by Megan Hepler
“So, you really are the good guys?”
“Yeah, we are. I mean we are good, but not perfect we make mistakes also. I better get going, I am keeping you up. Or am I?” Felix asked. He studied Demona.
“Yes, we sleep,” Demona said. “And yeah, I better get to it. I have work in the morning. I get to train some new agents. Oh, so much fun!”
“Really? Why do you need more agents?”
“Probably for the same reason your GLC branch got you.”
“Yeah, lots of activity lately. I get that. Have you guys found the priest yet?”
“No. Night shift is hunting, while day shift trains the newbies. We have an idea where it is, but we are still trying to figure out how to stop it. Have you guys been trying to find him?” Demona asked.
“I think so. Since I am new they don’t really give me too much of the important stuff to do,” Felix said.
“It’s probably better that way,” Demona said.
“Yeah, I guess,” Felix said.
They rose and made their way towards the door and stopped just in front of it.
“So, how about this weekend?” Felix asked.
“Oh, right, hanging out. Yeah, that works.”
“Okay,” Felix said. He leaned in and kissed Demona gently on the cheek. He pulled back slightly and gazed into her eyes. “Goodnight.”
Chapter 18
Revenge
Demona walked into the office.
“We’re going to the gym again,” Balen said. Doyle and Black were listening to him speak.
“Persephone, today you begin training with weapons. This will not only be beneficial to you, but Demona can use the leadership training as well,” Kerrick said. “Now that Demona is here we will head down to the gym.”
Persephone was giggling at Kerrick’s comment. They walked down the hallway towards the gym entrance. Once inside Kerrick turned towards Doyle and Persephone. Demona stood in an awkward position facing directly between Kerrick and the other two. She was uncertain what Kerrick was expecting of her.
“Demona, I want you to take Persephone and train her with the sword. You can find equipment in the armory down the hall,” Kerrick said. “Make sure you don’t pick anything with a sharp edge for the first day. I will work with Doyle on other things since he is already proficient with weaponry.”
Kerrick and Doyle walked over towards the gym equipment leaving Demona and Persephone to stare awkwardly at one another on the mats.
“Wait here,” Demona said. And the nightmare begins.
Demona exited the gym and after finding the armory again she started to search for gear. Demona found a leather vest for Persephone, she was about to put it back. Nah, I’m not that mean.
Kerrick had been right. By the end of the day after testing the candidates, it was all over TGHC how Claudia had thrown a fit.
Demona searched around and came across two wooden practice swords. She thought about grabbing some more protective gear for Persephone, but figured that a vest was more than enough. After Demona had everything that she thought she needed to begin training she returned to the gym.
“Let’s practice here,” Demona said. She threw the vest and one of the practice swords on the gym mat.
Persephone made her way over to Demona in a deliberately slow pace.
“Put that on.” Demona pointed to the vest.
“No way, that thing is hideous. Besides you aren’t wearing one,” Persephone said.
“This isn’t a catwalk, this is training. You’ll want the protection. You’ll be sore after being hit with a chunk of wood over and over,” Demona said.
“Nope, I’m fine.”
“I’m not going to argue with you. Pick up your sword and stand like this.” Demona demonstrated the stance that Kerrick had once taught her. Her legs were slightly parted, and her right leg was placed a little more forward than the left. “Bend your knees a little,” Demona said. “Okay, now extend your arm with your sword out.” Demona demonstrated once more.
Persephone copied her.
“Now, try to hit me while I block your attack,” Demona said.
A couple of werewolves entered the room and made their way for the gym equipment.
Persephone raised the sword above her head and charged at Demona. Demona dodged out of the way as Persephone ran past her. Demona chuckled. Persephone skidded to a halt after she realized that Demona had moved out of the way.
“You can’t hit me like that. How are you going to see what you are doing, if your arms are in the way?” Demona asked.
“Shut up,” Persephone replied. She returned to her previous position.
“Try again,” Demona said.
This time Persephone swung the sword in a large arch from side to side. Demona dodged the swing and hit Persephone’s sword knocking it from her hands. Persephone went to retrieve it as Demona tapped her foot.
Demona noticed some of the werewolves that had entered the gym earlier were watching them. “You need a firmer grip on the hilt. You need to think about the way you’re trying to hit me. You’re putting too much force into your swings and it’s slowing you down. You would’ve been dead twice already.”
Persephone scowled at Demona.
“Try again,” Demona said.
Persephone swung the blade to her side, trying to hit Demona. She had put so much force behind her attack that her sword’s momentum caused her to spin.
The werewolves had stopped working out to watch her train Persephone. Demona noticed a few of them chuckling. A slight giggle escaped Demona. Persephone scowled at Demona even more.
Persephone’s attempts were not better during remainder of the day. Several times Persephone attempted to jab at her and Demona dodged the blade each time. Every now and then, Demona threw a strike of her own in just for some laughs. They had the werewolf audience roaring with laughter.
“If you hit me one more time, I am going to curse you!” Persephone said.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Demona said.
“Try me!”
“If you lose your temper you might end up losing your position as agent.”
Demona’s words hit harder than any strike with the practice sword could have made. Persephone seemed to finally realize that her future was in Demona’s hands. She stared at Demona for a long time, as if trying to decide if it was worth the risk.
Two down.
The look on Persephone’s face was enough for Demona. She knew that she had finally one-upped Persephone. She did not need to hurt Persephone and Claudia physically or emotionally to exact her revenge, Demona was smarter than that. They had managed to humiliate themselves and all that Demona did was let things take their course. Persephone had managed to get herself into a position where she did not have the ability to insult or hurt Demona in any way. Demona felt satisfied.
****
After work, Kerrick stopped by Demona’s apartment before heading to his house.
“I think she’s going to need lots of training. Either she doesn’t want to learn or she’s just really that slow,” Demona said.
“Work with Persephone again tomorrow. After that we can decide if she needs more time, or what the next step will be,” Kerrick said. “How did things go with Felix last night?”
Demona shrugged. “Eh, you know.”
“No… tell me.”
“He wants to hang out this weekend. He said he has some GLC members he wants me to meet.”
“I would rather have you all to myself.” Kerrick grabbed Demona around the waist and pulled her into an embrace. “But this is what Darius wants. Go with him, learn what you can. You never know what information we can use in the future, but don’t give him too many details about the prophecy and TGHC.”
“I know,” Demona replied.
Kerrick bent down to kiss her.
Demona hesitated for a moment. What is wrong with me? Any other time I want to be touching him every second possible. She kissed Kerrick back, but she was not into it.
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Kerrick pulled away. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m just tired from training,” Demona said. She tried not to look Kerrick in the eyes.
“Alright, get some rest. I will see you tomorrow,” Kerrick said. He kissed her once more and exited the apartment.
Demona plopped down on her sofa. This isn’t good. I don’t know what I’m feeling right now. Why did Felix have to come back and mess everything up?
Demona decided to turn on her music player. She listened to the music as she walked out onto the balcony. Demona had not had much of a chance to sit there for quite some time. Things had been too hectic for her to relax. She was always running around with work and spending time with Kerrick. Her apartment balcony was the one place she liked to sit and think.
She watched to sun setting over the rooftops. The sky was a multitude of colors. As it set behind the building a bright orange light shone against the clouds above. The rippling clouds reflected hues of pink, purple, and blue.
****
“Come on Persephone. Are you even trying?” Demona asked. She stood with one hand on her hip and the wooden practice sword dangled from the other. There were no werewolves to witness today’s practice.
“Shut up!” Persephone said.
“How hard is it to understand that you don’t jab or slash with the sword? At this rate you’ll never complete your training,” Demona said.
With Demona’s response Persephone stomped her foot and glared at Demona. Persephone held her sword out. She swung the blade, but instead of striking Demona’s it just flew over top of it.
“Do you have any hand-eye coordination? I give up trying to teach you. I’m just going to stand her and hold this sword until you can actually strike it without missing,” Demona said. “At least you finally understood that you can’t make a strike like you were doing yesterday.”
Kerrick walked over to the two. He watched them for a moment. Persephone seemed to be even more embarrassed in his presence and it seemed as if instead of just barely missing Demona’s practice sword, she missed it by feet.
“Let me take over for a while. Demona, can you sit with Doyle and explain to him how mageia can be harnessed?” Kerrick asked.
“I’ll try,” Demona said. She handed the practice sword to Kerrick and walked to where Doyle sat on one of the benches. His feet barely touched the ground, in fact only the tips of his boots were placed on the floor. Demona sat beside him and watched as Kerrick tried to instruct Persephone in swordsmanship.
“Hey, Doyle,” Demona said.
“Lass.”
“Balen wants me to explain mageia. What do you know about it?”
“Not much. Dwarves have no use for magic. We rely on our physical attributes.”
“Okay. Well, I don’t know much myself, but I’ll try to explain it to you,” Demona said.
“Mageia is an ability that vampires have. They usually develop it many years after they are turned. It can come in different forms. Some people can control minds. Others can sense things.
“It takes time to learn to control the new abilities. Sometimes they are connected to emotions, so it can be difficult to control them unless you are able to control yourself.” Demona watched Persephone attempt to strike at Kerrick’s sword.
“Okay, that’s enough for today,” Kerrick said.
Demona rose and walked towards Kerrick and Persephone. Doyle waddled behind her. “You two can have the rest of the day off. I will see you again in the morning.”
Persephone drug herself out of the gym and Doyle followed. When they were out of the room Kerrick turned to Demona.
“You are right. I think she is just that bad, and a very slow learner. We should discuss this with Darius. I think it is time for an update with him anyway,” Kerrick said.
Kerrick and Demona walked down the hall. After they stopped to drop off the practice swords at the armory, they made their way up the flight of stairs to the first floor. Demona spotted Persephone and Claudia standing off to the side of the lobby whispering to one another. They both turned and looked at her as she and Kerrick made their way towards the elevator doors.
Any other time they would approach me. This would have been an opportunity for them to find some way to humiliate me.
Kerrick walked up to the secretary. “We are here to speak to Darius.”
They sat in the chairs outside of Darius’ office and waited patiently. Someone exited the door and Darius called for them to enter. They found seats at the two chairs positioned before his desk. Darius sat in his usual spot and leaned against his chair with his hands folded.
“I presume that you are here to give an update, or that you have some other information you want to share?” Darius asked.
“Yes. Training is going well with Doyle. I don’t think it will take much more for him to be ready to go on a field assignment. As for Black, I can’t say the same,” Kerrick said.
“What is the trouble?” Darius asked.
“She either has horrible hand-eye coordination or she just doesn’t want to try. Demona spent a day and a half trying to get her to swing properly and then attempt to hit a stationary practice sword,” Kerrick said. “I spent some time attempting to do the same. She seems hopeless.”
“We have already filled her position; I cannot send her back to the offices,” Darius said.
“Can’t you just have her take Agrippa’s place? And instead take him out in the field,” Demona said.
“That is a good solution, Demona,” Darius said. “How are things progressing with Felix?”
“Fine, he wants to hang out and introduce me to GLC,” Demona said.
“Interesting,” Darius said. He leaned forward and stared at her. “This could be a good opportunity for you to spend a lot of time with him and get into GLC. Do it. Since Doyle is ready for field work and Persephone will be taking Agrippa’s job. I want you, Kerrick, to take Doyle out in the field for the next several days. I will talk to Agrippa about training Persephone to handle the reports. Demona, your job is to get closer to Felix, by any means necessary.” Darius shooed them away.
Demona and Kerrick made their way outside to the parking lot. They stopped to talk before heading to their own homes.
“I don’t like you spending so much time with him,” Kerrick said.
“I know, but there’s nothing I can do. You said yourself that Darius knows what he’s doing,” Demona said.
“I still don’t like it.”
“Well, I have to. It’s my job. I better go if I’m going to give Felix a call and try to meet up with him again tomorrow.”
“I need a drink,” Kerrick said. He kissed Demona on the forehead before turning and heading back into the building without another word.
Demona walked into her car and climbed inside. Then she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Felix’s number.
“Hey, it’s me again. They gave me off work the next few days. Do you want to hang out, or are you too busy?” Demona asked
“No, that’s great! I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning,” Felix said.
“Sounds good, see ya then.” Demona said. She hung up the phone.
Suddenly, her eyes blurred.
****
Demona woke to find that she lay on the ground. The sunlight shone through the trees in the early dawn. Dew beaded up as it rested on the grass around her. At first her eyes were having trouble adjusting to the light. She rubbed them in an attempt to make them clearer. Her head was in a fog and she rose to her feet carefully. Every muscle burned as she moved.
Demona saw the blood stains on her shirt. There was no denying that she had been injured. She reluctantly reached her hand to her neck, which seemed to be the source of the blood stains and felt nothing. She felt around for a scratch, a bump, anything. There was nothing to find. Demona doubted if she had even been injured, but the stains seem to indicate otherwise.
Why am I here? I need to get home.
A few early morning joggers glanced at her as
they ran by, but no one stopped to see if she was okay. They probably thought that if she was moving, she was fine.
Demona was walking towards home, but then a thought crossed her mind. Where is home? She found a bench and sat for a moment as she tried to remember where to go. Finally, a woman slowed her pace when she spotted the blood on Demona’s shirt. The woman approached Demona with look of concern on her face.
“Are you okay?” the woman asked.
“I think so,” Demona said.
“Can I take a look at your injury?”
“If you can find one.”
The woman reached for Demona’s neck and pulled her hair away from the blood stained shoulder. When she found nothing, she turned down the collar of Demona’s shirt. “Hmm…Is this your blood?”
“I don’t know. I thought it was,” Demona said.
“Where do you live?”
“I can’t remember. I was going to go home and clean up, but I can’t remember where I live.”
“Let’s get you to the hospital and have them check you for head trauma. I’ll also call the police and have them come and talk to you, just in case.”
“Okay,” Demona said.
“My car is this way,” the woman said. She directed Demona off the path and through some trees.
The proximity of the woman made Demona uncomfortable. Her stomach felt strange. Suddenly, Demona was on top of the woman, and she bit into her neck. The dark crimson liquid ran down her chin. Demona pulled back. She looked at the unconscious woman below her and the blood gushed from her wound.
What am I doing? The question that she had asked herself did not matter. Demona was hungry.
Chapter 19
Good Light Council
Felix pulled into the parking lot as Demona watched from a bench. She had been enjoying the hot summer sun while she waited. Felix hopped out of his car and made his way to Demona. She rose from the bench and walked towards him.