*****
When Peyton awoke, the first thing she saw were the leaves and branches of the trees hanging above her, rustling gently in the breeze. She stared up at them curiously, momentarily forgetting where she was and that she had not been dreaming. After blinking the sleep away from her eyes, she saw Darius sitting nearby, tying his shoes. Peyton stretched and sat up, yawning.
“How long did I sleep?” she asked.
“About an hour,” Darius replied. He suddenly smiled slightly. “You snored.”
“What?” Peyton said, sounding shocked and feeling humiliated. “I don’t snore!”
“Don’t worry, I could barely notice,” Darius grinned at her. “You did scare some birds away, though.”
Peyton leaned over and thumped him on the arm, to which Darius only laughed.
“Any sign of Eve, liar?” Peyton asked.
Darius shook his head. “Not yet. But she’ll be back soon enough.”
“I hope I didn’t upset her too much with that Devil comment,” Peyton said, hugging her knees.
“She’s endured worse,” Darius said.
Peyton looked at Darius thoughtfully. “Do you mind if I ask another question? I feel like I’m pretty frustrating with how much I don’t know.”
“Please, ask all the questions you like.”
Peyton thought for a moment, then said, “If Eve is, like… God’s daughter… then shouldn’t she be a god and not an Angel?”
Darius smiled. “And what is God?”
Peyton arched an eyebrow in confusion. “Um, a god, right? That’s why people call him God, isn’t it?”
“And what about gods in religions other that Christianity and Catholicism? Does everyone call every deity ‘God?’”
“Well, no, I guess. But what does that have to do with-”
“What I’m saying is that God is not a god. Not in the sense you might have been raised to believe. He is a very, very, powerful and wise Angel. He does not go by the name of ‘God,’ nor does he expect anyone to call him a god. But these things happen. He is much more like a spiritual leader amongst Angels, like Ghandi with humans.”
Peyton could only stare. Yet again, she felt a sense of ignorance that overshadowed her entire life. Everything she had been taught, everything she had learned about religion and mythology, none of it had been right. She had never really considered herself to be overly religious or anything, far from it in fact. She believed that there was likely to be a greater power in the universe that humans couldn’t understand, but she wrote it off as something she, and the rest of Earth, would never fully comprehend. Her mother had raised her in a Christian household, but they never attended church regularly or said Grace before a meal, but Peyton had found some comfort in much of what she had been told about God and religion. It seemed like some aspects had been true. There was a Heaven and a Hell, even if they weren’t what Peyton had expected. Reincarnation was real, as were Angels and souls and so many other things, but she still felt embarrassed by how little she knew. It was like going to a foreign country and acting as though you knew all about the culture, only to learn you knew nothing.
At that moment, they heard footsteps approaching and turned to look. To their left, Eve walked quickly out of the trees and directly towards them, her face set and serious. She waved her hands at them, indicating that they should stand.
“There isn’t much time,” she said. “Azrael is nearly here. He is moving quickly and is determined to get your soul, Peyton.”
“But why?” Peyton asked, climbing to her feet. “Why does he want my soul so badly? He told me that my soul was the one he needed. What does he need it for?”
Eve hesitated, glancing at Darius, who looked back at her curiously, but then she was serious again and began to lead them both out of the clearing.
“There isn’t time,” Eve said. “Darius, I will take you both as far as the edge of the Garden, but then no further. I’ll stay here to try and slow Azrael down more, to give you as much of a head-start as possible. Once you are beyond the borders of the Garden, you will have limited use of your powers returned to you, but as long as you are within the reach of Tartarus, you won’t be at full strength and you won’t be able to use the void. You won’t be nearly as powerful as normal and certainly nowhere near as much as Azrael will be. If he catches up to you before you reach Fate, I don’t think you’ll be able to stop him.”
They suddenly emerged from the trees and Peyton gasped at the drastic scenery change. It was as though they had walked out of a forest onto the beach of some deserted island. Only this beach was not the appealing white sand of the Caribbean or Fiji or similar. The sand on this beach was black and glimmered like broken glass. There was a small wooden boat sitting on the shore, bobbing gently in the water, but the water was not normal water. It was…
“Tartarus,” Darius whispered. “I’ve never seen it like this before.”
The black liquid that flew like gas stretched into the distance like the sea. Peyton expected to see small waves on its surface, but as she studied the surface, she saw that there were no waves, nor any movement of any kind. There were no birds, no animals that would normally be found on a beach. Eve grabbed Darius’ arm and held it firm, her face as serious as a teenage face can be.
“Darius. Listen very carefully.” Eve was speaking quickly now. “You will need to cross Tartarus. Take the boat. Tartarus will not harm you while you are inside the boat, but do not, under any circumstances, touch Tartarus. Do not get out of the boat until you reach the shore on the other side. The boat will guide itself, so don’t worry about rowing. When you reach the other side, no matter what you think, no matter what you see, stay on the path. Do not step off for even a moment. No matter how lost you feel, keep going and ignore what you hear. Don’t stop moving. And keep that blade of yours ready, Darius. You will need it.”
“What’s over there?” Peyton asked, feeling apprehensive.
Eve faced her with eyes full of worry. “The Chthonic Island. A place teeming with monsters from the darkest tales of human mythology. They’re there to stop people from reaching Fate. Fate doesn’t like to be disturbed. They will attempt to stop you from reaching your destination. But you mustn’t let them. Darius,” Eve turned back to Darius, who was listening intently. “I know what your plan is with Fate. I fear it may not work. But you have to try.”
“Yes, Eve, I know,” Darius said. “Thank you.”
“Now quickly, go!” Eve waved them both towards the small boat, ushering them away. Peyton started towards the boat, but stopped suddenly. She turned back to Eve and quickly gave her a tight hug, hoping that it was enough to convey her gratitude. “Thank you, Eve.”
Eve smiled and hugged her back. “You’re welcome. Now go. Hurry. And good luck.”
“Will you be okay with Azrael?” Peyton asked.
“I’ll be fine. It’s you we need to save. Everything depends on it.”
Peyton stared at Eve, confused by this statement. She wanted to ask more questions, but Darius was pulling on her hand, urging her to follow him. So, with little choice remaining, she ran with him to the boat. They both climbed in and, before they could even sit down, the boat gently lurched forward and began to sail out into the distance, surrounded by the black ethereal ooze that was Tartarus. Eve stood at the shore, her hand held high in a gesture of farewell. Under her breath, Eve said a quiet prayer.
“Dear Father in Heaven, hear my plea. Watch over my friends, make safe their journey. And watch over me, as I face your fallen soldier.”
Then she turned her back on Tartarus and stood in silence, facing the tree-line, waiting for Azrael to appear.