The Artifact of Dissium (Demona Book 2)

by Megan A. Hepler

  “Oakley Ivers, good to see you as well,” Molony replied.

  Oakley climbed down the ladder attached to the tower. He stepped onto the dock which caused it to rock gently with his shifting weight. The man, Oakley, walked towards them. He and Molony patted each other’s shoulders in a gesture of manly affection.

  “What brings you to town?” Oakley asked. He eyed Felix and Demona as he waited for a response.

  “There is trouble at the northeast headquarters. We have come to ask for the Council’s help,” Molony replied. “And how are you these days?”

  “Visitors!” a child yelled.

  Demona heard the sound of feet pounding wood. She looked up and saw a young boy running in their direction. She watched as a small form seemed to fly towards them. Demona thought that the boy looked no older than five.

  “Slow down, Benen. You’ll fall!” Oakley said. “I’m good. I’ve taken this one under my wing.” Oakley tilted his head to indicate he was referring to the boy. “His parents were killed recently. He’s having trouble…fitting in.”

  Poor kid.

  “What a shame. Not making friends?” Molony asked.

  “It’s not exactly the lack of friends we’re worried about, as much as that he’s having trouble adjusting to Gleannbroch and the loss of his parents.” Then, Oakley whispered. “He’s a halfling.”

  The boy slowed his pace as he approached. He panted and took gulps of air in an attempt to catch his breath. “My...name…is...Ben-en,” the boy said.

  Molony chuckled. “My, oh my. Benen, it is nice to meet you. My name is Alistair Molony. You can call me Molony.” He stuck his hand out to shake the boy’s hand.

  “Cool,” Benen said. He reached for Molony’s hand and shook it vigorously. “You have red hair.” He hopped up and down trying to get a better look at Molony’s hair.

  “Benen, Oakley these are my friends Felix and Demona,” Molony said.

  Felix shook both of their hands and Demona reached to do the same with Oakley. Their hands met and Oakley instantly stiffened.

  “A dark being. Molony, are you sure about this?” Oakley asked. He would not remove his hand or eyes from Demona.

  “She would not be here if I weren’t,” Molony said. “She is okay, Oakley. This is one dark being you do not need to worry about.”

  Demona continued to act normal. She knew that her presence might have been met with skepticism. She reached for Benen’s hand, but he just stared up at her in fear.

  “Y-you won’t eat me w-will you?” he asked.

  “Ha-ha, no. You don’t need to worry little man,” Demona said. She kept her hand outstretched, until Benen cautiously took it.

  Benen withdrew his hand and seemed to be relieved that Demona was not going to eat him. “I’ve never met a dark being before,” Benen said. He looked up at her with curiosity. “What are you?”

  “Benen, that is not polite,” Oakley said.

  “It’s okay. I’m a vampire,” Demona said. She watched the expression change from fear to wonder on Benen’s little face.

  Benen’s mouth formed an O. “Wow. You don’t look like a scary vampire to me.”

  “That’s because she’s not. Trust me little guy,” Felix rested his arm on Demona’s shoulder. “This one is pretty much a pushover. You just need a cute smile to win her heart.” Felix flashed a smile in Demona’s direction.

  Benen smiled at her also. The adults giggled at his innocence.

  “Benen, why don’t you show our guests where to check in,” Oakley said.

  “Okay! Follow me.” Benen took off running down the dock and it rocked back and forth causing waves to ripple away from the floating platform.

  “Sorry about him. He’s a little excitable,” Oakley said.

  “That’s okay. He’s cute,” Demona said.

  Oakley looked at Demona. “You say that now. He has a habit of becoming a tagalong.”

  Molony stepped onto the dock and proceeded into the town. Benen stood farther down the dock waving franticly for them to follow.

  The lake was covered in wooden platforms with small round structures settled on top of each of the larger areas. Several of the older looking structures were made of logs with wicker filling in the gaps between. The other structures had been covered in peat moss and were made of stone that Demona speculated must have been mined from the lake bed. Each of the structures had a small opening at the very top with steady streams of smoke billowing into the air.

  The platforms were joined together by a series of docks that connected them to one another. Demona was uncertain if there was a method to the docking system, or if they had just been placed randomly to make it easier to get from one platform to another. She spotted a stone tower in the distance that was situated in the center of the lake. The round tower reached into the air higher than any of the other structures and seemed to overlook the lake town.

  “Is that a lighthouse?” Demona asked.

  “No, that is Gleann Tower, it’s where the Council meets,” Molony said. “Don’t dawdle, Demona.”

  With Molony’s words Demona realized she had stopped walking to stare at the monumental structure. She stepped onto the dock and almost lost her balance. It was not sturdy by any means and was simply held up by a series of floating barrels. It took a few moments for Demona to find her sea legs and work out a method of walking, so that she did not step too heavily on one side or the other. She gained momentum and quickly caught up with Molony and Felix.

  They neared the first platform where Benen now stood with his hands on his hips. He tapped his foot on the wooden surface below his feet in an almost adult like manner. The boy had so much energy, but also held so much sadness in his eyes. Demona could not help but empathize with his loss.

  Molony slowed his pace and stopped in front of the boy. “Thank you, young man, for showing us the way.” Molony mussed Benen’s sandy brown hair. “You may go now. I’m sure we will run into one another again.”

  “Glad to help,” Benen replied. “See ya!”

  Demona and Felix spoke simultaneously. “Bye, Benen.” They watched the young boy run back in the direction that they came from.

  Molony stepped into the doorway of the structure to their right, through the opening in the stone exterior. Demona and Felix followed him inside. The rounded room contained a few modest wooden chairs and a counter made from a slab of pine. A woman sat behind the counter looking at the three of them expectantly.

  “We’re here to check in,” Molony said. He handed her some papers and waited for the woman to review them.

  The woman looked up at Felix and she passed him over fairly quickly. She seemed to focus on Demona. The woman’s steady gaze made Demona feel anxious.

  She knows what I am.

  The woman handed Molony his papers and Molony exited the structure with Felix and Demona in tow. He stopped just outside the structure and turned to the two of them.

  “I need to speak with the Council before they have a deliberation about the demon priest. You two can wonder around for a while, but I want you to stay out of trouble. And meet me at the Gleann Tower in an hour,” Molony said. He turned and walked down the docking system towards the high stone structure.

  “Alright then, let’s check this place out. I heard there are some great training grounds. Should we go find them?” Felix asked.

  Demona shrugged nonchalantly. “Sure.”

  They began walking down the dock once more. Demona continued to maintain a steady pace, while the unstable surface below her feet swayed slightly. They stopped at a platform with several stands situated outside of a domed structure. In some ways it reminded Demona of the stands in Terra Hollow, except these stands contained produce from all over the world. There were mangos, pomegranates, sugar cane, potatoes, leeks, and other foods she could not name. Felix purchased a few pieces of star fruit before continuing on their way.

  Another platform contained various kinds of baked goods. Demona inhaled the smells of bread and
sweets. Felix bought a pastry that was covered in nuts and a sugary glaze. It made Demona wish that she could have enjoyed the food as much as he did. She envied him with each bite that he took. Soon, Felix was sucking the glazed icing from his fingers. They passed other structures that were dedicated to butchers, candle makers, tailors, shoe makers, and so on.

  Everyone in Gleannbroch looked like normal humans, but Demona knew better than to think that they were ordinary. Many GLC members had abilities that could not be determined from their physical appearance. Some were probably GLC allied shapeshifters. It was possible that a few of them were neutral beings such as elves and fairies.

  They continued towards the Gleann Tower and walked around the circular platform that surrounded the rounded stone obelisk before making their way onto another path of docks. The dock was full of people hustling and bustling about. The Gleann Tower seemed to be the center of activity.

  “Demona! Felix!” a child’s voice called. Benen had caught up with them. He stopped and panted before he could speak once more. “Where are you going?”

  “The training grounds,” Felix said.

  “Cool! It’s this way.” Benen took off running down the docks ahead of them.

  Felix smacked his hands against his thighs. “Geeze, what’s that kid running from?”

  “You heard Oakley. He just lost his parents. He probably doesn’t want to sit still long enough to think about them,” Demona said.

  Felix nodded his head. “Good insight.”

  “By the way, what is a halfling?” Demona asked.

  “Halflings are half human and half some other kind of being. They can be half dark, neutral, or light,” Felix said. “Why?”

  “Oakley told Molony that Benen is a halfling.”

  “Oh… in his case he’s probably a half light, or neutral being,” Felix said.

  They caught a glimpse of Benen up head. He waved for them to follow and took off farther down the docks once more. After walking past what seemed to be a residential section, they made their way onto shore.

  Benen was kicking a stone around while he waited. Then, he looked up to them with a grin on his face. “It’s this way.” Benen pointed down a dirt path that wound around a bend.

  Demona heard the sound of metal clanging and people grunting in frustration. They rounded a patch of trees to find a leveled clearing, where two men were sword fighting.

  Demona and Felix leaned against a wooden fence. Benen climbed the fence and teetered on the top board as he watched the action. The three of them cheered as the two leather armor clad men parried back and forth.

  Demona recognized their movements were similar to what she had been taught by Kerrick not that long ago. She bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to focus on something other than those painful memories. Soon, the men had tired and they cleared the field. Demona hopped over the fence and grabbed a practice sword from a barrel.

  Felix looked at her in surprise and hopped over the fence to join her. “Alright warrior princess, teach me a few moves.”

  “Are you going to fight?” Benen asked.

  “That’s the idea,” Felix said. After picking a sword of his own, he joined Demona in the center of the field. She stood in the position that Kerrick had once taught her. The memory again burned in her mind. She pushed the thought away. She had wanted to train with Felix and was excited to finally have that chance.

  “Don’t hurt her Felix,” Benen said. He shook a finger in Felix’s direction.

  Demona raised the practice sword and watched Felix mirror her position. “Pretty good.”

  “I trained with a staff remember,” Felix replied. He twirled the sword in his hands.

  Demona raised her eyebrow. “Impressive.”

  “Awesome!” Benen shook his fists in the air with excitement.

  Felix grinned, “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

  They slowly approached one another almost as if they were both afraid to be the first to attack. Demona took the chance of swinging her sword, but Felix blocked. Demona stepped backwards to decide on her next move, but Felix approached and swung his sword in her direction. This time she instinctively blocked.

  Felix grinned and made Demona momentarily falter with his playful look. Before she knew what was happening Felix’s sword was coming down on her, but she quickly recovered and blocked once more.

  “You’ve got great reflexes,” Felix said.

  “Okay, since you are obviously a natural at this, let’s take it up a step.”

  Demona swung at Felix and their swords clanged together. She sliced at him and he blocked. She blocked his advances and allowed herself to get lost in the motions. Felix’s sword struck lower and she jumped over the blade landing perfectly on her feet. She quickly struck at Felix, while he was marveling at her maneuvers.

  “Whoa!” Benen yelled from the sidelines.

  Felix rubbed the sore spot. “Oww! That hurt.”

  Demona smiled. “Poor baby.”

  Benen chuckled at their banter. “Yeah, big baby!”

  They resumed sparing and danced around the field. Felix managed to strike Demona’s side with his dulled wooden sword. Demona’s skin rippled with the impact. Her kataphraktos took on its metallic scaled texture to protect her from anymore harm. Benen and Felix both stared at her in amazement.

  “One of the perks I still have from being a TGHC field agent,” Demona said.

  “Amazing. That’s some perk,” Felix said.

  They slashed and parried at one another. Felix landed a few more blows, but Demona did the same. They were both panting before long and took a moment to catch their breath. Their eyes met and they smiled at one another.

  “Your staff training must have been really good, because I had trouble keeping up,” Demona said.

  Felix glanced at the sun. “We better get back to the Gleann Tower. Molony is expecting us.”

  “That was cool!” Benen said. He tugged on Felix’s shirt and looked up at him bashfully. “Will you teach me to fight?”

  “Sure kid, but you need to wait till you get a little bigger,” Felix said.

  Benen looked down disappointedly.

  Demona watched the guilt cross over Felix’s face for turning the young boy down.

  “You know, you can always start practicing on your own until then. If you look for a nice thick stick and hold it just above the end. Then, you can start practicing by hitting trees with it.”

  Benen still looked slightly disappointed, but he seemed thrilled with this new idea. Demona thought she saw a mischievous smile cross his lips. She could only imagine what ideas had just popped into the boy’s head. That’s not going to end well.

  “Come on kid, we’ve got to get back to Gleann Tower. You coming with us?” Felix asked.

  Benen nodded his head while chewing on his upper lip. Instead of running ahead of them this time he tagged along behind Demona and Felix. They walked in silence for a while.

  “Are you his girlfriend?” Benen asked.

  Felix snorted.

  Demona elbowed Felix. “No, I’m not his girlfriend.”

  “Oh.” Benen grew quiet. “You’re pretty.”

  Felix looked over his shoulder. “I know, man. That’s what I keep saying.”

  Demona looked towards the modest houses as they walked past. She hid her face from the two charmers and silently blushed.

  Chapter 6:

  The Council

  Demona, Felix, and Benen approached the tower to find Molony patiently waiting outside the thick wooden doors. The three dodged people as they rushed in all directions heading down different docks. The docks seemed to spoke off of the rounded platform around the tower. Finally, they made their way through the crowd and joined Molony, with Benen close behind.

  “What have you three been up to?” Molony asked.

  “We found the practice field,” Felix replied.

  “Ah. Well, the Council is ready to hear us now. Benen, why don’t you run along and tell Oakley
that he should be there for the meeting.”

  “Yes, sir!” Benen said. He ran in the direction of the guard towers.

  Molony turned and pushed against one of the oak doors with all of his might. The heavy door slowly swung open to reveal a much larger room than Demona had anticipated. The room was circular like the tower, but was lined with shelves. Scrolls and leather bound books filled each shelf to the point that they were over flowing. Centered among the room were several display cases that held perfectly preserved manuscripts. Many of them had been elaborately decorated with pictures and fancy lettering.