Age of Angels, page 13
“The stuff about abandoning the world, simply going off and fucking... It’s not exactly moral. Not exactly… anything other than a demon would say, right?”
He felt an internal kick, like a clenching in his gut. “I resent that. The fact that I would want to fuck you all day should be a good thing. Good for your health, good for your sanity… And yes, maybe it fails to recognize the importance of our situation, but that was you and your guardian angels’ business. And for the record, I am helping… I’m also suggesting other possibilities. To let you know that you have options.”
Luke laughed. “Well, thank you for that. When we can finally settle down and not be worried for our lives and the fate of the world, I’d love to take you up on your suggestion.” He thought she laughed too, a sort of twinkling of joy coursing through him.
As they pushed through to the river, they stopped and Ariel moved out of him, standing at his side. He glanced over and noted that she was fully nude.
She shrugged. “So many humans are prudes. I think I look good this way.”
“No denying that.” He stood, waiting.
“Oh, you want to know why I emerged here.” She motioned to the river. “The river shows us the way. I remember something about a rift, and plains. It was all a little fuzzy when your guardian angel, Rachel, sent me after you. But there was a place that I accessed as soon as the shift happened—the change that released us all, giving us free will and all that. Well, I accessed the rift via a river like this, maybe this exact river. If we can get to that rift plain, there are portals, and from there we can bring the angels to us… I think.”
“You think? We’re going off that?”
“You have something better? Go ahead, tell me.”
“Down here, I have nothing.”
She smirked, ran a hand over her breast and pinched her nipple, then licked her lips. “I’d hardly say you have nothing.”
Again, he chuckled and nodded. “As much as I love this, I think we should focus.”
She sighed but nodded and started walking along the river. “I forget if we need to find a raft or…” Suddenly, she froze. There in the water, moving along like a silverfish, was a form looking at them. But it wasn’t a fish, Luke saw, since it had little wings on its back and a dainty form. Some type of spirit?
“Grab it,” Ariel said. “That’s the only way.”
Before he could respond, Ariel was in the water and pulling him with her. The water’s touch was icy cold, making Luke think of those crazy people who jumped into glacial waters. Each breath came painful and sharp. He wasn’t sure if he could breathe… or should.
He wasn’t sure if it was water or a different, bone-numbingly cold liquid. None of his limbs wanted to respond, and yet there was Ariel, pulling him on and swimming fast like a mermaid, pointing to that silvery form. Reaching down deep inside of himself, he willed his arm out and his hand forward.
His fingers wrapped around something, gripping warmth. In a flash, they were out of there with a large silvery fairy creature growing in front of him. In a flash, the fairy took full form standing as tall as him, he realized his hand was on her bare hip.
The fairy gave him a disgusted look, then turned to Ariel and growled. Her teeth were sharp and her eyes full of silvery flames. A glance around showed Luke that they were no longer in the river or where they’d been before they jumped in, but instead, in what seemed like a silvery ball of light with nothing visible beyond it.
“Take us to the plains,” Arial demanded.
“As you wish.” A voice emanated from the fairy, but the creature’s lips didn’t move.
She swirled as the light closed in on them, and then was gone.
Suddenly, they stood on a vast plain. Tall rocks rose around them, forming castles in the distance, surrounded by humongous winged creatures that were engaged in a battle. They’d arrived at the wrong time.
18
Luke stared at the massive creatures in the air, wondering what they were. Some looked like dragons, with their massive wings spread out and tearing into each other with long necks and sharp teeth. Others looked more like living spaceships, in various forms and shapes. The way they twisted and turned, then shot out explosions from all over their sides and their backs was like some strange horror flick.
One hurtled down from the sky, plowing through the ground before coming to a halt as it slammed into a rocky cliff and sent rocks tumbling down upon itself.
Luke stared at the scaly beast in horror, then turned to Ariel. “What the fuck is this place?”
“This is the place I told you about.” She pointed to a fortress on the other side of the plain. “Right there, if my senses are telling me this correctly, that’s the place where we’ll find a portal to Earth. We don’t want to return, but when we get there, we can channel your connection to your guardian angels. I think that since they originate from the afterlife, it’ll work.”
“What happens if I die in the afterlife?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“How…” He started to ask, but she was already moving on. She ran, then crouched and hissed for him to follow. He did, but no sooner had he gone a few steps than a blast of red energy shot into the ground in front of him, exploding and leaving a large hole where he had been about to step.
“Holy fucking shit!” he screamed. She was back at his side, grabbing his arm and pointing him along in a different direction. He grunted. “I don’t like this place.”
“You don’t have to.” She pulled him in the other direction and then leaped as another blast hit the ground behind them. “I’m not asking you to build a summer home here, only get to that fortress to summon Naomi and Layla so we can save your other guardian angel. Hey, the offer to sit around and talk all day is still on the table.”
“That offer from before is starting to sound pretty fucking good.”
She chuckled, reached back, and grabbed his cock over his pants. “To me, too.”
“Get me to the fortress,” he pleaded, wanting nothing more than to escape from there, to lay with her and feel her caresses on his naked skin. But of course, that wasn’t about to happen. Not when so much was riding on this.
She nodded and said, “I’m going to enter you again.”
“Why is it that every time you say that, I want to make a joke but our situation is too fucked up for that?”
“That makes it more exciting, doesn’t it?” She grinned, and then disappeared inside of him. The last few minutes of the run went by in a flash, with her controlling his steps and giving him extra energy to leap over gaps and fissures. Oddly, when taking one such jump, he found himself thinking of late nights playing the old Mario games. Soon, the two of them were at the base of a tall rocky fortress and were about to enter, when a deep rumbling sounded, causing them to stop.
“What’s that?” The rumbling came again, followed by the sound of steel and stone scraping together.
Ariel appeared at his side. “You’re gonna want your sword.”
“Why?”
A massive ogre stumbled through the fortress’ large entrance. It was a tight squeeze since the ogre had huge shoulders, spiked armor, and a bloodied club that it dragged behind itself. It let out a howl that turned into a roar of rage. As it pushed its way out of the entrance and lifted the club above its head, Luke acted fast, holding his hand out so that the blade appeared, before lunging forward to slice through its belly.
Only, there was no such luck. The blade merely glanced off its skin, as if it had struck stone.
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Ariel said as she rolled to her right to avoid the club’s strike. It slammed into the ground, and then came up at Luke. He stumbled back and dropped the sword so that it re-absorbed into him. At least the club didn’t hit him, but he had to roll to avoid getting hit and then make the sword appear in his hand again. The ogre came at him again.
A blast of ice hit the ogre from behind, and Luke took the moment to regain his footing. He brought his sword up and struck again, looking for soft spots. Twice more the sword bounced off the ogre’s skin, sending shockwaves through Luke’s arms. But finally, on the third strike, he sliced straight into the ogre’s groin and felt flesh give. The ogre’s eyes went wide and a high-pitched, horrible shriek came from its mouth.
“Again!” Ariel shouted.
This time, her blast of ice struck at the same time as his sword and targeted the same spot. When he drove the sword inward and
upward, the bottom half of the ogre split, breaking in half like a massive ice sculpture that had cracked. The top half fell to the ground, writhing, reaching for him with one hand and swinging the club with the other. A deafening howl came from its mouth.
“Holy hell…” Luke exclaimed, gripping his sword with two hands and staring at the horrible creature.
“It’s not over yet,” Ariel said. “If he continues to make that sound, we’re going to have a whole lot more company. End it.”
Luke turned to her with a frown and saw shimmering shapes around her. Translucent forms moved in—some had horns, others appeared human. All of them looked like ghosts. He decided right there that he really didn’t like this place. Lifting the sword high, he grunted as he brought it down hard on the ogre’s neck. The blow severed its head from its body. That screen flashed again, more XP moving forward in the bar.
“Good, get into the fortress.” Ariel cast a wall of ice behind them. To Luke’s relief, it kept the ghosts out. He led the way into the fortress, each step taking them into greater darkness. He wondered if more ogres would show up, while imagining worse might be inside.
“How far?” he asked.
“We have to find the portal,” she said. “All these fortresses have been built around the portals, so it has to be near the center.”
“Well, fuck me,” he grumbled as he stumbled into a large room. There, in the center of the room, was a large, shimmering portal.
He was about to say something along the lines of, “oh, that was easy,” until he saw the three stone columns stepping out from the walls. To make it worse, a small, demonic looking creature took off down one of the three halls opposite the one Luke had come through, shouting, “Intruders, intruders,” at the top of its voice.
Sword raised, he didn’t hesitate this time. He charged toward the golems, shouting, “Freeze the hell out of them!”
Ariel didn’t need to be told twice. In a matter of seconds, she hit them with ice as Luke’s sword connected. The stone froze so that he was able to hack at it. Luke felt like a fighting machine, even without Ariel in him—like some of her essence stayed behind when she left, making his reflexes and even strength that much more impressive. He sliced left and right, parrying and blocking. A double-handed slash cut one golem cleanly in two, plowed through the second, and the final one he caught with his shoulder slamming into the ground before he could bring the sword down hard on it.
He stood there, trying to catch his breath as Ariel walked up next to him. She put a hand on his back, and said, “Badass. Now, stop standing there looking all sexy and get to work. Reinforcements will be here soon.”
“I… simply… focus on them?” he asked, still working to catch his breath.
“Whichever one you’re strongest with, which I guess would be Naomi?”
He nodded. “Since we… bonded, I assume so.”
She grinned. “Focus on that moment. Focus on her touching you.” She cocked her head, eyes moving down his body, then said, “If this will help, close your eyes while I…”
As he closed his eyes and focused on Naomi, he felt the demon’s hand go down his pants. While it was cold, and not at all like Naomi’s touch, he started to imagine that it was her. That it was Naomi’s hand caressing his balls, stroking his shaft. Then, in his mind’s eye, he saw Naomi riding him, her breasts slick with sweat, her tongue darting out and along her lips as she eyed him with passion.
“Oh, God… Naomi,” he muttered, and then in a flash, she was there. She stepped through the portal and reached for him as he reached for her.
“I’m here,” Naomi said. “The others?”
“Keep the focus open,” Ariel said. “While you have it, Naomi, focus on Layla.”
Naomi kept one hand in the portal and nodded. A moment later, she started to pull Layla through, but another figure came with her. Luke blinked, confused, and then stepped back as Naomi, Layla, and one of the cult members tumbled into the room.
“What…” he started as the figure looked up at them, Naomi and Layla alert and ready for action.
A cute little witch eyed him with a pleading gaze. She sported blue hair pulled into pigtails, fishnet stockings and a black skirt with a top that reminded Luke of something from Octoberfest.
“My name is Cadence. Please, you have to take me with you.”
19
Walking through the plains of the afterlife, Luke was appreciative of his company. Naomi clutched his arm, hating that they had been separated for even that short time. Layla eyed him with curiosity, and Ariel beamed with excitement about the victory. It was the new girl, Cadence, who made them all slightly uneasy.
She was a witch who had been with the cult, but continued to beg to be part of their team. “You have to take me with you,” she insisted.
“We don’t have to do anything.” Naomi was busy looking for ways to go, searching for the way to the level of hell where Rachel would likely be.
“You would leave me here?” Cadence asked. “I’ve given up everything to come with you. You don’t understand… I never wanted to be one of them. Not after I learned what they were doing.”
“And yet, you studied witchcraft, no?” Naomi asked. “You are indeed a witch?”
“I am.”
“You understand that witchcraft is evil, right?” Layla chimed in.
Cadence’s eyes moved from them to Ariel, then back to Luke. “Please, you understand, right? They talk of evil, but you have a demon traveling with you. Surely, simply because I studied witchcraft, I can’t be any worse than she is. I assure you that I’m not.”
Ariel raised a finger. “To be clear, I am a demon, but not evil anymore. I’ve changed, made a new beginning. Yes, I am tempted, but I’m fighting it. So, I’m not an actual demon anymore.”
“I don’t understand.” Cadence looked from the demon to Luke, then back to the angels. “All I know is that when they took that other angel and started using her, when they sent her to the underworld in order to steal her power…”
“Same would have happened to me, if it had gotten that far,” Layla said.
Cadence looked away from her, ashamed. “I knew it was wrong. I never wanted to be part of that, you must believe me. I mean, of course you don’t have to do anything… I’m only saying, they raised me this way. And, you know, I watched all those movies about the boy who becomes a witch, and of course I didn’t see a thing wrong with it. Harry something or other? He was fighting evil. Maybe there is darkness to it, I don’t know. I mean, I can do magic… I don’t pray to the devil or do anything weird like that. I’m not a demon.” She glanced at Ariel. “Sorry, I don’t mean anything by that.”
“No offense taken.” Ariel smiled at her, then turned to us. “I think she could do well in the group. After all, she has inside knowledge and could assist us with finding this third angel. Rachel, was it?”
“That’s right,” Naomi said while frowning at Ariel. “But, what if she leads the rest of the cult right to us?”
“The farther we move on the plains and then into the underworld again, the less likely that would be. Tracking us in old hell… good luck. You think there’s a way to do that down there?” Ariel shook her head. “I sure don’t.”
“To be clear,” Luke said, “the plains are the afterlife, but not the underworld? Right? Making sure I got this.”
“More or less.” Layla shrugged. “I don’t know much about the plains or any of this, but I think Ariel’s right. I mean, it can’t hurt to bring her along… Test her. See if we can figure it out along the way and how much help she is. And she’s right, if a demon can join the group, be part of all this, why not some girl who happens to know magic?”
“To be clear,” Luke said, “we’re talking about a woman here, right?”
“And also to be clear,” Naomi scowled at him, “simply because she joins, doesn’t mean you fuck her.”
Cadence blinked, turned to Luke with her mouth hanging open, and then laughed. “Did I miss something? Where in this conversation did him sticking his penis in my pussy come into play? I want to help, but no offense, you aren’t my type… How does me helping have anything to do with all that?”
“I said it didn’t,” Naomi insisted, but she was still staring at Luke, as if it was his call.
He blushed and shook his head. “I blame the demon.”
“Hey, now,” Ariel protested. But then she laughed. “I do like making him lustful when I can. I can have the same effect on you, I think. It’s a little harder with the angels, though.”
“Oh, I don’t think you can influence me,” Cadence said. “If I want sex, I’m quite capable of wanting it on my accord.”
Ariel shrugged. “Just saying.”
“While we’re on the topic,” Luke said, “maybe you can’t do it to me either, especially in situations like this.”
“Of course, of course.” She leaned in again and whispered into his ear, “By the way, I wasn’t. That was all you.”
He avoided Cadence’s glance, not sure whether she’d heard that.
They continued walking through the plains. He noticed that the translucent forms from before were back. For some reason, they were keeping their distance. Maybe it had to do with the guardian angels?
Seeing him looking at the forms, or possibly ghosts, Layla said, “Don’t worry about it. Those are the spirits of the afterlife, and as long as we’re here, they won’t touch you.”
“I’ve been wondering,” he admitted.
The kept walking. Naomi clenched her hands into fists as her sides and growled. “I don’t get it. We came this far, but I don’t know how to get down to old hell. I mean, last time I was here, when I…” She glanced over at Ariel, who was staring at her in confusion.
He felt an internal kick, like a clenching in his gut. “I resent that. The fact that I would want to fuck you all day should be a good thing. Good for your health, good for your sanity… And yes, maybe it fails to recognize the importance of our situation, but that was you and your guardian angels’ business. And for the record, I am helping… I’m also suggesting other possibilities. To let you know that you have options.”
Luke laughed. “Well, thank you for that. When we can finally settle down and not be worried for our lives and the fate of the world, I’d love to take you up on your suggestion.” He thought she laughed too, a sort of twinkling of joy coursing through him.
As they pushed through to the river, they stopped and Ariel moved out of him, standing at his side. He glanced over and noted that she was fully nude.
She shrugged. “So many humans are prudes. I think I look good this way.”
“No denying that.” He stood, waiting.
“Oh, you want to know why I emerged here.” She motioned to the river. “The river shows us the way. I remember something about a rift, and plains. It was all a little fuzzy when your guardian angel, Rachel, sent me after you. But there was a place that I accessed as soon as the shift happened—the change that released us all, giving us free will and all that. Well, I accessed the rift via a river like this, maybe this exact river. If we can get to that rift plain, there are portals, and from there we can bring the angels to us… I think.”
“You think? We’re going off that?”
“You have something better? Go ahead, tell me.”
“Down here, I have nothing.”
She smirked, ran a hand over her breast and pinched her nipple, then licked her lips. “I’d hardly say you have nothing.”
Again, he chuckled and nodded. “As much as I love this, I think we should focus.”
She sighed but nodded and started walking along the river. “I forget if we need to find a raft or…” Suddenly, she froze. There in the water, moving along like a silverfish, was a form looking at them. But it wasn’t a fish, Luke saw, since it had little wings on its back and a dainty form. Some type of spirit?
“Grab it,” Ariel said. “That’s the only way.”
Before he could respond, Ariel was in the water and pulling him with her. The water’s touch was icy cold, making Luke think of those crazy people who jumped into glacial waters. Each breath came painful and sharp. He wasn’t sure if he could breathe… or should.
He wasn’t sure if it was water or a different, bone-numbingly cold liquid. None of his limbs wanted to respond, and yet there was Ariel, pulling him on and swimming fast like a mermaid, pointing to that silvery form. Reaching down deep inside of himself, he willed his arm out and his hand forward.
His fingers wrapped around something, gripping warmth. In a flash, they were out of there with a large silvery fairy creature growing in front of him. In a flash, the fairy took full form standing as tall as him, he realized his hand was on her bare hip.
The fairy gave him a disgusted look, then turned to Ariel and growled. Her teeth were sharp and her eyes full of silvery flames. A glance around showed Luke that they were no longer in the river or where they’d been before they jumped in, but instead, in what seemed like a silvery ball of light with nothing visible beyond it.
“Take us to the plains,” Arial demanded.
“As you wish.” A voice emanated from the fairy, but the creature’s lips didn’t move.
She swirled as the light closed in on them, and then was gone.
Suddenly, they stood on a vast plain. Tall rocks rose around them, forming castles in the distance, surrounded by humongous winged creatures that were engaged in a battle. They’d arrived at the wrong time.
18
Luke stared at the massive creatures in the air, wondering what they were. Some looked like dragons, with their massive wings spread out and tearing into each other with long necks and sharp teeth. Others looked more like living spaceships, in various forms and shapes. The way they twisted and turned, then shot out explosions from all over their sides and their backs was like some strange horror flick.
One hurtled down from the sky, plowing through the ground before coming to a halt as it slammed into a rocky cliff and sent rocks tumbling down upon itself.
Luke stared at the scaly beast in horror, then turned to Ariel. “What the fuck is this place?”
“This is the place I told you about.” She pointed to a fortress on the other side of the plain. “Right there, if my senses are telling me this correctly, that’s the place where we’ll find a portal to Earth. We don’t want to return, but when we get there, we can channel your connection to your guardian angels. I think that since they originate from the afterlife, it’ll work.”
“What happens if I die in the afterlife?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“How…” He started to ask, but she was already moving on. She ran, then crouched and hissed for him to follow. He did, but no sooner had he gone a few steps than a blast of red energy shot into the ground in front of him, exploding and leaving a large hole where he had been about to step.
“Holy fucking shit!” he screamed. She was back at his side, grabbing his arm and pointing him along in a different direction. He grunted. “I don’t like this place.”
“You don’t have to.” She pulled him in the other direction and then leaped as another blast hit the ground behind them. “I’m not asking you to build a summer home here, only get to that fortress to summon Naomi and Layla so we can save your other guardian angel. Hey, the offer to sit around and talk all day is still on the table.”
“That offer from before is starting to sound pretty fucking good.”
She chuckled, reached back, and grabbed his cock over his pants. “To me, too.”
“Get me to the fortress,” he pleaded, wanting nothing more than to escape from there, to lay with her and feel her caresses on his naked skin. But of course, that wasn’t about to happen. Not when so much was riding on this.
She nodded and said, “I’m going to enter you again.”
“Why is it that every time you say that, I want to make a joke but our situation is too fucked up for that?”
“That makes it more exciting, doesn’t it?” She grinned, and then disappeared inside of him. The last few minutes of the run went by in a flash, with her controlling his steps and giving him extra energy to leap over gaps and fissures. Oddly, when taking one such jump, he found himself thinking of late nights playing the old Mario games. Soon, the two of them were at the base of a tall rocky fortress and were about to enter, when a deep rumbling sounded, causing them to stop.
“What’s that?” The rumbling came again, followed by the sound of steel and stone scraping together.
Ariel appeared at his side. “You’re gonna want your sword.”
“Why?”
A massive ogre stumbled through the fortress’ large entrance. It was a tight squeeze since the ogre had huge shoulders, spiked armor, and a bloodied club that it dragged behind itself. It let out a howl that turned into a roar of rage. As it pushed its way out of the entrance and lifted the club above its head, Luke acted fast, holding his hand out so that the blade appeared, before lunging forward to slice through its belly.
Only, there was no such luck. The blade merely glanced off its skin, as if it had struck stone.
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Ariel said as she rolled to her right to avoid the club’s strike. It slammed into the ground, and then came up at Luke. He stumbled back and dropped the sword so that it re-absorbed into him. At least the club didn’t hit him, but he had to roll to avoid getting hit and then make the sword appear in his hand again. The ogre came at him again.
A blast of ice hit the ogre from behind, and Luke took the moment to regain his footing. He brought his sword up and struck again, looking for soft spots. Twice more the sword bounced off the ogre’s skin, sending shockwaves through Luke’s arms. But finally, on the third strike, he sliced straight into the ogre’s groin and felt flesh give. The ogre’s eyes went wide and a high-pitched, horrible shriek came from its mouth.
“Again!” Ariel shouted.
This time, her blast of ice struck at the same time as his sword and targeted the same spot. When he drove the sword inward and
upward, the bottom half of the ogre split, breaking in half like a massive ice sculpture that had cracked. The top half fell to the ground, writhing, reaching for him with one hand and swinging the club with the other. A deafening howl came from its mouth.
“Holy hell…” Luke exclaimed, gripping his sword with two hands and staring at the horrible creature.
“It’s not over yet,” Ariel said. “If he continues to make that sound, we’re going to have a whole lot more company. End it.”
Luke turned to her with a frown and saw shimmering shapes around her. Translucent forms moved in—some had horns, others appeared human. All of them looked like ghosts. He decided right there that he really didn’t like this place. Lifting the sword high, he grunted as he brought it down hard on the ogre’s neck. The blow severed its head from its body. That screen flashed again, more XP moving forward in the bar.
“Good, get into the fortress.” Ariel cast a wall of ice behind them. To Luke’s relief, it kept the ghosts out. He led the way into the fortress, each step taking them into greater darkness. He wondered if more ogres would show up, while imagining worse might be inside.
“How far?” he asked.
“We have to find the portal,” she said. “All these fortresses have been built around the portals, so it has to be near the center.”
“Well, fuck me,” he grumbled as he stumbled into a large room. There, in the center of the room, was a large, shimmering portal.
He was about to say something along the lines of, “oh, that was easy,” until he saw the three stone columns stepping out from the walls. To make it worse, a small, demonic looking creature took off down one of the three halls opposite the one Luke had come through, shouting, “Intruders, intruders,” at the top of its voice.
Sword raised, he didn’t hesitate this time. He charged toward the golems, shouting, “Freeze the hell out of them!”
Ariel didn’t need to be told twice. In a matter of seconds, she hit them with ice as Luke’s sword connected. The stone froze so that he was able to hack at it. Luke felt like a fighting machine, even without Ariel in him—like some of her essence stayed behind when she left, making his reflexes and even strength that much more impressive. He sliced left and right, parrying and blocking. A double-handed slash cut one golem cleanly in two, plowed through the second, and the final one he caught with his shoulder slamming into the ground before he could bring the sword down hard on it.
He stood there, trying to catch his breath as Ariel walked up next to him. She put a hand on his back, and said, “Badass. Now, stop standing there looking all sexy and get to work. Reinforcements will be here soon.”
“I… simply… focus on them?” he asked, still working to catch his breath.
“Whichever one you’re strongest with, which I guess would be Naomi?”
He nodded. “Since we… bonded, I assume so.”
She grinned. “Focus on that moment. Focus on her touching you.” She cocked her head, eyes moving down his body, then said, “If this will help, close your eyes while I…”
As he closed his eyes and focused on Naomi, he felt the demon’s hand go down his pants. While it was cold, and not at all like Naomi’s touch, he started to imagine that it was her. That it was Naomi’s hand caressing his balls, stroking his shaft. Then, in his mind’s eye, he saw Naomi riding him, her breasts slick with sweat, her tongue darting out and along her lips as she eyed him with passion.
“Oh, God… Naomi,” he muttered, and then in a flash, she was there. She stepped through the portal and reached for him as he reached for her.
“I’m here,” Naomi said. “The others?”
“Keep the focus open,” Ariel said. “While you have it, Naomi, focus on Layla.”
Naomi kept one hand in the portal and nodded. A moment later, she started to pull Layla through, but another figure came with her. Luke blinked, confused, and then stepped back as Naomi, Layla, and one of the cult members tumbled into the room.
“What…” he started as the figure looked up at them, Naomi and Layla alert and ready for action.
A cute little witch eyed him with a pleading gaze. She sported blue hair pulled into pigtails, fishnet stockings and a black skirt with a top that reminded Luke of something from Octoberfest.
“My name is Cadence. Please, you have to take me with you.”
19
Walking through the plains of the afterlife, Luke was appreciative of his company. Naomi clutched his arm, hating that they had been separated for even that short time. Layla eyed him with curiosity, and Ariel beamed with excitement about the victory. It was the new girl, Cadence, who made them all slightly uneasy.
She was a witch who had been with the cult, but continued to beg to be part of their team. “You have to take me with you,” she insisted.
“We don’t have to do anything.” Naomi was busy looking for ways to go, searching for the way to the level of hell where Rachel would likely be.
“You would leave me here?” Cadence asked. “I’ve given up everything to come with you. You don’t understand… I never wanted to be one of them. Not after I learned what they were doing.”
“And yet, you studied witchcraft, no?” Naomi asked. “You are indeed a witch?”
“I am.”
“You understand that witchcraft is evil, right?” Layla chimed in.
Cadence’s eyes moved from them to Ariel, then back to Luke. “Please, you understand, right? They talk of evil, but you have a demon traveling with you. Surely, simply because I studied witchcraft, I can’t be any worse than she is. I assure you that I’m not.”
Ariel raised a finger. “To be clear, I am a demon, but not evil anymore. I’ve changed, made a new beginning. Yes, I am tempted, but I’m fighting it. So, I’m not an actual demon anymore.”
“I don’t understand.” Cadence looked from the demon to Luke, then back to the angels. “All I know is that when they took that other angel and started using her, when they sent her to the underworld in order to steal her power…”
“Same would have happened to me, if it had gotten that far,” Layla said.
Cadence looked away from her, ashamed. “I knew it was wrong. I never wanted to be part of that, you must believe me. I mean, of course you don’t have to do anything… I’m only saying, they raised me this way. And, you know, I watched all those movies about the boy who becomes a witch, and of course I didn’t see a thing wrong with it. Harry something or other? He was fighting evil. Maybe there is darkness to it, I don’t know. I mean, I can do magic… I don’t pray to the devil or do anything weird like that. I’m not a demon.” She glanced at Ariel. “Sorry, I don’t mean anything by that.”
“No offense taken.” Ariel smiled at her, then turned to us. “I think she could do well in the group. After all, she has inside knowledge and could assist us with finding this third angel. Rachel, was it?”
“That’s right,” Naomi said while frowning at Ariel. “But, what if she leads the rest of the cult right to us?”
“The farther we move on the plains and then into the underworld again, the less likely that would be. Tracking us in old hell… good luck. You think there’s a way to do that down there?” Ariel shook her head. “I sure don’t.”
“To be clear,” Luke said, “the plains are the afterlife, but not the underworld? Right? Making sure I got this.”
“More or less.” Layla shrugged. “I don’t know much about the plains or any of this, but I think Ariel’s right. I mean, it can’t hurt to bring her along… Test her. See if we can figure it out along the way and how much help she is. And she’s right, if a demon can join the group, be part of all this, why not some girl who happens to know magic?”
“To be clear,” Luke said, “we’re talking about a woman here, right?”
“And also to be clear,” Naomi scowled at him, “simply because she joins, doesn’t mean you fuck her.”
Cadence blinked, turned to Luke with her mouth hanging open, and then laughed. “Did I miss something? Where in this conversation did him sticking his penis in my pussy come into play? I want to help, but no offense, you aren’t my type… How does me helping have anything to do with all that?”
“I said it didn’t,” Naomi insisted, but she was still staring at Luke, as if it was his call.
He blushed and shook his head. “I blame the demon.”
“Hey, now,” Ariel protested. But then she laughed. “I do like making him lustful when I can. I can have the same effect on you, I think. It’s a little harder with the angels, though.”
“Oh, I don’t think you can influence me,” Cadence said. “If I want sex, I’m quite capable of wanting it on my accord.”
Ariel shrugged. “Just saying.”
“While we’re on the topic,” Luke said, “maybe you can’t do it to me either, especially in situations like this.”
“Of course, of course.” She leaned in again and whispered into his ear, “By the way, I wasn’t. That was all you.”
He avoided Cadence’s glance, not sure whether she’d heard that.
They continued walking through the plains. He noticed that the translucent forms from before were back. For some reason, they were keeping their distance. Maybe it had to do with the guardian angels?
Seeing him looking at the forms, or possibly ghosts, Layla said, “Don’t worry about it. Those are the spirits of the afterlife, and as long as we’re here, they won’t touch you.”
“I’ve been wondering,” he admitted.
The kept walking. Naomi clenched her hands into fists as her sides and growled. “I don’t get it. We came this far, but I don’t know how to get down to old hell. I mean, last time I was here, when I…” She glanced over at Ariel, who was staring at her in confusion.
