Page 104 of Unbinding the Demon
The four of us traversed beneath the final wooded arches of gnarled branch and bough, trudging beyond the gloomy gates of the forest line. A steep cliff carved its way through the ground up ahead, where the hiss of crashing waves was faintly carried upon the breeze. The gruff, manly blabbering quieted down, and I heard heavy footsteps approaching, crunching over the loose stones and lifeless flowers. A large clawed hand brushed away the thin curtain of wisping hair that danced across my face.
“It’s time to get up, Buttercup. The decrescent pantheon is in sight.” My drowsy green eyes lifted to see his ethereally handsome face bathed in shadows, his dimly shining eyes and soft smile beaming at me with love and adoration.
“Can’t I rest for a little longer?” I yawned. All that sword training had tuckered me out, and all I wanted to do was sleep.
His warm hand trailed over my shoulder affectionately, then down along my arm, until he held my hand in his. “I’m afraid not. We’ve already dawdled about long enough. It’s time to complete what we came here for and return to Earth.The sooner, the better.” I didn’t know what he meant by that last part, but I agreed because I had not forgotten about my leftover tortellini waiting for me in the fridge.
Love twinkled in my gaze as I smiled back at him. “Alright.” I sighed, then I pressed a hand beneath my body to push myself up into a seated position and slip off the saddle.
Before I could right myself, Azathoth’s hand delicately latched beneath my chin, and his mouth pressed against mine. The nocturnal winds possessed his long swaying hair, using his silky obsidian locks to tickle and dance across my cheeks and arm. His velvety lips rapturously worshiped mine in graceful tides of waving passion. Then his kisses fluttered up along my nose, enticing small giggles to chime out of me until he reached my forehead, where he placed one last yearnful smooch.
His benevolent face pulled away from mine as his arms wrapped themselves around my body. “Come, my love,” he almost whispered, then eased me from Sagacor’s back.
He kept me from stumbling and falling flat onto my face as I gained my footing. The sword holster belt that was now wrapped twice around my waist clanked and almost slipped off. I looked down and readjusted it, ignoring him mumbling,“You don’t need that thing,”under his breath. I didn’t care if I needed it or not because I felt like a total badass wearing it.
As I glanced back up, I took a quick moment to take in my surroundings. We were on a high cliff which dropped off into a vast ocean of caliginous waters. Each passing wave seemed to rhythmically sigh out in anguish, an oppressive melody that threatened to lull one to madness. Opaque darkness marred where the sea kissed the saturnine skies, stretching beyond where the eye could see. Deep gulches carved by the marriage of time and rushing rivers cut their way through the rocky cliffs and poured violent torrents from their gaping mouths and into the sea.
A narrow stone viaduct, held up by colonnades of harrowing spikes, arched its way across the treacherous waters and over to a small island. The blackened stone was weather-beaten and disintegrative, threatening to crumble at any moment. Upon the island rested the precarious ruins of a Mephistophelian building, no doubt built by the demonic gods Azathoth had spoken about. Tall black spikes menacingly jutted up from its gothic towers and centric minaret. The darksome atmosphere concealed most of the finer details in shadow, but I could still make out the lofty pointed archway leading inside.
My mouth fell agape as I gazed upon the formidable pantheon. It was unlike anything I’d seen back on Earth. Valarendrik smiled in amusement at my overblown, dazzled facial expression. Then he took Sagacor’s reins and tied them to a gaunt tree. Sagacor nickered as he placed two clawed fingers on the reins and began to murmur something. More of that black mist eerily swirled out from his fingertips and flowed into the reins. My neck craned to get a better look, fascinated by his strange, shadowy powers.
“What kind of unearthly ensorcellment is he performing now?”
Azathoth chuckled at my bewildered naivety. “He’s using his shadows to cast a simple spell that will release the reins if Sagacor is ever in danger. He’s not coming into the pantheon with us since he’d make an easy snack for the vovin.” He squeezed my shoulders lightly, pulling my backside against his firm frame. “Speaking of which, you should probably say goodbye to him now. Once we go in, we won’t be coming back out.”
“Oh,” I breathed, as the realization of possibly never seeing him again dawned on me. A twinge of sadness pulled at my heart as I wandered over to the ghoulish six-eyed stallion. I hadn’t known him for very long, yet I had still grown rather fond of the partly decomposed fellow. Luckily, though, I had smuggled a parting gift along with me.
I grabbed our satchel bag from his saddle and threw it over my shoulder, then walked up to the side of his cadaverous face. Three milky eyes curiously peered down at my hand as I reached into the bag and pulled out a small red caedis fruit. He began to nicker and snort with excitement.
Valarendrik glanced down at the fruit, then smiled warmly at me. “Thank you,” his deep voice rumbled with a strange, thick accent. With Azathoth’s help, he had learned a few basic English words and had been trying to use them every chance he got. It was adorable, really.
“You’re welcome,” I responded with a small laugh as I gazed over at him.
Excitement beamed in his undead ruby eyes, and his smile turned into a wide, joyful grin, unintentionally flashing his unnervingly sharp teeth and fangs. The spiky bones of his crown happily twitched as he said something else in the abyssal language. He held one clawed hand out flat and pointed to it with the other.
“He’s asking you to keep your hand flat when you feed Sagacor, so he doesn’t bite your fingers off...Well, he didn’t actually say that last part, but you get the gist,” Azathoth hollered while standing at the edge of the cliff.
The caedis fruit rested snugly in my palm while I somewhat nervously held my very flattened hand up to his muzzle. His nostrils flared, and his short whiskers tickled my hand as he eagerly sniffed the fruit. Then he opened his large fanged mouth and gently munched on the crisp, juicy treat. I giggled and wiped my hand on my dress. As I stroked his fuzzy nose for the last time, I tried to swallow the lump of sadness in my throat. But something went wrong, and I messed it up, then began choking uncontrollably on my spit. A cadence of unladylike gags, wheezes, and coughs erupted from me.
Both Azathoth and Valarendrik watched my coughing fit with great intensity. I hunched over pathetically, my face a bright tomato-red and tears in my eyes. Valarendrik looked awkward as hell and wore an exaggerated expression of both confusion and concern. Azathoth, on the other hand, held a somewhat impassive expression, with utter amusement twinkling in his fiery eyes. The wind blew through their hair as Valarendrik seemingly expressed his worry. Azathoth shook his head and held up a knowledgeable hand, then muttered something that appeared to put Valarendrik at ease. Neither of them removed their observant gazes from me until my strangled chokes died down.
Phew!Talk about embarrassing!
Azathoth raised an amused brow and glanced around. Then he held his hand out for me to take. “Are you ready to continue, my love?” The way the corner of his mouth twitched suggested that he was suppressing his laughter.
I scowled at him as I took his hand. “Yeah, yeah, don’t even say it!”
He grinned devilishly as he interlaced his fingers with mine and then began leading me across the perilous viaduct. Valarendrik eyed me with worry as I walked past, as if he were half-expecting me to abruptly keel over and die. His long, tattered coat fluttered in the wind behind him as he turned and began silently following along.
The abyssal winds whipped furiously through our hair and fought against every step we took, as though nature itself was trying to keep us away from the pantheon. Sea spray billowed violently, tossed up by the roaring waves. Each crashing wave hammered the colonnades beneath us, echoing with ferocity. Salty mist filled the air and created a damp film over our skin. My free hand reached up to hold my temperamental hair out of my face as I turned my head to look back at Sagacor. He was grazing peacefully on those crispy flowers, indifferent to us leaving.
Unbelievable... I just had a choking fit for that horse, and he doesn’t even care we’re gone!
My eyes then shifted over to Valarendrik, who was wistfully gazing out over the vast ocean as he strolled along behind us. He tucked some of his long, blowing hair behind his pointy ear, giving me a glimpse of the loneliness and sorrow hidden within the depths of his red eyes. It was as if the whirling waters stirred something very deep and painful within him.
Not wanting to be rude and stare, I lowered my gaze and turned to face Azathoth. “Do you think we could come back someday? You know, maybe to visit with them or something?”
Long silky locks danced across his face as he turned toward me. “Most definitely. Someone’s got to keep that freak of nature out of trouble.” He pointed over his shoulder at Valarendrik with his thumb. “Especially since every so often, the Tenverian queen sends search brigades out to capture him.”
