Chapter 2
Five years ago…
"Zelda keeps the Shadow Thread locked up in the den," Hilda said. "But you can't let her see you take it."
"How do I get it?" Sabrina asked.
"With your magic you'll be able to open the lock no problem," Hilda said. "I'll distract her and then meet me up in my room and I'll help you perform the spell so you can become a Hellspawn. Now hurry back."
"Tropelet em ot eht ned," Sabrina said.
Instantly Sabrina was teleported back to the den. She immediately started looking around to try and find where her Aunt Zelda kept the Shadow Thread. Her first instinct was to check the desk and she began opening all drawers until she came to one that was locked. Hilda had said that it was locked up so Sabrina figured this had to be it.
"Nepo eht kcol," Sabrina said.
There was a click as the lock opened and she was able to easily pull the draw open. Inside was a multitude of clay jars, small wooden boxes and glass vials. Sabrina muttered a curse; this wasn't going to be as easy as she thought.
She began pulling the various containers out and examining what was in each of them. She quickly discovered that all of the small wooden boxes were also locked. Sabrina was starting to get more frustrated at this point. She began opening the boxes with her magic and checking the contents. Finally she managed to find a box contain what looked to be some kind of threat. Sabrina took the thread out and closed the box up and put the box and all the other containers back in the drawer and relocked it. She was about to leave the den when she heard her Aunt Zelda returning.
"Tropelet eht daerth ot ym moor no ym deb," Sabrina quietly cast.
The thread vanished out of her hand just as Zelda came back into the den.
"So Sabrina how are you doing?" Zelda asked.
"This is tedious and pointless," Sabrina complained as she picked up the lead once again. "I can turn this lead into gold easily, watch; nrut siht dael otni dlog."
The lead once again turned into gold in Sabrina's hand.
"What did I tell you about doing that," Zelda snapped as she slapped the large chunk of gold out of Sabrina's hand.
"Ow!" Sabrina exclaimed. "I don't understand why I have to do something that will take two days when I can do it in two seconds."
"If you want to be a true witch…" Zelda began to say.
"I don't want to be a witch," Sabrina cut her off.
"Your mother…" Zelda started.
"Would be disappointed with you," Sabrina said angrily. "If there is one thing I've learned living with you, it's that my mother loved my father despite the fact he wasn't one of you. And she would have been more than happy to let me be whatever I wanted to be. She wouldn't force me to not use my talents because of some tradition."
Zelda glared at her niece angrily.
"You go to your room now!" Zelda said angrily.
"Gladly," Sabrina said; then just to rub it in. "Tropelet em ot ym moor."
Sabrina was instantly teleported up to her room. Downstairs she heard her Aunt Zelda angrily let out a frustrated scream. A moment later Sabrina heard a knock on her door, she opened it to see her Aunt Hilda chuckling.
"I don't know what you did to get Zelda so upset but it reminds me of how both your mother and I could push her buttons when we were younger," Hilda said.
"Was she always like this?" Sabrina asked.
"Like what?" Hilda asked.
"So angry, so set in her ways," Sabrina replied.
"Ah, well she is the oldest child," Hilda said. "Older children are always a stickler for the rules. Zelda's problem is that the rules have changed but she's having trouble accepting that."
"What rules?" Sabrina asked confused.
"It's a metaphor dear," Hilda said. "The rules are life, society, the way things are, these things change over time and you can't do anything about it. But when you're as long lived as we are you need to learn to adapt or else you become a curmudgeon like my sister."
"Ha, curmudgeon, that's a good word for her," Sabrina said with a chuckle.
"Come on hurry to my room I've got everything we need for the spell ready," Hilda said. "Bring the threat."
Sabrina picked up the Shadow Thread and the two of them quietly made their way to Hilda's room. Once they were inside Hilda quietly closed the door. Sabrina saw that Hilda had drawn a large circle with a Pentagram inside with chalk on the floor. The curtain were closed and the room was dark. Sabrina saw that there were thirteen candles placed equidistant around the circle.
"Incendo," Hilda said as she waved her hands around the circle.
All of the candles ignited simultaneously brightening the room.
"Sit in the center of the circle and I'll guide you," Hilda said.
Sabrina sat down in the middle of the circle cross legged and looked up at Hilda who was sitting on the end of her bed with a spell book on her lap.
"Now what?" Sabrina asked.
"For this spell to work you're going to need to make a sacrifice," Hilda said. "And it's not going to be easy."
"What do I have to sacrifice?" Sabrina asked.
"Blood," Hilda replied.
"This is a blood magic spell?" Sabrina gasped. "Isn't that forbidden?"
"Technically yes," Hilda said. "But it's the only way. When you're dealing with Hell only dark magic will work, and all forms of dark magic have a price. This one is just the least costly. Would you prefer to sacrifice a piece of your soul?"
"Um… no not really," Sabrina replied.
Hilda tossed a dagger to her niece and Sabrina deftly caught it by the hilt.
"Then blood magic it is," Hilda said rather solemnly.
Sabrina looked at the dagger and took a deep breath.
"It won't take much but make a single cut across your palm," Hilda instructed her niece.
Sabrina slowly drew the blade across her palm. She winced from the pain but made no noise. A few drops of blood dripped down onto the floor.
"Place the Shadow Thread on the wound," Hilda directed.
Sabrina did as told. As soon at the Shadow Thread touched her open wound she felt a strange sensation as though the chill was travelling through her entire body. She did her best to suppress a shudder.
"Press your palms together and slowly pull them apart," Hilda said.
Sabrina did so and as she pulled her palms apart she saw the thread sticking to her hands creating a sort of web.
"Keep doing that," Hilda instructed. "Going quicker each time."
Sabrina followed Hilda's instructions; each time she pulled her hands apart the web of thread grew bigger.
"Spread your hands further," Hilda said.
Sabrina pulled her hands further apart and the web of thread was so thick now it was almost like a large black piece of fabric. The next time Sabrina pulled her hands apart the thread seemed to be wrapping itself around her hands and with each time it wrapped itself more and more around her hands until it was as though she was wearing gloves.
"Stand up!" Hilda ordered.
Sabrina rose to her feet and suddenly the thread began spreading over her entire body.
"What the hell?" Sabrina exclaimed frightenedly.
"Hellspawn to be exact," Hilda stated calmly.
The thread quickly spread all over Sabrina's body enveloping her in darkness. Sabrina could feel herself changing as it did she could feel parts of her mind go dimmer while other parts rose to the fore.
Finally the changes stopped; Sabrina looked over at the mirror on the dresser and was somewhat frightened by the reflection that stared back at her. She was wearing something skin tight that was all black and covered with spikes red spiked gauntlets and matching boots. There was a black mask over her face that shrouded out her features save for a pair of glowing green eyes and the only markings a sort of white H shape that met around her eyes. In her right hand she was holding a massive sickle, the giant curved blade long enough to go from her hip and curve all the way down to the floor. Her hair seemed to glow almost like fire and it waved about from an invisible wind.
"What in the…" Sabrina muttered and then raised her left hand towards her mouth realizing her voice had grown deeper.
"Well that is certainly a perfect disguise for travelling in hell if I do say so myself," Hilda said. "Now let's get you there before your Aunt Zelda figures out what we're up to."
Suddenly a portal opened up on the floor directly in front of Sabrina. She didn't even have time to react as portal quickly sucked her and she vanished from view.
"Good luck my niece," Hilda said as she closed the portal.
Sabrina fell for what felt like an eternity before she finally came crashing to a stop. As she picked herself up she saw that she was standing on top of a massive hill made entirely out of skulls.
"Disgusting," Sabrina muttered.
Then Sabrina got a closer look at the skulls. Some of them were human, but others were decidedly not. They reminded her off all sorts of animals, horses, pigs, dogs, cats; one skull looked like an elephant skull but with four massive horns.
"What the heck?" Sabrina asked quietly out loud to nobody.
She then became aware of noise off in the distance. There was a buzzing noise as well as the sound of roars and shouts, none of it in English. Sabrina looked towards the source of the noise and she saw a group of red scaled demons that looked to be twenty feet tall fighting what looked like massive wasps that were probably the size of a horse, but looked tiny compared to the bigger demons.
The bigger demons had large flaming swords and any of the wasps struck by one were killed instantly. However some of the bigger demons got swarmed and were quickly stung to death. But in the end it was the big red scaled demons that won the battle. A few of them picked up the corpses of their foes and carried them with them.
As Sabrina watched the big demons made their way towards some vast bronze structure off in the distance. With no idea where she was or where to go Sabrina decided that perhaps she should follow. Sabrina carefully made her way down the hill of skulls until she was walking through the battlefield where the demons had battled the giant wasps.
As Sabrina walked through the battlefield she was glad that she had the oversized sickle, although she hoped that she wasn't forced to use it. As she was picking her way through the battle field she heard sound coming from one of the big red demons, which just happened to be right in front of her. Sabrina worried that perhaps it wasn't actually dead, just wounded.
Sabrina tightened her grip on the sickle preparing herself to use it if necessary. Slowly she crept forward, as she got closer she saw that a much smaller demon was attempting to pry the sword of the dead demon from its death grip without much luck.
The smaller demon looked a bit like a medieval gargoyle but it's entire body was covered with spines. Even the wings emerging from its back had a spiny shape to them. Sabrina stopped and just watched the little demon. The demon suddenly seemed to sense that it was being watched and it turned and spotted Sabrina and let out a terrified shriek.
"Ah! Hellspawn… I… I'm sorry mistress," the little thing apologized.
"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Sabrina asked confused.
"I… wait a minute, who are you?" the spiny demon asked.
Sabrina knew Hellspawn were like officers down in hell and that she needed to act the part.
"I'm the one asking the questions here," Sabrina growled, a little perturbed at how easy it was to act so intimidating.
"Sorry, a thousand apologies," the demon said. "I… I heard that if you take a pit fiend's sword you can become one."
Sabrina let out a laugh that sounded deep and sinister even if it wasn't intended to sound as such.
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," she said.
"I… I'm sorry mistress," the demon apologized again.
"Enough with the apologies," Sabrina snapped. "Perhaps you can help me with something?"
"Yes, yes mistress anything for you," the little demon said.
"I'm looking for someone," Sabrina said. "John Zatara."
The spiny demon stared at her. Sabrina couldn't tell if it was confusion, disbelief or fright.
"Why are you looking for him?" the demon asked.
"That's not your concern," Sabrina replied. "Now tell me do you know where he is?"
"Of course, he is being held by Lord Belial," the demon replied.
"Lord Belial..." Sabrina repeated more to herself than anything.
Sabrina recalled seeing the name when she had been reading the Codex of the Underworld. Belial had been involved in a major Hell event called The Uprising. Eight arch-demons and arch-demonesses had risen up against perhaps one of the most powerful demons in all of Hell, Trigon, in an attempt to overthrow him. It looked as though Trigon was going to win when his lieutenant Belial had stepped in and stabbed Trigon in the back, siding with the other demons of The Uprising. Belial and the other eight had divided Trigon's section of hell amongst themselves. Belial had named is section Phlegethos.
"Yes Lord Belial," the little spiny demon said. "Known as the betrayer."
Suddenly Sabrina was snapped back to the night her father had disappeared. After she had first woken up and was heading into the hallway she had heard her father yell, "I'm not giving her to the betrayer."
Sabrina hadn't understood what that had meant at the time, but now she had a pretty good idea. Her father had been trying to protect her mother from Belial. The question now was why? That was something Sabrina could learn once she found him, assuming he was still alive.
"Where can I find Belial?" Sabrina asked.
The little spiny demon looked at her like she was crazy.
"You can find him in his palace in Abriymoch, the volcano city in Phlegethos," the spiny demon said. "Everyone knows…"
Sabrina suddenly lashed out with the sickle, hacking off the little demon's head. The decapitated demon fell to the ground, green blood leaking out of both its neck and head. Sabrina gave a slight sigh of relief, the demon could have blown her cover.
Sabrina had a name and a location now; that was more than when she had first come here. With a renewed sense of purpose Sabrina began heading once more towards the bronze structure she'd seen off in the distance.
Will Sabrina be successful in finding her father? Will she be able to rescue him? And will she find her mother too? Find out? Please review.