Authors: Tim Marquitz
Before we’d reached the portal wall, which
would lead us back outside, there was a sudden commotion, and two people
appeared through it ahead of us. My heart went still in my chest as I felt the
essences roll over me, recognition of spirit and face coming to me all at once.
It was Xyx…
and
Lucifer.
The world froze for a moment. Xyx stopped
dead alongside Lucifer, whose eyes swung to take in Longinus. I saw the flicker
of hatred flare up in their depths. He’d cast aside his earthly appearance of a
graying, older man, trading it in for a more traditional one. His skin was a
deep shade of crimson, traces of blue and black shining through as he moved. His
hair was shaved into a Mohawk, which was braided down his back, the tail of it
set with barbed spikes. Short nubs of horns stood out on his forehead, the tips
curved downward toward his crystalline eyes. They danced with his inner fire.
Not quite as big as Longinus, but certainly
as intimidating, he met the ex-Anti-Christ’s gaze with a sneer, brilliantly
white teeth showing. “Maximus.” He’d used Longinus’ real name, but unlike God,
it wasn’t deference he was showing. He was challenging Longinus accomplishments,
diminishing them by not recognizing the moment he came into his power, just as
Jesus had done.
To my surprise, Longinus just nodded and
stepped through the wall without saying a word. He clearly wanted nothing to do
with Lucifer after his clash with God. Unfortunately, that left me the sole
target of Daddy’s attention. His gaze devoured me, but he held his ground not
stepping any closer.
“Triggaltheron,” he said, his eyes
narrowing. “You smell like death.”
How pleasant; and you smell like
elderberries. I followed his example and stayed where I was, no pretense of
familiarity to ruin the frigid standoff. “Nice to see you, too…
father
.”
A crooked smile colored his lips. “Baalth
had said he’d told you the truth of your bloodline. I’m sorry that was how you
had to find out. I had intended another way.”
“You mean by not telling me at all?” The
words were out of my mouth before I’d realized they were gone, but I found I
didn’t regret them.
The smile slipped from his lips. “I had my
reasons.”
“Disappointment chief among them, I’m
sure.”
Lucifer sighed. “There was some of that,
for certain, Frank, but only at the waste of your potential. You could have
been a force to be reckoned with, the Anti-Christ. You could have been—”
“You?” I asked and shook my head. “I never
wanted that, and you can’t lie and say it’s what you wanted either.”
He shrugged. “What I wanted never mattered
to you before, so why should it now?”
“Maybe it was because you forced it on me.”
I could feel my cheeks warming as memories and old grievances rose to the
surface. “I’ve never made a decision that wasn’t directed by you, wasn’t
overseen by your plans and clandestine machinations…at least not until I
decided it was time to stop bothering being anything. It wasn’t until you
realized I would make a poor Devil that you stopped overtly shaping my life.
I’m just pissed you didn’t care enough to notice I’d given up sooner. Maybe my
life would have turned out better.”
“Life is what you allow it to be, boy, what
you make it. That was the message I tried to impart.”
I laughed. “And how’d that work out for
Mom, huh? Do you think she chose to be a victim? That she made a conscious
decision to be hacked up into a million pieces and strewn about a barn?”
“Your mother—”
“Is but one part of all this. You’ve
manipulated everything—
everyone
—and
then you have the plums to stand here and say it was our fault? We chose to be
fucked up? You slaughtered Longinus and chased his daughter out of Hell so you
could satisfy your fucking sense of revenge over being butt hurt,
all while lying to me so you didn’t have to soil
your outfit with any of the blame.”
Lucifer exhaled hard. “Is this about a
woman, Frank?”
I took a step forward, planting my feet and
posting right in front of him. “Yeah, maybe in some roundabout way it is,” I answered.
“You had feelings once, feelings that led you to think of my mother as more
than a piece of meat, just another conquest. You went to war for that feeling,
for that love, against your own brother, even. That’s where I stand now, in
those exact same shoes where I’m forced to choose sides and you’re making it
easy. Hundreds of years later, I’ve found the happiness you stole from me when
I was just a kid and didn’t know any better. I won’t let you, or God for that
matter, take it from me ever again.”
If I were capable of believing he still had
feelings, I could have imagined the look I saw on his face as hurt, as the
understanding he’d made a mistake and wanted to atone for it, but I knew
better. Lucifer gave me exactly the expression he thought I wanted to see
because pacification was the quicker way to shut me up. He reached out to put a
hand on my shoulder, and I batted it away. I didn’t want him touching me.
“I’ve been nothing but a pawn from the day
I was born, and probably even before then, so don’t get sentimental and pretend
I’m more than that now.” I drew in a deep breath and let it out slow. “You’re
the reason my mother was murdered…it was your fault. I’ll be damned if I let
you kill Karra, too.” Before he could say anything in response, I stomped past
him and strode through the wall into the waiting grayness beyond. I expected
him to stop me, but he didn’t bother.
Longinus was a good distance from the
portal when I popped out, pacing about in the dull haze, which was the only
good thing to come out of all this. He hadn’t been close enough to hear me out
myself as Lucifer’s son. That was a bridge I was gonna have to cross
eventually, but not until Karra was safe and sound back home. I could deal with
it then.
Jesus appeared behind me a moment later,
and I could feel his eyes on my back. He hovered there.
“What do you want?”
He came around beside me. “I know it’s not
my place, but don’t you think you were rough on Lucifer? He has changed quite a
bit since you saw him last.”
I shook my head and laughed. “You’re right,
Doctor Phil, it isn’t your place. The last thing I need is relationship advice
from you. You and your dad really nailed that father-son thing, huh?”
Christ clenched his teeth and huffed off
without saying anything. Insulting him might not have been the smartest thing
to do, but there was an inherent satisfaction in getting to lash out at someone
on his side of the fence. It was probably something in my genes. Whatever it
was, I still needed him to lead us to Karra so I drifted off after him. He’d
turn the other cheek, right?
Six
Jesus took us to another cloud building,
this one much smaller than God’s hall, both inside and out, where they’d built
a semi-permanent portal. While there were no guards standing about, there was a
gatekeeper. A tall, statuesque angel stood beside the portal as though posing
for the cover of
Perfection Magazine
.
Not a blemish marred his features and every tiny movement seemed to set his
muscles to rippling where his tanned flesh was visible outside of his shorter
than regulation golden robes. He was seriously trying too hard.
“This is Calar, master of the Feluris Gate,”
Jesus said as he introduced the angel. “Feluris is the name of the planet
linked to this plane. If the creature who kidnapped your daughter is anywhere,
it would be there, most likely in the capital city of Desboren.”
“How can you be certain?” Longinus asked,
ignoring the other angel.
I gave Calar a nod and appreciative smile
for his soon-to-be services. It never hurt to grease the help a little.
“The planet has been cut off from the
universe in which it resides in order to keep its loss a secret from our
enemies. Your kidnapper might well have found a way to slip down to Feluris
undetected, as it would take little effort to do so, but leaving the planet is
another matter. It would take far greater power to break the seal into another
dimension than can be hidden. My Father would know the instant such a thing was
attempted. He has seen no evidence of such.”
“So, where on the planet is Gorath, our little
alien friend?” I asked.
Jesus smiled, and I had the sudden realization
he wasn’t going to be as forgiving as I’d hoped. “He could be anywhere.”
Longinus snarled. “God promised—”
Jesus cut him off. “Only that He would let
you seek out your daughter in exchange for your cooperation, Maximus. He has
passed the order to Calar to allow you access to Feluris, which is far greater
than you would have managed on your own. Do not expect more than you have been
given, demon.”
“You
motherfu
—”
Longinus set a hand on my chest to stop me
as I started toward Christ. “You will regret making a game of this. There will
come a time when I am free of my debt to your Father, and I will repay your
kindness
a thousand fold.”
“I look forward to it,” Jesus answered, a
satisfied smirk on his face. He was goading us, hoping we’d blow our cool and
do something stupid so he could void God’s edict, and I nearly had. Just as
that sunk in, Jesus motioned for Calar to open the gate, disappointment on his
face. He didn’t even try to hide it as the power welled up, and he waved us on.
“Let’s go then, if you’re coming.” Jesus stepped into the circle and waited.
Longinus huffed and stepped in after him,
dragging me along by my arm. Not a moment after we were settled inside, Calar
empowered the gate and we zipped off.
~
A couple blinks of an eye later, we were
there, standing in a glistening receiving circle. The truth sunk in like a
dagger when I saw it. The gate wasn’t open-ended. The only way back up to God’s
plane was to find how the rebels were doing it or have His permission. Calar,
apparently, would be the judge of who had just that. A sad, uncomfortable laugh
slipped out, and Jesus glanced over. A smirk settled comfortably on his lips.
He knew what I was thinking.
If Longinus was planning on breaking his
agreement with God, he was shit outta luck. There’d be no pulling a fast one
and grabbing Karra and slipping off without anyone knowing about it. We were
stuck on this planet until God let us off, and that was that. He’d stacked the deck
in His favor to ensure we were good little puppets. If Longinus noticed, he
didn’t say anything. He stomped out of the circle and waited for Jesus to lead
the way. Christ took his time giving me a minute to look around, not that there
was much to see.
The first thing I noticed about Feluris,
before I even saw anything, was how the world seemed dead. There was no energy
to it, no mystical spirit. Its life force felt beaten down, smothered, as if it
had been pillaged. It was a ruin.
We’d popped in on what looked like the
outskirts of a simple town. Pretty humanoid in nature, brick, stone, and
mortar, it was as though we’d traveled back in time as well as space. It was
like Earth 2.0. The place could be any number of cities during World War II,
bombed out and left to fall apart as the fight moved on. Blackened scars
littered the walls and streets that stretched out before us, streaks of ash
showing the direction of the incoming blasts. Great craters pockmarked the
roads and sidewalks, and several of the nearby buildings had toppled into the
holes gouged by the magical onslaught. Soot covered everything.
“You sure did a number on these folks,” I
told Jesus.
He shrugged. “The Aliterean Consortium gave
us little choice in the matter.”
“The who?”
“Our enemies, Triggaltheron. The figurehead
they have chosen to stand behind,
Alitere
, was much
like Lucifer when he was brought into existence, the balance necessary to
produce true free will. He felt he deserved more and rebelled in an effort to
take what he was not offered. He, too, was sentenced to a Hell of his making
and left behind to wither and die in it.”
“Yeah, looks like it worked out well.”
“My Father’s compassion is a weakness that
many have taken advantage of, but those days are over. Once the Consortium is
crushed, there will be no such kindness offered ever again.”
The look in his eyes gave me the chills. I
didn’t like it or what he was implying. It was a circular argument, greater
restriction only leading to greater hostility and further rebellion. You can’t
repress a people and win their loyalty. The only way to assure a populace never
rose up against you was to kill it to the very last soul so there was no one to
rise up. His attitude gave me sudden reason to think I might well be fighting
on the wrong side of this particular conflict.
“Tell us of your intentions after I find my
daughter, Christ.” Longinus stopped in the middle of the street and stood with
his fists clenched at his sides.
“Of course, Maximus, of course.” Jesus
smiled and strolled to catch up. He stepped past Longinus, disrespectfully
close as their chests grazed, and motioned us on. Longinus’ eyes were daggers
that pierced Christ’s but Jesus continued walking without concern.
The view didn’t get any better as we went
along. The clouds seemed ready to weep as they drifted overhead, slow and
heavy. They weren’t as gray as those in God’s plane, but the oppressive feel of
them were pretty similar. The air was cool, but not cold; a seemingly
comfortable fall day.
As we walked, the gray and nearly lifeless
city droned by in deafening silence. Striped faces peered from shuttered
windows as they watched us from the relative safety of their homes. The few
aliens we saw on the streets darted for cover the moment they saw us. None
stuck around to chit-chat or even take a long look, back alleys and burnt out
buildings apparently preferable to being in our presence. Christ walked on
without comment, completely ignoring them. He must have been used to getting
the cold shoulder from the surviving residents because he didn’t even glance in
their direction. Jesus might well be the conquering hero, but the people sure
weren’t impressed. They were treating him like every other conqueror who’d come
to town, by ducking and covering and waiting it out. It didn’t say much for
God’s public relations skills.
The wreckage of the city didn’t say much
more about the way the people of Feluris had been treated during the fight.
While the streets were passable, it was clear there wasn’t much left of the
infrastructure. There were no lights or electricity running, nothing to
indicate that the obvious power structures were still functional. While
somewhat different from Earth, it was clear the planet had been hardwired for
some public means of energy, but none of that seemed to be operational. No
street or porch lights lighted the gloom, and there was the subtle scent of
sewage in the air. The place had been brought low and left that way.
At a rundown, heap of a building, we
finally saw some signs of life, several aliens averting their eyes from us yet
still sticking around to cast surreptitious glances our way. Just like the ones
we’d seen earlier, they were orange-
ish
in color and
bore the zebra marks that originated at their nose and wormed their way across
the rest of their body. Loose, plain clothing was the uniform they all wore,
only serving to distort individual identities. While a couple of the males were
a little bigger than the others, they were still close enough alike that I
wouldn’t have been able to pick them apart in a line up.
“We’re here.” Jesus drew my attention away
from the huddled aliens.
Two story and made of brick, the building
had been painted with a variety of symbols in a half-assed manner. I recognized
the script from the book Lucifer had given me and from the containment case,
but I had no idea what any of it meant. If I had to guess, I’d say they were
advertisements, the colors bright and cheery. They were beacons in the dull
brown and gray of the city we’d walked through. Jesus pulled open a creaking wooden
door and ushered us inside. Longinus was forced to turn sideways and duck to
get through, but he did so without complaint. I went in after him and Jesus
brought up the rear, shutting the door behind us.
My first impression appeared to be right.
Three rows of shelves lined the floor of the small shop, strange items
scattered about with tiny alien-language tags marking them. There was no
telling if the place sold groceries or auto parts, but based on the bitter
stink, which clung moistly to the room, I sure was hoping it wasn’t food I
smelled. We hadn’t thought to bring anything more than weapons on our trip, and
the very last thing I wanted to do was eat something that stunk of carburetor
and goat taint. There were a few lights operating inside, the quiet hum of a
hidden generator singing out from somewhere.
Behind a short counter at the front of the
store, a hunched alien stared at us. His black stripes stood out against the
orangey-yellow of his skin while green eyes watched our every motion. He wore simple
clothing like all the rest, looking almost like a mechanic in a one piece
overall in soft blue. The alien saw Jesus and smiled.
“In come, in come, friends my.” There was a
strange reverberation to his voice, as though he spoke in three different pitches
all at once. The sound tickled my ears, but the words came through loud and
clear and in English…sort of.
Jesus went over to the counter, resting a
hand on it. “This is
Jafelorratorijo
, but you can
just call him Jo.”
“Pleasure meet to you is mine,” Jo said,
inclining his head slightly.
It took all I had to resist making a Yoda
joke. I just nodded a hello and Longinus said nothing.
“Jo is our link to the comings and goings
of Desboren. If anyone can find the whereabouts of your daughter here, it is
he.” Jesus nodded to the alien. “Help our friends find what they need, Jo.
They’re very important to my Father.”
The alien smiled, purple teeth peering out
from between his lips. “Course of, course of, will I.”
Christ grinned. “I’ll leave you to your
adventure. When you have done what is asked, return to the gate at Ulverton
Square and Calar will bring you to us.” He waved and walked off without another
word, leaving the shop door wide open.
“Can do for you what?” Jo asked.
The triple hum of his voice set my skin to
crawling. “Do all of your people speak…uh, English?”
He shook his head and pointed to a small
box set above the front door. “Hear you what only need.”
He reached under the counter and pulled out
what appeared to be thick, blue needles. At least until one squirmed in his
open hand. My skin twitched. He motioned to press the things against our arms,
right below the crook of our elbows, and set them on the counter. I just stood
and watched them wiggle for a minute until Longinus pushed me out of the way
snatched one up. He set it against his forearm, and the thing raised its head
and stabbed him. Longinus just stared as it burrowed into his flesh and
disappeared, tiny flutters fading into calm. He looked to me, and I swallowed
hard, picking up the little worm. I followed his example and the creature
squirmed its way inside my arm, slipping out of sight with a flicker of its
tail. It was hard not to feel violated.
“Is that better?” Jo asked, and I was
surprised to realize he wasn’t talking ass-backwards anymore. “The gullies
translate far better than the voice box. You will now be able to understand the
Felurians, my people, better.” He bowed shallow, his smile still coloring his
face. “Now what was it you needed from me? I am in God’s service.”
“My daughter was kidnapped and brought here
by an alien named Gorath. He is not of your world. I need to find them.”
Jo nodded. “There has been much strange
activity here in Desboren, of late, many
aliens
who have come to take advantage of Feluris’ downfall. I will need some time to
determine which is the one you seek.”