Three chains, one for each of the mystical realms that inhabited the earth, all woven together into a circular knot with seven crystals hanging from its base. Four of them had turned — three sparkling gems for the tests I had passed, and one black. There were only three Demon Lords left, including Aidan.
He turned away, embarrassed, and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Not exactly. I lost most of my powers during the transition, I can only assume the same would have happened to them.”
“Oh.”
“I just wanted you to know it was a possibility.”
“But even if that happened, there’s no telling where they would be. They could be anywhere in the world. That’s a pretty big secret, Caleb.”
“I know. I just don’t want a cloud over us, it’s been so nice the last few weeks without any complications. That’s why I’m telling you.”
“Okay, well now I know. Now we can both be prepared.”
He smiled weakly. “Right.”
~ * ~
That night I dreamt of something terrible.
It was difficult to say where I was exactly because all I felt was lost. The rooms were familiar, but I didn’t recognize them. Furniture had been overturned, and wallpaper was ripped in shreds and hanging from the rafters. The entire building smelled like mold, like no one had been there in ages. A chill ran down my spine and I became painfully aware of the silence that had settled over the place.
How do I know this place? I wondered.
My senses tingled as I passed into another room and found a picture on the mantle. There were layers of dust and grime I had to wipe away to see the picture underneath. As the faces came into view, I felt my insides quell at the recognition. It was my parents and all three of us kids sitting on a colorful towel at the beach.
Gasping at the sight of it, I thought, Why is this picture here? This can’t be … my parents’ house?
Frantic, I glanced around the room and realized it was true. The floorboards were rotted and creaked beneath my feet with wires hanging from the ceiling, but it was still my home. Time had not been kind to it.
I dropped the picture and heard the glass break when it hit the floor. In the shadows, I heard something move, and fog started creeping around the doorway. As I came towards it a hideous, hooded creature stepped out into the living room.
“Who are you?” I asked him, terrified.
The creature turned to me and beckoned for me to follow with a bony claw, opening the door that led into blackness. As the passageway appeared, the milky cloud of fog came billowing out towards me.
“What is that? What are you showing me?”
At first they did not respond, but then music started playing in my head — it was beautiful. It felt … warm, and the chill of the dank and lonely house faded into the background. I closed my eyes and listened to the sweet and melodious tune.
He beckoned to me again and I found myself walking towards the portal. I wasn’t sure if I should follow, but something about the music played sweetly to my soul and logic failed me. As the portal glistened in the heartbreaking vision of my childhood home, I began going towards it. It wasn’t my will alone that made me move, but an unseen force pulling me into the darkness.
Another chill ran through me as I passed the dark gray fabric of his cloak, but instead of being frightened I felt exhilarated in a way. The secret yearnings of my subconscious were thrilled at the tantalizing mystery of the unknown.
Before I stepped through, I felt the flesh of my cheeks pull tense around my lips, and realized I was smiling.
~ * ~
I groaned at the sound of my morning alarm.
I ran a hand through my hair, tossed the tangled sheets aside and pulled myself together. The cheery rays of sunlight came filtering through my window, making it impossible to fall back asleep. Slowly, I made it out into the kitchen and gave Lacey a sleepy wave. “Morning.”
“Good Morning,” she told me with a yawn. “I was going to get some coffee. You wanna come?”
“Oh my gosh, yes! Did you want to check out Death Before Decaf?”
“Absolutely, just let me get dressed and we can head out,” she responded cheerily.
I nodded, mentally kicking myself for forgetting she’s a morning person and made a note to remedy that as soon as possible, heading back towards my room. Fashion had never been a high priority growing up, so it came down to the basics.
Lacey was waiting for me in the living room when I came out, with her purse slung over her shoulder. Her hair and makeup were done meticulously, of course, and she wore a lovely, floral sundress. She followed me out the door and I chuckled, pulling my keys out of my pocket. We reached the bottom of the stairs and made it outside. Our building was set on a rolling hill with a circle of buildings surrounding a courtyard in the center.
Campus was abuzz with students, everyone cheerful and excited to be there on the first day of school.
We made it down the block towards Death Before Decaf and there was a line of students, all waiting to get their morning fix. The chalkboard sign outside was decorated with artsy, looping handwriting that listed the deals of the day. As we stepped inside, the aromatic smell of coffee grounds filled the building, and we eventually made it to the front where we were greeted by a male barista. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail and he sported a beard and glasses.
“What can I get you ladies?” he asked us in a pleasant sort of tone with a southern drawl.
“I’ll have a Grande iced caramel latte, a bagel with cream cheese, and whatever this lady’s having,” I told him with a gesture towards Lacey beside me.
He completed our order and I offered him the cash with an appreciative nod. After he handed me back the change Lacey and I sauntered down to the end of the counter and collected our drinks. Mine was in a clear plastic cup with a creamy, light brown drink poured over cubes of ice and a straw. I drank it eagerly as we were going back outside. It tasted like liquid toffee and caramel with a hint of butterscotch. “Mmm,” I hummed appreciatively. “Damn, that’s good!”
Lacey snickered into her espresso as we continued down the sidewalk. “Yeah, it is.”
“Seriously, I may have just become a regular.”
“Amen to that, sister.”
I took a bite of the bagel in my hand and toasted her drink with the other.
At the end of the block, we finally made it to the Ferguson Student Center, swarming with students buying textbooks and school supplies. Dozens of booths from various organizations were set up on the lawn outside, trying to lure in new recruits. All of them were decked out with the Alabama school logo with a red and white theme as far as the eye could see.
“You got to admire their school spirit,” I muttered to Lacey quietly. She smiled at my remark and tried not to laugh or draw attention to the two of us. We meandered past the rows and rows of Crimson Tide logos, when a particularly cheery girl called out to me from her seat. She was tall, leggy, and blonde — your typical co-ed nightmare. I smiled thinly at her lip-gloss smile as she offered us a flyer. “Either of you girls interested in joining a sorority? We’re accepting pledges!”
Lacey and I glanced sideways at each other before waving them off politely. “Thanks, but I don’t think we’re interested.”
They stared at me for a moment like I’d just spoken another language, clearly not used to being turned down like that. I saw their auras shift from yellow to muddled orange, completely baffled by my response. One of them squinted her eyes at me in a condescending manner. “Do you realize being a member of one of the most prestigious and powerful organizations in the world can open a lot of doors? You shouldn’t brush it off so flippantly. If you turn us down now, we might not allow you to reapply.”
I shrugged, taking a sip of my drink and said, “I’m okay with that.”
The sorority girls balked at the dismissal and for a moment it seemed as if they were about to verbally assault us when suddenly a voice called to us from across the quad.
“Lacey!! Wynn!!”
We turned at the sound of his voice and saw Ryan waving to me. His wild, blond hair and tan were the envy of half the men in Mobile, and his brilliant yellow aura reflected his charming demeanor. I had a momentary thrill of pleasure seeing him and Lacey and I both waved. He was the epitome of the boy-next-door and my oldest friend in the world.
I smiled thinly to the girls who’d been so rude to us and said, “See ya!”
Ryan was already coming towards us, and we skipped across the cement to greet him. “Hey!”
I gave him a hug and smiled, breathing in the crisp, clean smell of his cologne. “Hey there, stranger. I was going to give you a call later and see what you were up to.”
Ryan grinned and gave Lacey a hug as well. “Well, now you didn’t have to. I just applied for a job at the coffee shop back there,” he told us, gesturing to our drinks. “I tried to catch you before you left, but you must not have heard me.”
“Oh, sorry about that. It’s great to see you, though! I hope you get hired, then we’ll come visit you all the time.”
“Me too,” he chuckled happily. “You should come by sometime, I’ve missed you.”
“I can’t today, but sometime soon,” I promised. Just then my phone vibrated in my pocket with the same meowing tone from earlierand I pulled it out to see a text from Caleb:Good morning, beautiful. Good luck on your first day of class.
I smiled at his thoughtful note and Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Who’s that?” he asked me casually.
I blushed, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear as I returned it to my pocket. “Caleb.”
Ryan stopped walking and stared at me in surprise. “Wait, Caleb?” he confirmed with disbelief. “The Caleb? He’s here? Boy, am I out of the loop.”
I nodded sheepishly as Lacey nudged me in the shoulder with an impish grin and said, “Yeah, they’ve been pretty hot and heavy since Wynn arrived.”
Ryan scoffed happily and gave me a sideways smile as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, that part doesn’t surprise me.”
Lacey rolled her eyes and smiled as she backed away from us down the sidewalk. “Bye, guys. I gotta run to class. It was great to see you, Ryan.”
Ryan and I both chuckled as she ran off and turned back towards one another. “So where are you off to?” he asked casually. “Maybe we could walk together.”
I balanced the coffee in one hand and pulled out the notebook from my bag to check my schedule. “Uh, the Garland Building. It’s on the other side of campus. I need to find it before my class starts in twenty minutes.”
“The Garland? Perfect, that’s right next to where I’m headed.”
“Oh really? That’d be great!” I agreed enthusiastically as we trailed off happily down the sidewalk. “Have you decided what you want to major in?”
Ryan nodded. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about going into Theatre Education. I loved doing plays in high school and want to give other students the same opportunities that were given to me. It doesn’t really make a lot of sense, but that’s what I want to do.”
“Wow, that’s great!” I nodded enthusiastically. “You’re going to be great at it.”
It made me happy to know he’d found a career path he was so passionate about. Ryan was going to be an amazing teacher, I could see it happening for him already. Sometimes it felt like I was the only one my age that didn’t already have a plan.
Ryan chuckled slightly and said, “Thanks, I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. You’ve always believed in me and I appreciate it. I worried about you a lot these last few months. After the funeral, I kept wanting to call, but I didn’t know what to say. Then it became too awkward a topic to bring up, so I just gave up. I’m sorry, that makes me a terrible friend and I know it.”
“That’s okay. I got your texts inviting me to things you and Charley were up to and it made me laugh. It seemed like you were pretty busy.”
A few of their more memorable antics flashed through my memory when he had asked me to come and join them. Texts that began with, “Guess what Charley and I did!” were the only bright spot of the dark summer after Elyse’s funeral.
He grinned. “Oh, yeah! You need to come by some time so I can introduce you.”
A pang of jealousy shot through me. A week hadn’t gone by without the mention of his infamous new friend. I felt like my best friend was being taken from me, or rather, that my friendship had been replaced.
I fixed a smile on my face and nodded. “I’ll stop by sometime next week. Text me the address, will you?”
Ryan smiled, glancing over to the building next to me. “Absolutely. And we’ve actually made it to your class. That building right over there is the Garland. See ya!”
I waved goodbye to him and turned to the enormous academic structure. “I’ll catch you later.”
The Garland Building was exceptionally beautiful, the rose glass windows and Gothic architecture made me think it must have been converted from a church back when the university began. It made sense to have the art history classes here; it fit in with the ambiance.
The classroom was easy to find, and I quietly went inside and took a seat near the back. Humanities 101 was a freshman level course that filled a general education requirement, although I was actually interested to see what the professor had to say. As the rest of my class assembled, I opened a folder on my desk to take notes from Professor Harris. She was a beautiful, younger woman with wavy black hair that fell just above her shoulders and wide gray eyes that I could see even from the back of the class.
“Good morning, class. Welcome to Humanities 101, I am Professor Harris. In this class, we’re going to discuss how music, art and literature have evolved throughout the ages. This section is part of a two-course requirement that covers everything up through the Renaissance. The second half would be Humanities 102, and that continues from the Renaissance to the contemporary period. If there’s any confusion about whether this is the course you’re supposed to be in, please feel free to ask me about it after class. I’m going to pass around the syllabus with some reading material I’d like you all to pick up in the bookstore or library. There is also a CD with recordings from the periods and an online portfolio of statues and artwork you’ll be expected to recognize.”
As she spoke, I developed a strange admiration for the way she commanded the classes’ attention. I listened to her lecture being delivered with such enthusiasm I couldn’t help but smile. She clearly loved the subject matter and was going to be an amazing teacher. When the syllabus was passed around to me, I took one of the packets and began reviewing the material she’d be covering.
The Iliad, Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, Don Quixote, Doctor Faustus, The Art of War, The Prince, The Divine Comedy….
I was more familiar with some of the literature than others, but at the last title, I remembered Dante’s Inferno. A man’s trip down into hell, and the demons he sees.
Demons, I thought. The story of my life, I can’t escape them.
“We’re going to be studying a lot of heavy subjects this semester, watching as ancient characters across civilizations grappled with the idea of good and evil, calling upon the powers of angels and demons alike. The ‘hero’s journey’ is always met with great obstacles, many of which take them far away from the life they led before. We see this time after time, repeating itself in art through paintings, sculpture, poems, even music. Kings and queens, the rich and powerful, they loved these epic tales because they painted a picture of everything their forefathers had taught them to aspire to: a fearless warrior, romanticized battles, and the noble quest that brought them inevitably to freedom. They saw themselves in these characters and wanted to live through them vicariously. It was also a tool of instruction or even propaganda: extolling the virtues of religious figures, historical founders, personifications of the state, or even thinly-veiled representations of the patrons themselves. It also became a template for their subjects that was entertaining and easy to und
erstand, teaching them what it meant to be a ‘hero’. Let’s talk about that word for a moment,” the professor addressed us calmly. “What does that word mean to us today? What does it mean to be a hero?”
That … is an excellent question, I thought to myself suddenly.
A few students raised their hand and she called on one of them with a smile. I listened to their exchange, but my thoughts were a million miles away lost in self-reflection.
Yeah, what does that mean?
Instead of just being acted upon and reacting to the forces that try to control my life, what kind of ‘hero’ could I be?
Or would I ever be able to even aspire to that?
~ * ~
There were plenty of things I could have been doing this late at night, yet somehow, I found myself in the Gorgas Library, feeling like an idiot for not thinking of it sooner. All my research on Aidan had been from a religious background, for obvious reasons. I thought that was the most likely avenue for reliable information since they still believed in him. I never thought of searching through classic literature and art, but ever since listening to Professor Harris’s introduction, I knew there was a whole world of information out there I’d neglected.
Demons have been around since the beginning of time. Surely, I was not the first mortal to have grappled with their powers. At some point one of their stories must have been depicted in art or literature.
I had been searching in all the wrong places, the answer was right in front of me.
Aidan’s advice from long ago flooded to the front of my memory, He said to think outside the box.
My eyes scanned the rows of books until I found the one I’d been looking for: The Divine Comedy.
The Devil's Due (The Earthwalker Trilogy Book 2) Page 5