My hands clung to the bars as I crouched on the bottom of the cage. I tried avoiding contact with the hot iron rods in order to minimize burning my skin. The reflected heat from the lava pit was enough to give me a first degree burn.
“Hycus, how exactly am I supposed to help you become a prince of hell?” I asked.
The archdemon surged up on its centipede hindlegs to get closer to me. Its diabolical face had a sickening beastliness. I was revolted that a creature like this existed; even if it was in Limbo.
It craned its neck to emphasize its dominance over me. As it leaned in it said,” You will help me defeat Belial, my master!”
My ignorance could cost me my life, so I decided to feign like I understood everything. In reality I had no idea who Belial was, but I assumed it must be a demon. My subterfuge needed to be convincing if I was to succeed in duping Hycus. Our lives could depend on how well I lied. Especially considering that I was supposed to be the Potentate.
“And what makes you think that I would do such a thing?” I said.
“You will help me or I will release you into the lava pool below!”
“So!” I dared.
“Now, now, even you as leader of the wisps must fear the pain of death? I know you must!”
I remembered the angel Adathan telling me that my body could die in Limbo, but I’d always return in a new form. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it seemed like Hycus knew.
“You’ve seen the Potentate reappear in a new form?” I asked
“Yes, yes, yes, you cannot be defeated by normal means,” it said. “But I can still torment you for ages. My lava pits can burn your flesh for a thousand lifetimes!”
It rose up as high as its centipede torso would extend.
“You will suffer for a long time if you fail to aid me, Potentate!” it said.
“Why do you want to defeat Belial, your master?”
“The Lord of Flies blocks my ascension to the Ethereal Vortex. Only a true prince of the seven hells can gain access to infiltrate the vortex. I thirst to be more than a henchman for a prince of hell!”
Hycus reached up with its hands, gripped the iron bars of my cage, and pulled me close. It pressed its face right up to the edge of the cage and stared at me horrifically. I was repulsed by its visage in a way that I’d never experienced before. It had small hairs on its face and its skin was scaly like that of a fish. It had an unpleasant odor that reminded me of rotting meat. Its eyes were soulless and empty of humanity. Its centipede body looked like a horrific mistake of nature.
“With you at my side I would become powerful, perhaps even the most powerful of the seven princes. I would be able to extract energy from the vortex and become omnipotent.”
I knew what the Ethereal Vortex meant for Hycus. I had experienced the energy of that place for myself. The archdemon desired what the red rider of the apocalypse had; a foothold inside the vortex. The war horseman’s dominion existed on the edge of the vortex and granted him certain powers. When I passed through the ethereal energy it gave me a glimpse of the raw power of that realm. An archdevil like Hycus desired access to it in order to have godlike powers.
“Won’t the other princes of hell try to stop you from defeating Belial? Won’t they be angry with you if you dispatched him?” I asked.
“Satan and Lucifer have been lost for centuries. Beezelbub, Mammon, and Asmodeus are too busy with the war against the angels. That only leaves Leviathan and I can make a deal with him; his greed will get the better of him!”
“And what of the angels? Won’t they try to stop you?”
The creature's eyes beamed at me and a huge grin erupted on its face.
“I’m planning on it!” it said.
The information I was getting was invaluable. Some of it seemed familiar to me, like a murky childhood memory. The more knowledge I gleaned from Hycus the better I understood my plight in the afterlife. I had no idea what the archdevil expected of me, but I knew that he wanted to use the powers of the Potentate.
"The only problem might be with the three princesses of hell: Lilith, Proserpina, and Mimon. I have a plan to deal with them should they become a problem."
I recognized some of the names listed by Hycus, but I wasn't proficient in classical mythology. I did have some idea who these major demons and demonesses were.
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“What is it that you wish from me?”
“You are a wisp! You are the Potentate! You have access to all the realms. You are going to guide me through the gates of heaven so I can steal an empyrean star. When I am armed with a sacred orb Belial will be no match for me! I will defeat him and claim his place as a lantern of light.”
Captain Douglas stood up inside the iron cage. He looked over at me with a dark expression - as much as any dog’s face could manage.
“How am I to sneak past the angels of heaven with you by my side?”
“You don’t need to worry about that, I have a way.”
How was I going to get out of this predicament?
The archdevil would expect me to use my powers as Potentate, but I didn’t even know what they were. The only thing I’d figured out so far was how to use the seeking ability of my Plymouth Satellite. If the archdevil expected me to bypass the angels then he might be hugely disappointed. I still didn't even think that I was the Potentate.
I looked at my cage and knew that there was no escape. I figured that the runes engraved into the iron bars must dispel supernatural means of escape. Not that I had any such capabilities at that moment. There wasn’t even a door to my enclosure, so I wasn’t sure how I’d been put inside.
In the stories about devils there were always binding contracts. I assumed that this was only phony literature, but I didn’t know for sure. I decided not to take any chances. I couldn’t agree to any deal, but I needed to acquiesce to Hycus’ expectations in some fashion.
“I’m on a quest for the Oraculum,” I said. “If you help me with my task, then I’ll help you.”
The archdevil’s eyes flared with hatred and angst. It reared back and pounded its fist into its open palm.
“Why are you helping those witches? They are the scourge of Limbo!”
It was obvious that Hycus knew all about the Oraculum and was scared of the sisters.
“What did they tell you? Did they send you here on purpose to spy on me?!” he yelled.
“You brought me here against my will, Hycus. The Oraculum had nothing to do with this situation!”
Its face moved right up against the iron bars of my prison. It pressed one of its eyes through the bars and wiggled it to and fro as it searched for something unseen. It was only then that I realized the cheer size of the creature. Its eyeball was the size of a tennis ball and its head the size of a coffin. The rest of its torso must have been as long as a tractor-trailer. As its eye darted abhorrently it emitted a wheezing sound from its mouth. The noise reminded me of a hospital patient dying of lung disease.
“What aren’t you telling me Potentate? I don’t trust those witches.”
I couldn’t reveal the deal I made with the Oraculum to locate my token. This would divulge that I was powerless.
Who was I kidding? Me as Potentate, that surely wasn’t possible!
I needed to find a reason that Hycus would believe me. Something that wouldn't raise suspicion in his mind. So, I took a chance to say something rash.
“I’m going to harvest fruit from the Tree of Life and give it to the Oraculum. In exchange they will grant me knowledge of the future; an omen that will help me end the war between angels and demons. To finally bring peace to the kingdom of heaven.”
“Hrmph! That is of no interest to me. You foolish wisps think that you can end a war that has been going on since the dawn of creation! Even you as Potentate have been defeated in your mandate over and over again.”
“Nonetheless, I have a quest to fulfill. If you aid me then I'll help you in some way.”
I made sure to phrase it so nothing was binding - in case it mattered.
“To hellfire with you!” it said in anger.
The archdemon backed away from my cage. It dug its centipede claws into the rock and swatted its tail at a drude in frustration. The minion went flying into the lava pool and began screaming in fiery torment. The magma scalded its body and melted its flesh. The creature’s eyes exploded from the heat and blood gurgled out of its mouth. Its screams faded into choking sounds as it died a most gruesome death.
The remaining drudes stepped back several paces in reaction to their master’s outburst. It was obvious to me that the drudes obeyed Hycus, but they were still creatures of their own devise.
“I should kill you now Potentate and be done with you!”
I chanced upon a response, “If you kill me then you’ll never be a prince of hell!”
The anger in its face was palpable. If Hycus could kill me and gain access to heaven by some other means, he would. That was my gamble, for I didn’t know if he had any other way to get an empyrean star.
“Those witches foretold our meeting, didn’t they?”
“No.”
“Argh!” Hycus yelled.
The drudes, again, moved away from their master fearing for their safety. Hycus scurried away and began crawling around in circles. The drudes followed their leader like a pack of dogs. The archdevil seemed to be strategizing on what to do next.
“Hannah, I know that you don’t have much choice, but be careful making any bargain with this archdevil,” whispered Captain Douglas. “They are very vengeful creatures and will hunt you down if you double-cross them.”
“Ok, thanks,” I whispered back.
“This whole situation is a shambles!” He whispered again.
“Um, why are we whispering?" I asked.
We were far enough away that they wouldn’t hear what we said, so I was confused by the low undertone.
“I don’t think the archdevil knows I can talk, or that I’m a man stuck inside a dog’s body. It must think that I’m your dog companion. I think it’s best to keep it a secret.”
“Ah, good idea,” I responded.
“There’s something else too. I can smell another entity nearby. Something has been hiding in the rubble near your car the whole time; it’s been watching us.”
I strained my eyes to see what Captain Douglas was talking about, but couldn’t see anything in the refuse.
“I think it’s a friend and here to help us,” he said.
“How do you know this?” I asked.
“Because it told me!”