by TJ Nichols
Iktan nodded. In the same way you reached out to me. You didn’t have to leave to do that. Your human has been given a place.
I had to leave. And he wasn’t entirely sure that Angus was safe.
You did not want to bond with the priest.
I have Angus. He didn’t need another…. But Angus needed another.
We do not always agree with our human counterparts, as I’m sure you’ve experienced. Iktan bared his square teeth in something close to a smile. Mages do not believe the bond should be forced, and we will not force you to accept it. No mage will turn you in.
Some of the tension loosened. Iktan had told the truth about not wanting to drag him back.
Though soldiers, demon and human, acting under orders, will lack the level of comprehension required. So you would best be careful as they are looking for you, Iktan added.
Thank you for the warning.
We are all acting to save Arlyxia. If you go much farther away… say where the river sinks into the pool… you will be out of range of the remaining active doorways. So, should Angus open the void, it will open near you.
Saka nodded. They would pack up and relocate. He didn’t want Angus entering the village to look for him. I found a doorway in the desert. What happened to the tribe that lived there?
Iktan was silent for a moment. The desert expanding is just one symptom. The doorways are ceasing to work. There used to be many doorways and many mages. Now there isn’t enough for the priests they are training.
He didn’t need to travel far to learn. All Saka needed to do was trust that all mages wanted what was best for Arlyxia. Even Usi was doing what she’d thought best by wanting to kill all humans to rebalance.
Can you stop humans from coming through the doorway?
Yes. The expression on Iktan’s face became serious.
Saka exhaled. That could change everything for his tribe. The warlocks are trying to kill the Lifeblood tribes, my tribe. A doorway could save them.
The making of a doorway isn’t easy.
What if it wasn’t a doorway, but Lifeblood Mountain itself? No warlocks would be able to get demons. They wouldn’t be able to open the void at all.
I don’t know. Iktan flicked his ears. There may not be enough magic left to even make one. The ones that remain are very old.
There was more that Iktan wasn’t saying. Has the skill been lost?
Iktan’s silence was the only answer Saka needed. He wouldn’t be able to tell his tribe how to block the warlocks.
Iktan glanced down. The doorways do more than localize travel across the void. They control the flow of magic too. I do not know if they do harm or good.
My people may not survive a second war with the warlocks.
Our people may not survive. You see this place and think we are untouched. I see tribes with no children all crowding into an ever-shrinking area. I know you do not trust me or my priest, but I think we need you.
I can do nothing while in hiding. He wasn’t helping anyone by not accepting his fate, not even Angus. He was supposed to put his tribe first, not his desires. Does the bond work? You do not feel trapped with two humans?
I only work with Cadmael. The other is there just to open the void so he can go back. I understand your reluctance.
Saka doubted that. I will consider the matter further. Cadmael will not be happy you are helping.
He will not know. I hope you find the answers you need before it’s too late. Then Iktan was gone.
Saka opened his eyes and rocked as though the ground were shifting beneath him. The wave of dizziness passed.
Wek put her hand on his shoulder and peered at him to see if he was all right. “Who did you speak to?”
“Iktan. We need to move farther out.” Seeing the panic on her face, Saka put his hand over hers. “We’re safe. But we need to get out of range of the doorway.”
“And we still need to talk to someone else.”
“Yes.” They needed to do something. At the moment they were doing nothing, and despite the recent downpour, Demonside had dried a little more. He saw the signs every time he crossed from desert to jungle. The sand was creeping closer. Iktan had confirmed that even this part of Arlyxia was dying.
Without a human, he wasn’t even rebalancing.
Saka frowned. “Have you seen any of the mages rebalance?”
She scowled for several heartbeats. “No. I didn’t see any signs of it either.”
The downpour had been a rebalancing from Humanside, but even that hadn’t been enough. For the first time, he wondered if anything they did would be enough. Perhaps they had passed that point, and Arlyxia was too far gone.
Chapter 11
THE ROOM reminded Angus of his college room back in Vinland, except for the turquoise walls and wood floor. There were sheets on the bed, and there was nothing else in the room but his dirty clothes where he’d left them in a pile before his shower. At the moment he didn’t care about the mess. He just wanted to sleep.
After not using magic in weeks, maybe months, he’d forgotten how exhausting it could be. He wasn’t sure how long they spent crossing the desert, but he knew he’d been in the Mayan Empire for several weeks already. He was relieved the priests in charge hadn’t let him heal anything complex, but he’d done his bit and hopefully proven that he wasn’t a threat or a danger.
He dropped the towel he’d worn from the communal showers and got into bed. He didn’t remember falling asleep, only that he woke sweaty and tangled in his sheets to someone knocking on the door. The blinds had been left open, allowing bright sunlight to stream in.
“Just a minute.” He pulled on yesterday’s pants, even though they weren’t clean. He really needed more clothes. He’d been wearing three outfits in rotation, and now he didn’t even have them because they were in the apartment. That would be the day’s mission—get clothes.
Angus yanked open the door.
Kabil stood on the other side. He lifted his eyebrows. “I thought I’d better show you around and give you a timetable so you can attend classes.”
Angus blinked. He wasn’t ready to slot into college life. “Um… unless they’re given in Vinnish, I’m not going to understand anything.” That was a complete lie. Angus was still wearing the jade in his ear.
“You don’t know how to translate?”
Angus stared at him. He wasn’t awake enough for this, and he hadn’t had coffee in weeks. He shook his head. “My things are at my old apartment. I need clothes. I need….” He needed a life instead of skulking around trying not to get killed.
Maybe going to college was what he needed. He could be a normal nineteen-year-old for a while.
“I’ll lend you a set of clothes. Then I’ll get you set up here then take you out.” Kabil smiled, but it was small and secretive. “I think there are some things you’ll be interested in.”
“Like what?” Angus was instantly wary. “And why are you helping?”
“I was told to. I’m interested in working for the Intelligence Temple, and getting to know an actual college-trained warlock was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.” Kabil gave him a quick once-over. “Cadmael said you’re headed for the Hospital Temple?”
“Yeah.” He’d wanted to be a doctor before he was forced to be a warlock, but this was feeling too easy, too neat. He should grab the chance with both hands, but he wanted to reach for Saka and Terrance instead. “What about the debacle with Saka?”
“It will be sorted.”
“You aren’t annoyed?”
Kabil twisted his lips. “Yes, but mostly no. Cadmael shouldn’t have pushed.”
“Yet he did.”
“And I am still to watch you.”
“I thought you were here to help me?” Was Kabil someone he could trust or not?
“Same thing, really.”
No it wasn’t. “So you learn Vinnish if you want to go to the Intelligence Temple?”
Kabil nodded. “But I speak five other languages too. Most Mayans speak a
t least three. I’ll get the clothes and meet you back here shortly,” he said and walked away.
Angus grabbed his towel off the floor. He’d shower and hopefully, by the time he was done, Kabil would have gotten him some clean clothes. Then he’d follow along with whatever Kabil had planned. Maybe he’d be able to find out where Terrance was and if he was alive.
KABIL WAS waiting by the door with a small pile of clothes. While some people wore suits, many didn’t. The most common clothing was loose drawstring pants—almost demon in style, or did the demons get them from the Mayans?—and a shirt that was more tunic and didn’t unbutton all the way down. He’d seen a few people wearing dresses. All the clothing was bright. The more expensive-looking clothing was in finer fabric with colorful borders and patterns on the sleeves.
Angus slipped into his room to dress and turned the cuff of the pants up twice. Kabil was a little taller, and Angus was thinner, but otherwise it wasn’t too bad. He slipped the sandals on and ran his fingers through his hair. Hopefully by the time they were done, his things would’ve been delivered and he’d be able to have a shave and brush his teeth. He picked up the card he’d been given. It was his identification and bank card all in one. He’d noticed that most people wore it around their neck, but he wasn’t sure how to use it, nor did he understand what Cadmael had meant about base wage. Did everyone get a fixed amount of money even if they did nothing? Was he getting paid to go to college?
It didn’t make sense, but he didn’t want to ask too many idiotic questions.
Saka would shake his head and tell him it was better to ask, and he’d be right. What would he say to this? He’d probably see it as a great learning opportunity, which it was. But he’d only learn if he asked the right questions.
Kabil was still in the corridor, doing something with his phone. He traced over the screen in quick strokes. When he finished whatever he was doing, he glanced up. “Ready?”
“Sure.”
“You’ve missed today’s classes. They run six days a week from six to one.”
“Six in the morning?”
“Yes. Leaving the afternoon free for self-study and relaxation.”
He hated the place already. No one should have to go to class at six in the morning.
An hour later they’d gathered up everything he needed, including books. He’d gone to pay for them, only to be told they didn’t pay for books. He was expected to take care of them and return them. Damage would be billed as would nonreturn. But he couldn’t read the books anyway. They were filled with indecipherable glyphs—pretty to look at but not much use.
His timetable was also in glyphs.
He was so screwed. He was going to be that person who failed everything. They didn’t use magic the same here. The rules were different, he didn’t have a human to share Saka with, and there was most definitely no sleeping with his demon. The only place his kind of magic was acceptable was in Demonside, but he wasn’t a demon or a mage.
Kabil showed him the doorway where demons could be summoned and where students could go to Demonside. “So I can’t summon Saka from anywhere?”
“You can… but you aren’t supposed to until you graduate. If you want to see him, you can go through here. They will log you out. The void is opened three times a day. There is only one doorway on the other side.”
“Then it must get very busy.” Or was the demon village they’d first arrived in the one that was linked to Uxmal? He wasn’t sure how that all worked. If he got out a map, would Demonside neatly overlap with Vinland and the Mayan Empire, or was it more to do with where magic was used? Were there demons who lived without ever knowing about humans?
Kabil shook his head. “Aside from here, there’s only one other, and that’s for public use. They open the void frequently so you’re never going to get stuck there.”
“Then why do I need an anchor if the doorways are so well regulated?”
“Because one day you may not be near a doorway or your demon may not be near a doorway. That and because magic is worked better with three. How do warlocks manage if they don’t even have a mage?”
Angus glanced at his toes. “To draw up magic, they drain the demon.” He didn’t need to add that they often killed their demon. Vinnish warlocks had a reputation.
“Is that why you started…?” Kabil’s dark cheeks took on a reddish tone.
“That was to rebalance. You only rebalance in blood and souls.” But sex had become an easy way to draw up magic. He probably had started relying on it too much. Saka had said so, and Saka was usually right about magic. He’d rather be taking lessons with his demon than here.
“That isn’t true. We focus much more on keeping magic circulating, which is why we’ve been a little more protected from the growing glaciers. We work with our mages to gather magic. I believe you call that wizarding?”
Not really. “Close enough.”
“Let’s go into town. I’ll show you how to use the tram and where to buy clothes and food, and then I’ll take you somewhere special.”
He had to ask while there was a chance for Kabil to change his plans. “Do you know where Terrance is?”
Kabil paused and then sighed. “Yes. No, I can’t take you. People in the pitz school don’t get visitors until the day before they play.”
“Did he survive the attack?”
“I’ve already asked Cadmael for you. He hasn’t replied.”
Angus closed his eyes. “I need to know.”
“There are lots of people looking for loved ones. Hundreds died last night. Thousands were injured. Buildings were damaged in the shock wave. I don’t think you understand how devastating the weapon is. The only reason our fatalities were so low is because we’ve been creating and installing wards in public buildings and as many private buildings as we can. But we’re still rolling out the devices. We learned fast after nearly all the priests in Ekab were killed.
“The Nations have been hit hard, particularly those that use demonology. We’ve been looking at ways to neutralize the clean sweep with them, but… but they are fracturing. The people who don’t use demon magic are trying to break away from those who do.”
“I’m sorry.” He should’ve taken his father seriously when he claimed they were weaponizing magic. Angus hadn’t thought it possible. But the Mayans were doing plenty with magic that he hadn’t thought possible.
Kabil shook his head. “Let’s go out. You can tell me what Demonside is like.”
“You’ve never been there?”
“Only for excursions at school or with the Training Temple.”
“Why is everything a temple?”
“Any official organization that deals with demonology is a temple.”
That implied there were unofficial places. “So where are we going?”
“The entertainment plaza,” Kabil said with a smile.
ANGUS LEARNED how to swipe his card to buy a ticket for the tram, despite not being able to read a single thing. Instead he memorized the symbols. Kabil bought him a lanyard so he could wear the plastic card around his neck like everyone else.
The tram rolled down the street, and people got on and off. As they made their way through the city, Kabil pointed out the damage done by the shock wave.
“If you look to the left, the red building with the frieze of ball players is the pitz training school.”
Angus’s heart leaped into his throat. Terrance was so close and yet unreachable. Angus stared out the window until the red building was gone.
How did people go past it so casually? “Will they all eventually die?”
“We all eventually die. But no.”
Angus frowned and looked at Kabil. “I thought the game was played to the death.”
“Some are. Some are just played. Excitement is generated either way. The final match is always to the death. Did you expect an endless tide of blood?”
He wanted to nod, but he didn’t. “So he may not play to the death?”
Kabil winc
ed. “He has been put in that division. The crowd will want to see Vinnish blood.”
People on the tram looked at them more than once. They would know they were speaking Vinnish even if they couldn’t understand it, and their stares were as hard as knife blades. If Angus were to walk about on his own, some might let their anger and frustration out on him, even though he wasn’t to blame.
Angus couldn’t keep apologizing for his country. He needed to do something to stop them, but if the best priests and other magic users had failed, what could he do?
He stared out the window, barely listening to Kabil. He might no longer be locked up, but he wasn’t exactly free to wander. Kabil touched him on the arm at their stop. Angus followed and stayed closer than he probably needed to, but he took note of landmarks so he’d know the stop for another time. They went into a few stores, and Angus bought some extra clothes. Kabil explained that everyone had a weekly allowance and that he’d need to buy any luxury food items. The food they were served in the mess hall would be very basic.
He let Kabil pick what he needed. That included something that wasn’t coffee but would wake him up, although Angus wasn’t convinced that anything made of cocoa and chili was going to be a good drink first thing in the morning. With the shopping done, they entered the plaza proper. Demons and humans walked through the plaza, shopping and talking as though it were perfectly normal. Angus wanted to stop and watch, but Kabil didn’t pause at any of the stalls, nor did he take Angus inside any of the buildings that framed the outer area, even though he said there were movies and plays and bars there where people and demons could socialize.
Together? How could they exist so closely but not be intimate?
Demons were treated differently here, as if they weren’t different at all. He wanted to linger, but Kabil led him on. They slipped through another archway and into a much smaller courtyard. This one had a more private feel. There were stalls, but they seemed to only sell alcohol.
“What is this place?” There were more demons there, and magic was thick in the air.
Kabil smiled. “This is where humans and demons mingle much more… closely.”