[Den of Demons] Chapter Five

Chapter 5

[.The Tasks.]

“I’ve been expecting you, young Devlynn. Are you pleased

With the book? I am very pleased with the dragon’s blood.

I know how hard it is to acquire a kind as red as this.”

Entering the house,

I am time and time again taken aback by his possessions.

His house always smells of fresh herbs.

Animals of all sorts float in glass jars next to tables stacked

With books and parchment.

Behind a huge bookshelf I see him

Sitting at a desk.

Head bent over a book as he writes.

“Sir, this book….is it as true as you say?”

I say to him, looking at his back through the cracks

Between the books.

He quickly answers.

“But of course it is, dear. I would never give you false information.

Especially, my only helper.”

I consider his question carefully before I answer.

I run my fingers along a certain jar.

Inside, I see an odd creature.

Tiny horns poke out of its head

And I see that its body is encased in thin

Bat like wings.

Leaning closer, I study it.

Its little body moves.

I step back and look at the old man.

“Don’t be frightened, it is safe inside that glass jar,”

He assures me.

I walk over to him and look at what he is doing at his desk.

His body is covered in a thin black hooded cloak.

Even though he is inside, his hood stays on his head.

I cannot see his face.

“I need a way to contact demons. I want to find the brooch and mirror

This book talks about. If you say it’s true. Then there must be a way.”

The old man stops writing and puts his quill down.

Folding his hands, he lets out a sigh.

“Devlynn, I don’t think you know the extent of what you

Are asking for.”

I contain myself from disrespecting him.

“I know what I’m asking for! All you have to do is give me a way and

With this book I can figure out the rest. Please sir, please.

All my life I have felt like I have no purpose, but

Every since I got this book I feel like I can redeem my life.

I have a purpose. I must go to Lilith.”

I am on the verge of tears.

The old man picks up his quill again and begins writing.

He replies,

“Silly girl, I don’t dabble with the devil anymore.”

Begging on my knees, I grab his cloak.

“Please, give me any task. Anything you need. I will find it.

The finest herbs for your science, I will search far for them.

In exchange for a gateway. I know you have the power. You

Were not banished to this hill for no reason.”

The old man slams his fist down on the desk and turns to me.

For the first time I see his face.

It frightens me.

Half his face is scarred, like it was badly burned at one point.

His right eye has been melted shut.

A tattoo lies under his left eye.

A language I cannot make out.

I scramble backwards as he rises from his chair.

He grabs the collar of my dress and harshly whispers,

“You want a gateway, girl? You are to find me three objects.

The first is the skull of a human who has only been dead for less than

Twelve hours. This human cannot be impure. I only want the skull, not anything else.

It must be clean. The second is a string of the finest diamonds you can find.

The third and final object is a journal. Now, the third object will

Be the hardest to acquire. There is only one of its kind

And the owner is in our very own town.

The journal is in the town’s library. It’s located inside of another book.

You must be clever enough to find it.

I cannot acquire any of these objects on my own.

If you complete this task you can have your precious gateway.

Now be on your way, you have work to do.

I will give you only three days.”

With this he lets me go.

I watch as he straightens his cloak and takes his

Spot back at his desk.

He picks up his quill and slowly dips it in ink.

He begins to write away.

As if nothing ever happened.

On my way out I spot the jar with the tiny

Bat like creature in it.

I pick up the jar and am almost to the door when the

Old man says,

“Devlynn, take the leather satchel by the door.

You’re need one anyhow. The objects you

Constantly carry will get you killed.

Hide them in this satchel and they will

Be safe.

Your new friend too. Throw him in there.

People will think you’re a witch if you go carrying around

That demonic looking creature.”

I am taken back by his gift.

A fine gesture.

I open my mouth to thank him and ask him why he would

Do such a thing but he answers before I have a chance.

“It’s not really about you. If you are caught people will know those

Objects came from me and I cannot afford to

Lose my place of practice. Too risky.

Take it and leave.

By the way,

Your creatures name is Legion.

Keep him in the jar.

He’s much cuter in there.

Be careful NOT to drop him either.”

I look down at Legion.

He’s kind of gross looking,

But I know I liked him from the first curious glance.

I put him in my satchel and walk out the door.

Picking my book up off the porch I place it in the satchel as well.

For such a small satchel it sure can hold a lot.

I leave the scientist’s house determined.

As the satchel hang across my body

I feel like heat emanating from the bag.

It’s probably my imagination.

I run down the hill,

I can feel mud splashing my legs.

I have to make it home before the moon has hung

Completely in the sky.

Father starts heading home when it peaks.

When I reach the pasture I bring my satchel

Into my arms and sprint across the tall, thick grass

As fast as I can.

Before I know it I am at the edge of town.

I sneak through alleyways and on the sides of houses

Until I make it to my home.

A small shack on the poor side of town.

Someone is still awake because I see light through

The window where the kitchen is.

Knowing I can’t bring my new possessions inside

I dig a hole under the house just big enough to fit

The satchel.

Before I place it under I take Legion out.

I can’t see him because it’s dark, so lift him up

To the moon.

The moon illuminates him and I can

Actually see through him.

Through his wings.

His bone structure.

I can even see a tiny heart beating inside his body.

The old man was right.

He doesn’t look like any animal

I’ve ever seen.

His form reminds me of the demons

That are pictured in my book.

I gently place him back in the bag.

Before I go inside I conclude that

Legion is not an animal at all.

I conclude that he is not even of this world.

I push the bag gently under the house and

Dust my dress off.

I pray none of my siblings find it.

I have to face my mother.

If not tonight then in the morning.

Unless if I can be gone before they wake up.

[Den of Demons] Chapter Four

Chapter 4

[.Ascent to Secrets.]

I have already spent too much time thinking.

The stars are beginning to twinkle in the sky

And it has become too quiet.

My mind goes back to the brooch.

I am suddenly more inspired to get to

The old man’s house faster.

Breaking into a sprint,

I hold my book tighter for fear of

It falling on the damp forest floor.

I pass trees and jump across creeks.

My eyes always searching for something to bring

The old man.

Slowing down to catch my breath,

I reach the last creek before his dwelling.

Under brush next to the water I see the

Leaves glowing.

Lifting the leaves I see mushrooms.

Glowing in the darkness.

I have never seen them light up.

I am frightened by them first,

But grab them from the earth anyway.

I know the old man can use these in some way.

I walk the rest of the way.

Looking up I can see the glow of his single lantern

Above his door.

I trudge up the steps and

Set my book on his porch,

Mushrooms still in hand.

I knock on the door six times and it swings open.

Looking back at my book I decide it will be safe

On the porch.

[Den of Demons] Chapter Three

Chapter 3

[.The Neighbor Outside the Bounds.]

I run home hugging my book in my arms.

My shoes are flimsy and old.

I have nearly outgrown them.

I won’t say anything to mom,

She just had these shoes made for me only two months ago.

They were not cheap.

The forest floor is damp.

The trees thin out as I approach town.

I am careful not to be seen coming down into town

From that far into woods.

If word gets out to father

I am scared of what will happen.

Especially, if he knew I had a book.

I somehow must make it through town,

Across the pasture, back up into the

Forest, and

Up the hill to the old scientist

And I must not be seen by a soul.

If he can make it through town in the night

While the coppers are on patrol

Then I can do it at sunset

While everyone is too tired to care.

As I come up to the road that leads

Into town

I change my mind and decide to go

Behind the buildings.

Our town is small and surrounded by a giant forest.

The town is made up mostly of beautiful houses.

Our town is a rich town filled with

Beautiful rich people who hire us,

The poor,

To serve them and make their town decent.

I am the poor.

I hardly walk in town.

The rich girls always make fun of my clothes.

I bat the thoughts away.

Boring thoughts.

The sun is setting fast,

If I get to the edge of the forest before dark

I will be okay.

For some reason,

The darker it gets in our little town

The more eerily silent it gets.

The silence is unnerving.

No one comes out at night.

I think the grownups know something that we kids don’t

About the woods.

My mother always tells me not to go too far into the woods.

When it’s close to dark.

Some kids have never come back.

I, on the other hand, embrace death

If it so chooses me.

I think about the darkness as I approach

The edge of the forest.

I was so lost in my thoughts on the way to the other side

Of town

That I was not aware if anyone saw me.

Damn, my thoughts.

The sun shines its last ray of hope

As I watch it dissipates at my feet.

Then suddenly it is dark and the moon

Now reins the sky.

The lanterns in town begin to come on.

I see children and the last of the town’s workers

Make their way inside.

My mom won’t pay much attention to my absence

As father is not home until dawn.

She will have her hands full with my siblings.

I have three brothers and sisters,

I am the youngest.

The center of all the fun,

The center of all the torture.

They call me freak when I don’t talk.

They make fun of me and call me stupid when

I beg father to buy me a book.

They especially hate the questions I ask about the world.

Our family was always poor.

Father works in the next town over at night mining.

Mother tends the children and animals and keeps

Up the house.

When it’s just mom and I she tells me

How she dreamed of being a dancer and an actress.

How she almost made it until her father

Gave her away to my dad.

Sometimes, mother will sing when she does chores.

I think she does it when she thinks no one is around,

But I always catch her.

I will not say a word, only listen.

[Den of Demons] Chapter Two

Chapter 2

[.The Obsession.]

 

 

I close the old book carefully and stare into the sunset.

The book burns in my hands.

It’s heavy with the burden of the wicked.

Cotton candy colored skies glaze over the town

And yet I stare at the only thing that could lead me to Lilith’s cave.

Said to be rumored in Hell itself.

My heart races as I think of the power I could have…

The power I thirst day and night for.

The book also says that ‘every mirror is a gateway to the Other World or

Directly to Lilith’s cave. Simply, Lilith makes her home in

Every mirror.’

If only I knew the location of the brooch.

Or even better yet know how to get hold of that mirror.

Nothing in this book says where it was last seen,

Or ever seen for that fact.

No one has ever survived looking for it.

‘It is just legend,’ skeptics say.

‘There is no brooch that fuels itself on human energy

To manipulate time,

There is no mirror to gain access to the looking glass world.’

But I beg to differ.

My mother and father would beat me if they

Knew I had this book.

Women aren’t allowed books, but I

Would happily take the beating for it.

The old scientist who lives at

The top of the hill left it on my window sill.

I found him parsley, coyote teeth and dragon’s blood

In exchange for this book.

People call him mad and tell me to stay away,

But I rather find him intriguing.

I could roam his house of horrors for days.

Now here I hold,

A handwritten book from the 1500’s…

The book nearly falls to pieces in my hand…

But how could it not be true…if someone took the time

To hand write it?

And if it meant nothing why has it been preserved for

300 years?

Pages of the book have literally been reduced to dust..

Some even torn out.

It drives me insane not to know what was written

On those pages about MY brooch and MY mirror.

I want them.

No, I need them.

I will acquire these items at all costs.

I dream of the power that I could possess.

I dream of it. I see it every I close my eyes.

The power of the gems pulling my soul in.

 

In my dreams, I see the brooch and grab hold of it,

Then I am standing in from of a huge dark tower.

Its size intimidates me.

I am captured immediately, the brooch is ripped

From my possession and I am thrown into a

Cold cell where I dwell and die from consuming

Poison posed as food.

Right as my stomach starts opening up and bleeding

I begin to scream…

Then I wake up..

 

‘It is just a scary story, Devlynn, get your head out of the clouds.’

I know it is real though, I can feel it calling my name.

Devlynn. Devlynn.

I feel it is close, but I can’t pinpoint it.

All my life I have felt like an outsider.

Weird things excite my imagination and

If I saw death I’d chase him for as long as I can.

Why?

Because demons have power.

They live where Lilith lives.

In the underworld.

Evil or not they romp the Earth.

It’s their world, they own it.

They own us.

I embrace Lilith’s children,

For I know that all demons were born from

Her womb.

She is the mother of abomination

And I want her power.

Sometimes, I dream of her being my mother,

Just so that I may have an ounce of her power.

I dream of the brooch and mirror in my hands.

I dream of the access to the different worlds and

The power to manipulate time.

With this power,

I can live forever.

Never die.

Forever carry on as the new Queen of demons.

Devlynn, Queen of the Underworld.

I need that power.

I need those objects.

Without them I am a failure am

Rendered a worthless, boring life.

 

There is one person who may help me.

It will be costly, I could even lose my soul.

I am one to bargain.

Especially with the devil.

[Den of Demons] Chapter One

Chapter One

 

[.The Reason.]

 

 

 

“And there she sat, Lilith, the Queen of demons, on her throne of gnashing children,

 bearing the nephilim soldiers of Hell’s finest,

and Earth’s worst nightmares one after the other.

The demons flocked from her caves and infiltrated the world.

Only to easily return to their Queen

Through the nearest mirror.

A vain demoness strange, but beautiful,

Defying God in every manner.

Her defiance to the heavens cost her her beauty and

She became withered and ugly.

Her delicate human body fell away and

She became suspended eerily,

Skin slabbing away revealing a snake-like body

Covered in blood and spit of the bottom feeders.

On her chest, held three pairs of breasts,

That of which to feed her hungry spawn.

Her soft lips no longer there.

Instead,

Her face only revealed a mouthful of gnashing teeth,

Held open by claws of Satan

and on her forhead the mark of hades.

She fled from Heaven into a dark cave in Hell.

She took with her the gifts of her paramour, Satan.

The gifts were that of two:

A handheld looking glass with power

To cross over to other dimensions and all worlds

Through that of all looking glasses.

All dimensions and Earth remained at her disposal.

                                       The second gift; a beautiful brooch covered in the most precious

Gems of Earths.

The brooch had the power of harboring human energy

To manipulate all time and eternity,

All the while keeping the owner youthful

And beautiful.

Whilst traveling through the looking glass world,

She carelessly lost the brooch in the human world,

Due to her stark raving mad thirst for human blood.

Lilith returned to her cave begging her paramour

To allow her to find the brooch with his great power,

Since she was too weak.

Satan turned her away and

Banished her for her disgrace to his gift.

Lilith remained in her cave,

Barely living off of human blood,

But no amount of human blood could keep her strong

Long enough to locate her brooch.

The brooch was lost in the human world……..”

.Alyss.



.Marmalade.

My Marmalade.

 

 

 

Her blonde hair blows behind her

as she stands above the battlefield.

Barely touching the ground.

For she is supernatural.

Infinite.

Youthful, Eternal beauty hold her

above the war.

Blood and gore don't touch her

white, lace gown.

A leather belt glistening with gold

and

gems of Earth's finest natural.

Holding her finest weapon.

A sword made from imaginations hands.

And she of all,

granted the access to such power.

She is Legend.

Her blue eyes scan the atmosphere

before her.

Misery and chains surround her.

Like a song bird in a locked caged.

The key long lost in the war.

Yet there she stands.

Pure.

With alabaster skin.

Her delicate hands rearrange the picture of

gore before her.

She paints willows and soft breezes.

Wifts filled with perfume and

cotton candy skies.

She is love.

My Marmalade.

Always a delicate doll.

Always a Legend.

Always the light.

 

 

 

.Alyss.