Time and space operated differently in this realm. Five minutes in this hallway could translate into hours in regular time or mere seconds.
Luc had done this walk a few times in the past with Amir, but was still baffled. How he knew which doorway to take was a mystery to Luc, but he never seemed to open the wrong one. He had once explained that he got a “feeling” when he was at the door corresponding to the location in which he wanted to emerge, as though every door had some kind of aura. If that was the case, Luc certainly couldn’t tell the difference.
They walked on in silence for what seemed like an hour before Amir suddenly stopped in front of one of the doors. He placed his palm flat on the surface and closed his eyes. Moments later he opened them and turned to Luc with a tight expression. “This is the one.”
Luc nodded and put his hand on Amir’s shoulder. They had to remain in contact in order for Luc to pass through the doorway to the destination, otherwise he would become trapped and lost in the twisting fog of the shadow world. “Okay, let’s do this.” Reaching forward, Amir grabbed the knob, turned it, and opened the door.
What came into view was always a daunting scene. Snow fell softly in large pink-tinged crystalline flakes, landing softly on a lake of blood-red ice. The sky looked like it was on fire, though there was no visible light source. Halja, the castle, appeared to be growing directly out of the centre of the lake. Gnarled root-like vines as thick as men twisted around each other and appeared to be holding the castle suspended above the ice. The walls of the castle were coated with a black, oily substance that oozed from the vines as though they were bleeding. Gargoyles kept watch over the barren landscape, their eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. If anyone approached, they would let out an unholy screech.
Amir looked over at Luc, “Where do you want me to take you? Main courtyard?”
“Yeah, that works.”
Amir closed the door, placed his palm back on the surface, and then re-opened it. A different scene greeted them. They were directly inside Halja’s courtyard. Luc took a deep breath and stepped out of the doorway behind Amir. Taking his hand off Amir’s shoulder, he moved around in front of his friend and faced him. “Thanks for the lift. I’ll meet up with you right here when I’m done.” Amir smiled and gave a conspiratorial wink. “Sure thing, man. See you in a bit.” He turned and stepped back through the doorway, closing it as though it had never been. Luc turned to get a better look at the courtyard.
As he took in the scene, Luc felt bile rise in his throat. The cobbled courtyard was running with blood. It pooled around the soles of his boots. The gargoyles shrieked, theirs screams echoing off the high stone walls of the inner courtyard. Luc swallowed hard and started to make his way toward the large, wooden double doors that marked the entrance to the castle proper. He kept his eyes focused straight ahead to avoid seeing the scenes of torture playing out around him. He heard cries for mercy and for death.
To his left, two Devourers stood beside a man sitting on the ground disembowelling himself with a large serrated knife. The gouges on his face were proof positive that he had tried to claw out his own eyes. He screamed, but no sound emerged, his vocal chords having shredded long ago. At the rate this man was going, he wouldn’t live much longer…a blessing. Satan often used the Devourers as his go-to demons for torture; their ability to sneak into the minds of their victims, feeding them horrifying images and suggestions, made them ideal for the job. They fed off of the emotional and physical pain of their victims. These Devourers were well-fed.
As Luc passed, they turned to face him, bearing twin sickening smiles. They blended well in the human world, easily hiding their small, black, leathery wings under sweaters and jackets. These two looked like accountants preparing for an audit. Whenever a human claimed to hear voices one of these guys was usually lurking in the shadows. The human was unable to resist committing whatever atrocity their mind was fed.
A cry drew his attention to a man chained to the side wall. Three Tiyank demons took turns using the man as target practice with their crossbows. It appeared as though they had pinned him with their arrows, avoiding all his major organs in a bid for him to live longer so they could enjoy his pain. The Tiyank were deceptively innocent, looking as though they had just stepped off the school bus. It was what made them so effective in capturing their victims. They played the part of a lost child, luring unwitting humans to their death. No good deed went unpunished when the Tiyank were around.
Luc tore his eyes away and fixed them back on the heavy doors as they suddenly swung open. The Keres strode through. They were dressed to the nines in designer outfits, looking like they’d just stepped off the runways of Paris. All eyes were on them, and they clearly enjoyed it that way, The Real Housewives of Halja...well...The Real Sisters. As one, all three women locked their baby-blue eyes on Luc. Long