Path of the Sinned [FANTASMICAL 2023]

Narrow Rescue (WattpadHornsandHalos)

Date Unknown

I writhed against the ropes, but my body grew increasingly sluggish. As the high priest chanted over me, each sinned held a candle. 

I don't know how, but my very soul grew heavier within my body. A cold sweat broke over me and my skin felt clammy.

A tremor shook the underworld. The wind howled with the power of God. The sinned looked about. I didn't know if they were frightened or expectant. Perhaps both. 

As my soul and body continued to war with each other, the underworld was convulsed by another tremor. Then something black twisted around my ankle. I knew the sensation at once. I saw the pit of serpents that had attacked me when I was young.

I couldn't muster the strength to look, but I felt it slither atop my leg. Until it raised its head.

The sinned shrank away from the altar, prostrating in prayer and worship. The devil hardly glanced at them, his serpent eyes were fixed upon me. He was a loathesome creature that bared his twisted fangs. The fear in my heart was just as powerful as the agony that wracked my body and soul.

The serpent lunged towards me. Unable to turn away, I closed my eyes. His jaws grasped my bare neck, but his fangs did not sink into my flesh. 

A powerful wind swept through the underworld, borne on a commanding voice. I opened my eyes and saw a luminous angel standing where the high priest had stood.  

The angel placed a gentle hand on my forehead. At once I felt relief and sank upon the altar, exhausted beyond words.

The angel began to speak, but the serpent hissed, "You have no power here, Uriel. You disturb my worship and take my sacrifice."

Uriel answered, "He is neither yours nor is he mine, Baalam. His will belongs to another. It is she who must make a sacrifice."

Baalam recoiled angrily, seeming to grow double in size through his rage. "Do not speak of her! I have no use for her wiles. Never again. I banished her from my realm," he lowered his voice, "Just as I banished you."

"Yet you let these come in my place?" He referred to the sinned. "They bring more of their own each moon. How long will your power persevere?"

The high priest began to plead with Baalam. I couldn't understand what he said, but the serpent seemed receptive. They clearly were his followers and not Lilith's. But Cyril had been so convincing...Still, if I was naive, I could be usefully so.

Though half-dead, I forced out, "But Lilith is their mother--they pray her chants."

The room was electric with suspense. Cyril tried to talk over me, but I turned to him, "Cyril, didn't you pray the rite of the blood mother? When you brought me here? You pointed it out in Lilith's book of chants."

Cyril sputtered that the tome was mine, that it wasn't Lilith's prayer, that the chant had been Baalam's before the true sinned twisted it to their own use. It was now Uriel spoke up, saying that Lilith and Baalam had been worshiped together "before the waters of the deep had overflown" and any prayer that called upon her must necessarily call upon Baalam also.

This so angered the serpent, he lashed a coil round Cyril's throat, demanding to see the tome. But Uriel produced two from his mantle. One I knew was mine, but the other I had not seen. Was it Cyril's perhaps?

Baalam hardly glanced at the first chant in Cyril's book before flinging it away. 

"These chants are not mine. Not anymore. Where are the prayers of Ikar? The chants of the Dniep?"

Enraged, he twisted himself round Cyril. The poor man pleaded for mercy while the others scattered and vanished from sight. His sons fell on their knees, begging for Baalam to spare their father, each one offering to die in his stead.

I felt pity for the poor man. He had saved my life, even if it was only to sacrifice it. Weakly, I spoke up, reminding Baalam that the occult had likely found the prayers and chanted them without knowing what might happen. Then they discovered the underworld and Baalam and decided he must be the god they had prayed to.

"They were not mistaken," Uriel agreed, "In part. Perhaps you should make things right, Baalam?"

"Not with her."

"...with me, friend," Uriel said.

With a snarl, Baalam released Cyril. The poor man bowed and thanked him repeatedly before he and his sons also fled. 

"What do you want?" the serpent asked.

"Come back," Uriel urged, "Without your presence, the fallen grow restless. They are lost without leadership and will sate themselves with bloodshed."

Fallen? I wondered if they were another cult. Perhaps Baalam's true followers?

"They rejected me," Baalam said.

"They won't, not now," Uriel clasped his hands, "Walk with me and they will see you have changed."

The serpent turned away, uncertain. I took my chance. If Baalam agreed to go with Uriel, I might be spared the role of slaughtered lamb.

"It seems to me, my lord, that you don't deserve to cower out of sight. You have power and grace, the kind that far deserve more than a pathetic ring of cowlers offering you a half-baked cleric," he hissed, but I pressed on like a fool, "And if an angel of God is offering you power than it might--"

"Be a trap."

"--that you can use to your advantage," I grinned stupidly, "He seems like he wouldn't mind being outsmarted by you. And you can be sure he'll never admit it himself."

Baalam laughed then grunted harshly. He turned to Uriel.

"Come back," the angel urged, "Leave him, leave this all behind."

"No," Baalam said, fixing his gaze upon me, "I know what we shall do with him," he laid a coil over my eyes.

The last I recall were fangs around my neck.

"She awaits you in Paris..."

They pierced my flesh. Then I slipped away.