The thing no one tells you about looking in the eyes of the dead is that it is so much more chilling when they dead are alive. Wendy's heart speeds up when Fredrick's eyes meet hers and she almost stops breathing entirely when she sees a flicker of recognition spark and then die in his eyes. The spark leaves a fire in its wake, and familiarity is lost as the hellhound with her nephew's eyes lifts its head to the ashen heavens and howls. It's the most mournful sound she has ever heard and a tear slips from her eyes as they to go hollow. She knew it happened sometimes to lost souls, and she knew that this was the devil's game.
"Eyes I dare not meet in dreams," she breathes out the incantation a brilliant warlock had written in 1925. "In death's dream kingdom these do not appear. Let me be no nearer in death's dark kingdom than I would be in the kingdom of dreams." Stepping back from the hellhound in the spell's trance she watches her nephew's eyes warp into dark voids that reveal the hound for the beast it is, and from there Wendy simply has to act on instinct. Kitty form or no all hellhounds like a chase, and now she knows what she'll find atop the pointy hill. Letting out a chilling howl of her own she raises an articulate eyebrow at the beast and weaves to run under and past its heavy, heaving chest. It spins around trying to catch her, but she weaves back under its stomach and gives it a shove.
"The bigger they are," she whispers sadly to herself, "the harder they fall." And she's right. The beast tumbles to the ground and its weight pushes it into the needles until it goes still, and its eyes change for the last time. Hollow. Its death reminds her of her own bleeding feet and she forces her eyes away from the gruesome sight and continues up the grim hill to the Devil's real test.
The angelic voice reaches her acute ears well before she reaches the top of the hill and sees its source. Victor looks even more handsome in hell than he did in Asgard the first time Joanna brought him home to meet the family – that was a disaster. Wendy smiles despite herself at the memory, and forgets where she is for just a moment. A precious moment that leaves her standing on the sharp needles with red feet, pale legs, and black hair that no longer looks like that of a well-groomed kitty, but instead one with its back arched and all its fur on end. She looks like a dark angel and Victor looks like god himself, but with weird eyes and a fake smile that looks like its held there by invisible pins. His voice, though, is just like it always was and he looks young and vibrant – full of life in the hollowness of hell. He turns towards her slowly, smiling, and says "dear Wendy how did we get here? Why are we in the dead land under the twinkle of a fading star?" She smiles at the quote of the previously mentioned warlock and notices the flaw in the game of a devil who like to prove his wit.
"Victor, sweet Victor, if you were you I would be immeasurably happy, but allusions reveal illusions and T.S Eliot was a great warlock and the devil is a hollow man."
Victor's smile droops like a puppet with cut strings, and he slowly descends the hill towards her. He brings green grass with him that spreads like a luxurious carpet under her stinging feet. Loosing herself in relief she doesn't notice how close he is until his warm breath brushes her ear.
"Wendy I know what you're here for, but life is overrated. Those women are overrated – they left us Wendy. Joanna left you for hundreds of years and left me for dead. I know you have always been jealous of Joanna – stay with me and you can have what she never can. Kiss me Wendy. Stay with me! Drink with me..." He trails off and lifts a vial of red liquid that has a thin veil of ice cracking on the surface. "You don't need this anymore, Wendy. Just -" he pulls her close and lowers his head towards her chapped lips - "Stay. With. Me."
Wendy licks her lips and leans in towards him – towards his soft lips; his flushed neck; his hollow eyes. She leans in towards his and drapes her arm around his neck. She curls her elegant fingers around the hard, throbbing bottle. And she stabs him in the heart. "There is a stake in your fat black heart," she whispers a final incantation to kill the devil's puppet, "you bastard I'm through!" Leaving the black needle in his chest she turns and runs down the hill with the vial in hand. She reaches the bottom tired and bloody, and the ground rushes up to her while she heaves. Blood tastes metallic in her mouth and she coughs it up as she shakily gets to her feet and runs for her life. The bitter red liquid bubbles up her throat and it's all she can do to keep it from suffocating her.
"Well little sister it looks like you survived – sort of..." Wendy vomits more blood and glares through the gate at Helena.
"Let me through sister – I did as you said and I don't have much time."
Helena slowly walks towards her and sticks her hand through the gate to close off Wendy's throat, "that's the truth. Now give me the blood or I'll let you die here all over again."
"Pull me through first," Wendy gasps, "please."
"I am waiting for my blood!" Helena shrieks hysterically and Wendy hesitantly gives her a vial full of something red.
"Okay you have it – now help me."
Helena turns away and leaves Wendy behind the gate, "I don't think so – you'd only get in the way of my plans. Those three women will be here very soon – what a wonderful reunion. Don't you think so?"
Wendy swallows another mouthful of blood and smiles calmly at her sister as she steps through the gate and walks over to the ferry boat on the black lake.
"What did you do?" Helena cries as she rushes towards the lake, but she's too late. Wendy pushes off from the shore and towards a distant light like a fading star.
Smiling back at her sister she mischievously bites her lip. "I've tried a lot of drinks, but never devil's blood – I think I'll remind Freya to leave that one off the Bent Elbow menu; it's a little bitter, but probably a hella alot sweeter than yours my traitorous Helena." Wendy turns away and calls back, "don't worry, though, sis – I'll give my family your regards."
The incantations are quotes or variations from the Hollow Men by T.S Eliot and Daddy by Sylvia Plath. Victors quote from the famous warlock is also a T.S Eliot quote. I do not own them, but they were too suiting not to play with.
(Also this will get slightly less dark soon as Wendy returns to the living so hopefully it's not too gruesome, but I'm having a lot of fun writing. Also I am back to having a life so expect more chapters very soon and much more often! Hope you're all enjoying it!)