An Angel’s Road to Hell

Cassandra Pendragon

A soft smile played around the corners of my mouth while my hand vanished entirely in the iron hard, vice like grip of a dwarf. He stared at me bleary eyed and barked with a heavy slur:

“Give it yahr all, lass. Ah ain’t gonna go easy on yah.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” With our free hands we raised our mugs, filled with a strong spirit distilled from wheats, I’d have called it vodka, had we been on earth, and downed them in one go. The stuff actually didn’t taste like much but it burned all the way down my throat. Ignoring the slight discomfort I smacked my lips, my smile unwavering, while my opponent swayed heavily on his chair. Now, you might be wondering how we had even gotten here in the first place. Truth be told, I had fled.

True to their word, my brothers hadn’t spared me for the rest of the night. Every little thing I had ever done, as well as the not so little ones, had been turned into an hilarious anecdote for everyone’s amusement. I hadn’t particularly enjoyed the reason but all of us together, laughing and joking had felt nice, homely… safe. Still, after the umpteenth iteration of how I had gone to town with scissors and leather straps on the first dress my mom had ever given me, turning myself into an underaged version of a veritable dominatrix along the way, I had had enough.

Without so much as an excuse, I had grabbed Ahri and headed down the stairs, determined to end the day on a festive note, one where I wouldn’t be the sole source of entertainment. On the ground floor, the dwarfs and Madame Sinis’ girls had already started a valiant fight against most alcoholic beverages she had had in store and from the looks of it, they had been pretty close to a resounding victory. In a dark corner I had glimpsed Viyara and Aurelia, whispering intimately over a bottle of wine while Erya and Morgan were dancing with two handsome chaps I might have seen before but hadn’t been able to remember properly.

Our trio of elves had somehow adopted Liz and the four of them were having fun with a complicated looking board game I had never even heard of, the human girl the only one who had been indulging heavily. Judging from the assortment of bottles around her, she had tried her hardest to make up for her sober companions and considering her still bright eyes and precise movements, she was no stranger to excessive drinking, either. In an alcove close by Vanya and Will had been having a heated discussion with another pair of the Madame’s employees, two beast kin, in case you’re interested, and despite their flushed cheeks and grande gestures they had seemed like they were entirely enjoying themselves.

Every once in a while I had spotted a set of fox ears or tails, weaving through the crowd. Some of Arthur’s soldiers as well as my very own strike team had been mingling freely with the others, toasting, laughing, drinking and dancing to their hearts’ content. They had had me a bit worried, since most kitsune were neither used to nor very tolerant of alcohol, but I had wholeheartedly appreciated the chance to see them enjoy a night of… well, debauchery.

With pretty much everyone accounted for, I had relaxed. The only ones I hadn’t been able to see were Layla and her mother but I had know they were safely tugged away upstairs, spending some much needed time together in a room adjacent to Estrella’s and Archy’s. Which left only Pete, whom I had honestly expected to be in the thick of it but the native Free Lander had probably been trying to figure out how much of his usual haunts had still remained standing after the fire.

Grinning happily, I had descended the stairs, my tails wrapped tightly around Ahri’s waist. A blue haze had been hovering over the scene, fuelled by the ever present pipes the dwarfs had been smoking and the smell of sweat, spilled drinks and burned tobacco, laced with a variety of more potent herbs, had made my eyes water. For a moment I had been wondering how they could party this freely despite what we had been through only a couple of hours ago, but then I had realised that the ordeal had actually been the reason why everyone had been trying their best to celebrate a simple fact: we were still alive and we still had the chance to enjoy ourselves, an opportunity none of us wanted to waste. Which had prompted me to drag Ahri along and head directly towards the open space, where kitsune, dwarfs and humans were dancing together to the quick, rhythmic music a quintet of dwarfs played on their drums and violas. I hadn’t gotten far, though. After a few steps, someone had playfully but sharply smacked my rear. Ahri had immediately tensed but before I had been able to do more than frown and tighten my grip on her to prevent an unfortunate accident, a loud, deep voice had slurred:

“Oi, Cas, you’re the strongest of the tailed bunch, aren’t yah?” Utterly perplexed by the new nickname as well as the rather preposterous greeting, I had only managed to shrug, still occupied with restraining the seething vixen at my side. “Then Ah’ve got a pre…proposition t’make. How ‘bout a friendly game of knockin’?” Which had led us to where we were. Me sitting across a burly, exceptionally broad dwarf, an unending array of mugs between and half the room’s occupants behind us, wagering more than they probably had to their names.

The rules were rather simple. Drink, arm wrestle, repeat and as soon as someone threw in the towel, we’d move on to stage two, an all out knuckle fight, no magic allowed. The one who had managed to down more mugs would have a free shot for every additional empty glass. The last man standing would win. Usually I wouldn’t have taken the whole thing seriously, but when I had heard that most were betting on my opponent, claiming I wouldn’t be able to do much without my magic, I had reconsidered. Plus, the only way I had been able to stop Ahri from teaching him a stern lesson then and there had been my assurance that I’d make him pay for touching me. And that meant going for his wallet. His and most of his colleagues’. Only my closest friends knew how little poisons affected me, after all, and judging from their growing smiles, they were expecting a nice, oversized payday. And so was I.

His muscles twitched, the pressure around my fingers increased, the veins stood out on his arm and with a deep, reverberating groan he started to push, but just like the last nine times, I didn’t budge. I closed my eyes, concentrating on my core to suppress the involuntary rush of energy. It wasn’t needed, either way. Ever since my body had changed, my tissue was saturated with enough energy to rival… well, pretty much anything I could come up with. It might not have been sturdy enough on its own to withstand a powerful attack but I could easily hold my own in a battle of strength. Low murmurs and rather loud curses rose up behind me, the truth slowly dawning on the spectators. I held my position for a few seconds longer before I leisurely started to push. Like a falling tree, slow at first but with increasing speed, his hand neared the heavy table, hammering down with a wet thud, a shower of spilled alcohol splashing all over the place.

I pushed another mug towards him, the punishment for losing yet another round, and chuckled: “drink up. Or are we done already?” He went cross eyed for a moment when the smell hit him but like the seasoned veteran he was, he shook his head, similar to a dog drying itself off, and downed his 18th drink.

“No… not yet… ah’ve still got… another…another round in me.” He burped, clasping his hand over his mouth to make sure nothing but air escaped him, before he reached out again. “Less go ‘gain, yah damned su… sup… wretched creature…” trembling with suppressed mirth at his frighteningly lopsided posture I agreed. Unsurprisingly the outcome wasn’t any different, except that I was starting to feel excessively bloated. If the drunkard should manage to punch me in the stomach later on he’d be getting much more than he’d have bargained for. I seriously had no idea where he was storing the copious amounts of liquid. He had already been drunk when he had challenged me and he must have downed close to five litres by now, about twice as much as I had drunk. Truly impressive. If he managed to keep it up, he’d win the first round, simply because I was running out of space, my stomach apparently not half as sturdy or flexible as his. Also, I really had to visit the ladies’ room, another sensation I hadn’t been forced to deal with for quite a while. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea, after all…

A resounding crash marked the end of my worries and our spiced up version of Popeye, my opponent’s head hitting the table with dull finality. “Game over,” Ahri commented dryly into the lingering silence and used two fingers to gently push the unconscious dwarf off his seat. When he crashed onto the floor it seemed as if a spell had been broken, the room erupting in cheers and, for the most part, groans and curses.

Grinning I rose from my chair and hugged Ahri. “Would you collect our winnings,” I whispered.

She cocked and eyebrow and asked: “and where do you think you’re going?”

“Somewhere private. Causality, my dear. Even our bodies can’t cope with that much fluid.” She nodded with a crooked smile and kissed me caressingly. “Don’t take too long or I’ll have to go looking for you.” She playfully smacked my rump, perfectly imitating the poor, delirious dwarf and shooed me away.

I had to dodge several attempts to draw me into a conversation as I weaved my way through the crowd, carefully sidestepping the most disgruntled onlookers. I hesitated for a moment, unsure of where to go, exactly. For clarification, sanitary accommodations weren’t as well developed as I would have liked. Bath tubs were the norm and toilets were usually nothing more than thunder beams, directly opening into the streets. I had become quite pampered, back home running water had been easily accessible with magic and even aboard the ships dwarven ingenuity had provided miraculous solutions for the more distasteful consequences of biology. Now, though, I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of visiting a primitive latrine which had been frequented by a myriad of drunk mortals over the last few hours. Consequentially, I decided on the spot to simply look for a quiet place outside. Not exactly prim and proper but still the best I could come up with, considering the slow moving queue I could glimpse in front of the restroom. I might have managed to sneak my way to the front, but simply imagining how it might look and smell in there…

With a few apologetic smiles I managed to duck outside. As soon as I left the “Gilded Dream” the crisp night air invigorated my senses like a cold shower. The sky was still cloudy with only a few lonely stars blinking down on me. The rain had stopped, though, and for the first time since I had arrived the air tasted sweet and clean, the lingering scents of human civilisation had been washed away, if only for the night. Even the thick, oppressive smell of burned wood was gone.

I closed my eyes when the door slammed shut behind me. Faint noises still reached me through the thick wood but muted as they were I managed to listen to the quiet music of the night. Birds flapped their wings in the distance, a soft breeze rustled through open windows and along slated roofs, here and there someone was singing drunkenly and I even thought I could hear the creaking of wood and sails from the harbour. Something else caught my attention, though. Not too far away I heard someone recite what seemed like a sermon and even though I couldn’t understand the foreign language, the grief and anger resonating in the slow, stately voice were strong enough to send shivers down my spine.

I slowly turned towards the noise, which unsurprisingly came from the square where the Emperor had conducted his ritual. Someone was either paying their respect or they were mourning the dead. Either way, I couldn’t imagine I’d be welcome. I felt my mood shift, sadness rising in my chest as the images of our last battle rose in my mind. With a sigh I opened my eyes again, mouthing a silent prayer for the poor souls I hadn’t been able to save.

My gaze travelled along the street while I searched for a secluded place or at least a bit of cover. I blinked. By mere chance I had spotted a hooded figure, half hidden in the shadows of a narrow alley close by. I couldn’t see the face, a heavy woollen hood obscured everything beneath, but I had the distinct impression that I was being watched. My suspicions were confirmed about a second later when a slim, pale hand emerged from the dark depths beneath the cloak and beckoned for me to follow. With a single step the creature vanished into the impenetrable darkness between the windswept houses, as if it had never even been there.

For a split second I hesitated, all too aware of how many times I had paid for my unjustified trust, but I wasn’t alone. I hadn’t been for a while. With a thought, I shared what was going on with Ahri, asking her to keep our link open in case I was about to stumble into another unpleasant situation. She moaned a little, urging me to wait for her, but in the end she accepted my decision to go alone. If, whoever was hiding underneath that hood, had wanted to talk to all of us, they would have simply walked in through the door. Of course, that line of reasoning also posed a whole plethora of different questions, like why had they even known I’d be coming out, why tonight, why here, why me and so forth, but ultimately, and you might very well call me conceited for it, I didn’t expect anyone on this planet, save maybe Amon, to be able to threaten me, no matter what kind of trap they had dreamed up. As long as my friends were safe and sound, there wasn’t much anyone could do to me unless they planned to shoot me in the head from afar or were immortals themselves. In either case they wouldn’t have bothered to lure me outside, beforehand.

I squared my shoulders, tried to ignore my complaining bladder and confidently strode across the street, carefully avoiding the deep, murky puddles and smelly heaps along the way. A moment later I found myself in an almost dry lane between surprisingly sturdy buildings, the roofs almost touching above my head. The meagre light was entirely blocked out and I sent a trickle of power towards my eyes. They lit up with a silver sheen and the outlines of closed doors, abandoned crates and a waiting figure, sitting leisurely on a porch a few metres away, became clear.

Most of my questions were immediately answered when I saw a shock of golden hair, the shimmer of gilded threads underneath a dark green cloak and bright, blue eyes, staring at me with a mixture of curiosity, caution and fear. Maybe even a bit of… admiration?

“If it isn’t the younger Brightblaze,” I said while I slowly approached the waiting girl. “Did you get lost? If you need me to, I can show you the way back home. It’s not the best idea for a pretty girl to be caught alone out here in the middle of the night. Free Land isn’t the most savoury place, as you should very well know.” She frowned but her voice remained polite when she replied:

“Hello Cassandra. Must you be antagonistic from the start? As far as I’m aware, I’ve never wronged you. I always thought fairness and politeness were virtues even the beast kin valued.”

“Touché, even though you’ve just proven that you’re not above a little ribbing yourself. Even us beast kin?” I had reached her porch by now and carefully sat down next to her. “Still, you don’t deserve to be treated like your sister, at least not yet.” I fell silent, allowing her a moment to organise her thoughts. After a while she extended her hand with a shaky smile and said:

“I just realised I haven’t even introduced myself, yet. I’m Emilia and I wanted to thank you again.”