* * *
Og could not remember how long it had been since he last saw Dantalion. It really didn't matter. The Great Duke of Sheol never looked the same; his appearance changed as often as his mood. He mostly wore the face of a man or woman, but sometimes, like now, he twisted the flesh of his visage into something monstrous. It was only for show-to let the other inhabitants of Sheol see how truly fearsome he could be. It worked. Dantalion was horrid. And that voice.
It never changed. Og had recognized it immediately. It made his brain itch. He couldn't get it out of his head. It was like a sickness that needed to be cured.
Hidimba had remained silent as they continued being marched down the tunnel. Og wished the rakshasa would look at him. During their capture, Og had offered no resistance to Dantalion and the elder demons that acted as his personal guard, and he offered none now. It didn't make any sense to fight. He was being led exactly where he wanted to go. Dantalion must have known it too. The Great Duke seemed confident that Og would not try to oppose them, even going so far as to let Og carry his own spear. The giant found the weapon in his hand comforting. He knew Hidimba was terrified, however, and for that he was sorry. But he wasn't going to let anything happen to his little demon friend if he could help it.
"Hidimba," he whispered. "Hidimba look at me." The little demon obliged, wide eyed and unsteady, but alert. He picked his chin up some when his name was called, and Og could see that he was trying to be brave. The giant was proud of his friend. He knew what this must be like for Hidimba. "Do you think they heard us? I hope they didn't hear us."
"What difference does it make?" Hidimba said. "Og . . . what's gonna happen to us?"
"There's no need to be frightened Hidimba. Nothing's changed. We're still going to see your master and Lord Kokabiel." The giant made a casual gesture of looking around. He smiled for Hidimba's sake. "We just have escorts now."
Og's smile broke suddenly. Hidimba watched as he closed his eyes and flared his nostrils. It was the voice again. Dantalion prodded them from the front of the group.
"Have you ever heard a giant try to whisper before Og?" he said. "It's amusing, and quite impossible. And in your case completely useless. Your thoughts betray you already, so there's really no need in masking your voice."
The realization hit Og like an arrow to the chest. Dantalion was telling the truth. The Great Duke was a seer. An incredibly powerful seer. The thoughts of everyone around him entered his head as easily as his own ideas manifested themselves inside of it. Og had forgotten. He hadn't shielded his mind from the Great Duke's prying, nor had he instructed Hidimba to do the same. It would cost him. That critical oversight would change things dramatically. It made him the enemy.
It would cost his friends too. Surely Dantalion had seen Basia and Father Lucas floating around in his head. And probably Armaros. There was no way of knowing how long Dantalion had listened to the secrets he kept inside of his head. The Great Duke could have been in the darkness of the tunnel, listening, for the entirety of the time that the Deadtalker confessed. If that was the case, and Og figured it was, then Dantalion knew as much as he did. More damning was the fact that he would also know where the giant's loyalties lay. And soon, Azazel would too.
Og was feeling cornered now. Thoughts of escape flooded the giant's enormous head. He began to take a better look at his surroundings to assess his chances. They were not good. Hidimba's were worse still. He hoped that the little demon wouldn't look at him. He couldn't pretend that everything would be all right anymore. It wouldn't be.
The group continued walking. Og had no choice but to continue right along with them. He wouldn't leave Hidimba, and he had thought of no brilliant plan for escape. In fact he tried not to think of anything. Even though the damage was done, he didn't want to divulge any more of his thoughts to Dantalion. He told Hidimba nothing. The little demon's mind held no secrets that could worsen their situation.
They reached Dantalion's lair soon enough. The moment that they stepped from the tunnel and into the grotto, the giant could see that the Grand Duke's lodging was different from the rest of Sheol. It was, in fact, quite impressive.
The cave itself was not much bigger than Og's, but the feel was entirely different. The air was cooler and tasted of the water that fell from the highest point of the domed ceiling. It was a goodly flow that landed with a roar into a waiting rock pool. The resulting splash kept everything in the vicinity damp and fed the bright green lichens that clung to the stacked stones surrounding the perimeter of the pool. It was the only moving water that Og had ever seen beneath the mountain. It was beautiful, but it seemed somehow inappropriate to Og considering the circumstances.
Fire was everywhere. Og could not tell if it was naturally occurring or magical in nature, but deep orange torch light flickered at measured intervals all around the cavern wall. Although it wasn't as high as the ceiling, the fire was high enough up on the cavern wall that the flames illuminated the cave more than adequately. Very little shadow remained.
They were led past the waterfall to the area of the cavern opposite the entrance tunnel. There was another stage here, but this one was carved into the wall as opposed to jutting from the floor. The giants had not created this: it was too detailed and the emphasis had been on style rather than function during its creation. The rock was clean and had been polished smooth.
Detailed statues of what looked like angels decorated either side of the stage apron. They were to scale and masterfully carved. Just behind them and beneath the proscenium arch, a massive throne arose from the stage floor. It was quite simply made, shaped as a high-backed chair with armrests, yet grand in its stature and strength. It was also empty. This came as sort of a surprise to the giant. Og had fully expected to see Azazel resting comfortably on the cool stone.
Further to the back, past the ceremony of the stage front, Og could see what looked like living quarters carved into the rock. He assumed this to be the Great Duke's apartment. The giant recognized straightaway that Dantalion's living area was remarkably similar to his own. He didn't know what to make of that, but he did find it rather peculiar. Strangest of all, however, was what lay on the floor near the foot of the raised sleeping stone-three human females.
They weren't bound. Og wasn't surprised. He could tell they were too terrified to move. And if they could muster the courage to flee, they wouldn't get far. What Og did not know is why they were here. As far as he knew there hadn't been humans beneath the mountain in many thousands of years. But they were here now. A little dirty, a little battered, but certainly alive and awaiting their fate. He had that in common with them.
"A gift of slaves for your new master?" Og said aloud. All in the group knew he was addressing Dantalion. The Great Duke turned and walked from the front of the assemblage to near the center where Og and Hidimba stood. He stopped just before the giant.
"Mighty Og . . . you are tremendous aren't you?" he said as he looked the giant up and down as if he were assessing the colossus' strength. "Soon you will learn to call him master also. It's inevitable. And it's no great surprise. You've heard the prophecy. You, the girl, and the priest, were heralds for its arrival." Og could not mask the concern showing on his face. The itching was terrible again. He was convinced insects feasted within his skull. Dantalion, as sly as any of the old demons, noticed the giant's discomfort and pushed his advantage.
"Did you really think I wasn't aware of your presence here giant?" the Great Duke asked. "Did you really think I wouldn't miss all of the poor goats that you've killed over the years? All to feed that voracious appetite of yours. You know, son of Ogias, you are still a giant. It's not too late to embrace your true nature and free yourself from the influence of your dear uncle Armaros. You could train the other giants and then lead them into battle. Be a part of something and join with us."
Og felt sick. Too much of that voice. It was inside him, making him weak. He looked at Dantalion's mouth and thought of pushing his arm down the Great Duke's
throat. He needed to silence the demon. When Og found his own voice it was unsteady and lacking its usual confidence.
"There are no other giants Dantalion. I am the last."
"For now . . . yes," the Great Duke agreed. "Unless of course we count the corpse of your brother. How is Sihon? Still the same I'd wager." Og said nothing. The colossal was somehow reduced, and that caused him to worry even more, which he didn't think was possible. He felt a collapse approaching. The weight of this uncertainty was more than he could bear. And the Great Duke kept prodding.
"Pathetic. The son of a king betrays his own kind to live among men, leads those humans to their deaths, and then runs and hides beneath a rock with the body of his dead brother. And now he consorts with humans again in the hope that he can somehow redeem himself by shaping events that he has no control over. That about sums it up . . . eh Og?" The giant remained silent. His eyes were closed and he was in great pain. The hurt was paralyzing. Still he thought of Hidimba. The little demon must be beside himself. He needed to help his friend in some way, but he had no experience offering comfort and wouldn't know where to begin. And right now he couldn't even help himself.
A war was raging inside his body. The contents of his skull had betrayed him and were trying to spread their pain to the rest of his being. His mighty legs were weak and his arms heavy. His eyes were closed but he still knew that the floor was spinning beneath him. He was on his way down, and then-
Dantalion's voice again. Only now it was like sweet medicine.
"Azazel will be happy to see you. As will Kokabiel. They'll be with us soon, just after they see to it that some minor annoyances are put to an end. Rest until then, and think about what I've told you. You are the Prince of a lost race Og. It's time for you to assume leadership of your own kind."
Dantalion ordered his guard to escort Og and Hidimba onto the stage and back to his living quarters. The humans were understandably terrified when a giant and a new demon were brought near them. Both Hidimba and Og sympathized with them, but neither spoke to the humans or acted to put their fears at rest. They had their own set of problems. Only after the demon guards left them and formed a line across the front of the stage near the angel statues to prevent any of the captives from escaping, did Hidimba speak.
"What happened to you back there?" the rakshasa asked. "Are you all right?"
"Magic," the giant answered. "Dantalion bettered me twice. He's as crafty as they come. I let him in my head and he took advantage of that by beguiling me with that voice of his. I won't let it happen again."
"Was what the Great Duke said true? About Sihon."
"Yes," Og said. The demon waited for more, but no explanation was forthcoming. He didn't push. The giant had just been pushed enough.
"What do we do now?" Hidimba asked. "Just wait here for your uncles?"
"We don't have that luxury friend. We have to act and act fast. I was hurting earlier Hidimba . . . hurting badly. I didn't understand all of what Dantalion was telling me. But I do now." Hidimba watched as Og sat his enormous frame down on the floor and rested his left arm on Dantalion's sleeping stone. He rubbed the skin atop his head, took an impossibly long breath, and then looked at the little demon for quite some time before he continued. "I think they're going to try and kill the boy again, and my friends right along with him. That's what Azazel has gone off to tend to. And thanks to the Deadtalker, my negligence, and Dantalion's magic, Azazel knows all he needs to know to do just that. If he takes them by surprise, then I doubt that even Armaros can save them all."
"What else Og?" the little demon asked. The giant was struggling to find his next words. He looked to Hidimba like he couldn't believe what was about to come out of his own mouth.
"They're going to make more giants," Og said as he cast a glance over at the human females still huddled together and trembling, "and if that happens then there will be no stopping Azazel."
"I understand. I don't know exactly why I understand, but somehow you've conveyed to me just how sinister Azazel can be. Too sinister even for a simple little demon like myself. I'll help."
A change came over Hidimba right before Og's eyes. His companion wasn't scared anymore. He had decided to help, and Og was sure that he would. The little demon poked his chest out a bit once his mind was made. "What can we do to stop them?" he asked the brooding giant.
Og contemplated a thought that he had been bouncing around in his head. It was their only chance. He made the decision. "Do you remember what that boy from the hospital looked like?" he asked Hidimba.