Keys to the Demon Prison

"Swear to me that no ambush or deception will come from you or others of your kind," Seth said. "Promise to protect me and my friends and my cause from harm."

"We swear it," answered three voices in unison.

"This woman, Vanessa, and the satyrs, Newel and Doren, are with me, and under my protection. If centaurs should come anywhere near these properties, they are yours to claim."

"We understand," answered three voices. "Release us, Mighty One."

"You understand the places I want protected?"

"We can see them in your mind."

Seth turned to Vanessa. "I think we’re ready."

"Is there a key?" she asked.

Seth fished out a separate key and the letter from Patton. "There are new words also."

Vanessa took the letter and approached the cell door. She inserted the key, placed her palm against the door, and mumbled unsteadily. Turning the key sharply, she backed away.

The cell door swung open. A wave of cold spilled out as if the room were an industrial freezer. Three dark forms emerged, upright, gliding forward with shadowy grace. One stood a little taller than Seth, the two others almost a head shorter. It was hard to discern details. The flashlight did not illuminate them. Their whole beings seemed to swallow light, making them indistinct.

Seth glanced at Vanessa. She crouched, head down, utterly immobilized. "You three wait here for now," Seth said. "Let me clear out my friends before you take your positions."

"As you say," the tall wraith pronounced in a low voice as hard and cold as ice.

Seth took Vanessa by the hand, her fingers coming back to life at his touch. Straightening her posture, she stared at Seth in astonishment. He led her down the hall and out the door to where the satyrs awaited them.

"Something feels unnatural," Doren said.

"Whatever you released are no common wraiths," Newel agreed. "Took all we had to stand our ground."

"You three should go," Seth said. "Wait for me with Hugo."

Both satyrs offered Vanessa their arms. Back in full possession of herself, she shunned them both, striding briskly down the hall. The satyrs scampered to keep up.

Seth waited until they were out of sight. Then he counted to a hundred, forcing himself to keep it slow. "Okay!" Seth called. "You can come out now!"

The three wraiths glided to the doorway, arriving more quickly than Seth had expected. "Just a second," Seth said.

The tallest wraith drew close to him. "Do you feel nothing in my presence?" the wraith asked.

"A little cold," Seth said. "But the others have a hard time around you guys."

"Truly you are powerful," the wraith said, exuding almost worshipful esteem.

"I’m a social person," Seth replied, feeling awkward. "I don’t discriminate. You seem pretty powerful yourself. What would your chances be against the Demon King?"

"None," the wraith answered, the harsh word cutting like frozen steel.

"Gotcha," Seth said. He closed the door to the Hall of Dread. "When you take your positions, try to avoid my friends."

"As you command," all three replied.

Silently as shadows, the wraiths started forward, simultaneously walking and sliding. Seth could not keep pace with their odd, gliding gait, and they soon drifted out of view. When Seth finally reached the stairs to exit the dungeon, he noticed the tall wraith standing guard. No words were exchanged.

Seth found Vanessa and the satyrs on the back porch near Hugo. "We felt the wraiths go by," Vanessa said.

"Did they seem to be going in the right direction?" Seth asked.

"Looked that way," Newel replied. Seth stared out into the yard. A few glimmering fairies bobbed in the darkness. He had a feeling the night was nearly spent. "What if I assembled a huge army of wraiths and creepy things to fight the demons?" Seth mused.

"It would be like trying to fight sharks with seawater," Vanessa said. "Our best hope lies in walking the path Patton outlined."

Seth unfolded his letter from Patton and used the flashlight to read about the leprechaun. "The letter says the best time to catch the leprechaun is in the afternoon."

"You should get some sleep," Vanessa suggested. "You’ll need your strength. Hugo and I can keep watch."

Seth did feel weary. "All right."

The satyrs started improvising beds out of ripped couch cushions. Using the flashlight, Seth went to the garage and retrieved a couple of sleeping bags.

"May I borrow your light?" Vanessa asked when he returned. "While you sleep, I want to forage."

Seth handed over the flashlight.

"Get some sleep," she said gently.

Hugo cleared a spot in the rubble. Seth unrolled the sleeping bag, unzipped it part of the way, and burrowed inside. He wished somehow sleep could make all of this go away.

Newel and Doren began to snore magnificently. At first Seth thought they were teasing him, but eventually he realized it was no joke. He tried to tune out the droning duet. For some time he lay there struggling to get comfortable, shifting and turning, striving not to obsess about the future, wondering if sleep would ever come. Eventually his exhaustion overpowered all other variables and he sank into a troubled slumber.

Chapter 18 Flight

Warren, Kendra, and Bracken sat with their backs against the iron wall of the dome, legs stretched out in front of them, feasting on pomegranates. Kendra plucked red arils until she had a small handful, then slapped them into her mouth, chewing lazily. The cool juice inside had a faintly sour aftertaste.

The fairies had once again provided them with an abundance of nuts and fruit. One industrious group of fairies had even gone back and retrieved Warren’s sword from the Beckoning Grove. Bracken had heaped praise on them for their efforts, making the fatigued fairies blush with pleasure. After the display, a second team of fairies brought them a rust-cankered dagger, and a third fetched a moldy gauntlet. Bracken toned down his enthusiasm, but accepted the offerings graciously.

When the luminous pond began to churn and bubble, Bracken scrambled to his feet for a better view. Warren and Kendra did likewise.

"Will our help come out of the pond?" Warren asked.

They had expected the promised assistance to enter through the hatch. With the implication that help might arrive through the pond, Kendra had a sudden suspicion who the Fairy Queen might be sending. She had only heard of one being who could travel between fairy shrines.

A sleek, winged form burst out of the water surrounded by luminous spray. The undersized dragon wheeled through the air and landed in front of Bracken, silver-white scales reflecting a faint rainbow sheen.