A Tune of Demons Box Set: The Complete Fantasy Series

by J E Mueller

  “You want to control your own fate,” I stated and she nodded. “I can’t hold that against you. Clearly, I’ve done the same, but why the secrecy?”

  “Mother thinks I don’t need it, that there will always be someone there to protect me.” She shook her head, her memories swimming in her mind. “Life’s not like that, and it sucks, but it’s true. Can you teach me more?”

  “I’ve no skill with daggers, but I know plenty of people who can help and keep it a secret,” I replied honestly.

  “Thank you!” She jumped up and hugged me.

  “On two conditions,” I said carefully.

  Her expression sobered. “Okay, what are they?”

  “If asked, you’ll be honest about what you’re doing. Your mother may not like it, but we’ll back you up. Two, can you show me how you made this fantastic cloak? It’s wonderful.”

  “Gladly.” She smiled.

  “All right, let’s go teach you how to stab things correctly. You can leave all of this here for now.” I said, “Just going to leave Lee a note telling him where we are.”

  “I hope he doesn’t hate this idea,” she said glumly.

  “So what if he does?” I laughed. I wouldn’t let anyone stop Tella from taking control of her own defense. “Being able to keep yourself safe is a good feeling. Even better, you’ll be able to do more than just run if and when the time calls for it.”

  It wasn’t hard to understand why she had come to me first. I did more than just simply understand. I could already do all the things she wanted to do.

  “I do have some pretty good running skills.” Tella laughed, striking a dramatic pose.

  “Indeed.” I rolled my eyes at her as I scribbled down a quick note.

  Tella read it over my shoulder, “Teaching my shadow self-defense, likely with Clover… oh, your guard friends!”

  “They’ve got the skills.” I shrugged and we headed out the door.

  It wasn’t hard to find them, and with a surprising turn of good luck, Clover was off duty and hanging out with her friends.

  “Of course I’d love to help teach this young lady how to be a capable fighter and to defend herself.” Clover smiled with glee. “I learned the same at about your age too, actually.”

  “Can I join?” Mara asked excitedly. “It’s been so long since I’ve gotten to help a newbie with self-defense.”

  “Of course,” Clover said. “Let’s use the storage room, let the kiddo see if this is what she wants to do before fumbling about in the practice field.”

  “Do I have to learn the self-defense part first?” Tella asked impatiently.

  “Yep.” Clover laughed. “If you can defend yourself without weapons, being unarmed won’t matter as much.”

  “And you will get disarmed easily while you are learning,” Mara added as we all headed towards the back of the building.

  “I’d actually like to brush up on my own skills and learn more. I’m sure Zarek will already be mocking my form.” I sighed.

  “Of course! You’ve got to show off proper technique. Otherwise, it’ll be pushups for days with him.” Mara snorted.

  “Don’t remind me.” I shook my head. “At least thanks to the wedding I was spared from practicing. I won’t get that lucky next time.”

  With that Clover and Mara dove into the basics, showing guard stances and how to throw a proper punch. At first, Tella was frustrated with her positioning, but quickly got the hang of it and started having fun with it. After two hours they were finished for the day. Muscles aching, I was glad for the break.

  “If you want to go through more later tonight feel free to come back and we’ll review what you’ve learned,” Clover encouraged her. “Otherwise I expect to see you daily for at least an hour. We’ll get you in great shape in no time.”

  “Thank you so much!” Tella exclaimed, still enthusiastic and full of adrenaline.

  “No problem.” Mara smiled. “We all start somewhere. It’s even better your super speed is helping you not only throw quicker punches but also letting you learn faster.”

  “Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that’s part of it.” Tella bounced around with glee. “That’s great. Thank you.”

  “Thank you for helping,” I said again. “You are both awesome.”

  “Anything for you, little pyro.” Clover winked.

  “Since you inspired us to mix magic with training, things have been great!” Mara added.

  “Yeah, it’s helped make everyone think and work harder to figure out how to handle different situations. You just never know what you’ll come across in this world,” Clover agreed.

  “Glad I was a positive spark then.” I laughed at my own joke and got shooed out of the room. It was worth it.

  When we returned back to Lee’s house no one was home yet.

  “We’ll need material for the cloak. I can bring some by later if you’d like,” Tella suggested.

  “If you’d like to. I don’t want to keep you busy all day.”

  “Zane and Tristan are on a hunting trip since there seems to be an abundance of turkeys around. Gally is infatuated with Phill so she’s busy following him everywhere. Lydia is out of town working on helping her mother make her sister's wedding dress and Molly is down with the flu. If I have to hear Marc talk about the fields or Mother complain about the lack of fruit she wants for her pies, I’ll scream.”

  “I don’t know how I became the most exciting person in your life, but okay.” I laughed. “Bring the material on by.”

  “Yes ma'am!” She dashed off gleefully.

  Lee came in as she was leaving. “What was that about?”

  “She is going to show me how to make this new cloak design.” I shrugged and grinned at him.

  “Wait, new cloak design?” he asked surprised. The mystery from earlier was clearly still on his mind.

  “Come look.” I led him back to my room and he saw the daggers and cloak on the bed. I held it up for him.

  “There is no way my cousin is what’s putting all this on hold.” He shook his head. Frustration lined his features.

  “She may not be,” I agreed. “This might be the new incoming fashion, and I’m going to learn how to make it as well, but it is something to consider. Don’t dismiss the kid. She’s a fast learner, and is going to have amazing skills someday.”

  “Kids should not be getting into this type of trouble,” He argued.

  I crossed my arms. “She’s already older than I was when I left home. Yes, she is young, but this is our world. I’ll protect her from it, but I won’t hide her from it. Being hidden from what’s out there and what I am is what killed half my family. She won’t suffer the same fate, but she will feel like she is suffering if she’s not allowed to do anything with her life.”

  Taking a deep breath, Lee walked out. I followed him, shutting the door behind me.

  “You’re right, but I don’t like this,” he tried reigning in his feelings.

  “She’s learning self-defense with Mara and Clover. That’ll keep her plenty busy, and in a good way. Tella’s a great kid. Let her figure out what she wants to do with her life.”

  Lee sat down on the sofa. “Okay, okay. Just let me adjust to the idea.”

  Juni got back a short while later and we were talking about dinner when Tella dashed in with a large box in hand.

  “What’s this, Tells?” Juni asked, surprised.

  “I’m working on a project with Key.” She smiled. “I’m going to show her how to make this nifty cloak design Lydia taught me before she left.”

  “It’s still in my room if you’d like to show h-” I started to say, but Tella dashed off and was back within the same breath.

  “Isn’t this wonderful?” She handed it to Juni who looked at it curiously.

  “Why such a hidden face?” Juni asked.

  “For the mystery! Imagine that style but as a capelet attached to an extravagant ball gown. It’d be the new masquerade style of fashion and secret.”

  Juni ha
nded it back with a smile. “I’d love to see it sometime.”

  “Me too. We’re going to work on the idea when she gets back, but it won’t be for another few weeks.” She sighed. “So, for now, I’ll show Key how to make the cloak design!”

  “That sounds fun. I’m sure Key will like having a non-magical project to keep her busy,” Juni teased.

  Chuckling, I agreed. “I’ve never had trouble staying busy here.”

  Lee, not wanting to think about his mystery cloaked figure from his vision decided it was time to change the subject. “Anyway, back to something we can all agree on. Dinner.”

  After dinner, while we were washing the dishes, I was finally able to ask him quietly what was on his mind.

  “What friend does Tella keep talking about?” he asked in response.

  “Lydia.” I said and it finally clicked. “Juniper goes missing, Kegan is injured, Lydia is used as bait. But her friend is out of town preparing for her sister's wedding.”

  “Where?” Lee asked.

  “I don’t know…” I answered softly. “But if it’s Faraden I may just scream. Why are all the people from that town involved in this damned fixed event cycle?”

  “Great question, but I doubt there’s an easy answer,” Lee replied, handing me the last dish to dry.

  “At least we have no unknowns now. Do you know what Lydia looks like?” I asked.

  “Yes, and I’ll be looking for signs of her when this all starts,” Lee replied. “But let’s not give Tella something else to worry about. She doesn’t need to be following us.”

  “That’s for sure. This will get messy quickly.” It was a fact that didn’t seem avoidable. “Best get back out there then, otherwise she will have questions for us.”

  Smiles on, worries off. It was time to learn how to make a wonderfully mysterious cloak.

  34

  The next few days went by in much the same way. Tella’s skill quickly improved, impressing Clover and Mara enough to speed up their lessons to match Tella’s growth. It was fun to watch, but I felt the winds changing.

  There was something magical about the sudden breeze and I started to wonder if these hints at things to come were from these angels and spirits I could not see. I had half a mind to stop and ask Tella, but knew it was best to let it wait. My gut told me it was time to go, and Lee was already heading out the door as I was approaching. Handing me my pack, he shook his head.

  Cuts ran along the sides of his arms and he knew what I was going to ask. “Soon,” he said, waiting to explain until we were well out of town.

  “Apparently demons can only nab someone when they are visible. That means they can also fight back,” Lee finally explained as the town vanished from view. “Even though I knew I couldn’t win, I’d be damned if I didn’t give it my all.” His expression was bleak. “I’ve no idea how we’re to get my mother back. There were four of them, and I couldn’t do enough to stop them. There’s bound to be more wherever they took her.”

  “I wish I could be of more help,” I admitted. “I don’t know where this is going to lead to at all. Did you see which direction they went?”

  “They were headed towards Faraden before disappearing with their magic.”

  That implied a lot. The demons had vanished with Juni, but how and where did they go? Did they just become invisible, or had they teleported elsewhere?

  I left those questions unasked for the moment. Lee wouldn’t know the answers yet. “What is with that town?” I groaned. “I hate everything.”

  “It gets worse. I can’t sense her magic at all. Wherever she went when they disappeared cut off her trail,” Lee replied trying not to let the pain of it take hold. “I’ve never lost a trail like that…”

  “We’re not dealing with normal magic, and you’re not trained to deal with something this advanced,” I pointed out. “We’ll figure it out and we will get help soon.” I hoped my words were reassuring. There was no way to know for sure if we would run into help, and I hoped it wouldn’t become clear that we were on our own at the last moment when more lives were on the line.

  “If I had known this was going to happen sooner, I think I would have taken Emmyth’s suggestion more seriously.”

  “What did he say?” I was surprised that this was the first time I was hearing about this.

  “He mentioned when you were still recovering that he could help train me. Emmyth would fully train me if I joined him and not just show me the basics. He went on about how things could take a quick turn back to the negative, that sometimes a demon will figure out why his brethren were slain and retaliate. It seemed unlikely to me at that time. He only brought it up once more and I shook it off since nothing had come up. I wasn’t expecting them to put effort into months of planning.” Lee sighed. “My concern was your recovery. Not the bigger picture of the future. I’m glad that demons can’t kill you with fire magic, and you’re much too strong-willed to be lured into their false promises.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” I nodded approvingly. There were some days that I still doubted that.

  “I guess we need to head towards Faraden and see what happens,” Lee stated.

  “It’s the best idea we have…” I thought for a moment. “Can you sense demon magic? Maybe that’ll give us a better clue.”

  Lee shook his head. “I’d have to have concentrated on remembering what the strand of magic was like in order for that to work. Kind of like a dog tracking things by scent. I need a moment to pick up on it, and it only works if I have the magical being there. It’s pretty limited in that aspect, but someone like you I wouldn’t be able to lose if you were on this plain.”

  “So they took her to another dimension?” I questioned. He seemed to have learned a lot more while I was recovering than I had expected.

  “Basically. Like the levels of hell, our lovely world has levels too. Demons can only access the lower ones and angels can only access the higher. We’re in the middle, the balancing point.”

  “I swear the Order taught me nothing.”

  “Or you were an uncooperative child who only wanted answers to the questions you asked,” Lee smirked.

  I glared at him for a brief moment. He wasn’t wrong on that part, and I had no way of knowing if they had taught anything about the levels of realms without going back to visit them. Someday I’d love to go back. With all that had changed in the last year, it would be a fun place to see with new eyes.

  “It’s something to keep in mind though,” Lee said as we continued on with our journey. “There’s a lot our gifts can help us with, but there's still so much we don’t know, can’t see, and can’t control. But hell if I let that stop me from this mission.”

  “Just don’t sell your soul to get her back. That really defeats the purpose of this and they will win if you do that.”

  “It hadn’t crossed my mind, but I won’t be surprised if that gets brought up again,” Lee replied. “Is there a way to break those contracts?”

  “Not as far as I know. There’s a way to hurt the contracts, but then you end up with cursed children like me.” Shaking my head, I was at a loss. “I don’t think there’s a way to get your soul back once it’s gone. It’s not like a bad haircut. Much more like losing a toe. You can live without it, but it’s never coming back.”

  “That’s not fair,” Lee muttered. “Do they even have to keep their end of the bargain? Aside from the curse being transferred in some cases, like promising them your child's soul, what if I was offering just mine and mine alone? If the contract wasn’t fulfilled would they be out of luck?”

  “I think the only way around that is to lead a perfect and faultless life after that to redeem yourself, and you can bet they’ll not allow that and will kill you anyway to have your soul.”

  Lee thought for a few moments. “Let’s not ever use that as a backup plan then.”

  “I wonder if you could make contracts with angels,” I mused.

  “That’s an interesting question…” Lee c
onsidered the question as we slowly started making our way through the woods. “Maybe we’ll find out someday.”

  We continued on in silence for a bit, musing on our own thoughts. It struck me that a contract would be possible to make with angels. They did interfere, if only on a much more subtle level. To the everyday person they seemed to be bystanders, but to someone like Emmyth and the Blessed born on their crusades, was it possible that they got extra powers for smiting demons? Is that what a contract between them would look like? The more I thought about it, the more Emmyth’s manner made sense. I’d have to ask him if I saw him again.

  Thinking of him reminded me of the sheet of paper he had given me. It had been all but forgotten until now. I was about to show it to Lee when we heard a rustling in the trees nearby. We paused and listened.

  “Magic,” he whispered. “But I don’t recognize it.”

  I tried sensing it myself but found nothing. “I’m not picking up on any magic,” I countered. It wasn’t my best talent, but I usually picked up on something.

  Lee froze and glanced at me. “I’m sensing three of them. If you’re not picking up on any of them, they may be demons.”

  He was right. “I couldn’t sense the last one’s magic until he was visible, and even then he was only part demon. He was still mortal.”

  “We may be able to outrun them,” Lee suggested, picking up a good walking pace as I followed.

  “We’re not that fast,” I replied, knowing the truth. It wouldn’t take them much effort to travel large distances. “And it’ll be a terrible fight since it’ll be me and them throwing punches that can’t kill, only hurt. No burns, just annoying amounts of dull pain until it adds up to be too much.”

  “I’m glad I brought a sword, then,” Lee pulled it free from his bag.

  I did likewise. “Any idea on how to bless it and kill them?” Could he bless mine so that I could use it to kill them?

  “No. I’m just running on hopes and dreams that I can make it work,” he replied.