“I don’t know, Ox,” Xlina said, overwhelmed by it all. “What about my normal life? It feels like I am being drawn more and more into the Otherworld. I don’t want to lose the human part of who I am.”
“That’s your father talking,” Oxivius replied brashly. “Look, I know it’s only been a short time since we met, but if I may say, you’re trapped between worlds, accepting neither.”
“You sound like her,” Xlina said dryly, referencing the demon. “‘Give into your feelings’ and all that.”
“Why do you have to choose?” Oxivius asked. “Since the day we met, you have been struggling with choosing between worlds. It’s your father that taught you that you need to choose. You can have both, love.”
“Isn’t this the same guy that lectured me on the dangers of being close with vanilla bean humans?” Xlina protested with a squint.
“I did,” Oxivius relented. “Because that was my choice. I thought you would be better off making the same choice, but I see my folly now. It’s not who you are, love. You are as much a part of this world as the Otherworld. You need balance, love, not a lecture.”
“Balance,” Xlina mused. Damn him; he always made it sound so easy. She looked up at his waiting eyes, those icy blue orbs staring at her, and she was helpless to get a read on him. “It sounds so simple when you say it.”
“I didn’t say it was going to be easy,” Oxivius corrected firmly. “But if you insist on walking in two worlds, then you must accept both of them as equals.”
“So you think Amber and I will be safe here? How does Amber get here?”
“A simple charm on a bracelet should suffice,” Oxivius shrugged. “She’s been exposed to the Otherworld, and she’ll have you to guide her. While she is merely human, she could have the startings of a wizard or witch within her.”
“She’d make a better witch,” Xlina stated with a smirk.
“A wizard I should say,” Oxivius countered.
“She lacks the beard,” Xlina replied in jest imitating Oxivius habit of stroking his goatee on her hairless chin.
“Come now I thought your generation had evolved past gender roles,” Oxivius chided in response.
“Okay fine,” Xlina relented holding her hand up in surrender, “Why would she make a better Wizard?”
“First of all she doesn’t strike me as the earthy type,” Oxivius replied matter-of-factly, “Wizards however draw their magic from the celestial beyond. Astrology and astronomy are more their cup of tea. Right powerful magic to be sure, if you catch a wizard when the planets are aligned correctly. While your father’s druid order clings to outdated notions of sexuality you will find the same does not hold true for all walks. Most awakened are classified by the means in which they access magic as opposed to their genitalia.”
The door to the kitchen burst open to reveal a stout Penny carrying an absurdly large tray piled high with plates of food. Behind her, Burglecut held a bottle of wine and four glasses. They proudly approached the table, setting the tray down to reveal an assortment of foods. Delicious baked goods were piled high in a basket overflowing with fresh rolls and croissants. A plate of assorted sausages and ham steaks sat next to it. They had also managed to make a bowl of mashed potatoes, two choices of vegetables, and to finish the meal, a fresh-baked apple pie.
“Now let’s enjoy a hearty meal while you tell us all about your lady friend and her troubles, Oxy,” Penny said, scattering plates from the tray to the four seats around the table and sitting to Xlina’s right. Xlina looked at the assortment of food, then up to Oxivius, who only returned her look with a broad smile across his face. It was quite the story, and she didn’t know where to begin. With a deep breath, she started.
“My name is Xlina Dar’karrow,” She ventured cautiously. “And I bear the mark of a demon.
Chapter Fourteen
Walking The Dreamland
It had been nearly two weeks since Amber and Xlina had moved into the loft apartment over the Heart’s Hearth Tavern. After the telling of her tale to the odd couple, she had assumed the Burglecuts would react similarly to everyone else she had encountered and either cast her out or try to pitch her onto an open fire. Instead, the pair had marveled at her resilience so far and agreed to allow the duo of college girls to move upstairs. The following two weeks had been a blur of moving household items and consolidating down to one apartment’s worth of furniture. Xlina had been worried that Amber would reject her request to be roommates, complicating everything, but instead she squealed with glee when she was told about the arrangement. With minor fuss from the landlord, Larry, they were out and on their own, living in the two-bedroom loft overlooking the tavern.
Much to her chagrin, Xlina had heard nothing more from Valeria in the quickly passing weeks, which weighed on her in almost every spare thought. She half expected the demon to appear while she was collecting her belongings, but it had been disturbingly quiet on the mark front. Perhaps she was off tormenting her other victims, or just maybe she was actually doing her social worker job rather than feeding off mortals like the hell-spawned parasite she was. Either way, a part of her welcomed the absence after that last encounter. She found her hand absently drifting to the black velvet choker fused to her neck, just as it had done every time she even thought of Valeria, and that realization sent a shiver down her spine.
The tavern filled every night with a steady flow of patrons, exactly as Oxivius had described. It was a hotbed of Otherworld activity, with a collection of assorted Otherworlders stopping in to barter and trade for human goods from the Earth Realm. The tavern was some kind of neutral ground that Otherworlders and humans alike respected, and with the ley lines running intersecting beneath, it was a magical font of power, offering respite to the weary too long away from the Otherworld. Apparently, coffee was a strictly human luxury and widely sought by a variety of denizens from the Otherworld, and the smell of fresh brew mixed with baked goods was a constant aroma in the air. Per the Burglecuts’ directions, the pair of girls stayed out of the main foyer each night and away from the hustle and bustle of the eccentric crowd below. Occasionally, Xlina would sneak a peek at the array of magical individuals, but she was always careful to lie low and avoid any interaction that might lead to another encounter with the Burnished Rose. Despite Oxivius’ assurances that they wouldn’t cause trouble here, she still wasn’t willing to take any chances.
So it was as the sun set each day, Amber and Xlina would return from their classes at the university, engage in a hearty meal with the Burglecuts, who were the most affectionate couple, and trade assorted pleasantries. The Burglecuts were always friendly, with Penny hemming and hawing over the girls to eat and try everything and Burgle telling stories of great dishes he had once made. They were quaint, but each time she brought up their relationship with Oxivius, they seemed to dance away to another conversation, which was more than a little maddening. After dinner, she and Amber would retreat to the loft just as the first of the patrons arrived each night.
The loft itself was spacious and comfortable, which belied the size of the building from the outside. Xlina ventured to guess that some form of magic made the tavern larger on the inside than the outside. The loft door opened to a small but cozy living room, which was now furnished with most of the stuff that had been in Amber’s apartment. A collection of cream-colored sofas and a reclining chair sat in a triangle pattern, with the two sofas abutting the walls and the chair sitting before a bay window that looked out over the Old Port with a view of the church’s steeple that Oxivius had walked her by on their first trip to the tavern. Next to each was a cherry-stained end table with assorted knick-knacks that dripped with the posh princess vibe that seemed to fit Amber’s self-image, or at least the image she portrayed to the wider world. The more time they spent together, the more Xlina began to recognize the mask Amber wore to appease those around her and maintain her popularity and status within the social hierarchy of the campus.
Amber was a development unto her
self. The girl who had started off as Xlina’s bitter social rival had become her roommate. After nearly dying at the hands of the Cu Sith hound, she had been revived in a crystal coffin by her necromancer friend who lived in a crypt. It surely had been a wild month. But Amber had shown that she was capable of being more than the pressed-on nails, snotty princess. She was fascinated by the Otherworld and a bit intrigued at there being more to life than just being some trophy wife as her father wanted. She spoke little of her parents, never mentioned any siblings, and as a result seemed to bask in the social hierarchy. Perhaps it was a better alternative than being alone?
To either side of the living area, left and right, were the two bedrooms. Amber had settled in on the left, leaving Xlina to the room on the right. Xlina’s room had an earthy feel to it, large and lined with dark polished wood floors and matching dark wooden walls. The room itself was the size of her entire studio apartment. Each room also had its own private bath, and Xlina marveled at the feeling of luxury even as she lay on her broken down and singed pullout sofa. While Amber’s room had been marked with a queen-sized bed and matching dressers, Xlina’s room looked more like that of a typical college student, complete with a busted milk crate serving as an end table. It helped of course that Amber’s parents bankrolled Amber’s education, sparing no expense, from schoolbooks to silky curtains.
Xlina rolled lazily in her bed, kicking free from her blankets as her mind wandered over the rollercoaster of events that had led to her new living arrangements at Heart’s Hearth. Valeria remained her biggest problem, with that damned demon mark complicating everything. Once again, she felt the familiar black velvet in her fingertips and sighed before consciously removing her hand from her choker. The Three Brothers had sold her out to the Burnished Rose, and despite Oxivius’ help in dispatching their first two waves of assassins, she was far from clear from that danger. The coven was gathering its strength and waiting out there for another opportunity to appease Puc, the fae running the show. Clearing Puc from the table would most likely curb some of the throngs of Otherworlders looking for her head, but it was also exactly what Valeria wanted, which put the notion of eliminating the fae at the bottom of Xlina’s to-do list.
“Hey, X,” she heard Amber call cautiously through the door to her room, snapping her attention from her idle musing.
“It’s open,” Xlina called in return, not bothering to move, being perfectly content on her back staring up at the ceiling. It was a textured white spackle which offset nicely given the dark walls and floor, immaculate from wall to wall, with a small light mounted on a ceiling fan that spun on low. Xlina found staring at the whirling blades oddly relaxing. She heard the door creak as Amber entered, followed by the soft thuds of her steps on the hardwood floor approaching, until finally she felt the compression of the pullout mattress as Amber delicately sat on the corner of the bed.
“I’m glad you’re still up,” she sighed, flopping down next to Xlina’s side, matching her gaze at the ceiling fan, and scooting close until their shoulders were barely touching. “We haven’t had much time to talk.”
“We live together now,” Xlina chuckled softly. “I’m sure there will be plenty of time for gossip in our PJs over a pint of cookie dough.”
“Frozen yogurt,” Amber replied curtly. “Some of us need to watch our waistlines. We can’t all rely on our dreams.”
“Sure,” Xlina smiled, enjoying the slight banter and respite from the thoughts of everyone trying to kill her.
“I just thought,” Amber continued, “as things were progressing, we would have more time to catch up on... well, like everything.”
“Well moving was quite the affair,” Xlina retorted. “I didn’t think Larry would let us leave the lease like that.”
“I paid him,” Amber shrugged. “I told my father there had been break-ins down the hall and the police were involved, and that was that.”
“Oh, I see,” Xlina grinned, making sense of it now. Money’s ability to solve problems in the world seemed to far outweigh magic’s utility. She would trade being magical for being rich any day of the week.
“Don’t be cross,” Amber interjected. “I just... it was the only way I could help.”
“I get it, Amber,” Xlina sighed in resignation. “I’m not upset.”
“I do appreciate you asking,” Amber chimed in response. “For me to join you.”
“What did you tell your dearest dad about our living arrangement?” Xlina asked curiously.
“Just that we found a quaint elderly couple with a loft apartment in the Old Port,” Amber explained.
“Well it’s mostly true,” Xlina smirked.
“He wasn’t big on the roommate part,” Amber admitted. “But I assured him it was a safety thing, and he relented.”
“Also mostly true,” Xlina chided.
“Is this what it’s like?” Amber asked curiously. “Knowing about the Otherworld.”
“Being awakened,” Xlina corrected in the best imitation of her father’s stern voice. “It’s not a privilege, young lady; it’s a responsibility. Gods and devils my father would be so angry.”
“Because of me?” Amber tried hard not to giggle at Xlina’s mockingly stern voice.
“Not you specifically,” Xlina continued. “He is a member of the Druid Order, a protector of the Mist. Keeping the Grand Secret is kind of his life’s work, you know? Now my sister, she is the girl he wanted. The girl he expected. I’m more of the congenial disappointment of the family. My abilities are wild and unpredictable, hard to conceal, hard to keep secret.”
“A disappointment?” Amber questioned. “How could you say that?”
“It’s true,” Xlina nodded. “Especially compared to my brother and sister. The good children.”
“What’s she like, this perfect sister of yours?” Amber giggled, prodding Xlina with an elbow to the ribs that came incredibly close to her demon mark. The contact sent a shiver of tingles through her body in an unexpected manner that put her on edge.
“Like you,” Xlina answered slowly. “Not like you now, but like you when we first met. Popular, inner circle of society—”
“Shallow,” Amber finished. “Petty, vain, and mean. That’s what you meant.”
“I didn’t say that,” Xlina retorted defensively.
“You didn’t have to,” Amber replied. A hint of sadness, or perhaps a tinge of regret, lingered in her melodic voice.
“Why?” Xlina asked timidly. “Why the ruse? Why do the posh Barbie doll act at all?”
“I don’t know,” Amber shrugged absently, crossing her arms across her chest and sighing in resignation. “It’s what’s expected of me. Only child, father wanted a boy, a football player who he could live vicariously through. Instead he got a princess. He has treated me like one ever since. Don’t get me wrong; Dad’s great, and he means well. It’s just... my future, it’s always been about finding the perfect little life and settling down. Perfect husband, athlete of course, with a bright future and career, the two point five kids and the picket fence. It’s all so... boring. My mother was the same way.”
“You don’t talk about her,” Xlina inquired. “Like ever.”
“She was just what you would expect,” Amber shrugged. “Until she wasn’t. Prom queen, cheerleader, trophy wife, until she lost her luster. Her and dad split when I was young. She fell on hard times, harder times once she found a dealer.”
“I’m sorry,” Xlina whispered.
“Dad found a replacement barely older than I am,” Amber continued. “We... moved on.”
“So here we are, both prisoners to our expectations,” Xlina cooed with a chuckle. She could smell the lavender and honey body wash lingering on Amber as they lay watching the fan blade spin.
“Yeah,” Amber agreed with a nod. “But your expectations are kind of badass. I mean you literally fight monsters and stuff.”
“I am pretty badass,” Xlina agreed and couldn’t help but smile at the compliment. She turned her head
to see Amber lying next to her, staring up at the ceiling lost in thought. Her platinum-blond hair spread loosely over the mattress, as if she had been cast down from the heavens to this very spot. Even in this setting, she had the natural poise and grace of a model. It was as if a team of beauticians had spent hours placing every strand of hair with precise intent. She wore a pink silk camisole with matching shorts, complete with a complementing shade of pink polish on her nails and toes. Xlina in comparison wore a comfortable blue sports bra and a pair of black shorts, which she had been content with until this moment. She always felt under dressed around Amber, whose natural sense of style seemed to just make everything come easy.
“Xlina,” Amber said, turning her head to lock eyes. “I know you’ll figure this out. Okay?”
“How so?” Xlina asked curiously.
“You have been so distracted with everything,” she answered. “We have barely spoken. Every day you are just so worried, I think. About the mark, about the coven, about everything in general. I’ll be okay. You’ll be okay. You know that, right?”
“That’s sweet, Amber,” Xlina replied seriously. “But unbridled optimism isn’t going to save our butts here.”
“Oxivius is out there searching for answers,” Amber added. “The Burglecuts too, and you have me too. You don’t have to do this alone.”
“Oxivius,” Xlina quipped dryly. “I am still unsure about that one. I see him as a valued friend, but still there is this nagging.”
“Come on,” Amber answered with a poke of her finger in the ribs, again sending a strange wave of sensation through the mark that sent a shiver down Xlina’s spine. “He is eccentric, I’ll give you that, but he genuinely seems like a great guy, apart from that whole eating people thing. Trust me, I have been with guys with worse character flaws than cannibalism.”
“Ummm, yeah,” Xlina answered plainly. “Almost too good to be true. I mean the demon introduced us after all; at first, he seemed all isolated and alone, a kindred spirit, then whammo! Out of the blue we have the Burglecuts. Penny treats him like a long-lost son. He is close with them, close enough so they let us stay rent free in their tavern knowing that danger is pretty much following us around like a dog with a bone. Last time all this ‘too good to be true’ stuff lined up, I ended up marked by a demon.”
The Infernal Games Page 21