Underside Chapter 25

John led him down a small hallway and through a set of doors. On the other side, three people turned their attention as the pair entered. John slipped the blood covered knife to one of them.

“Start tracing this,” John said.

“Ganith’s blood?” The man asked.

“There’s may be a link there. Until we know for sure, I need to make sure we at least run it out and see.”

The man nodded and turned his attention back to a small corner of the room. John turned and continued on through the small area to another section that turned back into the library itself. John slowed his pace as Mitch tried to keep up with him.

“What was that?” Mitch asked.

“That demon came from Ganith’s inner circle. I could smell it on him. While it’s a long way from full proof, we might trace that blood back to Ganith.”

“How?”

John kept walking toward a shelf, arriving there and looking over the spines of the books before he spoke again.

“Ganith has given his entire inner circle a part of himself. His blood smells different from a normal demon. We can hope that there’s enough of the blood there that we’ll be able to track it.” John said.

“He’ll know that’s coming, right?”

“More than likely, but there’s a chance that he wanted it this way.”

“Why?” Mitch asked.

“Because if he thinks he can dictate where and how we’ll strike, he has the advantage. But if we can stay a step ahead of him, we’ll have the advantage.” John said. As he did, he reached up and pulled down a book.

“What’s that?”

“The book of Fate on Ganith, or at least what he was before he became a demon.”

“What are you looking for?” Mitch asked.

“I want to see where and how he got his power.

“They mentioned the king of demons.” Mitch said. “Is that another reason for all this?”

“Yes. If Ganith can assert himself as king, it means that his power would be untouchable. It would spell disaster for everything that isn’t of demonic decent.”

Mitch thought this over. “You’ve said his entire goal was to take apart the Underside, but why? It contains demons, angels, everything that’s well, not human, right?”

“Yes, and no,” John said.

Mitch looked at him, confused. John continued.

“Demons are bred in Hell, just like Angels are born in Heaven. Those two sections of the world are their own plane. The mortal world is also that, its own plane.”

“Okay?” Mitch said.

“The Underside is a plane that connects all others. It acts as a buffer between any two planes. They still have to cross from there to the mortal world. Even with the hole, there’s still a power issue. If those walls come down and the world blends together, there is no power vacuum. If he can bring it down, all that power will flow into Ganith, which will make him damn near unstoppable.”

John sat the book down on a table near them and turned it around to Mitch.

“He knew this back when he was human. He made a deal with Okos. How did I miss that?”

“Made a deal with Okos, for power?” Mitch asked.

“It would appear that way.” John said. He slammed his hand down on the desk. “How did I miss that?”

“You didn’t know they were working together?” Mitch asked.

John shook his head. “I didn’t.”

“We still have an advantage.” Mitch said.

John looked at him. “You?”

“Yes, in my book, it mentioned that I would be the perfect vessel. That means that if Ganith can’t regain control of me, then he won’t be able to fulfill that part of the prophecy.”

“If he kills you though,”

Mitch put his hand up. “It’s possible, but if he does, he still can’t control me. That means he still fails. He can’t afford to actually kill me.”

John thought this over. “That’s a hell of a maybe. Look at the rules that have been in place since the start of time. Now they’re all at the wayside because of this hole in the Underside.”

“It’s a shot I’m willing to take.” Mitch said.

John looked him over, debating his next words. Before he could say anything though, the man he’d handed the blade to came striding down one aisleway, cutting off his thoughts.

“Sir,” the man said, stopping just in front of John. “I think we found something.”

Mitch, John, and about three dozen reapers stood in the now destroyed subsection of Warsaw. From where Mitch was standing, it looked as if a bomb had gone off. Scattered about the area were body parts, pieces of flesh, blood pools that looked deep enough you could swim in them, and in the center of the destruction sat a circle. Two little girls sat inside of the circle holding hands. They watched, their eyes almost full white, as the group approached. When the group neared the circle, Mitch noticed the circle had been drawn in blood. Mitch stopped at the edge of the circle as the girls began laughing. It came out cold and dark as it echoed across the space coming back to them.

“Welcome back.” Both girls said. The voices came out smooth and deep, almost sensual. The sound caused Mitch to shiver.

“What happened here?” John asked.

“This?” the girl on the right said. She motioned around, gesturing to the wreckage. “This was the byproduct of your insolence and failure to understand what’s coming.”

“Ganith set this up?” John asked.

“That’s correct.” The girl said.

Mitch stared on from the outside of the circle. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as the wind bustled through the area. It carried a rotten smell along with ripples in the pools of blood that he could see.

“Master Ganith is only a few steps away from ascending the throne. When that happens, there will be nothing left for you to save. The walls will come down, and the rules will be rewritten. This is the moment demon kind has waited for. With each passing moment, the walls get weaker.” The girl laughed again. “For now, though, this is where we finish what Ganith started.”

Mitch heard the crack in the air before he felt the shift in temperature. He turned and looked around him.The group was now surrounded by countless demons. They came flooding out of four separate gateways that had opened around the circle. The reapers turned and charged. Mitch took a breath and tried to focus on his own body. He felt a surge of power, but it flickered before reaching for his hand.

John turned to him. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t think the power in my body is functioning right.” Mitch said.

“Here.” John tossed a blade to him. Mitch reached out to grab it, but as soon as it hit his hand, it sent a searing pain all the way up his arm. He turned over his palm and noticed a massive burn that had formed on his hand.

“Son of a bitch.” Mitch yelled. He watched as the skin on his palm bubbled.

“The half demon side of you.” John said. As he did, he leaned down and picked the blade up off the street. “You can’t hold the blades of light.”

“Now what?” Mitch watched as more demons came down through the portal.

“Get one from the demons. If one of them is carrying a blade of darkness, you should be able to carry it too.”

Mitch thought through his options. He felt something form around his body. When he looked down, he noticed the bones starting on his hands and slowly pulsing up his arms.

“I have a backup plan.” Mitch said, a smile spreading across his face. John noticed the sinister nature of it as Mitch turned and charged toward a group of incoming demons. He closed his eyes and felt his body flash. In the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of ten of them. Without a thought, he charged toward the horde. The bones in his hand connected with the demon right in front of him and knocked it backward. He spun on another group of them and slammed his fist, which had been growing spikes, right through the body of another.

Behind him, Mitch heard the back and forth of the fighting. He kept moving around, taking shots at each demon that came within reach. This back-and-forth dance continued as he tried to move further into the circle, taking demons off their feet as they moved in close. With another set close by, he slashed outwards. The sharp points dug into the demon’s throat. Mitch saw the black goo draining out from the wound in buckets.

He took a moment to glance around the lot and noticed that they were being overwhelmed four to one, but the reapers were holding their own. Something has to change, He thought. Or we’re going to lose a lot of lives. In various spots, Mitch noticed some bodies that were strewn across the concrete.

Casualties on both sides, He thought. A loud crashing sound caused him to spin around just in time to see three demons who were now on top of him. He brought up a hand to block one blow, but the second one glanced in and hit him in the ribs, driving the air out of him. Out of reflex, he bent over, bringing his hand down with him. Before he could regain his breath, the demons had him by the arms; he took in a breath and then the world faded around him.

Mitch blinked a few times as the dim light flooded into his vision. He watched as various braziers were lit around the room. He took in a breath and felt the cold aura surrounding him. As if in response, the demons that had taken him to this place tossed him to the ground. He crashed hard onto his stomach and coughed.

“Mr. Benton,” a familiar voice said. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

Mitch heard the footsteps over the concrete before he looked up. He saw Ganith, occupying Dallas’s body, walking toward him. A smile spread across his face that revealed too many teeth.

Mitch pushed himself up and got to a knee. He expected to be kicked or something, but nothing hit him. He climbed the rest of the way to his feet before looking at Ganith.

“Was this your plan all along?” Mitch asked.

Ganith laughed. The sound cut through Mitch. “Not entirely.”

Mitch glanced around. He realized they were alone now. “It appears we have nothing but time,” He said.

Ganith again flashed that smile. “We’re in a small pocket here. I built this little haven within the Underside. It was my own personal refuge. Nothing can get in, nothing gets out, unless I want it to.”

“So you what? Break me down and take me as your vessel?” Mitch asked.

“That would have made sense. However, now that isn’t necessary. A lot of moving parts to settle into place. Such as the Reaper, and you.” Ganith said.

“And Okos?”

“Okos made me a deal. I knew what I wanted, and I explained to him what I saw. He not only bought in, but gave me the power I needed to get there.”

“Then you went past him?” Mitch asked.

“As is the nature of the situation.” Ganith said.

“And John?” Mitch asked. He noticed Ganith shuddered at the mention of the name.

“You don’t mention the Reaper’s name in my presence.”

Mitch perked up at this. He noticed the contempt in Ganith’s voice.

“Oh?” Mitch asked. He couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. “So what about Tiffany?”

“Agreements. Demons are required to fulfill our deals. Okos created his pact with Tiffany, for me, for all this. See, we needed vessels, new demons. We needed numbers, and we got those numbers with Tiffany’s help. With Okos dead, her bond is completed.”

“What does that mean for her?” Mitch asked.

“That’s a fair question. I don’t know, nor do I care.We’ve achieved what we set out to. For all I know, she disappeared into the wind when Okos died, though I doubt it.”

Mitch thought this over. “You’re content to let her go, leave her unchecked.”

Ganith laughed again. “She isn’t my concern, Mr. Benton, not anymore. Once we’re finished here, she’ll be free to do as she pleases, as will every other supernatural force. That is my concern.”

“What about me?” Mitch asked.

“I knew creating the hole in the wall would do wonders. What I didn’t expect was it break the rules and rewrite the prophecy that foretold of this moment. The prophecy that I thought would need to come to pass in order for me to achieve what I’m after.”

Ganith’s voice dripped with anticipation as he continued.

“Then our world changed. The hole ripped open. I always wanted that, but I have to admit that it didn’t expect all the changes it brought with it.” Ganith said.

“Like?” Mitch asked.

“You’re full of questions, aren’t you?” Ganith said, a smile slipping back across his face.

Mitch looked around again at the empty area they were in. “I assume you’re going to kill me, right? Now that you realize you don’t need me?”

“Yes,” Ganith said, smiling again. “But, I’ll indulge you. I didn’t expect the bleeding effect the hole has caused. I never expected the rules to be broken with such a tiny hole. The reaper, and all his-”

“John.” Mitch said, cutting him off.

Again Ganith shuddered at the use of John’s name. Mitch felt himself growing confident with the information that he now had.

“I told you. Don’t. Say. His. Name.” Ganith said. The last words came out almost in a whisper. His voice had an edge to it that caused Mitch to think twice before continuing, but he realized he had nothing left to lose.

Mitch smiled. “You can’t tell me the future KING is worried?”

“Shut up.” Ganith snarled.

“It’s okay,” Mitch said. “You’re secret is safe with me. I won’t tell anyone that the demon king is afraid of someone named John.”

It took just a heartbeat before Ganith was on top of him. He snagged Mitch by the throat and picked him up off the ground.

“You might think you’re doing something meaningful, biding your time maybe, but no one is coming to save you.”

Ganith threw him back against the wall. His head slammed with a sick thud, spots flooded his vision before he blacked out.

When light came back, Mitch was laying in a field. Sun was beating down on him, warming every inch of his skin. He blinked a few times, trying to figure out where he was. He pushed himself up to a sitting position and leaned against a small concrete wall. It was cool against his skin as he sat there.

Mitch laid there, letting the sun soak up in his skin. He sat that way for a while before he heard footsteps walking up next to him. He turned his head and saw Amy. Her shadow stretched out over Mitch and blocked out a good portion of the light from his vision.

“What in the world is going on?” Mitch said.

“You’re not dead, if that’s what you’re wondering.” Amy said.

“I’m not?” Mitch asked.

“No, you’ve just been knocked unconscious.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” Mitch said. He rubbed the back of his head, remembering the impact that he’d felt as he hit the wall.

“I don’t think nice is the word I’d use.” Amy said.

Mitch climbed to his feet. “Yeah, sarcasm. Where are we?”

“This is the light part of your brain. Remember the dark part, where Ganith hid. This is the opposite side. This is the side that we’ve repaired, and hide away from Ganith and his demons.” Amy said.

Mitch looked around. As he did, he squinted as the sun blinded his vision. Then, he realized he hadn’t felt the sun in what seemed like an eternity. He stood that way in silence with her for a while before he spoke.

“Why here?” Mitch asked.

“This was the safe spot. It’s why I made sure that we could talk.”

Mitch looked at her, confused. “About what?”

“This.” Amy said. She reached out and flipped her hand over. There was a small orb that floated above her hand.

“Is that what I saw?” Mitch asked.

“It is. When I died, this is the residual magic that I left behind. I didn’t know if it would make it to you, but I knew I had to try.”

“It did.” Mitch said. His eyes never left the small sphere that seemed to dance in her palm.

“I know.” Amy said. “It’s why I’m here. I put myself in the magic that hit you. I knew that if it found its mark, I could help you.”

“Help me with what?”

“Finishing this.” Amy said. Her voice was flat.

“Why? Why risk yourself for this?”

Amy took a deep breath. “Ganith killed my family, and he used their bodies to build his army.”