by Dove, Raquel
“Because she cares for you deeply,” Balthazar said, “and I would never do anything to hurt her.”
“Yeah, I believe that,” Sam scoffed.
“I will not give you false words of comfort,” Balthazar said. His patience with this boy was running thin, but he forced himself to remain calm. “I cannot offer to take away the horror that I know you suffered. But I can offer you something far better.”
That got Sam’s attention, and his eyes snapped up to the handsome face of the demon sitting next to him. His eyes searched the peculiar features of the creature beside him, as if he could find the words as yet left unsaid in his face.
“I can give you revenge,” Balthazar said, his voice low. His eyes held a gleam of coldness that bit through Sam. It was in that moment that Sam felt something strange, something he never would have thought he would feel. He felt a bond form with the demon lord. He was not giving him pity or sorrow. He was giving him a chance. A chance to be a man and take his revenge for what these creatures had done to him. He saw Balthazar in a different light. He was far from the evil that those other demons were. He was strong, he was proud, and he understood Sam more than Alex ever could, even though she had known him most of his life. A small nod told Balthazar all he needed to know.
“We should probably go inside,” Sam said, as he noticed the shocked stares of some of his neighbors as they caught sight of Balthazar.
Chapter Eight
Sam balanced a heavy tray piled with snacks and cold drinks as he carried it in and set it on the coffee table. It was growing late and they were going to need energy. Alex and Balthazar were pouring over the pages in the book she had procured, trying to find any kind of information on how to get back. Sam had never been the studying, so he was leaving that up to Alex, instead lending his help in other ways. Alex was so relieved to see Sam finally coming around, and she wondered what Balthazar could have possibly said to him. She was surprised, to say the least, that they were not at each other’s throats. She could have bet that they would have hated each other.
Alex leaned back on the couch with a heavy sigh, rubbing at her eyes. They were beginning to go blurry from trying to read the tiny writing. The book was a good thousand pages thick and the words were incredibly small. The chime of the doorbell broke through the study session and Sam went to answer it. A moment later a black haired woman came storming into the room, Sam trailing behind her. Alex recognized her instantly. She had seen her jogging in the neighborhood and again watching her and Sam as they were leaving the library. The woman had a disapproving glare on her small features as her blue eyes fell upon Balthazar.
“I thought I told you not to go looking for her,” she said, her eyes shifting onto Alex for a moment before returning to glare at Balthazar. The demon lord glanced up from his reading, and had he been any less dignified, he would have rolled his eyes at the intruder.
“You did,” he said, as he returned his gaze to the book in his lap. “But I do not take orders from you, half-breed.”
“You have risked everything coming here,” Pani said, concern and urgency in her voice.
“Who are you?” Alex said, standing from the couch.
“Forgive me,” Pani said, as if she just noticed the others in the room. “I am Pani.”
“This is the half-breed offspring of my grandsire,” Balthazar said, his eyes were hard as he leveled a glare at the woman.
“I’ve seen you,” Alex said, her brows furrowing. “You’ve been following me.”
“Is this true,” Balthazar said, a growl echoing his words as he rose from the couch beside Alex.
“I had to make sure she was alright,” Pani said, trying to defend herself against the sudden onslaught of attacks.
“Balthazar,” Alex said, putting a hand on his arm, trying to soothe him. “It’s ok.”
“You should not be here,” Pani said, “We should not be here.”
“Why?” Balthazar said. He crossed his arms over his broad chest, waiting for her answer that was sure to be unsatisfying.
“Have you not felt it yet?” Pani said, mimicking the demon lord’s stance.
“Felt what?” Alex said, her eyes darting around to the people in the room. She had a feeling she knew what Pani was talking about, but she didn’t want to give anything away. She could clearly see that Balthazar didn’t trust this woman, so she wasn’t about to.
“Your powers returning,” Pani said with a sigh, as if she didn’t want to say the words. In truth, she was hoping that she wouldn’t have to explain things. It wasn’t part of the plan. But Balthazar had just made a mess of those plans by showing up here. It was her fault really, she should have guessed he would have gone looking for the girl. Pani had just underestimated his feelings for her.
“I don’t have any powers,” Alex said. She shared a look with Balthazar. He, of course, knew what she was capable of. But Alex hadn’t been able to feel her powers since she had returned.
“I know what you are capable of,” Pani said with a knowing smirk, “and I know that you haven’t been able to feel your powers. But I also know why you haven’t been able to feel your powers.”
“Why?” Alex asked, eyeing the woman suspiciously.
“You two,” Pani said, wagging her finger between Alex and Balthazar, “have bonded. And the reason you cannot feel your powers is because you have been separated.”
“Ok,” Sam interrupted the conversation, “What exactly is going on here? What are you talking about ‘powers’?”
“Sam,” Alex said, turning to him, “I’ve tried to explain. There was something about that place…”
“It’s not just you either,” Pani said, interrupting Alex and turning to Balthazar. “Have you noticed anything different about yourself?”
“Speak clearly,” Balthazar said with a growl, his lips curled in a silent threat to the woman. He was getting tired of this half-breed. “Tell us everything you know.”
“Very well,” Pani said. “You may want to sit down for this.”
Balthazar watched her hesitantly, with disdain in his grey blue eyes. He was, quite frankly, disgusted that he shared any amount of blood with this creature. He couldn’t yet place his finger on it, but there was something about her that he just didn’t like. They all settled into the couches in Sam’s living room, eager to learn what Pani had to tell them.
“You two,” she began, finally, “have formed a bond. A bond that has, for lack of a better explainantion, merged your forces. Auras, I believe you call them, Balthazar.”
“So?” Balthazar said, still fully unimpressed with her.
“So,” Pani said, biting her tongue at his arrogance, “you are linked. One cannot use their powers without the other.”
“I’m missing something here,” Sam said, looking between the three of them. “What kind of powers are we talking about?”
“Well,” Pani said. “For Alexandra here, near limitless. She can do just about anything she wants. She only needs learn how to harness her powers.”
“So, that is why I could not feel them?” Alex said. “Because Balthazar was not close to me?”
“Precisely,” Pani said. “It is also why it took so long for Balthazar to wake. His natural abilities are greatly diminished when he is separated from you.”
“Then why would you keep us away,” Alex said, “why would you want us to be weakend?”
“It is not that,” Pani lied. “I have tried to keep you from being discovered.”
“Discovered?” Alex said. “Discovered by who?”
“The Magi and their Master, the Ancient,” Pani said. “They can sense your powers.”
“How do we stop them?” Alex asked.
“You cannot,” Pani said firmly, shaking her head. “There is no way for you to bridge the gap between our worlds and return, and they can not come here either.”
“It was done before,” Alex said. “It can be done again.”
“It was done before with a key,” Pani said.
“Ok,” Alex said, still not ready to give up. She looked to Balthazar with an uneasy expression. She couldn’t imagine him having to stay here forever, looking like he did. He would cause a riot anywhere he went. “How do we get a key.”
“There are no more,” Pani said, another lie. She was doing her best to turn the situation around to her liking, but it was hard with Balthazar breathing down her neck. She knew he didn’t trust her, and she prayed he wouldn’t sniff out her lies. He was still very weak from the weeks apart from Alex, so it was unlikely he would easily pick up on it.
“So that’s it?” Alex asked, her face scrunched in concern. “There’s absolutely no way to get back?”
“I’m sorry,” Pani said, “but this is really for the best.”
Chapter Nine
Balthazar didn’t trust anything Pani said. He may be weakened, but his instincts were still intact. And there was just something about Pani that rubbed him the wrong way. He couldn’t figure out how just yet, but her story just didn’t add up. He had tried scenting her, smelling out her lies, but he just didn’t have the strength yet. Things in this world were all so new to him, the smells, the sounds. They clouded his already struggling senses. It would take time for him to adjust. He was not going to give up on his homeland just yet. He thought again about the mess that his kingdom was left in. He had left Tavi in charge, but Lord Krishna was not one to wait when an opportunity such as this presented itself. He was likely already waging war against his people who were left without a leader. Balthazar could only hope one of his stronger younger brothers had assumed the throne.
Alex wasn’t giving up on returning either. She continued to read through the book, even as Pani argued with her. It was in the early hours of the morning when the woman finally left. She had wanted Balthazar to return to her house, but there was no way he was going to leave Alex.
“You don’t trust her,” Alex said to him after Pani was gone.
“No,” Balthazar said simply. He didn’t care to elaborate, didn’t feel he had to. He could tell the feeling was mutual.
“I’m gonna go find Sam,” Alex said, stretching her arms over her head, to try and wake herself up. She yawned widely and rubbed at her sore eyes. They had been up the entire night, and although she knew she had to sleep, she really didn’t want to.
“Get some rest,” Balthazar said softly, coming up beside her. He wrapped his muscled arms around her, making her feel so tiny. He was so warm. She could have spent all day in his arms.
“I will continue the search,” he said, pulling away to look down at her. “If there is a way back written in this scroll, I shall find it.”
“Ok,” Alex said, staring into his smoky blue eyes and nearly getting lost. “There’s food in the kitchen if you get hungry.”
“I will be fine,” Balthazar said with a small smirk. Even if he was hungry, he didn’t want to admit that he had never in his whole life had to prepare a meal for himself. He wouldn’t know the first place to start. In any case, he was not human, and could easily go a couple days without needing to eat or drink. And if the food Sam had brought in earlier was any indication of what he would find in the kitchen, he didn’t want to try it anyway. Humans ate the most peculiar of foods, highly processed with almost no real nutritional value, and wrapped up in the strangest materials. He made a mental note that he would inquire about the nature of their food at a more prudent time.
When Alex got no answer from knocking on Sam’s bedroom door, she poked her head into the darkened room. The rays of morning light were beginning to spill through the open curtains, letting in just enough light for her to see Sam sleeping peacefully in his bed. Relief filled her at the sight. Sam had never told her, but she knew he had been having nonstop nightmares since they had returned. It was good that he was finally getting some rest, and she didn’t want to disturb him. She quietly closed the door behind her and went to her own bedroom, falling quickly asleep.
#
Darkness surrounded her. She stretched out her hands, spreading her fingers, trying to touch something, trying to feel where she was. A heavy coldness bit through her skin, finding its way to her bones. Her body shook violently, shivering, trying to warm itself up. She tried to move her feet, but she was rooted to the spot. She tried to call out into the blackness, but she couldn’t find her voice.
Her heart rate began to rise rapidly, her fear increasing at her sudden incapacitation. Again, she tried to call out. Her voice was barely more than a harsh whisper, and the breath was slowly forced from her lungs. She found it harder and harder to breath. She fought against the unseen attacker, trying to call out, trying to move. Her arms became heavier, until she could do nothing but let them hang at her sides. Her mind raced, trying to figure out where she was or what was causing this sudden paralysis.
“Alex,” she heard Sam’s voice through the darkness, urgent and terrified. Everything shook violently. Her eyes snapped open. Pain flooded her entire body. Her head pounded with the sudden onslaught of a migraine. She could feel the bile rising in her throat and she forced it back down.
“Sam?” Alex choked out as she blinked away the sleep from her eyes. Her heart was thumping erratically in her chest, and she tried to calm herself as she realized it was all a dream.
“Are you ok?” Sam asked, his eyes wide with concern as he searched her for any unseen injuries. “You looked like you were having a bad dream.”
“Yeah,” Alex groaned. She brought a hand to her forehead, as if that would stop the pain. “I don’t know…it was a bad dream…”
She looked around, as if in a daze, trying to comprehend what had just happened. She remembered this feeling, had felt this sort of pain before. This was no ordinary dream, she knew that now. It was an extension of her powers, working its way through her system. She could feel it coming back to her. She looked up at Sam, a wrinkle creasing her forehead between the eyes. Her gaze fell upon the hideous scar that marred his once so handsome face. It was the parting gift of the Magi before they had left the land of demons. Before she had time to even think twice, her hand rose to his cheek. Sam was held in a daze as warmth washed over him. The heat travelled through his body, engulfing him in the most pleasurable sensation he had ever experienced. Alex watched, wide eyed at her own actions, as she felt the raw tickle of her powers returning. It branched out from the tips of her fingers, reaching into Sam as his scar slowly faded.
#
AnnaBeth felt the call immediately. A tingle at the top of her spine that travelled all the way down her back, leaving goose bumps in its wake. The door of her office flew open. AnnaLee stood in the doorway, eyes wide and mouth hanging loose as if she wanted to say something, but didn’t know what.
“I felt it too,” AnnaBeth said, an elated smile spreading across her face. “It’s time. Get the others, we must go immediately before we lose the signal.”
Chapter Ten
Sam came down the stairs to find Balthazar still reading from the old book, a scowl marring his regal features. Alex had spent much of the day in bed, recuperating from the dream and subsequent healing of Sam’s scar. He had sat up with her, keeping her company. They had talked for hours, like they hadn’t done for ages. But they were both getting hungry, and slightly concerned that they hadn’t heard from Balthazar.
“Find anything?” Sam asked, sitting beside Balthazar on the couch.
“Your scars,” Balthazar said, looking up from the book and seeing Sam’s now pristine face.
“Yeah,” Sam said with a sheepish grin, “I guess Alex’s powers are coming back to her. Now that you’re around.”
“There is a surprising wealth of knowledge about my people,” Balthazar said, looking back down at the book, “but nothing of how to return.”
“Pani talked about using a key,” Sam said, his mind working on a solution. He never would have thought he would want to go back, but Balthazar’s words had awoken something inside of him. A desire for revenge. And that desire was burning r
ed hot. He would make those pathetic creatures pay for what they did to him. “Do you have any idea what that could be?”
“Perhaps,” Balthazar thought for a moment, “Alexandra had a box among her possessions when she was found. It is possible that the key is something from my world.”
“I’m about to fix some lunch,” Sam said, getting up from the couch, “you want anything?”
“Your hospitality is appreciated,” Balthazar said, “but I am afraid your food will not provide me with adequate sustenance.”
Sam could have laughed at the demon lord as he gestured to the junk food that was spread across the table. He could well imagine the type of food Balthazar would be used to, and could see how the pile of sugary snacks would be less than appealing.
“That’s not what I meant,” Sam said with a smile, “come on. I’ll show you what real food is in our world.”
“Real food?” Balthazar said, raising a slender black eyebrow.
“Yeah,” Sam said, with a wiggle of his groomed brows, “meat and potatoes.”
Those words brought a glint to Balthazar’s eyes as he licked his lips. That indeed sounded like real food. He followed curiously behind Sam into the kitchen.
“You prepare the food yourself?” Balthazar asked, looking around the kitchen in dismay.
“Of course,” Sam said with a chuckle. “Who else is gonna to fix it?”
“I do not see any food,” Balthazar said, continuing to look around the room.
“You got a lot to learn about our world,” Sam said as he went to the fridge and began pulling things out. Balthazar examined each package, bringing it to his nose and smelling it intently.
“Why do you wrap food in such peculiar materials?” he asked Sam, as he felt at the plastic and Styrofoam that held a thick hunk of ground meat.