BEYOND THE RAINBOW

CHAPTER TWENTY - OMG! SAVE THE QUEEN!

Jaddai, on the other hand, was grimly aware that her first prayer was one of attrition and self sacrifice. His queen was not likely to go quietly if it came to retreating.

His own attempts to get through the veil were fruitless. Either no one was listening or someone was blocking communication. It was not the ionosphere causing the blackout now.

"Peter..." Jaddai muttered grimly. "He doesn't want Hell or any of us saved. We are in deep trouble."

The Elf was further convinced of that when the battle overhead ceased and the storm cleared, decreasing the depth of greyness quite dramatically. For the first time it was possible to discern a promise of daylight. There was no actual sun, but cloud cover was thinning to reveal ultra violet rays penetrating the greyness in patches of much lighter cloud.

The Beast was certainly feeling the effects. Street panic created a volatile atmosphere that converging on the ale house. It was a security nightmare, given it was now no secret that the prize the Beast was after was within. Jaddai's first precaution was to close the doors to casual entry and discuss policing the perimeters with the pirate captains. They had a full compliment of newly returned ship's crews in the house. Jaddai couldn't discount the pirate's turning on Touie to save their own skin, but they were all pretty proud Queen's men these days, and none so far had made a move to suggest other than loyalty. Nor were they braving the terrain to return to their ships and try to leave. The vortex was likely to be more treacherous than remaining. Entering the bar, Jaddai updated Kronk on the situation. Kronk was being a hearty host and a calming influence, though Belina was nowhere in sight. Kronk informed him she had taken a meal up to the Queen's quarters. Jaddai entered into jovial hosting with Kronk, keeping things at a celebratory level, praying what he announced to all and sundry was true .

"Drink up, Lads! On the house! And get your front row seats to the light show. The Light Warriors are on their way!"

Hell was about to break loose. He was going to have to risk the rainbow to call in the light brigade if Touie was unsuccessful in her meditations. Obviously, the planet's dark matter was thinning and celestial power was growing stronger. At the moment that was to Peter's advantage. The prophesied Armageddon was imminent. The day of Judgement had dawned. Destroying the planet was not an option. It was written in the law: 'and the pit shall be opened'. It was all happening right now. They could all be saved if the demon creature in his pit could be exposed to light, releasing them from his power to choose for themselves.

Jaddai's time here had been well spent in learning the nature of the true demon. Its life force vibrated to the negative energy of fear. Fear that fed on the dark and thrived on pain. It paralysed all hope. Forcing obedience through unspeakable punishment. But the beast below could not travel beyond the pit in the flesh, even into half light, without weakening. Like a vampire, it could only function in the dark. That was the crux of its enmity towards the light. It depended on controlling others to do its bidding, through fear and cunning. But the roars from the pit, of late, were expressions of its own pain. It was ailing.

"Lovesick, I'll wager, serve you right" Jeddai snorted. Love, however one may try to deny it, prevailed. The beast was being attacked from within. First the Dark angel's defection had awoken it to personal loss and torment. And now it had lost its eyes. The beast was blind without its immortal host on tap. Lucifer's light had cast the demon's spirit out without even trying. Condemning it to the hell of its own invention. Alone and miserable in a cesspit of soulless ghouls.

"Diabolical, but fair," the Elf muttered. The monster had a conscious, intelligent mind and free will, it could have chosen to barter with the universal powers for it's fuel. And chosen a higher energy vibration. Dark matter was plentiful and an inert substance until infused with conscious energy. It was the vortex, it would conform to whatever vibration the mind created. Just as the Celestial Matrix had created man in it's own vibration, so had the beast invented his hordes .