| Chapter 8 |
| The shadows of the ally darkened the night even further, the moon and the stars where blocked by the buildings looming up around me. Before me stood the gate to the center of this sinister labyrinth it was here that Dieter had to be. The iron gate opened at my touch and a stairway that led deep down under the streets of the city lay before me. I walked down and the sounds and scents that I detected confirmed my suspicions. The sounds of moans and screams and horrid laughter sounded from deep below. The scents of sweat, blood, and sticky fluids rose up from the depth below. This was the way down to hell on earth. The last steps led to a hallway that connected to a large room lit by candles and torches, it looked like the dungeon of a demonic lord. My attic had not seen such horrors as lay in this room. Bodies living, dead, and dying hung from the walls and ceiling. Men, women, children and animals, all abused and some slaughtered. This was the limbo before hell. I knew these horrors though and I passed them. The next room held the instruments of the atrocities of the first room; knives, hooks, crocodile shears, breast tearers and other tools that would have made De Sade proud not to mention the Spanish Inquisition. No one was here at that moment and the sounds and scents that came form the next room made me suspect that I would find the Minotaur of this labyrinth, he was alone with his victims and without any guests. This would make things easier. With silent step I entered the next room and saw the demon that I feared would be behind this. “Vaudan.” A young and painfully beautiful man sat on what looked like a throne. His victims lay and hung in different forms of torture before him for his pleasure. Two boys where chained to the throne by means of steel collars and chains. One of them I recognized, his blond hair was caked with blood and his naked body bruised and cut. The satanic prince of this hell looked up and grinned, marring his smooth features. “Alexander, I never fancied seeing you again.” I stepped forward towards the throne ignoring the victims screaming and moaning. “I should have known that only you could create this madness, only you could extend you corrupted power to the area around you and twist it to the foulness of your heart.” Vaudan laughed and brushed back his long shiny caramel hair. “I shall take that as a complement, my dear poetic Alexander. Indeed my power gas grown and the maze above is my creation.” Madness glinted in Vaudan’s eyes as he spoke. “As are the tortures” I said grimly. “But of course, we bring darkness into the world, it is what we do.” “No” was my resolute answer, “we answer the hidden desires of those we choose.” “Have you learned nothing then, my dear Alexander, my older brother? Why should we help these mortal wretches? I answer only my own desires.” “Then you are nothing but a callous monster.” Vaudan let loose another burst of boyish yet mad laughter. I took the opportunity to grab a torch near me and jumped at him. As I told I can jump large distances and with one jump I stood before Vaudan. He stopped his laughter too late and I saw how his expression turned from amused to frightened. Then it changed to enraged and he flew at me knocking me of balance. But as I said it was too late, I swung my torch at him, setting his fine clothes aflame. Vaudan panicked and tried to grab me, I jumped backwards hitting a wall because I was unbalanced. He fell and roared and screamed as the flames burned him. A pike of some sort caught my eye and I grabbed it and used it to pin down Vaudan. I held him down like that until he stopped moving. Killing this monster did not make me feel good, yet Vienna was free of this madman now. Those in pain, those who where dying I granted their last desire out of mercy and pity. Then I released Dieter and the other boy from their chains. Dieter mumbled something about taking Olivier with us and then he passed out from exhaustion. Olivier was slightly younger then Dieter, he had dark brown almost black hair that might have been neatly cut at some time, his features where finer then those of Dieter. Vaudan for all his madness did have good taste. Without any doubt I took both boys home. Their wounds where not too severe and they healed neatly with little to no scars. Time after all heals all scars. While my love for Dieter had now been confirmed, I now had gained a guest. The physical scars of both boys healed but the emotional damage done by my brood-brother would not heal as easily. Both boys stayed together a lot. Olivier did not share Dieter’s interest in me. But he did seem to feel comfortable with Dieter, but this was merely because they shared a month in Vaudan’s hell. While his death broke any possible spells he might have put on them, the memory remained like a painful scar. My head swam with the wine that I had drunk so deeply. Dieter and Olivier where in their own room, asleep. The world around me danced and swirled, as my eyelids grew heavy and fell shut. I felt my mind fall, the tumble, and then hurtle itself into the depths of another reality. When this odd mode of travel ended and the feeling of confusion and disorientation ended; I found myself in a ballroom. It was large and round, a gallery surrounded the room, its pillars held up two stories of balconies, giving it much the image of an opera house. The pillars and the balconies where decorated with gold flowers, vines and mythical creatures. A painted domed ceiling, depicting clouds and the moon and sun against a bright blue sky, supported a large ornate chandelier. When why amazement subsided I noticed a presence near me. I turned and there he stood before me, smiling and calm, and knowing, Johan, my Johan. Words got stuck in my throat as I tried to speak. Johan just kept smiling and stepped forward. He took my hand and pulled me to the middle of the ballroom. Again I heard the piano music, first soft and ethereal, then louder followed by an invisible orchestra. We danced and everything melted. Everything became one. Words and thoughts, movement and emotion, carnal lust and spiritual love, all where as one in our dance. There was no past, no future, just the present. Then we where one, one with the music and each other. The entire world, the very universe was summarized in that one moment, it was the whole of existence. And then there was just that feeling of oneness. My rest was cruelly disturbed by the light of the sun that spilled in through the windows of my study. I squinted and got up, then stumbled to my bedroom. The sheets where soft and cool as I lay down, I did not bother to undress. Blissful darkness clouded my mind and I fell asleep. |