Invading hell the oculus.., p.25
Invading Hell (The Oculus Gate Book 2), page 25
When they reached the designated point, Kat raised a hand. “We’re here.”
They halted and looked back. The light streams made the platform easy to see, framing Winella, a barely visible splotch. She spoke through Kat’s pad. “You are in the correct position. I will activate the network now.”
“Skis off.” Kat began unbuckling her skis while Jack and Trudy did the same. The streams brightened. The ground trembled, already evident even through their thick boots.
“Not good,” Jack said as he stepped out of his skis. “The earth doesn’t like this.”
Kat kicked off her second ski and shouted into her pad. “Winella. Launch us now. Get us out of here at top speed and shut it down as soon as you can. We’ll use our parachutes.”
“I understand,” Winella said. “Brace yourselves.”
Kat looped an arm around Jack’s and the other around Trudy’s. As the trembling strengthened, they lifted off the ground. Above, the Oculus Gate brightened, the glittering oval seeming to expand as they accelerated.
Kat shuddered. Now the opening seemed like jaws instead of an eye. Ben had always called it Hell’s Gate, more as a joke than anything, but now that label rang true. She was really going to hell. In training, Barks had talked about having the courage to storm the gates of hell, obviously a metaphor at the time, but now she had to summon that courage in reality. Whether or not the storm would be a hurricane or a fizzling bluster remained to be seen.
From the tower platform, Winella watched the trio of humans soar into the air. As soon as they were nearly out of sight, she studied the data on the computer pad. Their speed was higher than any transporters before them. Whether or not they could survive was impossible to know.
A voice emanated from the pad’s speaker. “Since you are experiencing an earthquake, I assume they are on their way.”
“Yes,” Winella said. “I had to propel them at maximum power so I can turn the network off as soon as possible.”
“Which will be immediately after they are through the Gate. You will then let them plummet.”
“As you ordered.”
“And you put holes in the parachutes?”
“I did. The parachutes will not slow their descent enough to keep them alive.”
“Do you think you can fly the hovercraft?”
“I studied Katherine’s motions. I am confident.”
“Good. You have done well. I will deliver Bazrah to your home in Alaska within the hour. He will be there safe and sound when you arrive. Also, now that you have repaired the tower, I have sent many more Refectors who will arrive there soon to deposit souls. Alexandria has requested the biggest influx we can provide as soon as possible.”
Winella’s gloved hand trembled as she drew the pad closer to her drying lips. “I understand.”
“Can you reset the tower network to a power level that will draw the souls into the Gate but not risk a big quake?”
“Yes. Souls are easily drawn into the air at a low power setting.”
“Good. Once the Garrisons have had time to fall to their deaths, reset the network to the lower power level and use the hovercraft to return to your Alaska home. By the time you arrive, the souls will have flown through the Oculus Gate. Then collect Bazrah and any necessary belongings, adjust the power to allow you to return to Viridi with Bazrah, and set a timer to shut it down. Once you have arrived safely, I will destroy the Alaska tower. I want everyone to stay where they are forever. And I will get revenge on the giants who remain here. Every last one will die. Understand?”
Winella’s throat tightened, but she kept her voice in check. “Yes, Dr. Harrid. I understand.”
Alex lowered the rifle but kept a finger on the trigger. “Since my pool healed your friend, the energy abated, as I mentioned earlier. In order to restore its vitality, I need to replenish it.”
Iona scowled but remained silent. This witch had said not to make a sound, but now she was playing her dramatic pause game. She would have to ask the obvious question herself.
Alex smiled. “I see that you have more self-control than I thought. Good for you. You deserve a doggie treat.”
Biting her lip, Iona took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Steady. Don’t let her win.
Leo set a hand on Iona’s shoulder. “I will speak in her place. If that means punishment, I will take it for her.”
Alex raised her brow. “Ah. The strong, silent one has a voice. Speak, courageous lion. You need not fear retribution. I am looking forward to hearing from someone who doesn’t sound like a two-year-old brat.”
“I will do my best.” Leo cleared his throat. “If I understand the situation, you want to get out of hell. So do we. Since our goals are the same, maybe we can act as allies instead of enemies. Tell us exactly what you want us to do, and we’ll consider how we can accomplish our mutual goal.”
“The voice of reason.” Alex’s smile wilted. “But since the little demon killed so many of my pets, I can’t trust her as an ally. You see, now that my strongest pets are dead, I have no one else to attempt the dangerous task. That’s why I am demanding that she go to the abyss to accomplish it. It’s the only way to collect souls and replenish the energy in my pool.”
Iona swallowed hard, then scolded herself for the involuntary reaction, but it was too late. Alex noticed.
“If you hadn’t been so murderous,” Alex said, “all would be well. Your friend would be healed, and my pets would have been available to fetch the souls.”
“What about those winged guards?” Leo asked.
“A gas rises from the abyss that burns their skin, making them incapable of performing the task.”
Iona rolled her eyes. She couldn’t let that lie hang in the air without a challenge, but she could tame her tongue a bit. “Excuse me, but may I speak now?”
Alex replied in a low, warning tone. “If what you say is pertinent and civil.”
“I’ll be civil, but you might not like what I have to say.”
Alex withdrew her finger from the rifle’s trigger. “Speak your mind. I have no fear of any accusations you might make.”
“Good. Now, listen. I’m not stupid. I’ve figured out your game. You said you wanted me to do something for you before we used your energy to heal Ben. So me dunking myself and depleting the energy has nothing to do with it. You’re making that up. There’s something in that abyss place that you need me to get for you, something besides condemned souls for energy.”
“Oh, really? Then, what, pray tell?”
Iona shrugged, knocking her helmet askew. “Whatever it is, you can’t go after it yourself. And your pigs—I mean, pets—can’t do it, either. You need a living, breathing human.”
Tucking the rifle, Alex clapped her hands in a slow cadence. “Brava, Spice Girl. You are much smarter than I gave you credit for. You have guessed my game, as you call it, with accuracy, if not precision. Congratulations.”
Iona straightened her helmet and fastened it in place. A dozen spicy retorts flew to mind, but they weren’t worth dying for.
Ben raised a hand. “May I guess why she lacked precision?”
Alex regripped the rifle. “The smartest living human in the room has finally spoken. Your intelligence was obvious to me the moment I looked into your piercing eyes.” She offered an exaggerated nod. “Speak. I want to hear if you are the exception to the rule of fools in your company.”
Iona growled. “Listen, you—”
Leo clapped a hand over her mouth. “Go ahead, Ben.”
Ben folded his hands at his waist. “The accurate part of Iona’s guess is that you need a living human to do something in the abyss. The lack of precision is that the something isn’t an object to retrieve and bring back to you, is it?”
Alex aimed the rifle at him. “You will say no more.” She gestured with her head toward Iona. “Come. I will show you what you must do.”
Iona glanced at Ben. Obviously, he had guessed what the something was. Maybe a little defiance would prime Alex’s information pump. She set a fist on her hip. “And if I refuse?”
Alex fired. The bullet struck Ben in the forehead. His eyes rolled upward, and he collapsed. Leo and Iona dropped to their knees next to him and looked him over—no blood anywhere, not even an entry wound.
Iona grasped his hand. “Are you all right?”
He rasped, “Don’t … go … with her.” Then his eyes closed, and his head lolled to the side.
“He’s not dead.” Alex strutted closer. “The bullet is one of mine, fashioned with materials here in hell and coated with energy from my pool, which means that it penetrated in a semi-physical fashion and healed the entry point instantly. Unfortunately for him, the bullet is a capsule that released poison and knocked him out. If you obey me, I will provide an antidote. But you must act quickly. The poison will kill him in less than an hour.”
Leo shot to his feet. “Let me go instead of Iona.”
Alex’s humming laugh returned. “The lion speaks again. So valiant. So brave. So sacrificial.”
“Whatever I might be, I am not letting a teenager wander through hell to find an abyss. I am a professional tracker. I can locate it much faster than she can.”
“Which is why you will accompany her, but you’re too big to descend into the deepest part of the abyss. Once you arrive at the edge, it would be better if you station yourself there and act as an anchor while she descends. I have lights, a special rope, and everything else you need for the journey. Since it is less than a mile away, you can get there in under twenty minutes, assuming you are as skillful as you claim. Then you can return much more quickly, perhaps in twelve. That will give her around thirty minutes to descend and accomplish the task.”
“What is the task?” Iona asked. “If it’s not an object to retrieve, then what do I do?”
“You will understand when you arrive.” Alex touched the cross on Iona’s necklace. “This symbol will be helpful to frighten the superstitious souls, but you will need something more to protect you from possession.”
Iona concealed a shudder. “Possession? You mean, like demonic possession?”
“Not exactly. Demons are not capable of possessing and controlling a human who is filled with light, as you are. Disembodied souls are another matter. They are designed to inhabit any human body, and some of the abyss dwellers have the knowledge to penetrate and inhabit you, though they would first have to purge your soul.”
“Is that even possible?”
“I heard that you have a vaccine on earth that can purge souls. A scientist named Damien obtained the formula from a sorceress here in hell.” Alex waved a hand. “Not me, of course. Another sorceress I am familiar with. In any case, it’s possible that she continues to lurk. Perhaps she has passed the knowledge along to others. I am giving you the warning so that you’ll take proper precautions when you descend into the abyss.”
“What kind of precautions?”
“The rope I mentioned earlier.” Alex curled a finger. “Come. I will provide you with everything you need and send you on your way.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kat, Jack, and Trudy zoomed through a dazzling display of lights at what seemed like a million miles per hour. They burst into a blanket of air, body-slamming it and knocking the wind out of their lungs. Kat labored to breathe. Her ribs felt like they were going to crack. Her cheeks and lips bent back as she shouted, “We’re going too fast!”
Jack spoke with halting gasps. “If we … deploy the chutes … they might … rip apart.”
“If we don’t …” Kat managed to suck in a breath. “We’ll be pancakes … in about a minute.”
Trudy shouted, “Won’t Winella slow us down?”
Kat gasped between phrases. “I told her … top speed. … We have chutes.”
Trudy nodded. “Then let’s deploy. No other choice.” When she pushed away, they pulled their cords.
Kat shifted behind Jack and embraced him from behind, her arms under his as she allowed his pack to empty before pressing closer. The chutes billowed, caught the air, and jerked them into a gut-wrenching deceleration.
Holding on tightly, Kat looked down. The ground drew closer at a fast rate, still too fast. “Something’s wrong. We’re not slowing down enough.”
Trudy pointed upward. “Holes in the chutes. Big ones.”
Kat and Jack looked that way. A section of canvas the size of a bedsheet flapped at the top of each chute, leaving a rectangular hole.
“I got this.” Trudy guided herself closer to Jack’s chute, grabbed the closest line, and pulled to the top of his canopy, moving out of sight.
Jack craned his neck. “What in the name of insanity is she doing up there?”
Kat glanced down. The ground continued drawing closer at a fatal rate. “Whatever it is, it’s not working.”
“Because she’s messing with my chute, gathering it into wads in places. She can’t use her chute to slow us all down. Hers has a hole, too.”
“Exactly the same size and shape.” Kat gritted her teeth. “Sabotage. Compliments of the gentle female giant.”
Their plunge suddenly slowed. Trudy slid down toward them, her gloved hands grasping two lines as her chute drew closer to Jack’s from above. Releasing the lines with one hand, she used the other to pull her chute’s straps off, exchanging hands on the lines when needed. The moment her pack flew away, she plunged, still holding Jack’s lines.
She collided with Kat and Jack, threw her arms around his waist, and held on, her arms below Kat’s.
Jack grabbed Trudy’s belt. “Got you, Sis!”
“Good.” She gasped for breath. “And never dis my supplies again, or I’ll suture your mouth shut tighter than I stitched your chute.”
The trio dropped, slower than before, but still faster than they ever did in training.
“Impact in twenty seconds,” Jack called. “If you have any ideas, let’s hear them.”
“Look for something soft.” Kat scanned the ground, searching for trees to entangle the chute, or a lake, a river, any body of water to cushion their landing. A forest bordered a canyon, and a stream poured down a waterfall, but their downward angle put both out of range. They would land near the water but not near enough.
Something glimmered at ground level—a circular surface, far too smooth and clear to be water. A dot at the center grew larger. It looked like a copy of themselves, drawing closer and closer. Kat shouted, “See the glimmer? It’ll be right below us in a few seconds. I think it’s the mirror. The portal Leo mentioned.”
“I see it,” Jack said, twisting his neck to look, “but the wind’s gonna shoot us past it.”
“Not if we drop before it can put us out of range.”
Trudy shouted, “You mean plunge straight into hell? On purpose?”
“Unless you have another idea.”
“Nothing’s coming to mind.”
“In that case …” Kat unfastened Jack’s straps and pushed back to let the pack slide upward. “I’ll help you shrug the chute off in three … two … one … Now!”
Iona strode with Leo through a forest, stepping high to avoid tripping on knobby roots. Using a branch as a walking stick and carrying a large rope coil over his shoulder, Leo kept a flashlight trained on their path, such that it was—nothing more than what he called “signs of travel,” as he used his skillful eyes and sensitive nose to find their way.
Alex had pointed them in the right direction, assuming she was telling the truth, saying to search for a huge pit that emanated a sulfur-infused gas. Unfortunately, smaller holes emitted rotten-egg vapors throughout the forest, leading Leo astray from time to time. And time was exactly what they couldn’t afford to waste. Ben would be dead in about forty-five minutes.
With vines bending from the limbs in swing-like arcs, the setting resembled a jungle, though no birds called, not even a nocturnal one. Maybe birds didn’t go to hell. But one creature probably did. “No snakes,” Iona said. “I expected snakes.”
“I haven’t smelled anything alive except the trees and vines, and even those smell rotten to the core. No undergrowth. No moss. Nothing.”
A new voice joined theirs. “And you won’t.” Bart walked next to them, his stride uneasy as he, too, stepped high. “Hell is void of breathing creatures other than those that guard Alexandria’s castle. She conjured them with her dark arts.”
Iona glared at him. “The witch’s toady returns. You sure made yourself scarce while we were in Alex’s lockup.”
“I am a survivor, not a hero. I bow to Alex, as you call her, when necessary. But I also help those who can help me. The fact is, I hate her with a passion, but I am beholden to her because she helped me escape the abyss.”
“You were in the abyss? That means you know where it is.”
Bart nodded. “And you’re going in the right direction. I will correct your course if you stray from it.”
“You’d better be telling the truth.” Iona broke into a jog, prompting Leo and Bart to accelerate. “Was Alex in the abyss, too?”
“Yes.” Bart trotted in an awkward fashion, more like a waddling duck than an athlete. “All condemned souls go into the abyss where they await their eternal banishment to the lake of fire.”
Iona focused straight ahead, watching for obstacles. “How did she escape?”
“When Alex was alive, she developed extraordinary skills that enabled her to manipulate souls and their environs. It took decades of grueling effort, but she finally managed to crawl out of that fetid hole, and she brought me with her, thinking that I would be a trusted ally. I now live with her in the castle.”
“So when I dropped into hell, Ben didn’t send you. Alex did.”
“That’s true, I must confess. Though I convinced Ben of my fealty to him long enough to obtain your cross. And I also helped you then as I am helping you now. I want you to succeed because I want Alex to succeed in opening the portal above to allow us all to escape.”
