-tall steps, we made our way to
the top unmolested. Once there, we entered a large circular room with seven
arched doorways. In the center stood a six-foot-wide shallow basin of water on
a thick stone pedestal which stood about five feet off the ground. The arches
led to a parapet with a tall wall that circled the tower. Walking around the
turret, were it not for the dust that still hung in the air, one could indeed
see anything that would approach. Except for the pedestal and basin, the room
was empty.

"It reminds me of a giant aspersorium," Lucius
said as he walked around the pedestal.

"A what?" I asked.

"As found in the entrance of churches," he
replied. "Where holy water is kept."

"Wasn't that a little before your time?" I asked,
joining him in examining the still water.

"As a Roman Centurion, yes," he replied. "But
I was in Europe when the transformation occurred." He leaned over the rim
and peered into the water. "Is this the device you seek?"

"I hope so," I said, staring into the water. I
blew my breath over it, watching the ripples as they spread over the basin. A
mist began to swirl over the surface. A moment later it subsided, and I stared
as an image appeared. It was familiar, but not what I expected. Some type of
carnival. It stood in a large clearing surrounded by forest. It looked almost
like something you'd see on Halloween.

"That is not Greek or Roman," Lucius asked. "What
is that place?"

"I have no idea," I replied. "It's not
exactly what I was hoping for." Looking further, I thought I saw something
that looked like a Demon of old. Then the tower shook and I grabbed the sides
of the basin to stop from falling.

"What the hell was that?" I yelled as I reached
over and steadied Lucius. Charlie suddenly appeared from the doorway that led
back to the stairs.

"Something comes," he said.

"What kind of something?" I asked as the tremors
subsided.

"Something big," he replied. "An Arachne, or
worse. It digs its way up from the beneath the tower floor." Then the fur
on his back stood up. "We must find another way out." Another tremor
shook the building and something howled. A sound of anger that I felt in my
soul.

"Put on your helmet," I said to Lucius as I donned
my own.

"We're going there?" he asked, pointing at the
image in the basin as he put his helmet on his head.

"It's that or face whatever is coming from down
below," I yelled over the wailing sound. "Charlie!"

The big dog ran over and I grabbed him by the neck; then
with the other hand, reached over and grabbed Lucius. Then I blew hard on the
basin and the mists swirled up and took us.

"Where are we?" Lucius asked as the mists slowly
evaporated away. "What is that horrible sound?"

"That is carnival music," I said, waving my hands
in front of me to clear a last cloud of vapor. "As to where we are? I have
no idea. But it sounds like some kind of carnival, or maybe a circus."

"I do not know this place," Charlie declared.

The music drifted up from the clearing below. It was a
familiar sound; but skewed somehow, as if the notes were just a bit off.

"Is this the human world?" Lucius asked.

"I doubt it," I replied. "This is someone's
version of Hell. As to whose? No clue. But I thought I saw Demons in the image
before we left the tower."

"What kind of Demons?" Lucius asked.

"The dark kind," I replied. "Leathery skin,
horns, that kind of thing. And this music? It's like Halloween, and I think I
saw costumes. "

"Strange," he replied. " I am familiar with
the holiday. But why would the basin show us this place? Let alone take us
here. It is not like any Hell I have ever heard of."

"I'm just playing it by ear at the moment," I
replied. "But I think someone wanted us to come here, or at least I hope
so." I knelt and got out my pack. Digging through it, I took the orb out
of its bag and placed it in my palm. It spun for a moment, then slowed, first
pointing out me, then Lucius, and then Charlie, before swinging around and
settling in the direction of the carnival.

"What is that?" Lucius asked.

"It finds things that don't belong," I answered as
I put it away. "At least I think it does. Look, this has got to be
someone's idea of Hell, so we'll have to be careful. Best we keep our helmets
on and play our parts for now." I pulled my shield off my back and held it
in my left hand, holding the bident in my right. "Ok, if anyone asks,
Charlie's a Hellhound, I'm Hades, and you can be Thanatos, the Greek God of
Death. Come on, let's go trick or treating."

"Hellhound!" Charlie exclaimed. He began to rub
his face into the ground. When he came up, his mouth was salivating and covered
in white foam.

"Nice," I said with a chuckle.

"I think I'd rather be Letus, the Roman
equivalent," Lucius said, laughing at the now playful hound.
"Besides, my armor is Roman, not Greek. Better to play the part."

"Works for me," I replied, and we began walking in
the direction of the carnival.

"Are you sure this is a Hell?" Lucius asked as we
walked toward the carnival area.

"Pretty sure," I replied. "But only because
we bounced here from Hades."

We had come into the carnival area from the back. As we
walked around the low fence that encircled the place, it looked like something
you'd see back in the human world; except that it was populated by Demons.

It's easy to get confused where the Underworld is concerned.
While Hades, and every other Hell I'd ever heard of, are indeed located down
here, they're just part of the place that's known as the Underworld. Outside of
the Hells, the Underworld is just a place. Like Fae, I guess. Except instead of
Faeries, you had Demons. But I don’t claim to be an expert, and to be honest, I
wasn't sure. But I doubted that Cronus' transportation device would lead just
anywhere. There had to be reason that it had chosen this place.

Of course, we could be anywhere in the Underworld. Sure,
Demons were running around, dressed up in strange costumes. But for all I knew,
this could be just a Demon world that we'd arrived in during their version of a
Halloween festival. Still, I doubted it. The loud scream a moment later
confirmed my suspicions.

We walked through the entrance and up to the booth where the
sound had come from. In front of a low counter, Demon children dressed as
Devils and other dark creatures were tossing darts. Ok, they were the size of
the old
Lawn Darts
we used to have when I was a kid, but you get the
picture, and they weren't tossing them at balloons.

"I stand corrected," Lucius whispered, leaning in
close so as not to be heard by the others.

Some distance behind the counter were three large wheels. On
each, a naked human was tied. As they slowly rotated, one Demon or another
would throw a dart. A hit got a scream, or a whimper, depending. That answers
that. This was someone's version of Hell after all.

It's a good thing I'm not squeamish, I thought, as I watched
another dart plunge into one of the poor soul's chests. Lucius, of course, had
probably seen worse. Romans had been fond of crucifixion, not to mention the
kinds of deaths that occurred later at the Coliseum. Still, it was
disconcerting, to say the least. Best not to show disgust while in this place.
Not that anyone could see my face through the helmet I wore.

"Any idea just whose Hell this is?" Lucius asked.

"Hard to say," I replied. "Let's look a
little further. We still need to find out why we were sent here."

"And I thought Nero was a sick bastard," Lucius
remarked. He had stopped in front of another booth where Demons threw spiked
iron collars on the heads of humans buried up to their necks in some kind of
smoldering rock. "I know, I know. After my time. But I was still in Rome
during his reign."

We cut through the midway; listening as Demons hawked games
of chance or skill, all involving souls being punished in one way or another.

"Why would the Tower of Cronus send us here?" Lucius
asked.

"Still working on that," I replied. We'd stopped
outside the midway, near a small arena where souls were being placed in coffin
like boxes before Demons started cutting them in half, or pushing swords into
them. Something caught my eye, and I looked over at another booth where what I
could only describe as a twisted version of
Whack a Mole
was being
played.

Heads were pushed up through holes as Demons smashed them
with huge wooden mallets. As each head was crushed, another took its place.
What caught my attention, was that not soon after one was crushed and removed,
the same head popped up a few seconds later through another hole. Meaning the
soul had to live through the ordeal over and over again. The only reason I even
noticed it in a place filled with such horrors was that one head in particular
looked familiar. I strolled closer to get a better look.

On the third row back a clown faced Demon hefted his mallet
and smashed his victim. A moment later, his target disappeared, only to
reappear a few seconds later when it popped up in the first row. As I stood at
the counter, the Demon carny working the booth asked me if I wanted to play. Waving
him away, I walked back over to Lucius and Charlie.

"It looks like we're supposed to be here," I said,
a quick flick of my head toward the booth I had just come from. "Let's go
this way."

"What did I miss?" Lucius asked as I led them
closer to a Demon's version of a food court.

"I recognize one of the souls being tortured here,"
I said, stopping outside the entrance. "So now we just need to know why."

"Why he's in Hell? That would seem to have an easy
answer."

"No," I said. "Why we're here."

The soul in question had been someone I knew, or at least someone
I'd done a job for, once upon a time. William Harrison had been his name. He'd
been a friend of Eddie Milagre. He was also the reason I'd found Diantha. While
I pitied him, I doubted he'd been sentenced for his kind acts. He'd stolen the
jewel that Diantha, once the Oracle of Delphi, had been gifted by Apollo to
grant her beauty. The old God had also used some sort of magic to make her
immortal. But without the stone to keep her young, she'd been left to live out
the rest of eternity as an old hag.

Still, he'd eventually hired me to return it to her, but
that was only because it no longer worked for him. I doubted he'd gotten many
points in the afterlife department for that gesture. He'd run a carnival back
in the old days, before he made it to the big time in Hollywood. Maybe that was
why he'd been sentenced to spend eternity here. Whatever the reason, Diantha
would be happy to know that kind of Hell he'd wound up in. She'd never forgiven
him for what he'd done and it had taken a powerful oath to get her to swear not
to kill him herself.

This begged the question; What was the real reason I had
been moved to come here? To the Hells of the Underworld I mean. It wasn't just
the Demon portals. They were just obstacles I had to deal with. Dark Fae or
not, Marissa's actions were just moves in the same game I was playing. But then
I found Lucius, and now Harrison. First Heaven, or at least the Roman
equivalent of paradise, and now Hell. What was next?

"All right. Charlie, Lucius, I need you to block me
from view," I said as I walked behind the tents. Kneeling down, I took out
the Queller and watched it spin. It came to rest pointing to the back of a tent
on the other side of the small alley I had walked into. "This way."

We walked through the gaps between the tents and came out on
another path that circled the midway proper. On this road, tents were up and
hawkers beckoned Demons inside. I walked back toward the tent the arrow had
pointed to, dodging a barker advertising a soul swallowing show. The tent in
question had a sign with a crystal ball logo, advertising fortunes told. I
stopped and waved my companions forward through the curtain before stepping in
myself. Inside were several chairs and another entrance, also hidden by a
curtain. As we crossed the threshold, an Imp-sized Demon with leathery wings
came out and greeted us.

"Wonderful. Wonderful," the Demon said, walking
around me and gazing up at my armor. "Why it is Hades himself that comes
to see the Necromancer. What will it be, good sir? Tarot, or perhaps the bones?
The fire might be telling with one of your personage; or perhaps the entrails,
or, then again, the liver." He put his fingers to his lips. "No, no,
I think not." He looked over at Lucius and Charlie, telling them to sit
before turning his attention back to me. He grabbed my hand. "Come, my
Lord. The Lady awaits. She can divine that which you seek."

I gave a nod to the two of them to wait, then went along
with the Demon.

He parted the curtain and led me inside, before disappearing
himself. Not sure what to expect, I almost laughed when I saw the figure that
sat behind the small table of stone. It was cliché, but I figured I'd play
along, at least for the moment. Dressed as an old hag, what I could see of her
green skinned face was wrinkled and covered with warts and tufts of hair. Her
long nose protruded from a hood that covered most of her head, and her eyes
blazed red. Her clawed hands clutched a crystal ball as mists swirled within.
She peered at me as I came into the room.

"Something amuses you, my Lord?" she croaked.

"If you have to ask that question," I replied, "then
you are not the one I seek." I set my shield next to me on the floor and
sat down, laying the bident across my legs as I waited to see what she'd say
next. I was really getting tired of this bullshit.

"Odd," she said, pushing the crystal ball aside.
She reached into a fold in her cloak and came out with a handful of bones; bloody
and with shreds of sinew and flesh still attached. As she threw them onto the
table, blood splattered on to the smooth stone surface. She dragged a finger
through the red drops, smearing the wetness over the stone. She gazed down at
the dark red streaks before looking back at me. "Yet here you are... and
here is where you are supposed to be."

"Is it?" I asked as I removed my helmet and set it
down on the table. "Then perhaps you can tell me why?"

She cackled a laugh.

"Does the great Lord not know his own quest?"

"Oh, I know my quest," I replied, sarcastically. "Now
I just need to know if I'm going to be able to fulfill it."

"Tis the future you seek, then," she said, then
went back to the crystal ball. She rubbed her clawed hands over it and peered
in to the mist. Then her glowing eyes looked back up at me. "And what do
you offer in return?"

"That depends," I replied. "What price do you
set on such a vision? Gold? Jewels? No, wait... Perhaps a piece of my soul
would be more to your liking?"

She cackled again before replying. "I have no need for
such earthly things. As for your soul... Hmm... No. I have souls aplenty at the
moment." She lifted up her head and put a clawed hand to it. Then pointed
a bony finger at me, shaking it up and down as she answered. " I was
thinking of something more useful. Something from another world... From another
Hell. Yes. That is my price. Do you have such a thing? Can you pay the price
for such knowledge?"

"Oh, I can pay it," I said, removing the backpack
from my shoulder. If it's games she wanted... Well, I'd just have to oblige. I
reached inside and removed the scythe. I held it up, testing the sharpness of
the blade with my thumb. "The question is—do I want to."

"Oh!" she screamed, jumping up. "Must you be
so difficult? Is it too much to ask for you to stay in character?" Then
thunder boomed and everything changed. Suddenly we were in another place, another
time. The room had changed to a Western theme and we were sitting at a poker
table. She was human this time; dressed in a collared, striped shirt with a
bolo tie and a visor on her head. Her left arm sported a sleeve garter. She
picked up a deck of cards and fanned them out on the red felt. "Fine! Let's
try this again. Pick a card."

"I don't think so," I said as I started to put the
scythe back in my pack. Then I stopped. What the hell, might as well go for
broke. " But I'm not playing until you tell me the rules."

Then she did it again. This time she sat next to me on a red
velvet couch. No longer in gambling garb, she now wore a white evening dress, looking
every bit like Marilyn Monroe.

"If I'd observed the rules," she said, stroking my
hair. "I'd never have got anywhere."

"Cute," I said, pushing her back. Then she did it
again. This time we were sitting across from each other in a conference room. Marilyn
was gone. In her place was a young woman with auburn hair, wearing glasses and
dressed in a business suit.

"Please understand," she began, browsing through a
leather bound notebook on the table. "I think I've been more than fair."

"Fair?" I asked, losing my train of thought for a
second, after all the quick changes we'd been through. Not to mention being
part of what could only be described as a game of wits with the Goddess behind
the strings, Gaea herself. Something I probably shouldn’t be doing. But as they
say, hindsight is a beautiful thing, and Nikki had said that Gaea needed
something from me. Then it hit me. This was a negotiation. Sure, she wanted me
to give her the scythe. But that was only one of the stakes on the table. Maybe
I did have a card worth playing after all. "You have got to be kidding? Mind
telling me what game we're playing now?"

"Mr. Hoskins," she said, taking off her glasses
and placing them on the table. "I can’t make things too easy. Besides,
look at it from my perspective. I am
the
Goddess, after all. Understanding
was never part of the deal." She perused her notebook again." I have
kept my side of the bargain I made with Maria. Your Fae are safe, for the most
part. Your daughter is Queen, relieving you to watch over things in the human
realm. That is what you wanted, is it not? Your son is... What was his title again?
Oh, yes, now I remember—Protector of the Realm. As an added bonus, both were
granted additional powers as well. You should be pleased. Although I admit that
you may have lost just a bit of them your power when you passed the knowledge
on to your children."

That explained that. Still, it didn’t seem like a bad trade,
since it went to my kids.

"Just look at what you've accomplished. You've allied
yourself with Nereids and Weres to the betterment of your own Fae. You've even
formed a pact with the Keres. Impressive, by the way. I did not see that
coming. There! You've surprised even me. And now you've been on a grand quest,
even rescuing your friend from Hades. You have a wonderful tale to tell,
including one for the Oracle. I'm sure she will enjoy learning of her enemy's
fate. Consider it an added bonus on my part. But now it's time for business.
You have something of mine and I would like it returned."