Dacia Wolf & the Demon Mark

by Mandi Oyster

  Flames erupted in my hand. I focused on them, binding them to me, not allowing Malcolm to take them.

  “Good job.” He slumped back. “How’d you do it?”

  I closed my fist, and the power seemed to settle inside me. “I claimed them.” Saying it out loud, I thought it sounded stupid, but that’s what I’d done. They were mine, and no one had a right to take them from me, not now, not ever.

  Malcolm tried several more times to seize control of my magic. He was never able to snatch it away from me again. When we left Sarah’s office, I felt pretty good about myself.

  Nephilim surrounded us as soon as we stepped outside. Diana stood in front of us with her feet spread wide and her arms folded over her chest. “We have wasted enough time here. Give us the girl. Let us go home.”

  “You want to go home?” I couldn’t believe she said that. “You want to put me in one of your sanctuaries and never allow me to go home again, and you’re complaining because you’ve been here a coupla weeks.”

  The dark-haired Nephilim stepped forward. “We are trying to save the world from the choices you will make all too soon.”

  “You have no idea what I’ll do, Olivia.” I jabbed my finger toward her, and she flinched.

  Her eyes widened. “How do you know my name?”

  “I learned it in a dream.” I rolled my eyes. “Just like I learned I’ll never be happy or complete in one of your sanctuaries.”

  Several of the Nephilim whispered amongst themselves. “She has the gift of prophecy.” “Is she one of us?” “Does she speak the truth?” “What else has she seen?”

  “Enough!” Diana yelled, and the other Nephilim quieted.

  “So, you aren’t allowed to speak your minds?” I spun around, looking at as many of them as I could. “Are you trapped, too?” I think we can teleport out of here without anybody but the Nephilim noticing.

  Not yet. Malcolm stepped closer to me, reaching for my hand. “My people and your people are negotiating Dacia’s status. Are you going to take her and widen the rift between our species?”

  Diana laughed. “Have you spoken with Aurelia? The negotiations ended. Your people decided my people were right.” She stepped closer. “Hand her over, dragon.”

  He angled his body between us. “I made a vow to protect Dacia. That vow is sacred, and until I hear from my own kind that I am released from it, I will protect her with my life.”

  “You have until tomorrow morning.” Diana stepped back and smirked at me. “We will take her by any means necessary after that.”

  The Nephilim opened up a pathway between them. Malcolm wrapped his arm around my waist and positioned me slightly ahead of him. We walked through the leering crowd.

  Once we were beyond them, Malcolm pressed his hand to my back, and we jogged to the dormitory. Instead of going to my room, Malcolm took me to Aurelia’s. Her room had fewer plants in it than before, but with six dragons staying here, it probably got a little crowded.

  Seven dragons stood in the room with me. Aurelia’s skin shimmered more than normal, and when I stepped closer to her, I realized why. Gold scales glistened along her arms, neck, and face. Tears dampened her eyes. “They have decided not to protect you any longer.”

  “Why?” I sank down onto her couch. “I’ve done everything that’s been asked of me.”

  She sat beside me, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “They fear the Nephilim will go to war if you remain free.” I believe one of the elders has been compromised.

  Who? Malcolm’s thought was filled with rage.

  The image of a silver dragon flashed through my mind. It was nearly twice as big as Aurelia with broken horns and rheumy eyes.

  Malcolm growled. Whose memories did he scan?

  I do not know. Aurelia sucked in a quick breath.

  The other dragons stared at us like they knew we were having a silent conversation. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t go with them.”

  “For now, you must.” Aurelia’s eyes flashed with rage, though she tried to control it. “We are not allowed to protect you. If we do, the elders will renounce us. The only way we can help you is to work with them to change their minds.”

  Malcolm stared into my eyes. I will fight by your side if that is what you wish. I will take whatever punishment the elders deem to dole out.

  Thank you. I pulled my hand through my hair. “I’ll pack a bag tonight.” But, I don’t know if I’ll go with them.

  Malcolm and I went to my room. Cody, Dan, and Samantha were already there. They no longer paused their activities when one of the dragons came in with me. They’d accepted them into our group. I had no doubt they would still fear them in dragon form, but they no longer thought of them as blood-thirsty beasts. They saw them as people.

  “How’d it go?” Cody stood up and came over to me. “Not good?”

  Samantha was curled against Dan’s side on the couch. They both looked up at me over the back of it.

  Malcolm held his finger over his mouth. He tilted his head. After a moment, he said, “Aurelia has soundproofed her room, and I did this one. You may talk freely now.”

  I shook my head and walked over to the window. “I can’t.” I stared outside at nothing. “I can’t believe they would do that to me.”

  Malcolm told my friends about the Nephilim and the dragons. I tried to tune him out. I didn’t want to hear about their betrayal. I didn’t want to believe it could be true. I had no idea if I should stay and fight for my freedom or if I should go peacefully.

  Cody stood next to me, and I buried my head in his chest. Tears came unbidden to my eyes. My shoulders shook, and he held me tighter, kissing the top of my head, rubbing my back.

  Malcolm growled. The sound made me shiver. I jerked away from Cody and saw Mavros standing behind the couch.

  “The hell do you want?” Cody’s fingers tightened into a fist.

  Mavros didn’t pay any attention to Cody. “You brought my blood in here.” He strode toward me. “You gave me an invitation. My master isn’t aware of it yet, but I can’t keep the knowledge hidden for long. You must go with the Nephilim. If you don’t—” his chin dropped to his chest “—I can’t guarantee your safety. Please go.” He disappeared.

  Nobody said anything for quite a while. We just stared at the last spot we’d seen Mavros, waiting for him to reappear.

  Malcolm was the first to look away. “Your demon’s words rang with truth. Maybe you were right to trust him.”

  Cody stepped away from me. “I’ll go with you.”

  Samantha sat up and covered her face with her hands. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” I sat down in Cookie Monster and looked at the place Big Bird used to be. It was so weird having one without the other.

  “He was the reason we’ve been staying away.” She stared down at the ground. “I thought he was manipulating you. I didn’t want to suffer for your mistakes. I—” her voice broke “—I was being selfish.”

  I leaned back and stared at the ceiling. “I thought you and Dan just wanted some privacy. I should’ve asked what was going on, but I’ve been so wrapped up in my stuff, I didn’t. I’m sorry.” I got up and sat beside her, bumping her shoulder with mine. “I don’t blame you for trying to stay out of my crazy.” I tugged my hand through my hair while I searched for the right words. “He’s the only one who can tell me who summoned him. I don’t trust him blindly, but I have to find out who it is.”

  She looked up at me. Her eyes were red-rimmed. “I get it now.” She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry.”

  “No harm done.” I got up and walked over to Malcolm. Can you have the dragons watch my friends? I’d like to talk to you in private.

  He bowed his head ever so slightly.

  I slipped my hand into Malcolm’s an
d felt like a tiny kid. “You guys’ll be safe. We’ll be back.” I didn’t give them a chance to respond. I closed my eyes and felt the stretching sensation of being teleported. When I opened them, we were in the clearing where I’d killed myself to return Mavros to the Abyss. The mountains surrounding us stretched to the heavens. The ground was covered with snow. The heat from some of the larger boulders had melted them off. I found one of those and sat.

  Malcolm looked around. “Is this where you disappear to with Cody?”

  “Nope.” The p popped out of my mouth. “That’s going to remain a secret.”

  He positioned himself beside me. “What do you need from me?”

  I focused on my flames, not igniting them, but bringing them to the surface to see if they’d warm me. “I need to know what you’d do. Would you go with them? Or should I just disappear?”

  “They will expect you to disappear.” He held his hand over his mouth, slowly dragging it down. “If they catch you, they’ll punish you.”

  I huffed out a humorless laugh. “I thought they were creatures of light.”

  “You will find that sometimes there isn’t much difference between darkness and light.” He paused for a moment. “Both sides believe in punishment. Light punishes in the hopes that you will repent. Darkness punishes for pleasure, for retribution, to feel strong.”

  I lowered my head and nodded. “Okay.”

  “The forces of light don’t recognize that there are shades of gray. I believe it is better to see the varying colors and to try to bring them closer together.” He squeezed my shoulder. “There is no one right answer for everything. You were kind to Mavros, and because of that, he is fighting his master. Actions and not beliefs are what is important.”

  It was hard to believe that I was sitting here with a dragon who had once shredded my back with his claws. It was hard to believe that I now counted him among my friends, but he was right. If I’d only believed the worst in him and not given him a chance, my world would be much different.

  “So, what would you do?” I leaned into him, needing to not feel quite so alone.

  He casually slung his arm over my shoulders. “I will never be held captive again.”

  My stomach plummeted, and I pinched the bridge of my nose. “So, will you run with me?”

  “For eternity if you need me to.”

  “Why?”

  He stared off into the distance, not answering for a long time. When he finally did, he didn’t look at me. “I have not always done the right thing … even before Draconian. I am not proud of what I did and how I acted. You showed me that one person with a desire to do good can change the world. Even after all he did to you and your friends, you tried to spare him.” He lowered his gaze to me. “How many people do you think would do that? Then you sacrificed yourself to save your friends”—he waved his hand in front of him—“to save the world.”

  My face felt hot. I chewed on my lip to keep a stupid grin off my face.

  “You befriended your enemies.” He lifted his arm off my shoulders and patted my back. “You’ve shown me what we can do to make this world better.”

  I wiped my hands over my face. “So where do we go, and how do we make it seem like you’re hunting me, not helping me?”

  His head snapped back. “I don’t care if they know.”

  “If they think you’re after me, if they think I evaded you, we might be able to keep informed about what’s going on.” I massaged the back of my neck. “We might know when it’s safe to go home.”

  Chapter 18

  Deception

  When we got back, Cody was sitting in Cookie Monster, holding his head. I stepped toward him, and he looked up. He’d been pressing his fingers so hard against his face that they left red marks behind. “What’s the plan?”

  I lifted a finger. “Malcolm, I’d like to talk to my friends in private.” I intentionally hardened my voice.

  He narrowed his eyes at me and walked out into the hall. As soon as he was gone, I soundproofed the room. “I’m leaving tonight.” I knelt down in front of Cody. “You can come with me, but it won’t be easy, and I have no idea when or if I’ll be able to come back.”

  Dan leaned forward. “Would it be so bad to go with them?”

  “Yes.” I sat on the floor, running my hand over the carpet. “They will never let me leave. They will strip me of my powers. I will be imprisoned for saving the world twice, for saving the dragons.” I pulled my legs up and wrapped my arms around them. “I need to be free to figure out who’s controlling Mavros and what it is they want.”

  Dan nodded. “That’s what we thought.” He waved his finger between himself and Samantha. “I just wanted to be sure we were on the same page.”

  “Will you be okay?” Samantha seemed to shrink a little. “Do you need anything? I have some money, not much.”

  I held my hand up. “I don’t need money.” I let out a deep breath. “I could use your prayers, though.”

  “We can do that.” Her lips turned up in a sad smile. She tapped her temple. “Let me know that you’re safe.”

  I got up and hugged her and then Dan. “I will.” Wiping under my eyes, I said, “Stay safe.”

  “Get a jacket,” I said to Cody. He grabbed his and tossed me mine. Mavros’ coat had been thrown in the corner, and it still sat there. I wondered if I should give it back to him or if one would just materialize next time he needed one.

  Wrapping my arms around Cody’s waist, I teleported us to Cougar Lake. He pinched his eyes shut as soon as we stopped moving. His body swayed, and he stuck his arm out to steady himself. “Wasn’t expecting that.”

  “Sorry.” I kept my arms around him until he opened his eyes. “You good?”

  “Yeah.”

  We walked through the trees. It was becoming a familiar trek. I knew where roots jutted out of the ground far enough to trip us, when to duck under branches, when to step over boulders, and which rocks I could step on to cross the small snowmelt streams.

  I held onto Cody’s hand pulling him with me to the rocky shore of Cougar Lake. We made our way to a bench and sat. Cody slumped down, staring out at the water with vacant eyes. “What’s the problem?” His voice was thick.

  “Malcolm is going with me.” I folded my hands behind my neck and leaned into them, hoping to relieve some of the tension there. “He’s going to pretend like I slipped away from him and he’s chasing after me so that we can keep informed about what’s happening here.” I bit my lip, pulling it into my mouth. “I understand if you don’t want to come with me. It won’t be fun.”

  Cody’s fingers slid along my chin, angling my face toward his. “I’d follow you to Hell.”

  The tightness in my chest loosened. “You might be.”

  D

  “Malcolm.” I sat on the floor in front of my closet, an open duffle bag in front of me. “What do I need to pack? What’s the sanctuary like?”

  He tilted his head and tapped his finger against his chin. Pack warm clothes, boots, more socks than you think you’ll need, gloves, a hat, a couple blankets, that sort of thing. I’ll create an illusion of you packing for warm weather. “Shorts, T-shirts, whatever girls need.”

  Can you do the same for Cody? “So … books and chocolate?”

  “Ha.” His smile was genuine. “Funny.”

  L

  Even with Malcolm watching over me, Mavros’ call was irresistible. I pulled Cody’s arms around me and snuggled against him. I pressed my lips to his, tangling my hands in his hair, pulling him on top of me. Still, I felt Mavros tugging on the line, reeling me closer.

  Realizing it wasn’t going to end, I slid off the couch, pulled my coat and boots on, and stretched my hand out to Malcolm. “Will you come with me?”

  He closed his eyes and slumped forward. The te
nsion released from his body, and he grasped my hand.

  “You sure?” Cody asked.

  I nodded. “I can’t keep resisting him. It’s better to have it on my terms.”

  “Come back. Okay?” He sat on the edge of the couch.

  “Always.”

  Malcolm released whatever magic he was using to keep me from being called out, and we were immediately pulled to Mavros’ side. He stood by the lake we’d picnicked at, staring at the night-darkened water.

  Mavros lowered his head. “Dragon.”

  “Demon.” Malcolm kept hold of my hand.

  Mavros turned to me. His eyes looked pained. “I hate that you can’t trust me, but I understand. You never know when I’ll turn on you.” He kicked a rock into the lake. “Are you leaving?”

  “Who’s asking?” Malcolm positioned himself between us while still holding my hand. “You or your puppeteer?”

  Mavros narrowed his eyes at Malcolm. “Me.” He bent down and picked up several stones, tossing them one at a time into the lake. “I want her to leave.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  He crossed his arms and threw his shoulders back. “Because I don’t want to torture you into madness or kill you or whatever else the bastard decides I need to do.”

  “Thank you.” I stepped toward Mavros and put my hand on his arm.

  His head jerked back, and he looked at me like he didn’t know what to think. “So”—his voice lost its edge—“are you going to the sanctuary?”

  “I’m leaving in the morning.”

  “Good.” He turned and strode off, melting into the darkness.

  I need to leave before whoever controls him finds out, I thought to Malcolm.

  He teleported us back to my room. I agree.

  Chapter 19

  Runaway

  Pretending to be asleep with Cody’s arms wrapped around my waist, I let my hand fall limply to the side of the couch. I slowly worked the straps of the duffle bags around my wrist, hoping that any prying eyes wouldn’t notice my actions. I laced my fingers through Cody’s and thought of the cave where I’d defeated Nefarious.