by Bella Benz
Lilith stopped in her tracks, her jaw dropping open ever so slightly.
Standing on the other side of the glen was a boy not yet a teen. He was facing off against more than a dozen hunters. Delsin’s eyes watched the demon as she looked for the dogs, but he said nothing. His younger self would show her soon enough. She watched in awe as he easily parried and fought off the hunters. Whenever they tried to cast a spell from a scroll, he would easily dispatch the scroll with a flick of his hand that caused it to catch fire. Periodically, Delsin would look over at himself, but only to make notes about how sloppy he was, wishing that he could tell the child how better to handle certain parts of the fight. Two of the hunters had bows, but any shots they got off at the boy were deflected with a quick flick of his hand, sending the arrows flying into the ground.
Lilith watched, but after a bit she began to realize something. “Why aren’t you killing them? They are never going to stop hunting you. Kill them, boy! Kill them, or it will be you.”
The fight seemed to continue for a while, but the end was never in question. The inability of the hunters to realize that they were losing was the only thing that kept the fight going. Finally, after knocking them down enough times, the young Delsin stepped forward with a sword pointed toward one of the few men who was still able to fight. His free hand was pointed at the other two with crackling lightning moving between his fingers.
The young Delsin’s voice was that of a child, but the tone was mature far beyond his years. “I’m not going to kill you, and I would rather not leave you in abject despair of your own future. But if you do not leave this land now, you will find your futures far bleaker than they are now.”
The hunter’s eyes narrowed as he moved back on his elbows. “You little monster! What would you be without your dirty magic?”
With an arched eyebrow, young Delsin responded, “Still more of a man than you.”
A low growl escaped from the hunter. Without warning, he kicked out as one of the others lunged forward from behind the child. Lilith tensed as if she were preparing to launch herself forward to help.
Young Delsin looked almost bored as he pivoted out of reach of the lunging hunter. The one who had been speaking kicked his comrade hard on the chin, causing blood to spurt out over the grass and remaining snow. Stepping toward the man, Delsin held the sword in a manner that indicated the hunter would have no hope of having children if he were to keep fighting. “Part of being a man is learning when to admit defeat.”
“What kind of demonic creature are you?” the hunter spat out, his voice cracking just enough to indicate his own apprehension.
“What kind of hunter can’t tell the difference between a demon and a human?” The young Delsin’s tone was more like a teacher’s than a child’s.
“No magic user is human.”
With a deep sigh, Delsin pulled up his sword. As he slipped it into its sheath, he said, “Spoken like a true fool who has no idea what they’re doing.” His icy blue eyes were threatening as he moved directly in front of the hunter. His hand moved through a simple pattern. When he finished, the hunter looked at him blankly. Delsin shifted his expression so that he looked relieved, more like a child his own age. “Thank you so much, sir. I don’t know how I would have survived without you.” He fell down to his knees, his hands clasped in front of him.
The hunter looked at him, the confusion clear in his eyes. “You – um, you are most welcome.” He looked around, clearly not sure what had happened. “I’m just glad we made it in time?”
“I imagine you need to get back home to your families. They must miss you so.” There was a hint of sarcasm in the young Delsin’s voice, but it was completely missed by the man. The one he had kicked in the chin seemed just as confused, but he stood up and spoke through his bloody lips. “Yes. We will. Just be more careful in the future.”
“Could you please leave me the dogs?” Delsin looked at the three dogs lying on the ground. “I would feel so much safer with them.”
“Oh, of course. They should be able to… keep you safe.” The dissonance between what he was saying and what he knew he should do was clearly giving him trouble, but the hunter still agreed.
After the men had headed out, carrying their unconscious comrades, the young Delsin shook his head. “I guess I need to strengthen things here.” His eyes moved to the dogs. Crouching, he woke each of them carefully, using the same kind of mental control on them. As they sat obediently in front of him, their bodies nearly unaffected by the fight, he patted each of them on the head. “Sorry about that, but I promise as long as you are good dogs, I won’t do that again.” The happiness on his face and tone in his voice finally bespoke his age.
The older version of Delsin heard an impressed voice nearby. “How could he do all of that? He’s just a child.” Lilith began to pull at her hair, a sign that she was nervous. “But he’s no demon.” Her eyes followed the young Delsin as he led the dogs away from the glen.
Lilith remained there a bit longer, her awe complete. When she finally rose to leave, she looked back. “I will have to watch him more. Perhaps…” The words of hope died on her lips, but her eyes flashed with something that was all too familiar to Delsin. Without another word, she left.
Delsin felt the web jiggle. Turning his attention away from the scene, he eased into the next memory.
✽✽✽
CHAPTER EIGHT
The first impression Delsin got of the next memory was unbelievably disorienting. Instead of seeing time in a linear sense, he witnessed numerous days all at once – days in which Lilith was watching his younger self practicing magic. Sometimes he was in the same glen, but that was not his only practice spot, as Delsin knew. As he was well aware of everywhere that he had practiced, the warlock shifted his vision to overlook those areas as well as the glen.
Apparently Lilith had been watching him almost daily for a while before she finally got up the courage to talk to him. Whenever she snuck out, she would look for him at all of these locations, her eyes wide as she watched him focus on his lessons. He was learning on his own, no adults around. Her awe was quite clear on her face as she seemed to consider how much a child was doing, and that was when Delsin realized just how untrained she really was. The mere idea of learning magic was entirely foreign to her.
All of the memories finally converged in a sickening collision, nearly causing him to double over. A wave of nausea washed over him, and he crouched down until the feeling subsided. In the back of his mind, he was incredibly bothered by the fact that he shouldn’t be feeling anything at that moment – his body wasn’t there. Managing not to tell himself that it was all in his head, Delsin stood up to see which memory had been the focal point.
Right in front of him was Lilith, and she was standing halfway between a crouch and stoop. Her expression made it obvious that she was trying to make a decision. Finally, she stood up and took a step toward his younger self.
“Who's there?”
She took a deep breath, apparently realizing that there was no going back. “Just me.” Lilith stepped forward, waiting for the child to scream or to attack. That’s the reaction she had come to expect from the rare encounters she had with people who didn’t know her. There were all too few of those.
The adult Delsin watched his own expression, and it was just as obvious from the look on his young face what he was thinking. From the first moment he had seen her, Delsin had always thought she was absolutely beautiful. Of course, he had not remembered that very first encounter, but this was also a very different version of himself from that one. He no longer even used his parents’ last name because of the weight and expectation that it bore. People had wanted so much from him simply because of who his parents had been, and their deaths had made it all but impossible for him to live his own life. At this point, he was living with a few servants, keeping his position hidden from the rest of the world.
Naturally, that didn’t mean that he stopped using his magic. That was too much
a part of who he was to give up. And it wasn't as if he hated his parents’ legacy; it was a matter of him being too young to handle everything that people needed.
After opening and closing his mouth a few times, the young Delsin asked, “But who are you?”
Lilith stared at him, unsure if he was making fun of her or if he really didn’t know a demon when he saw one. “I’m Lilith Preston.” She wiped her hand on her skirts before holding it out.
His younger self smiled, looking very much his age for the first time since the memory started. Stretching out his hand, he said, “I’m Delsin. Delsin Freevale.”
Lilith tilted her head to the side. “I haven’t heard of the Freevales. Are you new to the area?”
“Uh,” he shifted a little, and his older self smiled at the thoughts that were so easy to read on his face. He hated lying to start any relationship. “Not exactly.”
Lilith watched him, but she didn’t press him any further. Instead she sat down. “I’m not new either. But I don’t get out very often.”
He sat down next to her on a log, his legs a little too short to touch the ground. Swinging them slightly, the child responded, “Why?”
Lilith sighed. “Because my mother says it isn’t safe.”
Young Delsin’s face lit up. “If you need protection, I’m very good at it.”
She laughed. “That’s very kind. But I think the kind of people that try to hurt me are probably different from the kinds of people who chase a human.” As soon as she said that, Lilith covered her mouth. She clearly had not meant to say that out loud.
Delsin looked at her. “I think I can handle anyone who comes after you.”
Looking down at her feet, the demon replied, “I have more than hunters who come after me.”
“Me too. But it’s OK. As long as I keep up a couple of barriers, most people can’t find us.”
Lilith looked at him askance. “You sound certain.”
He nodded vigorously. “I learned how to –” He stopped and cleared his throat. “I had some good teachers.”
Lilith leaned over to be in his line of sight. “You should probably still have a teacher. You don’t look like you’re too old yet.”
He frowned. “I’m not old in age, but I’ve got more experience than most people nearly three times my age.” There was real conviction in his voice, and Lilith gave him a pensive look. He shrugged. “Well, I don’t expect to be able to convince you. It’s just nice to have someone to talk to.”
“Oh.” The demon looked surprised. “I’m surprised you don’t have a lot of people to talk to.”
He shrugged again. “I have a few people at home, but I don’t like going out in the town. People tend to act funny around me.”
Lilith obviously wanted to ask him questions, but she always seemed incredibly aware of why he might not want to talk. “I only have one person at home to talk to.” She scooted back a little and started swinging her legs in time with his. “My mom. She constantly warns me about how dangerous it is to go out in case someone sees me.”
Delsin looked at her. “I can understand that. You are very pretty, so you probably have a lot of guys giving you the wrong kind of attention.”
Again, she was startled by his words. “I don’t understand what you mean.”
He smiled. “That’s because you don’t see a lot of guys. I’ve seen how they treat women like you in town and sometimes on the road. I’ve had to make them stop a few times.”
For the first time, she smiled at him. “Do you like helping people?”
“Well, I think when you have a special skill or you’re really good at something, you should use it to help other people. If you don’t, then you’re just helping to make the world a worse place.”
This made her look at him a little closer. His older self was much better able to understand her expressions – she was trying to figure out if his words meant witches who had demon children. Hesitantly, she asked, “And what do you think makes the world a worse place?”
He shrugged. “The same things that other people think are bad. Stealing if you don’t have to. Taking advantage of people who don’t know better or who are weaker.” He twisted his mouth a little. “I really don’t like it when people make a judgement about you just because of what you are, though.”
“What do you mean?”
Delsin shifted a little on the log. “I mean, I’m a magic user.” He looked directly into her eyes. “Actually, I’m a warlock, so people tend to put unrealistic expectations on me. It’s why my age has mostly been irrelevant.”
Lilith watched him for a moment. “Are warlocks like witches?”
He shook his head. “No. A person can become a witch. You have to be born a warlock. Kind of like you have to be born with a certain amount of magical ability to become a mage. But we are more powerful by nature.”
“Do you… hate that you’re a warlock?”
Immediately he shook his head. “I don’t hate what I am. I mean, how could I? That would make no sense. I didn’t choose to be a warlock. I just am.”
Lilith sat back and rested her hands behind her. “You don’t have a problem with what you are? And yet you’re obviously younger than me.”
Younger Delsin reached out and patted her hand. “It’s OK to be all right with what you are. It makes it easier to be the best version of yourself.”
Her large, pinkish eyes with blue for the whites looked at him. “I don’t know much about warlocks, but I doubt that people hate you as much as they hate what I am.”
“Maybe. But hate is hate. There’s nothing you can do about it. But you don’t have to be what people think you should be like. I mean, look at me as an example. What should I be? A warlock? A child? An orphan? I don’t let what I am decide who I am.”
Her legs stopped moving as Lilith made a decision that would change everything. “But I’m a demon, Delsin.” She watched him to see those familiar signs of fear and loathing.
Instead he just gave her a smile. “I wondered. I thought you might be a sprite since I’ve never met one. Based on stories, I thought demons looked a lot different than you.”
Lilith sniffed, “Demons are even more different-looking than humans.” She pursed her lips and decided to have a little fun with the situation. Holding up her hands to look like claws, she said, “Some of us do have massive horns, red skin, and split tails to catch our prey.” Her hands moved out and tickled his sides.
Laughing, Delsin tried to push her hands away. “That was cheating, you know.” He was laughing through his words.
Sitting back again, Lilith looked up at the trees. “My mom’s always said that people would attack me when they saw me because of what I am. People don’t look like me. And most people don’t believe in most other types of humanoids.”
Delsin nodded. “Yeah, doesn’t make them any less real. They just tend to avoid humans, which given my experience makes a lot of sense.” He looked up at the trees too. “I can understand why your mom would be worried about you being around people. Most of them probably would try to attack you.”
Scratching her head, Lilith asked, “So you aren’t afraid of me?”
“Why would I be? You haven’t attacked me. Except to tickle me.” He smiled at her. “In my experience, if a person doesn’t start with an attack, there’s hope to make them your friend.”
“You want to be my… friend?” Lilith had a lot of trouble saying the last word.
“Probably.” He gave her a nervous smile. “I’ve never met a demon before, and I know better than to listen to what people say. But I don’t know if you want to be my friend. I spend a lot of time working, and I don’t play very much.”
Lilith’s shoulders relaxed. “What do you work on?” She knew the answer, but Delsin’s older self knew she was looking for a way to see if he might be able to help her.
“Mostly my magic. Sometimes I practice with weapons, but there’s only so much you can do without having someone else to fight with.”
Young Delsin looked over at her, but his older self didn’t get a chance to see the rest of the memory. Without warning, he was yanked out of it and into the void where the web existed.
Looking up, he saw that the single thread had hit him, and that had broken the other memory. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, he was enjoying the feelings of that original encounter. But on the other, it was all too bittersweet because he knew how it would end.
He watched the two strands flailing in the void. If he continued to move through the web, it was possible that he would just get interrupted again. Whatever it was that Lilith had wanted him to see might not play for him now. It was too risky to use any substantial magic here, and trying to tame two unplayed memories would certainly constitute substantial magic.
The threads were nearly gone, so his time in the web was nearly finished – one way or the other.
✽✽✽
CHAPTER NINE
Before he could enter the next memory, one of the other loose memory threads whipped against it, completely breaking the memory from the path. There was no way for him to reach the memory to see what it was that Lilith had wanted him to see. Balancing precariously on the single thread that held the others together, he hurried forward to try to reach the next memory before it was broken by the other loose memories. Delsin did not regret having left that first memory early, but there was now a sense of urgency to see the rest of the memories. If he was going to save Lilith, he needed to understand what had happened to make her leave. It was obvious that her mother had been a huge influence, running instead of allowing herself to be helped. But Lilith had never shown any signs of feeling the same when she was with Delsin.
So why had she left?
As he focused on reaching the next thread, Delsin reflected on what he had missed. Hopefully that one wasn’t too critical for me to know how to help her. Yet even as he thought it, he knew that he was completely wrong. It was a false hope. Everything that he had experienced was important. All of it had played a critical role in him understanding why Lilith was so afraid of what she was. On some level, it made him feel uneasy that something he had done had also negatively affected her so that she felt she had no other recourse. He wouldn’t know what particular event had caused it because the thread had snapped before he could see the memory. The warlock moved forward at an impossibly fast pace, slamming into the memory with his eyes closed.