Chapter Forty-Four

 

 

We looked over the scrolls.

Ira was right; there was indeed a section where “balls of red-hot iron” fell constantly from the sky. We made a plan for Odin and I to shift into dragons so that the others could fly beneath us through that section of Meido. Being fireproof and strong sure did come in handy.

After we prepared as best as we could, Sakuya traced to the Bodai-ji Temple on Mount Osore and then texted a picture of a bare patch of rocky land to me. We all used the image to trace to her and came out of the Aether directly in front of Sakuya. All around us was the bleak, pitted landscape of a volcano crater that was tempered by the lush, green mountainsides around it. Patches of grass trailed into the pale, rocky soil determinedly, and even a few trees managed to make their way into the basin. At the center of the bowl laid a serene lake. From a distance it seemed lovely, but when I focused on it I noticed the wavy yellow lines of sulfur striping the waves that slunk up to shore and the sparse patches of reeds that grew in the shallows like the hair of a teenager's beard. Then there were the bubbling pits of dark liquids, and vents which emitted noxious gases spotting the area. The whole place smelled like a pack of wet, farting dogs.

“Is this the Bog of Eternal Stench?” I asked as I wrinkled my tortured nose.

“Smell bad,” Sam intoned right on cue.

“And we have to dive into that?” Ira asked as he eyed the odoriferous lake.

“My people have just arrived.” Sakuya pointed to a little parking lot.

The parking area was set near an arching, red bridge which led to a traditional Japanese temple. The main entrance was a sort of gatehouse. There was an open passage beneath a two-story building with tiered, upward sloping roofs. To either side of this path were glass enclosures holding intimidating statues of menacing, red-skinned men. Just beyond this lay the temple; against the emerald backdrop of the crater's mountains. Beyond that was the Bog of Eternal Stench—I mean, Lake Usori.

Lake Usori; it's pronunciation sounded like “you sorry,” as in “You will be sorry if you swim in it.” I thought it very appropriate.

We followed Sakuya to a white van; the small, boxy, Japanese version of a van, that is. A couple of smiling Asian men climbed out and bowed deeply to Sakuya. They went to the side door of the vehicle and opened it to reveal boxes of wetsuits and Scuba gear. There were even little boots called tabi that were flexible and had a separation for the big toe. The men bowed again before heading toward the temple; leaving everything to us.

“Where are they going?” I asked.

“To see the Itako, I imagine,” Sakuya said. “Either that or they want to enjoy the hot springs.”

“There's a hot springs up here?” Azrael asked. “I don't know if I could relax with this smell.”

“You know; I've never thought about the fact that the Fire Kingdom lies over a volcano,” I mused. “The magma is constantly flowing, and we even have hot springs, but there's no sulfur scent.”

“Fairy volcanoes don't stink,” Sam declared with a grin.

“Thank Faerie for that.” I chuckled. “Like literally; I should thank her.”

“The hot springs here are for pilgrims and tourists,” Sakuya explained. “But most likely, those men will be visiting the Itako to commune with their dead loved ones.”

“Say again?” I cocked my head at her.

“The Itako are highly trained mediums,” Odin explained. “I've read about them; they're blind women who use the mushrooms that grow around the crater to communicate with the dead.”

“They do shrooms and talk to dead people; got it,” I said.

“Sadly, their numbers have dwindled,” Sakuya went on. “These days, the Itako have begun to take women apprentices who can see.”

“So sad.” Ira rolled his eyes.

“Ira.” Ted smacked Ira's shoulder.

“What? It's not like they can actually communicate with the dead,” Ira huffed.

“Actually, they can,” Sakuya protested. “The skull mushrooms put humans into a state where they can send their consciousness through the portal in the lake and touch the souls beyond it. Once the souls have passed beyond Meido, they can't be contacted, but the dead travel through Meido for forty-nine days; during which prayers and offerings are made for them, and they can be contacted by the Itako.”

“Skull mushrooms?” Odin asked as he looked around. “That sounds fascinating.”

“There are three types of mushrooms that grow here,” Sakuya said as she handed out wetsuits. “The Big Skull, the Princess Skull, and the Demon Skull; they are all hallucinogenic.”

“Really?” Odin asked.

“Odin, we don't have time to pick magic mushrooms,” I said gently.

“I suppose that I can come back later,” Odin huffed; his bare face making him look like a pouting teenager.

I pressed my lips together so that I wouldn't laugh.

“You're like a science geek in a god's body,” Ted teased Odin.

“A hot god's body,” I murmured.

“I'm completely all right with that assessment,” Odin said and then winked at me. “Both of them.”

We got suited up, locked the van, and headed for the lake. It wasn't as smelly as I'd thought it would be; most of the fumes were coming from the steam vents. We got our masks in place and waded into the water under the curious stares of tourists. Sakuya led the way into the deeper portion of the lake. Then we went underwater and followed her through the murky dark.

Sakuya switched on an underwater lamp; lighting up the gloom while simultaneously making it look even creepier. It was like swimming through miso soup; Sakuya's light could barely penetrate the clouds of minerals and streams of sulfur looming in the water. Still, she seemed to know the way and took us straight to the rim of the volcanic bowl of the lake; where it pressed against the volcano. The water grew warmer the closer we got to the side, but the creepy feeling persisted.

Then Sakuya dove to the bottom of the lake; where a slight shimmer gave away the invisible doorway to Meido. Sakuya disappeared into the rock—right through the illusion of its solid surface—and we followed her. Once we made it through, a rough current took us, and we were tossed about awhile until we were finally able to surface and locate the shore. Along the way to the beach, we encountered anaconda-sized snakes, but they took one look at our living bodies—and one whiff of the magic within us—and swam in the other direction.

“I hope the rest of the creatures here have a similar reaction to us,” I said as I shrugged out of my gear.

“They may,” Sakuya said. “These are avatars of magic made with one purpose alone; to torture the souls of the dead. The living don't matter to them.”

“They have enough to keep them busy.” Ira pointed to a male soul who was trying to swim across the river.

The river was so wide that it seemed to stretch for miles. But the soul hadn't made it very far before he was covered in snakes and screaming. Massive, scaled bodies tightened about him, and glistening fangs struck into his “soul flesh” over and over. Down from him a few feet, more souls were wading through shallow water; they were bit occasionally, but nothing like the poor man who was both literally and figuratively in deep water. Then, past the easier shallows, there was a gleaming bridge, and a couple souls strolled across it unmolested. Before the bridge, on our side of the river, a large Japanese man sat at a long table. Souls stood before him in a line; waiting to be judged.

“That's King Shinkou,” Sakuya whispered. “Let's try not to attract his attention; at least not until after we've reached a safe altitude.”

Odin and I found a rocky corner for privacy and got undressed before we shifted into dragons. We left our Scuba gear and wetsuits behind and emerged to find the angels unfolding their enormous wings. It was hard enough to keep a low profile on the ground, but once we were airborne, souls started screaming and pointing in our direction. King Shinkou stood as if he were going to approach us. But he was too late; we were already flying over the stunned god as he gaped up at us. Sakuya waved gaily at him and called out something in Japanese.

“That way.” Sakuya pointed. “Toward the glow.”

“You got it.” Ted—who was carrying Sakuya—angled toward the horizon.

“Second star to the right and straight on till morning,” I said with a toothy, dragon grin.