Hell's Heroes

THE MISSING LINK

We creep down the stairs. Nerves fray the farther we descend. I sense a few of the mages lose their resolve and retreat. I don’t pause to berate them. This isn’t a place for the weak. We’re better off without cowards.

That’s harsh, the voice of the Kah-Gash murmurs. It’s not so long ago that you would have run too.

“Here for the big party?” I grunt cynically. “You must be loving this.”

What makes you think that? It sounds genuinely surprised.

“This is what you want, isn’t it, an excuse to unleash your full power and destroy the human universe?”

If I wanted that, the Kah-Gash says witheringly, I would have made it happen a long time ago. I wouldn’t need to wait for an excuse.

“You mean you want to destroy the demon universe?” I frown.

The Kah-Gash sighs. You still don’t understand. I don’t want anything. When there was only one universe, I had a natural urge to keep it as it was. Since it splintered, I have simply enjoyed the experience of being. I have no vested interest in the result of the battle about to take place. I’m merely a curious observer.

“But Kernel said you maneuvered us into place. According to the Old Creatures, you kept Bec’s soul intact when her body died. You chose to inhabit three humans at the same time. You set this up.”

Guilty, the Kah-Gash chuckles. But it was the fascination of watching what happens that motivated me. I have no yearning for one outcome over another.

“So will you help or hinder us?” I press.

Neither, the Kah-Gash says.

“In that case, shut up,” I snarl.

As you wish, the Kah-Gash whispers, and falls silent.

“Slow up, big guy,” Shark says, tapping my shoulder. I glance back at him. He points to a spot behind us—the mouth of a tunnel. “That’s the way to the cave. You missed it. I guess your thoughts were elsewhere.”

I smile ruefully. “You could say that.”

Kernel and Kirilli are waiting on the step by the opening in the cliff face. The Disciples who have come with us are on the steps above, flanked by my pack of werewolves. The mages are scattered across the steps behind. Most are trembling. A few are physically sick. But all hold. There’ll be no more deserters today. Those who remain are in this until the awful, apocalyptic end.

“A few words, perhaps?” Kernel mutters.

I shrug, then face my troops and roar, “Let’s kill some demons!”

With a relieved cheer—I don’t think anyone was in the mood for a long speech—the mages, werewolves, and Disciples sweep after me into the tunnel. Bidding farewell to sunlight and the world of humanity, we enter the demon-riddled den.

The tunnel is narrow but eight feet high. The floor is damp and littered with fish and other creatures of the sea, a few of which still flop or slither about. It’s hot, the heat coming from the cave ahead of us. It’s a dry, unnatural warmth that I’ve felt many times before, always in the presence of demons.

Kernel is beside me. He’s created a ball of light, which trails us like a faithful hound. His sharp blue eyes have lost their crazed sheen. He looks nervous now.

“Stick close to me,” I tell him. “We stand a chance if we fight together. Don’t hold anything back. We can’t worry about the Kah-Gash betraying us. We have to throw everything we can at this lot.”

“What about Bec?” Kernel asks. “Do we kill her or try to link up?”

“Kill.”

“There’s no way we can subdue her, make her power work for us?”

I grimace. “We can try, but I’m not holding out much hope.”

“I wish Beranabus was here,” Kernel sighs.

“He couldn’t make much difference if he was. It’s you and me now. The others are for show, to make us feel like we’re not alone. But we are. It all boils down to how much damage we can wreak with two-thirds of the power of the Kah-Gash.”

“Do you think it will be enough?” Kernel asks.

“We’re about to find out,” I mutter, and with a few long strides I step into the cave of the Demonata.

It’s massive, far bigger than I imagined. There are large stone pillars set in a ring around it, a few dozen or more. One of the larger stones serves as the mouth of the tunnel to the demon universe. A human—I can’t tell if it’s a man or a woman—has joined with it, and I see body parts mixed in with the rock. The tunnel stretches far behind, a mix of stone, flesh, and guts, veins running along the sides like railway lines on a map. Enormous demons lurk within, poised to cross. I catch glimpses of tendrils and fangs. They’re crawling through the tunnel, which is still widening. It isn’t ready to grant them access to this world yet, but in a short while it will stabilize and they’ll pop out like mutant babies from a monstrous womb.

On this side of the divide, Lord Loss awaits us. Because he once hosted Bec’s part of the Kah-Gash, he can cross freely between universes. He bobs up and down in the air close to the rock, extended arms waving gently, snakes hissing softly in the hole where his heart should be. His dark red eyes are dilated, and his lips turn down in a sad frown.

Beside him, shrouded in shadows, stands Bec. She’s wearing a shawl of webs that falls to just beneath her knees. The small girl looks even more of a threat than Lord Loss, a result of the strands of shadows revolving around her and the dark, inhuman swirls in her eyes.

“So we come to this,” Lord Loss murmurs as the rest of our troops spill into the cave and fan out.

“One chance, Bec,” I growl, ignoring the demon master. “Come back to us and we’ll forgive you. Stand against us and you’ll die along with the rest of the scum.”

“You know nothing of the ways of Death,” Bec says quietly. “I cannot die. Even if you destroyed my body, my soul would thrive. Death will claim you today and all who come with you. And I will serve as the vessel through which it operates.”

“It’s not too late to change your mind,” Kernel says, his voice cracking.

“Of course it is,” Bec says with a thin smile.

“Then let’s finish this.” I howl at my werewolves and they lunge at Bec. I focus on Lord Loss. As I race towards him, roaring madly, the mages and the Disciples crowd after me, each making the choice whether to target the girl or the demon.

As I close in on Lord Loss, I leap into the air and grab hold of the cold, clammy skin around his throat. I dig my fingers in, snarling into his face, closer to him than I’ve ever been. He laughs as my thumbs search for his vocal cords and find only doughy flesh. His arms whip around me, the snakes in his chest bite for my heart, and we whirl through the air as if dancing.

“You cannot know how I have longed for this moment,” Lord Loss purrs, his mouth no more than an inch from my left ear. “I hate you as I have hated no other human. Your death will afford me more pleasure than—”

I send a ball of energy shooting through the demon’s chin and into his brain. Fire flares behind his eyes, and his flesh turns an ugly purple color. With a gasp, he half releases me and shakes his head. Loosening a hand, I aim for his eyes, but he catches me by the wrist and bends it back, tutting mockingly. His eyes and flesh regain their normal color and he smiles as I fail to unleash another bolt.

“Naughty Grubitsch,” he teases. “You should play fair. But you always had a problem doing that, didn’t you? On the chessboards… in Slawter… in the cave where your brother died. You never had the courage to face me honestly.”

I bellow in answer, becoming more of a werewolf, searching for the strength to break free of his hold. All of a sudden he releases me and I drop to the ground. As I lunge back to my feet, I spot Bec repelling my wolfen pack with ease, slitting their throats, setting them afire, swatting them aside like flies. Shadowy tendrils snake from her in all directions and attack the humans behind the werewolves. The shadows only have to brush softly against the cheeks or chests of most of the mages. At a single touch they topple, eyes freezing, skin turning a grey shade, dead before they hit the ground. With each murder, Bec grows stronger as Death absorbs the souls of the slain.

“Kernel!” I bellow, looking for him in the middle of the madness.

“Here,” he calls, stepping forward. As I run to him, Lord Loss waves a hand at the roof of the cave. Stalactites drop from overhead. They pierce the skulls of several mages around me. I could protect myself with a shield, but instead I swipe the deadly pins aside in a display of contempt.

Moments later I’m standing beside Kernel. Our eyes meet and we nod briefly. I clutch him to me with a thick arm and level the other at Lord Loss. As magic explodes within Kernel and joins with mine, I let it channel through my fingers, and streaks of black energy hiss through the air and strike Lord Loss with the force of a volcano, slamming him back against the wall of the cave.

Lord Loss screeches as we pulp him with the power of the Kah-Gash. We draw energy from all around, even from the tunnel of the Demonata. Hope blooms for the first time in ages. Lord Loss is writhing beneath our touch. If we can do this to one so strong, we can do it to others. Maybe this isn’t our last stand. It might be only the first step forward to a new, demon-free future.

“The tunnel,” Kernel says through chattering teeth—like me, he’s struggling to hold himself together. The Kah-Gash wants to break free of our bodies and become a sheer force of energy. “We have to close it. Forget about Lord Loss.”

“Never,” I growl, then smile savagely. “But he can wait a while.” Closing my fingers into a fist, I sever the lines of energy streaming from them. The demon master slumps to the ground, landing in a sorry-looking heap, no longer able to float with the dreadful majesty that’s proved so impressive in the past.

I face the tunnel to the demon universe. The monsters within are almost at the opening. Their faces are twisted with rage and loathing. They’ve seen what we’ve done to Lord Loss. They feel our power. They know we’re going to thwart their plans.

I laugh and point at the rock. Drawing power from the tunnel, I direct it back, willing the walls to grind shut, the rock to crumble, the tunnel to disintegrate. The fleshy walls inside the mouth vibrate. The veins throb wildly. Some explode. The demons gibber wildly as blood rains down on them. To come this close to victory, only to be denied at the last moment… excruciating!

Their demented fury delights me. Taking a step closer, I draw yet more power from the universe on the other side of the tunnel. As delicious as this moment is, I can’t make it last. It’s time to end this battle and move on to the next. We need never be afraid of these creeps again, not as long as Kernel and I are…

Power drains from my fingers as swiftly as it filled them. With a confused cry, my head whips round. Bec is behind me, smirking. Her right hand rests on Kernel’s shoulder and she’s drawing power from him, and from me through Kernel.

“Stop!” I roar, throwing a punch at her.

She halts my giant paw with a glance, her smile widening, waves of shadows crackling across her pale cheeks. “We’re part of the same weapon, Grubbs,” she says. “You can’t unleash the Kah-Gash without my permission.”

“I’m the trigger,” I yell. “I can do whatever the hell I like.”

I try sapping power from her, as she has from us. But I can’t. The flow is one way. I can draw more energy from the air—and I do—but a third of it flows into Bec as soon as I absorb it. And while I’m fighting the shadow-wrapped leech of a girl, I can’t focus on anything else.

“Kill her!” Kernel screams, kicking out at Bec. He manages to knock her hand away, but the draining flow continues.

I turn on Bec and bare my fangs. Shadows leap from around her and dart at my eyes, momentarily blinding me. Several strands snake down my throat and I gag. Whirling away from the priestess, I spit out shadows and swipe them from my face. Kernel’s shaken from my grip and goes skidding across the floor.

Bec steps in front of the tunnel and spreads her arms. “Come to me!” she cries. I think she’s calling Lord Loss, and my eyes fix on the demon master. He’s dragged himself back to his knees, but he doesn’t look ready to rejoin the fighting.

Then I realize it’s not Lord Loss she’s hailing. It’s the others, separated from us by the thinnest of magical veils. Before I can react, a gush of even hotter air washes through the cave. As my heart sinks, the tunnel opens and a score of demons even more powerful than Lord Loss slither from their realm into ours.