Arianna Rose: The Gates of Hell (Part 5) (14 page)

Desmond laughed.  “Terrific!  We can be bitter and cranky together!”

“Jeez, what a future you signed on for,” she quipped. 

His laughter trailed off and his mood became serious.  “Mine is the best possible future, as long as you are a part of it, Arianna Rose.”

In her mind, she said,
I don’t deserve you
.  Aloud, all she said was “Oh Desmond,” before she wrapped her arms around his neck and felt him scoop her up.  They kissed deeply before stepping outside.

The morning was crisp but not cold, the air hinting at a mild afternoon.  Arianna and Desmond took exactly ten steps before Briathos appeared before them. 

“Good morning,” he greeted them.  “It feels as if it may be a warm day.”

Never one for idle small talk and abysmal at masking his feelings, Briathos’ demeanor suggested something was troubling him.  She sensed a disturbance in the tranquility he exuded. 

“What’s wrong, Briathos?” Desmond asked immediately, clearly sensing what Arianna sensed. 

“Yeah, what’s going on?” she chimed in.

Briathos trained his translucent gaze on her, his white hair framing his face that, while lined with experience, was still breathtaking to behold.  “I need to speak with the Sola in my chamber,” he said. 

Desmond slid a glance her way.  She looked away from Briathos for a fraction of a second, long enough to convey to him that she was worried.  “Sure thing,” she answered.  “You mean now?”

“Now would be good,” Briathos answered. 

“Um, okay.  Desmond and I can hike when I come back,” she said and felt her empty stomach roll over itself. 

“That would be wise,” he said and smiled, but sadness bent the curve of his lips.

Reluctantly, Arianna parted with Desmond and sifted to the log home Briathos shared with Sorath and Leo.  They reappeared inside Briathos’
personal suite.  A walnut desk sat beside floor-to-ceiling walnut shelves.  A rich, emerald area rug reminded her of a rolling hill in Ireland and sat beneath two deep leather wing chairs in a cigar hue. 

“Please, sit,” he invited her.  “Sorath and Leo will be here any second.” And with his words, both elders materialized before her eyes. 

The presence of the three men made her feel as if she’d been sent to the principal’s office and was about to be given a good scolding.  She felt dizzy and hot all of a sudden.  She tugged at the collar of her shirt and cleared her throat.

“So I’m guessing you know why we called you here,” Briathos began.

They know what happened with Dane,
she thought.  Were the elders upset with her?  Did Dane get himself into trouble and now they’re holding her personally responsible? 

“Uh,” she hesitated. 

“Darius has opened the fourth gate,” Briathos said as if she had previous knowledge of it.  “I know you’ve sensed it already, and that we are running out of time.”

Briathos continued speaking, but all Arianna heard was a jumble of sounds.  She was too busy reeling over the fact that she hadn’t sensed the fourth gate opening.  For a moment, her world tilted on its axis then spun in lopsided circles.  She’d lost touch with the connection that bound
her and Darius. 

“Arianna,” she was vaguely aware of her name being called.  “Arianna,” Briathos said again.  “Are you well, dear?”

She pressed her fingertips to her temples and tried to stop the whirling.  “I’m, I don’t know, I’m just surprised,” she said deciding not to bother lying. 

Perceptive pale-blue eyes watched her, along two sets of equally keen ones.  “You didn’t know, did you?  You didn’t feel it,” Briathos stated more than asked.  His tone was somber. 

Though he did not sigh in despair, she sensed the weight of his desperation tugging her. 

“No,” she answered, her cheeks burning with shame.  She’d failed them.  Time and time again, she’d failed them.  Not sensing Darius opening another portal to Gehenna was yet another to add to the growing list.  What was happening?  She was the Sola, so why hadn’t she sensed it?
She wondered. 

“We have to get help,” Sorath leaned in and said to Leo and Briathos more so than her. 

“I agree,” Leo said. 

“You are the most powerful among us, but you aren’t the most gifted seer,”
Sorath said.  “We need to bring one here with us before it’s too late.”

“Seer?” Arianna asked, though a small part of her wanted to tell Sorath, “Don’t hold back
, tell me what you really think.” 
Powerful, but not gifted
, that’s the gist of what he’d said.  That wasn’t the worst thing that had ever been said to her.  Still, it stung.  Probably because it rang with truth so profound it echoed in her boots. 

“Yes, a seer, one who
foresees the future,” Sorath replied.  We must find one soon.”

“How does one
find a seer?  How would we know she or he is even on our side?”

“We don’t,” Briathos answered.  “But we have to take a cha
nce.  Darius must be stopped.  I’ve heard of a woman, Madame Dafeenah.” 

“Madame Dafeenah?  Sounds like someone who works a carnival tent,” Arianna balked.

“Actually, she is affiliated with a traveling carnival.  She works with the Farley Brothers.  She does readings for a fee,” Leo chimed in.

Arianna felt her face go blank.  She also wondered whether she’d heard them, esteemed members of sterling reputation, refer her to a carnie. 

“Um, please know that the question I’m about to ask is intended with the utmost of respect, okay,” she prefaced what she was about to say.  All three men nodded then she took a deep breath and shared her opinion of what they’d requested.  “Are you suggesting that I entrust the fate of humanity in the bogus visions of a carnie psychic?” Neither Briathos nor Sorath nor Leo flinched.  “It seems like a shot in the dark, doesn’t it?”

“I have heard she is truly gifted, that she has The Sight,” Briathos
said evenly.

Arianna didn’t want to challenge the elders, and she didn’t want
to be rude, but in her mind she was screaming,
Are you kidding me?!

“Again, I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but if this Madame Dafeenah has The Sight, if she’s as gifted as you’ve heard, then why is she traveling in a freak show?”

Briathos held her gaze for several beats.  Calming swells of his energy could be felt like the current of a river lapping against the shoreline.  “There’s only one way to find the answers to all of your questions, to quell your doubt.  You need to go.  Find her.  Meet her.  Judge for yourself, but do so with an open mind,” he concluded and she felt the gentlest push against her will, wearing at the walls in place. 

“Fine,” she acquiesced.  “I’ve got to be honest, I think this is
going to be a waste of time; time we don’t have, but since you feel strongly about it.  I will go.”

“It is what needs to be done,” Briathos said, his eyes glittering like freshly fallen snow in sunlight.  “We need you, Sola,” he added, and Arianna felt the bump against her will again. 

“Madame Dafeenah will be an invaluable asset to our cause,” Leo chimed in.  “She will be able to identify traitors in our midst as well.  By weeding them out, we’ll be better able to form alliances and grow our numbers.  She’ll tell us who we can trust.”

“If we can trust her,” Arianna added.

“That is also true,” Leo conceded. 

Although the notion of a carnival psychic guiding them in the
ir effort to grow an army to topple Darius seemed ludicrous, the possibility of her ability being legitimate was enough to inspire Briathos, Leo and Sorath.  She trusted them, so she agreed to go.

“I will find Madame Dafeenah,” she consented.  “I’ll go to the Farley Brothers
carnival.  Besides,” she mumbled, “Getting away is just what I need right about now.”

Briathos lifted a snow-white brow at her.  “Why, may I ask, do you need to get away right about now?”

“Oh, uh, nothing, never mind,” she fumbled.  “It’s a long story.”

“Indeed,”
he replied with an enigmatic smile.  “Matters of unrequited love and conflict often are.”

Arianna was certain she’d blanched at his words.  How h
e could possibly intuit what had transpired between her and Dane was a mysery wrapped in a riddle, his gifts clearly surpassing hers.  She smiled feebly then cleared her throat.  “Okay, so I’ll take Desmond and head out to find Madame Dafeenah.”

Briathos, Sorath and Leo wished her well.  She sifted to her cabin, all the while wondering how she would tell Desmond they were going on a mission to find a carnival act the elders believed was key to helping them win the war against evil.  And here she’d thought explaining Dane’s malfunction would be trying.  Now the task seemed uncomplicated by comparison. 

Only time would tell whether the Seer, Madame Dafeenah, was a fraud, and whether Dane would accept that Desmond was not the enemy.  Unfortunately, time was the one factor that was scarce for her and her cause.  She was racing against unspeakable evil, the end of days.  She was racing against time itself.

Chapter 11

Bucolic fairgrounds spread out before Arianna and Desmond when they arrived at the Farley Brothers carnival location that had been announced on their website.  Acres of finely manicured emerald grass and vibrant gardens contrasted the metal machines and flashing lights.  Bypassing the long and winding line that led to the ticket booth, Arianna and Desmond sifted past it, materializing behind a concession stand.  They stepped out from the concealment of the stout construct and found themselves swept up in a current of people.  Mostly families that included children—both the crying variety and the excited kind—milled about, and distracted throngs shuffled past booths peddling everything from sand art and crafts to jewelry and sunglasses.

Desmond slid a glance her way and mout
hed the word “wow.”  It had been a long time since either of them had been to a county or state fair.  Once, years ago, she’d gone for a drive in late August.  The purpose had little to do with finding a carnival and everything to do with getting away from her mother and the drunken loser she’d been shacking up with.  She hadn’t known how long she’d driven, just that the feel of the open road and her motorcycle beneath her had helped to clear her head, when she’d seen lines of traffic pulling into an open, grassy area.  She’d followed and had seen that a fair had been under way.  She’d parked her bike and snuck inside.  The lights, the rise and fall of cheers and screams, of laughter and applause, had greeted her.  Guys and girls had walked hand and hand, and kids had raced ahead of their parents to get to the next ride.  All the while, food of every kind had cooked, and retailers, pushing merchandise to the masses, had been poised, cash boxes open, ready to assist buyers in a purchase they would undoubtedly regret.  The scene had been one of chaos, but exuberant chaos. 

Seeing the fair now brought back memories of that evening nearly three years ago. 
She felt the same flutter in her belly, the same palpable energy and excitement emanating from the people all around her.  She wished she shared their enthusiasm.  She wished her life was as uncomplicated, that she could stroll along and casually browse the stands with Desmond.  But she couldn’t.  Humanity teetered at the edge of a great precipice, Darius at its back with arms outthrust, prepared to pitch it to its demise. 

Involuntarily, Arianna tightened her grip on Desmond’s hand at the thought of Darius succeeding.  She would do anything to keep that from happening.  Even seek out the help of a swindler like Madame Dafeenah.  The notion that a two-bit shyster psychic hawking her fake abilities at a carnival could help them seemed so achingly farfetched she contemplated leaving. 

Fighting the urge to abandon Briathos’ plan, Arianna took a deep breath as she and Desmond made their way down a paved path that forked in two directions.  To the left, food vendors lined the lane and waited on both sides.  To the right, stables welcomed visitors to pet cows, sheep and goats.  Neither seemed appealing, and the smell of fried dough, grilled meat, cotton candy and popcorn collided with the stench of manure, animals and hay.  Arianna suppressed a gag.  Beside her, however, Desmond wore an ear-to-ear grin, his angelic beauty transforming to boyish wonder. 

“What’re you smiling about?’ she asked. 

“What’s not to smile about?” he answered her question with a question. 

“What’s with answering my question with a question?  Are you practicing for a career as a shrink?”

“Why do you ask?” Desmond replied with a mischievous glint in his eye.  Arianna promptly elbowed him in his ribs.  “Ouch,” he said and clutched his side, feigning injury.  “Okay, okay, I surrender,” he said and threw both hands in the air.

“Cut it out,” she said and had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.  “This is serious business.  We’re here to see a psychic about the future of humankind,” she tried with a straight face.  But as soon as the words left her mouth, she began to laugh uncontrollably.  Tears rolled down her cheeks, the absurdity of the situation overwhelming her. 

Desmond laughed as well.  “Maybe she can tell me where my socks are, you know, the pair with the blue, gray and green stripes,” he said.  “I’ve been looking for those for weeks.  They’re my favorite pair.”