Hell's Heir

Stumbling through the cave, I shake the lantern in my hand. “Can’t you shine any brighter?”

Huffs and grunts come from within, but the light grows in intensity.

“Thank you, Zia. Now I can get us out of here faster. See, cooperating isn’t so bad,” I say, knowing the little Fae can’t argue back.

A growl from behind me causes me to stumble. Cautiously, I swing the lantern back the way I came from. Glowing red eyes and a snap of glistening teeth are enough to remind me what I’m running from.

“Your majesty!” echoes around me and I high tail it around a corner.

“Any idea which way, Z.?”

Immediately, a zipping trail of blue glitter shoots from the lantern and up the rocks.

“You think you’re cute? How am I supposed to get up there before Heekle takes a bite out of my rump?” I ignore Zia’s suggestion and continue running, taking random turns as the mood strikes.

Glitter of varying dark tones splash up the walls. “Are you leaving a dang trail? I told you, once I’m free you will be too. It’s not like I can see in the dark, you spiteful little bug.”

A rainbow of light and glitter surrounds me. Before I’m pounced on, I throw Zia and her home as hard and as far as I can. Stupid, loyal Fae.

“Good boy, Heekle,” Culligan says as his shoes come into view. “Lief.”

I push up to my elbows, a mighty feat with the three hundred pounds on my back, and smile at Culligan. “Best three out of five?”

“Your majesty, this isn’t a game. Your father is quite upset this time,” he says, shaking his head in disappointment.

“Oh no. What ever shall I do with myself?” Rolling my eyes, I spin to my back and flop down. “You’re getting too fast, Beasty. What are they feeding you, go go juice?”

Heekle grins, showing off his sharp-tipped teeth before licking up the side of my face.

Muffled groans come from down the corridor and Heekle lays his face on top of mine, trying to hide me from what we both know is coming. An electric charge zaps over my skin. Heekle yelps and jumps away from me, whining as he stares at my constricted face.

“One for stealing Zia and another for throwing her,” Culligan spits out.

The second charge is worse, thankfully my mouth is clamped shut so I can’t embarrass myself by screaming.

Culligan stomps away, releasing me from his electrified evil. Muscles in my arms and legs spasm as I gasp for air that I don’t actually need. “Yo-you are gonna regret all those shocks when I take the throne.”

Culligan cackles as he walks towards me with a peeved Zia in her crooked lantern house. “Is that all it takes to get you to acknowledge you’re the heir to the throne? Maybe your father will grant me a day pass to the upper realms as a reward.”

Standing with no noticeable twitch, I lean on Heekle for support. “Hey, Cull, how about I just take you up there and it’ll be a win win? What’d’ya say Heekle, wanna go play with Humans?”

“Leif, be serious. The prince of Hell does not get to see Humans in all their fleshiness.”

“Why not? And why am I the heir? There’s over six hundred of us who could’ve been marked…” I mumble the last part. Nothing infuriates the little electric creature more than pointing out that I, the only one who doesn’t want the throne, was marked by Fate above all my siblings and cousins.

Heekle attempts to lead me back toward the palace while trumpets sound and dogs howl. I trip over my feet more than a few times and once over Heekle’s tail, but we make it eventually. The coal colored castle sits above the fiery depths of Hell itself –my father is nothing if not dramatic. There’s a picture in a history book I have in my room of what the kingdom looked like before he took the throne: lapis blue river flowing through the courtyard, shimmery black castle standing proud on a hill in a field of poppies, and the sky was a bright yellow that almost looked cheerful. Now everything is doom and gloom, surrounded by lava and tortured souls.

Grindel marches over the scorched drawbridge, hands on her hips and disgust written all over her face. I bet she’d be pretty if she had taken more after her mother than Father. I painted her hoofed hind legs bright pink one time when I was smaller and added Pixie dust to her horns, but it did nothing to brighten her temperament or lessen the ugly that is her jowled dog-like face.

“Leif, when will you grow up and stop behaving like a child? Four hundred and eighty-three is plenty old enough to act like an adult.” She wags her finger at me, but I can’t stop staring at the shoelace of spit hanging from her right tusk.

“I’ll start acting like an adult the day you find a partner,” I say, pushing past her large frame.

“Is that so?” Culligan asks under his breath.

Why couldn’t I have gotten a cool power like fire breathing or shooting eye lasers? I’d torch the little sucker. “That is so. Nothing is blind, deaf, scent deprived enough to partner with that.” I flap my hand around behind my back, almost losing my balance with the over exaggerated movement.

“Grindel gets shackled, you vow to take the throne and your rightful place as king?” Culligan asks. I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him, Zia guffaws from inside her lantern making me less confident in making the deal.

Grindel stomps past us, clippity clopping out a hilarious rhythm. Deciding on a whim that it’ll never happen, I thrust my hand in front of Culligan’s face. “Deal. I vow to take my place. Only if Grindel is shackled before the passing of the crown. If she’s not doomed then neither am I.”

A blazing smile takes over his face, he spits in his hand and gives mine a tingle filled jerk. “Deal. No reneging and you will rule with a smile.”

Rolling my eyes, I pump his hand. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Hell will gain rainbows and butterflies before you find something stupid enough to shackle her.”

Six escape attempts, twenty electrocutions, a week in the ‘dungeon’, and three days on kennel duty later, I stand in front of my window watching the crowd enter the castle for my crowning. I smile broadly thinking about how Father reluctantly agreed to Culligan and my deal –with stipulations of course. One: it’s only a free pass until my five hundredth birthday, two: the thing that shackles Grindel only has to continue living and agreeing until the crown touches my head. The second one was harder to swallow than the first, but a deal’s a deal.

Between Heekle, Grindel herself, and me no creature has made it to the altar, let alone to today. Seventeen years more of freedom, here I come.

My door slams open, knocking my books askew on the shelves. Growling, I turn to see who dares barge into my room. A mother-loving, nine foot tall Golem drips mud on my rug. “What is the meaning of this? You can’t just bulldoze in here! Now look what you’ve done, you’ve ruined my favorite rug. Bad, Golem. Get,” I yell, trying to shoo the globby mess of a thing out.

Grindel giggles –seriously, giggles– and wraps an arm through the Golem’s. “I see you’ve met my partner. Are you ready to be crowned?”

Gritting my teeth, I give her a fake smile and nod my head.

“Come along then, Father is going to shackle us and then pass the crown to Hell’s new king.” She turns quickly, taking only the arm of her monster. “Golly, come,” she huffs before stomping away.

As the Golem slowly turns to follow, I sidle up next to it. “You poor thing. You shouldn’t let her treat you like that. Bend down and I’ll help you get out of this.”

“Don’t you dare, Leif,” Culligan hisses, jogging around the corner.

“Don’t I dare… what?” I ask.

Within a blink of his eyes, I’ve shoved my hand in the Golem’s opening mouth and pulled the spell out. Shredding the paper, I skip around Culligan as the thing melts into goo in the hallway. “Oops,” I say, placing my hands over my faux shocked expression.

“That’s it! I give up!” Culligan screams, throwing his hands in the air.

Not wasting a moment, I race in the opposite direction of his retreating form. Stop by the clinic to grab Zia and her fixed lantern home. Hurry to the kennels for my favorite pooch, Heekle. And finally, I am free. Well for seventeen more years at least. Maybe I should’ve asked Culligan one more time if he wanted to go to a higher realm? Nah.