Drummer Boy - Back Into Hell Ch. 03

Well, we savages love our kids and stuff, so we don't usually throw 'em into furnaces. Jason sent. Anyway, I kinda settled on dance. I liked that there was music, and, to be honest, I liked it that I was usually the only boy in class. Got a lot of time in the spotlight cause of that. But it was just a thing I did. I didn't give it a lot of thought.

Until... Granny prompted.

Until my dad took me with him to the music store one time, Jason sent. He was picking up some strings and picks and stuff, but they had these drum kits set up that you could try out. And ... man, it was like...

Yes... Granny sent. I feel it, even now. You were captivated, seduced. You were in love.

Yeah! Kinda. I mean... Jason sent. Once I sat on that throne, and picked up those sticks, heard the way the snare snapped and the tom bounced and the kick boomed ... I was just hooked. Off and running. I didn't want to do anything else but play.

And what of your parents? Granny sent. After such an investment in your previous activity, did they not resist this change?

Nah, Jason sent. I was like, nine. As long as I kept the noise down at night, Mom was cool with it. Dad was relieved that I was playing music, at least. Although, I think he was still a little disappointed.

In what way? Granny sent.

Well, I think he'd been hoping that I'd pick up the guitar. Y'know, like him, Jason sent.

I have known a similar disappointment, Granny sent.

Are you talking about Pearl? Jason sent.

Aye, Granny sent. Having at last proved herself to the Aerie as a capable combatant, I had hoped to groom her for a leadership role. When Purleen chose instead to become a magister, I felt ... oddly stung. It was as if this ignorant whelp was rejecting my counsel, my wisdom, my considered judgment! I was even briefly of a mind to consign her to the furnaces for such an affront.

But you didn't, Jason sent, because it's wrong to burn people alive out of wounded pride, right?

Aye, Granny sent. To let Purleen choose her own path was in the best interests of the Aerie. Or so it seemed, until very recently. She paused thoughtfully, before sending, Now, I am not so sure.

Yeah. Maybe, Jason sent. Hey look, I'm bummin' myself out. For real, how long til we can take a break?

Mere hours, Granny sent. With your unexpected assistance, I am confident we shall make good time, and arrive undamaged at Bright Lady's Brow.

I kinda assumed 'undamaged' went without saying? Jason sent. Is 'damaged' a possibility?

You are in Tarterus, human, Granny sent. Assume nothing.

* * *

"Bright Lady's Brow," Leanne said wistfully. "Now that takes me back. Lotta good memories."

"Oh, don't I know it," Jason said. "Things got a little ... complicated."

"Oh, christ," Leanne said. She took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Please tell me you didn't blow the place up."

"No, it's still standing," Jason said, "but you know those memories you were talking about? Sometimes the past just doesn't stay in the past..."

* * *

Granny was as good as her word, and it wasn't long before Jason spotted a slightly darker shape on the horizon. Granny seemed to sense his excitement.

Before us lies Bright Lady's Brow, Granny sent. We shall rest there for a time, and replenish our energies before continuing onward.

Kind of a lame name, Jason sent. But if there's a pit stop involved I ain't gonna complain.

That would indeed be a relief, came Granny's catty response.

As they flew closer, Jason could see that the rock they were approaching was huge. It reminded him of that one in Australia. He'd learned it as Ayers Rock, but thanks to one of Percy "One Love"'s songs he knew its original name was Uluru. And it looked a lot like that: longer than it was wide, but this place was almost completely flat on top, more like a mesa.

More details became apparent as they neared the place. The thing was riddled with lots of little holes, which Jason took to be windows. There were other structures carved into it too. There seemed to be turrets, little landing pads marked out, pillars, horizontal walkways, and other structures he couldn't determine the purpose of. This place was designed to handle a lot of people.

Hey, it may be a little late in the game to ask this, Jason sent, but they're not gonna be mad at us dropping in unannounced, are they?

I should say not, Granny sent. Aside from meager upkeep and the occasional pilgrimage, Bright Lady's Brow sits mostly abandoned.

It was a great relief to both of them when they at last touched down on top of the rock. Airbraking with her wings, Granny floated down as gently as a dandelion seed. When she knelt down onto the dusty surface, Jason immediately rolled off of her, and didn't care at all that he was rewarded with a faceful of gravel for his efforts.

"Thank god for Bright Lady's Brow!" Jason said. "Hard ground, sand everywhere, ruined-pillar things and creepy pink sky ... this place has it all. Don't ever make me leave."

Granny didn't lay down or even sit. She simply stood back up, took a good long stretch, during which Jason pretended not to notice her incredible bulges on display, and folded her wings behind her. Then she walked to a nearby cluster of pillars, nine in total and arranged in a circle. She strode slowly between them, touching them lightly, and examining the strange glyphs carved on their surfaces.

"We shall leave, of course," Granny said. "But I agree with your sentiment. It has been long since I have paid my respects."

Jason turned toward her. "So it's a holy place?" he said.

"For our kind, aye," Granny said. "So please refrain from any obvious blasphemies."

"Come on, now," Jason said. "You believe what you believe. Although I gotta say, up til now I figured you gals didn't believe in anything, except murdering the shit out of each other."

Granny shot Jason a disappointed look. "After all of our interactions," she said, "do you still consider our kind so simple?"

"Turnabout's fair play, good for the goose, that's what she said, et cetera," Jason said.

"Touché, and well met," Granny said. "But to answer your question, this place commands great respect among our kind."

Jason had a feeling that Granny couldn't resist telling a story, and he didn't mind indulging her.

"Well, lay it on me, sister," he said. He groaned as he got to his feet. "Tell me about the joint."

"Very well," Granny said. She indicated what looked like an alcove off to the side. Inside were carved stone stairs leading down. "We have some ways yet to go, but inside we shall find shelter, including the accommodations for our non-flying guests."

"You mean your human snacks," Jason said.

"Occasionally correct," Granny said, "but not always. Favored cambions, ambassadors from the other tribes, as well as our own sick and injured."

"So this place was like what, a combination hospital-slash-embassy?" Jason said.

"Essentially, aye," Granny said. She descended into the stairway a few feet, at which point a torch poised above her head slowly awakened into brilliance.

"This was a place of rest," she continued, with Jason following cautiously behind. "A sanctuary, if you will, where our magisters and priestesses meditated on and prayed to the Bright Lady herself."

"This Bright Lady," Jason said, "that's your god?"

Granny nodded. "Not just ours," she said, "she is the mother of all tribes. Her name, and those places named for her, are sacrosanct." She paused. "Or so we thought."

"I feel an 'uh-oh' coming on," Jason said.

"Indeed, there was an incident," Granny said. "Like much of our history, the motives that sparked this incident have been lost to time. Some posit it was a carefully calculated stratagem. Others contend it was a reckless act of vengeance for some slight, real or imagined. Still others, the most forgiving, to my eyes, say that it was a simple tactical miscalculation, inflated beyond reason until diplomacy was no longer an option."

The stairway grew darker as they descended, but just as it became almost too dim to see, another torch would alight as Granny passed underneath it, illuminating the staircase and rewarding Jason with a clear view of his footing and Granny's backside.

"What is known," Granny said, "is that a force of Spines attacked Bright Lady's Brow. Those present were mainly priestesses of the Bright Lady, along with a few magisters, engaged in study. Victory for the Spines was virtually assured. We shall turn right here."

Granny disappeared around a corner, as the stairwell did a 90 degree turn. Jason followed in time to see another torch alight above her descending form.

"Fortunately, there was a company of Wings nearby, returning from the front lines after battle," Granny said. "A desperate call for assistance was sent. Duty-bound to heed that call, these Wings came to the aid of their sisters."

"With some strength on their side, the Wings were able to hold the invaders at bay for a time. The Spines were more numerous, better-equipped, and fresher for battle. My winged sisters were a smaller force, and battle-weary, but Bright Lady's Brow is quite the defensible installation. And so, after some initial skirmishes, a stalemate emerged."

While following Granny, Jason found himself on a landing that she had ignored. The landing opened into a darkened room, and ... something within made him stop and look.

The entrance of the room had carvings all around it. They looked like Egyptian hieroglyphics, similar to the ones on the stele above that Granny had inspected. He could only see a few feet inside, but it seemed cavernous. A steady, chill breeze emanated from within, cold on his face. Despite this, he got a good feeling from this room.

"Hey, Granny," Jason said, "what about here?"

Granny stopped, and turned to look back at him. "It calls to you, does it?" she said.

"I dunno. Yeah, I guess," Jason said with a shrug. "Seems like a good as place as any to camp out."

Granny raised an eyebrow. "I should say not," she said. "That is the sanctum of meditation."

"Sounds pretty chill to me," Jason said.

Granny put her hands on her hips, fixing her gaze on him. "Is your mind prepared to confront the yawning emptiness between the stars, the multiplicity of universes stretching toward the infinite, and the complete eradication of your own ephemeral ego?"

Jason shuddered, thinking back to the tiny taste of the infinite he'd gotten while talking with the Thing in the Way.

"Hell, I get freaked out imagining a world where all the women are flat-chested," he said, "and that sounds just a little bit worse."

"Then I suggest you keep up," Granny said, and resumed walking.

"Alrighty then," Jason murmured, following her. "Big red X on that room."

Granny went on with her story. "The craven Spines knew that, should any further reinforcements arrive, they would lose their advantage. Deep in enemy territory as they were, this would spell their doom. So they laid siege to Bright Lady's Brow."

"And that means..." Jason prompted.

"They prevented any from entering or leaving," Granny said. "Any attempt made by my sisters to escape was met with the full force of the damnable Spines. Atrocities such as could never be forgiven were perpetrated upon those unfortunates, and their remains then callously returned, to underscore to those within the hopelessness of their plight."

Jason shuddered. He'd heard of shit like that happening on Earth, but that didn't make it any more bearable, or less barbaric.

"Nevertheless, Bright Lady's Brow was bravely held for three days," Granny said. "Priestesses, huddling in the dark caves, praying to the Bright Lady to deliver them from this horror. Ill-equipped magisters, crafting their most potent spells in service to their sisters. Warriors, sworn to bravely give to their last breath, pushing their bodies beyond limit. Three days beset by electric fire, and the destruction of their hastily-improvised fortifications, among the remains of their once-beloved sisters, mocking the futility of their persistence.

"Still, they did not give in, though the Spines cracked these hallowed stones with their strength and their weapons and their savage magic," Granny said. "They held long enough for their calls for aid to be heard, and for reinforcements to arrive. But when those reinforcements did arrive, they found few of my sisters left alive, fewer still able to fight, and the Spines pressing on for total destruction. My sisters, incensed with rage, gave into an all-consuming savagery, matching atrocity for atrocity."

"Jeez," Jason said. "Don't elaborate any further, please?"

"I will say only this," Granny said, "that when my tribe speaks of the depravities committed that day by our vengeful sisters, it is with intense awe, as well as deep shame."

"So is that why you hate the Spines so much?" Jason said. "What this whole neverending war is all about?"

"Nay," Granny said. "Though even this battle was well before my time, the conflict between our tribes goes back even further. Only the Regents remember its origins, and they speak of it rarely. However, after the siege of Bright Lady's Brow, and the horrors wrought here, a more formalized detente of sorts took shape."

"What does that mean?" Jason said.

"It means," Granny said, "that the Wings were to be given absolute control of the darkling antipode, from that pole to the great circle defined by Bright Lady's Brow. Likewise, the Spines were ceded a similar area, centered about their own brilliant antipode."

"And everything in between was fair game?" Jason said.

"Aye," Granny said. "Now you see why it is imperative that we arrive here. Bright Lady's Brow affords us some assurance of safety."

"Hey, what about the Tails?" Jason said. "You haven't said much about where they fit into all of this."

"Ahh, the Tails," Granny said. "Their numbers have ever been fewer than those of the other tribes, and they prefer a solitary existence."

"Don't like to be tied down, eh?" Jason said.

Granny nodded. "Their only allegiance is to their own regent, Aurica, the Dexterous. Should one of their number choose to aid a side, it is on her terms alone."

"So the Tails are mercs," Jason said, "fighting for the highest bidder?"

"They are known to engage in battle, yes," Granny agreed, "but more often they are employed as spies and saboteurs. Gathering intelligence, disseminating misinformation, abducting or assassinating key players." Granny sniffed. "An altogether untrustworthy lot. I do not suffer them in my Aerie."

Jason really wanted to say "how's that workin' out for you?", but smartly decided to stuff that thought way down.

Instead he asked, "So, it's fight all you want, but keep it on the field?"

"Simplistic, but apt," Granny said. "I daresay, the system works well enough."

"Except it kinda makes hard for one side to actually win," Jason said. "Y'know ... put an end to all the fighting."

"It has long been held by some that there can be no victory without utter destruction of the opposing side," Granny said. "And despite our differences, neither side wants that. All three tribes are daughters of the Bright Lady, after all."

"Hey, something just hit me," Jason said. "If Pearl and Kristin show up at the brilliant antidote..."

"Antipode," Granny corrected.

"Yeah, that," Jason said, "won't that break this truce?"

"Aye," Granny said. "They need not even reach the antipode itself, only the latitude equal and opposite to where we are right now. Should that happen, a cascade of unfavorable events is almost assured, the first of which is certain to be the direct intervention of Palladia herself."

"Well, holy shitballs," Jason said. "What's the superlative of 'dire consequences'?"

"In this case, there is none," Granny said. "Which is why we must reach Great Electra before Purleen crosses that border. I am certain that my regent will certainly be able to soothe her rampage."

"How?" Jason said. "She's super rampage-y."

"With love, of course," Granny said. "Great Electra is Love."

Jason, puzzling over Granny's cryptic response, just narrowly avoided running into her when she stopped. She stood before another room, the entrance which had glyphs around it like the one before.

"We shall rest here," Granny said.

Jason was wary. "No meditation?" he said. "No infinite ego destruction?"

"Nay, simpleton," Granny said with a wry smile. "I daresay we shall be safe enough."

As Granny spoke, more of the torches illuminated within the room. Revealed was a large chamber, carved out of the rock. The ceiling was maybe ten feet high, with alcoves at regular intervals around the edges. It was also, seemingly, well-kept. No dust or rubble in evidence, just smooth gray-orange stone.

"Hey, not too shabby," Jason said, walking inside behind Granny. "Put up a couple of hoops and you could play a decent game of ball in here. That'd be fucking awesome. I could show you how. All that bouncing..."

"You do prattle," Granny said. "This is for the pilgrims who still visit this place, seeking guidance from the Bright Lady."

The mention of "pilgrims" brought Thanksgiving to Jason's mind: images of buckled hats and Indian headdresses, along with a big feasty spread headlined by a nice, fat turkey.

Granny must have picked up his surface thoughts. "Nothing so prosaic," she said, "but there are provisions."

"Lemme at 'em," Jason said. "I don't have to pray to the Bright Lady or anything, do I? I mean, I'm kinda agnostic on the whole god thing in general, but..."

"Supplication will not be necessary," Granny said. "I certainly have no intention of participating in such foolishness."

"I thought you said you wanted to pay your respects?" Jason said.

"Aye," Granny said, "to the warriors whose bravery held this place. But not for the cowering penitents, mewling their hopes into the deaf aether."

"Yikes," Jason said. "Pretty harsh way to talk about your 'dear sisters'. You do believe in this Bright Lady, don't you?"

Granny furrowed her brow. "The Bright Lady is either long gone from this world, or long dead. I pay lip service to her worship only because my station demands it. In truth, I consider the continued worship of such a being to be a foolishness, perpetuated to occupy the minds of the simple. I would never say as much to them, of course. I only admit this to you since, as both beast and outsider, you are of little consequence."

"And here I was starting to think that we were, you know, simpatico," Jason said. "Thanks for the re-up."

"Would you have me lie to you?" Granny said.

"Nah," Jason said. "Totes cool with the truth. Kudos on keepin' it real."

"Well," Granny said, "in the interests of 'keeping it real', I feel I must tell you that I find all of this spiritual worship counterproductive to our cause, and dangerously wasteful of our resources. Why should we pay homage, and seek guidance from a deity who has clearly abandoned us to a life of constant strife? Why, of all the worlds that we could rule, are we stuck on one so unforgiving? Why, when possessed with such amazing abilities, are we seemingly only capable of mutual annihilation?"

"Careful there, G," Jason said. "You're soundin' kinda revolutionary, there. Folks might get the wrong idea."

"Indeed," Granny said. "That is, perhaps, another reason I was lenient with Purleen. She brazenly gave voice to thoughts I have ever been unwilling to admit to."