Killian's Inferno

Chapter Eight

It had been over an hour since Nimue's appearance, while Emma and the others continued walking onward until they came upon what looked like a dead end, having entered into a darkened tunnel where the foul river ended and there was no light around them apart from the light of the torches the troupe had pulled down from off the walls to help guide them.

"Well, isn't this just great?" Regina stated cynically as she stopped, then glared over at the blonde woman. "We've taken a wrong turn somewhere. Now what do we do?"

"We should head back the way we came and retrace our steps," Charming replied as he looked behind them to observe the cavern for the way back out.

However, Emma objected as she focused on their surroundings, seeming to sense something that no one else could see or hear, until she realized that what she felt was her own magic emulating from Killian's hook as she pulled it again out to let it guide her, then she spoke up again saying quietly, "There's another way. I can feel it."

Snow looked over at her daughter as she searched the walls with her father's and Robin's help and responded gently, "Allow your magic to guide you, Emma. You can do this. You can get us all through this maze."

"Over here!" the Savior suddenly called out as she could hear and feel a small gust of wind coming from a crack in the cavern wall beside her, then with Regina's help as well, the four of them were able to open a passageway hidden behind the walls where there was a long stairwell leading down into depths of the Underworld, where the bloody river had turned into a river of fire and the walls became brimstone, just as everyone imagined Hell to be like. "My God, I thought I expected this place to look like this, but now that we're here… How are we ever going to find Killian through all this and make it back to the boatman in one piece?"

"As Archie, or Jiminy Cricket would tell you, 'let your conscience be your guide,' and your heart of course," Henry answered as he offered his mom a small smile, then walked on ahead with Regina and Robin, while Emma's parents came up beside her and pulled her into a hug before following after the others.

Emma watched them for a moment, admiring all of them for their courage, and then continued on as well, as she muttered to herself, "Right, let my conscience and my heart guide me. Easier said than done."

While the expedition continued down the stairs and observed their surroundings cautiously, Henry looked closer at the images of men, women, and even those that were of people his own age appearing to be caught in a scream or with tears on their faces etched into the cavern's walls, then he said again nervously, "These paintings are terrifying."

"These aren't paintings," Regina responded with disgust as she pulled Henry closer to her. "These are real people, or they're their souls. They've all been trapped within these walls for God knows how long and will be for eternity, probably as they are forced to relive their sins and wrongdoings in life over and over again."

"For what?" Robin asked in anger. "For punishment because this is what comes of all those who are evil, or because they refused to do this God of the Underworld's bidding?"

David turned away from the images as he simply stated, "It's horrible whatever Hades' reasons are. Robin's right, I doubt that all of these people were evil. Either way, no one deserves to suffer for an eternity like this no matter what they've done."

Mary Margaret answered sadly, "As tragic as this is, there is nothing we can do for them. We're all here for one reason so we need to concentrate on that and keep moving."

"Mom's right," Emma replied in agreement as they finally made their way down to the bottom of the stone steps and carefully began walking alongside the lava out of fear that the land beneath their feet might give way at any moment. "Oh… please let these passageways be stable."

"This land may be stable for now, but it might not be for much longer," Robin responded nervously as the thief turned toward the sound of something big stomping toward them as they all gathered closer together until all of a sudden a huge, hairy beast resembling something of a dog with three heads came crashing through the walls behind them as it howled at them, gnashing its fang like teeth. "What the bloody hell is that thing?"

Regina pushed everyone ahead of her as she shouted, "Does it really matter? Run!"

Everyone did as she ordered while the Queen stood firm as she ignited a fireball in her hand and thrust the flame at the monster as it was about to strike out at her with its paw, only managing to make it angrier as it shrieked when her fire struck it in its head. Emma stopped running and turned back to try to help her, hoping that together they would be able to defeat this monster.

When he turned back to find out what they were doing and saw it knock the woman he loved off her feet as she crashed against the edge of the brimstone path nearly landing her into the blazing river beside her, Robin fearfully cried out, "Regina!"

"I'm alright, just keep going!" she called back to him as she struggled to stand again with Emma's help, then immediately blasted it with another, larger flame that struck the beast in one of its eyes, successfully blinding it and leaving them with five more to deal with. "It's going to take more than my own fire power to destroy this thing, Emma! Any suggestions?"

"I don't think we can destroy it," the Savior answered worryingly while she raised an invisible barrier above her and her friend to protect them when the beast struck out at them again, struggling to keep it up while she and Regina thought of a solution. "But maybe we can trap it, or bind it somehow."

An arrow suddenly flew past the two women, striking the three headed monster in another of its eyes, then the thief ran over to the Queen as he handed her a silver flask he carried inside his coat and asked quickly, "It's small, but do you think you can trap that thing inside this?"

Regina looked into his eyes, then took the decanter in her hands as she replied, "I guess we're about to find out. Help Emma by keeping that thing distracted for me while I do this, but be careful. I won't lose you again."

"Just hurry, I don't know how much longer I can keep this beast back!" Emma cried, falling to one knee while struggling to keep her barrier in place as it continued to lash out at them.

"How about an arrow straight into your heart, monster?" Robin said more to himself than to the creature or to anyone else as he tethered another arrow into his bow, then aimed and released it, striking it exactly where he wanted it to.

While they kept the creature busy, Regina stared down at the flask in her hand and began summoning a spell within her mind, the decanter beginning to glow and rise into the air as she did. When she reached the peak of the spell, power wielding chains suddenly burst out of the container and tightly wrapped themselves around the monster, then consumed it, pulling the animal back inside. Once it was all over, the Queen immediately sealed it, then threw the flask into the fire so that the beast wouldn't be able to harm them again.

With help up from Henry, who quickly ran over to them, Emma stood, then hugged her son tightly as she looked at Regina and stated, "That was one hell of a spell you just cast. Thank you, Regina."

Henry turned to hug his second mother as well, as Robin placed his hand on her back for support, then she nodded and responded, "You're welcome. I couldn't have done it without either of you. That thing, whatever it was, can't be killed, but if Hades wants his pet back, he'll have to go fishing for it. I don't believe it will be able to harm us again any time soon, if at all."

"It's called Cerberus," Henry answered quickly. "Hades' favorite beast and guardian down here, something else I learned from a text book, and from Harry Potter."

"Who's Harry Potter?" David asked as he and Mary Margaret also walked over to join them.

Henry looked at them quizzically and then replied, "We should all really sit down to watch a movie every once and awhile like a normal family."

Emma smiled as she patted his head, then responded, "That's sounds great, kid. Maybe one day, once we return home and everything becomes settled again."

"Have you always had that flask, because I don't ever remember seeing you drink from it before?" Regina asked as she turned to look at Robin.

"Actually no," the archer answered sadly as he lowered his head. "Killian… He gave it to me back when I first returned to Storybrooke with you and Emma, and Zelena, after our brief stay in New York. He said he thought I could use it whenever I needed to take my mind off of something troubling. Rum never was my choice of drink, but he was right. It can certainly help at times. Now that you've destroyed it, when we all return home I'll just have to ask him for a new one."

Little did the heroes know, Rumpelstiltskin was standing watch from a ledge far above them in their battle, and when they had thwarted his plan once again, the Dark One growled in frustration, then disappeared in a puff of smoke. It was going to take something more cunning than a three headed dog to defeat them.