Lone Ranger Chapter 45

45.

It was not difficult to follow the riders into the caves which were on the side of the plateau hidden from Lance’s view when they stood over it. It was a tall entrance and a higher cavern inside. The remaining Nephilim stood guard there and was the first to see Lance. He rode up with Tonto in the named mount of his. The Nephilim could not speak but it sounded the alarm by stomping its feet. The others came out and confronted the duo. They were armed with the bones. It was then Lance had a good look at the ones who hid in the caves. He counted twenty-one of them then but he reckoned there were more hidden inside.

The strips of cloth imagined by Lance were ragged remains of their coats. Beneath the layer of their coats were their loose tunic and sandals. They were carrying huge long bones more from the discarded bones at the jaw with the serrated fangs. The Nephilim stood at the side in its role as the guard.

“Who are you?” One of them stepped out and approached Lance. “We are not intimidated by your earlier scary group.”

“Who? We? We are not with them.” Tonto voiced out while motioning to the outside. “We are the new strangers on the plains.”

“We had seen your kinds before…” The one who approached earlier showed his disdain for Tonto.

“Hey, Tonto here is my partner. He is … a friend.” Lance stood out to defend his friend. “We are here to assist. We seek Virgil.”

“You seek Virgil? Who are you to seek anyone here? We are not yours…”

“I am not your friend but Virgil could assist us.” Lance hit back in his own words. “I read his works before. You may have heard of it before.”

“Till he could found a city and bring home.” Lance quoted from the works of the great poet and a voice was heard.

“His gods to Laetium, land of the Latin race…” The figure emerged. “I knew that work but I am not Virgil. My name is more akin to Bard’s creation. The name is Falstaff.”

Falstaff was a huge figure with a ring of hair around his ears to the back of his neck leaving a clean slate on the top and the wider girth around the waist. He was dressed like the others but he carried a satchel on his left shoulder. He looked like the jester in the court standing there.

“I know thee not, old …. man. Why do you seek Virgil?” Joshua stepped out. “He does not see anyone. Unlike me, I see anyone who will offer me a drink of mead.”

“Falstaff? I knew him. He was one of Bard’s creation ….” Lance explained. “You have borrowed his name to amuse me.”

“Amuse? I am not a muse. I was one of Bard’s closest once before and he placed me into his works. I was whom he wrote of me.” Falstaff explained. “I died soon after and came here. This is Hades and where else would one like me would be banished to if not here.”

“So why now do you sought Virgil?” Falstaff jumped to the issue on hand.

“Michael told me to see him for he knew Hades well. He knew of the Dark Portal.”

For some reason, Lance’ words initiated an attack on them. Three of the so-named Angels struck out at Lance and another two charged at Tonto. They swung their weapons at the duo like mallets. Lance retreated on the attack but Tonto snapped to counter. The later had taken out his tomahawk to defend. He had slung the rifle across his chest and blocked with his tomahawk. Then tomahawk went right and blocked the swinging mallet. He then turned his body right to use the force to drive the tomahawk on an upswing to block the second mallet. He did not stop there and used his body to slam into the second attacker. Both of them went down but Tonto was faster to recover. He rolled over before he saw the bone mallet came raining down. The Fallen Angel was hit hard on the chest and screamed out. Lance kept on retreating till he was outside the cave before he drew his guns. He fired three shots into the air and then stared at the startled attackers.

“Step forth and the next shot will be in you,” Lance warned them. It seems to work for they stopped. The one named Falstaff stepped up. He held his hands high and stopped the fight.

“No more shooting!” Falstaff called out. “You will bring back the demons.”

His warning was late for in the horizon behind Lance was seen a cluster of dust that was soon getting larger. The so-named Angels retreated leaving Lance and Tonto standing there. It was Falstaff who called them into the cave. Once in the cave, Falstaff then confronted the duo.

“Fools! What do you know of the Dark Portal? It’s the realm of the Demon that exists the portal for them to move between the dimensions and cities.” Falstaff snapped at Lance. “It’s the work of the Devil there. For every works there, it was that we were all banished here.”

“Dark Portal? I do not understand.” Lance replied with curiosity. “We were only brief that through the portal we could find Lucifer.  And only the selected few as Virgil knew.”

Before Falstaff could reply, the sound of rumbling was heard outside the cave. The Angels retreated and the surviving Nephilim stood to protect them.

“Do not fear the demons now. They won’t come here. They will crack at the rocks there but none will enter.” Falstaff smiled. “If they do, they will cease to exist if not by the strength of the Nephilim, then by the force within this place.”

“But I saw you…Nephilim fall when it was blown apart.” Tonto spoke up.

“True, the riders have acquired something of potent but they will not come in here. That is the rule of Hades for we have our drawn boundaries.” The others who had confronted the duo had then retreated in further. Lance was still confused and Falstaff pulled his arm.

“Your answers lie not here but within.” Falstaff stepped in further into the cave with the long walk in the lighted tunnel and then they saw the full extent of the cave inside. It was a huge city inside with the tall towers and structures that were built into the wall but they defied the concept of gravity. All the buildings were built on the side of the wall and it’s laid there like spikes on the wall. The city looms below into the lighted huge pit with its connecting bridges between the towers. Lance saw the width of the pit was like a mile across and its width was like half a mile. It was mind-boggling for the plateau they were on was about half a mile across and a mile in width. It was opposite in dimension there.

“Do step on.” Falstaff pulled Lance’s arm to the edge of the pit. Once their feet reached there, he felt as if he was climbing instead of stepped down. His next step took him on a tangent view of where he was and found himself looking at the top of the tower. Falstaff had meanwhile walked on as if he was taking a regular stroll. He then entered the tower at the top and then disappeared inside. Lance and Tonto followed on but their sense of balance was normal as if they were on the leveled ground.  When they entered the tower, they found themselves walking down the stairs towards the flooring there. They followed Falstaff descending the levels and forgotten their earlier perception of the differing perspective. The path they took was a spiral staircase that led them to a chamber with several doorways. Falstaff took one of the doorways and stepped out. He motioned to the duo to follow him. Lance found themself inside a rectangle chamber that could only fit in five or fewer people. It had no walls and once the doorway was closed, the place was in darkness. The darkness was soon lighted by the ambient silvery light and the chamber moved as if it was following but the ones inside felt their balance was maintained.

“Fear not, my newly arrived. The chamber moved at great speed but we are safe. Soon we will arrive at the Theater.” Falstaff told the concerned duo. The chamber traveled as felt by the duo for some time and then it stopped. The doorway opened for them to exit and there they were overcome by the new scene that unfolded before them. They were met by the other Angels seated in what may be described as an amphitheater with the rows of seats that were laid out in a concave manner facing the new arrivals on the open platform. Lance counted thirty-five of them seated and unlike the ones he met earlier, these were elderly but they were dressed in the same attire as the others. And they all looked alike.

“Meet Virgil.”