20-Oct-2000
Title: Demons
Authors: bonnejeanne (bonnejeanne@yahoo.com) and vonceia (vonceia@yahoo.com)
Archive: GW Addiction and if she chooses, Darkflame
Category: yaoi, angst
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: 1x2, 6x5, various
Warnings: Lemon in some scenes. Angst. AU - we do not guarantee that our interpretations of characters or events will agree with yours, so a general OOC warning. Some events and implications may be offensive to the religious.
Spoilers: Series, EW
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners. Our stuff is ours. No money being made here. As with all our fics so far, while our goal is to stay as in character as possible, any discrepancies are our mistakes. The Old Ones are the creation of HP Lovecraft. The demons, while they have historical names, are basically
bonnejeanne's.
Feedback: Any and all comments, feedback, critiques welcome, be they short or long.
NOTES: This is part of the Frozen Colony Arc, and takes place following The Hunt. If you are not familiar with the timeline and are curious, you can find the stories on GW Addiction and on DF's site. On GWA on the Bonne&Von page, there are numbers denoting which stories are FC Arc and should be read in what order.
Duo's demons appeared first in Down Time in Hell, and reappeared in Dancin With My Mirror. This is a fic to explore their existence and origins.
Liberties are taken with Duo's history and original characters from ESO appear, and events from that fic are referred to.
Two special notes:
1. This and some other upcoming sections will contain quotes in languages other than English or Japanese. These quotes are taken from existing works by other authors and will be fully credited in the *last post of the series only*. We are *not* attempting to take credit for these quotes *or* the accuracy (or otherwise) of their translations.
2. I plan to put out the next two sections fairly soon, that is, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. By Sunday things will be moving very quickly
indeed.
Duo led the way directly back to the small room they'd 'rested' in. He waited until Heero entered and closed the door behind them, then locked the door, showing Heero the mechanism. Then he removed a number of items from his person, none of which had been visible, including... a gun, an extra clip, a switchblade, lock picks, couple of miniature explosive devices, several of Zechs' antique music discs, a small electronic gizmo that looked handmade, but was not obvious as to its purpose, some pieces of Banzai Bubblegum, and a palm-sized, worn-looking book. He found an empty box on one of the room's shelves and dumped most of the stuff in the box, sticking the bubblegum back in his pocket. He took the small book and looked at it for a minute, smoothing the worn leatherette cover. He put the box on the top bunk and then walked up to Heero, placing the small book in his hands. "Keep this for me, okay?"
Heero took the book from Duo. "Hai," he replied, looking down at it.
The worn leatherette cover had once been black and had once had gold letters imprinted on it but almost all the gold had worn off. The pages were so thin as to be almost translucent. Opening the cover, Heero saw the words, "New Testament" and beneath, handwritten in a light script, "Sister Helen Francis".
Heero looked up at Duo and placed the book inside his pocket. "I'll keep it safe," he said, softly. Just like you, he thought.
Duo nodded. Then he said, "I'm going to get the information. I don't think anything will happen... but if it does... just... just make sure I don't do anything to hurt anybody until I get back."
"Hn," Heero responded. Reaching up, he clasped Duo behind the neck, looking into his eyes. "Mission Accepted," he said clearly, then took a step back.
Duo smiled at the familiar words. Then he said, "It's probably going to be the most boring mission you ever had."
"Doubt it," Heero replied. "What's your ETA?"
The braided boy took a deep breath and let it out. "I don't know, Heero. Not too long, I hope." It's taken too long already, he thought, but I didn't want to face it.
"Not a problem. I'll be here. Go..." Heero said.
Duo perched on the lower bunk and leaned his back against the wall. Then he closed his eyes, placing his hands over his face.
The demons were all waiting, watching, and Duo felt that each of them, down to the smallest imp, knew what he didn't know. What he had to know. What he didn't want to know.
I know how it begins, he thought, looking deeper within himself. The dreams had given him some of the pieces, and flashes in his waking moments had thrust others upon him as the barriers had begun to unravel.
He took himself back to that time, before the war, the time at the orphanage. He'd had time begin to settle there, his life filled with one discovery after another. Time to get into fights at school, time to see many of his friends adopted into new homes, while he stayed behind. The truth was, he didn't mind. He was learning to like the church and the two people who took care of them.
Scrabbling at his memories, he struggled. It was still too fragmented, unclear. The knowledge was flat, not a true memory. The bishop had come - Father Maxwell's superior, ostensibly to visit the missions in the Colonies, but he seemed to spend most of his time elsewhere, making it easier for Duo to block his presence out of those memories altogether. He pushed at those blocks and suddenly he was submerged in thoughts from long ago.
*Don't care what Father says, I dun like him. Dun like the way he looks at Father and Sister. Seen looks like that before. Rest of us, us kids, don't exist to 'im. Fine - better that way. But I dun like him being here... he smells like... feels like... Shinigami follows him. Father says Shinigami don't exist but I know better... Shini and me are 'quaintences. Don't hate the Death God, he just does what he does, but dun want him here. So bishop gotta go...*
Duo's hands dropped from his face and his eyes opened but blindly. He saw neither the room nor Heero.
The thoughts led him to the dream. His midnight foray to the room the bishop occasionally stayed in. His heart began to beat faster, and his pupils shrank.
Suddenly he slid off the bed, his movements graceful and quick, and darted for the door. He pulled at it, seeming frustrated by the lock that he'd apparently forgotten he'd put on. His fingers began searching around the door blindly for the locking mechanism.
Heero watched, moving to the door two seconds after Duo had reached it. He waited to see what Duo would do, then placed his hand over his lover's hand. "Where are you going?" he asked quietly.
Duo seemed to ignore him but he muttered, "He's coming!" in voice that seemed too young and vibrated with suppressed terror.
Heero nodded slowly to himself as one of his suspicions seemed to be confirmed. "Who's coming?" he asked.
"*Him*," Duo muttered in a soft whine. Then he shook his head. His next words seemed to be to himself. " 'm not afraid of him... 'm *not*! What can he do?" Then Duo began to tremble slightly. "He can do things!" he answered himself. "Like the things in the books!"
"What books do you mean?" Heero said, in the same soft tone.
Duo whimpered and slid down to his knees, leaning against the door. "The books.. his books... A daemonibus docetur, de daemonibus docet, et ad daemones ducit..."[1]
Kneeling down, Heero frowned as his mind raced with possibilities. A deeper level of hatred radiated from every fiber of his being directed at Monsignor Elvay and what he had done to the obviously innocent soul his Duo had been. Looking up, he nodded again as the rational chill bathed his fiery emotions. What was a man of the Church doing with books of demons?
Stowing that away for later, Heero looked at Duo. "He caught you," he said simply.
Duo turned and looked at Heero blindly. His hands groped and fastened on Heero's arms. "Solo," he said softly. " 'm not afraid of dyin'... not afraid of old Shinigami, I promise... then I could be with you... but there's a circle that protects *him*, an' his eyes freeze you... I can't get away!" Duo's tone was distinctly different when speaking of Shinigami, and then speaking of *him*.
Heero's eyes narrowed as another part of his mind began preparing for the removal of Monsignor Elvay from the known world. "What did he do?" he asked.
"Things in the books..." Duo whispered. Then, "The demon couldn't get away... the man with the book caught it and made it obey. It din want to! It din want to do what he said but he had the power..."
"The man in the book controlled the demon," Heero repeated, thinking hard. He could see the direct analogy to Duo and Elvay, but there was a piece still missing. He looked back at Duo. "Did the book say how to set the demon free?" he asked Duo.
Duo blinked and looked up at Heero, his eyes still a bit unfocused. "I... I... Solo! You're smart! I din think of that... did it.. did it say how?" Duo closed his eyes, still holding Heero's arms. His mobile face changed expression several times, and then he said slowly, as if reading off a page in memory, " 'The practitioner used a secret name. It was said that if the dark forces should come into possession of this name, the spell could be reversed on its caster...' Astaroth! If I find his secret name..."
'Then you can free yourself, darkchild,' the ebony demon answered. 'And us...'
"Mission Accepted," Heero said, watching Duo closely. Moving carefully, he stepped in closer and placed his hands around Duo's face. "Have you gotten what you need?" he asked, wondering if Duo would be able to hear him.
Heero's voice was far away, but Duo somehow knew he was close by, sitting with Solo, just out of sight. He closed his eyes and looked around at the demon horde, who watched his struggle with close attention. Have I? he thought. Can I... can I skip the rest? Ranks of glowing eyes and midnight shadows watched, judging nothing. No. I have to have it all. *He* knows. I can't face him until I face it.
"Almost," he whispered aloud. He burrowed against Heero's chest, finding a solid shelter there, and stilled, reaching down inside for the rest.
The remainder of the battle was silently fought. Duo's brows drew together and water leaked from between closed lids as he wrestled with it, whimpering softly, then growling, then panting with suppressed fear and rage.
His body was tense, and his shoulders jerked as if he were trying to escape from something, but the movements were abrupt, incomplete, leaving the impression of someone struggling against restraints that would not yeild. The turmoil seemed to reach a peak, and then suddenly Duo stilled, moved his head as if looking around, though his lids remained closed. "You're a demon," he whispered softly, "And you're trapped too..."
Then Duo's head lifted, as if hearing something further away and a look of brief hope, and then shame and grief passed over his face. He shook his head blindly, clutching at Heero, then relaxing slowly, so slowly. After a while, Duo opened his eyes, and found himself on the floor, cradled in Heero's arms. He wiped his cheeks absently and looked up, his violet eyes seeking Heero's face. "Um... hi," he said.
Heero's eyes softened a bit and the tension melted from his muscles. Instead of answering right away, he leaned forward and kissed Duo tenderly. "Hi," he said after a short while.
Duo returned the kiss. He seemed to be gathering himself slowly. He closed his eyes, leaning against Heero for another minute, then took a breath. When he met his lover's gaze again, there was self-knowledge, shame, anger and grief in the look but he wasn't ready to put anything into words yet. "Ninmou kanryou," he said finally, using Heero's old phrase in Japanese with a ghost of an intimate smile.
Heero readjusted his arms around Duo, holding him securely against his body. "Hai," he said, quietly as he gently stroked Duo's brow with his fingertips. "How are they?" he asked.
Duo's eyebrows shot up. "They?" he said. Then he touched Heero's cheek. "They... are preparing for payback, lover. Like you and me."
Heero nodded. "Duo, who is Solo?" he asked.
Duo blinked. Then he smiled, a kind of sad smile. "Solo... was my first friend. He was an older kid who helped me out. Looked after me and some of the others. He died in the plague. I tried to get him medicine but it was too late," he said, his eyes shadowed with an old familiar pain. "I promised I'd never forget him. Cause no one else would ever remember he even lived. That's why I took my name - Duo." The violet-eyed boy tilted his head, looking at Heero curiously. "You know something, Heero? I never realized it before but you remind me of him."
"How?" Heero asked, etching the name Solo into his mind for eternity.
Duo thought about the question and then touched Heero's face gently. "You care," he said softly. "Even when it does you more harm than good."
Heero turned his face a little to kiss Duo's fingers. "Arigato, Duo," he said, "I feel honored and I will remember Solo, always."
Duo smiled. "Thank you, Heero," he said quietly. "And don't worry about him. When Shinigami takes you, you're free."
"I'll remember that too," Heero said.
The three people left in the bay who watched the two young pilots depart were each immersed in related, but very different private thoughts.
The young man with the ginger hair pulled back at the nape of his neck spoke first, and unexpectedly, surprising the other two.
"So you are simply going to let Maxwell and Yuy take the artifact back to Earth?" he asked, his tone casual.
Professor G glared at the former Oz leader. "Obviously you have no idea what would be required to prevent Duo Maxwell from taking anything he wanted from this spacedock and going wherever he pleased with it. It's not worth the effort."
Alfa raised an eyebrow at the apparently flippancy of the answer but did not disagree with the substance. "He's earned the right to do what he wants with it," she said simply. "They both have."
"I see," Treize answered mildly. "And of course you have both already considered what could result if it were to fall into other hands... Yes, you have, but you don't believe that to be a possibility."
Alfa favored Treize with a glare that caused him to smile in return. This was the first time he'd actually met the woman who'd completed her twenty year mission to intercept the ESO, and incidentally spawned the indomitable Heero Yuy. "No, of course not," he answered his own question.
Professor G muttered, "Haven't you got something to do?" as he moved to his console.
Treize watched the scientist and then said, "Actually, no. The current version of the simulation program is complete, and will be compiling for about twenty hours. I think I will take this opportunity to take care of some personal business."
"Fine," G acknowledged without looking up. Alfa favored the young man with a penetrating look but said nothing as she watched him leave the bay.
"You have such a knack for bizarre alliances, Gordon," she said thoughtfully.
"Look who's talking," the Professor muttered, and Alfa smiled evilly and threw a pen at him, missing his head only because he ducked.
As he departed, Treize patted his pocket reflexively, then frowned and touched it again. He shook his head slightly, his lips curving in an expression of rueful appreciation.
"You're all doing an excellent job, Alanna," Quatre said patiently, smiling at his sister over the vid connection. "I think it's past time to make this arrangement formal. The truth is, I just don't have any desire to be a full time CEO or Chairman of the Board. You know I will help you if you need me to, but all of you have been handling the company business wonderfully and you should be formally recognized for it."
Quatre's sandy-haired sister looked troubled and began to argue with him, but her voice seemed to fade away for a few minutes as Quatre went suddenly pale. She didn't notice right away, but when the youngest of the Winner siblings did not answer her objections, she stopped. "Quatre, are you all right?"
The blond former-Gundam-pilot took several deep breaths and then focused on her face. "I apologize," he said softly. "I know this is terribly rude, but I need to go for a while. I'll get back in touch with you soon, and don't worry. I'm fine."
Alanna frowned but didn't argue as he broke the connection.
Quatre sat quietly, turning his focus inward as he tried to get a clearer sense of what had just occurred. Something was happening. Something that involved Duo... there wasn't much more he could get from it all, just impressions of dark, and emotions, odd voices, nothing clear. The dark, in fact, didn't even feel ominous, but the emotions included a wrenching sense of loss, tempered by an impression of distance over time.
He touched his chest lightly but his uuchi no kokoro could not tell him any more. Thinking hard, Quatre realized that he'd almost never sensed anything about Duo, as if the braided pilot was somehow insulated from whatever perception Quatre had been gifted with. That meant that whatever this disturbance was, it wasn't something casual. Quatre pondered this for a while longer, then went out to find Trowa.
Trowa lay in the grass listening to the sounds of the Colony. For most, the area would seem quiet, but to the green-eyed pilot there was sound everywhere. What now? he thought, with a deep sigh. Unconsciously, his fingers flexed as there was a deep silence from the void in reply.
"Hn?" he remarked, looking up suddenly, seeing Quatre. A small frown creased his brow. Something's up, he thought, and sat up.
Monsignor Anthony Elvay walked the short distance from his offices to his private quarters. His mind was filled with recent events and the intoxicating possibilities that they offered to him. At last, he would have what he needed and the fact that he had brought everything about by his own hand only affirmed his private beliefs. The boy was a tool to be used and the tacit cooperation of his personal psychosis had come in very handy indeed.
Elvay remembered the young inquisitive brat who had broken into his room and discovered his private library on L2. In a way, Duo Maxwell had taught him a lesson... about security. After the work he had to do on L2 to cover his tracks and preserve his secret, Elvay made sure that his private collections were either well secured or kept away from his person. The hypnosis that he had done on the young boy had served him well. He had only intended it as a means to an end. His experience in the circus sideshows of his youth had provided the simple tool to hold a child's curiosity at bay. The demonic elements, fitfully supplied by Duo's fertile imagination, were icing on the cake. The pleasure he derived from using the child as he did, he took as his due. After all, he didn't think that the child would survive the attack he knew was coming, so what was the harm.
Locking the doors behind him, Monsignor Elvay walked to his bedroom and removed his clothing. Quickly he donned black robes and the silver inverted pentacle that he kept under a special locked compartment of his dresser. Removing his ecumenical jewelry, he donned the matching silver ring to the pentacle which hung around his neck. Immediately, he felt a sense of calm throughout.
As Elvay walked to his study and opened the door to a private chamber, he smiled thinking that Duo actually should have thanked him. The hypnosis had probably handled something in his damaged psyche that had helped him become a successful Gundam pilot and a survivor. He surmised that the war, the childhood trauma of the plague ridden L2 colony, the death of Father Maxwell and Sister Helen and the destruction of the Church had further propelled the boy towards madness.
But it was possible to control a mad man, if one only had the proper keys to do so. Elvay smiled. He knew which buttons to push in Duo and his little mad man was about to supply him with the means to his ultimate his coup de gras. "Yes," he said to the room. "Duo has earned a place in our thoughts and prayers."
The Monsignor went to his altar in the chamber and lit the tall black pillar and tapered candles. Removing a foil wrapped piece of charcoal from the alter he lit it with one of the candles, watching as the sizzling fire crackled across it's circumference. He dropped into the black ceramic dish and placed it back on the alter. Dipping his fingers into the bowl of herbs nearby, he flicked a pinch of the mixture onto the coal and watched as the smoke and aroma rose into the air, scenting it with patchouli. The ritual had begun.
Taking a vial of cedar essential oil, Elvay anointed his brow in the shape of the inverted pentacle. He then removed the black cloth which covered a sculptured figure of a young, nude woman at the head of the alter. Looking up at the figure, he sighed. These things were much better done with live models, perhaps he could get that young Heero to sit on the alter? Hmm, he thought, then took a deep breath.
He touched the breast of the naked mannequin, amused at his mental picture of Yuy or Duo in her place, and then moved to stand in front of the black cloaked area.
The Monsignor removed a long ornate stiletto dagger from it's purple cloth sheath and raised it above his head as the chanted the names of the demons. "This is the calling of the circle! Be here, bound to my will!" he intoned, feeling the energy gather around him. Elvay closed his eyes, reaching out to the elemental spirits and to those in dark unseen places. He repeated the litany of names, over and over, his voice spiraling in the secret chamber as he did so.
"I am the Master, the Magician, the Sage! By my will and the command of my word, gather in the circle of my power, bound to me until I say the words of freedom!"
He turned the dagger in his hands and held it two-fisted as if to strike. Opening his eyes, he looked down at the smoke and the icons on the alter, He saw first the doll-like object that he had formed from Father Simon's harvested hair. Next to it, was a small bundle of Father Thomas' hair as well. Suddenly, Monsignor Elvay laughed and drove the dagger downward, watching as it struck between the two.
"Both of you are such pests," he said, lifting the bundle of Father Thomas' hair. He dropped it on the coal without ceremony. "Enjoy your miserable life on L2, lost sheep loser. May it be a short one."
As he watched and smelled the hair burn, Elvay shook his head. "Only a short time ago, I could have insured that you never reached L2.. Better still, that you reached it just in time to see it explode. Peace is such a damned inconvenience." he said.
Elvay picked up the icon that represented Father Simon. "And you," he said, disdainfully, "You sanctimonious, holier than thou sack of bull dung... I will soon be rid of you as well! You are not even fit for my little madman to fuck. I know of your little plots and suspicions! You wouldn't even be here, if not for me!" Elvay frowned deeply. "I was the one who took care of the diseased cretin you looked up to and lapped after like some dog! It was I, Anthony Elvay, who made certain that he, like many of the other pathetic, weak, inferior men who skulked around here, met thier god as they professed to want. I gave them thier leave. Soon... I will give you yours as well," he said, then dropped the icon on the coal.
It smoldered for a bit, then an edge caught fire and soon the whole thing blazed up suddenly. Elvay's eyes widened as the flame grew and threatened to expand beyond the confines of the ceramic dish. As he watched, it gradually died down as the contents were consumed.
Elvay laughed. "Ah, so I see you fight back, do you?" he said, amused. "Well, we will see, little man," he added.
Opening his robes slightly, the Monsignor raised his hands once again. "I call upon the demons of darkness and the All Elder Powers... Bring my servant back to me with full hands! Fulfill my destiny!"
He chanted the names of the Elders and performed the litany of demons once again. Afterwards, Elvay smiled to himself. He felt that things were going correctly. He had no doubts that he would hear from Duo shortly. Glancing up at the alter, he chuckled. "Perhaps Relena Darlian could be of more use, naked and bound on my alter. In the new world order, who knows?" he said. "Certainly there is a chance that she is at least more virginal than my little mad boys."
As they returned to the berth where the shuttle was docked, Heero stopped suddenly, noticing the scrolling letters now emblazoned on the side of his shuttle. He looked over at Duo, sensing that the braided pilot would have some idea of how they got there.
Duo smiled slightly. "I guess I shoulda asked what you wanted to name it," he said. "'Demon Wing' just seemed like a good name. You mad, Heero?"
Heero looked back at the shuttle. "No, I like it," he said, evenly. Clasping Duo's hand even tighter, he led the way into the cockpit. Once seated, he prepared for take-off. "So what else did you modify?" he asked.
"Well, the Sweeper crew tuned it up for ya," Duo said, jumping into the co-pilot's chair. "And I asked em to add something, something only Sweeper ships have, though lots of people have tried to perfect it. The Prof's little invention." Duo pointed to a new control on the pilot's console. "Look's like they did it for me. You now have full stealth capability, Hee-chan."
Cobalt blue eyes flared with intensity. A small smile crept onto Heero's features as his fingers brushed over the new controls giving him a small shiver of lust. "I'll show you how much this means to me, later koi," he said.
Duo smiled, recognizing the look in Heero's eyes. "You are *so* hard to buy for," he chirped in a light tone. "I'm glad ya like it."
Heero took Duo's hand and placed it over the bulge in his pants. "You got the first part right," he said.
Duo sighed, gently stroking his hand over the bulge. "Now you like the Demon Wing better'n me, huh?" There was a slight twinkle in his eyes as he teased the Japanese boy, but Duo's energy level seemed to be sinking slightly.
Heero unclasped himself from the chair and moved closer to Duo. Taking his face in his hands, Heero kissed the braided pilot deeply. "Never," he whispered, then placed his hands at the back of Duo's shoulders and massaged what tension there was in them.
"We have some food on board, but we can grab something once we get back. You're tired," Heero said, working his hands over Duo's neck and arms.
Duo sighed a bit more deeply and relaxed, his eyes closing slightly as Heero's hands worked a minor bit of magic on his tense muscles and tired body. He wanted to grin and deny it, but the weariness was bone-deep. He gave up, trusting Heero to get them where they needed to go.
"Just a quick nap," he murmured softly, and curled up in the co-pilot's chair as his eyes closed completely.
Heero bent down and brushed his lips against Duo's cheek. "Mission Protect," Heero said, softly, then went back to his chair and got to work. It was time to make some calls.
Wufei shook Zechs gently until he saw the ice-blue eyes open. "I'm sorry," Wufei said softly. "But I didn't want you to wake and wonder what was going on. I have to leave. I don't know how long I'll be gone. I'll get in touch with you as soon as I can."
Zechs blinked, pulling himself out of slumber as Wufei's words registered in his mind. He nodded. "Take the rosary if you need to," he said.
Wufei hesitated, then nodded. He frowned slightly, sitting down on the bed next to the blond. "How odd..."
"What?" Zechs asked, curiously.
Wufei absently fingered a strand of platinum hair. "Duo... gave that rosary to you... the one other person for whom it might have significance..."
Zechs closed his eyes for a moment and smiled. "Yes," he said, "Maybe it was a message."
Wufei looked at Zechs curiously.
"Just a gift to let me know that the Peacecrafts have not been forgotten and that their justice has a name," Zechs said, softly. Placing his hands around Wufei's face, he drew the Chinese pilot to him and kissed him deeply and lovingly.
For a moment, Zechs felt the spirit of his family and the twice lost kingdom stir within him and heard the words of his father once again. "Sometimes it is the place of the King to remain with his kingdom, Milliardo. He must, therefore, entrust the will and the hearts of the people to his most trusted knights and tend to their hearths and homes himself."
Moving back slowly, Zechs looked down into the beautiful and innocent face of Wufei Chang. "Wufei," he said, quietly. "You have called me brother and I am honored to be that. I am entrusting you, Heero and Duo with the will, the hearts and honor of my family and people. Is this something you can accept?"
Wufei tried to cover his shock at Zechs words, but he could not stop his eyes from widening. "I promise you, your family will have justice," he said solemnly.
"I've created a file that has everything I've been able to find out about Zandor and Elvay. Heero has it now, and there's a copy on your computer, code-locked to you. If anything should happen, you must do as you think best with it," Wufei added after a moment.
Zechs nodded. "I will review it," he said. He touched Wufei's lips with his fingertips, then released him. "Be careful. I will wait for your call."
Wufei sighed and kissed Zechs deeply. Then he took a deep breath and then stood up. He was already dressed and a bag was waiting at the bedroom door. In a few minutes he was gone.
Exhaustion and strain weighed like blocks of iron on Duo's body and mind. Having unlocked the most secret of those sealed memories, he felt no real triumph. They had been locked away for a reason - they were deeply stained with the stigma of shame, and terror, and most difficult of all, helplessness. Though time and love had given him the strength to face what was there, he could not shrug off those feelings nor completely take refuge in rage. He could look at what had happened and understand far better as an adult, albeit a young one, than he could have at the age of eight. His mind could see that what had happened had not been of his making nor his fault - but the emotions would remain, possibly for the rest of his life.
So, safe in the care of his lover, he surrendered to the balm of oblivion. Closing eyes too leaden to hold open another moment, he sank into the darkest corners of his mind and released his hold on consciousness.
The Elder Ones took him in amongst them and surrounded him with their unknowable presence, guarding his sleep. Why would they do such a thing? Perhaps it was merely an illusion of Duo's extraordinary imagination, an imagination that functioned, free-wheeling, even as he slept. Perhaps it was real in a dimension that co-existed, however uneasily, with the 'human realms'.
Perhaps it was merely a dream of a dream.
Beyond the darkest shadows were the Old Ones sheltered his sleep, the demon enclave met for what might be the final time.
It was there unspoken on every forked tongue, pulsing in every fiery eye.
Freedom.
Gathered in the rudest of circles, rank upon rank, greater and lesser, imps mingling with lords of temptation and chaos, they crouched together, pondering the possibility. They did not need to prepare. Each had been prepared since the time, long or short, ultimately without measure, when they'd been caught by the frail tenets of the practitioner.
Among them gathered the few, handful or less, with enough vision to have considered this outcome when the Dual Child, the soul of darkness and light had been brought among them. And now it had come to pass - he had faced his own binding, and they were stepping ever closer to the possibility of sweet freedom, and sweeter retribution.
'N'kgnath ki'q Az-Staroth r'jyarh wh'fagh zgasa phr-tga nyena phrag-n'glu.' The words were muttered low, the source undefined.[2]
The tall ebony demon turned his glowing orbs upon the throng and mantled slightly in negation. 'Premature,' he answered in a voice of midnight and cinnabar. 'There's the Name yet to discover. But even with it, he'll fight - he'll squirm, the crafty hypocrite. What instinct he has is for self-preservation. Be ready, brothers and sisters. Be ready.'
'Ready we have been,' Eligor growled, speaking for the rest. 'When the darkchild needs, ready we will be.'
'Then our battle is drawn and our strategy cast,' Astaroth answered.
'Komm, wehe und krieche ein in die grossen Konzile ohne Dich und beende den Weg derer, die uns aufhalten.'[3]
End of Part 18 - TBC
Notes:
[1] "It is taught by the demons, it teaches about the demons, and it leads
to the demons"
[2] "Let us do honor to Astaroth, without whose laughter this world should
not be."
(don't even think about asking what language!)
[3] "Come forth and creep into the great councils of those without, and
stop the way of those who would detain us."
Quotes will be credited in the last post of the series.
What did you think?
bonnejeanne & vonceia
Please send comments to: bonnejeanne@yahoo.com or vonceia@yahoo.com