Sealed by Fire

Chapter 1

1

Ra entered his room and moved quickly. He’d traveled straight from Terra Academy’s grounds to Crimson Academy in a lightning-fast whirlwind of smoke and fire. Desperate to leave as soon as possible, the elementalist sent word with a fire imp to the headmaster and headmistress to expect him in a few moments. 

He made quick work of changing into his fighting clothes. Unlike most of his other classmates, Ra didn’t train in typical military-style clothing. Instead, he wore clothing modeled after the royal warriors of his Egyptian ancestors. On his chest, he donned thick leather straps that crisscrossed him, protecting both his back and front. The bracers of his ancestors might have been made from bronze or copper, but Ra’s were leather interwoven with a nearly indestructible modern metal alloy. Instead of pants, he wore a wrap of the same leather and metal construction that hung to his lower thigh. It bore slits every three inches that ran up to the waist, allowing free movement of each of his legs. Instead of leather sandals on his feet, he wore boots that perfectly fit his feet and wrapped protectively up his calf to the top of his knee. 

Once dressed, Ra slipped a quiver of arrows over his shoulder. He buckled the belt holding his short sword around his waist and adjusted the blade to rest on his right side. Finally, he buckled on the sheath that held his dagger to his left thigh. The slits in his wrap made it easy to get to the dagger should he need it. He slipped a necklace on that bore his royal name. A cartouche, it was called in modern day. To him and his people, it was a way to add protection. 

Noticing his phone lying on his desk, he remembered that his friends from the other academies had wanted to see him off. He imagined they may not have realized he wasn’t going to sleep that night. Yet he’d been unable to rest for a moment since the enchanting green-eyed girl had been flung from the grounds of Terra Academy through a portal to the underworld. Now, Ra felt an urgency he didn’t understand, but he knew he would not be able to wait until morning to journey after Tara’s friend. So, he texted Elias to let him know he was leaving and not to worry about seeing him off. That done, Ra walked to the door, picked up his bow and shield, and headed out. 

Ra jogged through the corridors of the academy until he reached the large doors leading to the offices of Headmaster Jeremiah and his mate, Headmistress Talia. Ra knocked and waited. His mind kept picturing the blonde female that the acolyte Tucker had handled so roughly. Ra’s jaw clenched as he remembered how she’d been carelessly thrown through the portal, like a bag of garbage into a dumpster. At that point, something inside of him had snapped. He’d wanted nothing more than to drive his blade through Tucker’s chest and watch the life drain from his eyes. Apparently, Ra’s rage had been even greater than he’d realized because he’d ended up beheading the man. 

The door in front of Ra opened, revealing Professor Bernhardt. The man taught several subjects related to human warfare, including the use of martial weapons. “Ra,” the professor said with a slight bow of his head. Professor Bernhardt was old—very old—and he understood Ra’s ancestry. Because of that, the man often acknowledged Ra’s royalty with a bow, even if it was just his head. 

“Professor,” Ra said in greeting. “I need to speak with the headmaster and headmistress.”

“They’ve been expecting you.” The professor motioned for Ra to enter, and he stepped through the doorway and into the office. 

Professor Jeremiah, the headmaster of Crimson Academy, stood at the front of the room. His hands were clasped behind his back as he stood tall and regal. His eyes took in Ra’s appearance. If the professor was surprised the student was dressed as if he were ready to go to war, his eyes didn’t show it. 

“The headmaster from Terra Academy has been in touch,” he said. “Terrick explained what happened with the human female.”

“She is in the underworld. She was alive when they threw her into the portal,” Ra said. He kept his voice even, but inside, his blood was boiling. 

“And you want to go after her?” Jeremiah asked. 

“How is this our problem?” asked Professor Bernhardt. “The girl was taken on the steps of Terra Academy. Shouldn’t they be responsible?”

Ra started to growl but choked it back. “I am the ideal person to go after the human female,” he said, ignoring Professor Bernhardt and staring straight at Headmaster Jeremiah. “You know it.”

“You are a very skilled warrior, Ra,” continued the professor. “In fact, you’re the best we’ve had at this academy in a very long time. But you are a student, nonetheless. We have more experienced warriors to send should Terra Academy require aid.”

Ra didn’t acknowledge the professor’s statement. He simply continued to stare directly at the headmaster, who held the student’s gaze.

After several moments of silence, Professor Bernhardt spoke again. “Why do I feel that I do not have the whole story here?” 

“May I?” Headmaster Jeremiah asked.

Ra wanted to tell him no. They were wasting time. He had no idea how long it would take him to find the female once he got to the underworld. But he gave the headmaster a nod.

“You are aware that Ra is a direct descendant of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs,” Headmaster Jeremiah said.

“Of course,” Bernhardt answered.

“Because of his bloodline,” Jeremiah continued, “he has certain connections. The ancient Egyptians worshipped the lord of the underworld and are paying for that loyalty with an eternity in his realm.”

Professor Bernhardt’s eyes widened as he looked at Ra. “You believe your ancestors will aid you somehow?”

“Yes,” said Ra.

“How will you find them? There are seven levels in the underworld. They are vast.”

Ra knew the professor’s concerns were legitimate. The underworld wasn’t simply a vast pit as some believed. It was an entire world in and of itself. Though vastly different from the up-world, it was nearly as large. Instead of being a spherical shape like the earth, the underworld was made up of seven levels. As might be expected, the lower the level, the darker its occupants. 

“I have ancestors who were pledged to the lord at their death. Their souls reside in the underworld. They will help me navigate.”

Bernhardt looked anything but convinced. “Ra—”

“Professor,” he interrupted. “I mean you no disrespect, but I know more about the underworld than any professor at this academy.”

Bernhardt frowned and looked to the headmaster.

“It is true,” Headmaster Jeremiah confirmed. “Ra possesses the memories of all of the pharaohs in his bloodline. He has had contact with those in the afterlife, and they have shared their knowledge with him. I, too, am loathe to send anyone into the underworld, Bernhardt, especially a student. But Ra is safer there than any of us would be. Just because we have the ability to enter doesn’t mean we would be welcome. He may be.”

“Regardless,” Bernhardt replied, “this isn’t our fight.”

“It is, I’m afraid,” said Jeremiah. “We have definitive proof now that dark elementals of differing attunements are working together.” Bernhardt’s face darkened as he stared at Jeremiah. “This makes them all the more dangerous,” the headmaster continued. “As such, the academies must respond in kind. We will help our brethren.”

A door behind Headmaster Jeremiah’s desk opened, and Headmistress Talia entered. Her face lit up when she saw Ra. Ra knew she was the type of headmistress who saw all of the students as her children. And she often treated them as such.

“It is good to see you, Ra,” she said as she came over to him and gave him a hug. Ra didn’t return the gesture, as he wasn’t particularly affectionate and preferred not to be touched, but that never seemed to bother Headmistress Talia. Liam, who also knew of his secrets, said it was because of his bloodline. Pharaohs were considered deities to their people, and it was forbidden to touch them. Liam joked that Ra was just channeling his inner pharaoh. Ra ignored his i***t friend because he knew it was just a personality thing. Being touched felt like ants on his skin. So, Ra avoided it if possible.

“Whatever you boys are talking about, it must be quite serious,” she said as she took her place at her mate’s side. Jeremiah rested his hand on her back and pulled her closer. 

“Ra is going to the underworld,” he told her.

Talia’s mouth dropped open. “Why?” 

The headmaster quickly filled her in, and when he was finished, Ra was so tense he worried his grip would snap his bow in half.

“Shouldn’t you at least take another warrior with you?” Talia asked him.

Ra shook his head. “I don’t know how my ancestors would respond to another. I just want to get started. While we stand here discussing this, the female remains vulnerable in the underworld.”

Talia’s face softened. “You are right. Go, Ra. Get the human back and then return to us.”

“In the meantime,” Headmaster Jeremiah said, “we will meet with the other heads of the academies. The threat has become too great to ignore.”

Ra agreed. It was about time the segregation between the elemental academies ended. They were allies and needed to start acting like it.

“I will return as soon as I can,” he said.

Professor Bernhardt spoke before Ra turned to leave. “I will let your instructors know. We will work out a time for you to make up your classwork … assuming you return safely, of course.”

“I trust Ra’s abilities,” said Jeremiah. 

“Thank you,” Ra said. He bowed to the headmaster and headmistress and then left the office.

Ra raced for the staircase leading to the deepest part of the castle. At the top was a locked door that would only open for a select few. Owing to his bloodline, he was one of them. He pushed past it and barreled down the many flights of stone steps, not even waiting for the door to click closed behind him. He took the steps two at a time as he descended. He heard the sound of whistling floating up from the lowest floor.

“Greetings, Ra,” said a creaky voice when Ra’s foot hit the bottom step. “Long time no see.” A goblinoid creature, it’s skin tomato red, stood in front of another heavy door. 

“No time to talk, Zrag. Just open the door.”

“That’s no way to treat an old friend.”

“I’m going to treat you to the end of my blade if you don’t open the door by the time I count to three.”

“You still owe me a pint of mead.”

“One…”

“You’re just like your father. 

“Two….”

“He was impulsive, too,” said the goblin.

“Thr—”

“All right, all right, keep your bracers on,” said the goblin. He fished around on his belt until he retrieved a large iron ring bearing many bent and brittle looking rusty keys. He appeared to be considering them carefully before he finally turned and inserted the most bent and brittle of the lot into the door’s keyhole.

Leaving his hand on the key, Zrag turned back to Ra. “Are you sure you want to cross the river alone. Styx can be a cruel mistress.”

“I’m fully aware of the dangers. I’ve been across many times.”

“Never alone.”

“Just do it,” said Ra.

The goblin shrugged. “Tell ol’ Charion hello from me.” With that, Zrag turned the key, and the resulting click echoed throughout the stone stairwell.

Ra pushed past the goblin and sped into the darkness on the other side of the door. He heard the creature yell at his back, “You’re welcome!”

Within a few paces, Ra saw the river, a ribbon of black stretching across the dimly lit cavern. It flowed straight under the castle and into the bedrock below. Because of the river’s danger, very few students knew of its existence.  

Ra paused and knelt on the banks of the slow-moving water. He drew in a deep breath before placing a hand in. The man began to whisper words in a long-forgotten Coptic language. He felt the rush of heat as the river started moving in the opposite direction. Ra turned his head and watched the water flow from a tunnel carved into the far wall of the cavern. He tried not to fidget but couldn’t help tapping his foot and rubbing his chin. 

After a few moments, a figure came into view deep within the tunnel. For a moment, it looked like a skeleton gliding upright across the top of the water. But soon Ra could make out the small boat the figure was piloting. All of a sudden, the skeleton and his boat were thrown into stark relief as the tunnel began to glow reddish-orange from deep within.

If Ra hadn’t known better he would have thought he was hallucinating as he watched the skeleton slowly gain flesh. Soon a naked man piloted the boat. As the man pushed the craft along, garments began to form on his body, so that when he finally bumped against the bank in front of Ra, the man’s form was covered by a long black cloak. 

The ferryman held out a hand. “p*****t,” he said in a voice that was raw with disuse. 

Ra pulled the dagger from his thigh and ran it across the palm of his hand. Then he held the bleeding hand out over the man's outstretched hand and let his blood drip. 

After a minute the man nodded and closed his hand into a fist. “It is enough,” he said.

Ra slipped the dagger back into its sheath and then took his other hand and held it over the cut. He called on the fire that lived inside him. The flame coated his hand, and he ran it over the wound. It closed, and the flesh was healed as if the injury had never been. Then he stepped into the boat and stood at the prow. “Take me to the resting place of the ancient pharaohs,” he commanded.

“You should be on guard, my lord,” the ferryman replied. “Unrest plagues the realms of the underworld.”

Ra kept his face blank. “It’s hell. When is there not unrest?”

The ferryman made a noise in his throat that might have been mistaken for a chuckle. With a slow thrust of his pole, he shoved the tiny craft back out into the river. The water swirled and gurgled and changed direction again, moving back to its original course. Now, the boat was back in the tunnel, gliding slowly toward the fiery orange passage to the underworld.

 Ra quieted his mind and calmed the emotions that had been building in him since he’d first laid eyes on the human girl named Shelly. He pictured her and tried to recall every detail his eyes had been able to soak in during the brief moments he’d seen her before she was tossed into the underworld. He envisioned her golden locks, the fierce burning in her green eyes, her rose lips pursed in determination, and her delicate chin tilted up in defiance. Her body was long and lean, and the swing she had taken at Tucker showed she had a natural grace. 

Ra needed to hold on to the image of the girl in hopes that he would be able to see her aura once he was in the underworld. He didn’t allow himself to even consider the possibility she was already gone. He rarely let his emotions rule him, and he wasn’t about to start now. 

Ra’s jaw clenched as he said, “Hold on, fierce one.” 

Ra wasn’t sure how long he was on the boat. Time didn’t pass the same in the underworld as it did in the topworld. He was restless, but he refused to allow any outward appearance of vulnerability. Any sign of weakness down here could prove fatal. Instead, he forced himself to project an air of confidence. Evil lurked in the shadows of the underworld, and he knew they were watching. The demon inhabitants here wouldn’t hesitate to use any weakness against him.

As his eyes roamed over the landscape around him, he couldn’t help but wonder if his ancestors regretted worshiping the god of the underworld above the others. Their faithfulness to Osiris had earned them their place in the afterlife. It was here, in the inferno, that they now spent their eternity. Is this what they had hoped for?

As dry and as hot as a desert at high noon, Osiris’s domain was not what anyone would consider a paradise. Even for a fire elementalist, it wasn’t a comfortable place to be. Though Ra didn’t burn the way others would, he wasn’t impervious to the heat. His skin was saturated with sweat, and he felt trickles roll down his back. 

Ra heard a noise to his left and glanced out of the corner of his eye. A demon scuttled along the bank. It had been a quiet trip down the River Styx so far though, but Ra held no illusions he’d make the entire trip without confrontation. He breathed easier. The demon wasn’t terribly brave or powerful. He was simply curious as to whether Ra might make easy prey. 

The demon hissed as it crawled forward keeping pace with the slow-moving craft. “Why does one of the living tread here amongst the lost?”

Ra didn’t acknowledge the creature’s words. Engaging the being in any form of discussion would be futile. Demons were known for their dishonesty and hatred of humans. They were terribly jealous humans were free to live in the upworld while they were stuck in the heat of the Underworld.

“You think you are too good to speak to me, child?” The demon growled. “You are nothing. Whatever reason you have for being here, I hope you packed a bag because you won’t be leaving.”

“S-s-shame on you, Bealious,” another demon said as it stepped out from behind a tall dead tree. “Don’t be so disrespectful to our guest. He is one of royal blood, after all.”

It didn’t surprise Ra that a demon knew who he was. Osiris certainly knew the moment Ra crossed into his domain. And the underworld didn’t receive many visitors, at least not by choice. Word of his presence was sure to have traveled fast. 

“What brings you to our lovely city, Ra, descendant of Ramses?” The second demon asked.

Ra kept his eyes on the river straight ahead and his mind focused on his purpose. The demons simply wanted a reaction of any kind. In a lot of ways, demons were like three-year-olds. Just a tad more bloodthirsty. 

“How much farther?” Ra asked the guide on the boat.

“The river decides,” he said. “It might take you all the way to the requested destination, or it might require you to prove yourself worthy.”

“Worthy of what?” Ra asked.

“Of Osiris’s permission to be in his realm.”

As the river moved along, the bank on each side became populated with grey, decaying trees. Soon, more demons began emerging from the dead forest. Some followed. Others simply observed the boat as it passed by. A few more tried to hale the elementalist, but Ra continued to ignore them. The air hung heavy with a red haze. Ra was uneasy, but he wasn’t terribly afraid, at least not of dying. Death was just another part of the journey that was his existence. He was at peace with that, but he would much prefer to take the next leg of the journey later rather than sooner, especially now that he knew Shelly existed.

Finally, the boat began to slow until it drifted to a stop against the muddy bank. There was a rustling and a whispering amongst the trees. Ra glanced up to see the demons that had been tracking his progress seemed to have disappeared. Ra pulled the short sword from his back and the blade from his thigh and then leaped from the boat onto the bank of the river. 

“Do you know how far I am from the resting place of my ancestors?” he asked the guide.

“You are on level seven. They are on level three.”

Looks like Osiris is going to make me prove myself. Ra forced his face to remain neutral though he was growling inside. The guide had brought him to the deepest level of the underworld, the bowels of hell itself. Fantastic.

“You’ve come at a volatile time, young pharaoh.” Ra turned back to the man in the boat and saw he was no longer a man. At some point along the journey, the figure had quietly returned to his skeletal form. “Osiris is angry with the upworld. He isn’t going to make this easy on you. Good luck, young pharaoh.”

The guide pushed away from the bank, and the craft began to float away. “Thanks a lot,” muttered Ra.

He tilted his head back and looked up. It was difficult to see because of all of the smoke, but Ra could make out tall mountains surrounding a deep crag in the earth. He knew that there was a trail that climbed up the steep cliffs, but no doubt it would be fraught with peril. 

Ra took a few steps toward the path in the cliffs before he was stopped in his tracks by a demon that appeared to materialize out of nowhere. It stood a few feet away and stared at him with black, soulless eyes set in sunken sockets. The demon’s skin was black and leathery, and its arms ended in thick appendages that were more claw than hand. It stood upright on hind legs bent like those of a hooved animal. The thing’s neck undulated, and it reminded Ra of a serpent as it shifted from side to side. The motion was matched by a long, spiny tail trailing behind the demon’s body. Sharp, pointy teeth filled its gaping mouth, and a serpent’s forked tongue flicked out every few seconds. 

“You sssshouldn’t have come here, young king,” the demon hissed. Ra was sure if a snake could talk, it would sound very much like the creature in front of him. He thought he recognized the creature from past visits, but he couldn’t place it.

“I have no quarrel with you. What’s your name again? You do look familiar.”

The demon spat. “Do you think me such a fool, mortal? You shan’t have my name.”

Ra shrugged. “Worth a try anyway. Regardless, I have no quarrel with you. I simply want to speak with my ancestors.” He tried to appear non-threatening to the creature but remained on the balls of his feet and kept his muscles coiled like springs, ready to take evasive action if the thing attacked. At the same time, he allowed his senses to try and detect the other demons around him. He knew they were there, even if he couldn’t see them at the moment. What was this one’s name? Ra wracked his brain trying to come up with the information he needed.  

“I care not with who you quarrel,” the demon said. “I only care who passes through my domain and whether they’ve paid the appropriate price.”

“And what is the price?” Ra asked. He was pretty sure he knew the answer, but it was always good to be clear when dealing with beings that were, by nature, full of deceit.

“We only have one commodity down here, king. You know that.” The demon chuckled.

Ra shook his head. “My soul is not up for grabs.” He continued to search his memory. Xogorth? No, Xogrenth? No. He was sure it was Xo-something or other.

“It’s a small price to pay,” said the demon. “I presume you aren’t using it.”

A picture of Shelly’s face flashed through Ra’s mind. There is only one person with whom I want to share my soul. “What I do with my soul is my business. Now, step aside.”

“I don’t think so, mortal. Pay the price or turn around and march back to the river. If you think you could make it out alive.”

“I could pay”—Ra drew his sword from his scabbard—“or I could remove your head from its shoulders”.

 The demon chuckled harder now. “I could have my minions tear you apart limb from limb with the mere snap of my talons.” He held up a clawed hand and made a quick motion. Immediately, light sprang up all around them to reveal a host of demons of all shapes and sizes surrounding them. Ra didn’t take his eyes from the being in front of him. He shifted the sword to his free hand and pointed at the demon.

“Xozalgan, that’s it. I knew it would come to me.” Ra looked at the horde surrounding him and shook his head with a smug expression. “Well, I guess what they said about you is true. I didn’t believe it personally.”

The demon made an expression that Ra could only interpret as a frown. “What who says about me?” It growled.

Ra could barely stifle his grin. Whoever said, “pride cometh before a fall” wasn’t talking about humans. 

“Oh, just … the wizards in the overworld, a few necromancers, no one important, really. It’s nothing … forget I said anything.”

“What do they say?” 

“I mean, I did hear some rumblings on a couple of the other levels, but as I said, I refused to believe it. Juzran, up on level three, he really said some nasty things about you. I told him he was nuts. He is a demon of envy, after all. You can never believe what they say.”

“What did he say?” roared Xozalgan.

“Oh, well, I don’t think I should repeat it,” said Ra. “Not here, you know, in front of your minions.” He made a quick nod to the beings gathered around them.

“Tell me now, human!”

“Well, Juzran said, and so did some of the necromancers up top, that Xozalgan was a coward who couldn’t win a fight without his underlings. And he said that you had no business running the seventh level of the underworld when you could barely keep control of a legion of imps.” 

There was an eruption of sound from the gathered demons. Ra couldn’t identify the cacophony of noises, though he might say they sounded a bit like the chatter of a pack of coyotes when they’re on the hunt. Loudest of all was the noise that came from Xozalgan, which sounded something like a feral hog being crushed by a steamroller. Ra winced, and it took all of his willpower not to throw his hands over his ears.

“And that’s not even the worst thing he said,” continued Ra.

“What?” Xozalgan hissed.

“He also said you couldn’t even beat a human in a one-on-one fight to the death.”

The demon began speaking loudly and quickly in a language even Ra didn’t know, though he heard the word Juzran several times, and Ra got the gist of what Xozalgan was saying. All of a sudden the creature stopped chattering and stared at Ra. “I guess I can prove that i***t wrong right now, can’t I, human.” With another flash of light, a flaming sword appeared in one of the demon’s clawed hands.

“Wait just a second,” said Ra. “You were going to have me torn limb from limb, remember? Now, you want to fight me one-on-one? Are you sure you can beat me? Maybe Juzran was right about you after all.”

“I’ll kill you.”

Ra held up his hands. “Okay, no problem, I’ll fight you,” said Ra. “On one condition, if I win—”

“You won’t,” said the demon.

“Of course not. But if I do, you promise me your minions won’t attack me the second I defeat you.”

“Fine. If you win, they won’t attack you.” More noise came from the assembled horde, and Ra could have sworn this time it sounded like a collective groan of disappointment. “But what do I get when I win?” asked Xozalgan.

“What you wanted all along: my soul, of course,” replied Ra.

“Deal!” Xozalgan leaped at Ra as he said the word, bringing his flaming sword down in a wide arc. Ra just had time to bring his own blade up to deflect the blow.

“That’s not very fair,” said the human. 

The creature shrugged his rounded, leathery shoulders.

Ra grinned. What did I expect? He began channeling his innate ability to control the element of fire. He sent a bolt of flame down his own sword until it blazed white-hot.

“Neat trick,” the demon seethed. The chattering and hissing surrounding them increased in intensity as the spectators began to get excited over the possibility of spilled blood. Ra imagined they didn’t really care whose blood it was. Demons were loyal to none but themselves, but they respected power, and Ra hoped they would honor Xozalgan’s command to allow him to pass unarmed … if he won the fight.

Despite the noise around him, Ra didn’t take his eyes off his opponent. He couldn’t risk allowing the demon to get a single slice on him. 

Despite his hooves, this one is more snake than goat. Ra heard the familiar voice in his mind. His father. The connection to his ancestors was strong here, especially in the lowest level of the underworld. “Thanks,” he muttered. What am I supposed to do with that information? Ra conjured a fireball and hurled it directly at the demon. The projectile hit the being square in the chest and exploded into a shower of sparks. The demon simply laughed and lunged again. It took every ounce of Ra’s effort to fight the thing off, but he parried the demon’s blows one after another.

“You think your puny little fire spellssss will hurt me, young one?” The demon sneered.

Mind the tail. The voice spoke again in his head. 

Just then, a spiked whip flailed around from behind the demon. Ra fell flat on his face and felt the wind from the demon’s swinging tail feather his hair. “You could have said something a bit sooner.” Ra growled to himself as he rolled away, narrowly missing the demon’s sharpened descending hooves as it jumped and landed in the spot where Ra had thrown himself down.

Ra rose to his feet and faced the creature, slowly circling it. Xozalgan spun slowly to match Ra’s pace, careful to keep the human in front of him. Ra feinted forward. The demon recoiled. Then it lunged forward, its sword a flash of lightning. Ra gasped and leaped back, bringing his own sword up to parry as he did so. The point of Xozalgan’s sword missed Ra’s chest by a mere eyelash’s width.

You never were a good listener. “Not helping,” hissed Ra.

Not listening, came the voice’s reply. Snake! It practically yelled at him.

Ra almost smacked his forehead in frustration. Oh, yeah. Snake. And how do you beat a snake? Stay out of striking range, of course.

Ra took a step back and held his sword ready. Xozalgan lunged again, but Ra was already moving backward.

“Sssscared to face me, boy?” asked the demon.

Ra’s face remained passive. He simply held his sword at the ready. The creature struck again and again. Each time, Ra backed away, carefully staying out of range of Xozalgan’s sword and his lashing tail. It wasn’t long before Ra could see the demon visibly begin to slow. Snakes were built for ambushes, not prolonged fights. A fact which Ra was about to exploit. He took another step back, putting the most distance between the two since the fight began.

“Coward!” roared the demon. “Are all humansss so weak?”

Ra merely shrugged. He pulled his dagger from its sheath, took careful aim, and flung it at Xozalgan. The demon lurched to the side, evading the throw. Its tail wasn’t so lucky. Ra’s blade hit the appendage and sliced right through it as the dagger continued its flight, eventually landing on the ground next to the severed piece of tail.

The demon bellowed it’s steamroller-pig-squeal once more and charged straight at Ra. Many things found in nature are dangerous charging right toward a person. A wild boar, a grizzly bear, even a feral dog. These things can charge, leap, and rend, all in the blink of an eye. Snakes? Not so much. They must remain coiled. 

Xozalgan thrust his sword at Ra, but his strike was slow and clumsy, overextended. Ra simply waited until the last second, spun, pirouetted on his heel, dodged the demon’s blade, and brought down his own in a wide arc on the back of the thing’s neck.

Xozalgan’s head landed with a thud at Ra’s feet. A noxious cloud exploded from the thing’s neck, which was flailing wildly about as the demon’s body ran around, headless, thrashing in a circle. The horde of demons began screaming, pointing, and hissing. Ra gave Xozalgan’s head a swift kick that flew the head into the crowd. 

He spread his arms out wide and bellowed a primal scream full of rage. “Who else will challenge me?”

None of the demons volunteered. Xozalgan’s body ran out of steam and crumpled to the ground. Ra wiped the green ichor from the demon’s neck off the blade of his sword and resheathed it. He walked over and retrieved his dagger from where it rested by Xozalgan’s tail. He eyed the crowd of hellish beings before turning and marching off again upon the path toward the next level of the underworld.

That was expertly done, said the voice in his head.

“Thank you … I guess,” replied Ra. “But how about being a little quicker and a little more specific with the advice from here on out, huh?”

The voice chuckled in his mind. You don’t need my help, Ra. You’re more of a warrior than I ever was. And you’ll be even stronger when you have the girl by your side.

That statement almost brought Ra to a standstill. But he knew it was foolish to hesitate down here, so he kept moving, even while his mind began to race. Where is she?

I’m not allowed to say … yet.

Thanks a lot. The mention of Shelly caused Ra to quicken his pace. He ran for what seemed like miles, though there was no way to mark the passage of time or distance. The path eventually turned from a rocky wasteland to a wooded forest, though all the trees appeared as if they’d died some time ago. He’d not seen hide nor hair of a demon since he’d left Xozalgan’s headless body behind. 

Ra rounded a corner and a large … something flew straight at his head with a screeching cry. The elementalist brought his right arm up, swinging out with inhuman speed. His blade sliced the small demon in half, and black liquid splattered Ra’s chest and face. Thankfully, his eyes remained clear of the nasty stuff, so he was still able to see. He shook his head. Can’t let my guard down yet.

He quickly scanned the air and ground around him for anything lurking in the shadows and then began running again. He hit the bottom of the steep incline leading to the sixth level of the Underworld and didn’t lose his stride. Ra dug his feet into the ashlike ground, pushing himself to move faster. Once again, he felt the urgency to find Shelly, to get her to safety as quickly as possible. He wouldn’t allow himself to dwell on the fact that he had no damn clue where she was.

Ra couldn’t say how long he climbed and zig-zagged up a dirt path until, finally, he came to a cleft between two giant boulders. He passed through and immediately knew he’d reached the next level of the underworld. The barren landscape was dark, like a desert of ash unfolding before him as far as he could see.

Trust not your eyes, said the voice in his head.

Ra cursed under his breath. The level of illusion. This wasn’t a level he’d previously visited, but he knew plenty about it. Ra drew on the memories of his ancestors and heard a description of this level of the underworld being relayed to a scribe. 

Nothing on this level is what it seems. It feeds on your fears, and the more you give it, the deeper the illusion will become, and the farther from reality your mind will go. The only way to fight the illusions is with the truth. If you can manage to hold onto your truth.

The memory faded, and Ra once again stared at the lifeless land. If this level could sense his fears, was feeding off them, then why the barrenness? What fear within Ra would cause this surrounding to appear?

He carefully examined the fears he kept quietly to himself … and felt his chest tighten as he realized what the underworld had grabbed onto. It was a simple fear, but one that had been with Ra as long as he could remember. Ra’s fear of being purposeless, of not mattering to anyone, or being impactful in any way. He wanted his life to matter. He wanted to be a positive influence in the world containing so much pain and ugliness. But here, in this empty place devoid of all life, how could he matter? What purpose could he have here wandering around aimlessly?

Ra would be destined to be alone with no one to share his triumphs or failures. There would be nothing but bleak darkness. He felt himself growing weary as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. His weapons felt heavy in his hands. He wanted to lay down and rest. If he had no purpose, then there was no reason to move forward anyway. 

He stumbled, only catching himself from falling because his sword stabbed into the ground, acting as a crutch. When had he lowered his blades? He glanced behind and could see the edge of the path from which he’d just emerged, but it was much farther away than he’d expected. How long had he been walking? His thoughts seemed jumbled. He was hot, and the shield and bow on his back were cumbersome. How had he carried them all this way? His weapons were a part of him, an extension of himself. Weren’t they? If that were the case, why did they suddenly feel so bothersome. He should just leave them here. There wasn’t any reason to carry them any farther. Where was his foe? There was nothing and no one to fight.

Ra started to lay down his sword but froze when he heard the voice in his head again. Blood of our blood, you are stronger than this. Ra frowned. “I wish that were so.”

Now, the voice was a scream in his head. We are the ancient ones who ruled before you. You are not beholden to this world. You can fight back. You are the descendant of Pharaohs, kings long dead, and our strength lives on in you. Remember who you are!

Ra sucked in a deep breath as his mind cleared, and a rush of energy filled his body. His heart pounded in his chest, pushing blood and oxygen to his muscles and lungs. He wanted to kick himself for allowing the illusions to work on his mind. Ra called on his fire and let it cover his body, placing a shield between himself and the unseen demons that fed the illusions. His power of fire was not from the depths of hell. It was a pure elemental energy gifted from the king of the fire elementals, and demons could not pass through it. As soon as his magic enveloped him, Ra saw the truth of his surroundings. The pathway to the next level was mere feet away. 

He once again took off at a run, keeping the flames wrapped around him like a fireman’s protective coat. This path didn’t zig-zag like the last. Instead, it led straight upward in a nearly vertical climb. Ra leaned forward, giving himself a lower center of gravity and keeping his weight from pulling him backward, and felt his muscles burn as he pushed forward. 

Ra pumped his arms, still clenching the sharp weapons in his hands. He considered returning the sword to its scabbard but decided against it, as that would only add weight to his back when he needed more weight pushing him forward. 

About five feet from the top of the path, the stench of death hit Ra’s nostrils, and he had to clamp his mouth closed to keep from tasting it. He reached the edge of a low precipice and pulled himself up onto the flat ground. Breathing hard, he once again surveyed his surroundings. Level five. The land of the lost. Even though he knew what awaited him, Ra still recoiled from the scene.

This is the real zombie apocalypse. Wandering, half-fleshed skeletons, moaning in torment, dotted the landscape. Occasionally, they made other noises as they bumped into one another and sometimes even attacked each other. Some were more decayed than others. A few were completely bare-boned, nothing but moving skeletons. Ra shuddered. These were the living who’d made a deal with Death. They’d bargained themselves in exchange for something from the Lord of the Underworld—the Devil, as some might call him. They had no idea what the p*****t would really be when he came to collect. These people were bitter, angry shadows of themselves, and they took it out on one another. It was an especially dangerous place for a mortal to be because Ra was the embodiment of the only things they desired to be: alive and whole. 

As if the dead had heard his thoughts, every head turned as one to look at him. If Liam had been with him, he’d have made some smart-ass joke about how he had a snowball’s chance in hell of surviving this level. But Ra wasn’t like Liam. He wouldn’t even joke about the possibility of defeat. It simply wasn’t an option. Not when failure meant Shelly would be trapped here forever.

Ra called back his fire and surrounded his body with it. He had no idea what effect it would have on the lost ones, but he was about to find out. In the far distance, Ra could see the path leading up to the next level of the underworld. He only had to cross a field of shambling zombies to get there, and they no longer fought amongst themselves. They were moving toward him, drawing together in a mob of bones and rotting flesh. Ironically, it appeared the ones with the least amount of flesh were the fastest and would reach him first.  

Ra wracked his brain. He couldn’t simply fight his way through. There were just too many. His fire shield would only protect him for so long. He would have to remain focused to keep it up. Ra doubted he’d be able to do that and simultaneously fight off a horde of flesh-eating monsters.

He thought briefly about drawing his bow. He could at least take out a couple of the creatures before they got to him. Ultimately, though, there were many more of the zombies than he had arrows, and they would reach him quickly enough. 

Have you ever seen an elephant charge through a pack of hyenas? came the voice in his head. It was fainter now but still detectable.

I don’t think now is the time to discuss nature documentaries, Ra replied.

In his mind, Ra could almost feel his ancestor shaking his head. Sometimes, I wonder if you really are one of our line.

All of a sudden, a trumpeting sound exploded across the plain. The zombies froze. Seconds ticked by. Nothing happened. As one, the horde resumed their march toward Ra.

Okay, I get the point. Ra closed his eyes, held out his hands, and began chanting. This was going to have to be the biggest creature he’d ever conjured. And he wasn’t great at the spell. Shelly’s face appeared in his mind. Ra chanted harder and faster, drawing on every bit of elemental magic he possessed. He screamed the last line of the spell and clenched his fists. A huge elephant made of fire erupted from his body and formed itself in front of him. It wasn’t perfect. One tusk was broken. An ear was missing. It appeared to have one gimpy leg. But that’s okay because the creature was huge, and that was what mattered.

“Go!” Ra pointed across the plain. The elephant bellowed and charged, lumbering directly into the oncoming horde. Ra ran as fast as he could after it. The elephant hit the horde full on. There was a terrible sound and the stench of burning flesh. Bodies flew in all directions. Ra tried to keep as close as he could to the elemental creature’s backside. He felt the zombies as they crashed into the elephant. Each one that hit was like a drain on Ra’s power. He gritted his teeth and focused on keeping the thing upright and moving. It wasn’t easy. The elemental beast was in the midst of the horde now. The zombies moaned and swayed but kept throwing themselves into the elephant as it charged. Ra felt a clammy hand on his arm. He cursed and snatched his arm away, redoubling his speed as he realized he’d strayed too far behind his protector. The elephant was shrinking now. It was as if each grasp of the zombies pulled away a piece of its fiery flesh. Ra couldn’t see the path to the next level beyond the elephant and the mass of zombies. He only hoped he would make it across before the elephant faded away.

Ra let out a primal scream of rage, surging forward and urging the beast on. Surely, they were getting close to the other side now. Another hand grasped at him, this one completely devoid of flesh. Ra pulled his sword and hacked at the zombies on each side of him. The elephant popped and sizzled. The undead were closing in. The elephant let out one last bellow, swinging its great head from left to right, knocking zombies away as it did so. Then, with a great hiss, it dissipated into a giant cloud of steam.

Trailing, Ra leaped into the cloud of steam and rolled, pumping his legs for all they were worth. The moaning and scraping of the zombies was almost deafening. There was a tug at his tunic. “Stay with us,” came a hollow voice. Ra screamed and sprinted forward. He broke free of the steam. The path upward loomed directly in front of him. Without looking left or right, Ra raced up the path. He heard many hollow, thudding sounds. When he’d climbed several feet, he chanced a look behind him. Undead were piling up at the base of the path, scrambling over one another to get to him. But they could not enter the road upward. It was as if an invisible glass barrier was blocking their progress.  

Ra watched them for a moment while he sucked in huge gasps of air. He wanted to collapse and not move again for at least a day, maybe two. But he knew he couldn’t. Ra didn’t know why, but it felt like Shelly’s time was running out. And he still had three more floors to cross.