by Eva Brandt
He obeyed, and I was very grateful for that. This part of the island still brought back unpleasant memories. We weren’t anywhere near the spot where Shiro had died—I was still unable to approach that place—but the similarity between the two locations made me very uncomfortable.
Even so, I had already decided I wouldn’t let the past cripple me. Whoever had killed Shiro had intended that to destroy me. I’d yet to find out the culprit’s identity, but until I did, I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of keeping me trapped in my own fears.
Despite my determination, the simple recollection of what had happened soured my mood. I fell silent and my lovers immediately noticed the change. “Lyssa?” Callum asked. “You okay?”
“Yes. Just remembering.”
It didn’t take a genius to understand what I meant. My lovers frowned, obviously concerned about me. “We can go back to the school if you want,” Mikael offered. “I’m sure Stefan and Callum can hunt this thing down on their own.”
I shook my head, frustrated with myself for my weakness and them for their over-protective nature. “Don’t be ridiculous. I want to do this. It’ll be good practice. God only knows I need it.”
In the last part of our previous year, I hadn’t gotten the chance to study a lot. Recovering from a coma had meant that most teachers hadn’t expected much of me. But starting my third year, I had to put some effort into my education, far more than I had in the past.
I had to learn how to use my magic properly. I might as well start by beating the pustule into submission. It should serve as a useful target, better than the shadows Meph kept summoning to flirt with me.
Callum, Mikael, and Stefan were still worried about me, but they respected me enough to let the issue go. Fortunately, we soon reached the end of the beach, and once I no longer had to face the painful memories, I felt better.
The pustule was heading inland, into the forest. I wondered if it was going to Morrigan’s sanctum. If that was the case, it wouldn’t have enough time to reach its destination. The terrain in this area was rougher, and since it didn’t have convenient legs like we did, it would take it much longer to get there.
As we ventured into the shadows of the woods, I found myself relaxing. Today, the forest was peaceful and warm, far more comforting than it had been during my previous visits. A pleasant breeze was blowing, and the scent of flowers filled the air, refreshing and sweet. The warm rays of the sun filtered through the leaves, dancing merrily over my skin.
“This is nice,” Stefan said, humming. “Pretty calming.”
“Maybe we should go on a picnic one of these days,” Callum replied with a crooked grin. “Satan only knows we deserve a break.”
He was joking, but the idea appealed to me anyway. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time for picnics, since I had too much work to do. I was lucky to even have a regular sex life.
Mikael almost seemed to guess my thoughts, because he smiled warmly and suggested, “Maybe as a reward when Lyssa kicks everyone’s ass at Battle Magic.”
Sometimes, it felt like they gave me far too much credit. I didn’t deserve all the praise they showered me with. If I’d been more capable and less weak, I wouldn’t have succumbed to demonic encephalitis in the first place, and the pustule would’ve never been created.
“If we wait for that to happen, picnics will go out of fashion,” I answered. I was completely serious, even if the words sounded a bit like a joke.
Stefan sensed my underlining uncertainty and hooked his arm through mine. “Hardly,” he offered. “We’re here to guide you, remember? And besides, Morrigan won’t allow you to fuck up again.”
That was true. She’d made it clear that she expected me to do better this year and I intended to not disappoint her. She’d also been among the teachers who’d helped me most last year and had stabilized Mikael and Stefan’s condition when they’d been ill.
She might have her secrets and agendas, but I did believe that she…
My train of thought came to an abrupt halt when the sound of a loud howl echoed through the forest. I pivoted on my heel, only to watch the pustule emerge from behind a massive rock.
For a few precious seconds, I was left dumbstruck by the sight. The last time I’d seen the creature, it had been a fleshy cocoon, meant to be inhabited, not move around. Now, it looked like a person.
It wasn’t like Meph’s shadowy creations either. It didn’t seem to have a gender, or at least, not one it could settle on. Its body was flesh and blood, but it constantly morphed from shape to shape. Sometimes, it sprouted breasts and a vagina. Other times, it had a cock. On occasion, it looked like a she-male, and it had a werewolf snout on top of that.
It was also far more hostile than Meph’s shadows and it lunged at us with the same mindless viciousness Morrigan’s blob had once displayed. I would’ve been alarmed that my lovers’ magic was so angry with me had Mikael not rolled his eyes in exasperation.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Stop. You know very well you’re not going to hurt her.”
The creature didn’t stop and I didn’t have the heart to attack it, not when it reminded me of them. This was exactly my biggest problem in Battle Magic. I was terrible at getting my powers to obey me whenever I wanted them to, and not just when I desperately needed them. I didn’t see the pustule-turned-person as a threat, so I couldn’t hurt it.
Great.
Stefan lifted his hand and a wall of fire appeared between us and the creature. It froze in its tracks and tilted its head at the blaze like a curious puppy. It leaned in closer and poked the fire with a finger. The magic didn’t have much effect on it. Its skin rippled slightly, but it didn’t seem inconvenienced. A few seconds later, it walked through the wall of fire as if the barrier wasn’t even there.
After that, the creature eyed Mikael, Callum, and Stefan with some caution, but it obviously still planned to attack us. “Well, I suppose we should’ve seen that coming,” Mikael said with a sigh. “It is a product of our magic, so of course it would be at least somewhat immune to us. Do you want to make an attempt, Lyssa, or should I deal with it?”
“Err… I suppose I could try,” I said.
Why not? It was clear that it would be tougher for them to hurt the thing, and if Mikael intervened, it would have to be using his divine magic. He hadn’t completely lost it after the amputation of his wings, and since my return, it had been easier for him to use it. Even so, it wasn’t something he liked to do and, after what had happened during the ritual, I didn’t want to take the chance.
Maybe I could approach this differently? After all, even at The Academy of the Devil, not everything was about violence. My relationship with my lovers had taken a darker turn, but it still held something kind and generous.
Even at their worst, they had never hurt me, not physically, and I’d already decided I would no longer shy away from their demonic power. If push came to shove and this didn’t work, I could always use my first option and try magic. But one attempt at diplomacy wouldn’t hurt.
Decision made, I took a step forward, toward the creature.
“Hi,” I said, hesitantly waving my hand. “I’m Alyssa. Who are you? Do you have a name?”
The pustule-turned-person observed me with interest. For a few seconds, I could’ve sworn it smiled at me. It didn’t have a face per se, so I couldn’t read its expression, but when I looked at it, something clicked inside me and I felt it understood me.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” I added. “Please come back to the academy. We can find a way for you to continue your existence without causing any trouble.”
I wasn’t sure that was possible, but stranger things had happened. The school had man-eating plants surrounding it. Why not a shape-shifting, sentient pustule?
For whatever reason, the strange creature didn’t believe me. There was a flash, and it shot forward once again, intent on reaching me.
Stefan shielded me with his own body, making sure the creature wouldn’t be able to touch m
e. He needn’t have worried. The thing was only a few feet away from us when, all of a sudden, it exploded.
Fragments of black flesh and dark blood flew all around us, splattering us with slime and gore. Still safe in Stefan’s arms, I was mostly untouched by it all, but I did feel the echoes of the magic that had caused the explosion.
Jolts of energy swept over my skin in powerful waves so intense they took my breath away. Shiro yelped and jumped back, taking cover behind us. Callum and Mikael teamed up, trying to throw a protective shield around us.
Demons weren’t the best at defensive magic, although certain species had more talent at it than others. Being a nephilim, Mikael had a natural advantage and Callum’s incubus nature made him versatile enough that he could compensate for what Mikael couldn’t do.
Unfortunately, the power they were up against was not one they could fight off. Their shield cracked like an egg, and we were all thrown back, falling to the ground like discarded puppets.
Despite its power, the blast didn’t hurt me, and it didn’t hurt my lovers either. It pushed us aside, but at the same time, it cushioned the blow.
It was odd in the extreme, and things got even stranger from there. A tiny, teal kitten emerged from the mess of black slime that had once been my target. It walked daintily through the sludge, somehow managing to avoid getting the substance all over its fur.
“That was a nice try, but you all need to learn how to work together better,” it said without opening its mouth. “Also, Alyssa, you have to be a little more cutthroat. Manifestations of demonic magic aren’t puppies.”
I found that statement highly ironic when coming from a kitten. I might have pointed it out, had I not been too busy gaping over the voice of said feline.
I’d heard it once before, shortly after I’d become the head of The House of Envy. It had come from a certain Prince of Hell, and I’d never forgotten it.
“L-Leviathan?” I stammered.
“At your service.” Leviathan licked his whiskers smugly. “Surprised to see me?”
That was one way of putting it. As far as I knew, Leviathan was a giant whale, not a kitten.
“Yes, Your Highness,” I admitted. “I’d just grown accustomed to the idea of my patron being a monstrous marine mammal.”
Also, I was losing my mind if I was saying such things and making alliterations while having a conversation with a Prince of Hell.
One of these days, the world would start making sense again, but clearly, it would not be today.
Leviathan seemed amused by my comment. “As intimidating and useful as I find my true form, it can occasionally be tedious to move around in. Besides, you know what they say about cats. They’re the creatures with the highest concentration of evil, based on their body mass. I thought it was appropriate.”
I couldn’t argue with that. In fact, I was honestly surprised no one at the school had a feline as a familiar. Maybe cats were too independently evil to deign anyone worthy of their attention. Or maybe they were all secretly demonic vessels.
I’d have to remember to ask Lilith.
For the moment, I had other priorities, such as finding out why the shape-shifted Leviathan had decided to pay us a visit. Mikael must’ve agreed with me because he walked up to the feline Prince of Hell and picked him up. “Your Highness, you honor us with your presence. But we have to ask… Is there something wrong? Why did you come to talk to us here?”
Leviathan curled against his chest and hissed in annoyance. “These days, it’s pretty impossible to have an unsupervised conversation in that damn school. Not to mention that the standards of security aren’t the best. I wanted to give you a head’s up.”
“A head’s up?” I repeated. “Is this about my new contract with Lucifer?”
“Sort of. There have been rumors in the lower circles of hell. Something’s moving. The Brightest Star has chosen you, Alyssa, and that comes with consequences.”
“What consequences? Please, tell me that, this time, you won’t be cryptic.”
I could appreciate Leviathan’s desire to allow me to discover everything myself, but I was tired of making mistakes and fucking up because I didn’t have enough information.
“I wouldn’t have come at all if I’d wanted that,” Leviathan replied. “Mr. Lost, pass me over to Ms. Michaelis.”
Mikael complied, and that was how I ended up sitting on the grass, with The Lord of Envy in my lap and scratching his furry, teal ear. Shiro lay by my side, eyeing the feline in obvious distaste and jealousy.
TB had curled around him and was keeping him from lunging at Leviathan. I mentally apologized to my pup and swore to myself that I’d spend some extra time combing his fur tonight.
To be fair, Leviathan wasn’t acting like an actual cat. There was some purring, but it was barely audible over the sound of the lesson he’d decided to give me.
“As you know, Alyssa, the school is divided into seven different houses, all of which are guarded by a Prince of Hell. Most of the time, our interference isn’t necessary and our involvement tends to vary, depending on each house.
“I like to keep a close eye on the students in my house. I’ve found that, if I fail to do that, they tend to turn on one another, which never ends well.”
That put a lot of things into perspective. I wondered what would have happened to me in my first year had Leviathan not been so watchful. Probably nothing good.
“Asmodai, who is Lord of Lust, has his dragon’s hatchling guarding the school, instead,” Leviathan continued. “That’s Redrum, of course. Asmodai is nowhere near as focused on each member of his house, because most of the time, they all manage their conflicts through the best possible method—sex.”
I remembered the one glimpse I’d caught of Asmodai, during The Battle of the Watchers, and decided that was probably for the best. This place was already sexual enough without Asmodai getting directly involved in our affairs. Redrum had mentioned his ‘hatcher’ once, but I hadn’t realized his presence here was in any way related to that.
“Belphegor tends to be too lazy to move his ass from The Infernal Realm, so he’s left his essence behind—thus the coma-inducing dorms. Beelzebub and Mammon have paintings, like me, although they’re not quite as efficient at protecting their wards.”
I wasn’t sure how true that was, but my experience with The House of Gluttony and The House of Greed was limited. Samuel Byte had suffered some damage after last year’s weather anomaly, but that didn’t mean anything.
I did have to wonder if Samuel’s decision to invite me into The House of Gluttony had anything to do with his patron. Did Leviathan know? Maybe I could ask, once he finished with whatever he’d come here to tell me.
“As you know by now, Lucifer is Lord of Pride. He’s off gallivanting on his crazy quest. He doesn’t much care about the school at all. And then, there’s Satan, Lord of Wrath.”
I blinked in surprise when Leviathan mentioned Lucifer and Satan as two separate entities. I’d told myself I’d be patient and give him time to explain, but somehow, I still ended up blurting out, “Wait, Lucifer and Satan? Isn’t Lucifer Satan?”
Seconds later, I wanted to kick myself. He wasn’t Satan anymore. I’d known that since my first year. Crap, I was an idiot.
I’d realized that Lucifer had left the throne of The Infernal Realm, but it had never occurred to me to ask what that meant. I just hadn’t given it much thought, possibly because a part of me still perceived Lucifer as the true Satan. But of course, with him absent, another Satan had been picked.
“Sorry,” I quickly added. “It’s just… It’s sometimes difficult to remember that’s not true.”
“That’s quite all right, Alyssa,” Leviathan replied, rubbing his furry head against my hand. “You’re not the only one to make this mistake. To be fair, he was the most memorable Satan, so it’s pretty understandable.
“In any case, as you know, the purpose of this school is to choose new Satans. For that reason, Satan doesn’t inte
rvene in The House of Wrath at all. He is officially the patron of a house, but it’s more like an honorary position.”
“That seems… convoluted,” I said. “And counterproductive.”
“Well, yes, it is, a little, but if we didn’t have that rule in place, there would always be claims of nepotism and every single Satan would be from The House of Wrath, which doesn’t work for us.”
Why was I not surprised The Infernal Realm had a hellish level of politics?
“Okay. So thanks for the explanation. But I have to ask… What does this all have to do with me?”
“Everything.” Leviathan stopped purring and climbed on top of my chest. “For the past two years, Satan, the current Satan, has been missing. He’s finally back, and he’s not happy.
Leviathan waved a paw, and the image of a demon surrounded in flames popped up in front of us. “Originally, this Satan was an ifrit,” he explained. “I cannot tell you his first name since it is forbidden, but I can say that he was chosen shortly after your ancestor died, and he never much liked humans.
“I don’t know what he’s planning, little one, but he is not your friend. He might not have been able to kill your familiar the first time he tried, but he’s determined. And the next time he’ll attack you, you’ll likely have a tougher time to get away.”
I stared at the image being projected in front of us, imprinting it in my mind. So this was the person behind Shiro’s death. Bastard. “Is there no way to find out what he wants to do or where he is?” I asked, already making plans on how to avenge my pup.
“That’s exactly the problem.” Leviathan let out a feline sigh. “Most Princes of Hell can shape-shift, but we rarely use the skill. Ifrit are different. They can turn into anything and anyone. They embrace this approach in all their plans. For that reason, it’s impossible to anticipate his actions or do much of anything to counter him. To this day, I don’t know if this is his true face.
“Be very wary, little one. I know you’re angry, but you need to think of survival before you consider revenge. I’m afraid that this year, things aren’t looking good for you.”