Chapter Twelve
Before I could even let out a scream, someone caught me, and I clung to them digging my fingers into their arm. A few grains of dirt and rocks splashed into the pool with a hiss. The strong arms pulled me upright, and turned me to face them. I expected to see Angus, but instead, a pair of dark concerned eyes peered back at me.
“Loki,” I said surprised and relieved at the same time.
“Happy to see me? You should or you’d be a tiny little skeleton by now.” He motioned with his head to the pool of acid.
I gazed back at it feeling sick. “Where’s Angus?” I asked. “He—he was just here.” I felt abandoned by him, and for some reason, it bothered me when it shouldn’t. He’s a demon, and I’m a human.
“I didn’t see him when I materialized—must’ve run off.” Loki gently tugged on my hand. “We have to get out of here.”
“You’ve been following me.”
“Yes, and it has been at times hard to keep up with you. Entities move at different speeds in different locales. The Underworld is notorious for getting lost, but I’m smart and I kept up,” he said proudly.
“Eve, I killed her.” It felt like it was a dream, and didn’t happen, but I knew it did as I gazed at the spot where she crumbled to stone. Nothing remained of her now.
“I know, good job, but now this world will be in chaos, and would be a good idea if we got out of here.”
“The trident—” I frantically scanned the ground for it. Loki then tugged me on the arm as he tapped on the outside of his jacket with a smile.
“It’s in a safe place.” He nodded his head. “Come on, let’s go. We’ve got to get Bea and get out of here”
I could feel my stomach churn and my head spin as I tried to keep up. Loki kept pulling me along the pathway through the motionless green pools of acid until we reach a large clearing.
Dead looking trees with crooked branches and knobby trunks covered in white bark with vines looping through their limbs, stood like ancient giants in front of us.
“The White Forest,” Loki whispered as I stood behind him feeling sweat trickle down my back.
I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I bent over heaving up what little I had in my stomach. When I was done, I gasped for air, and felt my head throb with each beat of my heart.
“Well kitten, I’m a little nervous too about traveling through an Underworld forest. You can do it, you’ve come this far, and it’s the only way out not to mention the closest exit to your world.”
I could hardly move propping myself up on hands and knees. I blinked my eyes trying to get them to focus as I rubbed the back of my swollen neck. I felt the large bump that was still oozing. I held my hand out in front of me, rubbing the sticky black goo between my fingers.
“Why didn’t you say you were hurt? I thought you were frightened to sickness.” Loki pulled me up, lifted my hair, and examined the wound on the back of my neck.
“I take it Eve stung you before she crumbled.” He pressed on it, and I flinched away. “Good, it didn’t get all the way in.” He turned me around grabbing me by the shoulders, and peered into my eyes. “You’ll be fine, just a scratch, and I pulled out the stinger.” He gave me a reassuring smile.
I didn’t feel fine, but listened to him, and believed him.
“How are we getting out then?” I asked.
“There’s an old mirror that Eve had made for her army of entities she had at one time. It’s hidden in the forest that’s close to the City of Lights.”
The forest did seem like a giant, a sleeping one that is. A light breeze pushed back and forth, like it was breathing, making the vines sway delicately from the deformed and twisted branches. The yellow-orange light from the moon made the forest glow in diffused light.
Loki glanced around, but didn’t seem nervous or acted like he was lost. He also didn’t speak much as he tried to hurry me along.
“How far is it to this mirror?” I asked.
“Well,” he said with a sigh. “I can’t remember how far, but I can sense it, and we are getting closer.
“So you’ve been here before?” I could feel my eyes getting heavy, and sleep would have easily come if Loki didn’t keep shaking me.
“No,” he said casually. “I got directions from another entity, one that worked for Eve. He was one of the lucky ones that escaped before she dissolved them.”
“You’ve said that before…dissolve. How—how on earth do you dissolve an entity?” I could feel my muscle relax, and I don’t even think I was walking anymore.
“You’ve got to stay awake. The poisons about gone, and you can’t give into it.” He stopped and sat me on the ground.
I watched him as he dug around at the base of one of the trees in the loose soil. Tiny toad stools skirted the bases of the trees and looked nearly black with swirling colors of blues, purples and greens.
“Ah, here we go,” Loki said cupping something glittering in his hand, and then bent down blowing the handful of dirt into my face.
“Ahhh!” I screamed rubbing my eyes that I thought should be burning and irritated, but weren’t. “What the heck was that? You blew it into my eyes,” I said angrily as Loki brushed his hands smiling at me.
“You really don’t want to know, but works really well, doesn’t it?” He asked, and I had to agree that I felt better. “Now come on before the cave trolls see us.”
“Cave trolls, you mean the ones with the stringy hair, beady eyes that are hanging from the cave ceiling?”
“Yes, those kind—terrible little creatures, and I don’t want to have to deal with them.” He walked faster through the maze of trees.
“Where are Will and Piper?” I asked as my thoughts drifted to them.
“Hopefully still safe, and if they use their heads, they are right where we left them. There’s a portal there that acts as a super highway, and is open to many worlds, that is if you know how to get through.”
“Do you know?” I asked meekly as I looked up at the vine covered trees.
“I know lots of things kitten, and I could get there with my eyes blinded if I had to.”
Loki seemed confident in himself, and I easily followed him trying to not second guess him. I wanted out of here, and without any guidance, I’d be a sitting duck.
As we went farther into the White Forest, the trees became slimmer, and their bark smoother, almost like someone had polished it. They looked elegant, like tall, beautiful, slender women all dressed in shimmering white gowns frozen in the middle of a dance. The moon hung in the sky at a different angle creating slanted rays of light that cut through the forest. I gazed all around, but stayed close to Loki as we weaved around the trees.
He began to mumble to himself, and it felt like we were going in circles. I didn’t say anything hoping that Loki would remember something when suddenly, light blasted through the trees in one giant flash.
I fell backwards with Loki landing on top of me. I screamed out as he jumped to his feet, and stood in front of me.
“No!” I could hear Bea’s voice. “It’s mine, all of it is mine, and I’m not sharing! I should’ve known this was your plan! You always wanted the Underworld, and now with Eve out of the way, you think you can sweet talk me into just giving you half.”
“Bea,” I whispered her name in surprise as Loki covered my mouth and shook his head.
He lifted me up, and we quietly walked towards Bea’s voice, and hid in a tight circle of trees.
“You don’t have the knowledge of this world, I do, and I want to work with you.” Angus’s voice was calm, and almost seemed compassionate.
I could only see parts of Bea, and nothing of Angus. Bea paced around with a worried look on her face as she stopped and looked up at something.
“I can help you bring her back. I know you cared for her, and that’s a noble thing for a gorgon to do.” Angus said, and then I saw him in human form. He looked
like a gentleman from some bygone era where chivalry was still a custom.
“No it isn’t, it’s stupid, and got me kicked out of the Underworld. I don’t have many allies here, and to gain the trust of the Underworlders, will be next to impossible. At least with Eve, there was peace.”
“There was peace because she couldn’t surface, and was stuck here.” Angus turned Bea to face him. “You are not like her, Bea. You can surface; you didn’t give yourself to the darkness.” I could see Angus’s hand still burned from the trident, and even Bea noticed as well.
She took his hand gently examining it.
“How did you manage to kill Eve holding onto the trident for that long?” She asked suspiciously. “You did kill her, didn’t you?” She stepped away, and cracked her tail in the still air.
I jumped at the sudden noise that echoed all around us.
“I…” Angus stumbled for words.
“You didn’t, the jinxed one did! You told me she was dead—boiled in the acid pools!” Bea became angered flipping her tail, and cracking it above Angus.
Suddenly, Angus grabbed hold of Bea, curling his arms around her so he was standing behind her. Angus pinned her in his hold, and forced her chin upward looking now at what I could finally see.
“You want her I know, and if you want peace not only for you, but the Underworld as well, then you better count me as your ally or you can count me as your enemy. And I don’t think you have enough resources to be in that position.” His voice hissed as she struggled to free herself.
Angus let her go and she bolted herself from him, huddling to the feet of Ivy. Bea looked up at her, and then began to weep.
“Her blood is what killed Eve,” Angus said quietly. “She’s of the line, and can be used by both of us.”
I didn’t understand what he meant because it was the trident that killed Eve.
“I don’t want a human to help me!” Bea pounded her fist on the ground causing the tree limbs to shake overhead.
“Sometimes you don’t get to choose who helps you, you have to use who you can for what you need.” Angus tried to lift Bea up, but she pushed him away and pounded her fist on the ground screaming until the limbs began to move and twist to life.
“Run Eliza!” Loki yelled, but was too late.
Several long slender limbs wrapped around us like arms, picked us up casting us through the air and to the feet of Bea.
She gazed down at me with her penetrating eyes turned to slits of blue flames. She had her hands on her hips and wings held out in full behind her. “Good girls,” she said gazing up at the trees that slowly receded back into the forest.
“Even you Loki are helping this thing,” she said with disgust pointing towards me. “I had better hopes for you.”
She whipped her tail in the air and grinned at both of us as Angus changed into his demon flesh and charged towards Bea. She twirled out of the way as he rolled to the ground, and then uncurled himself from a ball gazing at Bea.
“The human is of the sacred line. She’s poison to us at the same time a tool—something we can use.” Angus stood still with his black eyes on Bea.
She growled at him showing her sharp white teeth in a crooked snarl.
“She has her blood!” Angus yelled pointing at me with his human hand. “She can kill all of our enemies, and she right in front of us!”
Loki pushed me behind him as the trees rustled behind us. We were trapped with no mirror in sight.
“I don’t believe you! You’re tricking me like you tricked my mother! All you want is the Underworld!” Bea’s voice echoed through the forest.
“Bea,” Loki said cutting between them. “I know you’re still the same Bea I’ve always known, so listen to me, please.” Loki pleaded as she gazed at him.
“I don’t have any quarrel with you, and I do want to have the entities on my side as my mother once did, but things have changed, and my mother’s ways are not my way.” Bea’s voice was calm. “That’s why she must die.” Her eyes went to me followed by a flash that burned the air with a crack.
“No, Bea!” Angus jumped on her, and pushed her to the ground as Loki pulled the trident from his coat and stabbed Bea in the shoulder with it.
She screamed in pain thrashing her body violently until her body went still. Angus stood up and shot his gaze between Loki and me. Bea made no movement, but I could still see her breathing. I don’t know why, but I was glad she wasn’t dead. I then looked at Angus who stood shifting his eyes warily between Loki and me.
“Do we have a truce or are you going to use that on me?” He calmly asked.
“Depends on what your intentions are.” Loki stepped away with the trident held defensively in front of him.
“My intentions are to gain control over the Underworld, and I hope to do that with the least amount of violence as possible.” His voice was calm, and surprisingly, professional as if we were making a business deal. “I don’t wish any harm on you, Eliza or Bea here. But she doesn’t understand what’s at stake. And,” his eyes shifted to the frozen statue of Ivy. “She’s lovesick over this human. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have the making of a Queen—it’s a rare quality among gorgons, one that died with her mother.”
Loki stepped in front of me, and grabbed hold of my wrist. Angus watched him as he crossed his arms and smiled at us. “There are no mirrors here for you to escape to; I hate to tell you that. Eve got rid of the entity mirror a long time ago. I can get you out, but I want that from you,” he said pointing at the trident.
Loki shook his head as Bea lifted herself up letting out a scream that shook the forest. Her eyes burned with blue flames that darted towards me. Propping herself on bent arms, she unfolded her wings, and snarled at me with her white teeth.
She then let out a grunt as one of the vines twirled around the trident pulling it out of Loki’s hand. It was quickly passed among the vines as Bea propelled herself into the air and snatched it. She then turned her attention to Angus who looked horrified at her.
Bea darted towards him cackling at him with the trident in front of her. He rolled to the ground, using Ivy’s frozen body as a shield. Bea made several passes taunting him.
“I can do it Bea!” His voice warned as he placed his hand on Ivy’s ankle. “I can still suck the life out of her if I want even though she’s caught between the worlds.” His eyes twinkled with evil as he lifted his right eyebrow and smirked at Bea hovering midair.
“No,” she whispered.
Angus kept his hand on Ivy’s ankle that began to turn black underneath it. He then extended his other hand, the scared one, palm up. “The trident for your lover,” he said.
“You can’t touch it though.” Bea looked at the burn on his hand. “It will kill you, and then I’ll take it anyhow.” She smiled victoriously at him.
“I can, but not too long. Besides, I have allies.” He nodded towards Loki and me.
He motioned with his fingers for Bea to give the trident to him as he tightened his grip on Ivy causing one of her necklaces to fall from her neck to the ground below.
Bea’s face paled as she lowered herself, and stood in front of Angus. His eyes were steady on her as she slowly started to hand over the trident. Suddenly, Bea bared her teeth, turned the trident on Angus, and pointed it towards his chest. Like lightening flashing through the sky, he grabbed her by the wrist. Bea’s wrist made a cracking sound as Angus flicked the trident from it. It twirled through the air end over end.
“Catch it jinxed!” Angus commanded.
Without thinking, I lunged for it, and caught it before it hit the ground. I skidded on the ground like a baseball player catching a ball. I could barely feel its weight in my hands as I clenched my fingers around it.
Loki came over, lifted me up, and grabbed the trident as the whole forest shook from Eve’s screaming command. The vines thrashed through the air as the trees teetered side to side slowly closi
ng in on us. The moon was slowly fading as another light, much brighter, began to fill the forest that had come alive.
Angus looked up at the sky and smiled. “You’re too late gorgon!”
Bea’s body slowly turned grey, like stone. She glared at Angus, and then fell to the ground huddling at the base of Ivy’s feet before she slowly turned to stone.
The forest quieted, and Angus then turned his attention to us. “The Underworld sun is not good for gorgons, at least not for her. Eve on the other hand, had that problem fixed when she gave herself to the darkness.” He stepped away from Bea. Her face was frozen with a tearful expression as she gazed up at Ivy. They looked like statues that depicted some forgotten Greek tragedy. I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d be like that forever.
“Now, with Bea out of the picture, I can get some things done.” Angus stepped in front of us shifting his eyes to Loki. “Entity, I really hate to do this to you.”
Angus lifted his arm straight out in front of him with his palm facing Loki. Loki ducked as a ball of light exploded behind him into a tree. The tree faded into thin air as if it never existed.
“That’s what I mean by dissolve!” Loki dodged another ball of light as he pointed to where the tree once was.
“Come on entity, you know I’ll win,” Angus said in a bored tone.
“Run, Eliza to the pools!” Loki darted into the forest as if he had melted into it.
“Ugh!” Angus lowered his hand glancing at me with his cold eyes. “Stay here.”
I watched him dart into the forest as I stood clenching the trident. I didn’t want to stay put, but felt compelled to. I tried to move my legs, but found it hard to even walk. I yelled out Loki’s name.
“I can’t move! Lok—” Suddenly, something slammed into my body moving at a high rate of speed.
I couldn’t scream as the air had been knocked form my lungs and the trees brushed past like stinging whips.
“I’ve got you…trying to get to the pools,” Loki said in a stressed voice as I clung to him burying my face into his chest. “Just about…” Loki abruptly stopped, and I was thrown from his arms to the hard ground.
I rolled, only stopping when I slid into the hard rock wall. I could hear the plashing of water followed by mumbled voices. I pushed myself up, and realized that we were at the acid pools, and this time, there were occupants sitting in them.
I gasped at the sight of demons sitting in them like humans do in hot tubs. Some of the creatures were similar to Angus, while others were lizard-like with oblong heads, some with one eye in the center of their heads, while others had several tiny ones. They sat scattered in the several pools, some sat up taking notice, and others put down what looked like newspapers. There were maybe about fifteen of them, and they all were looking at me holding the trident.
“Sorry,” Angus’s voice came from behind me. “Everything is fine, just my lunch that got away. Gnomes…you know how they are,” Angus jovially said as he grabbed me by the wrist, and jerked me around the corner.
“I said stay put,” he said forcefully with his finger in my face.
“She doesn’t have to!” Loki said behind Angus.
Loki slid the trident from my hand, and stabbed Angus with it in the shoulder. He yelled turning immediately into his demon form. His black eyes penetrated through me as Loki grabbed hold of my wrist just as Angus expelled a tiny thorn from his belly into my arm.
“You’ll thank me later for that later,” he said as Loki rushed towards the acid pools now filled with exfoliating demons. Angus scampered behind us, nearly catching up when Loki pushed to a faster pace.
My arm began to burn, and I tried to pull the thorn out, but couldn’t as I tried to keep up with Loki.
“What are you doing?!” I yelled as we passed the green pools filled with the soaking demons.
“Trust me Eliza, this is the only way!” Loki yelled as we quickly approached a large acid pool that had one bulky occupant with wart-covered gray skin and many rolls of fat.
Loki wasn’t stopping, and gained in speed as the demon put down his paper, took off his glasses, and opened his mouth in surprise revealing a single pointed tooth.
“Just hope the water stays still!” Loki clenched onto me as I screamed jumping head first into the acid water with Loki.
We flew through the air as the demon gazed at us wide-eyed. I met his eyes for a split second as I screamed at the same time the demon did. The paper shook in his tightened fist as he tried to move his cumbersome body.
“Hang on!” Loki yelled.
All I could see was the pool of green acid coming closer, and it looked like we were going to land head first into the crotch of the demon when suddenly, the acid-water smoothed, becoming almost like a mirror reflecting my terrified face..