Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
Duncan was startled awake by something that had been thrown on him. He jerked up to a sitting position and saw several men standing at the entrance to his cell with their weapons drawn. Behind them silently stood their backup, a small group of ghouls. Duncan glanced down and saw that they had tossed some used clothes on him. A dingy white shirt and tattered black pants.
“Nothing but the best for me around here.” Duncan remarked as he examined the clothing and saw that they were the right size at least. How would they know that, Duncan wondered, but then it dawned on him. Pamela.
“Shut up and get dress murderer,” the tall redheaded man spat out, “the time has come for you to atone for your crimes against us.”
Duncan slipped the dingy shirt and crinkled his nose from the different pungent odors that wafted from the fabric. It smelled of decay, blood, and rot so these were stripped off a dead man’s body which made Duncan wonder if they killed the former owner and had him lying around somewhere or did these belong to a ghoul. Probably the latter since it didn’t seem feasible that Sorath had a treasure trove of corpses in his majestic palace.
As Duncan stood up to sling the black pants on, the men enter his cell with disgust and malice in their eyes. Duncan didn’t care because he knew that was the worse that they could do to him. They had to get me safely to my execution, Duncan chuckled as he shook head. He tugged on his boots as the redheaded man asked, “What’s so damn funny?”
“Nothing,” Duncan smirked as he looked at his escort, “just wondering if you brought enough people because you know, I’m so dangerous.”
“Silence!” The redheaded man shouted as he grabbed Duncan and shoved him back against the wall with his forearm on his throat. “If we had a choice in this matter, we would gut you like a fish and slowly feed you to the fallen warriors while you watched!”
Duncan bit out defiantly, “I’ve already been eaten once so that threat doesn’t scare me. Like you said, you have no choice in this matter and have to obey your fallen angel like good little puppies.” The redheaded man bared his teeth at Duncan as his anger grew, but then his mouth dropped open. He roughly grasped Duncan’s chin and turned his head from side to side.
“What in the name of the devil happened to your wounds? How is this possible?” he looked over his shoulder to the other men and asked, “Carlos? George? You saw his body, right? Was it marred with bruises or lash marks?”
The men all grumbled amongst themselves before one of them stepped up and took a hold of Duncan’s shirt and said, “One way to know for sure, Dave.” The man yanked up Duncan’s shirt and looked astounded to see perfect and untouched skin, not a hint of bruising nor lacerations from the punishment he received from the whip master less than twenty four hours ago.
“He’s clean! Nothing! It’s like he was never punished!” The befuddled man exclaimed as he touched Duncan’s abdomen.
“Seriously, if you’re going to paw at me, at least buy me a drink or two. OOF!”
Dave gut punched Duncan as he glared menacingly. Duncan coughed as he tried to catch his breath as Dave leaned in and barked, “Who did this to you? Who healed your sorry ass?”
“Sorath did this to me,” Duncan smirked, “maybe you should go talk with him about this travesty.” Dave blinked at Duncan before saying, “There’s no one here by that name!”
“If you say so, but he tends to go by the name of Jesus around here.”
“You’re so full of shit, you damn heathen!” Carlos hissed.
“Do you really think the Lord is going to come in here and heal you after the atrocities you wrought against us?” George chimed in as he pointed his sword at Duncan’s heart.
“Jesus is many things but His name isn’t Sorath!” Dave growled, “Do you think we are stupid and fall for your trickery and deceit?”
Duncan snorted – “If the shoes fits…”
George roared in anger as he reared back his sword to plunge it into Duncan’s chest. Carlos and Dave both grappled with George to wrestle away his sword.
“Let me go!” George yelled as he focused his anger on Duncan, “Guys! He doesn’t deserve to stand there, smiling and breathing!”
“You’re so right George, but it’s not our place to do it unfortunately.” Dave growled as he struggled to restrain George, “But take pride in the fact that we get to deliver him to his execution and watch him die!” George struggled to get loose to get at Duncan, but then he finally relaxed but kept a baleful watch on Duncan.
“Good choice George. Jesus wouldn’t be pleased if we ruined the example he wants to make of this piece of shit.”
“Yes George, I’d hate to see you fall from Sorath’s good graces. So let’s get this over with and take me to the party already.” Duncan said as he pushed himself from the wall cheerfully.
The men glared at Duncan as he walked towards the cell entrance. He looked back at the men as they stepped behind him with their weapons at his back. Duncan felt as though he could sense Purah and that she was still in the cell with him but couldn’t say why. He smiled as he turned back around, the ghouls stepped aside and created a funnel for Duncan to move towards the center where they surrounded him. The men in the cell walked to the front of the throng and proceeded to walk towards the main door of the dungeon.
As the sound of the dungeon door closed echoed, Purah unwrapped her tendril wings from around her body. It was difficult to observe Sorath’s men being cruel to Duncan but she dared not interfere. She knew Duncan could take it but that didn’t mean she was going to feel callous about it either. Purah made sure to siphon more of Duncan’s magical energy for herself so that it would keep her mind sharp. She smiled when Duncan turned around and gazed at her as she was hidden behind her wings. He knew I was here with him and it made the man happy, Purah smiled.
Purah wanted to watch over Duncan and at the first chance she could get, she would steal him away from the execution but where could they go? Sorath would be furious and would find them no matter where they went because she discovered that he had a bond with her. Maybe that was how he found her in their training dimension. The sadness that emanated from the dungeon fed her as she soaked up the misery from all the children held captive down here.
Purah walked by the cells as her eyes fluttered from all their broken spirits. The curse on her was a terrible price to pay but Purah was convinced she did the right thing by defying the Creator. She may have been cast down to Earth and received brain trauma too, but now there was light at the end of the tunnel that ran through her broken memories and Duncan Morgan was that light. As she watched over Duncan as he slept, Purah communed with his magical energy and it did something she wasn’t expecting. It was healing her mind and for the first time since her fall, Purah had hope that her torment and confusion would one day be just a bad memory altogether.
How can I keep Duncan safe and get Sorath off our backs, Purah mused as she silently leaned against the wall near one of the children’s cell? Who could I turn to for help against Sorath since he’s so powerful from Penemuel’s blood magic and all the other fallen angels that she knew of were killed off long ago by each other? Wait, were they or am I only recalling the massive competition they had to see who would stand with Sorath as he became “Jesus”? Purah closed her eyes and concentrated on all the names and images of her fallen brothers and sisters. Every image was becoming a dead end until a flash of light as bright as the sun popped into her mind. Purah gasped as she opened her eyes as the answer was clear to her. Now all she needed was more power to make the long journey.
Purah walked to the center of the dungeon and let her voice carry to all the children, “Hear me little ones! You haven’t made the palace perfect and spotless for Jesus lately. You have been lax in your assigned chores!” A chorus of whining and pleading ensued, she could almost feel each child’s eyes as the wailed up with tears. Purah soaked up their despair and sadness as it built up amongst the slave children but it wasn’t coming fast enough so she added, “Jesus is greatly disappointed in all of you so you know what that means. No food or water until all of your terrible work is fixed on top of your regular cleaning jobs. I guess you all should’ve been paying closer attention to your work.”
The air in the dungeon filled up with the sounds of moans and crying. The realization of no food or water caused a massive wave of depression in the slave children and it hit Purah hard. She dropped to her knees with a smile as the children charged her up. It may have been a cruel lie to tell them, but it didn’t matter to Purah. She had to look and feel strong when she got to her destination because her brother could easily smite her on site without a second thought. Fighting broke out in the cells as children accused each other for screwing up and more sadness followed. Once Purah got her fill, she sealed it off so none could leave her body as she unfurled her tendril wing flew out the door at a blinding speed as she left the palace towards the sky to find a soft spot in the veil for her inter-dimensional trek.
Duncan was escorted out to the central courtyard and thought it was once again crowded with onlookers and hecklers, the courtyard was different. The gold mound where he was lashed and stoned yesterday was gone as well as the golden frame that he was shackled to was missing. Now it was a flat as the ground he walked on but off in the distance, Duncan could barely make out where his escorts were leading him. There was no large platforms nor any indication of any new structures created just for his execution. So where the hell are they taking me?
“Patience, it will all be revealed soon enough.” Duncan’s magical energy spoke.
“That’s one thing I don’t have at the moment. I want to get this done and over with.”
“If what our broken sadness told us is true, will we be letting our wife kill us without a fight?”
“What choice do I have?” Duncan muttered, “I’m still her husband and she know I won’t hurt her.”
“That grants us the advantage we need. If we can work together as one, she will be the one to die today and not us.”
“Easy for you to say. Why are you so gung ho on killing her when we could simply escape?”
A sense of anger consumed Duncan’s mind – “We know how Pamela has treated us ever since we met her! We’ve been together since we were born and we’ve strived to keep us both safe but you couldn’t hear our warning when it came to her. We would be the one urging us to walk out and leave the bitch but it never happen! We’ve sat by idly watching destroy us in many ways and yet we were too stupid to get away from her. Running away isn’t an option today and since there’s no escape then we WILL fight!”
“And if I refuse?” Duncan asked with suspicion.
“Then we will take command and dispatch her. We refuse to let us die in vain because of an oath that she broke so long ago. Our parents are watching us and they know this is our time to shine and to bring peace and safety back into this world!”
“If they are watching, why don’t they step in and stop this from happening? Since they are gods, they could easily destroy Sorath and his army.”
“They can’t interfere because they have rules against that, especially when it comes to a realm that isn’t theirs. They would have to petition other deities that watch over this Earth before they could make a move but since they foresaw our current plight, they were granted to allow us to live among the mortals here. That is our purpose in this world, to protect it from those who would see it burn.”
“How is it that you know all this?”
“I asked them and they answered.”
Duncan shook his head as he chuckled, “You make it sound so simple. It must be since you’re magical and connected to them somehow. I guess calling them up on a cellphone is out of the question since I don’t have other-worldly coverage.” His magical energy gave off a sense of amusement as it replied, “To talk to any deity, one must speak their name and possible give an offering that they prefer. Once one works with that deity enough, one can ask that they commune with you in person or through one’s mind. Since MoonRose and EnergyBear are our birth parents, they will always answer our call and will come to see us in person if possible.”
Duncan thought about and wondered what it would be like to actually see and talk to them. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to see them at all after they dropped him off to be all alone, never knowing if he would have a roof over his head, a bed to sleep in, or food and water to survive. Why should I care if I ever see them, Duncan grumbled, they wanted me to be a hero here without any guidance or knowledge. Bang up job so far!
“Don’t be so hard on them or us!” the magical energy berated, “It was hard on them both to let us go to live here on Earth. They want us to end this terrible evil that has been destroying the Earth but also they want us to come home and be a proper family too.”
“Great, go live with the parents and forget all this shit ever happened! Ha! I’d rather be dead and rotting somewhere -”
“Don’t worry heathen, you will be dead soon enough!” George shouted from behind Duncan.
“I think he’s cracking up!” Carlos laughed, “He’s been talking to himself a lot! His body maybe healed, but his mind is gone!”
The crowd gave way to reveal a set of stairs that lead down into a large arena that had to be a good twenty foot deep. As Duncan descended down the stairs with his ghoul escort, he notice that the ground had sand covering it instead of gold and towards the center of this arena he saw Rose and Devlin. How the hell did they get here? Their arms and legs were both chained down to stakes in the ground but at least they were alive and unharmed as far as Duncan could tell.
Once Duncan felt the shifting of sand under his boots, the ghouls departed from him and stood as sentinels at the base of the stairs. He ran towards the center of the arena as fast as he could. The sand under his feet was soft but thick and would shift under his weight, making it difficult to keep running. He panted but shouted, “Rose! Devlin! Are you two alright?”
“Just peachy Duncan!” Rose sarcastically replied, “I’ve been making sand angels all night with Devlin. Care to join us? How’s your day been?”
“Rose is alright, thankfully.” Devlin called out but then shouted, “Duncan stop!”
Duncan got knocked down to the ground by an unseen force that left him shaking his head. He stood up to brush the sand off and reached out and felt an energy barrier similar to the one that kept him locked up in his cell. All the screaming and heckling turned into a chorus of cheers as Jesus and Pamela approached the stairs. Jesus had his arms out, welcoming the cheers from his followers while Pamela stared down at Duncan as she twirled her broad sword with a maniacal grin.
Duncan let his hand slide off the energy barrier and said, “One way or another, I will free you two.” He turned and walked back at a steady pace, trying to figure out how to survive this and not hurt Pamela in the process but everything he came up with ended bad for himself and her.
“We are one Duncan and we have a plan but it will require staying alive long enough for it to succeed.”
“Care to share or is that too much to ask?”
“Evade her attacks and wear her down so she will be guided by her anger and make a mistake. We will win this if we can evade her while we attempt something.”
“So that the whole plan? Dodge her attacks and hope for the best while you go off and do something else?” Duncan snorted with disgust, “This day keeps getting better and better.”
“Trust in us and all will go well.”
“Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me everything?”
“We are one and we both know this. The problem is that we have no idea if what we want to attempt will work at all, so we keep that part a secret.”
Duncan nodded as he saw the reasoning behind his magical energy’s secrecy, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t suspicious either. The reluctance to tell made him wonder if it had something in mind on how to stop this execution, like somehow killing Pamela while they were unarmed. Duncan notice that the magical energy was slowly building up, his heart was racing as sweat beaded up on his brow and upper lip. Duncan walked around in a circle like a caged lion ready to pounce once its cage door was opened.
Jesus’s voice boomed as he said cheerfully, “Welcome my followers! Today you will witness what we shall do to all those who oppose us and try to kill us. Today, you will witness not only the death of Duncan Morgan, murderer of our dear friend Sully and his fallen warriors as well as the angel Penemuel. Our halls may be lively and full but for these heinous acts of barbarism, our home feels empty to me.” The crowd grumbled in agreement so Jesus pointed his finger and added, “The ones who are restrained were caught sneaking around in our home. They murdered many of our fallen warriors as well as Gil. I’ve done my best to keep all of you safe from the cruelties of this world, but seeing those two in the Promise Land only reinforces what I’ve been saying all along! After today, we will march forth into the world and cleanse it of all the remaining heathens so that we may live in peace in our eternal lives!”
The crowd roared in a frenzy once more as Jesus cast his gaze down on Duncan as he commanded, “Pamela, it is time to execution your husband. Are you up to this task or should I get another in your stead?”
“No that won’t be necessary, my lord.” Pamela replied as she started down the stairs, “It would be my pleasure to kill him and honor you as well.”
“Very well,” Jesus cried out jubilantly, “let the executions begin!”
Duncan glanced back at Rose and Devlin, wishing like hell that he could bring down Sorath’s energy barrier and free his friends so that they would have a fighting chance against whatever the fallen angel had in store for them. He debated on using his new abilities to try and jump over the energy barrier but Duncan wasn’t sure if it was a wall or more like a dome. Duncan bent down and snatched up a small rock and hurled it over where he thought the energy barrier would end. The rock glided over it and bounced several times and appeared suspended in midair. Well, jumping is out of the question as he turned his attention towards Pamela.
She had made her way to the bottom of the stairs, caressing her broad sword lovingly like it was a prized possession. The ghouls shambled away so that Pamela could enter the arena unhindered and then they positioned themselves back to block Duncan’s only escape route. Pamela pressed her lips against the side of her broad sword and murmured, “This is the kiss of death and I’m going to seal your fate with it, sweetheart.”
Duncan put his hands up in surrender, pleading, “Pamela, don’t do this! Is this really what the true Jesus would have you do? Murder you husband?”
“An eye for an eye, Duncan. That’s what this is all about and I’m ever so happy to mete out this punishment for your crimes. You chose not to believe in the Bible or in the second coming of Jesus which makes you a fool and on the losing team. Any last words before I gut you like a fish?”
“Yes, please release my friends and let them go. I won’t put up a fight if you would grant me this one request.”
Pamela stopped dead in her tracks and hesitantly glanced back at Jesus. Duncan could sense them communicating with each other telepathically and wondered if his request would be granted. “How did you heal so quickly?” Pamela asked as she looked back at Duncan with a mocking smirk as she said, “Hmm, doesn’t really matter does it? Jesus was gracious enough to do that for you so you could move around a little better today, then so be it. Your request has been heard and our lord Jesus has been moved by your sacrificial act. Therefore, your friends shall be set free from their bonds.”
Devlin and Rose noticed the ground was vibrating beneath them and then their shackles sprung open. Not wanting to risk them snapping shut once more Devlin scrambled up off the ground and stumbled clumsily over to Rose to help her up to her feet. The vibrations were getting more intense and footing was beginning to be a real challenge for everyone in the arena. Duncan dropped to a knee as he watched the spikes along with the shackles were pulled down into the sand which caused both Rose and Devlin to stumble away in case the area that they were tied down to became a large pit of quick sand.
“I can see why you would follow HER around. She is beautiful and entirely out of your league. I’m willing to bet you’ve wanted her for a long while now and got rejected at every turn, all the while she was and still remains fodder for your hand.” Pamela mocked as she stabbed her broad sword into the sand to help stabilize her footing. Duncan could feel the magical energy inside him growing more, increasing with strength as it readied him for a fight, but unlike against the ghouls or Penemuel, it felt more stable and under control.
Rose and Devlin noticed the surround arena walls were shimmering as everything vibrated all around them. Where the sands met with the walls, three rectangular tunnels rose up like submarines breaching the water’s surface. As the sand and dust cleared, Rose could see dark figures moving around within the tunnels. Devlin’s predatory eyes glared at the nearest tunnel and bit out, “Fuck!”
“What is it?” Rose asked but knew the answer.
“Those tunnels are filled with ghouls and they’re marching this way!”
Duncan spun around as he stood up, furiously looked towards Jesus and then Pamela who was manically laughing as she casually leaned on her broad sword. He felt his magical energy boiling out of control as he roared, “YOU FUCKING PROMISED TO LET THEM GO, YOU SON OF A BITCH!”
“Jesus kept His promise by releasing them! They aren’t restrained anymore so now our fallen warriors will get to have some fun as they play with their food. As for letting them go,” Pamela pulled her broad sword from the sand and pointed it at Duncan, “Jesus felt it would be best to have them cleansed first and hopefully you get to witness it, if you survive that long.” She let out a cry of anger as she thrust her sword at Duncan.
Duncan side stepped and nearly tripped over his own feet as the sand gave way underneath him. He quickly rolled away as Pamela slashed and stabbed at him. Pamela glared at Duncan as he sprung back up to his feet, panting heavily as she stalked closer. Duncan put his arms up in a fighter’s stance as he stepped backwards. Pamela cleaved her sword at Duncan as she aim for the top of his head. Duncan batted the blade away with his forearm as he maneuvered past her and as he got by her attack, he kicked Pamela on her hip, sending her to the ground.
“Whip master? Sure. Sword master? Not so much huh?” Duncan smirked.
Pamela snarled as she grabbed a handful of sand and flung it into Duncan’s eyes. Duncan staggered backwards as he attempted to rub the sand from his eyes. He squinted as his world became a blur with a dark figure moving closer to him. Pamela chuckled as mocked, “I bet you didn’t see that coming? What’s the matter? No witty remarks or comebacks? You should drop down to your knees and end this pathetic game already.”
Duncan heard a swishing noise and then searing pain assailed his left forearm. Duncan grunted in pain as he grabbed his forearm and quickly back away. His magical energy filled his body to the point that all the muscles were vibrating with power that he never felt before and for the first time in his life, Duncan felt alive. The magical energy said to Duncan with pride, “We are one now and we shall prevail!”
Duncan back bumped into a corner where the energy barrier and the wall met. Still unable to see straight, Duncan wasn’t too confident as to which way he should go. Pamela twirled her broad sword in front of her, knowing it would keep Duncan disoriented as she cackled, “Stuck like a rotten child in a corner. This has been fun playing with you my dear, but like all games there has to be an end to them all. Question is, should I make this quick or draw it out slowly?”
“Knowing you, it will be the latter of the two!” Duncan bit out sadly.
“Oh how right you are, sweetheart!” Pamela purred as she swung her broad sword down, hitting Duncan on the bend of his leg.
Duncan roared in pain as he dropped down to his knee as his leg gave way. He saw a shining object swing in front of him and then more pain hit him as Pamela slashed him across his chest. Duncan could hear Sorath’s throng of followers screaming frantically with each swing of her blade. So this is how it ends, isn’t it? Carved up into a million humiliating pieces before a bloodthirsty crowd of mindless sheep? Duncan was ready to shout at Pamela to finish this already but his magical energy piped up, “NO! We shall not die so easily! If you won’t fight then we shall do it for us!”
“It’s over.” Duncan spat out as he grimaced in pain, “We are done.”
“Why must you give up on us now when victory is within our grasp? Every cut she makes, we’ve been healing. Our leg is good enough to walk on once more!”
“What the hell do you want from me?” Duncan shout as Pamela ran her blade across his forehead.
“Lift our arm and we can end this! Get ready to move, we sense Pamela is preparing for the killing blow!”
Pamela leaned down and roughly snatched Duncan by his chin. She pressed her lips against his as she purred, “What I want from you is your death, Duncan. I thought that was pretty obvious, but then again, you never was a bright one were you? That being said, I think I will split that empty noggin of yours in two just to prove my point. I’m sorry that you’re blind and can’t witness your friends being ripped to shreds right now. It’s quite the sight.”
Duncan could barely hear Rose or Devlin as the crowd reached a deafening roar. Rose was screaming frantically and sounded like she was in great pain and Devlin sounded worse, almost monstrous. At least Duncan believe that was coming from him since he had heard the vampire make similar sounds, but nothing quite like that. It sounded like a mad man gone berserk and Duncan wanted to join him but had no way to get beyond the energy barrier. Duncan opened his eyes and with a flash of purple, the sand was gone and his eyes were healed as Pamela pushed away from him and lifted her broad sword above her head.
Duncan felt the irresistible urge to lift up his arm as if he were reaching out for something that wasn’t there. The magical energy’s voice boomed inside his head as it screamed, “COME TO ME NOW!”
Pamela let out a squeal of joy when she saw his arm up, looking like he was pleading for mercy as she brought her broad sword down. Duncan saw a flash of purple streak towards his hand and felt his fingers tighten around something hard and then his magical energy shouted once more, “MOVE RIGHT AND SWING OUR ARMS TO THE LEFT!” Everything around Duncan seemed like it was going in slow motion, like he had no control over his own movements.
Duncan shifted to his right as he stood up and swung his outstretched arm to his left as the magic energy had commanded. He realized that he was now hold a familiar looking sword. It was glowing with a purple flame and that he had cleaved it into both of Pamela’s forearms so swiftly that he didn’t feel any resistance from either her muscles or bones. Pamela screamed in horror as she looked down in complete shock, seeing her hands lying in the sand still holding on to her broad sword.
Pamela glared up at Duncan. She snarled as tears streamed down her face, “Who the fuck gave you a fucking weapon! You weren’t supposed to hurt me! You promised that you never would do that! You…you’re healing!”
“Yes I am, aren’t I?” Duncan said coldly as the cut on his forehead mended without a trace of a wound. “Now it’s time I end our relationship and our marriage on my terms…” Duncan chocked up as he added tearfully, “I love you, Pamela!”
“I HATE YOU! YOU FUCKING WORM OF A MAN! YOU WILL NEVER -” Pamela ranted as she roared, but Duncan swung his purple flaming sword and chopped off her head. The crowd had fallen eerily silent as Pamela’s lifeless body dropped down to the ground. He heard Rose screaming out once more so he turned his attention the energy barrier. Duncan’s magical energy course through his body and he was able to channel it into the angelic sword. He reared back and stabbed it into the energy barrier and instantly, it exploded. The blast knocked down many of the onlookers above the arena and caused the ghouls to paused and look his way.
Duncan picked up Pamela’s broad sword as twirled both it and his angelic sword as he let out an angry growl and had a look in his eyes so fierce and deadly that death itself would flinch and back away as he ran headlong towards his friends and those who were harming them.