九死一生
kyuushin iishou
“Nine deaths, one life” or “near-death experience”
~Japanese proverb
Horus
"NO!” Bannik and I shout in unison.
“Interesting.” She laughs, and suddenly I can see shapes in front of me. It’s enough to see Sariel, he illuminates everything in this sick cave of darkness, but what he illuminates, I wish I could forget.
She has snakes wrapped tightly around her throat like a necklace. They dangle from her hair, falling down to her waist. Her eyes are black, her lips blue. “Hello, pretty little god of the sky.”
I take a step back.
Bannik grabs me by the wrist and stands in front of me. He’s so weak, one hit from her and I wonder if he would survive it, or if his hell is just perpetual pain. Can he even die? “Say your peace and leave, witch.”
“Witch?” She pouts and crosses her arms, making her golden bracelets slam against each other. “A witch? I’m merely a fallen goddess that needs to be fed…” She peers around Bannik. “And this one seems delicious enough to eat… I told you I would come for you.”
I take a deep breath. “Do your worst; I’m here for an eternity anyway.”
"You think so?” She looks to Sariel and growls, her teeth clicking against each other. “This one might just free you by being… benevolent. I hate the angels that fall and fall again only to rise. I despise them.” She eyes Bannik up and down. “But you, your life will always be mine. There are some who fall too deep, isn’t that right?”
Bannik shakes at my side and continues to shove me behind him. “Yes.”
"Good angel.” She winks her black eye at him and stares at Sariel, tapping her mouth with her golden tipped finger. She’s in a golden gown that falls from her shoulders like a cape. It would be pretty if it wasn’t on a monster. “What will you sacrifice?”
"Myself.”
"You said that, but you see, that’s a trade where you give me you, and I give you one thing, and you seem to have two things here, so… you’re going to have to make a choice.”
Sariel actually smiles. He looks younger, his hair has gone from red and white to jet black now, and it shines like the sky that holds the stars. His eyes are bright blue. “You’ve been down here too long.”
Her smile falters. “Well, that’s no fun; you’re just insulting me when we both know how this is going to end. You’ll sacrifice yourself blah blah blah, and then you’ll set one of these immortals free, and the other will, of course, become even more bitter, and surprise! I have more to feed off of!”
"Watch,” Sariel whispers.
She frowns. “Watch what? Is there a hidden camera or—”
"Watch,” he repeats.
Bannik’s hand falls from my wrist, he starts walking toward Sariel, but I grab him. I don’t know why. It’s instinct. I grab him and pull him back.
Sariel smiles. “Watch.”
"Shut up!” she yells. “Shut up! What is this?”
Sariel laughs. “Apophis, of course, you know what will happen to you, don’t you? Once I sacrifice?”
"Apophis?” I whisper. The absence of light itself. She is darkness in my realm; she is Medusa in others. No matter what, she is the opposite of me.
The exact opposite.
I freeze. I can barely breathe.
Ra has battled for centuries with this goddess, and now she has my eye, the all-seeing Eye of Horus.
Bannik reaches for me again. This time, he’s holding me back. He shakes his head.
"The thing is…” Sariel smiles sadly at us and starts to slowly walk toward Apophis. “You always need a prize to keep, am I right? Darkness can’t survive alone. Isn’t that how fear works? It must have a companion.” He grins. “I live to serve my brothers.” He nods to Bannik. “All of them.” His eyes fall to me. I’m blind in my left eye, but my right sees him just fine. Even if I no longer have the same power, I see his.
He rolls his wrists. “Technically, I’m a fallen star. Take me, let them go, and I’ll leave you what you’ve wanted for an eternity.”
"What’s that?” she shouts.
He reaches his hand out and touches her face. “Dear child… the only thing you can never have.”
A red tear slides down her cheek. “I have everything!”
Sariel flicks his wrist, and I’m suddenly getting thrust backward with Bannik. “Child, you want what everyone wants.”
“And what’s that?” she repeats.
"Hope.” He nods slowly. “And just one small flicker…” He snaps his fingers. “…of light.”
Her eyes go from black to white as she watches the flame on his fingertips, and suddenly Bannik and I are tumbling backward until we hit the mud again. The window is just ahead.
"Come!” Ashtaroth yells. “NOW!”
Bannik stumbles backward in what I think is shock.
"NOW!” Ashtaroth yells again. “Seventeen stars have already fallen. This isn’t good. They’ll see, they’ll know. You have to go!”
I have no time to argue; neither does Bannik.
We go from being in a dark prison to being shoved out onto the riverbed again. I choke out mud and darkness and turn on my side.
Bannik is on his hands and knees. He doesn’t move. He stares down at the ground, and after a few minutes of silence, he finally looks up to the stars and lifts his shaky hands.
They tremble as he reaches for the stars.
I assume he’s going to get sent back to the Abyss, but instead, I hear singing. “Return, return, one life is never long enough, king of the abyss. Be reborn, be reborn.” His body trembles harder.
And one by one, nine stars crash to the earth around us, turning into water, crashing against the gates of the Abyss.
I stand on shaky feet.
Bannik does the same.
One star remains close to us.
I have no words.
I have only the air in my lungs.
I inhale.
I exhale.
“The morning star,” Bannik whispers.
It doesn’t crash against us; it doesn’t sacrifice. It simply moves past us and through the gate, and I know… this will not end here.
“The morning star has descended,” Bannik whispers, “to the Abyss.”
“Good thing Sariel is there.”
“They will battle.”
"We will win,” I say. “And sometimes, it’s best to fight evil with evil. Apophis won’t be happy with competition.”
“And Sariel?” he asks. “What of him? What of my brother?”
I look to the sky with my one good eye. “Honestly? I have no idea. But I know he did it for a reason.”
"And what of your fox?”
I shrug. “She has her memories now that I’ve traded my eye, she may love me or hate me. Who really knows?”
"Humans.”
“I’m a god.”
"Not in this realm. You’re worse than a human.” He dusts himself off and stares down at his hands again. They’re dirty, caked with years of muck and filth. He has no clue where to go, or what to do.
I shove him toward the forest. “Let’s go.”
“I’m your prisoner now?”
“Yes.” I roll my eyes. “That’s why I’m helping you. Now, let’s go. You have some people to apologize to.”
I swear he pales even more, though he just keeps walking. Once we are at the edge of the river, I wave my hand and we’re suddenly on the outskirts of the forest.
We walk toward the house.
I hear laughter.
They’re eating still.
Time passes differently, doesn’t it?
He stares at the house.
He wants to walk away. I can feel it.
After all, what good is the fallen?
He shakes his head and turns around just as the sound of wings fills the air. I look up. Cassius descends. His purple wings are razor-sharp and pointed toward Bannik. Cassius hits the ground with a thud and glares first at Bannik and then at me.
I expect war.
Instead, Cassius just sighs. “Don’t eat all the ham; it’s my favorite.”
He walks past us and dusts his jeans off.
Bannik’s eyes widen.
I shrug and start walking past our werewolf guards. “Come on, the food will get cold.”
I know he’ll follow.
I open the door. I take off my shoes and inhale the smell of food, roasted meat, and side dishes and the sweetness of baked goods.
It’s at least one minute before Bannik’s footsteps follow.
I keep walking.
He keeps following.
And then we’re in the dining room. Everyone is gathered around the table with various desserts and wine. A well-picked-over platter of ham rests in the center of the table next to some leftover dinner rolls, obviously all that remains of dinner.
All talking stops.
It’s Mason who jumps to his feet and yells, “YOU’RE HOME!”