Page 160 of Crimson Promises
As I was flying up the coast of the island, both hands of the clock started to whirl. I snuck a glance around. Nothing was causing any disturbance that would make this go haywire. Unless…I was here. I pumped my wings and flew in wide and tiny circles. Once I was a few feet out of the diameter of the coast, the clock pointed me back in the direction I had been in.
This had to be it. I steadily declined into a small pocket of trees.
I unsheathed theilliciumdagger and blew out a breath. This dagger wouldn’t be enough in case anyone was guarding the portal.
Michael’s critical gaze pieced through my mind’s eye, assessing my mistakes. The Mighty Defender missed nothing. He clearly thought I was a failure. The only reason Michael trusted me with this mission was because he had no other choice. He couldn’t personally retrieve her.
Something niggled at the back of my brain. I still hadn’t worked out why Aurora was so important to him. He was probably instructed to covet her power for Heaven. But why would he go through so much power as to hide her?
The snap of a twig in the distance pulled me out of my mind's frantic spiral. It was time to get Aurora back. Everything else could wait until after.
Blade in hand, I emerged from the shadows and entered a beach.The portal is here somewhere.I spun around, looking for any scent of ash or signs of demonic power or activity. The place was calm and serene. Further up the beach, a sign read ‘Rockaway Beach Park’. The beachfront park had sweeping views of Seattle and the Cascade Mountains along the saltwater shoreline. Scattered in a smooth area near the sign were picnic tables and benches.If we ever make it out of this mess, I want to bring Aurora back here.
I stared at the compass as I walked along the shore. The hands had long stopped whirling once I landed, but I had hoped it would give me some sort of sign that I was close to the portal. At the park's peak was a rickety black stairway. I resheathed my blade and climbed down the stairs. At the base of the staircase was a smooth rectangular landing eroded by the rough tides, a black sign reading in white print, ‘Devil’s Boulder.’
Well, isn’t this place named appropriately.
The outline of a massive boulder aggregate slowly emerged and came into sharp focus.
It stood proudly, defiantly, amidst the leafy surroundings, as though defying the forces of nature that have shaped it over countless millennia. Its sheer size is intimidating, a titan of stone that loomed over the land with an unwavering presence. Time had painted its surface with shades of gray, hints of copper, and the occasional streak of moss.
I ran my finger over what looked to be markings on the cliff’s base. It carried a weighty presence as if the spirits of the land had imbued this rock with their essence. Beyond the rectangular landing was an outer layer of what looked to be packed black sand no more than two feet wide. The salt spray of the waves reached me despite the distance. In the midst of one of the strange symbols carved in the wall, my finger roamed over what felt to be a small button nestled in its curve. It awakened under my touch. I snatched my hand back as soon as I heard the faint clicking. The symbols began to glow an eerie blue.
The discarded stones that edged the smooth limestone began to bounce at my feet just as the ground began to rumble. The world before me shifted. I clutched onto the wall, trying to dig my fingers into whatever crevice I could find to get a grip. Waves thrashed angrily behind me. The sound of stones and boulders crashing drowned out the sound of my heartbeat echoing in my ears. As suddenly as the chaos began, it seized.
Beyond the black sand, the sea had parted, and with it, a path emerged. The hands of the clock were once again pushing me forward.Here we go.
Clutching the magic pocket watch that doubled as my compass, I felt its cool metal against my palm, oddly anchoring against the panic and fear of what awaited me when I finally laid eyes on Aurora. Its delicate machinery pulsed with a power that guided my steps.
As I approached the base of Devil's Boulder, a bead of sweat slid down my spine. An emblem roughly the same size as the compass was carved into the largest boulder.
As I beheld the carving, its intricate design mirrored the pattern on the watch, as if they were long-lost siblings separated by time. A realization struck me—I had to insert the compass inside the carving. Michael hadn’t just given me a way to find the portal. He gave me the key to one.
Without hesitation, I pressed the watch into the hollow indentation, feeling a magnetic pull as the two elements fused together. The air crackled, the very fabric of reality shifting around me. The grainy texture of the surrounding air became palpable as if invisible granules of sand slipped through my fingertips. My body quivered, both with trepidation and a fierce determination, as I teetered on the precipice between worlds.
The transition was not gentle nor serene. It was a visceral upheaval that left me disoriented. Amidst the swirling chaos, I clung to the memory of Aurora. She anchored me.
The air grew dense and suffocating, tinged with a bitter undertone that scratched at my senses.
I’m here.
* * *
The air, thick with the scent of exotic blooms, caressed my skin as I opened my eyes. Flowers of every imaginable hue burst forth from rich, black soil, their petals were aglow with an otherworldly luminescence. A faint buzzing in my ear had me craning my neck backward. Above me was a tree, its gnarled branches reaching towards the sky, alive with the gentle flickering of fireflies. They were luminescent stars in their own right, as they cast a soft, pulsating glow that danced upon the tree's bark. The leaves of the trees acted as a curtain against the rest of wherever I was. Did the compass take me somewhere else? My body froze in panic.
I pushed aside the leafy drapes and recognized a familiar twilight sky. I had been in these gardens once before. My body twitched from the painful memory. The reminder of the freedom I had finally thought I had obtained was nothing more than an illusion.
As I walked the flagstone path, I put together that the compass had apparently dropped me in Hell’s botanical gardens. The plants that adorned this realm were like none I had ever encountered. Each one seemed to possess a touch of demonic magic, their essence raw and untamed. I was drawn to a cluster of flowers. The petals, delicate yet resilient, shifted in color from deep crimson to ebony black. Adjacent to the bewitching flowers, towering vines draped the garden walls, their leaves bristling with serrated edges. Dark tendrils snaked and twisted, reaching out with a seductive allure. A reminder to be careful what you touch here. It was all dangerous. All an illusion.
Leaving the botanical garden behind, I whisperedocculareto conceal my wings and entered the heart of a modern metropolis. The city thrived with organized chaos, its streets bustling with denizens who reveled in the pleasures that Hell offered.
Despite the indulgence and decadence that surrounded me, I couldn't help but notice the cleanliness and order that pervaded the city. Streets were immaculate, buildings polished to perfection, a testament to the meticulousness with which this realm was governed. It was a thriving hub that embodied a civilization, a mix of the old world and the new wave.
But my gaze was inevitably drawn to the far edge of the city, where Lucifer's castle stood tall and imposing. Towers reached towards the heavens, their spires piercing the twilight sky, while ornate balconies and intricate carvings adorned their stone facade. Darkness and secrets awaited within its walls. Secrets I never had the chance to reveal.
As I surveyed the cityscape, the dichotomy of beauty and darkness, order and temptation, I knew that within this realm, where sin was the currency and temptation lurked at every corner, I would need all my strength and resolve to save Aurora from the clutches of the Prince of Darkness himself.
ChapterEighteen
