Oculus

by S. E. Akers

  “The days are getting shorter, and you haven’t—”

  I took a solid step in his direction, cutting him off. “I’m fully aware of what I haven’t accomplished this summer.” My eyes flickered as they stared into his. “Every. Single. Thing.”

  The Amethyst Talisman was now merely inches from me, so close my chin ran the risk of getting bumped by his heaving chest. “You’re the only one who can change that,” he stressed, sounding unmistakably trenchant.

  I stood there, gaze lingering, unable to break from the hold of his stare. His eyes were drenched in an almost ravenous violet hue, a painfully revealing hue at that. It was the kind of color that lures you into taking a deeper look and then turns right around and slaps you with blinding truth. And somewhere within the twisted irony of that single moment, I realized something I couldn’t fully disregard any longer. No. It wasn’t merely the monsters or anything to do with my destiny that had me so bent out of shape. Nothing behind that door up ahead could bring me to my knees harder or faster than the guy I was facing. My heart could only stretch so much before it would break. He claimed the power to sense every emotion I was feeling right now. Hell, as frustrated as I was, even I could feel them seeping out of my pores, and I knew the diamond was boosting their fervor. But no matter how strong they pulsed or how long I stood here looking into his eyes, his stare remained as ambiguous as ever…his lips held on to their hush…and his arms never extended the first inch. The thinness I felt from the strain on my heart was so unfathomable and still its pain revealed such indisputable truth: he was completely ignoring my affection for him, casting aside every ounce of desire my heart thumped out. Even after acknowledging that I simply couldn’t turn off my emotions, though a huge part of me wished I would look down to find a switch in the center of my chest that was in need of a flip. But that would be too convenient, too merciful for the cosmos to grant. My gaze shifted from him to the end of the hall. It didn’t matter what creature lay behind that door. Nope. From my perspective, the crux of all of my problems this summer was right out here in the hall. And I desperately wanted to blame him…but I knew better.

  I started to make my approach when Tanner grabbed my wrist, halting my steps. I turned to him, eyes brimming with a last-ditch hope, almost like I could feel the air between us clearing. All the suspect looks that left my mind wondering for hours on end… The tenderness I felt tingling behind his slightest touch… Every perfect word he breathed when my spirit was in need of a lift… And the way he dipped into my soul so effortlessly whenever our lips had brushed in the past… This was it. He was going to tell me that I wasn’t crazy and that I hadn’t imagined it all. Finally, my heart was about to receive the vindication it had been craving since last New Year’s Eve.

  Tanner pushed back my hair tenderly and slipped his arms around my neck. I stepped closer, led by the urge to have our lips connect. Suddenly I felt one of the chains breaking away from my chest. My gaze fell upon my mentor’s hand to find his phantom crystal resting in his palm.

  “This is the last thing you need hanging around your neck right now,” Tanner remarked, his eyes placid and looking undeniably confident.

  My mind blanked while an uncomfortable sense of nakedness rolled through me. The act of stripping it was painful enough, but seeing Tanner’s soul-bearing crystal back in his possession and knowing he was aware of my true feelings was almost as crushing as witnessing a boot twisting down on a bug. At least that was the image that flashed in my mind. The sensation sure-as-shit felt just as trampling.

  The empty feeling forced me to acknowledge the other stone lying against my chest — the one he hadn’t touched, nor mentioned. The very same one that could make all of my pain magically go away and that now felt like an iron ball hanging there, crippling my heart. I quickly removed the amethyst pendant, along with my moonstone ring and ruby cuff, and then handed them straight to Silas, purposely.

  “I can’t forget these,” I remarked as pragmatic as my hurry allowed. “They’re not mine either,” I affirmed and then charged towards the cell door, leaving a trail of heated footsteps and Tanner muttering something that I couldn’t have cared less about hearing in my dust. With a firm grasp of the knob and an even tighter one on my hilt, I pushed open the silver slab and rushed inside, desperate to salvage what was left of my sanity.

  I commenced with a curious sweep of the chamber, blade drawn and ready. I fully expected its environment to be more domestic than any of the others (strictly going off the delicate china dinner service I’d seen Silas cart in here), however, the magnitude of the room’s extravagance took me completely by surprise. Suddenly I felt like I’d traveled back in time to the Middle Ages and had stepped straight into a Gothic boudoir, possibly in some European castle. My eyes panned the space for any signs of a demon, but all they spied was grandeur and elegance at every turn. A medley of furnishings lay around the room, each more ostentatious than the next. I thought the canopy bed I slept in was big, but this wooden wonder looked like a spire-topped gazebo compared to it. Regal jewel-toned fabrics splashed forth from the sea of gray stones canvasing the walls of the chamber. My gaze trailed one of the columns all the way up to a sweeping vaulted ceiling. Its pattern reminded me of a spider web, what with its crisscrossing mahogany lines that gracefully peaked and dipped along its surface with such painstaking precision. The sheer volume of the mystical setting and its endless physics-defying reach prompted me back to the reason I was here in the first place — to find and kill a demon.

  I continued my search with my guard heightened and blade gleaming. Surely Tanner would have said if this thing could turn invisible…though I did storm in here rather quickly. But in my defense, what little self-respect I had left was just that damn in need of a reprieve.

  With the unstoppable urge of a child, I ran my fingers through the golden cords trimming the edge of the velvet drapes and followed their soft twist straight to their tips. A kaleidoscope of colors floated into the chamber from a stained-glass window resting to the right of the panel. The dancing natural light was clearly an illusion, but a charming one. The next thing to catch my eye was an elaborate, full-length gilded mirror that had been positioned in the center of the room. The mammoth piece stood larger than most of the chamber doors I’d seen. And though the gleaming golden addition undoubtedly suited the space and its overelaborate décor, the sheer notion of its purpose struck me as peculiar. Mortal creatures couldn’t cast a normal reflection — at least not one that ensured the cloak of their deceptive “human” mask.

  My gaze had no sooner fallen upon a vanity displaying a variety of feminine items when a woman’s voice called out, “You can put that away, child.”

  I whipped around with my blade stretched, automatically ignoring the frailness I’d detected lacing the absurd request. An elderly woman in a long flowing nightgown came hobbling out of the shadows. Not once throughout my eighteen years had I seen someone this unnaturally old before — not in-person, nor on TV. Her face was washed in a ghostly gloss of white, almost as if she’d moisturized it with Crisco clear down to her chest. The way her veins protruded on the tops of her hands made them look more like strands of blue yarn winding a path to the tips of her fingers, clinging for dear life. Suddenly my diamond blade seemed like overkill; a daggone paper cut would take her out. This demon/woman could barely walk, let alone hurt a fly (I didn’t think), and SHE was supposedly the source of all the caution I’d sensed from Tanner? This decrepit-looking demon was why he’d boosted the wards and knocked out Ty? However inconceivable it appeared on the surface, I kept my guard on high alert. After all, I was dealing with a demon—notorious for their deviousness—and this just might turn out to be a well-crafted ruse.

  The woman staggered towards a throne-like chair sitting in front of a table and eventually lowered her feeble frame into the seat. “I promise you won’t need an inch of your blade.” She waved me over and gestured to the other seat. “Come and sit with me . . . Please?”

 
; I stood rapt in a haze of bewilderment, eyes incapable of rallying the first blink. This situation had all the makings of a go-with-your-gut moment if there ever was one. I hated wrestling with these. She knew what I was here to do, but the earnestness I sensed from her request was beyond bizarre. Cunning tactics aside, I seriously doubted demons made a habit of practicing any social manners towards diamond-blade bearing callers whose minds they couldn’t touch.

  “What are you?” I asked.

  The woman’s eerie red eyes cast a glaze of sadness. “Tormented,” she replied. “Though even the most anguished souls have names. Mine is Kiera . . . and yours?”

  “Shiloh,” I answered, despite the unwavering stretch of my guard.

  “Fitting name for a young lady charged with ushering in peace,” Kiera remarked, sounding almost relieved.

  I hadn’t expected that we would be exchanging any pleasantries. But if she insisted on courteous chitchat, I could just go with it — sword drawn, of course.

  “What kind of demon are you?”

  “Half-demon,” she clarified. “I was once human, but now I am a living curse, a plague that longs for her final breath.” Keira’s weary eyes softened. “A succubus, child . . . that is the monster you see before you. One of the few who remain in this realm, rotting in their misery.”

  Without raising any flags, I kept my eyes on Kiera and started scouring Beatrix’s memories, trying to ascertain anything I could about this being. One vision eventually emerged, but the succubus I saw in it didn’t look a thing like the woman before me. She was young, beautiful, and seductive (well, except for the long tail slithering behind her), and her movements were full-on high-octane, unlike present company’s. She’d put up a hell of a fight trying to keep Bea’s dagger from piercing her heart. That succubus wasn’t the least bit cordial at all.

  “What year is it?” Keira asked.

  I looked thoughtfully into her eyes. “Two Thousand Fifteen.”

  “Then I have been here one year shy of two-hundred,” Kiera sighed. “A very long sentence for most.” Her eyes flickered. “I am grateful that you’ve come today and that you are female.”

  My stare sharpened. “Why is that?”

  Kiera studied me suspiciously, seeming a touch amused. “What do you know about succubi, child?”

  I could have shot out a few guesses based on what limited info I’d summoned or maybe stalled a little longer to stream something more than physical traits. But why put up a front, considering her peculiar though polite decorum? It wasn’t entirely my fault that I didn’t know. I could only read so fast and there were a limited amount of hours in the day. What mental cheat-sheets I’d scored through Bea’s memories offered nothing more than “wicked fast, strong, and watch out for that whip-like tail”. And on top of all that, my blade was firmly positioned front and center like a hula-girl mounted on a car dash. Ignorant or not, I was still packing plenty of heat.

  “Not much,” I admitted, unashamed.

  The corners of her eyes crinkled. “I see,” Kiera smiled. “Well then, the reason I am thankful that you are a female is because a male would not be capable of sending me on my way. My curse is too strong, and the risk would be too great for both sexes involved. I have charmed an unfathomable amount of men over the years with the powers I possess, and while each of them were trapped under my spell, I heartlessly drained their souls until they could no longer draw a single breath.”

  My eyes flashed insightfully, now wise to the real reason Tanner had taken back his phantom crystal. Surely this succubus could have sensed it. But now knowing she feasted strictly on male souls raised a more intriguing question.

  “What about Silas, the man who serves your meals?” I probed. “What about his soul?” That could explain why he was such an ass ninety-nine percent of the time. Maybe his was simply down a few pints?

  “The magic he claims clouds my senses.” Kiera’s feeble head swayed with confusion. “It is quite baffling,” she sighed.

  My eyes glazed sorely. Yeah, I know what you mean…

  “Though I suppose it has been a great blessing in disguise. I am ready for my torture to end, and the slightest trace of a male’s soul would feed the creature inside me for many months. I have grown tired of giving in to its wants. Why it was just last night when I sensed the presence of a strange male somewhere within these walls.” Kiera rolled her lips together, wetting them uncontrollably. “His soul called to me like the most delectable aroma . . . tender, kind, and warm.”

  My cheeks paled several shades. Oh, I knew she was talking about Ty.

  “I’m ashamed to admit that the scent was overpowering,” she confessed. “I broke down and started whispering for him to come to me.” Kiera’s head fell low enough to strike the table. “But thankfully he never did.”

  A gamut of emotions whipped through me. Tanner had seen to Ty’s drugging and strengthened the wards—to keep him out of harm’s way—and I was undeniably grateful for that. However, Kiera’s startling admission had left an icy chill coursing through my veins as well. What minuscule chance that he’d done any of it out of jealousy was now gone. Even his initial annoyance when he saw Ty was completely justified. And all those roses had done was serve as a reminder that I chose to have “humans” in my life who were privy to certain “supernatural things” that he preferred I keep secret. Crap. Now there was something that can make a person both happy and sad at the same time.

  Kiera gradually lifted her head, looking painfully frazzled. “I truly long to be the person I once was, even if that means my existence is eternally bound to another place.” Her gaze turned somber as it fell to the table. “No matter how grim its landscape may be.”

  “So you know about The Darklands?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Kiera nodded. “I have heard the frightful tales of its borders and the bloodthirsty beasts that roam its lands, and still, I choose to believe that The Veil may show my human-side mercy. I didn’t ask for my curse, though my hands bear all the guilt of its creation.”

  Knowing how indifferent The Veil was, the chances for her wish of leniency coming true were remote at best. Creatures were ferried straight back to The Darklands, but their human-side? I had no idea what happened to the souls of their former-selves when it came to death or banishment. Most of them were probably innocent victims, and based solely on that, I found myself in total agreement with her hope for mercy. Surely there had to be some compassion out in the universe if one of these creatures were truly penitent, regardless of how detached The Veil seemed.

  Slowly, I lowered myself into the chair opposite hers, though my diamond remained drawn. “How long have you been cursed?”

  “Well over seven-hundred years.” A tear weaved its way down her wrinkly cheek. “I was once an innocent girl like you,” Kiera revealed. “A young lady with so many dreams and so much to live for until a trail of foolish decisions and heartache caused me to stray from the person I was. My hope fades with each day that passes. I fear I will never know that person again.” She nodded towards the opulent full-length mirror. “This room may not bear the look of a dungeon, but that thing was put in here to haunt me every minute of my days. This blighted form that lays before you is far more winsome than what it is hiding — believe me.” Her eyes locked on my wand. “I truly meant what I said, child. You can put your sword away. I genuinely wish you no harm,” she insisted. “I feel The Veil’s call. I know what lies underneath your garment. I would prefer a less violent departure . . . and possibly the chance to feel human one last time.”

  I pulled up on the chain and laid the oculus on the outside of my shirt in plain view. But I didn’t open it, despite Tanner’s past lectures about not trusting demons pummeling my head. A strong wave of compassion urged me to wait. Then again, it could have been a touch of empathy as well. The burnout seizing her eyes was as evident as it was familiar. She truly wanted free of what plagued her and the way I felt right now, I would have loved for someone to swoop in here and kindly sev
er me from the source of mine.

  “You are pitying me,” Kiera insisted. I didn’t think my expression had given me away, but she was right. “Succubi can sense certain emotions . . . but what you are feeling comes straight from your eyes,” she explained before I could confirm a thing. “Compassionate souls cast a particular light in their eyes, child. It is as warm as it is revealing.”

  I smiled, which seemed to lift her spirits somewhat. We stared at each other in silence, straight to the point of it becoming awkward. I shifted around in my chair while the squeaks of its aged wooden joints nagged my uncertain thoughts. What do you talk about with a demon who’s knocking on death’s door that’s been locked away for almost two hundred years? I was seriously struggling for a conversation starter.

  Kiera finally broke the ice when she pointed to a door that stood not too far from where we were sitting. “I think I will miss all the different water wells most of all. Less mess and easier when one draw’s their bath.”

  I nodded in agreement, grin creeping. I didn’t want to think about some of the things she’d been subjected to over the course of seven-hundred-plus years. Fetching the countless buckets of water back and forth to fill a tub must have been enough of a pain in the ass, let alone having to heat the daggone things. And I didn’t want to think about the other. Considering all of my past mountain-girl emergencies, I preferred the indoor version too.

  Another hush quickly fell over the room, which sent my curiosity rising along with my brow. The nosey little girl inside me wanted to know how the woman who appeared so open and contrite had been cursed in the first place.

  “And now you are suspicious,” Kiera remarked.

  “Yes,” I admitted. “How did it happen? If you don’t mind me asking,” I added.

  “I was deceived,” she revealed, completely uninhibited. “I wish I could say it was entirely the creature’s doing, but that would be a lie.” Kiera focused her far away gaze towards a random spot on the table. “Mine was a fitting curse, and I was equally to blame,” she assured. “I spent my youth desperate to find love, consumed with everything about it, obsessed with men and their attention, and blinded by the notion that if I didn’t have a companion, then my life was worthless. All I found were a ceaseless line of suitors who didn’t share my feelings or only desired one thing. They all promised their undying adoration and iced my ears with sugary words, but it always ended the same, more wretched heartache and another scar striping my spirit. Then one day a man stopped me in the woods, right as I was making my way to the sturdiest oak to hang myself from. At least I thought it was a man at the time. The creature took me back to his cottage and consoled me with words for hours. I was as fragile as a dove with a broken wing and every sound that came out of his mouth eased all of my trembles. He knew exactly what my heart longed to hear. I remember thinking fate had put this gentleman in my path and that he was my intended love. My heart’s one desire was finally being granted its wish. Nothing else in the world mattered in those hours. The joy I felt was unimaginable. The last thing I recalled was sharing a chalice that contained a bitter tasting wine and then I joined him in his bed. He was gone when I woke the next day. I immediately knew something felt different about me. I still craved the touch of a man, but it was far more savage than carnal in essence. My worst fears were confirmed as I walked home that morning. I came across one of my neighbors on his way into town. I bedded him against the back of his wagon no sooner than our eyes connected. Then I felt something growing out of my back, something that was and yet was not my flesh . . . Something ghastly and hungry,” she quivered. “I watched the appendage latch onto his chest like a leech. I could feel his heartbeat waning every time it fed. Soon his frame grew still and then once our bodies had broken, his withered corpse fell to the ground. My last traces of humanity retched with horror at the sight of what I had done while the monster inside me thirsted for the way it made me feel even more . . . so powerful and strong. Since then, I’ve needed men for an entirely different purpose. Not for a silly girl’s fancy to falsely feed her self-worth, but so I could remain youthful and feel alive.”