Pandæmonium, page 11
“And we’re just going to leave this thing like this?” Morgan asked, looking at the worm.
“We can’t do anything about that either, but maybe it will be able to get out.”
“Maybe I should put it out of its misery,” Morgan said, frowning. The sword rose ever so slightly at her side.
“No don’t!” Nathan said, the light from Berith’s hand and her sword illuminating his face. “I wouldn’t want to die like this.”
“What if it can’t get out and it does die like this?”
“Then it at least won’t be our fault.”
“But it will be our fault because we called it here so we could get out.”
“Peace,” Berith said. “If we get back to the surface and Loki finds out that we escaped, he will want his trap back. And he will get a little present when he does. Let him figure out how to get the worm out, and if he kills the worm, it will be his fault.”
“No, it will still be our faults. Your fault specifically.” Morgan pointed to Berith.
“But that does sound better than just killing it, my dear,” Milton pontificated. “Anyway, to kill it, you would have to cut through its whole body from behind…”
“Okay, okay.” Morgan put up her hands. “Let’s start walking then, I don’t want to be here anymore.”
They tried not to think about what they were stepping in as they moved down the passageway; it felt like dirt, but they all knew what it really was—maybe the fact that they were covered in the stuff made it easier to walk through. Deeper into the earth they went—until:
“Do you guys feel that?” Morgan asked, and they all did—heat was in the air, growing stronger as they stepped.
“Do you guys hear that?” Nathan asked, and they all did—a rhythmic rumble that ebbed and flowed like the waves on a beach; it began loud and then paused, only to come back again louder as they got closer. There was a light ahead; the heat was sweltering; they were on the edge of that light. It would be brave to step forward, they all thought as one, and together they took that first step. As soon as they broke into the light, the snoring faltered, and they were met with a sight no human had seen in many years.
Treasure: stacks, piles, rows, and racks of treasure; gold, and diamonds; rubies, and sapphires; everything in the world that shone, glittered, or sparkled seemed to reside in this hall. The riches of a thousand ages long past; creations of human, demon, and angel; chalices, gilded plates, ruby hilted swords, inlaid daggers, and sets of armor made of gold; paintings and tapestries; rugs and old wood furniture. There was even a great ship in that huge cavern, with ragged sails and a broken hull that spilled out gold pieces like the entrails of a forgotten corpse, and on its side was the name St. Anne’s Revenge—all hidden beneath the earth of Hell. But the one thing that caught all of their eyes was the creature laying on top of the treasure on a bed of gems and gold pieces.
There at the far end of the cave was a dragon, so large it wrapped around half of the vault from head to tail. Its body made the huge ship look like a toy—something to be picked up and played with. Its scales were black but shone a dusty red by the joints—and they shone, for there was a light in that cavern that illumined everything in it, as if there were torches and fires all along the walls and across the floor. Black bat’s wings covered its back like a great curtain, and its head lay on its front legs as thick as redwood trunks. And it knew they were there…the rumbles of its breath were much more ominous now, they could see that one of its eyes was open the smallest fraction and it watched as they stood in fear and awe. None of them spoke—they were frozen, until—finally, someone did speak, but it was not Morgan, Milton, Nathan or Berith.
“Well…” and the force of that voice shook the mast of the ship and hit them like a thunderclap.
The beast’s head rose, its reptilian face surveying them through bright yellow eyes.
“You may speak…” it growled, and as if released from a spell, they found they could move and talk once again. It was Berith who stepped forward first.
“Denison of the Deep, we are lost. Will you show us where to go?”
“Ha!” it roared, and they trembled. “Lost travelers… Innocent kittens…” and the terrible face of the dragon looked at them from high above. Berith stepped back, his hand casually reaching behind his back.
“I know who you are…” the dragon rumbled. “I am Beelzebad… I know many things… You know little, yet… I will teach you…”
The dragon was looking at them, and his eyes so big and bright that they were like pools of entrancement in a great blurry ocean of nothingness, and only those two orbs existed.
“You are… the humans… from this prophecy…” and the dragon nodded imperceptivity backward, though they did not know why.
“It is strange…you found your way to this place… There are things I am meant to tell you…”
The dragon, Beelzebad, paused and settled his mass back as if to contemplate. His eyes left them and they were freed from the prison—it felt like being dropped off a cliff. “Settle…” it said. “Listen…”
“Long ago…” the dragon began, “One power… Universe cold… The Creator alone…” the dragon let out a breath and the stench of it hit them across the cavern as he spoke. “He thought…nothing became something…then more…it spread…and collided…and grew…they were stars…and planets…and moons… But He was alone… He made another being… He fed its mind and its soul…he made Lucifer… He created three other beings…Michael…Gabriele…Raphael… Lucifer created two more: Leviathan…and me…
“We wanted more… He made ten more: Jophiel…Uriel…Samael…and Sandalphon… Satan made Asmodeus…Astaroth…Verrine…Gressil…Lilith…and Berith…” At this, the dragon’s gaze fell behind them, to where Berith stood, his face calculating.
“We sixteen…grew stale…went to God…asked him to make more… ‘How great shall the host be…?’ ‘As many as the stars in the sky…’ so came all angels…voices were trumpets, ‘Hosanna… Hosanna…’.” The dragon’s face changed, but he continued to speak in his low growl.
“In the void…found a planet…something in the water…it moved…it grew…it had no consciousness… We told The Father… ‘So, it has happened already…one day Man will have Free Will’…we did not see his face… He split His being into three… He gave us The Son…
‘Son of God…powerful…good…better than Lucifer… Lucifer taught us…pain…sin…death…war in Heaven…we were cast away…sent here…humans evolved. Given Free Will…they were tempted…they failed. Prophecy was made…” and again the dragon nodded back to the archway, which stood at his back.
“I protect the door…” and with that Beelzebad stood and from his body there came a rain of gold that fell like a curtain below him.
“Do you see it…?” and now they could see four archways that led into darkness, and above there was written a line of text they could not read.
“There is a power…behind the arches… Destruction.” the dragon looked at Nathan, and again Nathan fell into its eyes.
“Your father…” it said, and Nathan stiffened. “He is waiting…he has left you…this…”
“My father?” Nathan muttered, barely able to get the words out, but the dragon was not listening. It had extended its nose forward, and carefully it pushed something small from where it rested on a pile of gold.
“Take it…” the dragon rumbled, as a dagger fell in front of Nathan’s feet. Nathan stepped forward, but Morgan grabbed his arm, pulling him back.
“Stop, what if it’s cursed?” she whispered, and Nathan looked back up into the dragon’s calm eyes.
“You are fated to it,” Berith said from behind them. He stepped forward and stood beside them. “I can foresee it—the call of fate—this dagger will do things, for good or for evil. But if you do not take you will never get your mother back, I know that for sure.”
“You’re going to listen to them?” Morgan cried, suddenly desperate. “They trick us. They lie.” But Nathan’s hands were reaching down—he must do anything to save his mom. As his fingers closed around the hilt, he felt warmth spread through his hand. The dagger was plain with an ancient blade that was made from a metal that Nathan did not recognize—it was not steel or iron or bronze—it looked like bone. On the pummel was a single red ruby that glowed dully in the light.
“Good…” the dragon said. “Take a sheath…you too…” he spoke to Morgan. “Over there…” and he pointed a great claw to where lines of swords and daggers were laid on display, their sheaths underneath. Nathan went over, but Morgan did not move. When Nathan returned, the dagger was in a plain leather sheath on a new belt around his waist; the weight of it felt good, like it had always been there.
“Go…” the dragon said, as Nathan avoided Morgan’s eyes.
“Who is my father?” Nathan asked, and his voice was stronger than he expected it to be, though beside the dragon it was a whimper. The dragon looked back at him seriously. Its black scales rippling along the length of his body, and he moved forward slightly. It brought its face close to them, and Nathan and Morgan both recoiled as the stench of the dragon hit their noses.
“Hail, Son of Satan…” the dragon said, as it looked Nathan full in the face. It bowed its head and then turned. It circled itself, and then lay back down on its pile of gold and jewels, blocking the archways from sight. Nathan was frozen, his mind racing—it could not be—but then…it could not be, it was not possible. He relaxed—he couldn’t be the son of Satan—it didn’t make any sense. The dragon settled its body and gave them one final look. “Go…” it rumbled once more, and then shut its eyes, resting its head on its front legs.
“Which way, Beelzebad,” Berith spoke, and they tensed, but the dragon did not open its eyes again as it pointed with one claw towards another tunnel—one of many that lined the walls of the cavern.
“Come on,” Berith said in a hushed tone, and they followed him towards the exit.
“Explain.”
“Explain what?” said Berith.
“Explain what!?” Morgan exploded. “Explain why one of the first angels ever created has been following us around. What the dragon said—is it true? Why did you just happened to be in the Hall of Minus when we got there? Why is any of this happening? Tell us that prophecy…and you better tell the truth or I really will use this…” she hefted the sword.
“Will you kill me, Morgan McCallister?” Berith said coolly, and she rushed forward as if to strike.
“Okay! That’s enough! What shall I tell you first?”
“Start at the beginning,” Morgan hissed. Berith stared back at her without fear, but spoke quickly, nonetheless.
“What the dragon said is true… In the beginning there was only One—He was God. He made an atom, which exploded into a trillion atoms—they by their nature formed into what you know as the universe. And He did indeed create Lucifer—and then the others, which the dragon named, including me. I took my place in Heaven at its peak. I was one of the firstborns and I was powerful. We spent a billion years watching the universe grow—until we found the life that would become your race. The story of our rebellion is long—let us walk while I talk,” and he gestured forward. Nathan took the lead as they continued down the tunnel, and Berith’s voice echoed to him in the tight passageway.
“We returned to The Father and told him what we had found—that there was life which seemed to have created itself on a lonely island in the void—your island. He left us for a time and for many years we did not see his face. When He returned, He was not alone. He had split His being into three, and one of the three had a form such as ours. He said, ‘Behold, for this is the Son of God; He is Me and I am Him.’ When God split himself into three, we were overjoyed—we had two more beings to love and to worship—though Lucifer at the time did not share our happiness. He had long stood at the right hand of The Father, now he was deposed by the Son.
“Years passed, and we knew the Son—He indeed was God in every way—though God himself spoke to us less and less. Lucifer was set aside at every debate, and his power waned in Heaven. Lucifer went away by himself, and he conceived two ideas that would change our hearts forever, and the universe along with it. Lucifer had discovered the presence of Sin in his mind—conceived by the evil thoughts that no other had before. He flew to a faraway planet—this planet, actually—which later became our prison. He drew out the thought from his head and created a power—the power of Sin—she took the form of a woman, and with her he created Death, who was a man.
“Lucifer returned to Heaven and kept what he had created hidden for a while. He taught us few who were made by him of this power, and we joined his cause for our own reasons, which were separate—I will not say right now why I chose to follow him—but know that I found my own persecution in Heaven, along with someone who I love.
“He told us of your planet—Earth—and a plan that he had overheard between the Father and the Son. That it was this very knowledge that had sent him to create his offspring to trouble their designs. He told us that on the planet that we had found so very long ago that life had grown, and after all those billions of years there was a species that was evolving, and that they were beginning to have conscious thoughts beyond survival. He told us that God was planning to raise these creatures up and give them Free Will just as He had given it to us, and He would change their forms so that they bore the image of Himself—of us; and that they would be called men and women.
“At the very moment Satan spoke to us, God came down to Earth, and he took two of these creatures—who lived in caves and ate with sticks. He gave them the minds of angels, and the Free Will of a conscious being. He put them in a garden, which was named Eden. He called him Adam and her Eve.”
“I thought God made the Earth in seven days… Right?” Nathan asked from the front. He had been paying attention to what Berith was saying, though his mind was somewhere else.
“God made the first atom of this universe fourteen billion years ago…it took ten billion years for your planet to form and then another four billion for life to get to the point of which I speak. The story of the seven-day creation which they tell on Earth is simply that—a story… Now do not interrupt…” Berith said, and then continued.
“Lucifer formed around himself a core of angels, who knew of Sin and Death and were loyal to him over God. Finally, we were discovered. Jesus said to Lucifer and cried, ‘what have you done? For what you have made cannot be unmade, and the universe must suffer your pride forever, and the bane of your creation.’ But The Son was merciful. He begged the Father to forgive Lucifer in high courts of Heaven, with all the multitudes of angels to watch. But Lucifer in end attacked Jesus, and Death was among us suddenly, as had not been there ever before; but Jesus was protected, and Gabriel’s hand came up to stop the blow that would have killed Him, and it was turned aside. There was war in Heaven.
“You cannot understand the subtly of this moment—the billions of years that we spent, forming our thoughts and expanding our minds. The few of us that followed Lucifer—and yes, we were few—had time to discover that our existence was not what we wanted it to be. So, when Lucifer struck at Jesus, we rebelled. We fought with swords and spears, and Death and Sin joined us. We might have won, our numbers were less, our powers were over-matched, but Sin and Death were cutting through the angels, and God would not interfere. For three days we battled, and many of us were turned to dust—our spirits cast out into the void. But Jesus came at the last, and he brought us down with His power. We would never again see the light of Heaven. He gave Lucifer a new name: Satan, The Father of Evil.
“We were cast away here; a barren wasteland filled with fire and sulfur lakes where we could not breathe the air, nor taste the joy of the place we had departed. Jesus locked the gate, and we were disconsolate, but one among us stood—Beelzebub, who was still in his human form. He cried ‘hear me!’ and his voice was strong in the dark. He told us that though we were lost, we now were free. Then, Satan stood and encouraged this idea that now we could build our own Heaven.
“Satan had his own plan—to strike back at those who had cast us down: To corrupt this new race and break loose Sin and Death upon the creations of God. He broke the gates of our prison. He told us to make him a home to which he could return in pride, and we set to work building the fortress of Pandæmonium, the City of Dis, and The Rock on the sulfur lake, while he traveled the great expanse of the void unaided with Sin and Death following behind. They went to Earth. He tricked the humans. He opened their eyes and gave them power. He told them to eat the forbidden fruit, and they did. He told Sin and Death to stay on Earth, and to steal the souls of humans souls whenever they died. You saw,” Berith said the last to Milton, who nodded.
“I saw what you have told us—in the vision that the angel showed to me while I still lived. It was what I wrote about in my book.”
“Indeed,” Berith said solemnly, and then continued. “A bridge was made by the powers of the Void, which are separate from both Heaven and Hell. These powers are thirteen, and they were created by God to rule over the universe. These same powers also made something else at that time…a power which I will not speak of in detail to you—you can threaten me all you want, but it is too important. This power was made to end all places—Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory—if set loose, it would bring the apocalypse.
“There was a prophecy made concerning this power—a prophecy known to only a few. You do not understand the ways of foretelling—they are complex… Those who can see the future know that what they see is not guaranteed. For example, I saw that some fate would find us at the bottom of the tunnel from the moment we escaped our prison, but I could not see what it would be before we stepped into the light—I did not know that Beelzebub had taken a new name, or that he had become the dragon which you saw. I did know that the archways were there, sunk deep into the earth, though I did not know we would find them.
