Vala Eminence

by J. F. Jenkins

  Zes on the other hand almost always had a hint of uncertainty to everything he said. “It's the end of April this year?”

  “That's what my calendar says,” his brother replied. Denver was glad he didn't have to be subjected to the conversation against his free will. Zoning out at the table was hard to do sometimes.

  “Good to know,” Zes mumbled.

  One of the twins sighed. Denver assumed it was Anj because it sounded rather irritated. There was some shifting in the booth, and then Anj spoke again.

  “Jewl, I think we should go practice our spotlight dance for when they name us king and queen — again.”

  “You mean prince and princess?” Jewl provided. “Because no matter how cool you think you are, you can't break the rules, sweetie.” There was sarcasm attached to her term of endearment. Denver loved it when she put Anj in his place. Perhaps that's what made them so perfect for one another. They acted more like an old married couple than sappy young lovers. Was that true love? I need some better role models to examine. I trust Jewl, but him — not so much.

  There was silence at the table outside of a few chomping and slurping sounds. Knowing Zes, he was probably practicing his usual food shoveling ritual so he could get out of talking. It was awkward enough to listen to, Denver couldn't imagine actually having to sit at the table to live it. How could Cheyenne stand to date this guy for longer than a week? Maybe I should go over there and invade just to make things less weird for them? Salvage his date before she runs for the hills or something.

  Zes sighed. “I'll be right back.”

  “Sure thing,” Noel said.

  “I, uh, need you to move so I can get out. Unless you want me going under the table?”

  “Looking for an excuse to peek up my skirt?” Her tone was teasing in nature. Denver snorted. Ten bucks says he's redder than a fire truck right about now.

  Zes actually laughed. “Caught me, next time I'll have to be more discreet. Seriously, though, I drank like seven cans of soda before coming here. It's kind of urgent.”

  There was some more shifting and Denver watched as Zes breezed by his table. Once Zes was in the bathroom, Denver got out of his booth and casually followed. He stood off to the side by the bathroom entrance, waiting for Zes to finish doing his business. When he spotted Zes coming toward him from around the corner, Denver stuck his leg out just enough to cause the guy to trip. What he wasn't expecting was for Zes to not only stumble, but fall into one of the bar patrons before landing on the ground. Even more unfortunate was that he had landed on Paul, one of the more rough customers who came to the Old Union.

  Paul wasn't the violent type, thankfully. He glared down at Zes before knocking over a water glass so that the contents spilled on the rather flustered teen boy.

  Try not to laugh, try not to laugh, try not to laugh, ah, forget it, I gotta… Denver burst into laughter, leaning back onto the wall behind him. Zes's dark eyes flashed with gold as his gaze caught sight of Denver.

  “Ha, ha, ha,” Zes mumbled and stood up. He stepped away from the bar and shook water off his shirt before taking a napkin from a waitress. Shaking his head, he started back for his booth.

  Quick like lightning, Denver grabbed Zes's arm. “Hold on.”

  “Haven't you humiliated me enough tonight?” Zes groaned.

  “I wasn't trying to humiliate you, just get your attention.”

  “It worked, but I'm not interested in you like that, sorry.”

  Denver narrowed his green eyes. “Don't flatter yourself.”

  “What do you want Colorado?” Zes spat.

  Being called Colorado was one of Denver's biggest pet peeves. He had a whole slew of nicknames for Zes, but none of them seemed to bother him as much as that one name bothered Denver. Biting his tongue, he took in a deep breath before he did something he would later regret, like slug the guy. There would be another moment to hit Zes again, and it wouldn't result in getting a ban from one of his favorite dives or an assault charge. Last time Denver got into a fight, he'd managed to slip away with a warning because he was a minor and provoked by a pretty nasty drug addict while in a bar. If he got in trouble with the law for fighting Zes, there would be no contest over who the cops would believe. Zes was too “perfect” and “innocent” to do wrong, with his straight-A's and preppy clothes.

  Denver took a few more slow breaths before opening his eyes and locking his gaze on Zes's. “I just wanted to talk about something. Whether you like it or not, everything that's been happening over this past year has connected us. We've got to deal with it, or it's just gonna keep making things worse and more complicated.”

  “I don't know what you're talking about,” Zes mumbled and tried to push his way past Denver. But Denver wasn't about to let him walk away. He grabbed Zes by the arm, the one where he had been branded by the demons in the underworld, and pulled him back. A small hiss left Zes's lips as he winced from the touch, like Denver was hurting him.

  Narrowing his green eyes, Denver brought Zes off to the side so they could talk with ease. “Either you're a big wuss, or that burn is really burning, huh? And it's burning because of her. Like I said, we're all connected. Pretending it didn't happen isn't going to make things magically get better, man. You've got to face this, or…” Or the world might end. “Or you're going to be a lot worse off.”

  Zes wrenched his arm free from Denver's grasp. “It's not your business, so I would prefer if you just butted out. I'm civil with you because I saw what you did to help my brother. I still don't know what happened with him exactly, but I'm grateful all the same. Don't make me regret it.”

  “Ooh, I'll be outcast from the cool kids club again, I'm so petrified,” Denver mocked. “Get over yourself. And it is my business because Cheyenne is my business. If I can help her, I'm going to do it. If that means I have to help you too, then I'll bite the bullet and make it happen.”

  “You've got it bad for her, huh?”

  “You sound so surprised.”

  “I am, because I didn't think you had a heart capable of loving. Or is it because you still haven't made her one of your conquests yet?”

  “Still hung up on her?” Denver folded his arms in front of him, ready to stake his claim on his girlfriend if need be — again.

  Shaking his head, Zes faced away from him. “No, I'm not hung up on someone who cheats. Once a cheater, always a cheater. I'd never be able to trust her again. I wish I could just write her out completely but… she's also the only person I can talk to and…”

  “You're connected, and not just because you two decided to hook up.” Denver touched Zes's arm again, his fingers pressing over where he thought the demon's brand was.

  Zes's dark eyes closed. “I don't know what you're doing but it…”

  “It what? Hurts?”

  “Tingles, actually.”

  “Interesting…” Denver moved his hand away. “That thing is the problem and until it's gone, nothing is going to be better for anyone.”

  Scoffing quietly, Zes held his arms. “You're sure sweet and all for wanting to fix things, but nothing can be done. Please, please, just leave me alone?”

  “What if I could make it better? Destroy your connection, free you from the magical burden that keeps you from moving forward. Then what? Because I bet without it, you'd be able to find some other person to tell all your stupid secrets to. And I'll be happy because then Cheyenne wouldn't talk about you like you're some kind of a trophy. She'll be happy because…” Denver exhaled slowly, unsure of how much he dared to admit. “She'll be free.”

  “Free?”

  “Yeah.” Free from you, free from Lucien, free from this whole mess. It wouldn't surprise me if that brand was some kind of a spell put in place to keep her hooked into Lucien's stupid plans. He certainly didn't brand you because he wanted her to be happy. Something else is going on. If I can get the brand off, maybe it'll stop all of the brainwashing going on with Cheyenne. But as much as he wanted to spill his guts to Zes, he didn't know h
ow much the other guy was informed. A massive info dump in the bar would get reported back by the demons who were no doubt lurking in the shadows.

  Zes groaned. “Care to elaborate?”

  “Free from feeling obligated to keep dealing with you. She's always so guilt-ridden over everything. Maybe if you didn't suffer anymore, she'd be able to move on. When she does, you do too. Duh.” Denver folded his arms in front of his chest, squaring his shoulders, and tried to keep his confident posture.

  Frowning slightly, Zes shook his head. “Something else is going on. You mentioned talking about me like a trophy. I've never heard her do that.”

  “I can tell you all about it another time then if you want to know and have your ego petted,” Denver sneered. “So do you want to do this or not? Because I can make it so we're all disconnected in a bunch of different ways, but the other ones might hurt more than what I'm thinking.”

  “And what are you thinking?”

  “Again, we can talk about that another time.”

  “I'm not agreeing to anything if I don't know what it is.”

  Denver nodded. “Just agree to talk with me on campus. I won't do anything but talk. Okay?”

  “Um, okay?”

  “Got it, I'll send you details later. Go back to your hot date before she thinks you fell into the toilet.”

  With a roll of his eyes, Zes walked away. “She wouldn't think that if you hadn't come by.”

  Whatever. Denver threw a wad of cash onto his table where he'd been sitting and left the Old Union. His good-deed was done for the time being.

  Chapter Seven

  Soft singing filled Denver's ears, though he couldn't make out the words. In fact, they sounded like nothing more than gibberish to him. All the same, he wouldn't have the voice stop. It was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard.

  A woman was singing. When he opened his eyes, he could make out the outline of her body. The most he could tell was that she had dark hair. Her face was blank despite the pale coloring of her skin being present. He'd seen something like it in a horror movie once, and it had actually been bizarre enough to frighten him. When he looked at her, however, he felt nothing but joy inside of his heart.

  “Mom,” he whispered.

  She spoke in more gibberish, but nodded.

  Smiling, he closed his eyes again, savoring the sound of the babbling she made as if it were coming from the voice of an angel. She was his angel, if nothing else.

  ****

  Denver fought hard to stay asleep and linger in the dream a little while longer. Remembering his dreams didn't happen often. For so long all he had were nightmares, and those were not something he wanted to hold onto in the waking world. Dreaming about his mother was another story entirely. He had to stay with her for as long as possible. Where else would he get to see her? He didn't even have a picture of his family, only faded memories which were slowly beginning to return to him.

  With a small groan, he forced himself to climb out of bed. The weekend had arrived, so at least he didn't have to go to any classes for the day. But, there were still things for him to do, all the same. Seeing Cheyenne was at the top of his list, but would have to wait until later in the day. It'd been three weeks since he'd last done his laundry, so he had to tackle that task too along with his homework. Ideally, he'd kill all three birds with one stone and invite Cheyenne over but the no girls in his room ban was still in place. Besides, he didn't want her to see his underwear in such disgusting circumstances.

  After a long, hot shower Denver put on his last clean outfit before getting to the mountain of clothing on his floor. He separated his clothing into three piles: colors, whites, favorites. The favorites would get done first. Just as he was about to pick up the mound of clothes, he heard the floor creak in the den. He faced the sound. His magical instincts must have been working because along with seeing his bedroom, he also saw the spiritual components of his dorm room. Most of it was neutral space. A few shadows hung around his windows. In the den he saw a flash of black blur past the door. Someone, or some thing was in his room.

  He clenched his fists, readying the only weapon he had at his disposal. Vala didn't allow for weapons of any kind to be kept in the student dormitories. Denver was lucky to have a butter knife in his kitchen. If he had aggressive magic, he didn't know how to use it yet. Unless I use the stones Jewl gave me… He glanced back toward the nightstand by his bed. There might be something in there I can fight back with, if need be.

  Spinning on his heel, he ran back toward the bed just as the black shadow burst into his room. It knocked him to the ground before he could reach the nightstand. Landing hard on the floor, Denver narrowly missed hitting his head against the frame of his bed. The contact with the ground would have hurt a lot more if he hadn't had so many clothes lying around to cushion his fall. He grabbed a T-shirt and threw it into the face of the shadow. While it clawed the shirt off its face, he reached for the drawer on the nightstand.

  His fingers wrapped around the handle. The drawer flung open when the shadow creature pulled on his body. Drawer still in his hand, Denver used it to knock his attacker in the side of face. All of the contents inside of it spilled on the floor. With the shadow momentarily off him, Denver scrambled for a small diamond three feet away. He grabbed hold of the gem and pressed it hard against his palm with his fingers, shouting the incantation to invoke its power.

  Light poured into the room in both the physical realm as well as the spiritual one, causing him and the shadow to shield their eyes. The shadow tried to flee, but with his free hand Denver grabbed it by the shoulder. A high-pitched scream filled the room. As much as Denver wanted to cover his ears, there was no way he would be letting his assailant free.

  “Who sent you!” he shouted over the wailing.

  “Please release me,” it wailed.

  “Not until you tell me what I want to know.”

  “I swear on the life of my true master, I will not run if you release me.”

  Denver narrowed his eyes. “I am your true master, so you better not be lying.” He let go of the shadow and was amazed to see it had manifested itself into a physical form instead of merely its spiritual one. Or perhaps he had been so engrossed in using his spiritual magic he hadn't noticed the physical shape. Either way, what he saw in front of him fascinated him.

  The shadow was female and black as night with its spiritual aura. Physically, it took on the form of a young woman who could have passed as being in her mid-twenties or early thirties. A rather good-looking one too, seeing as how she had amazing curves and wore an awfully tight black outfit that stretched with her every move. She could have even been human if she didn't have fangs for teeth, blood red hair, and unnaturally bronze skin. Her nails ended in claws and it was then Denver noticed he was bleeding from the leg where she had initially grabbed him. In the spot where he had touched her was charred, black, skin.

  Not much could hold a demon down, but Denver was able to tie her to a bedpost with one of his shirts. She must have understood, because she didn't fight him on it. After all, just because she said she was going to behave, didn't mean she actually would. Her hands were behind her back, and she sat down with her legs outstretched and tied together as well. If she got wild and tried to attack him, it would at least slow her down a little. Every second counted.

  Never letting go of the diamond, Denver sat cross-legged in front of her on the floor. Even though he wasn't using the magic inside of the gem anymore, he still wanted the shadow to know who was in charge — and it wasn't her.

  He offered a half-smile. “Let's try this again. Who are you, why are you here, and who sent you to do it?”

  “Ceete,” she said. “My name is Ceete. I have been sent to assassinate you in a manner that makes it appear as if it were self-inflicted or an accident. As for who sent me, I don't think I need to explain that, do I my lord?”

  “My lord, I like that. Keep it up and I might think about not killing you.” He shook his head. “He
knows that I know.”

  “When he released me from my cell in the dungeon, he made no mention of you knowing too much. In fact, he stated that he wanted you dead before you realized the truth and came to your full power.”

  One of Denver's eyebrows raised and he leaned in toward her. “I'm trying to decide how much I want to trust you. After all, you did just admit to wanting to kill me.”

  “Why do I have a reason to lie? I'm an assassin, not a manipulator. And I do not want to kill you. It was simply the task I was given. Killing is what I was created to do by Hades the First and it is what I will continue to do until one of his heirs decides to end my days. If you wish to destroy me for having done such a betrayal, I know I would be worthy of such punishment.” She lowered her red eyes to the floor. “Just know I only agreed to such a task because Lucien said I would be freed again from that horrible place. He also said that he was the next heir.”

  “He wants to be, at least, which is why he needs me dead. I'm sure he'll find some way to talk my dad into giving him the Divine heritage if I am out of the picture,” Denver said, mulling over all of Ceete's words. He shook his head. “I'm still not sure how much I trust you.”

  Ceete nodded. “I do not blame you for not believing me. Let it be known, that if I desired to harm you, I would have easily done so by now.” There was a sound similar to a sword being drawn and her hands were in front of her instead of behind her back. “The moment I entered your room, I knew something was strange about you. Then you used your words of authority over me and called upon the light. I must obey all who are above me in the demon hierarchy. There aren't many who are. Lucien, his dark father Lucifer, your father Hades, and you. And I obey the highest on the food chain, so to speak. That is how Hades had designed me at my creation.”

  “So if I told you to do jumping jacks while singing 'I'm a Little Teapot', you'd have to do it?” He laughed at the idea.