Releasing the Demons: Solarian Chronicles II

by Mallory Anderson

  Neither of them remembered getting dressed, but Aiden called the others mentally, then got Ari on the phone. When he’d spoken to Ian and the others, he’d just told them something was wrong at home, but he told Ari everything. He heard the sadness in the king’s voice. “I’m cancelling the tour. Get home as soon as you can and tell Mickala I’ll be there soon.”

  There was a knock on the door, and Mickala opened it. Chad started to speak, but he saw the dead look in her eyes, and his mouth closed. Nehela pushed past him, hugging her. “Aiden didn’t say what happened,” she said. “Just that we had to go home. What’s wrong?”

  Tears filled the wolf demon’s eyes, and she hit her knees, pulling viciously at her hair. Nehela went down with her and took her in her arms, then looked up at Aiden. Ian, Chad, Philip, and EJ all stared in shock as he collapsed into an armchair, his hands shaking violently as he covered his face. “What is going on, brother?” Ian asked, more than a little shaken. He’d never seen Aiden act like this, not even when Mickala was in her coma.

  “Michelle called a few minutes ago,” he finally replied, but he still wouldn’t look up at them, and they all saw his shoulders shaking with heavy sobs he wouldn’t, couldn’t let out. “Someone came and killed Selene last night while she and Travis were sleeping. She said all she could smell in her room was Kaldiss.”

  Ian had become fluent in Elagonian and Solarian over the years since finding out his true heritage, and he swore darkly in the former language now. He was the only one who could speak, and they all went to pack. They knew when the truth set in for Mickala when they heard a ground-shaking crash of thunder. When they looked outside, they saw lightning forking violently across the sky, streaking down to Earth in huge, thick twisting cables of pure power. The lights of the hotel began flickering ominously as the wind and rain began.

  They all raced back to Mickala and Aiden’s room, and they saw objects orbiting around Mickala’s floating form, her head back, her arms held out to her side. Tears streamed from her eyes, and Aiden had one of her hands in his, whispering urgently. “Remember what happened in Atlanta after Victor died, how bad you felt after you realized what your grief and rage had unleashed. That won’t be anything compared to the death and destruction that would happen if you unleashed that hell in this city. Please, Mika. You have to control it.”

  She raised her head, and they all saw the silver shining in her eyes, and Nehela remembered all too well the last time she saw that look on her friend’s face. She shuddered at the memory, then sighed audibly as the glow slowly faded. The objects clattered to the floor, and she lowered herself as the sudden, violent storm faded. Aiden took her gently in his arms, and he felt her body shaking with silent sobs. He stroked her hair, tears sliding down his own face. “I’m right here,” he said quietly. “You aren’t going to go through this alone.”

  * * *

  They quickly finished packing, and a car met them outside the hotel. Ian had already called the airlines, and they had first-class seats on the next flight to New York with a connection in LA. The entire way, on both flights, Mickala stared straight ahead, not even speaking to Aiden. When she finally fell asleep soon after leaving LA, tears continued to fall, and she whimpered softly, her fingers flexing into claws. He gently shook her shoulder when they landed, and Michelle met them at the gate, her eyes red-rimmed and bloodshot.

  She hugged Mickala tightly. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, on the verge of crying again. “You trusted me to protect Selene, and I failed you.”

  Mickala took her mother’s hands in hers, speaking for the first time since she’d been told the awful news. “It’s not your fault. It’s been peaceful for too long, and I grew complacent. I made the mistake of thinking I could finally let my guard down. This, this is my fault.”

  Their apartment was crawling with police, and they all wore the blue stars of Solaris. They all bowed low to Mickala, Aiden, and Michelle, their faces full of sorrow at the loss of the youngest princess. Mickala went straight to Selene’s room, and she gasped at what looked like a scene from a horror movie. She felt the room spin sickeningly, and she grabbed onto the doorframe for support. She closed her eyes, but she wasn’t able to black out the walls splashed with what she wished was red paint, the bed that looked like red tie-dye. Fortunately, Selene’s body had already been removed. That was something Mickala knew she wouldn’t be able to handle.

  Michelle had been right. Kaldiss hung thick in the air, mingled in with her daughter’s blood, but she thought she could detect something else, another smell, lurking just under it. She turned to her halfway form, and while the smells were more overwhelming, she could smell the other scent much easier. It was something very familiar, but also something she hadn’t smelled for over a decade.

  Her eyes opened, and her lips twisted back into a feral snarl. “EJ?” she called in a growl, and he was instantly at her side, his eyes wide at the carnage. “Whoever did this, it’s someone we know. It’s familiar, and I think I know who, but I want you to confirm it for me.”

  EJ closed his own eyes, and he took a deep breath. It was only a couple of seconds before he came to the same conclusion. He gave a single nod, meeting her eyes, and they narrowed in hate. They went back into the living room, and Aiden looked up at them, his hands shaking. “Could you tell who it was?”

  They both nodded, and Mickala’s hands curled into claws. “The only one we know who can get Kaldiss readily. Trey.” They all swore in various languages, and Mickala sank down into the couch. “Never in a million years did I expect him to come back. I honestly thought he was gone for good. I mean, we haven’t heard anything from him since that day in high school.”

  EJ shook his head. “You said he said you hadn’t heard the last of him. He’s skilled at bidding his time, and he’s been after you for centuries. He must have been planning this for months, ever since they announced the tour dates. Tokyo was the location the furthest away from home, and it would have given him the most time to get away. He’s got almost a day’s head start on us.”

  They all looked at Mickala, and for a moment, there was a fire in her eyes, but it slowly died out. She shook her head. “I can’t, I can’t concentrate on him right now. I have to bury my daughter first,” she said, her head in her hands.

  It took three days to make the arrangements, and Mickala never knew how she made it through the service and the funeral. She lost count of the times she thought she was going to lose her mind, and the only thing keeping her sane was Aiden beside her, a rock for her to cling to when she thought she would drown. It rained the entire time, and tears continued to fall even after she fell into a restless sleep, a sleep visions of fire and death haunted.

  As soon as they had cleaned the apartment, they immediately put it up for sale and returned to Georgia for good. Ari understood something had changed permanently, and he released them from their contracts, and The Demons quietly retired from the music world. Thanks to the discretion of the Solarian members of the first responders, only a handful of people knew the true nature behind the death of Victoria Selene Clarkson-Miller.

  Thirty Two

  A Wolf’s Sorrow at Dawn

  It was just a few weeks later, and Aiden and Mickala were out for a ride with the Dellings. It seemed to be about the only time Mickala seemed anything like her old self. They were about two miles from the house when both Dellings suddenly stopped, ears alert, their heads tossing anxiously. What’s wrong, Adelaide? Mickala asked.

  We’re not alone, the stallion replied with a snort, his eyes rolling wildly. Titus was telling Aiden the same thing.

  Just then, she felt the air around her heat up, and a red haze filled her vision. With a yell, she urged Adelaide forward just as a column of fire descended from the heavens, exactly where she’d been. Wolf, fox, and two sets of Delling’s eyes scanned the area, and all their ears were on the move. Mickala felt another surge of hot air, and again, the red mist fell over her eyes. She shoved Adelaide sideways into Titus witho
ut warning, and her own Delling jumped out of the way just as another jet of fire missed them. Titus gave a shrill neigh, rearing up as she pulled her Delling next to them.

  The air began crackling around Mickala, and she smelled ozone and sulfur. Her eyes narrowed. “Stop hiding in the shadows, you coward! Why don’t you be the demon you’re so proud to be and fight me face to face for once! For over four hundred years, you’ve hidden behind others, using them to do your dirty work. Come out and fight me!” Her command rang clear over the surrounding forest, the star blazing on her forehead.

  There was a dark laugh, and her former best friend jumped from the branches to land soundlessly in front of them. His skin was as red as blood, his hair black with fire-red tips, and fire flew from his fingertips. Even his eyes were red. She suppressed a shudder, and when he grinned, she could see wickedly sharp fangs. “Hello, Mickala.”

  “Ugh. You’re really ugly, Trey,” she said, her lips twisted back in a snarl, her words coming from between bared teeth.

  He just laughed. “Ouch. You really hurt my heart, Princess Mickala.”

  “Like I give a damn. You ripped mine out when you killed my seven-year-old daughter,” she snarled, and Adelaide moved nervously under her, picking up on her unspoken commands.

  “I felt a bit bad about that, but I wanted to make sure I had your attention,” he said with a shrug.

  “Oh, believe me. You got it,” Aiden sneered. “But can you handle it?”

  * * *

  They dismounted, and the two Dellings took off for the house to warn the others. Without another world, the wolf and fox demons jumped for him, fighting furiously, and they scored several hits on him, and he fell back, throwing fireballs. They fought for what seemed like ages, and he called down more jets of flame from the sky, sending them scrambling. Mickala dodged them, but her ankle, the one she’d shattered in the fight with Xiden, snapped again when she slipped on a pile of wet leaves. Trey snarled, sensing his victor, and he called down yet another pillar of flames.

  She couldn’t move, but she was pushed hard, and she rolled several times across the clearing. She screamed Aiden’s name, her hand reaching out for him uselessly. The fire continued to scorch the earth for several seconds before lifting, and Aiden’s body lay motionless, tendrils of smoke rising. She screamed his name again, but he still didn’t move, and faintly, she heard the others coming. Trey came to kneel in front of her, a cruel smile on his bloody, cut face. “I’ll see you around, Mickala,” he said, then vanished.

  She crawled her way to Aiden, her ankle sending thick bolts of pain through her, but it was nothing compared to the pain she felt literally breaking her heart into pieces. Aiden’s skin was badly burnt, his black hair singed to the scalp in several places, and smoke still rose from his charred clothing. She could barely sit up, but she pulled him into her lap, brushing a few strands of hair from his face. She couldn’t feel his energy, and her fingertips went to his throat and wrists, but there wasn’t anything to feel. Tears stung her eyes as she bowed her head, whispering his name repeatedly, although there wasn’t a response.

  Ian was first into the clearing, his wings and tail gleaming dully in the overcast light, but he skidded to a halt so fast he almost fell himself. His eyes were huge at the sight of Mickala sitting on the ground, her ankle splayed awkwardly to the side, already badly swollen and bruised. She was cradling the top half of Aiden’s body, her hair hanging down, obscuring both of their faces, and the air was heavy with burned flesh. The others slowed to a stop around him, and Ian’s heart clenched in on itself at the unnatural stillness of Aiden. He crept toward her, but he froze as he heard a low, deep snarl. “Mickala, it’s me, Ian,” he said in a low whisper. Her snarl only deepened further, his arms tightening around her husband. “Mickala, please. Look at me.”

  She raised her head, and he shuddered at the look in her eyes. It was as if he wasn’t even there. “Ian?” she asked, her voice small and scared.

  “Yes, cousin. It’s me,” he replied, kneeling in front of her.

  She blinked, but her eyes didn’t lose the dead look in them that was worse than when Selene had been murdered. “He won’t wake up, Ian. I keep calling for him, but he just won’t wake up.”

  * * *

  Ian knew by the paleness of Aiden’s skin under the black char, the stillness of his chest that Aiden was gone. He felt a very real, sharp pain in his chest, and he swallowed hard. His eyes opened to look at Mickala. “Aiden’s gone, Mickala. He’s not going to wake up.” He felt his voice crack, and he tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat.

  “No, no, he’s not gone. He’s just hurt really bad. He’ll be fine. Aiden promised he would always be here for me. You know he would never break that promise,” she said, sounding as if she were trying to convince not just him, but herself.

  Ian reached for Aiden, but he drew back as Mickala’s eyes blazed with a sudden fury, and she let out a loud snarl, baring her teeth in warning. Her ears went flat against her skull, but as soon as Ian backed away, all the emotion, all the fire went out of her, and that worse than death look came back. Ian stood and backed away, her head bowed back down as if they hadn’t spoken at all. Nehela looked at him, confused. Even with her excellent hearing, the entire conversation, except for the snarl at the end, had been a murmur. “Ian, what’s going on?”

  Ian let out a heavy sigh, his eyes closed, and his head lowered. “Aiden’s dead.” His voice choked up again, and he struggled to clear his throat. “Her ankle’s badly broken, and I think it’s the same one she broke in the fight with Xiden.”

  The Dellings cantered up, and Titus stared dejected at his Connected’s body. “Trey attacked, didn’t he?” Nehela asked, and Adelaide nodded his massive head.

  “It looks like Mickala went down with her ankle, and Trey probably went after her. Aiden got in between them, and he killed him,” Ian said.

  “Why didn’t he kill her, then?” Philip asked, looking at Mickala’s still form, still clutching Aiden to her.

  EJ answered that one. “One, he isn’t as strong as he thought he was. He underestimated how their rage at Selene’s death would increase their powers. Two, they probably pounded on him, and he heard all of us coming, and he knew he wouldn’t be a match against all of us. Three, and probably the main reason? He wants to see her suffer. He took her daughter, and now he’s taken Aiden from her?” EJ shook his head. “I don’t know if she’s got the strength to recover from this loss. With Aiden’s death, Selene can’t be reborn the way Mickala was all those times. If Selene ever had that capability to begin with.”

  “Mickala’s not allowing herself to believe he’s really gone,” Ian said with a shake of his head. “She thinks he’s just hurt and unconscious. She keeps calling his name and asking why he won’t wake up.” He had to clear his throat again. “I think a part of her might understand, though. She won’t let me touch him. She looked like she was within a hair of killing me if I did.”

  “I’ll talk to her,” Nehela said, tears in her green eyes. “I’ll see if I can convince her to let him go with you guys, so I can heal him and her.” She swallowed hard, seeing the pain of Aiden’s death on every line of Ian’s face. “If she can’t snap herself out of it, I may have to put her to sleep for a while. It might be best if I did that anyway, actually.”

  Nehela went up to Mickala and called her name softly. Mickala’s voice was flat, no emotion or anything. “He’s hurt bad, Nehela. He won’t wake up.”

  The elf touched her shoulder gently. “Will you let the others take him back to the house so I can work on him? There isn’t much I can do in the cold and damp.”

  “You won’t let anything happen to him?” she asked.

  “Of course not, Mickala,” she said.

  “Okay.”

  At Nehela’s nod, Ian and EJ came forward and picked up the fox demon’s body, and Mickala’s hands fell limply in her lap. She stared after them, but her eyes were totally blank. Nehela called her name, and she t
urned mechanically to look at her, asking if Nehela thought she could help him. “I’m going to do everything I can, Princess,” she whispered. ‘What about you? Is it just your ankle?”

  Mickala looked down at her foot in surprise, but she didn’t seem quite able to comprehend what was wrong. Nehela sighed. I’m so sorry about this, Mickala, she thought to herself. But I’m afraid you’re only going to hurt yourself worse. She gently touched Mickala’s mind, and instantly, her eyes closed, and she slumped forward. “Philip? Do you think you could carry her to the house?” she asked. He nodded, coming forward. “Just, be careful with her ankle.”

  * * *

  Gently, he and Chad picked her up and began making their way back to the house, the Dellings trailing behind them, their heads down and tails dragging the ground. When they got back, they saw Ian and EJ had Aiden laid under the roof of the lanai, trying to clean as much of the dirt and wet leaves out of his hair and wounds. Ian had finally lost the battle with his emotions, tears falling silently, and EJ was pretending he didn’t see them, his own cheeks wet.

  Philip and Chad carried Mickala to her room and laid her on the bed, then Nehela ran them out and stripped off her ruined clothes. It only took her minute to heal the broken ankle, and she washed her off as much as she could before putting her in a plain nightgown. Finally, Nehela tucked her into bed before brushing every tangle out of her long hair.

  Finally, she went back into the living room, and it was so silent, she would’ve been able to hear a pin drop on the plush carpet. She ignored the others and went straight to Ian, gathering him in her arms. He fought her embrace at first, his face twisted in his grief, but she refused to let him go. Eventually, the fight left him, and he clung to her fiercely, his entire body shaking. “He was my best friend for so long. Hell, he was my only friend for centuries. I never told him how much he really meant to me. He was more like a brother than anything, more than anyone.”