The Artifact of Dissium (Demona Book 2)

by Megan A. Hepler

  “Demona, your heart is uncertain about many things. Aleph understands your struggles; he is there to be your guide. Trust in yourself, you are stronger than you may realize. You have many difficult tasks ahead, many trials and many victories. Do not blame yourself for what you cannot control. Remember that he is there for you always. Turn to him in your time of need and his glory will be revealed.”

  I hate cryptics.

  Felix eagerly shook the Father’s hand. “Thank you, Father.”

  “Thanks,” Ileana replied. She had a grateful look on her face.

  Demona only let her head sink in disappointment. Riddles and more riddles. Never any truth.

  Father Jandro stood and walked to the doorway and called for a guard to take their guests to their tents.

  Chapter 11:

  The Raid

  Demona, Felix, and Ileana sat around a camp fire that was situated outside the opening of two animal skin tents. They had all taken a long nap after their meeting with Father Jandro and had woken up before midnight. Felix and Ileana had finished a meal of venison stew and some very tough bread. Demona knew that her hunger pangs were slowly starting to catch up with her, but she ignored them the best that she could. She could not risk eating rations in the Vilund, Aero had made that clear.

  The sun had set hours before, but Vilund was still very much awake. Demona briefly wondered why the camp was so active at this time, but her mind soon thought of other things. Demona realized she had been unintentionally staring at Felix from across the campfire. She noticed that the heat of the flames created a flush on his cheeks. It was not until she noticed a smile creep over his face that she realized what she had been doing. She quickly turned away and blushed, but she was not certain if she had been staring out of hunger or affection.

  Ileana laid out beside the fire like she was working on a suntan at the beach. She reveled in the heat of the fire. She sat quietly with her legs stretched out in front of her, her eyes closed, and a smile of contentment spread across her face. It seemed to Demona that Ileana was enjoying their journey through Dissium more than anyone else.

  Demona wished she felt content, but it had been over half a day since she had eaten. The more she tried to ignore the urges of her thirst, the more she wished to taste the blood of the human in the tent beside them. Worse yet, Demona was trying not to look at Felix as her next meal. She stared at the fire again, when she heard the clopping noise of hooves approaching. She was pulled from her daze to find that Aero now stood behind Felix.

  Aero shook his head and snorted. Ah, you are awake. Good. Father Jandro wishes me to ask you if you would join in the sacred ritual at half-night.

  Felix and Ileana looked worriedly at Demona.

  They know I need to feed. “Sure,” Demona replied. She thought it would be rude to decline, and hoped that she could forget about her hunger by being distracted. They had all been wide awake at such an odd time of night, that Demona figured they might as well do something instead of just sitting and waiting.

  They followed Aero through the quiet camp to the massive smooth stone where they had found Father Jandro earlier. The full moon illuminated the night and seemed to cause everything it touched to take on a grayish blue hue. The quartz surface reflected the moonlight making the sacred space seem as if it glowed beneath the feet of Father Jandro and the elders. A fire smoldered and crackled from a raised pit and spat embers from a shifting log.

  The whole camp was present and mostly silent, except for the sound of a few fussy babies and the whispers of children. Mothers hushed their children in response. There must have been a few hundred light beings present for the ritual. They stood around the base of the stone and waited for the ritual to begin.

  Demona’s hunger began to gnaw at her as the people around her pressed in to get a better look at Father Jandro on the sacred stone. Demona clenched her fists and prevented her mind from conjuring up any mageia. Her thirst was starting to take control. She bit her lip with her sharpened fangs and tasted the bitter metallic liquid that filled her mouth, which only helped to fight the hunger slightly.

  Father Jandro stood at the end of the sacred space, which was still lined by guards in heavy armor and weaponry. He raised his arms into the air. “Aleph! We call to you to bless us on this holy night.”

  “Bless us,” murmured the crowd in response. The participants bowed their heads.

  An assistant scooped up cinders from the fire and placed them into a ceramic bowl. He mixed it into a paste using a mortar and pestle. Then, he handed it to Father Jandro.

  “The ash is a symbol of the gift of life and death produced by the flames that we are granted from Aleph. With the fire comes warmth and protection. We use it to forge our weapons and armor. It provides us with food cleansed with its heat. With the fire comes pain and death for the evil and unworthy of the world.”

  Father Jandro touched his forehead and his heart. He whispered over the bowl’s contents. He divided it into smaller portions by placing a scoop full into seven bowls. Then, he handed the clay bowls to each elder. The elders knelt on one knee and murmured quietly. Then, they stood and faced the audience. The elders made their way through the crowd and smeared the ash paste across their foreheads.

  One of the elder’s came towards Demona, but she declined to participate in the ritual. She would make no promises to Aleph, until she was sure of his purpose in her life. Her thirst was her only immediate concern. Her hunger was steadily spiraling out of control. She turned to fight her way to the back of the crowd, but the crowd moved against her towards the elders.

  Felix received the ritual and after finding that Demona was not beside him he began to push his way through the crowd to find her. Ileana had also received the ritual. She turned to follow Felix after she had been blessed by Aleph. Felix spotted the figure of a unicorn at the back of the crowd and made his way in Aero’s direction, with Ileana close behind.

  “Raiders!” a distant voice yelled from the far side of camp.

  Cries of panic rose from the crowd. They began to panic and shoved one another in an attempt to disperse. The sound of clashing metal and aggressive grunts came from the camp’s entrance. The night grew louder and more violent as every second passed.

  Demona’s strength was fading and the new commotion around her made her concentration dwindle. She caught the scent of blood that had been carried on a gentle breeze as it swept across her face. Her drying veins burned to be filled with fresh blood. Her body responded in a way it never had before. Her fangs extended once again and her body screamed to be satisfied.

  Someone ran into Demona on their attempt to flee to safety. Demona’s skin rippled as the kataphraktos emerged to protect her body. Demona did not respond to the impact, but she stood still waiting for the perfect prey. She was no longer in control of her actions, only survival and the need for sustenance compelled her. Instinct had taken over and she grabbed a woman from the crowd. Demona sank her teeth into the soft flesh and felt the skin break from the pressure of her sharpened teeth. The warm blood flowed into her mouth and her body gave into its desire.

  People screamed around her. The sound of metal clanging and arrows flying loose surrounded Demona. She did not care. Someone ran into Demona, but she clung to the struggling woman in her grasp. She sucked the fresh liquid from the tiny puncture wounds on the woman’s shoulder and savored it with each slurp.

  “Demona!” Felix yelled. He had found her clinging to the helpless woman. He hesitated to pull Demona away. The Demona he had known was temporarily gone from the body that stood before him.

  Ileana stepped in. She ripped Demona away from her prey and shook her violently. She smacked Demona across the face in an attempt to bring her back from her inner darkness. “Snap out of it!”

  The weakened woman scrambled away, while Demona was momentarily distracted. Demona was drawn out of her mental fog and first became aware of the sweet iron flavor that filled her taste buds. She reached a hand to her mouth and found warm
liquid on her lips. Demona looked at Felix in horror. “What—”

  “No time,” Felix said. He grabbed Demona’s arm after recognizing that Demona’s eyes sparkled with her personality once more.

  Demona became aware of the chaos that surrounded her. Swords and daggers flew at those that wield them. Arrows shot down from the trees above and landed in the chest of their intended targets. The scent of blood filled the air, but Demona’s hunger was now satisfied.

  Mothers and children darted for safety, while men and women began fighting near them. The mothers clung to their children and barked orders in an attempt to keep them out of harm’s way. Some of the older children carried daggers in hand and scurried through the camp.

  Follow me, Aero demanded.

  Demona caught a glimpse of the unicorn up ahead. He was surrounded by raiders.

  “We need weapons,” Demona said. She saw the glistening of metal in the fire’s light and found a sword lying near a fallen body. She grabbed it and handed it to Felix.

  Two men in armor blocked their way to Aero. One charged at Felix.

  “Help him,” Demona said. She indicated for Ileana to go to Felix’s aid. Demona intended to take on the second raider on her own.

  Ileana responded immediately to Demona’s request. The two took on the raider as he quickly advanced them.

  Demona turned her attention to the second raider. He swung the morning star above his head dangerously in her direction. Demona dodged the spiked ball as it flung inches from her face. She used her newly acquired strength from her feed and the mageia built within her. She felt the static around her and the hair on her arms stood on end.

  Her attacker swung the morning star again, but this time she had no time to dodge it. She reached out with her hand as to keep the weapon from crashing into her torso. The morning star descended on her and lightning shot from her finger tips as she braced for the impact.

  The lightning struck the oncoming weapon. Before the morning star could strike, the lightning traveled through the metal and into the supporting limbs of the raider. Seconds after the impact of the electrical current, the weapon that her attacker had held was flung away. The man sizzled and dropped to the ground.

  Demona turned to help Felix and Ileana, but they had already managed to deal a blow to their attacker. She heard a gasping breath from the man she had electrocuted, and knew he was no longer a threat.

  The raider that Felix and Ileana had taken on stood a few feet from Demona. She looked at the man and studied the dark liquid that poured from the slash on his stomach. He held his hand over the wound in hopes of keeping his life’s blood inside. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and he readied to attack them once more.

  Ileana ran full force at the raider. She transformed into her phoenix form and flew into him with her wings outstretched. The raider was knocked unconscious and fell to the ground as Ileana flew higher into the sky. She squawked in victory. Ileana circled above the tumult and screamed at the battle below.

  Felix and Demona ran in the direction they had seen Aero before the interruption. Demona caught a glimpse of the unicorn raising up on his hind legs and stomping down on the attackers beneath him. He then flung his head at another attacker impaling him on his singular horn.

  “Go to Aero!” Felix yelled. He ran into the chaos away from Demona.

  Demona turned to follow him, but heard Aero’s painful scream. She spun in Aero’s direction to see a raider plant the sharp end of a dagger into his flank.

  Suddenly, a massive bird flew down into the foray. Its wings were ablaze with a roaring fire of blues and reds. Ileana was showing her true colors when she tackled several raiders with her flaming wingspan. When she landed she transformed back into her human form and looked for the next threat.

  Aero continued to rear and fall onto his attackers as the pair battled those around them.

  Moments later Felix rejoined them with their packs in hand. He hastily handed one to Demona. She flung the pack onto her back and they ran to aid Aero and Ileana.

  Aero flung his head and knocked over an oncoming attacker. Time to leave, he said.

  “What about the rest of the light beings?” Demona asked.

  Aero began heading through the camp’s entrance. They are trained and experienced. We must flee to continue your quest. He picked up speed and charged through the oncoming invaders knocking them to the earth.

  The path was now cleared for Demona, Felix, and Ileana to follow without harm. They ran in pursuit of Aero out of the camp.

  Demona looked back over her shoulder upon the chaos once more. She hung her head in guilt at their departure. Demona used her mageia to create an air current strong enough to lift the three of them from the ground. It carried them gently in the direction of Aero, until they were by his side.

  They continued to run from the camp and the fighting, until the sounds of battle could no longer be heard. They found a shelter in the nearby forest under a tree that had formed a strange arched ceiling, where leaves had settled over the years providing a canopy. It was hidden and dry enough for them to rest comfortably on the ground and nurse their wounds.

  Demona had only suffered some superficial wounds that had already begun to heal. Her kataphraktos had prevented any blood loss and luckily none of their attackers had dealt her a fatal blow. Felix bled from a cut on his forehead and a few other minor injuries. Ileana remained unharmed, but paced quickly back and forth from the rush of the battle. Aero’s glossy coat was caked with dried blood. Demona could see that his once white and nicely woven mane was now stained a dark color and all in knots. Ileana tried to examine him, but he refused.

  Aero snorted at Ileana. My wounds will heal quickly, he said.

  Demona sat with her crossed legs drawn up against her chest. Her head rested on her knees as she tried not to allow her guilt to consume her. I fed on an innocent woman that I should have been protecting.

  Ileana did not need to hear Demona’s thoughts to know her sorrows. She placed her hand comfortingly on Demona’s arm.

  “Don’t,” Demona said. She shook off Ileana’s hand and refused to lift her head. “I don’t know what I will do.”

  “Don’t blame yourself. You couldn’t help your instincts,” Ileana replied.

  “I should be able to control myself. I should have been helping you guys and the light beings. I should have been stronger. Not creating more panic and harm,” Demona replied.

  “Ileana’s right. Your food supply is a delicate situation. We should have helped you sneak from camp to eat your rations. We know your instinct can take over. You can’t blame yourself for reaching that point,” Felix said.

  “Well, I’ve probably ruined things with the light beings now,” Demona said.

  Aero stomped his hoof. There was too much chaos in camp for them to be certain it was you, but you are correct we cannot return to the camp. The camp will move from Vilund as soon as the battle is over and they have counted their dead. Our journey lies elsewhere. We should be thankful to be alive and that we were not taken prisoner.

  Demona looked at the other members of her group. “Do you…do you think that the woman will be okay?”

  “Yes, she got away when you released her. She was weak, but alive. As long as she managed to reach a safe place she’ll be fine,” Ileana said.

  “I’ve never fed on a person before,” Demona said, “At least, not that I can really remember. I only have the faded memories from the day I was turned. I’m such a horrible person. How can you even want to be around me after I just ate a light being?”

  Felix looked concerned. “She can’t turn into a vampire by you feeding off of her, right?”

  “No, there are many steps in the transformation process,” Demona replied.

  “Then, we just need to make sure that this doesn’t happen again. Mistakes happen,” Felix said.

  “You are too forgiving,” Demona replied. “What if it had been you?” She turned her back to them and curled into a ball. She
hugged herself and allowed her guilt to consume her. I don’t know if I can forgive myself.

  Chapter 12:

  The Last Companion

  They waited until dawn to continue their journey. Aero had insisted that after the night’s raid, the dark beings had probably returned to their camp to rest. After they were certain that it would be safe to travel they made preparations for their journey. The sun shone down on them from high overhead. The humid heat made the day feel like it was one of the dog days of summer. Demona had come to the conclusion that it could have been midsummer in Dissium and not autumn like it was when they left Gleannbroch.

  The heat was wearing the mortal travelers down. Felix was soaked with sweat and had removed his shirt in an attempt to cool off. Even Aero showed signs of perspiration on his back and sides. Ileana, however, was never fazed by the weather; her internal temperature seemed to fluctuate as needed.