The Devil's Deuce (The Barrier War)

by Brian J Moses

  Marc frowned.

  “I seem to remember a conversation Danner overheard between the demon and some unknown party, where the demon was giving some orders, but as conversation, not mind control,” Marc said. “I had completely forgotten about it until now. Perhaps there’s someone, or rather something, still around?”

  “Either that, or the mind control was passed from one brother of The Three to the next, and it’s still in the hands of whichever of them is in yonder army,” Vander said. He frowned, a mirror image of Marc’s expression, although neither paladin noticed. “I think that’s unlikely, because of the distance involved and suddenness of the two deaths. The demon would have had to take control in the instant of its brother’s death, and I imagine that with two out of three dying, the third was in no mental state to do any such thing. Which makes your explanation more probable. You said there’s been no further spread of demonic influence, which suggests that whatever creature remains can maintain a hold, but not extend it.”

  Vander tapped his chin thoughtfully.

  “I wonder, did you ever read Harpher’s extrapolations from the immortal texts?”

  “It’s three down in a stack in a living room back in Nocka,” Marc said almost apologetically. “Our weekend leaves got abruptly cancelled thanks to the invasion, and I never had a chance to get back to read it.”

  “You won’t be sorry when you do,” Vander said. “It’s got a fascinating catalogue of various demons you won’t find named anywhere else. One of these is a creature called a dybbuk, of which there are very few. A dybbuk has no body of its own, nor is it strictly a demon, which makes detecting it quite difficult. They are an extremely rare combination of demonic essence and deceased soul that require a living host to exist. Fortunately, few survive more than a moment after their creation, due to the bizarre circumstances necessary to create one. They live in the minds of others, both mortal and immortal, and dominate those minds completely. But they’re subtle and work hard to allow no sudden changes in routine or personality to announce their presence. Most of the time, even the victim doesn’t know until it’s too late. Eventually, the dybbuk takes complete control and goes about running the victim’s life as it sees fit, with no one the wiser.”

  “Interesting, but I fail to see where…”

  “Harpher also includes a note that because of the dybbuks’ abilities of mental domination, they can extend that to other minds as well. There were cases he mentions from the original Merging War of mortals controlled by immortal powers, and in one instance The Three were the powers in question. The dybbuk can only originate control in its chosen victim, but he found it could continue the domination and control instigated by another.”

  “So basically what you’re suggesting is that the demon Danner killed had one of these dybbuks working under him, and after the demon was wiped out, the dybbuk’s been continuing that control ever since, and that’s why the paladins were still under the influence.”

  “Very good.”

  “In that case, we’re in trouble,” Marc said heavily. “We completely forgot there was still someone running things with those paladins, and if it’s this dybbuk, it’s had months and months to entrench itself. There’s no way we’ll ever figure out who in Hell it is.”

  “For San’s sake, don’t despair, boy,” Vander said sharply. “Just keep your eyes and mind open, and you’ll see something that doesn’t quite fit, and eventually you’ll figure it out. You’re an Orange paladin, after all.”

  Marc smiled and the two paladins shook hands firmly before moving off to retire for the night.

  Chapter 20

  When we say we ‘know’ something, this is – in truth – nothing more than what we currently believe.

  - Knerry Raltin,

  “Forms of Communication” (102 AL)

  When a woman asks ‘Did you love me?’ telling her ‘I believe I did’ will not go over well, no matter how you try to explain or rationalize the statement.

  - (written in the margin by an unknown paladin trainee)

  - 1 -

  The next day was a mixture of success and failure, surety and confusion, hope and disaster. Trebor had successfully healed Vander’s dakkan, and the beast was flight-worthy by morning. Danner and Trebor rode behind the paladins, and it was agreed that Garet would fly them back at the end of the day, regardless of the Council’s decisions.

  The Shadow Company pair made the first of their stops at the Prismatic chapterhouse. They dropped off a thick packet with the Council itself, then left a lengthy letter for a Yellow paladin who, like Gerard, was a Protector of the Ash’Ailant – the Stones which kept the Merging in check. They still didn’t know the name of the Yellow paladin, or that of any other Protectors besides Gerard and Danner’s friend Jon de’Serrika. They left the letter in a secret location and lit a specific candle in one of the many chapels within the chapterhouse. They were to pick up a response in the same drop spot before they left that evening.

  They next visited the city quartermaster’s office, where they put in a requisition for replacement weapons and armor, as well as equipment to repair what could still be salvaged. The overweight quartermaster barely withheld a sneer at Trebor’s appearance, but when they showed him the crossed sword and shepherd’s crook and said Gerard had sent them, the quartermaster paled slightly and immediately rushed to fill out the proper forms. Trebor kept a smile in check and mentally sent commentary about the rotund human that left Danner coughing as he tried to keep from laughing.

  After that, they had some time to themselves until they were to return to the Prism to retrieve the response to Gerard’s letter. With nowhere else to go, they followed Danner’s preference and walked to the Dolphin’s Fin, the bar where Alicia worked.

  They had barely stepped into the common room when Danner was assaulted by a flurry of arms and legs that bore him to the ground as a pair of insistent lips pinned his head quite firmly to the floor.

  “Well, I can see somebody missed you,” Trebor said.

  Danner eased his head up as Alicia released him from her kiss, but she didn’t let him up immediately. She stared at him intently, as though trying to see if anything had changed about him in the last two months since they’d seen each other. Neither of them had spoken.

  “People are starting to stare,” Trebor said mildly. “You know, they have chairs to sit in, and I’m sure there’s a bed somewhere if you prefer that to the floor.”

  “Shut up, Trebor,” Alicia said, not unkindly.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Trebor stared at them a moment. “I think I’ll just wander over here and get a drink.”

  “Do that.”

  Trebor walked to the bar and left the two of them on the floor staring silently at each other. Finally Alicia spoke.

  “You couldn’t have written a letter?” she asked. “I’ve been worried sick.”

  “Who could I get to deliver it?” he asked. “I’ve been living in a tree for the last month.”

  “Still.” She paused. “When did you get back?”

  “I’m not exactly back yet,” he said with a half frown. “Treb and I just came into town this morning to run some errands for Gerard, and I wanted to stop by and see you.”

  “I’m glad you did.”

  “So am I,” he said. “Or at least I would be if you’d let me up off the floor.”

  Suddenly the two of them became aware of the rest of the world around them, and Alicia jumped off of him blushing furiously. A dozen patrons of the bar were standing nearby looking at them curiously. As Danner sheepishly got to his feet, they chuckled and returned to their drinks and conversations. Danner’s ears turned a flaming red as one burly man winked at him slyly.

  The Dolphin’s Fin was unremarkable in the way of bars, and the only thing to recommend it over any other establishment was the cleanliness of the room. Alan Finright, the owner and bartender, was a fastidious man who insisted on his floors being swept and was incessantly wiping down the main bar with one of sever
al rags he always kept on his person. When a customer moved to set down a glass, a square of corkboard appeared beneath it as if by magic to prevent liquid stains from any spills or condensation on the side of the glass. A common form of gambling for regular patrons was to watch for anyone unlucky enough to spill their drink on the bar, at which point the regulars would furiously place bets on how many seconds or minutes it would take for Alan to arrive and clean up the mess.

  Alicia liked working there because Alan’s cleanliness fitted her own preference for tidiness, a habit she’d learned working for Moreen. She also brought with her certain recipes for food and drink she’d acquired at the Dragoenix Inn, which were starting to become popular with the regulars at the Dolphin’s Fin. Alan appreciated Alicia’s efforts and had already made her one of the senior barmaids. Some of the other barmaids had resented her quick advancement, but most had come to like her and realized she was a valuable addition to the staff. Certainly if there were more patrons because of her recipes, that meant more tips for the other women, which helped soften them toward Alicia.

  Alan had watched the episode at the front door and smiled patiently as Alicia composed herself. She glanced his direction, and Alan mouthed for her to take her break early. Alicia blushed and smiled in thanks, then grabbed a tray with three bowls of soup and two mugs of cahve and walked to where Danner had joined Trebor at a table.

  They spent nearly an hour telling her about the efforts of Shadow Company and the recent rescue of the paladins, and she spent all of ten minutes describing the highlights of her time working at the Dolphin’s Fin. All the while, Danner and Alicia took turns staring at each other like infatuated children, and by the end of their talk Trebor was shifting uncomfortably in his chair as he tried to block out the mental thoughts of each, which were rather intense.

  “Well,” Trebor said finally, clearing his throat, “I think I’m going to stop by Faldergash’s place and pick up those books for Marc. You coming?”

  “I’ll be along in a little bit,” Danner said, finally looking away from Alicia as Trebor stood up. “I want to talk alone with Alicia for a little bit.”

  “Well, you don’t have to be a mind-reader to know you two have things to, um, talk about, so I’ll see you there,” Trebor replied, shaking his head lightly. By the time he’d finished speaking, Danner had already gone back to looking at Alicia. Trebor would have thought it sickeningly cute, but he gave them the excuse of not having seen each other for so long. He knew at least as well as they did how each felt about the other, and he knew from Danner that things were still somewhat delicate between them. Maybe their being alone now would give them a chance to ease back into things.

  Danner was his friend, and he owed him that much.

  “Alright, I’ll see you there. Not that you can hear a word I’m saying now anyway, but,” Trebor trailed off and walked out of the bar.

  His thoughts were wholly occupied as he walked through the streets, and he counted on his feet to automatically lead him to Faldergash’s home, which was fairly close by. Plans and concerns about Shadow Company battled with thoughts of Danner and Alicia, which led to his doubts that he would ever find a woman for himself. Trebor mostly lived in a world of humans, and he was unlikely to find a female denarae here, but he was unwilling to return to the simple life of his people long enough to search for a mate. He could, of course, possibly fall for a human woman, but what were the chances that she would in turn fall for him, a denarae?

  His thoughts absorbed in self-pity, Trebor never noticed the antagonism creeping on stealthy feet behind him.

  - 2 -

  Danner and Alicia stayed at the table only a few minutes before they decided to move to a more private location. Alan kept several rooms for use by late-night carousers who were unable to make it home safely. He charged them afterwards, of course, and the few who objected to the unsolicited care were asked to never return to his bar again. On the whole, the patrons respected his helpful nature and paid his modest rates as necessary.

  Alicia led Danner to one of the rooms, and as soon as the door was shut, they came together in a fiery passion that left them both breathless. They moved to sit on the bed and spent several more minutes kissing before Alicia pulled away.

  “Danner, I… we need to talk,” she said uncertainly.

  Talk? Now? Danner thought, then tamped down his frustration. Aloud, he said, “Alright.”

  She paused, collecting her thoughts.

  “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking while you were gone, and… and a lot of feeling, too. It’s been hard without you here to talk to about this, but I think I’ve finally settled some part of myself.”

  Danner listened in silence, hoping and dreading in turn what she might say next. Was she saying what he hoped, or the exact opposite?

  Women can be so damn frustrating at times, he thought to himself. Wait, no, kissing is good. Kissing is a good sign. Right?

  “The truth is, I’m falling.” She paused. “I’m falling,” she said again, more quietly.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” he replied, half whimsically. “I’ll catch you.”

  “I’m falling for you, Danner, and I think I’m falling pretty hard.”

  “So I’m not the only one,” Danner said, this time very quietly and seriously. In his head, he silently berated himself for saying something so inane.

  They were silent. They stared into each other’s eyes, each one searching for something completely different yet still the same. Danner’s hopes were reflected in her chestnut eyes, and he searched intently for something more. Something deeper.

  He found it.

  “I think I’m in love with you,” Alicia said at last.

  Danner smiled.

  “Well, in that case, I’ll meet you at the bottom,” he replied. “Then we can catch each other.” He was suddenly very glad no one else was around to hear him spout what, once he heard it out loud, sounded like a line from a terrible romance play.

  Alicia reached a trembling hand out and brushed his cheek, and Danner closed his eyes and leaned into her soft hand. The brush became a caress, then an insistent pulling that brought their lips together again. Danner gripped her head gently in both hands and held the lingering kiss, trying to show her in that single moment all that she meant to him.

  He opened his eyes and they looked deeply into each other.

  The kiss became more passionate, more feverish, and their clothes felt stifling in the heat of the moment. First Danner’s shirt, then Alicia’s started a pile on the floor that built up slowly until they were laying flesh-to-flesh in bed. As the fever of being with Alicia took over Danner, he lost himself in the moment, and the moment stretched into a minute, then to an hour.

  They made love, awkwardly at first, but tenderly. For Alicia, there was some pain – both emotional and physical – but Danner was gentle in his own inexperience, and they shared their first experience together as only two deeply in love possibly could. It showed in a way that words could never say what they meant to each other and what each was willing to give. It seemed to Danner that it was not only their bodies that entwined, but also their souls that became one for a timeless moment.

  In the moment of release, Danner’s self-control exploded, and his wings asolved, flickering into existence and redoubling the exotic tingling in his body. He faltered for a moment and had to concentrate to dekint the glowing feathers wafting around him. Fortunately Alicia’s eyes were closed at the time – Danner could only imagine her reaction had she looked just then.

  Afterward, Danner lay curled about her from behind, one arm supporting both their heads and the other wrapped around her midsection. They hadn’t spoken more than a few words in the last ten minutes, content to let the silence speak for them.

  Finally, Alicia stirred. She was staring absently at the empty space on the bed in front of her.

  “Danner,” she said softly. “Why did you wait for me? I was awful, accusing you of hurting me, and it couldn’t ha
ve been easy for you afterward. Even after something started to happen between us, I was still hot and cold with you.” She paused. “Why did you wait for me?” she repeated.

  Danner was silent a moment before he replied.

  “I’ve always felt there might be something there, and after I got to know you, I knew it was worth it. You were worth it,” Danner said. “I knew if it didn’t work out, we’d at least have fun along the way, and I’d have met a truly wonderful person and at the very least gained a good friend. By waiting, I lost nothing if I was wrong. But if I was right, and things did work out, I will have won the world.”

  Alicia didn’t reply at first. She closed her eyes, shutting out the rest of the world except for Danner’s words as they echoed in her mind and heart.

  “I love you, Danner,” she said at last.

  “I know. I love you, too, Alicia.”

  - 3 -

  A dimension away, the general of Hell’s armies surveyed the massive torrent of seething spirit and cursed flesh beneath him and smiled in cruel anticipation. Demons of every lot and power were gathered to enforce the will of Mephistopheles, issued through the lips of Malith. Countless damned souls were gathered to fight, some because they had been promised a release from their torment, most because they were whipped and forced into the war against that which they still held dear: the world of the mortals that held their loved ones and memories. A smaller percentage were there because they volunteered; that was the type of person they’d been in life, and it continued in their afterlife.

  Careful sorties had been made in recent days that proved the damned souls would remain corporeal once they crossed the Merging into the mortal realm. At any other time, they would have been prevented from doing so, or from crossing at all, by the nature of the Merging itself, which prevented the souls of the departed from returning to the mortal world. Even without chains of torture or bars forged by demonic jailors, the dead were held captive by nature of their condemnation to the damned realm.