The party was in total confusion. I could barely see through the haze of smoke. I gasped as it became hard to breathe, and soon I couldn’t see, either. Instinctively Sip, Lisabelle, and I locked hands and ducked under the table, but not before I spared a glance toward Keller.
Unfortunately, there was too much smoke for me to see him. I couldn’t even see the table next to us, let alone the dais.
“Shouldn’t we run?” Lough asked, ducking under the table after us.
“We can’t,” said Lisabelle. “Everyone else is running.”
“Sometimes the majority is not wrong,” said Lough, then covered his mouth to cough.
Lisabelle snorted. “We can’t get out. There are too many paranormals, and we can’t even see. Besides, we have to make sure our friends are alright.” I thought of Lanca and Dacer, who were at the high table with Caid. I wondered if he had planned this whole attack. I wondered who the demons were after.
With a great roar I heard the battle begin. The screaming intensified, as did the smoke, but I heard less running than before. Hopefully lots of the paranormals had gotten away.
“What’s the plan?” Sip asked Lisabelle, as the darkness mage rolled up her sleeves. Sip was very calm, but she looked ready to spring into action at any moment, while Lisabelle’s wand was already a pulsing black, filled with collecting power. My ring shone brightly, as did Sip’s and Lough’s.
“We have to see what it is,” said Lisabelle. “It just sounds like demons.”
“Just?” Lough asked in dismay.
“It could be worse,” said Lisabelle. “There could be darkness mages with them.” She winked at the dream giver.
“We know there are hellhounds around,” I added. “We will probably run into some of them.”
“Now I’m not so surprised that there aren’t many pixies here,” said Lough. “I guess since not too long ago they wanted you dead, Charlotte, it makes sense.”
“For all we know there are still a lot of pixies who want Charlotte dead,” said Sip grimly.
Sometimes I almost forgot that there was a bounty on my head. “Thanks for the reminder,” I muttered.
Lough grinned apologetically at me. “Any time.”
“Where did Trafton and Rake go?” I said.
“Trafton ran away like a girl,” said Lough bitterly. “Rake is trying to get to Lanca to help Vital protect her.”
“Saying I ran away like a girl is an insult to girls,” said Trafton, ducking under the table. Lough glared at his fellow dream giver as the other paranormal gave him a satisfied smile.
“I wouldn’t leave Lisabelle,” said Trafton, now grinning in the direction of the darkness mage.
“No matter how many times I ask him to,” said Lisabelle. “Alright, we’re going to try and get to Dacer. Keller and Lanca should be there as well. Everyone keep your backs to each other. Do not engage in any long battles with demons. It will only tire you, and we have no idea how many there are.”
“Let’s use the table as coverage,” Trafton suggested.
“Yes, I’m sure the table couldn’t possibly catch fire,” said Lisabelle. “We aren’t in an action movie.”
“More’s the pity,” Trafton shot back.
“I think he has a good idea,” said Sip. “We don’t know what’s going on out there.”
“Because you made us duck under a table as if we were afraid,” said a disgruntled Lisabelle.
“Caution can be a good thing,” said Sip. “We’ll live longer.”
“And know less, apparently,” said Lisabelle. “Hey, Charlotte, where are you going?”
I had started to crawl out from under the table. I needed to get to Keller, and my friends’ argument was taking too long this time.
“Turn over the table,” I ordered. “I need to see.” The cool air had turned hot and dry from all the smoke, and I found myself wondering what was on fire. I still couldn’t see, but I was pretty sure the smoke was coming from the lake and not the house, which was good. There were small children and Caid’s servers in the house. If the demons had attacked and killed defenseless paranormals right under Caid’s nose there’s no telling what would have happened. For starters, it would mean that President Caid was even more evil than I could have imagined.
The second I got out from under the table I saw what was happening and realized that we didn’t need the table for protection. But I almost wished we did. The smoke was clearing and I could now see clearly to the dais and beyond.
There were demons, alright. Hundreds of them floated over the water, but they weren’t attacking. Instead, they were all blazing with fire. In the air over Lake Timarity they had formed a ring, and through the ring was another slash of demons in the shape of a seven.
“Wow,” said Lough, who was right next to me. There was a smudge of dirt on his cheek and his beautiful suit was rumpled, but he didn’t seem to care; his eyes were locked on the display. The demons had come to warn us. No more would they be ignored. Last semester Caid had left Paranormal Public in the hands of kidnappers and hellhounds as if it hadn’t mattered at all. With a ring of fire and a seven, the demons were now making sure we knew it mattered.
“This is bad,” said Sip, her eyes filled with worry. “I need tea.”
Lisabelle and Trafton also rose from under the table. All the paranormals on the dais had turned around to stare out over the water. A couple of Caid’s guards were standing in front of him, right at the water’s edge, in case the demons decided to attack. Hearing murmurs behind me, I turned around. It was no longer difficult to see, with the demon fire bringing as much light as the party lanterns had before then were extinguished. Behind us, safely near the house, were most of the guests who had run. In front of us were the rest of the people I cared about the most.
Keller turned to look in my direction, and our eyes locked. He was fine, and I gave him a slight nod. I didn’t want to move because I didn’t want to draw the attention of the demons, although they looked pretty busy at the moment. Dacer, the faeries, and Lanca all watched them calmly. I felt a sense of pride swell at how angry Dacer looked. He would never run away from a fight.
“Why aren’t they moving?” Lisabelle asked, her black eyes snapping. “What are they waiting for?”
“I have no idea,” said Sip. “It can’t be good.”
It wasn’t. There came a howl, and I saw a troop of hellhounds, or just their burning red eyes, speeding out of the woods to surround the lake. They were looking up at the demons as the fire that burned in the air intensified.
“That’s going to explode,” I cried.
“No it isn’t,” said Lisabelle. “They’re going to run. Look.” She pointed behind us, where I could see that Mound and several of the other paranormals who had run away were now preparing to fight. The journalist was talking furiously to the few other pixies who had come to this gathering.
“I don’t like waiting,” said Lisabelle. “I like confronting.”
“You’re confrontational? No. Way,” Sip drawled. “It’s not one of the top ten words I would use to describe you.”
Lough snorted. “That might be true.”
President Caid stood up and stepped forward, making his guards stir nervously.
“What do you want?” his voice boomed out over the water. There was no question that the demons heard him. The tightly packed flames made it difficult to tell exactly how many there were, but surely there were several Demons of Knight among the others.
“Don’t just stand there, go up with the other guests,” a voice behind us sneered. Inwardly, I groaned. All summer I had barely even thought of Zervos, and now here he was, standing behind us, dressed in his customary black with his salt and pepper hair and his familiar sneer firmly in place. Lisabelle quickly pulled her sleeve down, covering her wand.
“We aren’t going to run,” said Sip. “We have more experience at fighting demons than most of the senior paranormals here.”
“You are children,” Zervos sneered, h
is black eyes reflecting the fire. “You do not have the slightest understanding of what you are doing or the consequences of your actions.”
“You mean like that time you caught us and turned us over to Vale?” Lisabelle said. “Talk about consequences. Then we were stuck there with you all semester.”
Zervos’s chest puffed up and I saw his fist clench. For a second I thought he was really going to hit Lisabelle, but he restrained himself, his jaw working until he had his fury under control.
“Where is your wand?” Zervos asked nastily.
Lisabelle shrugged. “I didn’t think I’d need it.”
“Just as stupid as your uncle then,” Zervos spat.
“Are you going to march us to the president again?” Sip demanded, crossing her arms. She was giving Zervos her evil eye, and I felt a little bad for the professor. But when Zervos’s eyes snapped to the werewolf he just shook his head.
“I am not here in an official capacity,” he explained patiently, as if he was talking to a child. I am simply here to enjoy the food and observe.”
“You aren’t afraid or shocked that the demons are here?” I demanded suspiciously.
“Oh, suspicious girl. All the most powerful paranormals gathered in one place?” Zervos shrugged his sharp shoulders and grinned nastily. “What did Caid expect? Peace, quiet, and daisies? Of course the demons would come.”
“Look,” someone close to the house yelled, “they’re dispersing.”
The demons were indeed flying in every direction around the lake. They were also speeding to join some of the hellhounds that waited by the water. I started forward, but Lisabelle held me back.
“Let them go,” she said. “Confronting them will only bring bloodshed.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Zervos give Lisabelle a quick look. It disappeared from his face the instant I noticed it, but I thought it might have been something like respect. I had no idea how much time had passed, but with the demons leaving there was no longer enough light to see by. Their departure was also causing pandemonium again, as paranormals were afraid that the demons would attack.
They didn’t. Instead, they left as quickly as they had come, leaving a trail of heat in the cooling evening air.
One demon, though, one that happened to be much larger than the others, hadn’t budged.
“That has to be a Demon of Knight,” Sip whispered. “Uh oh.”
Chapter Ten
President Caid was still standing behind his guards, his hands hanging loosely at his sides. Dacer had started to rise, as had Queen Lanca. I saw Vital make a disgusted face and try to persuade her to sit back down. Lanca waved him off.
All the demons now ringed the water, with the hellhounds at their sides. From my vantage point it looked like the trees were on fire from underneath.
“He’s heading straight for Caid,” Lisabelle muttered. “What show is this guy putting on?”
The Demon of Knight was now about the size of a train car, with all his power and fire directed at the president. Without warning he shot forward, then came to a halt in front of Caid. I sucked in my breath as a fresh round of screams went up. Dimly, I saw other paranormals running past me, most heading in the direction of the president. At least when they saw he was still in danger they wanted to fight.
“Get him out of here,” yelled one guard.
“Why is he still standing there?” a woman screamed. “He’s our president! He must be kept safe from the monsters!”
Dacer had tried to jump in front of Caid, but the president had pushed him away. At the sight of my mentor in danger I shook Lisabelle off and started forward. Keller had also moved to the dais to be near his aunt, but when he saw me coming he came to meet me.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” he cautioned, his blue eyes worried.
“I wouldn’t think of it,” I said quickly, even as I secretly debated whether or not I should save Caid or see if he’d actually let the demon hit him when it attacked.
It was a brilliant strategy, after all. Pretend to be attacked by a Demon of Knight only to be saved at the last minute. Such a close call would give the president irrefutable credibility.
“Why are you glaring at Caid as if he called the demons here himself?” Keller asked. I knew he was kidding, but when I didn’t respond he whistled. “Obviously we have a lot to catch up on.”
“You have no idea,” said Lisabelle, striding forward.
She waggled a finger at me. “Today is your day for stupid behavior. I’m relieved it’s almost over.”
“Why is it that whenever anything goes wrong, you children appear like a bad rash?” Dove boomed. He had come to flank Caid, offering extra protection from the demon, who was still hovering in front of the president. “Zervos, why didn’t you deal with these miscreants?” Dove cried, waving furiously at Zervos.
Professor Zervos was striding behind Sip and Lough, who had also come to stand on the edge of the dais.
“He’s not the boss of us here,” Lisabelle pointed out, subtly rolling her sleeve down as she spoke. Apparently she didn’t think the demon was going to attack, and indeed she was right.
“Stand down,” Caid yelled. I saw Caid’s back ripple. His wings wanted to unfurl. “You are no match for the paranormals here.”
From this close, I could see the Demon of Knight clearly. He had black eyes in a fire-covered face, which appeared to burn over a black, ghost-like body.
“Is that a sword?” Lough asked, pointing at the slender black object hanging from the demon’s hip. “Cool.”
“Yes, so much easier to chop paranormals’ heads off that way,” said Lisabelle. “Goody.”
The demon stared hard at Caid for another second. The president might sound confident, but I could see the sweat on his brow. I had never met a better actor. From this distance, when the president held up his hands I could see them tremble.
The demon appeared to hesitate.
Sip prodded me in the arm and pointed. The paranormals who had run for the house when the demons first appeared had returned. Now they too were all standing behind the dais.
“Be gone, Demon,” Mound yelled, finally daring to stride forward with all the other paranormals at his back. His cheeks were bright purple and his eyes bulged.
“I can’t tell if he’s scared or furious,” Sip murmured.
“Just that he’s an idiot,” said Lisabelle.
In a hissing shower of sparks and bits of fire and burnt fuel, the Demon of Knight sped away. As he turned to leave, the hellhounds let out a chorus of earsplitting howls.
It was a long night. Many of the visiting paranormals had planned to stay at Caid’s after the party, but after the demon . . . threat? . . . most couldn’t leave fast enough. Cars, brooms, and even bikes were used to get away. Within the hour the summer house was like a ghost town.
I was dead tired. It was now the wee hours of the morning, but I didn’t want to go to sleep, and I was glad that none of my friends did either. Keller, Lough, Sip, Lisabelle, and I went to our summer cabin. Queen Lanca had been called into talks with the senior paranormals, including the committee members Saferous and Dove. She tried to send Vital with us to the cabin, but he flat out refused.
“Vital reminds me of Lisabelle,” said Sip.
“Smart, strong, and capable?” Lisabelle asked.
“Stubborn beyond all reason,” said Sip. “Where’s Trafton?”
“His mother got word that there was a demon attack and he got sent home to Mommy,” said Lough smugly.
“You’re so mean to Trafton,” Sip chided, as Lisabelle walked ahead with Keller.
“He deserves it,” said the dream giver testily.
Once we were safely in the cabin, Lisabelle again performed the ritual of the listening spell. We were now comfortable enough to do it without all three of us having to hold hands, which was good, because the Nocturns had just sent demons to threaten the president, and with the enemy so close we had to be able to take care of ourselves indiv
idually as well as when we were together.
“What were they doing here tonight?” Lough asked. We were sitting in the living room while Sip made tea. For once Bartholem was nowhere to be seen.
“They were warning Caid that they’re as strong as ever and they’re not going to back down,” said Sip.
Keller was sitting next to me on the couch. He took my hand in one of his warm ones and asked, “What happened with Caid that you didn’t tell me?”
I shook my head. “It just happened this morning. I haven’t had the chance.”
We all took turns filling Keller in on what had been happening. He needed to know.
“So, you think he’s with the demons?” asked Keller in a tight voice, his eyes filled with concern.
I threw up my one free hand in frustration. “I don’t know what else to think. I saw him talking to Malle. She was here, wanting him to do something that he said would take time. And then there’s a demon attack?”
“At least we’re going to Public tomorrow,” said Lough. “We need to get out of here, pronto.”
“Don’t you think we could learn more if we were here longer?” said Lisabelle. “We could practice our spying.”
“Like you need any practice,” said Sip, bringing in the tea.
“Sip,” Lisabelle complained, “if you keep making me drink this much tea, pretty soon I’ll be nothing but flavored water.”
“Lemon?” Sip asked, handing out teacups.
Once we all had tea, even Lisabelle, Keller said, “If Caid is with the Nocturns, there’s no one we can trust. He’s the president. He’s in charge, and if he’s lying about our defenses it’s only a matter of time before we’re overrun.”
“What do you mean ‘lying about the defenses’?” I asked. “Do you mean he’s saying we’re protected when we’re not?”
“Maybe,” said Lisabelle, shrugging. “Who knows.”
“But I’m fine,” I murmured thoughtfully, trying to understand.
“What?” Keller asked. I felt him tense next to me. “Of course you are.”
Elemental Air (Paranormal Public Series) Page 8