The Demon's Game (The Guardian Series Book 4)

by Rain Oxford

  I felt movement behind me and turned. The man who stood before me emanated power, which I was envious of. I missed my power terribly. “Who are you?” I asked.

  He didn’t answer. He was memorable in his odd red/silver hair color and his gray/gold eyes, but I still had trouble telling people apart. When he held out his hand expectantly, I clutched the book to my chest.

  “Are you willing to die here, demon?” he asked.

  “I am not afraid of death.” It was quite lovely compared to the void.

  “And what of the void? I can easily banish you there.”

  I froze, not sure what to believe. If this was the author of the book, there was no doubt he was powerful enough and willing to banish me as Dylan had. Everything I fought for, worked for, was to keep myself out of the void.

  Even as I debated it, frozen and weak with fear, the man pried the book easily from my unresisting hands. I couldn’t fight him. Dylan had taken my power and given me no defense against a man who could defeat the gods.

  Then he was gone as suddenly as he had appeared… and Sydney was standing in the open doorway.

  “What have you done?” she asked, then left after I had no answer for her. When I heard the front door close five minutes later, I was still sitting on my knees, ashamed and confused.

  The man who had offered me this second change on Earth appeared sitting on the corner of the bed. “Oh, dear,” he said. “That didn’t go well. I did warn you: Never have anything you cannot afford to lose.”

  Then he disappeared.

  It didn’t occur to me to wonder how I understood the words in the book until much later. The morning sun found me curled up on the floor.

  Chapter 10

  Hail

  “You know, I’m starting to think your entire family has a complex,” the dark god said with a sigh. He sat on his boulder like it was a throne. “Of course, I never expected you to come to me. You have always been a lot more suspicious than your brother.”

  “I must get it from my father,” I said.

  He smirked. “What have you come to demand of me?”

  “I’m not Ron; I haven’t come to demand anything. Unlike my entire family, I don’t think I could defeat you. I don’t even want to. Really, I would be happy if you just went away and never contacted me or my brother.”

  He was no longer smiling. The god was very twisted and manipulative, so the look on his face made me feel awkward. It wasn’t quite sadness in his eyes, but it was close enough. Surely it wasn’t because of what I said. Surely the fact that I was his son meant nothing to him.

  “Then what do you want?” he finally asked.

  “Divina said Nila was having trouble on Dios. He’s trying to fight slavery and he’s starving. I know he isn’t really my family, but he’s important to my dad. I was hoping you would help him.”

  “No. Dios and everyone on it belong to Zer. I may not agree with my brother, but unless he makes a mistake that would devastate his entire population… again… I will not interfere. One person starving to end slavery means nothing to me. Hell, every world has its martyrs.”

  “You can save him, though.”

  “Of course I could. I could end the slavery without a second thought. However, I’m not going to.”

  “This is why I don’t want you to talk to me or my brother.” With those last words, I strained every effort to force myself to wake up.

  * * *

  Monday morning, I was excited to go back to school.

  Being grounded didn’t mean that I couldn’t leave the house so much as that I had to do work. Well, it was actually Ron who was ordered to work, but I couldn’t make him do it alone. We would start cleaning and then Ron would get grossed out over something and give me his puppy eyes until I did it for him. He would break a nail and need to recover, spend three hours looking for a pair of rubber gloves, or need an emergency soak in the tub because his muscles hurt. He had a headache, allergies, or “low blood sugar.” He couldn’t lift anything or reach anything.

  By the end of the weekend, I was exhausted.

  I walked into the kitchen as Ron set down a plate of pancakes piled high with syrup and a glass of orange juice. Dad and Xul trickled in a few minutes later. After working all day on Sunday, Mordon went with his followers back to the dragon cave and hadn’t returned. Ron sat next to me and scooted his chair closer. It occurred to me he was about to ask me to do something else for him, but I couldn’t even manage to feel irritated. I would do whatever Ron asked of me.

  “Don’t be mad at me,” he said, startling me.

  “Why would I be mad at you?”

  “Because you had to do all my work this weekend. I’m the one who got us in trouble.”

  He had gotten us in trouble, but I followed him willingly. If we had to do it again, Ron would not change. Ron would forever get us in trouble just as I would forever follow. He needed someone to watch his back as he dived head first into any danger he could possibly find. I could try to convince him that something was dangerous, but he would do it anyway because he had faith in his power. Then when we got out of it unscathed, he would be even more proud of his abilities.

  I knew the only way he was going to survive until he was old enough to understand the danger he put himself in was to let him fall on his face or spend the rest of our lives protecting him from everything. Unfortunately, I could never let him fall. The only thing I was truly good at was being Ron’s brother.

  Ron was a true god, born from love and hope. I was merely born to make his life easier. In fact, the only reason Dylan even adopted me was because I couldn’t be away from Ron. While I was technically Vretial’s son, I was biologically the child of a Guardian and a human. The strength I inherited from my father was the same as that of any other dile. I was a mortal with a small sample of a god’s power; able to do enough magic to get me by, but it usually did more harm than good.

  Any magic I could do to protect myself and Ron, Ron could do better and faster. Unfortunately, so could the enemy. I couldn’t flash unless it was to Ron. I could pick up languages easily, but they became jumbled until sometimes I didn’t know what I was speaking. I wasn’t an idiot, but I wasn’t a genius like my brother or Dad. Most of the time, the only magic I could do involved quick and thoughtless acts of violence when someone I cared about was attacked.

  When I didn’t say anything, he took my hand in his. “Try the pancakes. I made them special. If you don’t like them, I’ll try something else.”

  It was difficult sometimes to remember that my brother was only two years younger than me. I took a bite of the pancake and had to hold back a moan. They were amazing pancakes. I wasn’t a food critique, but the combination of vanilla and walnuts was wonderful.

  * * *

  Over the weekend, we had no time to visit with Drake. As it turned out, the only reason Drake missed school was because he had doctor appointments, not because he was feeling ill. Since Xul was driving us to school in the Charger, Stacy allowed Drake to go with us. Of course, it took ten minutes for his mother to force him to leave. I could understand Drake’s fear of leaving his mother, but I could also empathize with Stacy. I loved my brother unconditionally.

  Xul kept a gentle tone with Drake the entire way to school, as if he could sense Drake’s illness. “He probably can,” Ron said, reading my thoughts. I shrugged.

  Ron was quiet when we got to school, but I really didn’t know what to say. He was feeling guilty for making me do all his work over the weekend, yet he would turn around and do it again the next weekend, and every weekend after that until he wasn’t grounded any more. I didn’t really care; it was a new day. I wasn’t going to be irritated at him for something in the past.

  Ron would always walk all over me, and that was okay. He wasn’t trying to be malicious; he was just spoiled and too clever for his own good. To him, knowing that he was smarter and more powerful than everyone else gave him the right to manipulate them. Everyone who was less clever or less powerful
was a tool for him to use. That included me, though I knew he really did love me anyway. He would often manipulate me into doing what he thought was right for me.

  I preferred to leave him with the demon instead of leaving him to his own devices, especially knowing we had enemies in the school. And if we didn’t have enemies because our father, we had them because of Ron.

  Wrestling was a test of strength, not because the other boys were strong but because I had to work so hard at holding back my strength. I met Ron after class and walked him to his math class, then was late for science. It was regrettable, but my teacher just sighed when I walked in. I had told her the first day of school that I would be tardy every day because I walked my brother to his class. I also told her she could take whatever disciplinary steps she felt was necessary, but it wouldn’t change.

  All of the teachers looked at me differently after I got suspended for fighting, but that didn’t matter. Unlike Ron, I wouldn’t be trying to skip. In fact, if he wasn’t allowed to skip sixth grade, I would have to find a way to be held back. My one purpose in life was to protect Ron and we were not going to be separated by a school building every day. That was the promise I made the day Ron invoked the balance of the universe.

  Although I was glad Mrs. Sevenstar was back, I was worried about Ron’s math teacher, who hadn’t returned. My science teacher seemed weird to me. After Xul told us that several of our teachers were demons, I assumed that was it. During class, however, something was definitely off about her. More off than usual, and it wasn’t that she was a demon.

  At lunch, the twins walked with Ron and I to lunch, where Luca and Logan waited for us. Both appeared a little disheartened, while the twins just seemed really weird. It was a good weird, though. Tatum was a sweet girl, but I had to watch her to make sure she didn’t develop a crush on Ron. Taper seemed a little more likely to switch to the dark side and go on a psycho killing spree. I definitely wouldn’t leave him alone with my brother.

  “So what did you discover this weekend?” Ron asked.

  Taper shrugged. “Nothing. All of the cops were working on other cases on Saturday. Sunday, they were all working on a house.”

  “Some of the teachers truly enjoy making us miserable. Others are really caring. Several of the teachers are worried and Mr. Lao was really afraid when Mrs. Sharp came into his room to get Drake,” Luca said.

  “Mrs. Sharp got Drake?” Ron asked, standing.

  I pulled him back down in his seat. “You have class with him in fifteen minutes.” Ron barely said a word as he waited impatiently for the bell to ring. When it finally did, he took off without waiting for me to walk him to class. Xul would have chewed me out for it, but I felt like Ron needed his freedom.

  Ron’s mood was a delicate balance. He didn’t like to be babied or told what to do, and his way of retaliating was to do things he shouldn’t to prove his power and independence. If he wanted space, anyone foolish enough to chase after him was going to get bit. On the other hand, Ron wanted attention. If anyone didn’t give him the positive attention he needed, he felt absolutely abandoned and unloved.

  My math teacher was shocked when I arrived on time.

  “Drake was in class doing work,” Ron informed me. “He’s fine. He said Mrs. Sharp pulled him out to get caught up on his work.”

  Despite the fact that it rained that morning, we still had archery outside. I got all kinds of muddy, which just made me enjoy it even more. There was something about the bow that felt right, and it was even better when I felt like I was really outside.

  The bell was about to ring when Tatum suggested we visit the other houses of the other kids who were missing. I could argue about it until I was blue in the face, but this was a mystery, and Ron could never resist a mystery.

  * * *

  We planned to meet at four-thirty, so I decided to take a shower a few minutes before four. Ron said he had a headache and was going to lie down until I was done, but he wasn’t in the room when I got out. Instead, there was a letter on my pillow.

  Hey, something was bugging me. I’m going to check it out, so cover for me. Don’t worry about the others. I’ll be home before Dad is. Do NOT follow me!

  Love you,

  Ron

  I sighed and tore the letter into pieces before throwing it away. “You could have just told me instead of leaving a letter,” I said mentally. When there was no response, I grew worried. “Ron? Can you hear me?” I felt for my brother’s mind and instead hit a mental brick wall. Ron was blocking himself from me.

  I waited in my room until Dad came home a little after seven. Before his car pulled in, I knew something was wrong. Ron had told me not to follow him and I was afraid if I did, I could put him in danger. Besides, Xul would know if he was in trouble.

  “Hi, honey,” Dad said when I met him in the living room. “How was school?”

  “Boring,” I answered.

  He ran his fingers through my hair. “That’s because you’re smarter than everyone else. Speaking of, where’s your brother?”

  “Taking a bath.”

  He nodded, distracted. “Has your mother not come home?”

  Hence the reason he was distracted. “No.”

  I got enough food out of the kitchen for Ron and myself to throw off suspicion, but nobody asked any more questions. Luckily, Mordon didn’t come back, or he would have smelled Ron’s absence.

  I tried to sleep for no other reason than to speak with Ron in our dreams. However, I didn’t sleep for more than a few minutes at a time, and Ron didn’t return. By morning, my skin was crawling and my stomach was churning with panic. Something was wrong and I couldn’t take it anymore. Ignoring his request not to follow him, I flashed to Ron.

  The flash was slower for me and the light was very irritating, but my mind and heart were on finding my brother. What I found when the bright light cleared was horrifying.

  Ron was at the school in his history teacher’s classroom. It was too early for the sun, so it was difficult to spot him huddled in the corner behind the teacher’s desk. He wasn’t just huddled; he was shaking like a leaf. Worse still was that he was covered in blood.

  I approached him cautiously, expecting something to jump out and attack us, and knelt beside him. “Ron?” I called to him. He didn’t respond. I reached out, hesitated, and touched the only spot on his arm that wasn’t covered in blood. He raised his arms to hide his face and smeared more blood in his hair. “Ron, what happened?”

  He slowly lowered his arms and his eyes darted to look at me without moving his head. His eyes weren’t focused, but at least he was somewhat acknowledging me. I took his hand to pull him to his feet. He didn’t seem to notice me as he shook violently and stared vacantly at nothing. The only emotions I felt from him were fear and confusion. His mind was still blocked to me so I couldn’t hear his thoughts or see what happened.

  I pulled him against me and wrapped my arms around him. “Let’s get you home and clean.” Ron hated being dirty, and if he were in his right mind, he would have been freaking out about the blood. When I flashed us home, I was both surprised and relieved that we were in the bathroom. Slowly, I let him go, turned to the tub, and started the water. I considered giving him a shower, but as he stood there with no awareness, I knew it was too dangerous. He was dripping blood all over the gray micro-fiber bathmat.

  I pulled his clothes off and he made it more difficult by not standing still. He clutched something small in his hand, but I couldn’t find out what it was without prying his hand open. Finally, I detached the shower head, picked him up, and sat him in the bathtub. He shivered and let me move him however I needed to clean him, but he didn’t look at me or speak. I tilted his head back and ran the shower spray over his hair. Unfortunately, he opened his mouth wide as the blood started to run down his face. I pushed his mouth closed and wiped my hand over his face to clear the blood off. He bit my wrist, not hard enough to tear my skin but hard enough to startle me. He released my flesh and panted harshly.


  “Ron, stop it.”

  Ignoring me, he opened his mouth wide again. I was careful to keep the blood and water from running over his face. I tried to send my calming thoughts to him, but I might as well have been talking to a wall. Actually, it was very much like that.

  “What happened to you? What did you do?” I realized as I was running my fingers through his wet hair that he was staring at me, still panting. “Why are you breathing like that? Are you hurt?”

  He slowly held up his clinched fist and looked at it as if it were the first time he ever saw it. I tried to gently open his fist, but he wouldn’t reveal what he held. Instead, he stared vacantly at me for the rest of his bath. To my relief, he reached for me to pull him out of the tub. Unfortunately, he fell against me and when I pushed him back, he immediately leaned forward and bit me on my collar bone.

  “Hey! Stop that!”

  Startled, I pushed him back harder until he fell. Since he made absolutely no move to steady himself, he hit the wall hard and slid down, then started to cry. Terrified I hurt him, I searched his head for bumps. He wasn’t injured, but he still cried. I grabbed a towel out of the cabinet and dried him off. If he were injured, my energy would heal him; no mental block could stop my magic from fixing his wounds.

  As reality slowly came back to Ron, he tried to reach around me for the bathtub. I picked him up, brought him into the bedroom, and laid him on my bed. He whimpered, but I didn’t have a clue why.