One Foot In

Chapter Six - Demons to go


We stood there in that dark tunnel for a few seconds before we figured out the increased smell and the sounds coming from behind us bode no good.

“Thor?” I asked?

“Everybody run!” he whispered.

We headed at top speed back out the tunnel. Lu was behind us and Thor had grabbed my arm, insuring that I went at my top speed and a little beyond it. I stumbled once and he practically yanked my arm out. We emerged, blinking, into the light of day.

“What the hell, Lu. You’re using that place as a home while the present occupant is still there?”

“Calm down, Thor. Bad for the digestion you know. It’s nocturnal like I am. Never would have had a problem if you too hadn’t been jabbering so much.”

I ran into the bushes and dry heaved. Not something I am fond of doing. Lu just went down a bit in my estimation. The smell wasn’t actually him, but from his roomy. And I didn’t want to think about what in the world would have been large enough, or smelly enough to have made both that tunnel and that stench.

“Thor, what was it?”

He scatched his jaw, which needed shaving by the way. “It’s one of those things that comes over from somewhere else. I think itongsongs to the demon realm, but never having been there…”

“Hey, Hazet is a perfectly good tunnelmate. Sometimes we share what she brings home.” Lu sounded a bit miffed. “All right, she’s a bit irritable when she gets woken up, but who doesn’t feel a bit grumpy.”

I stared. I went into my pack and found a disposable body-cleansing wipe. I swiped at my face and then gave my underarms a good cleaning under my clothes. The smell, 100% pure, fresh smelling artificial fragrance, made me feel like I was back home. And God I missed being home!

I started to walk.

“Hey, where are you going?” called out Thor.

“Anywhere away from that tunnel,” I yelled through gritted teeth. “You stay if you want to, maybe Hazet will share her lunch with you.” And I kept walking. I wasn’t afraid of getting lost, now. I had started to feel as if there were an invisible string leading me to my father. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but Thor and Lu joined me a few minutes later and we continued in that same direction.

When the sun was in the middle of the sky we stopped to eat. I had another salami sandwich and shared half of it with Lu. Thor also had one of his sandwiches and shared another half with Lu. I noticed that Thor was hoarding the sweets, and said nothing. I swigged the last of my water and realized that I needed to refill the water bottle. I had brought water decontamination tablets, plus a portable Brita filter, but wasn’t sure where a stream might be. In fact, having walked through several streams, I had lost the romantic notion that streams were good to drink from.

Thor had been watching. “Stream’s that way,” said he pointing over his left shoulder. I said nothing but headed in that direction. I tried not to walk too heavily through the woods. Now that I had a better idea of what lurked out there, I paid heed to Thor’s admonitions to not make a lot of noise.

Wntinntinued on our way.

“Didn’t you say it was just a half day away?” I was sweating. Yes, all these clothes had been pleasant last night, I’d slept nice and toasty, but during the day, with heavy exercise, I was losing too much liquid in sweat. I looked over at Thor and Lu.

“I need to get out of these clothes before I faint.”

They continued to look at me. “Well, turn around.” I stripped off my ski pajamas and got my clothes back on. Lu looked at the pjs.

“I always knew they had real nice things in the other place. Hmm. These would be worth a lot if you wanted to trade.”

I got worried for a second that he was just being kinky, but I looked at Thor and he gave me the go-ahead sign. (Yes, we communicated much better than he and Leo ever did, don’t ask me why.)

“Go ahead, Lu, if you want them.” His beady eyes grew large and he touched them reverently. “Oh, thank you!”

Well, it was one less thing to carry or wear.

We continued on our way. Oh, did I say that already? Well, we did. I hate walking, and will hate walking for eternity and if I am ever make Queen of this place there will be no more walking allowed. There will be trolleys and blimps and anything else that will ensure that people no longer have to trudge interminable hours from place to place.

And yet, considering that we had only been walking since yesterday afternoon, how many miles could we have covered? I did some mental calculations based on my knowledge of the Big Apple. Number One, it’s twenty blocks to the mile. Now when there’s a transit strike one can figure about 60-80 blocks an hour depending on how well one speed walks, jay walks and elbows other people out of the way. That means that most people walk approximately 3-4 miles an hour. Given a conservative estimate of us having walked maybe, just maybe, 5 to 6 hours since I arrived here, then at minimum we’ve gone 15 miles with a possible maximum of 24 miles. Consider this: the length of Manhattan is 13 miles long. We’ve walked almost nothing. I felt deep disgust. I suppose I could have felt better thinking that New York City, unlike San Francisco, was mostly flat with just a couple of hills. Here we had been walking either up mountain or down mountain the entire time.

Thor and Lu stopped. I stopped and waited. And then I smelt it on the slight breeze that was blowing. It was worse than the cave!

Thor’s eyes met mine.

“So, do you still want to set off the device and take a chance that you will be able to control it? You’ve had no experience or practice.” I swallowed and nodded my head. A fleeting image came to me of all three of our heads sitting atop pikes. I quickly thought about something else: a Ben and Jerry’s hot fudge sundae with One Sweet Whirl ice cream, sprinkles and whipped cream on top. The image was refreshing enough to help me gather my wits and my courage. Yes, if I could pull this off, I would indeed eat that Sundae, all by myself!

The smell was everywhere now as we walked further towards the encampment. We hid behind a large bush, and Lu pointed out the black and blue painted tent. These tents were of different sizes. One was large enough to house a circus, but the one where my family was being kept was much smaller, maybe 15 feet in diameter.

Thor handed to me the brass box.

“So what do I push first?” I asked. Lu gave a strangled noise.

“Why are you asking us? How should we know?” Thor sounded a wee bit grumpy to me.

“You don’t. Well, of course not.” I was thinking furiously. “I have the right to do this, because I am my father’s daughter and he was able to do it.”

Thor watched me thoughtfully. Lu scratched his butt. Lu had tied my ski pjs around his throat like a cravat and I had a sudden instinct to choke him with them, no matter how ignoble such behavior might seem. And then it struck me. I closed my eyes.

‘Daddy?’ I thought tentatively and then I gave a mental scream, ‘DADDY’

‘What? Who’s there? Cindy!’

‘I have the summoning thingy, what do I do with it?’

‘It’s too dangerous for you to use,’ said my loving, over-protective papa.

‘Thor’s going to rescue you and we need a diversion, so can the protective crap.’

‘Language, Cindy, language,’ he tried to sound stern. I worked a bit harder at using my inner vision and saw inside his tent. In a way, I wish I hadn’t. Sadie was covered in both wet and dried blood and her clothes were all ripped. Daddy—well, daddy looked just as bad. I held out the box hoping he could see it in my hands.

He examined it. ‘It’s different from the last one I used and different from the one my father had. Still there is a commonality of symbols here and here.’ He pointed to two marks, which meant nothing to me.

‘I would press them in this order. However, that’s just the beginning. In theory, being the summoner you should be able to control the demon. Both your grandfather and I failed in that. It may be that we didn’t use the proper sequence of symbols, or perhaps there should have been some additional charm or ceremony. We just didn’t have the information.”

I wanted to ask what in the world could have made any member of my family so insane as to bring into the world something that they could not control. It was stupid, stupid, stupid. Then I remembered that we still don’t know what to do with nuclear waste. Right, people are always letting the genie out of the bottle even when they are clueless as how to get them back in.

‘Bye, bye Daddy. I love you and tell Sadie I love her, too.’ He came forward to blow me a kiss and I caught it in my hand.

Suddenly I was back with Lu and Thor. They both had their mouths hanging open.

“Catching flies are we?” I smirked.

“Well, little girl, you are full of surprises,” said Thor with begrudging something, dare I call it respect?

“You didn’t know I had talent, did you?” Since I didn’t know if this would work, I had to do my bragging now.

Thor shook his head. “Who would have guessed it?” Okay now that was getting offensive.

“Do me a favor, Lu? Thor? I need a large circular area cleared and a very sharp stick.”

“Did White tell you what to do?”

“Sure he did.” But I had my own ideas, based on a passing interest in witchcraft my senior year of high school. Everyone knew you didn’t summon demons unless you were protected.

“How big a circle?”

“Enough for the three of us to be inside comfortably,” and considering how Lu smelled that should be about the size of Rhode Island.

Once that was done I took the stick and drew a circle in the ground, then I put a pentangle in the center.

“Okay, everyone in and stay in.” I breathed deeply and focused. I pressed the symbols on the box in the order my daddy had shown me.

I concentrated and chanted in my mind, ‘send me a being of light, I am surrounded by light, send me a being of light.’ Mind you, it was total crap that I had made up on the spot, but everything I had read told me that magic was a matter of bending reality to your will and not a matter of learning a whole bunch of rules and regulations, maybe with the exception of protecting oneself when summoning a demon.

Suddenly, I wasn’t there anymore. I was, duh, elsewhere. And I mean the duh, because, I couldn’t even begin to describe where I was. It was a ‘duh’ moment.

How does one describe the indescribable? Let’s start with color, green and something beyond the color of green, light. Swirling light that might be green, if it were a color? Damn. ‘Helloooo’ I mentally called out, and got a response that was not in words but emotions. It was curious about me. It seemed like I had gotten someone or something’s attention.

‘Please,’ momma always told me that politeness counts, ‘I need you to remove the demon Accalla from my realm and return him to his own. And then I wish you to return to your own realm as well. Again, I sensed more than heard the laughter.

‘You ask for a lot, little one.’

“Will you do it?” For the first time I actually vocalized my words.

‘I need something in return’

“How about my best wishes?”

‘Is that all you have to offer? No blood sacrifices, no life spirits.’ It seemed angry.

“I have none to spare.”

‘Would you not sacrifice some other being?’

“No.”

‘Not even Accalla?’

I didn’t like the sound of this. Did he want Accalla? Even if he was a demon, morally, ethically, did I want to doom some other creature to-- and again I don’t know-- what, but I didn’t think it would be pleasing.

“What would you do with the demon Accalla, that is saying if I would give him to you?”

‘It would be a tasty snack.’ Eeeew. I was so squicked.

“No. Accalla is not mine to offer. You may remove Accalla and then leave.” I had NO idea of what I was doing, but I couldn’t just off some demoat hat hadn’t even asked to come here.

‘Very well.’ And suddenly I was back near the encampment and all alone. I guess that meant that Thor and Lu had taken advantage of some diversion.

If we had been professional, if we had known what we were doing, we might have discussed what would happen after the summoning. But it had been such a monumental achievement to even agree to let me do the device that we hadn’t gone further. Maybe it would have been a good thing if we had agreed at least to where we would meet up after the rescue. As it was, I heard a lot of screaming and other ruckus from the camp and felt that maybe it would be a good idea to head in some other direction than whatever was in process over there.

So I ran. I ran uphill in what seemed the route we had come. Hopefully Lu, Thor and the others would all join up somewhere on the way to the building back on the other side. I ran until I couldn’t hear the screams and the sounds of battle. I wondered how many servants or slaves would lose their lives because it didn’t sound like Accalla was going easily. How could I even be sure that the demon I had summoned would be strong enough to vanquish him? Should I care? This a s a rescue mission. Right? Get in and get out, and then later we could recoup and regroup and our our wounds.

After a while running was no longer an option. So I walked, and eventually I limped. I didn’t reach the point of crawling because by then I had given up and sat my butt down for a good cry. I could only imagine the worst: My family and everyone else dead in the raid and demon blood spilt all over. My own demon helper probably lost his own life too. It felt good to cry. I highly recommend it when nothing else works.

After a while I heard something in the distance. I sniffed the air, praying that it wouldn’t be demon scented. It wasn’t. I had the prescience of mind to crawl behind a tree. It didn’t provide much cover, but if I stayed still.

“There you are, Cindy.”

I looked up into my father’s face. I jumped up with a little yelp and threw my arms around the man that until only a day or so ago, I thought I would never see again. I was crying even more now, and hiccupping and sniveling all over him. I buried my face into his chest.

“Come on, princess, we have to get back. It’s going to be dark before we get even half way.”

I looked up at him then. And gasped. He wasn’t like the Daddy I remembered. The grey was gone from his hair, as was his slight stoop and potbelly. He looked about seventeen! What happened?

“Daddy?”

I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see my friend/my cousin, Sadie. But she was younger, too. Was it something in the water? And could I bottle it? She threw her arms around me.

“Way to go, Cinders, you did it!” I looked at her. She still had those lovely auburn ringlets and deep-set green eyes. Yet she was younger and her face was pointier. I looked at my father; they both had pointy faces, like Leo. It struck me then, very hard, that we were different. They were not human.

I looked around for Thor, but only saw Lu. “Where’s Thor?” I asked.

“Darling…”

“Cinders—“

“Where is he?” A note of hysteria trickled into my already overwrought being. “Lu? What happened?”

Lu stepped forward. He was stroking my pjs like it was a mink stole. “He was right behind me. And we got White and Saree out. But we were being followed so he stayed behind.”

“And? So where is he?” Lu looked at the ground and rubbed his grimy toes in the dirt.

I got up and started walking back where I came. “Cindy?” I heard my fathers voice from a distance. Someone took my shoulder and I shook them off. I had to find him. He might be hurt. I had to know how he was. And then, I remembered nothing more.

About the only good thing I can say for mind control is that I have no memory of what if felt like trudging six hours back up into the mountains from the demon’s camp. I don’t remember any pain from my feet or the tedium of taking step after step through glorious nature. Unfortunately, I do remember waking up. I really wished I hadn’t.

I was back in Sadie’s apartment. My feet were soaking in warm water and there were some herbs floating in the water. I guess Sarah or her sister had done the honors. I stared at the water. I wiggled my feet and then the memories came flooding back. I looked up and saw my friend. She was watching me with this sad but inquisitive look.

“Did Thor come back?”

‘I’m sorry.” I should have cried then. I couldn’t believe my father didn’t let me go back. He’d forced me to return. Forced, as in mind control, as in screwing with my head. Like he did with mom and me when he decided it was time to move on. I should have cried, but I was too angry.

“Sadie, do me a favor?”

“What is it, Hon?” I wasn’t sure what I wanted. I wanted the pain to go away. I wanted to forget. Maybe if Daddy just took the past week away from me. Okay, marry the two-fa two two-timing boyfriend and walk away. Walk away from talking Beatrix Potter animals. Walk away from werewolves who accidentally eat their beloveds. Walk away from Thor….

“Turn on the TV?”

“Anything in particular?” I was sitting on the couch, covered in an old comforter. I took my feet out of the cooling water and stuck them under me. The water was pink with blood. Frankly, I should be putting some Band-Aids on, but that went under the heading of things I don’t care about.

“Nope. Got any chips or ice cream?”

“As much as you want.”

“Thanks.” I zoned out. And I stayed zoned out. Sadie wasn’t in the apartment much. Mostly she was out in the hall talking to neighbors. Eventually I heard Leo’s voice, and then I realized the full moon was over. Daddy would visit me. I’d stare at him and tell him that Mom would be really angry if she knew. He’d smile and shake his head. Everyone smiled a lot.

Why did Thor get involved? Was he stupid? Was he dead or did he belong to another demon now? I wanted to go find him. I think they knew that, because it seemed my father was continuing to stop me from exerting my will. Or maybe I was just a bit paranoid, but I was pretty sure I was being held prisoner here. And if they would only release me, I could head to the basement and go searching for him.

Time was passing. All of a sudden I was watching the Thanksgiving Day parade with Leo. He sat on the couch and we shared ice cream. It was too early in the day for ice cream, but we’d already had brunch. He’d invited me over to his place for a sun-dried tomato, fresh basil and smoked mozzarella omelet. And he’d made non-alcoholic mimosas, just orange juice and seltzer, but they tasted good.

I felt betrayed by my father and Sadie. I had tried to rescue Thor. They had to combine their powers to stop me. Ingrates. Thor didn’t have to help them. Hey, they didn’t have to steal that device. They didn’t have to do anything; they could have just stayed here in-exile.

So I was on Leo’s couch and he had me leaning back against him with his arms around me and we were watching the floats go by and eating ice cream. I felt relaxed. I liked Leo, liked him a lot. But wasn’t he part of it, too? I was starting to care less.

“Cindy?” I looked up into his eyes. “Um?” I said.

“I guess you’re still missing him.”

“Why do you ask, Leo?”

“Because I still miss her. It doesn’t go away.”

Now, I really looked at Leo, pulling away from the comfort of his arms. Leo never talked about her.

“I guess it doesn’t. But I don’t know what hurt’s worse, the guilt or him not being around. I don’t think I was very nice to him, you know.”

Leo gave that little awkward smile of his. “He didn’t mind, I’m sure.” And then he brushed his lips against mine. A thunderbolt raced through my spine. I felt my nipples tighten and all other parts of my body go into high alert. My mind made a feeble protest against my betraying flesh. He leaned down and kissed me again.

“Leo?”

“Do you want this?” There was a husky quality to his voice, which I found incredibly arousing.

Okay does the mind or the body do the talking here-- because they were definitely not on the same page.

“I want it, Leo.” Yes, mind not in control of lips.

He was fast. His lips brushed over my throat and sucked at my skin. I felt tears spring to my eyes. I was wearing sweat pants and a sweatshirt and then I wasn’t. We were still on the couch and his fingers were hooking under the waistband of my panties. My fingers fumbled with his tee shirt and suddenly it was off and he was on top of me, naked. I wanted this, but I wanted it in slow motion.

Finally, I stuttered the words, “slow down.” He stopped. I felt his hardness against me. I touched him and he groaned.

“I’ve wanted you since I met you, Cindy. You’re beautiful.” He swallowed and I watched his Adam’s apple bob. “You don’t know what you’re asking for, telling me to slow down.”

“I need to take it a bit slower. I do want you, but please.”

He picked me up and walked naked with me through his apartment to his bedroom. He pulled down the covers and placed me down between the sheets. They were freezing. He gave a little laugh. “That will slow us down!”

“Yeah.” And we began to kiss again. He was good and it was beginning to feel right. I stroked my arms over his lean body and enjoyed the sensation of his pressing up against me. His tongue played with mine while his hands traveled restlessly over my bottom. I gasped when his finger roamed around up and into my sex.

“Whenever you’re ready,” he whispered into my ear. He eased his finger a bit deeper in. I gasped at the sensation he evoked.

“Okay, ready.” I managed to say in spite of the fact that I was floating about ten feet above the bed.

He came over me and got in a little. He rubbed genteelly at first and then he lifted my hips up to go deeper. I held onto him and tried not to hyperventilate from the excitement. Then he was completely in and began thrusting.

He looked into my eyes, “You are so beautiful.” And then he came. He kissed me over and over. I moved on top of him and pressed myself onto what was left of his erection. It took some breath control and some determination, but I got my climax, too. I was left panting and slumped over him.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “but it had been a long time.” His hands stroked my shoulders gently.

It hadn’t been that long for me, but I was keenly aware of the self-consciousness that comes with being with a new lover. We didn’t know each other’s rhythms or how to pace ourselves. I was tempted to reassure him that next time would be better. Yet, I wasn’t sure if I wanted a next time.

“Thor said you wouldn’t be ready for a new relationship for a long while.”

He took my hands in his. “Wishful thinking on Thor’s part. He knew we were rivals, but I saw youst.”st.” There was something of a growl to his voice; maybe a bit of the wolf was still with him.

“I was wondering how my father fitted into all this.” A quick look of panic crossed Leo’s face and then he went neutral.

“I would never touch you without his permission.”

“So Dad knows?” I felt a little disgusted.

“NO! Not about this. This just happened. I mean, I have permission to pay you court. Oh, God White’d kill me if he knew what we just did.”

I nodded. Daddy still had the notion that Josh and I had twin beds and that we’d chastely peck each other on the cheek before heading to sleep.

“You aren’t planning on telling him I seduced you?” There was that touch of panic in his voice again.

“You didn’t seduce me. I want this, too.” I think. Again the image of Thor flashed through my mind. Dead or a slave? If he were all right, he would have come back. So what had happened to him?

Leo was happy hearing that I wanted him. He kissed me again and a certain part of his anatomy greeted me. The guy wasn’t human that was for sure!