by Lisa Shearin
I sucked in my breath and went for my daggers.
Ronan held up both hands. He wanted me to stay put; I wanted to move. If I was going to be a demon target, I was going to be a moving target.
An armored goblin dark mage slipped silently between the Guardians; he had an ornate and open bottle in his hands. One hand held the bottle; the other had the stopper. Tam and I had done the same thing in the Quad yesterday. I stayed put and let the mage do his work.
The little yellow demon snorted, rolled over, and started to snore.
After a hissing incantation from the goblin dark mage, the demon was doing his snoring from inside a sealed bottle.
We all started breathing again.
“I used an ancient Caesolian love song with a lullaby twist to put him out,” Ronan said with satisfaction. “He seemed to like it.”
“Looked like a bored stupor to me,” Talon muttered.
Ronan’s amber eyes fixed him with a look. “What was that?”
“Nothing, sir.”
“Are you both okay?” I asked Piaras and Talon.
“Sure,” Piaras said. “It was just a little one.”
Talon shrugged and grinned. “A little ugly never hurt anyone.”
I looked at Vegard, he looked at me, and we decided not to enlighten either one of them.
“Don’t demons wear clothes?” Piaras asked, clearly grossed out.
“No demons wear clothes,” I told him.
Talon looked at the bottle and made a face. “Some demons should.”
“How did that thing get in here?” I asked Ronan. I didn’t ask what it wanted; I had a good idea. Maybe I wasn’t the only one virgin hunting.
The maestro pulled back a section of silken drapes to reveal a mirror, a big one, easily the height of the room and at least six feet wide. After what had happened last week, I would have thought Ronan would have been the last man to have a mirror anywhere near him. I was about to ask Ronan how many different kinds of insane he was, when I saw the ripples rolling just beneath the mirror’s surface. It was warded. Nothing could get through a warded mirror.
Nothing, apparently except for demons.
Dammit.
Last week, spellsingers had been kidnapped through mirrors. This week, every big mirror on the island was still warded. If one demon could get in, so could hundreds or thousands of his brothers, sisters, or whatever.
Mirrors could be used to translocate people, manifest creatures, or move objects from one place to another. Mirror mages needed a crisp, clear image to do their thing. The surface of a warded mirror reflected an undulating wave, its pattern constantly changing. Seeing someone or something step out of my reflection was one of the reasons why I owned only one mirror and it was just big enough to see my face in. Anything that popped out through that mirror would be small enough for me to stomp on.
My expression must have spoken volumes. “It’s been warded since my students were abducted last week,” Ronan assured me.
“Your mirror mage must have missed a section.” Or done a piss-poor job.
“She didn’t miss anything. After she left, I checked her work myself.”
I indicated the bottle and its snoozing contents. “And potbelly still got in.”
“Obviously,” Ronan said. He pulled the curtain back over the mirror.
My stomach was grateful; looking at a warded mirror made me dizzy.
“Though I wasn’t aware that demons could come through a warded mirror,” he added.
Mychael wasn’t aware of it, either, and the same applied to almost everyone else on this island-everyone except for Rudra Muralin and his dark mages directing traffic down at the Hellgate.
“Vegard, where’s Mychael?” Ronan asked.
Vegard told him. The maestro scowled.
“Get word to him about this,” Ronan said. “He needs to know.”
Vegard shot a questioning glance at me.
“I’ll be fine. Ronan and I can take out anything that comes in. And we’ve got plenty of backup.”
“I’ll go find another message runner,” Vegard told the maestro.
“Another?”
“Don’t ask, sir.” Vegard gave me a look that said he’d really like it if I didn’t budge from the exact spot where I was standing. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be right here.”
He left and I turned to Ronan. “Are you finished with Piaras’s lesson?”
“I am now. Talon, you’re excused as well.”
I didn’t think I’d ever felt more awkward in my life. And I knew it was just going to get worse. “Piaras, can I talk to you in private?”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“Just more of the same stuff that’s been wrong since we got here.”
“You can use my office,” Ronan offered.
“Any mirrors in there?”
“None.”
“I’ll take it.”
Piaras’s new guards started to follow. I stopped and blocked the door. “Gentlemen, this won’t take long, and it is highly personal. If Piaras suddenly gets possessed, I’ll yell. Good enough?”
They hesitated. They didn’t like it, but they did it.
“Thank you,” I said, and closed the door.
I’d never been inside a genie’s bottle, but Ronan’s office was what I imagined one would look like. The pasha’s throne room decorating theme carried over from the music room. Silk, velvets, gilt and gaudy. Ronan liked his creature comforts. A lot.
Piaras wasn’t having a good day; yesterday had started off the same way, and by last night, it had slid downhill into a cesspool. Today was showing all the signs of doing the exact same thing.
There was no easy way to ask what I needed to ask. Sure, I could just come right out and say it; it was a simple enough question, but the words just refused to come out.
“You and Katelyn like each other, right?” Yeah, I know. It was the cowardly way in, but at least it was a related topic.
Now the kid was completely confused. “Yes, we do.”
“A lot?”
“Yes, a lot. Why do you ask?”
“The two of you haven’t… done anything about really liking each other, have you?”
Now he was confused and concerned. “Not yet. I… That is, we want to… We think… But…”
“But what?”
“Before I came to class, the archmagus and I had breakfast together.”
I pressed my lips together so I wouldn’t snicker. Oh, I knew what was coming. Uncle Ryn had done the same for me. Any boy-or a couple of years later, any man-who wanted to see me socially had to go through the Talk. One of my hopeful suitors said going through the Talk was like being forced to walk through fire, except without the fun parts. You tried to get through it as quickly as possible and told yourself the pain would be over soon. To the best of my knowledge, Uncle Ryn had never actually laid hands on one of my suitors, but he’d always made it plain and clear what behavior he expected, and what actions would be taken if he was “disappointed” that the boy/man’s behavior fell short of those expectations. Needless to say, I didn’t date all that much.
Piaras was looking at me. “What?”
I swallowed a snort. “Nothing. Go on.”
Piaras glanced at the door; it was closed, but he lowered his voice anyway. “Archmagus Valerian said he would know if Katelyn and I… you know. Raine, I’d like to live long enough to graduate, or at least graduate in this form. He can’t really turn me into a squid, can he?”
“Is that what he told you?”
“And a couple of other things.”
“He can’t do it, at least not the squid part.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
Piaras let out a relieved breath. “That’s good.” His look turned suspicious. “Why are you asking about me and Kat?”
I really didn’t want to come out and say this. “I need to find the Scythe of Nen. And by the way, you weren’t too far of
f the mark. It is a dagger.”
“What’s it look like?”
I told him what my dad had told me.
“Something that small won’t be easy to find,” Piaras noted.
“No, it won’t. And apparently a certain type of person is helpful for finding this kind of thing.”
Piaras’s eyes narrowed. I had a sinking feeling he’d figured out where I was going with this.
“What type of person?” he asked.
I winced. “Uh… a virgin type of person.”
His lips narrowed into a thin line to match his eyes. “And when you found out you needed a virgin, you immediately thought of me.”
“Not immediately.”
“What, so you had to wait two seconds?”
“More like five actually. Don’t feel bad about it.”
“You think I’m the only virgin on this island! How’s that supposed to make me feel?”
I grinned hopefully. “Special?”
Piaras gave me a look. You know the one.
I threw my arms up. “Okay, I’m sure there are other virgins on this island, but I don’t have time to find them. I was pretty sure you were qualified-”
Piaras glowered. “As a virgin.”
I held up a hand. “No, no.” I was just getting myself in deeper. “I knew you were qualified in other ways to help. Levelheaded, good in a fight, that kind of qualified.”
Piaras arched an eyebrow. “Nice try.”
I hung my head and sighed. “Kid, just help me out here, will you?”
Silence. I looked up. Piaras was grinning.
“What do you need me to do?” he asked.
I told him.
“One question,” he said when I’d finished.
“Shoot.”
“This virgin thing, does thinking about it count? Just because I haven’t done it doesn’t mean I don’t think about it.” He lowered his voice again. “A lot.”
Chapter 21
Piaras and Talon needed to go to their next class. I needed to talk to Sora Niabi. Both destinations were conveniently located in Starke Hall, also known as the demonology department. I had Vegard, Piaras had four grim Guardians, and Talon had a goblin dark mage hit squad.
Good thing I wasn’t trying to be inconspicuous.
Vegard’s messengers had hopefully reached Mychael by now, and hopefully he’d taken steps to protect the virgins and break the mirrors. If it were me, I’d have every mirror on the island broken. I was sure Mychael had a better solution, but big demons would have a tough time wiggling through an itty, bitty shard of glass. In my opinion, the solution for the virgins was obvious. Get laid now. I muffled a smile. The lower hells would freeze over before Mychael would issue that order.
Knowledge about demons came in three varieties: legend, rumor, and fact. Demonologists knew the facts; the rest of us floundered with legends and rumors; none of them were pleasant, and each of them was more gruesome than the one before.
The rumor that would probably be making the rounds on campus within the hour-if it wasn’t already-would have nothing to do with fact and everything to do with horny college students looking for an excuse. Whether demons liking virgins was fact or fiction didn’t matter. I’d be willing to bet that the number of virgins among Mid’s student population was suddenly going to skyrocket. And every last one of those kids would be desperate to lose their apparently forgotten virginity as quickly as possible to ensure protection against the demons. I wondered what new pickup lines they’d be using. Help me; I’m a virgin.
With the impending increase in fake virgins, I was really glad I’d already secured the help of the real thing.
I think.
Piaras still wasn’t happy about his role in our little expedition. And I didn’t think his opinion was going to change anytime soon. Especially since Talon had already heard the one about demons and virgins.
Talon’s grin was full of fang. “Well, I’m safe,” he was telling Piaras. “I’m probably one of the safest people on this island. Hell, I’m probably demon repellant.” His grin broadened. “Are you safe?”
It was obvious that Piaras didn’t want to answer that question. “Not exactly,” he finally said.
“Piaras, either you’re safe or you’re not. There’s no gray area here. Which is it?”
I’d listened long enough. “Everyone is safe. Regardless. The island is crawling with armed Guardians. Everyone will be safe.”
Talon’s grin never wavered. “But are you sure of that?”
“Yes.”
“Absolutely positive?”
I glared at him.
“When there’s a danger, shouldn’t you take every precaution?” he asked innocently, his aqua eyes wide.
I added a growl to go with the glare.
“I’ll be helping Raine,” Piaras said between clenched teeth.
“Helping?”
“Because I’m…” Piaras really didn’t want to say the word.
“Not safe?” Talon said helpfully, grinning from ear to pointed ear.
“No, I’m not safe!” Piaras snapped. He turned on me. “Now everyone’s going to know!”
Talon snorted. “Everyone already does.”
Piaras actually snarled at me.
Talon clapped him on the back. “Not a problem. I know some ladies who can get you safe real quick. Though if you’re looking for a freebie, you and Katelyn could help each other out. She’s definitely not safe.”
Piaras blushed scarlet. I smacked Talon in the back of the head.
Topic closed.
Demonologists could make a lot of money in the private sector. Law-enforcement agencies were the natural choice for postgraduate work, but it didn’t pay worth a damn. City governments expected their citizens to be protected but only paid a pittance for the privilege. The more money-minded demonologists worked for themselves-if you had demon problems and enough gold, a freelance demonologist would gladly take both of them off of your hands.
So while Mid was on its way to becoming hell on earth-a freelancer would have called it paradise.
We didn’t have freelancers, or time to call any in. We had students and faculty. Hopefully the old adage “those who can’t do, teach” didn’t apply to the demonology department faculty. If so, we were all seriously screwed.
Starke Hall, which housed the Conclave college’s demonology department, wasn’t chaos, but it was close.
The students were either grim-faced and determined or wide-eyed and excited. The former were probably graduate students or upperclassmen who knew what was happening; the latter were merely young and clueless. Those grad students knew that during the next few hours or days, they were going to get a nasty taste of what working in the real world was like. The young ones would be told to hide.
The sight of me, Vegard, four massive Guardians, and four leather-clad goblin dark mages in the corridor didn’t help the situation. If anything, grim turned grimmer, some of the wide-eyed ones added open mouths to their expressions, and several students decided they needed to be somewhere else.
But most of them were looking at me. From the looks I was getting, they knew who I was and what I had done at watcher headquarters.
The crowded corridor suddenly got a lot less crowded.
Professor, and now demonology department chairman, Sora Niabi was standing at the far end.
I was armed for ogre. She was armed for everything else.
The professor had a couple of bladed and blunt weapons that I could see, but it was the talismans I sensed on her that would ensure the instant regret of anyone or anything who had the poor judgment to mess with her. If what I sensed was any indication, anything they started, she could finish. Permanently.
Talon saw the professor. “Damn.” He sounded disappointed.
“Damn what?” I asked.
“We have to go to class and you and the prof are off to kick demonic ass.”
“You want to kick demonic ass?”
“Anything’s better
than Demons for Dummies.”
“What?”
“Demonology 101,” Piaras clarified. “It’s an introductory course. It gives the non-demonology major some practical experience. It’s a general college course, so everyone has to take it.”
Talon snorted. “After what we did yesterday, you’d think we’d get bumped up a level or two.”
“Master Nathrach, do you know the name, type, and classification of the demon that by some miracle you actually managed to hold on to for two minutes?” It was Sora Niabi, her arms were crossed, and her expression severe.
“No, ma’am,” Talon said. “But we-”
“It was a Volghul, Master Nathrach. I would advise that you look it up in your textbook. And while you’re at it, you may want to pay special attention to a Volghul’s preferences in terms of captives/food, and precisely how they play with, and eventually prepare and consume that which they have caught.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “You meet every last one of its preferences, and no doubt it would have enjoyed you immensely. So before you mistake the miracle that enabled you to survive your encounter as skill, and think that it qualifies you to move up to a more advanced course, you should think again.”
Talon swallowed with an audible gulp. “Thinking’s good.”
“It’s very good. In fact, we highly encourage it here. Now you and Master Rivalin are dismissed.”
“With your guards,” I added firmly.
“Guests are always welcome in class,” Sora murmured. She glanced at the four dark mages. “Especially those who have practical experience to add to a lesson.”
“Piaras, I’ll probably be in Professor Berel’s office,” I told him. “When you get out of class, come and find me. We have work to do.”
Piaras nodded. Talon’s snicker ended in an oof when Piaras elbowed him in the ribs.
Sora didn’t say a word until Piaras and Talon were safely in their classroom with their guards.
“Work?” she asked. “Something I should know about?”
I told her about the Scythe of Nen, why I needed it, and how Piaras was qualified to help me find it. And I told her that I wanted to start that search in Professor Berel’s office.
Sora smiled and nodded. “Virgins and demons, an oldie but a goodie. I’ve overheard the students talking. It sounds like they’ve put defense plans of their own into motion.”