CHAPTER 8 – DEVIL'S HOLLOW
A/N: Hahahahaha! A rare time indeed… to be able to knock off work on the dot… and I spend it on updating the fic. Are you pleased? I hope you are… so kindly show it by reviewing… it gives me the strength to carry onnnnnnnnnnn…… Okay, enough rubbish, let's be on our way to………
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Devil's Hollow in Gloomgrave Valley… a place avoided at all costs by those residing in Angel Land, especially the third-line Angels, for they were the youngest generation and therefore more susceptible to brainwashing by their elders.
It was a place notoriously rumoured to be inhabited by a Devil, if not a Demon, just as it's name suggests. Celestine never did believed in anything she didn't see with her own eyes, but it was a strictly prohibited area, for the penalties of venturing into that place were so severe that no Angel would dream of entering it… penalties set by the Great Lord himself. It was the most effective deterrent for keeping the curious wanderers at bay, even one as mischievous as the young Celestine.
Being an Angel from the third-line, Celestine had little, if no knowledge of Devil's Hollow. However, it could not stop her from going there to rescue her friend… since it had been a well-known fact that even the Great Lord himself could not stop her if her mind was bent on something. The special concession that gave her allowance to stay with the mortals, and more importantly, her human lover Zell, was a prime example of her ability in getting her own way. (Surely another huge reason for Tanya's dislike towards her.)
From what little she knew, though, Celestine was sure that this Hyne-forsaken place was at the other end of the realm from Angel Land… in a place called "Strider's Islands" in fact. All these she had gained from the stories her nanny sometimes whispered among the other maids… when they had thought her to be asleep. Lord knows she was a naughty little girl who just wouldn't stay in her dreams especially since their conversation was so much more interesting. It had never dawned upon her that their gossip would come in handy… and after the many years she had heard them.
Just as her mind was meandering about on her childhood, the island in question appeared in her view.
"This is it… Strider's Islands…" She whispered. She had knew immediately upon sight for it had a unique shape… like that of a sword with a its blade in two pieces.*
From its appearance, it wasn't as formidable as the stories suggested. It may be a tad extreme, for the landscape was made up of several opposites lying side by side. Half the horizon was glittering with tiny stars on a pitch-black sky, while the other half had clouds lingering about, dancing in the wind and cavorting with the sun.
"It looks like a self-contained planet just in this Strider's Islands alone!" Celestine said to herself in surprise, and a hint of … appreciation? For whoever created such a place clearly had a lot of tolerance for change, an indication of the creator's aversion to blandness.
"Woe is me if I were to be stuck with a boring old fart, as his initials seemed to suggest…" She muttered to no one in particular.
Just as she was about to grumble that the whereabouts of Gloomgrave Valley or more accurately, Devil's Hollow was unknown to her, a rich baritone voice entered her mind to direct her towards the appropriate place.
Follow the path to that dark valley in the middle of that red-sanded desert, and you shall soon reach the Devil's Hollow.
Not knowing if she should trust it, she pondered for a while, then shrugged her shoulders.
"Besides, there's no other way I know of, except his…." She told herself.
A good, wise decision. As always, you have lived up to my expectations as being sharp in mind and tongue. A potent combination….
"Oh, shut the hell up! I do not need any comments from you about my own character, and neither do I care if I meet up to your expectations or not!" She shouted skywards, presuming that this R.M. would be eavesdropping on her.
Very well, it seems that you would be doing fine. I shall not speak another word if it displeases you so.
"Thank you! Your silence would be greatly appreciated!!"
Celestine headed for the red desert, wading through a whole field of pollen-shedding flowers along her way.
Appearances were deceiving, even to the perceptive Angel's eye. For even though the distance had looked rather short to her, by the time she reached the entrance of the desert, one of the suns had already set, replaced by a bluish-white moon.
"Damn… I should have flown instead!" She gasped, letting her wings carry her towards the destination.
Little progress was made, however, for the air was saturated with sand, weighing her down and hampering her flight.
"Alright, you win! How do I get into that place of yours?"
You just wouldn't listen to me…
"I swear… I'll rip your tongue from your mouth if you say another offensive word!"
I wouldn't dare… my dear. It is rather simple, really. Just envision the words "Devil's Hollow" in your mind, putting a little concentration behind it, mind you, and you'll be here in a second.
Who's his dear? If I weren't so desperate to save Quis, I wouldn't have endured this for even a nanosecond! She thought angrily to herself.
She closed her eyes, trying to pull all her concentration into imagining the place. She was dimly aware that her body seemed to be moving across a huge space.
Well done, Angelwing. Now open your eyes.
She opened them, and true enough, she was already at the bottom of the valley, standing in front of a cave opening, which led to a tunnel travelling beneath the earth.
"Devil's Hollow… I'm sure I'll get sick of hearing it sooner than later…" She said aloud, purposefully intending the eavesdropper to hear it.
Touche… Your words cut deeply, my dear.
"Who cares." She snorted, while making a mental note to choke this R.M. to death for calling her his "dear" again.
In no time at all, she came upon an elaborately carved stone door, with an ancient Anglish symbol on it... an anti-Hyne one, if what she had studied in her history lessons were to be accurate.
Voiusaware eet ra Deeviles Corwan. Eet voraiye, atou ra vey "Redrumiel".
He knows Anglish? Celestine thought to herself in shock… but it should not have been much of a surprise to her at all, since the place was on the same dimension as Angel Land… and the Anglish Symbol was surely a glaring clue to his origins.
That means, "Welcome to the Devil's Hollow. To enter, speak the word 'Redrumiel'" which happens to be my name, in case you wanted to know.
"I know what it means! And I didn't want to know… in the case or out of it!" She retorted, while finding the name Redrumiel not quite as foreign as she would have liked… which probably meant that he was truly from the same race as her.
Just the thought alone makes me feel like puking!
Oh, you'll have plenty of puking to do later. Now, do you want the door to open, or do you want to root yourself outside?
"REDRUMIEL!" She yelled.
Almost immediately, the door evaporated, creating an opening for her to enter.
As soon as she stepped foot into the hall, the door returned again to seal the opening.
Taking a short look around, she immediately focused her gaze upon the one sitting on the throne.
She knew beyond doubt that it was Redrumiel, since he was the only one there, other than herself.
One look, and she was willing to bet her life that his roots were Anglish as well, for Angels share a common type of aura, whether from the right side of the rule of Hyne or not. But she was not in the mood to explore the mysteries of this particular Angel; she had better things to do than that!
"Where's Quis?" She demanded, boring her fiery eyes into his.
"You two are so alike in character. Impatient, rude, and so very fond of cutting straight to the point. I guess it's commendable when one is young, like her, with a need to assert oneself. But you should be more careful, having acquired several years of Angel training before!"
"It is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! JUST TELL ME WHERE SHE IS, AND STOP WASTING MY TIME!" She had wanted to keep a lid on her temper, for this Redrumiel was holding Quis hostage, making her situation less than favourable. But she just could not stand the way he thought of himself, as if a higher being than her, always lecturing or commenting about what he liked (or didn't) about her! Celestine's habit of having zero tolerance for criticisms did not help either.
"I would try to be careful with my words if I were you. Have you forgotten that your friend is with me? With a mere word, I can easily end her life, believe it or not!"
"Where is she then?"
"In my chamber. Being a kind one, I will let you see her."
"And what ulterior motive do you have for luring me to this place? Don't try to deny it…"
"I'm not denying it… but first things first. Since you're so eager to see your Quis, as you like to call her, I wouldn't dare to hold you back if I valued my life!" He grinned widely. She suddenly had an urge to show him the obscene sign that Zell would occasionally make whenever he was really angry. But gripping a tight control over her fingers, she managed not to raise it.
How dare he try to mar my pleasant memories of Zell's grin? Such coarseness… such shameless impudence! I'd slap him real hard if he weren't holding on to Quis! Despicable bastard!
Clenching her fingers tightly, partly due to her rage, and partly to prevent them from misbehaving, she followed him into his room, where he claimed to have held Quis.
Sure enough, she was sitting on one of the couches with her back facing the door. The golden, shiny tresses dispelled any worries that she was dying of sickness... as she had feared initially.
"Quis!" She cried out joyfully. It was only then that she knew how much she had missed her, for immediately a wave of tears threatened to engulf her.
The blonde head turned around immediately, a shocked yet glad expression reflected on her face.
"Celestine! How did you get in here?" She exclaimed, jumping up to meet her friend.
They looked at each other for a while, smiling with eyes shining with tears.
Celestine gave her a big hug, wanting to make sure that she wasn't dreaming, that it was really Quis standing in front of her.
"Where have you been? I looked all over for you! All over! I'm so glad you're okay!" She started blabbering, unable to stop the words from flowing out of her mouth.
Quistis looked at her sadly for a moment.
A flash of something flitted through her sky-blue eyes.
Slowly, her pupils changed colour, into a hue-less grey.
She grabbed her Save the Queen without a single sound.
The whip lay poised in her hand, as she prepared to lash it upon the sobbing Celestine……
Will Celestine dodge the attack in time?
Will Quistis wake up at the right moment? (Highly impossible, this.)
What did Redrumiel the Red Devil have in mind?
What is to become of Celestine, and Quistis?
Find out in the next instalment of "Lead me to the Light"!
A/N:
Notice the words "Strider's Islands" and "sword with its blade broken into two pieces"? If you're a fan of LOTR, you would probably recognise its origins, hahaha… an inside joke of some sort for you. So yes… it means that "Strider" and "sword with its blade broken into two" weren't my own ideas, they belong to the late (right?) J. R. Tolkien….. As for the name of that sword… I'll have to check it out, since my memory has been deteriorating ever since I was twelve…Oh… can it be Anduril? Correct me if I'm wrong!
And not to worry, the next instalment won't be long in its coming… meanwhile, I need to rest. See you next chapter!