Evil - Chapter 26
Madam Fantasmo led me down the iron stairs to the ground floor of the base, her back straight, and shoulders thrown back. With each step, her chin lifted higher.
This is a portal fantasy series with mythological roots and action-adventure tendencies. You can search through all my work on my website.
It's not easy being the Antichrist.
Anjelica’s mother never told her that she was a demon. Now, all she wants is her old life back, but that’s not possible for her. Not after what she’s seen.
Anjelica used to be a popular cheerleader with an awesome life, but that was before an evil cult of demons tried to use her blood to open a portal to Hell and start the Apocalypse.
She was rescued from that fate, barely, and because of the imminent threat to her life, her saviors ripped her from Los Angeles and brought her to a safe house in the middle of nowhere.
They said it was for her own good, but she would rather be dead than stuck in boring, old Bronard, Missouri. She was from the big city, so a sleepy, rural life wasn’t for her.
She longed for excitement.
So, when she met a young witch with a mysterious past who promised to show her everything she knew about opening portals and traveling between distant lands, they bonded immediately
I mean, what’s the worst that could happen, right?
It’s not like they would open an intergalactic gateway to another planet and get thrown into a brand, new world with no way to get back to Earth, right?
Join Anjelica in her own solo adventure and find out what happened to her immediately after the events in Magic.
By the time she reached the bottom, the fierce woman she’d been when I met her had returned.
“Welcome to the rebellion,” she said, then winked. “Close your mouth. You’re letting in flies.”
I tapped my chin with my hand and realized my mouth was agape. “I’m sorry. It’s just—you said rebellion, and I figured—well, in the movies where I’m from the rebellion are usually a bunch of scrappy upstarts with no means and no technology, except in Star Wars, but they’re still underfunded compared to the empire—but this—this is incredible.”
“Well, honey, of course, it’s incredible. You think we can throw over the monarchy with sticks and spears?” She spun around, arms open. “And make no mistake, we will bring down the monarchy.”
“It’s good to see you alive.”
I turned to see who had spoken. It was a woman in a gray pantsuit, her brown hair arranged in a smart mod cut. She walked toward us with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face. Madam Fantasmo squealed in delight and ran to her, lifting the woman up in her arms until they were both laughing and wrapped in a big hug.
The woman’s smile transformed her voice. “It’s so good to see you. I thought you were dead for sure.”
“I had faith in you,” Madam Fantasmo whispered, setting the woman back on her feet. “Maybe if you told me that, I wouldn’t have, though. Criminy, did you really think you weren’t going to get me out?” She pressed her hand on her heart. “I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“You know how hard that was to pull off? How many things had to go right? Shooting the executioner from half a mile away was the simplest part of the plan. We had to lay depth charges, make sure not to hurt innocents, and clear a path of workers, so they didn’t report you across half the city.” She pointed up into the air, and I followed her gaze to TV screens twenty feet high that showed our faces, all four of us. “This whole thing has been a nightmare. Jasper is going to kill you.”
“Please, if he wanted us dead, then he could have just not done anything.” I cleared my throat, and Madam Fantasmo seemed to realize I existed again. “Oh! Director Higley Frente, this is Anjelica, last name redacted.”
“It’s Arnold, or Campbell,” I said, smiling and shaking her hand. “Anjelica Arnold-Campbell, I guess.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. We have been following your exploits all day. To say you’ve caused a commotion since you’ve arrived here is an understatement.” She gestured in front of her. “If you’ll follow me to my office. I think we have some things to discuss.” She turned to Madam Fantasmo. “Thank you for your service. It won’t go unnoticed.”
“Um, I’m coming too.” They stared at each other for a second, and as their contest continued, Madam Fantasmo’s eyes narrowed. “That girl is my responsibility, and if you think I’m going to let her out of my sight, yo—”
“Fine,” Director Frente replied. “It’s not like I’m going to do anything untoward or lie to the poor girl.”
“No, but you might conveniently forget to mention something to her, and as her counsel—”
“In the royal court.”
“—In all courts, and with all people, as her counsel—it is my responsibility to make sure nobody takes advantage of her. Nobody but me, at least.” She winked at me again. “Kidding! Lead the way, Director.”
The heels on the director’s shoes clacked loudly on the black marble as she led us down a sleek, white hallway. People shuffling past gave us a wide berth, their eyes filled with a combination of fear and awe. Halfway down the hallway, she turned into a conference room. A pitcher of water sat on the obsidian table, and I suddenly realized that I was desperately thirsty. I caught a whiff of sugar and carbs and watched as the director reached into a small shelving unit under a television monitor and pulled out a red box filled with donuts and other sweets.
“I’m sorry it’s not a better spread. Frankly, we thought you would be here by now, and—well, some of the men got overzealous. I was able to scavenge this for you from the carcass of your welcome feast.” She slid the box over and then dropped into a high-backed chair at one end of the table, while Madam Fantasmo and I took our seats on the other. I jammed a few of the cookies into my mouth.
“I wanted to start by saying that not everyone in this world is as backward as the king, and we welcome you, witch, to our dimension.”
I smiled. “Thank you. I’m not a witch, though, and frankly, I don’t know if this is a different dimension or just a different planet.” Then I realized something. “Holy crap. You’re aliens. I literally discovered aliens—either aliens or parallel worlds, and nobody will ever believe me.”
“I hate to burst your bubble, but you are not the first travelers we’ve had visit our humble planet. In fact, previous travelers are precisely why the king dislikes you so much.” She wrinkled her nose like she smelled something unpleasant.
“Honestly, I’m not surprised by the reaction. I’ve been thinking about it, and I doubt that if you came to Earth, you would get a better reception—” I ripped into a bear claw. “But yeah, why does the king dislike travelers so much?”
“Are you a religious person, Anjelica?”
Well, I just learned I was a demon, so I was coming around to it. I figured it probably wasn’t the time to be telling them I wasn’t just an alien but a demon to boot. “Not historically, but I’m warming to the idea.”
The director leaned forward. “In our world, we believe that the gods abandoned us to explore the universe when the world was young, leaving us with nothing to worship but their knowledge.” She stood up and paused as if carefully debating her next words. “We also believe that one day they will return and send a harbinger of their homecoming.” She stepped closer to me. “The king sits on a fragile grasp of power, based upon one simple fact—”
Suddenly, it connected. “He’s a traveler from another world.”
“Yes. The people worship him like a god, and he has worked relentlessly to uphold that charade. He is obsessed with maintaining the idea his right to rule is absolute.” The director stood before the window. Outside, hundreds of people bustled around. “We have laid in wait for so long, waiting for a chance to strike, and you have given that to us.”
“I see what you’re getting at, but I’m not a god, and I’m not a leader. I’m just a kid from Los Angeles, or Missouri, or whatever stupid place I’m from. All I want to do is go home.” I bit my lip. “You said the king is killing off other travelers…does that mean no one has found a way home yet?”
“I don’t know,” Director Frente replied. “Many have simply vanished. Whether they are dead or gone back to their homes, we don’t know.” She turned to me. “I know this is not your fight, but you could help usher in a new era for us. An era of peace. The king—he is cruel and brutal—he terrorizes the whole world and warps their beliefs.” She squeezed her fists together. “Even if you do not want to help our cause, doing so is the practical choice.”
“How?” I asked. “It seems like it’s going to get me killed.”
She stared daggers at me. “If you could pick just one person in the world—who do you think would have the most information about getting you home?”
I looked over at Madam Fantasmo, who had been sitting quietly this whole time. “It’s not a trick question, girl.”
“The king,” I said.
Director Frente slammed her fist on the table. “Exactly. He’s obsessed with other worlds. If anyone knows how to get you home, it’s him.” She cleared her throat. “I will be plain with you. The king is a bad, bad man, worse than any I have ever met. Any time I think his cruelty has reached its zenith, he finds a way to top himself.” She winced. “I am a woman of science, and yet even I cannot deny that you coming here is kismet.”
“How?” I asked.
“He draws power from the idea that being a traveler makes him divine. Given that, there are only two people in the world that can usurp that claim.”
“Margaret and I.”
She nodded. “And we have you. If we had Margaret, too, then we could lay a legitimate claim to the throne and oust King Ulthar from power.”
“It’s not as simple as that,” Madam Fantasmo said. “Powerful men do not relinquish power willingly. You would be damning the country…half the world…into a civil war.”
“And in the end, we would have the path forward.”
“If we win!” Madam Fantasmo shouted, shooting up from her chair. “Meanwhile, if we lose—”
“We won’t lose!” Director Frente shouted. “We can’t lose!”
“Wait!” I yelled, popping up between them. “Just so I’m clear, I’m supposed to stay here, on this planet, and help instigate a civil war. To what end? Become the queen of this country when it’s over?”
“No,” Director Frente said. “To relinquish power. To restore balance to the world. To let us form a republic from the ashes of the monarchy. I know that it’s asking a lot of you—too much of you—but your best chance of getting home rests with the king. By helping us, you are helping yourself, too.”
“This is nuts…absolutely nuts.” I grumbled and took a few steps toward the door. “I need to think about all of this.” I looked back at them. “Don’t follow me.”
This is a portal fantasy series with mythological roots and action-adventure tendencies. You can search through all my work on my website.
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