A Tune of Demons Box Set: The Complete Fantasy Series

by J E Mueller

  He nodded. “We need to continue looking for anyone separated, and find Mare. She’s got the rest of the Creators.”

  “Oh fantastic.” It was something I was hoping to hear.

  “She’s being possessed by Tella,” Benz added.

  “I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing.” I wasn’t even sure how to react to that.

  “We’ll find out when we find her.” Benz motioned for us to follow before stopping. “We should probably have some stay and guard this area.”

  Asher spoke up. “We can guard this area and patrol the nearby halls.”

  Melly shook her head. “I’ll come with.”

  I wanted to argue with her, but I honestly didn’t know what was more dangerous anymore. “Just please be careful,” I pleaded.

  “I’m more careful than you.” Melly snorted. To be honest, it was true.

  “Off we go then?” I sighed, glancing over at Benz who just smirked.

  “She probably is more careful than you.” Benz agreed as we headed off.

  Ignoring the commentary, I went to the subject at hand. “How do we find Mare?”

  I motioned to the gauntlet he was still wearing and my own artifacts. “Ask the other Creators if they can sense anything?”

  I can, a voice I hadn’t heard before spoke up. I could only assume it was Key.

  I can feel those who are possessed. I’m going to have to guess it’s the demon side though… It feels like that sound of nails on stone.

  It was an easy sound to imagine.

  I believe you’re correct there since I can feel that too, said Marella joining the discussion.

  “They just don’t talk to me,” Benz grumbled, pulling off the gauntlet and handing it to me.

  Sighing, I put it on, mentally welcoming Emmyth to the party inside my head.

  What party? he of course had to ask.

  Trying to figure out where my cousin is, Lee explained. I had no idea Tella was his cousin. Odd. Though not the oddest new fact.

  She’s not here within the current group and neither is Lydia, so mayhap they are together? Emmyth suggested. I can find Lydia through our previous Blessed connection.

  What did that even mean?

  Centuries ago, Lydia and myself were part of the Order of the Black Lillies. We were a group of demon hunters, Blessed by the angels to smite evil. Of course, as mentioned, things turned out to be more complicated than that, but still, we share that bond. Might as well use it.

  Someday I’d have to hear that story but for now, the tracking would work.

  “Emmyth thinks he can find Lydia with his bond. Mare had the bracelet last correct?” I asked.

  Benz nodded. “As far as I know.”

  We paused and watched someone run by, chasing after a group of hedgeish. Seeing they didn’t need any help, we continued on. I mentally waited to see what information Emmyth could provide, while trying to keep an eye on things around us.

  After several minutes of wandering he finally spoke up. She’s no longer inside the house.

  “Of course… She’s not even inside right now.”

  Benz cursed loudly as he changed direction. “All right, let’s just head outside, like we don’t live there!”

  Melly scoffed. “Outside just takes some cleverness over brawns you thick skulled idiot.”

  I snorted as Benz turned to walk backwards a moment. “Always a jokester. Brawn was exactly the perfect skill for those spiders.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Now that is Melly through and through.”

  “It’s not my fault if I can see the light through all your crabbiness.” Melly smirked.

  30

  Getting to the backdoor wasn’t hard. No one, and nothing seemed to be around. I had no doubts the recent excitement must have taken down most of the normal first floor creatures.

  Once outside, I asked Emmyth again where Lydia could be.

  You’re not going to like the direction they’re going, he replied.

  “Freaking hate this place,” I groaned aloud while mentally asking for directions.

  Emmyth supplied them and I headed off.

  “What’s going on?” Benz asked, not liking the looks of the setting sun.

  “They’re heading toward that freaking infested glowing light again,” I supplied.

  “What glowing light?” Melly asked as confused as Benz looked.

  “Where the demons and angels are trapped. We’ve got to hurry.” I picked up the pace, not sure how far ahead they were from us.

  “Why did things suddenly have to go so quickly downhill?” Benz complained as we rushed on.

  “If I knew, I’d answer you.” I shook my head. “Think you can hide us while we run?”

  “I’ll do my best,” Benz replied, casting his illusion magic over us.

  “If it doesn’t work, we’ll just kill whatever is in our way. We don’t have time for failure,” Melly pointed out, keeping pace like she didn’t only recently arrive.

  “Great plan,” I agreed with her. At least I knew which of us was more naturally athletic.

  We only had to slay a handful of creatures. Melly knew exactly what to do, and Benz remembered quite a lot from the bit of reading he had done. I was happy to just go along with the plan, and wondered what everyone else thought of the situation. The Creators, the ones that I had, were surprisingly silent throughout the journey.

  Not that I blamed them, a lot was at stake, and we didn’t know for sure where everyone was. Finally, as we saw the jagged rocks that marked the top of the tunnel, I heard a loud blast and saw rocks scattering everywhere.

  “I think we finally found them,” I stated, breathing heavily. Adrenaline could only power you through so much fast walking.

  Benz and Melly weren’t looking any better.

  “We need to think about how to approach them.” Benz slowed down his pace.

  “Why? It’s not like everyone’s possessed.,” Melly grumbled, clearly done with running as well.

  “I don’t even know what to do about that,” I agreed, following their pacing.

  Get close and we’ll come up with a plan once we can tell what magic is in effect. Marella stated as the others agreed.

  “The Creators think we need to get close to see what’s up.”

  “It’s a terrible idea, so it’s probably actually the only way,” Benz grumbled, moving on ahead without a second thought.

  “Is there a way to end possession without that?” Melly retorted.

  I waited for an answer.

  If Mare willingly letting Tella come into control is different than if she took over, Marella calmly answered.

  “I guess it depends on whether or not they were possessed with permission. If Clove is possessed by demons, it was probably with permission.” I hoped there was a simple answer for that one.

  Kill her, Marella and Emmyth both agreed.

  Well, it’s not like I wasn’t disappointed in that. She did try to permanently kill me. Still, I had not wanted that to be my first option.

  “I’m guessing once we kill Clove, Tella will let Mare go back to normal,” I stated aloud and the voices inside my head agreed.

  If it was any earlier part of my life I would have sworn I had gone insane.

  With more caution, we kept following the sounds of fighting along the rocks until the two came into view. Mare had a strong, deep purple aura around her, while Clove was more of an olive green.

  Both were fighting heavily with swords, while Clove occasionally shot fireballs Mare’s way. Somehow, Mare was unbelievably fast now, being able to dash here and there in almost an instant.

  That’s Tella’s doing, Lee informed me. Before she knew she was a part of the Creators, she had magical speed. I nodded to myself, seeing clearly exactly what he meant. That’s when I noticed it.

  “I think I see our problem,” I stated just loud enough for the others to hear me.

  “What’s wrong?” Benz asked, confused.

  “Clove so
mehow has the bracelet,” I replied, pointing slightly.

  Oh, that’s bad, Marella commented.

  At least I get it now, Lee agreed.

  What’s going on, voices in my head?

  Lee chuckled at my question. Lydia is in the bracelet. Lydia, is Tella’s wife.

  Oh damn.

  “So Clove, miss I want to be bad guy, has our Creator Tella’s wife on her wrist.” I can’t believe those words came out of my mouth and somehow made sense.

  “Well, someone picked the wrong fight.” Melly clicked her tongue.

  “Damn, no wonder it’s getting real,” Benz agreed, suddenly more engrossed in the match itself.

  I had to wonder how Clove ever got the bracelet. A dozen scenarios crossed my mind, but nothing felt particularly likely.

  “We should probably try to sneak up and attack Clove,” I suggested.

  I’m certain the demons and angels will feel our presence if we get much closer. Lee cautioned.

  I’m surprised they haven’t even acknowledged us yet, Marella added.

  I could agree with both of those statements. “Melly, think you can get a good shot in?” I readied my bow.

  “Of course.” Melly readied herself. A sense of determination covering her expression.

  “I guess I’ll be ready to jump in then.” Benz shrugged, summoning his sword to his side.

  If Tella can possess Mare and enhance her abilities, would we be able to donate power in the same way? Key wondered aloud.

  We can, though there is no way Remi would be completely herself, Marella admitted.

  Well, am I in control and just don’t feel myself or what? I wondered.

  You would be mostly in control, but directly impacted by our emotions which may cause you to make decisions you may not normally make, Marella clarified.

  “So, if I let the Creators donate their magic to me, their emotions might have an influence on my decisions…” I stated aloud. The other two glanced at me.

  “But we might be able to overpower Clove quicker and end this madness?” Melly asked thoughtfully.

  I nodded.

  Benz shook his head. “I don’t like the idea, but I’ll support your decision.”

  “Let’s overpower this monster.” I wondered how this would feel, but right now, this felt like the best move to make.

  Are you sure? Marella asked me, her voice searching for any doubts.

  No, but I trust in my gut that this is the best course of action. I wouldn't have made it this far without trusting myself.

  Sounds like one of my answers, Key mused. I'm for it. Let's restore some order here.

  At least we can promise you'll have full control back the moment you declare it, Emmyth stated.

  Then do it, we're wasting time.

  The fight was showing no signs of slowing. Both sides were too well matched.

  At first, they said nothing. Then I could feel an uncontrollable tingle of magic course through my veins, through my heart, and into my soul.

  Clove glanced in our direction as I let loose an arrow. Melly followed suit a split second later.

  Clove dodged mine, but wasn’t expecting Melly's to turn into three and took two hits in the shoulder

  You've got fire, use it, Key declared.

  And I could feel it, wanting, no needing a release, a way out, and Clove was the perfect target.

  The fire was at my fingertips without thought and as I rushed to her I let fire arrow after fire arrow loose on her. Melly followed quickly, as much at my side as she tried to keep up with my attacks. Benz remained two steps behind, helping by staying out of accidental line of fire.

  Our distraction was enough to allow Mare to get a hit in, forcing Clove to back up one step after another.

  The bracelet kept catching my eyes. How could we remove it? If we killed her, it would vanish, and while I hoped we wouldn’t have to fight another possessed nutcase, I wouldn’t put it past my luck. Then it dawned on me, removing her arm wouldn’t make her dead, and in fact her arm would still be alive. It could be reattached with little harm by a healer if taken care of in time.

  I needed all the power I could muster to go into a single shot and pin Clove to the ground. I needed it all to come through me at once.

  Knowing my wishes from my thoughts, I felt the power surge through me. The Creators were just as ready to end this, but I waited. I knew I had to wait for just the right moment…

  to…

  strike

  The arrow ripped through her side leaving a hole that magic wrapped around and pulled her firmly to the ground. The surprise stayed on her face for a moment before the horror washed over her, but it was too late to react.

  “Her arm!” I, really all of those inside me, called loudly.

  Benz quickly hacked her arm off, and tossed it to Mare. With purple light glowing from her eyes, she easily removed the bracelet, and with an outstretched arm sent a wave of ultrabright light at Clove. I covered my eyes as the light became too much.

  “You’ve betrayed your last person,” Mare stated simply, her voice sounding just different enough that I knew Tella was speaking through her.

  When the magic faded, there was nothing left of Clove.

  31

  The silence that fell over the rocky terrain was almost tangible. The moment turned into minutes before Mare finally spoke.

  “I guess that means we have found everyone.” She turned to look at me.

  Something in her look told me the others were still very connected to her. Seeing the tiara and the bracelet were easy giveaways. The new pin attached to her shirt had to have been Tella.

  “Indeed.” While I said the words, and agreed with them, it felt more as if Marella had wanted them out. This slight possession thing was odd. “Now what?”

  “We need to figure out how exactly everyone gets freed,” Mare replied, tilting her head to the side more like she was listening instead of thinking. “It seems the entrapment magic was started with angel magic and bound with demon magic.”

  “Demon magic will unbind it then,” Marella replied through me.

  Mare and I nodded to each other, but while everyone inside me seemed to understand this, I didn’t actually understand this.

  “So, what does that even mean?” Melly finally voiced.

  Marella felt confident in her answer as the reply slipped smoothly out of my mouth, “It’s simple, a demand with passion as we had once done. I don’t require a soul to see it through so, let’s see this done.”

  Melly raised an eyebrow.

  I sighed, my own words coming forward, “I think I get what Marella means.”

  The answer couldn’t be that simple though, could it? After all this time, I just needed to go to her and ask, no -demand- that this be done. Maybe they had to be close enough to her for this to work. Either way, I was ready to end this. I did not just want all the Creators freed, I needed them freed. They deserved to be released, and it had to be done now. No more waiting, no more tasks, and finding. It was to be done, and it was to be done now.

  Free them. Every fiber of my soul screamed an end to that madness, to release them, to have them whole again.

  I could feel the excess magic slowly drip away, the artifacts we had slowly turning to dust and fading before fragments could get more than an inch away. I felt a pressure I didn’t even realize was building in my head release, my mind the clearest it had been in weeks.

  And then, as if they had been there all along, stood seven individuals I hadn’t seen since my childhood dreams.

  For several moments no one seemed to know what to say. It had been so long since I had seen any of them, and seeing them here as real people instead of just dreams felt absurd. Melly of course had none of these attachments and was able to bounce back quickly.

  “You’re all the Creators then?” she asked the obvious.

  “Yes,” the tall, rather lanky individual that went by Dani replied.

  “Awesome, so that’s mostly sorted now.”
Melly smiled widely. “Now we can finally get rid of those foul angel and demon creatures and be done with this place!”

  Tella furrowed her brows, clearly not liking the statement, but Marella replied before she could, “Oh, they are foul for sure, but how do you plan on just getting rid of them? Hm?”

  Melly shrugged but wasn’t daunted at all by the question. “I figured that is where you all would come in. They clearly would just strive to capture you and find a way to end you again. This plan is no longer working. It’s time to admit defeat and move on. They just don’t fit into the universe.”

  Again, Tella tried to speak, but Emmyth nodded. “It is a sad truth isn’t it.”

  “But they just aren’t so easily gotten rid of,” Lee commented.

  “Would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Key agreed.

  “So we’re just playing gods now and choosing what and who we think should live?” Tella finally got her counterpoint in.

  “Yes, yes we are,” I replied confidently, “and actually, I think you’ll like my idea.”

  Tella pursed her lips for a moment but nodded. “Very well, what is this idea?” She crossed her arms, waiting for the answer.

  “I’ve heard a lot the last week or so I’ve been here. You can tell something about souls can’t you?” I asked knowing there was more to this than I understood.

  “Yes, souls are complicated things that grow and evolve through different lifetimes, and eventually pass through different realms of existence,” Tella summed up.

  “So, you can tell somehow when a soul isn’t ready to move on, when it’s ready to be reborn, and if it should go elsewhere,” I stated plainly.

  Tella nodded. “Indeed. What is the point you’re going for?”

  “These souls, the souls of the demons and angels are just about done. I bet the majority of them are ready to be eliminated. They’ve gone through realms and lives aplenty. The ones who haven’t, need to move on from here. Maybe start a new life as something different altogether? It may not be what you want, but it’s time,” I replied remembering too well the feeling, the desperation of all those souls as that olive light held me with all its might.