by J E Mueller
“Interesting.” Emmyth considered. We were nearly back now.
“It’s probably just your guardian warning you,” Tella supplied helpfully.
“What do you mean?” Guardian at least sounded like good news.
“Well, you picked up a great follower ghost who I noticed when you returned from all that demon nonsense last year,” Tella explained slowly. “She has a name, let me think.”
“You see all supernatural beings, then?” Emmyth asked curiously, eyeing her carefully. He was likely surprised he hadn’t noticed it prior to this.
“I suppose.” Tella shrugged. “How would I know the difference if they don’t tell me? Demons have a bad vibe and are easy to identify. Angels straight up tell me what they are and ghosts are very confused and I try to ignore them and leave them alone. I don’t know how to help them cross over and a lot of them don’t want to. That’s really an angel's job anyway.”
“Fascinating,” Emmyth stated, enthralled by her explanation. “So you can hear and see the demons, even when others can’t? And you’re not even of Blessed blood. That’s not a normal gift.”
“In the end, Blessed blood is like any other magic,” Tella stated. “You just start with an advantage. If I were to make a pact with an angel, or even Key, Mara, or Clover here, we’d have almost all of the same exact gifts as you. That’s why they don’t encourage talking about it. They say it’s because it doesn’t matter how or when you start. You just were able to tap into this sense without an enhancement.”
“Truly?” The disbelief was thick in his voice.
Tella glanced up and to the right. “Ecanus?”
Emmyth glanced in the same direction and seemed to listen for a moment. “Well that does change a lot of perspective, but certainly there’s a reason for this?”He listened again before giving a firm nod.
“Either way…” I said, interrupting. “Tella, who is this guardian you said was following me?” While it was rude to interrupt an invisible conversation, I needed to know what was going on. My life was strange enough without these added excitements.
“Julianna,” Tella supplied.
I stopped in my tracks, causing Mara to run directly into me.
“Are you sure? What does she look like?” I demanded.
Everyone stopped and looked at Tella.
Tella seemed to be looking over my shoulder, listening. “She says she’s happy you remember her so well. She’s sorry she didn’t find you sooner, but you ran so far away. All she could do before was stay with your siblings.”
“Are you okay?” Mara asked me softly.
“It’s a lot to process,” I confessed, eyes watering against my will.
“Who is it?” Clover asked with great interest.
I shook my head, not wanting to discuss this.
“Her mother,” Tella replied for me. “A loving mother who left this world too soon, by no mortal fault. No. Her end came quickly and it was a blessing. The sickness was not able to be cured.”
“This is too much for one day,” I said, starting down the path to Faraden again.
Tella followed closely behind me. “She’s here for you, whenever you’re ready to face the past in full.”
“Another night.” I nodded, trying not to just brush Tella off. “Thank you.”
“It’s nice that my gift actually has a use for once. This whole night may be a mess, but still, it’s come in handy,” Tella said as we continued on. “Do you want to hear about how I convinced two town guards to follow me on a nonsense quest?”
“She is actually really convincing,” Clover said, ready to defend herself, “Probably some persuasion magic in there.”
“I really just wanted an excuse to go on a long adventure. Town life isn’t always what it’s cut out to be,” Mara said, riding the story out.
Tella flashed a smile my way. “As I was saying…” Tella continued on making us all laugh and letting the focus shift off of me. Bless every fiber of her soul.
38
When we finally made it back every one of us was exhausted. We arrived back at the inn just in time for the early lunch rush. Thankfully, hardly anyone was there just yet. Kegan took one look at us and clicked her tongue.
“This adventure best have been worth it,” She held up the key accusingly.
I put an arm around Tella. “I rescued my best buddy from her crazy quest,” I teased Tella.
“I’ll toss another room together. There’s another but it only has one bed,” Kegan warned.
“I’d even sleep on the floor at this point,” Mara replied indifferently, “Sharing is not a problem.”
Clover yawned. “Agreed.”
Kegan motioned for us to follow.
“I need to check back in, but please don’t go anywhere without me next time,” Emmyth pleaded.
“I promise.” I agreed. “Where can we find you in case next time happens when it shouldn’t?
“Do you still have that paper I gave you?” he asked instead. I nodded. “Just give that to the door guard and they’ll get me at once.”
“What does it even say?” I yawned.
“That you’re under my protection, more or less.” Emmyth responded vaguely and waved us off.
Good enough for me. Ready for sleep, we followed Kegan.
Tella didn’t mind sharing with me. Hardly caring about changing we flopped onto the bed.
“Do you think you’ll listen to your mother anytime soon?” she asked into the pillow.
“I’d say no, but honestly, it’d be best to get that sorted sooner rather than later.” I yawned. “Just… not now. I’ll let my mind wrap around it for a bit first.”
“Fair enough,” Tella agreed. “At least she understands. She’s happy you figured your gift out for yourself.”
“Me too,” I agreed. “It’s been chaos since, but at least I’m not killing bystanders. I’m so glad…”
Tella yawned, rolled over on her side, and was out in a few short moments. I fell asleep moments later.
My dreams, unsurprisingly, returned me to my youth. There were a lot of good times with my family, but my mind always turned to the moments I least wanted to remember. The moments with Isaac, Elena, and finally Mother dying. It was hard to say if I’d ever be over those deaths. They were accidental, as far as my siblings went, but my guilt was still strong. Mother’s death was all my fault, but I did understand it had been only a matter of time before the sickness took her. Hers was easier to deal with. When a good moment came, I would be ready to talk to her.
A knock at the door finally woke me. I was groggy and my eyes were full of sand. I made a sound at the door that sounded like a combination of ‘come in’ and ‘who is it?’.
Emmyth poked his head in. “Feeling rested?”
I blinked at him. “Not really, but I’ll live. What’s going on?” I rubbed my eyes.
“I have good news and bad news.”
“All right.” I took a deep breath. “Hit me.”
“I have a new plan. It’s fantastic,” he explained, entering the room in full as he shut the door behind himself.
“I’m going to hate it with every fiber of my being, aren’t I?” A yawn escaped me.
“Oh yes. It’s terrible if you have any sense of feelings at all,” Emmyth agreed. “Tella is perfect for leading us to where we can attract the most demons.”
“Yes, this is terrible.” I hoped my expression conveyed there was zero chance I’d let Tella get in harm's way.
“It’s either that or use her gift for finding the quickest way to save Juniper. Ghosts can move between realms with ease if they know what they’re doing.”
“So you want to either use her to attract the demons or send her to the demons to rescue Juni? She’s fifteen!” I argued.
“I told you you would hate it.” Emmyth shrugged, with a smug look on his face. “But my order believes in giving people choices if they prove they can understand the consequences of their choice. She understands both of these conc
epts very well, but still wants your opinion.”
“Ugh,” I complained. When had Tella even gotten up to make all these decisions? “No. Not at all!” Taking a deep breath, I recentered myself. “I guess it doesn’t matter what I say, she’ll choose on her own.”
Emmyth nodded. “That is an option. What are your thoughts?”
“Is there any way we are guaranteed to attract as many demons away from her as possible?” I asked.
“There is a way to make your route the most dangerous one possible, yes. I can actually think of the perfect way to get almost all of their attention.” Emmyth leaned against the door.
“What is it?”
“Beg for a contract. Call for any demons to answer, but delay it. You’ll need courage and your words must be well-spoken. They’ll come for a Cursed born. They’ll come in swarms to be the victor over someone else’s failings. You stole someone’s victory in their eyes. They’ll fight tooth and nail to win the end of the contract,” Emmyth explained, not holding back on describing his idea. “But it also means you may call enough of them that we can’t get rid of them. You may have to sign a contract or die.”
“What are the odds it’ll get Juni back safely? That Lee, Tella, and anyone else involved will be brought back not just alive but also safe and well?” It was an important fact to know if I were going to be making any decisions of this magnitude.
“If I had to put a number to it, there’s a ninety-six percent chance of the plan going perfectly. Three percent to near perfection, and just one percent someone gets injured. I see no reason that any would die in the rescue mission.”
“What are the odds you won’t tell anyone of this idea aside from those who need to be in the know?”
“For this, I swear I will not explain to a soul who needs not know how you got to this point.” Emmyth bowed. “You know the demons will do anything to destroy you. You’ve already experienced it firsthand. It’s up to you how you want to handle it.”
“I’ve been stabbed twice over something that was not my doing. I’m ready for this if it helps the greater good.” I nodded. My choice was either very bold or very selfish. There was no way I could let harm come to Tella, or even Juni. And there was no way I could have Lee die. I wasn’t going to face that again.
“What would you have me relay to Tella, then?” Emmyth asked in an effort to coordinate stories.
“Go with the original plan. It’s already believable that I’d let myself be bait to help Lee. Why change a good plan? They won’t suspect I’d call the demons directly to myself.”
Emmyth smiled. “I only request you write this all down in case you don’t survive. Give them something to help them understand if the worst is to befall you. No plan is perfect, and this one is very dangerous.” With that, he took his leave.
I took his words to heart and did just that. I wrote a letter for Tella. Then one for Lee. I prepared to write a final one for Juni before I thought of the other people I’d be hurting. So I wrote on and on until there was one for Sandra, David, Zarek, Jameson… then all the guards I had befriended. When I was satisfied, I finally went to find everyone out in the dining hall.
Tella was talking happily with Kegan while Clover and Mara were conversing with one another across the room. Emmyth had an ale which he was drinking deeply. I sat down between Tella and Emmyth.
“Nice friend you have. Lee’s cousin, eh?” Kegan asked.
“Fantastic, isn’t she?” I smiled. She was one of my favorites.
“Bet you’re hungry, dinner was slow tonight. Let me grab you a big plate.” She hurried off.
Tella turned towards me. “Emmyth said you were hard to convince, but I’m glad you decided.”
“I still think you’re too young for this.”
“Didn’t you start adventuring at my age?” she asked defensively.
“I had different adventures. Demons weren’t involved then. At least you’re better trained than I was.” I sighed. I was younger when I ran away, but I wasn’t going to fuel her fire.
“It’ll be all right. It should go even quicker with my gifts, so you won’t be bait for long.” She smiled, happy to help. “Then we can all celebrate!”
I smiled at her, but it didn’t reach my eyes. She had no idea what I really planned and it hurt not to tell her, but them knowing the truth would cause them to rush and make mistakes. Them knowing wouldn’t bring them back any safer, and would likely cause more harm.
Kegan brought back a plate of food and I dug into it with hardly a word to anyone else. This plan was for the best. There was no doubt of it. If there was, I’d have figured it out before I finished writing so many letters.
As the sun vanished from the sky Emmyth made an offer to help me improve my swordsmanship. While it wouldn’t be enough to drastically help, some extra help was still better than none.
For the first part of the practice, Tella joined us in the garden behind the inn. With her talent for quickness, she mastered the lesson with speed and grace. My pace was slower but I was happy to be making progress. With the lesson learned, Tella went off to bed while I continued practicing.
When she left Emmyth asked about the letters.
“I wrote one to anyone I could think of who would miss me,” I replied deflecting a blow, working on turning the motion into muscle memory.
“Good. Then you’ve decided to commit to this?”
“I will not turn back,” I agreed, repeating the same technique and slowly increasing my pace.
“I told Lee I would keep you as safe as I could. Your plan will make their mission easier, but it leaves little room to keep my end of the bargain.”
“As safe as possible is a vague phrase to begin with,” I pointed out. “Thanks for not telling him.”
“He’s not near enough to tell even if I decided to,” Emmyth replied, speeding up his swings.
“Where is he? I’ve no idea what's going on with him anymore.” It was weird for him to suddenly be gone while such important things were happening. His absence made me sad, and at times left me feeling empty, but those feelings could be figured out if I survived this.
“He’s alive and well, just stuck in training that’s vital to his mission. I’ve half a mind to see if they’ll teach Tella. She’d learn it all in the blink of an eye. I don’t see her ever becoming a hindrance.”
“I’m glad she’s learning so well,” I agreed, slightly annoyed. It would be wonderful to learn so fast. “I wish I had the talent for that.”
“You’ve got a talent for escaping death. That’s an equally good one,” Emmyth teased.
I laughed for a moment but then shook my head. “I hope that’s not running out. This will push it beyond what I’ve experienced.”
“This will be a crescendo for you. However, I feel confident you’ll find a way to make it all work,” Emmyth replied, ending the practice.
“When are we going to set off?”
“The morning after tomorrow.” Emmyth’s face grew serious.
“Send Tella to training in the morning please,” I requested.
He nodded. “Let’s go see about that now.” He motioned for me to follow him.
“Wait… Me too? Isn’t it a Blessed only place?”
Emmyth shrugged. “Yes, and I see nothing more fitting for our order than to take a mission to lure out demons to aid another. There’s no way someone cursed could join us fully, but I see no reason why you can’t be an honorary member. You’ve turned everything in your life around and refuse to be corrupted. That lends you my vote.”
I felt honored. “Thank you.” I didn’t know what else to say or how to react. Even Kegan wasn’t allowed in. Instead of trying to say more, I followed him in silence.
The night’s chill wasn’t so bad tonight. Spring was slowly easing its way to warmer weather, and I looked forward to the slowly growing daylight. My heart felt heavy at the thought of possibly not living long enough to see summer, but I tried to push the feeling away.
This plan could work. It didn’t feel very likely, though. Every song must come to an end, and if this was my crescendo, there could easily be nothing left. The composition may soon be complete.
39
We arrived quickly thanks to the lack of foot traffic in the streets. The door guard was the same as the one I had previously met. He watched our approach curiously and waited to comment until we were just about there.
“You’ve brought a friend, Emmyth? You can’t allow a Cursed one to pass through here.” He shook his head.
“It’ll be fine, Vincent,” Emmyth assured him. “She’s helping with the current main quest.”
“I know my orders,” he replied, standing as tall as possible.
Emmyth smiled slyly. “Well worded. I pull rank. As high healer of the Order of Black Violets, I grant this woman permission to enter in my presence. She will be treated as a welcomed guest and will be given the privileges of a guest and will join me without rebuttal.”
Vincent opened his mouth, closed it, and thought for a moment. “I can’t argue with rank and have no orders to prevent this.” He sighed and nodded. “Very well.” He stepped aside without another word.
Vincent grumbled for a moment but he seemed more curious to see how things would play out than he seemed upset. This wasn’t the norm, after all.
We entered and walked quickly down a long hall lined with sconces as the door was shut behind us. At the end of the hall was a balcony overlooking a training floor. There were stairs leading down on the opposite end, and stairs leading up on both sides of the room. Behind us were two closed doors on either side of the hall.
On the training floor were several groups of people who were training, with varying weapons as well as unarmed, and a few overseers making comments and corrections where needed. Someone noticed Emmyth and almost instantly everyone else looked up as well.