Half-Demon's Fortune

by Lina J. Potter

  Still, my hands had a mind of their own.

  I knocked Lavinia out, as the more dangerous of the two, then did the same to her merchant, and put her on my shoulder.

  We’ll talk outside.

  The conversation didn’t work out. The first thing the fair lady did after waking up was try and get her claws on my face. With a gentle slap, I had to explain to her that that was far from good form. Upon flying a few steps back, she started to change form.

  What have we here? Was her father special, or had she picked something up on the go?

  The latter, I guessed. Long claws appeared on her fingers, and her face became distorted. I had no desire to draw the Church’s attention, so I also transformed and retracted my own claws, tellingly pointing them at her. Lavinia froze.

  “Should I kill you or will we talk?”

  I smiled politely, baring my fangs. The demoness quickly fizzled out, switching back into her human form.

  “Don’t kill me.”

  “And I really should. What have you done, you wretch?”

  I followed suit, regaining my human shape. Lavinia looked daggers at me.

  “What have I done? What? It was you who set me up! You’ve made me a kingslayer, a traitor...I can’t return home because of you!”

  “And do you really regret that so much?”

  She unleashed a stream of obscenities. I slapped her once again.

  “How did you get here?

  Really, slaps seemed to be the only way to deal with half-vampires. I could only force her to talk after bringing her to her senses physically.

  In any case, Lavinia told a rather coherent story about her ship arriving at Irrolen, her life there, her marriage to a rich merchant who was ready to wait on her hand and foot...

  “Is that him inside the tent?”

  “Yes.”

  “And why have you come here?”

  “What about you?”

  Lavinia’s reasons turned out to be simple. Her husband had traveled to Riolon to do business, with his wife in tow. What if somebody decided to steal away such a precious treasure?

  When I asked how many madmen lived in Irrolen and if any of them had committed suicide by vampire, Lavinia just bared her teeth. Her husband thought she was a delicate flower, after all.

  A flytrap?

  In short, that’s how Lavinia turned up here.

  What was she doing at the masquerade? Hunting! Vampires had to feed, after all, and that seemed to be the perfect place. She met Innis by pure accident, as she saw some bastard trying to force himself on a girl and decided to snack on him. She tried to suppress the girl’s memory, but Innis was a mage, after all. Those tricks didn’t work on her. That’s why she couldn’t get her story straight.

  She had no time to clean up after herself due to my arrival and she had to leave in a panic. She had no wish to meet me...but she had no desire to leave either. She was pissed off at me and thought I wouldn’t find her, and thus, she set out to find a way to screw me over. In particular, she planned on talking to Innis, telling her some facts from my colorful biography, or maybe giving me up to the Church.

  She failed. I almost never left Innis’s side and she was afraid of approaching me—and the Church as well, what with her being a spawn of a vampire and all. All she could do was mess with my business in secret and run away, like all of her kind.

  I sneered.

  “You’ll have to leave.”

  “Are you going to report me?”

  “No. But you’ve killed your second king.”

  To Lavinia’s credit, she understood everything almost instantly.

  “You...you scum...”

  This time, I let her curse to her heart’s content. She had earned that right. After twenty minutes, she was looking at me, her eyes blank.

  “You’re such a bastard, after all.”

  “And you are a murderer. Why would you care? One corpse more, one corpse less... Or do you want to tell me that you had never killed anyone before you met me?”

  Lavinia sneered, too.

  “Does that girl know who you are? Or does she consider you her knight in shining armor, kind, warm, and understanding? Do you crave looking like a goody-two-shoes to somebody, at least? You’ll never succeed. You’re a wretch and a villain, just like me.”

  I smirked.

  “Will you leave?”

  In a flash, Lavinia appeared right next to me and grabbed my hand. Her eyes, red from fury, shined like dark rubies.

  “Oh yes, I will. And mark my words, cur! You’ll die alone. You’re the same as me: a maggot, a vermin, and a thug. You might seem nice, but sooner or later, she will start hating and despising you. You—”

  We attacked each other at the same time. Lavinia thought she had provided a sufficient distraction, while I had run out of patience. I pushed her away and discovered a hairpin stuck in my flank. She had aimed for my heart.

  Lavinia pounced at me once more, but I was already on my guard. I grabbed her by her throat.

  “Why?”

  I never got a real answer out of her, but the hate in her eyes spoke volumes.

  Why had she tried to kill me? What had I ever done to her?

  With a sharp movement, I snapped her neck and threw her body under my feet.

  “I release your soul.”

  The body of a beautiful woman lay at my feet like a pile of dirty rags. I fell on my knees.

  I felt empty and burned out.

  Why? She could have been my friend. My lover. My companion. Or could she? I was to blame for lots of things. I was sure of my right; I made my way toward the throne without ever thinking about those I would crush. And what did I get? I was guilty. And she was right in so many ways.

  I had exchanged my life for my mother’s revenge, for becoming the king of Radenor. Whether I was good or evil, I had taken that burden on myself...and it had scorched my soul right out of me.

  Was I a villain? Was I scum? Definitely. Even then, I only felt alive when I was with Innis. Not in the palace. I had to help Innis and leave there for good. That was the best way, the only way for her...and for myself.

  And then I realized. You could never create something on hate alone. Too bad that revelation was so late in coming.

  I closed Lavinia’s eyes.

  Farewell.

  ***

  “Alex!”

  Innis looked at me, indignant.

  “Where have you been?”

  “Just walking around, stargazing.”

  “You have no shame! I was so worried about you!”

  “Trust me, I don’t deserve that.”

  “You’re such a swine.”

  Innis snorted and left, while I lay back in an armchair and closed my eyes.

  “Alex?”

  That was Auntie Madie. She looked at me all serious and upset.

  “You’ve offended the girl.”

  I stared back at her.

  “Soon, I will have to leave her. I don’t want her to get used to my presence.”

  A sad smile appeared on Auntie’s lips.

  “Children...you’re all so foolish...”

  I was in no mood to solve riddles.

  “Will you look after her?”

  “I’m a bad mother, Alex. I couldn’t even raise my daughter right, and my son left me. And you wish to entrust me with that girl?”

  “If you hadn’t learned anything, Auntie, I would never leave her in your care.”

  Auntie seemed thoughtful and understanding.

  “I promise you I will, Alex.”

  I sighed and went out. I had to meet my snitches and find out what had happened to her daughter.

  As it turned out, nothing special. She had just fallen on her husband’s fist a few times, nothing unusual.

  For her husband, however, the situation was much worse. While he was “educating” his wife, two sympathetic passers-by couldn’t help but lend a hand to the poor woman. And he...fell, just like her. What an unfortunate coincidence
!

  The thrall-to-be had hit his head and was now resting in bed and loudly complaining, with his wife changing the ice packs on his forehead. Truly, there was no cure for stupidity.

  ***

  The next day, we got a visit from Sidon Andago. Right off the bat, without any undue ceremonies, he challenged me to a duel.

  “Fight me, Belient!”

  “I apologize, but I cannot accept. It would be improper of me to kill a relative,” I replied, shrugging.

  “Father, have you gone mad?”

  Innis and I were just playing tarshan in the drawing room, while Auntie Madie was knitting a stocking. Everyone seemed busy—until Siddy barged in, all disheveled.

  Nope, fighting him would be too much.

  “And you, you stupid thing, will get home immediately! I will marry you off no later than tomorrow!”

  “To whom, may I ask? Wasn’t Riphar killed by some kind people?”

  And to think she used to be such a sweet girl! Living with me left its mark.

  “We’ll find someone!”

  “Does Amorta have any brothers left? Not enough booty for all of them?”

  Having completely lost his marbles, Sidon rushed at Innis and took a swing. I had to carefully lay him down on the floor, face down.

  “Calm down. Innis isn’t going anywhere.”

  Sidon screeched something unintelligible and I had to take a closer look.

  Wow, he had been thoroughly glamored. Amorta really did a number on her husband before letting him go the capital. It made sense. Who knew how much he would spend here? What if he realized he had no need of such a wife?

  The best course of action for me was to tie Siddy up, knock him out, and put him somewhere in a corner. However, that could make him go mad.

  I paused. Should I kill him? That would be mercy.

  But while I was thinking, fate took the decision away from me. Sidon abruptly started to writhe in agony and howl.

  “Alex?”

  Innis grew pale.

  “It’s not me, I swear.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “I don’t know.”

  I punched Sidon in the head, right above his ear. He sank down onto the floor, and I carefully pushed Innis back as she tried to help him.

  “Don’t.”

  “Alex!”

  I guessed what was going on.

  “Don’t touch him! Don’t interfere!”

  Auntie Madie hid in the corner, clearly scared. I looked back and grabbed a plate from the table, then cut a vein on Sidon’s hand and used the plate to collect the blood. I was the only one who could see tiny dark motes of the hex dancing over the liquid.

  “Alex!”

  “Look...”

  I put the plate on the table and ran my hand over it.

  Necromancers weren’t skilled in divination magic, but every mage could look into their element. The wind brought news of events from all over the world to air mages, and water mages could simply gaze into the water, as it was present everywhere, even in our blood. Earth mages were the salt of the earth, and the earth whispered into their ears. Fire mages...well, you get it.

  But even for necromancers, there is an element they know intimately: blood.

  Through Sidon’s blood, I could see what was happening to the witch who had hexed him. Amorta had put all of herself and her own blood into the spell, and I could pull that thread, no problem, other than...

  Necromancy in the middle of a densely populated city was a sure way to get burned at the stake. Still, if I added my own blood, I wouldn’t have to borrow any other power. Everything would remain inside of me. I did run the risk of overestimating myself and going all out, but it’s not like I had a choice. A few drops of my blood fell into Sidon’s.

  “Now you will see what’s happening in the Morales estate, or maybe Andago—wherever Amorta is.”

  Innis darted to the table, Auntie Madie at her side—when it came to humans, curiosity always outweighed fear. We peered into the scarlet liquid.

  Motes were dancing above its surface, blending into a single cloud that turned black, gleaming like a mirror, and at last...

  That was no Andago estate, that was the lair of the Morales family. I knew the grounds, the trees, the building. Innis squeezed my hand.

  “It’s Amorta and her mother...”

  The sister, whose name I couldn’t recall, I recognized myself. In addition to the women, there were a few men.

  And also, there were templars.

  For once, I was happy to see those vermin. Like white stains, they surrounded the people and the estate, spreading out, with the blades on their swords reflecting the light...

  The warlocks weren’t going to go down easily.

  The eldest one raised her hands, summoning...something...from below the ground.

  The thing it resembled the most was a giant many-tentacled octopus. It raised its appendages in the air, scattering lumps of earth right and left. Black and terrifying, they struck dead any man they touched, only to raise it as a zombie.

  I couldn’t help but respect the templars. None of them ran or hid. Instead, they rushed into battle, having reason to believe that after getting rid of the warlocks, slaying the demon would be much easier.

  They fell, but they didn’t give up.

  Five of them stood in a circle and started chanting something. Was that an exorcism? Quite likely.

  In any case, I could see the light surrounding their figures, and the tentacles jerked back as if scorched.

  I saw the warlocks fall one by one, some killed with swords, some slain with arrows. Templars died too, but there were so many of them, maybe several hundred, if not more.

  Warlocks couldn’t withstand that assault; they were outnumbered, just like I had been.

  Slowly, the tentacles got pushed back underground, some of them freezing in bizarre shapes as if petrified. Truly, had they considered me dangerous enough to deal with back then, I would have never left that place alive.

  Seeing the templars at work, dealing with such a threat, I almost reconsidered ever messing with them.

  And then I saw Amorta. She was disheveled, with fiery eyes, and when she raised her hands, black sparks flew forward. Was that a curse?

  She was good at them, absolutely. But there was no point. Curses always need time to take effect, they weren’t instantaneous. The templars would have a lot of problems on their hands later...but would she live long enough to see that?

  She wouldn’t. With a wide sweep, one of them hit her with a silver-tipped spear. Amorta fell to her knees, clutching the shaft that stuck out of her chest, and howled in pain. Good thing I couldn’t hear any sounds.

  A sharp groan startled us. Innis grabbed my hand, and we couldn’t help but turn back.

  Sidon was convulsing on the floor. That seizure was much more dangerous than before. He was wailing, squirming, and bled from his nose and his ears, his blood thick and almost black in color.

  “Alex!”

  “I’m no healer, and a healer won’t help him anyway.”

  “But what’s happening?”

  “You’ve seen it yourself. Amorta is dead.”

  “So?”

  “When a warlock dies, the hex is dispelled, and the victim’s previous state is restored.”

  “B-but—”

  “Yep, and the longer he’s been afflicted, the worse it is.”

  “But he won’t survive!”

  “We can’t help him.”

  “I’ll call a healer anyway,” Auntie Madie resolved and rushed outside.

  I shrugged.

  “I hope she won’t bring servitors here.”

  “Me, too. Alex, have you...”

  “No. There are no traces left...or there won’t be if you wash the plate.”

  It was only then when I realized how exhausted I was, worn out to the brim. Sweat rolled down my forehead and my hands twitched.

  “Can I lie down?”

  Sidon Andago still thra
shed around in the corner, now croaking instead of screaming, his voice lost. It looked horrible, but what could we do?

  “Yes... Thank you, Alex.”

  “Don’t thank me. Soon, you’ll be able to return home.”

  “And what about you?”

  “You’ll release me,” I smirked. “You don’t need me anymore. You asked me to take care of you, and that’s what I’ve done. You’ll be free, wealthy, and happy. Isn’t that enough?”

  “You’re such a fool.”

  Innis turned away, proud.

  “A demon,” I reminded her.

  I was lying, of course. But what else could I do for her? Only that.

  I turned on my heels and went upstairs to rest.

  Downstairs, something noisy was going on. Auntie Madie had returned with a healer in tow, who tried to feed Sidon a sedative, and then simply put a tube inside his mouth and poured the brew inside his stomach. It didn’t work, either. I could have told him that in the first place. It would be more merciful to simply finish him off, but they were too kind for that.

  I fell asleep. I felt awful; I was a person, too, after all, and I had way too much happen to me.

  First Lavinia, then that...summoning demons was easier than scrying at such a distance, by far. I returned downstairs in the evening, only to bump into Auntie Madie, who seemed worried for me.

  It felt nice. I wasn’t used to people who cared instead of being scared.

  “How are things?”

  “They took Sidon to the temple, and Innis went with them.”

  “What! Why?”

  “The healer couldn’t do anything, so they suspected a hex.”

  “Damnation! When did she leave?”

  I feverishly started to pack up.

  “Alex, you’ll just miss each other on your way there. Where are you headed?”

  “I’ll figure it out! Why did you let her go?”

  “Shouldn’t I have?”

  “No!”

  Auntie Madie stopped in front of me and touched my shoulders.

  “Calm down. Nothing will happen to her there.”

  “You just don’t know—”

  “I do. She’s a good girl, a nice girl, and right now, you could do her more harm than good.”

  “Really?”

  “If you rush to rescue and protect her, then yes. She’s Countess Andago and a neighbor of the Morales family. If she doesn’t prove to the Church that she can be trusted...”