by Sara Snow
The room exploded into thunderous applause and it suddenly occurred to me that they were cheering for me. It sank in that Paimon was talking about me and that this was really happening. My pulse was racing and I was getting more and more anxious, wondering what was taking Carter and the others so long.
As the applause died down, Paimon began to speak again. I could see carts upon carts upon carts of food being wheeled out into the hall as well-organized servers began depositing plates in front of the many guests.
“In a bid to welcome my daughter in a most spectacular fashion, I invite you to dine with us, joining in the celebration of her arrival.”
One cart was brought to the base of the platform, a skeletal server reverently placing plates full of food in front of each of us, beginning with Paimon and I and working their way down the table as he continued.
“Drink, eat, but above all, relax and enjoy yourselves. After the banquet, we will formally induct my daughter into our ranks so she may fight by our side. She is prepared to formally swear her allegiance to the Tenebris.”
That last statement earned another thunderous round of applause.
“There is much excitement to come tonight,” he said with a foreboding grin aimed directly at me. “I hope you’re all sufficiently prepared.”
I didn’t like the sound of that at all.
Carter, where are you?
At last, Paimon sat in his seat and the collective clanking and clattering of forks and knives against plates echoed throughout the hall, the din of conversation permeating the air. Everywhere except on the platform, that is. For the most part, we ate in silence, only broken when Paimon would ask if everything was to my liking, which I confirmed that it was.
What Paimon didn’t realize was that I trusted him as far as I could throw him. There was no way I was going to make myself vulnerable to any drug or spell he’d put on that food, especially after his promised post-dinner allegiance-swearing. Rather than eat the food in front of me, I would take very small bites and chew them, holding them in my mouth for an appropriate amount of time before taking my lap napkin to wipe my mouth, discreetly spitting the food into it and letting it fall to the floor beneath the tablecloth as I replaced it on my lap. The system seemed to be working and Paimon didn’t seem to suspect anything.
The meal passed quickly and still, my friends hadn’t shown up. I couldn’t stop thinking about them—the worry that something had happened to them plaguing my mind. Carter had warned me that I may need to stall, but I was starting to be more concerned with figuring out an escape plan rather than a stalling plan. The anxiety was gripping my mind, though, and I was having trouble focusing on anything in my brewing panic, let alone formulating a foolproof plan to get me out of this palace without swearing anything to anyone.
Paimon seemed to notice that there was still a fair bit of food left on my plate, despite the fact that most others were finished already.
“Is everything alright, Georgia?” he asked, that sweet, caring, fatherly tone coming around again.
“It’s good. It’s great, I’m just not used to being the center of attention like this,” I said, half honestly. “It’s a bit nerve-racking having all these people watching me.”
“Ah,” he said understandingly. “Don’t worry, my dear daughter, it takes a fair bit of getting used to. But it will come to you naturally in time. Just relax, Georgia. This is all for you. Let yourself enjoy it. Let them revere you. It will be good practice for what’s to come once we take the human world by storm tonight.”
The delight in his tone when he said that sent fear straight to my heart and my throat went completely dry.
“Tonight?” I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking.
“What better time? We’re all present and spirits are high. It’s the perfect way to start off the Revalare, don’t you think?”
I couldn’t make myself answer. The words wouldn’t come to me.
“Don’t be nervous for your big debut, Georgia. All you have to do is start the fire and wait for me to tell you to put it out.” He said it so casually, like I was nervous for a test or for a job interview or some mundane thing. “There’s nothing to it, you’ll see.”
I swallowed hard.
Carter, you guys better hurry.
18
Carter
The drive to the factory was one of the most stressful drives of my life. Not only was the task at hand setting everyone in the car on edge, but a wicked storm was brewing in the skies, pelting down rain, reducing my visibility to near zero. It only seemed to get worse the closer we got to the factory. Olympia had warned me about this when she’d told us the demon kings had begun building up their natural disasters, but I didn’t realize it was going to be picking up so much already. I pulled off the side of the road well out of view of the factory and we sat, waiting for Olympia to figure her spell out.
“Ok, everyone grab hands,” she said. “I think I can get it more easily if you’re all touching.”
We all contorted ourselves around inside the car to ensure that everyone was in at least some form of contact. I grabbed Jose’s and Olympia’s hands while Olympia closed her eyes, chanting something under her breath. I could feel a buzzing in my palms where our hands were joined, feeling it passing through me to Jose as the warm sensation of the magic spread over my body. As I watched everyone in the car suddenly disappear, it was strange. I could tell that they were all still there, the subtle depressions of the seats where they were sitting and their small naturally-occurring noises assuring me that they hadn’t actually gone anywhere.
Maybe someday I’d get used to this kind of thing.
“Everyone stay close. Let’s hold hands to stay together,” I said. “I don’t want to lose anyone on the way.”
We all climbed out of the car and I could hear everyone wandering around. I held my arms out searching until I tangled fingers with someone else who was doing the same.
“This is Carter, who’s this?” I whispered.
“It’s Jose,” he whispered back.
“Hey, I think I’ve got Olympia, where are you guys?” I heard Eli ask, a few feet to my right.
I held out my other arm, finally finding Olympia’s shoulder, letting my hand trace down her arm until I had her hand in mine. Visibility wasn’t great, rainwater constantly making its way into my eyes, blurring my vision, which was already hampered by the downpour. We moved carefully, trying to take it slow, but time was short and we couldn’t be as careful as we’d liked.
I quickly realized once we got to the gate that getting to the factory was going to be no better. I should have known that it wasn’t going to be easy. I could already see more demons patrolling the factory grounds than I’d ever expected before, and it was going to be tight to make our way through without bumping into one. At this point, we couldn’t turn back to figure out another plan. We had to get to the building.
“Just take it slowly guys. Stay together. We can make it across the yard, just follow my lead,” Jacob whispered. “Their patrols are tight, so we need to be tighter.”
After a moment, we stepped forward, beginning to slowly make our trek toward the building. One foot in front of the other, things seemed to be going just fine until suddenly, a demon’s head snapped toward us. I heard it yell something, but looking down, I was still invisible, incredibly confused.
It wasn’t until I looked at the others that I realized.
“The rain is bouncing off us; they can see us!” I hurriedly told the others as the demons began to charge us.
“We have to fight! Spread out!” Jacob shouted as we began to break apart.
I clutched my stake tightly, darting to the right, immediately ramming into Jacob, who had apparently darted to the left. While the guards had the benefit of helmets with visors to keep rain out of their eyes, we weren’t so fortunate and the water blurring my vision kept me from being able to see his outline at all.
“Watch it!” he shouted.
“You’re invisible, dumbass, I can’t watch shit!” I yelled, driving my stake into a demon approaching behind him.
“Drop the spell, Olympia!” he shouted, dodging left to miss the swipe of a sword. “They can see us, we need to be able to see each other!”
I heard her chant something, her words stuttering and frenzied as I saw a demon slashing at the air in that direction. I was squinting to just barely be able to make out an outline that I assumed was her. I was quickly proven right when the spell was dismissed and she appeared. I saw Eli rush the demon that was attacking her, giving it a stake from the back and shoving it to the ground while she dug through her backpack.
Two more demons charged toward them and Olympia swiftly pulled a small bottle full of red liquid, throwing it hard into them, exploding over them. They instantly collapsed.
“Damn, Olympia! You’ve been holding out on us!” Eli shouted.
“I’ve been busy since yesterday!” she snarkily replied, pulling more bottles from her bag to unleash on demons.
I whipped around just in time to dodge another attack, but that was when I noticed a guard slipping into the front door of the factory.
“They’re heading inside!” I shouted. “We have to stay ahead of the communication chain or they’re gonna empty the pits of hell on us and we’ll be done for!”
We spread out, taking on as many demons as we could individually, pushing stakes left and right as demons crumbled beneath our attacks. We were getting stronger and it showed—everyone pulling their weight to push our way inside.
I only hoped that we’d make it in before it was too late.
Georgia
A hush fell over the entire banquet hall as soon as dinner had been cleared away, leaving everyone with only their glasses full of wine in front of them as they stood at attention beside their tables. The lights in the hall had been dimmed, to only a quarter of the light that was shining before. Two bright pyres were carefully brought out and placed just in front of each end of the table.
My stomach was feeling weak looking out among the faces gathered in the hall, all of their eyes on me as Paimon stood over me, his scepter in hand, the flickering firelight of the pyres casting an eerie light under his face, the exaggerated shadows making him seem even more monstrous. He looked so regal and frightening at the same time and I was beginning to lose my nerve. I could feel it crumbling the longer I looked up at his elegantly bearded face, his eyes glued to me. I couldn’t read his expression, and it made me nervous to feel so disadvantaged.
The other kings and a few other high-ranking demons stood in a line behind Paimon and me, watching and waiting for him to begin. I could see Rakshasi seated at one of the front tables off the stage watching just as attentively as the rest. My eyes were darting around the room, searching for as many exits as I could find, but all of them were atop staircases. I knew that climbing stairs would leave me dangerously exposed to any attacks they may have hurled at me. At this point, I really was counting on the Venandi to get me out.
Paimon cleared his throat. “My loyal friends and subjects, I thank you once again for sharing in the revelry with us and am honored to have each and every one of you here to witness this historic moment. It is with the greatest fatherly joy that I welcome my Georgia to her rightful place beside me tonight to begin the first steps toward the Revelare that we’ve worked toward for so long.”
I expected roaring cheers from the crowd, but they remained deathly silent and completely still, the seriousness of this ceremony really setting in on the scene.
Carter… Where are you?
I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d been abandoned. It wouldn’t have been the first time, but it definitely would have been the most painful and the most surprising. I fought off those thoughts more constantly than I should have. I told myself that my friends wouldn’t leave me. Not like this.
I hoped.
One of Paimon’s minions emerged from off the platform, climbing the stage with a pillow held in outstretched hands. On the pillow lay a long, elaborately jeweled dagger that seemed much too fancy to get any real use. He approached Paimon, kneeling down with his head down, offering it up to him. Paimon lifted it carefully with both hands as if it were some delicate treasure.
“My fellow lords, the Oathblade. Begin the Juramentum Tenebris,” Paimon requested, holding the blade out in front of him, his voice sweeping loudly across the hall.
Where the hell are you guys!? What’s the holdup!?
I was getting antsy, trying not to fidget in front of everyone as the first of the demon lords, a snake-like demon that I’d never seen before, stepped forward, taking the dagger from Paimon with a bowed head. I couldn’t help but recoil a bit in shock as he sliced his palm slowly, letting his blood coat the blade.
“For it is the blood of my word and the word of my blood, ego sum Tenebris. Long live the King,” the demon said, handing the blade back to Paimon, who was careful not to get blood on his hands.
I could see a large red jewel mounted in the center of the blade begin to glow faintly and I knew that this was bad. Really bad. As each of the demon lords approached Paimon, slicing their palms and repeating that phrase again and again, the jewel began to glow brighter and brighter.
Ok guys, really, any day now!
I was beginning to sweat, and I could feel my hands shaking, clasping them tightly in front of me to keep anyone else from noticing. My throat was dry, and I was starting to worry I’d hyperventilate as breathing became more and more strenuous.
Suddenly, though, I began to feel calmer. It came out of nowhere, but the sudden relaxation was incredibly jarring. I started to feel like everything was going to be ok, like my friends would be here soon. I could feel a warm energy that reassured me wordlessly. I remembered suddenly when Carter had come for me the first time and I started to get my hopes up.
That better be you, Carter! Get me the hell out of here!
It was Bebal’s turn to take the dagger, and in his hideous voice he repeated the phrase and cut his palm. “For it is the blood of my word and the word of my blood, ego sum Tenebris. Long live the King.” He reverently passed it back to Paimon. Abalam approached and repeated the process and by then, the jewel in the dagger was radiant, casting red light on everything around it, the red under glow being thrown onto Paimon’s face giving him a ghastly, devilish appearance.
Finally, Paimon took the dagger firmly in one hand and wrapped his hand around the blade, pulling it much slower, making more of a spectacle of the blood that dripped down his wrist as the blade began to vibrate, the jewel’s light beginning to oscillate, no longer just a steady glow but a flaring light that exploded forth from it like sun flares.
“For it is the blood of my word and the word of my blood, ego sum Tenebris,” he said, his smile almost unmistakably nefarious. “Long live my daughter.”
Then, he handed the blade to me. I froze, surveying it in my hands, trembling like a leaf.
“Just say the pledge, Georgia. Repeat what everyone before you said and give your blood to the blade.” His smile was widening, his face becoming a caricature of itself and I thought I might throw up. “It’s time. Just think of all the things we can do together and say the pledge.”
It’s now or never, Carter!
Suddenly, a guard scrambled out onto the landing atop one of the dining hall entrances, panting and nearly tumbling down the stairs.
“My King!” he cried, out of breath. “My King, there are intruders! Intruders in the—”
Paimon and I both snapped our heads in the direction of the demon’s call.
His warning was abruptly cut short as an iron stake drove through him from behind, the tip bursting from his chest, a deathly howl exploding out of his throat. I quickly saw the man holding the stake as the demon’s body fell over the side of the stairs to the floor below.
“You!” Paimon roared, his eyes widened.
“Carter!” I cried. I gripped the dagger tightly in my hand, whipping around
to face Paimon again. “The only thing I pledge is to send you back to Hell myself!” I shouted, leaping forward to thrust the dagger right into Paimon’s chest. My hands were shaking and I knew my aim was off in the sudden spur-of-the-moment attack, but it was a solid hit either way.
He let out an infernal roar as he stumbled backwards, the pyre flames flickering, his eyes fixed on me, glowing just as brightly as the jeweled blade jutting out of his stomach, full of hatred. His hands hovered around the blade, trembling in shock. His face contorted in rage as several demon lords stepped in to pull him away from me, dragging him away as he struggled to remain on his feet. Several more began to rush toward me as Paimon was carried off. In that moment, chaos exploded, hundreds of demons surrounding us leaping to arms as the Venandi rushed down the stairs to join in the fray.
“You wanted a wildfire, Paimon? Here you go!” I shouted, letting flames erupt around me, scorching as many of the demons on the platform as I could.
I quickly remembered Rakshasi sitting in the front row of tables, my eyes snapping to her as I willed the flames away from her before she was hit. Her eyes were wide with horror, and I could see her trembling.
“Run, Rakshasi! Get out of here!” I yelled over the whipping crackle of the flames around me.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment in her fear, but quickly found her footing, scrambling across the room away from the Venandi and hurried up the stairs.
Good. At least she’s safe from all this.
After that it was just an onslaught. The demons on the platform were ablaze, but I didn’t stick around to find out if it was fatal, rushing off the platform to join the group as they battled near the closest set of stairs leading to an exit.
“You guys have a really interesting sense of timing!” I shouted as I picked up a demon with my mind, telekinetically throwing him into several of his nearby comrades.