by Nichols, TJ
Angus nodded. “Because I don’t know what to say. I’ve damned us all to a slow death.”
“It’s faster than what the college would’ve given us.”
“Is it? We’ve been walking for how long? Fifteen? Twenty days?” Everyone’s eyes were getting paler. The mages were grim and offered no comfort, only words to make them walk. They had to move faster. The sooner they found the other tribe, the safer they’d be. Hopefully they would return to Humanside, to whatever country that part of Demonside linked to. But he wasn’t sure where they were headed.
“Twenty-three.”
Angus glanced at Terrance.
“Made you look at me.” Terrance smiled. His dark hair had lighter streaks and stood up at all angles. His eyes, which had once been brown, had faded to something that was barely even gold.
Angus looked away. The fear he’d been suppressing surged upward and threatened to choke him. “You have to stop the magic draining out.”
“I’m trying. Do you know how hard it is? I haven’t spent months here. Norah had spent months, and she still didn’t make it. As soon as I get distracted, it slips past like so many greased up worms on a buttered baking tray. How do you catch them?”
Angus’s lips twisted into something close to a smile. There was nothing funny about it, but all he could picture was slippery worms sliding down a baking tray. The magic was sneaky, always looking for a way out, a way to rebalance as nature intended.
“I imagine a wall, and the magic—or the worms—pile up against it.” When he finally gave in, it would flow out of him like water from a broken dam. And it would feel good.
“I’m not quitting, but it’s not getting any easier.” He put his hand on Angus’s arm. “Don’t blame yourself.”
“But I do.” His words were barely more than a whisper. “We should’ve made better plans or crossed the border in our world.” That would’ve been safer.
“Do you know how well-fortified the borders are? People get killed trying to cross. It wasn’t on the news, but I saw footage. It’s not other countries keeping us out. It’s Vinland keeping us in.”
Angus nodded. Norah, Lizzie, and he had agreed that Demonside was their best chance, but it was supposed to happen later and be better planned.
“This was the only way. Even if Saka had been with his tribe, this”—Terrance pointed to his eyes—“would’ve still happened. That he left the tribe was a blessing. That he found other demons and was able to connect with them using the telestones was a miracle. We struggled over short distances.”
“They weren’t meant to be used in our world.”
Angus sighed and leaned his head on Terrance’s shoulder. “You don’t hate me?”
Terrance put his arm around him. “No. No one hates you.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
Terrance didn’t respond. They sat together as the sky darkened and the stars came out—so many of them, and it was so beautiful. He’d wanted to share Demonside with Terrance, but not like this.
“I wanted to show you how pretty magic was. How beautiful it could be when it rained.”
“You still can.” Terrance kissed his cheek.
Angus wanted to believe that.
People began to wake up and move in the tent. Angus didn’t want to move.
Saka came around the tent. “You need to eat before we head off.”
Angus glanced up at him. They also needed to help pack up. “I think we should rest a night.” Resting wouldn’t have helped Dustin or Norah, but maybe they would’ve died in their sleep instead of on the sand. The tightness in his chest reformed.
Saka pressed his lips together. “First one night, then two, then the will to go on leaves. I have seen this before. This is not my first long trek.” He held out both his hands. One to each human.
Angus lifted his hand even though it felt like lead. He knew Saka was right. “I know I vowed never to swim in Demonside again, but I take it back. I don’t care if there are actual riverwyrms swimming in there with me.”
“I think you just want to feast on their flesh,” Saka said.
He closed his eyes for a moment to remember the singing and the dancing and the feast after he’d been bait. When he opened his eyes, he saw the sadness on Saka’s face, the worry in his eyes. Saka clasped his fingers around Angus’s hand. If he missed his tribe and his home, he hadn’t said anything.
Terrance reached out, and Saka pulled them both up.
His hands were warm, and his skin was rough. It was familiar and calming… or Saka was doing a little magic to make him feel that way. Was that a faint shimmer or just the starlight on his skin?
Right then Angus didn’t care. He glanced at Saka and Terrance’s hands. They had spoken on the journey, but it was the first time Angus had seen them touch. It gave him hope. He’d been worried that the two people he cared about most would hate each other, but there seemed to be some kind of agreement between them. Angus reached out for Terrance’s hand to complete the circle.
He was sure he felt a ripple of magic run through him.
Saka nodded, and the corner of his lips turned up in a half smile. “One day, when this is a memory that has lost the pain, I would like to know how much magic can be raised with two humans.”
Terrance snorted. “Purely for research purposes.” But he smiled as he appraised the demon.
They had been sleeping close. Most nights he was between Terrance and Saka, and while the idea had crossed his mind as he’d closed his eyes, they couldn’t chance sex when they were trying to hold on to magic. His body didn’t actually want it, but Angus hadn’t realized that Terrance had thought about it.
“Of course,” said Saka. “You will be taught to cut properly and heal too.” He referred to the mess of scars that were visible on Terrance’s ribs, even in the soft light. There were scars on his legs too, from where he’d fed Aqua his blood. The scars from the whipping were gone from his back, though the memory still dragged Angus out of what little sleep he got.
It all started when they saved those demons from the underground. But he couldn’t go back, and Saka had warned him not to run himself ragged with “what might have beens.” He’d done the right thing at the time. But many of his right things seemed to add up to a massive mistake with fatal consequences.
Terrance’s smile slipped. “And if I don’t want to learn any more magic?”
Saka tilted his head. “I think you do, but everything you know about magic, so far, has hurt.”
Terrance breathed out. “Right now I’ll settle for living. Then you can do your experiment.” He glanced at Angus.
Angus nodded, and he knew exactly what he’d agreed to. He’d told Terrance bits and pieces, but he couldn’t explain the way it could hurt and feel so good. For a heartbeat, desire flickered, and he let himself imagine being with both of his lovers at the same time. The heat flowed through him, and Terrance’s grip on his hand tightened for just a moment.
“Good. Now you have a reason to go on.” Saka released their hands.
Angus blinked as he realized his demon had just used lust and the promise of something he’d never thought possible to get him thinking of the future and not the past. But it had worked, and it had worked on Terrance too. The first time Terrance saw Saka, Angus thought he was impressed that Angus had such a powerful demon. Had it been more?
“How close are we?” Terrance asked.
“We are almost there. When I reach out, the distance is very little,” Saka said.
“How many days?”
“And what do they say?” Angus pressed.
“I do not know how many days. A handful at most.” Saka hesitated. “Iktan says nothing. He will not respond. I do not know why, but it worries me.”
Angus pressed his lips together. “If we are that close, let me try raising someone.”
Saka had not let him do any magic, in case he lost control. Angus was frustrated, but Saka had been right to enforce the ban on humans doing magic.
And it looked like he was going to say no again.
Angus lifted his chin. “I’ll do it even if you say no.”
“You don’t have a stone.”
“Don’t I?” He had the one he made for Terrance and the one he’d taken to Vinland. Both needed to be recharged, but he could do that too.
“Don’t drain yourself.” Terrance squeezed his hand. “We’ll just keep walking. We’ll get there.”
Angus stared at Saka, and Saka’s expression hardened.
“I have seen you and Wek work. You sit out here in the middle of the day while we sleep. She’s helping you somehow. Do the same for me.” He wanted to know the country the demons were aligned with. If the demons planned to kill them, it might be better to die out here. He hadn’t mentioned that fear. If he gave it voice, he worried it might come true.
Saka gave a stiff nod. “Before you eat.”
Terrance helped him paw through his things for the stones they’d packed before they left Vinland. “Saka won’t forget. He’ll expect you to keep your promise.”
“Good.” Terrance picked up the blue stone. “Or do you not want that?”
“That’s not it.” He liked sleeping between the two of them. He’d seen Terrance and Saka talk sometimes while they walked. “I didn’t realize you felt that way.”
“Neither did I. But I made the effort to get to know him because he means so much to you.” Terrance handed him the stone. “I want this to work. Saka will always be your demon, but I want to be your human.”
Angus opened his mouth, but all of his words had dried up. He’d never thought about it that way. “You are already my human. And I’m yours.” He put his arms around Terrance.
Terrance buried his face against Angus’s neck. His beard was rough, but for a few heartbeats, he felt more alive than he could remember.
“I’m sure Saka did something when he held my hand, because I don’t feel so dead,” Terrance murmured.
“Yeah.” Angus had a sneaking suspicion Saka had given them a little of the calming magic the demons gave to the sacrifices on Lifeblood. “When it wears off, no doubt we’ll feel worse.”
As people ate and pulled down the tent, Angus sat with Saka, who held his hand over Angus’s as he put more magic into the stone. Draw from the world, not yourself. His imaginary wall kept his magic locked inside, but the urge to release it was strong. It was a craving that itched within his veins when he was awake, and he was sure the dreams had only started because his body wanted to release the building pressure of unspent magic.
Even though the night was cooler than the day, sweat still beaded on his forehead as he worked. When he felt the stone was ready, he lifted his hand. “They’ll be the closest demons?”
“Yes. Reach out without a name in mind, and hopefully someone will respond.”
Angus nodded. No matter who responded, he was going to ask for asylum. He hoped the demons weren’t aligned with a country that forbade demon magic. He didn’t want to rot in a foreign jail.
Saka made the circle, but Angus hesitated. “Are you really curious about rebalancing with two humans?”
Saka’s black horns gleamed as he tilted his head. “I am. I do not see how keeping your lives separate makes you happy. There is always a time when you first arrive or go to leave where you are happy and sad, and I can never work out how I should feel. I don’t want to be jealous, and for a time I was.”
Angus bit his lip and studied his toes.
“Spending time with Terrance has been a good thing. I think you need him. You need a human.”
“And what do you need?” Angus lifted his gaze.
Saka drew in a breath and then exhaled. The stars reflected in his eyes. “I need to get the trainees to somewhere they can get across the void.” He nudged the stone toward Angus. “Then I can think about what I want.”
“And the rebalancing?” The thought was lodged in Angus’s head.
The demon smiled. “I want that. That was not said in jest or without meaning. But there is a lot to do first.” He touched Angus’s cheek. “And I still want you, alone, to myself.”
Angus leaned into the touch. “Thank you for the calming.”
“It is merely masking the tiredness. Do not be fooled.”
“I’m not, but I’m still grateful.” Angus closed his eyes and pushed his mind out via the stone. At first he drifted. Then Saka added to the search and pushed him further. He was ten times stronger, and his mind flew over the sands.
The touch of another mind against his brought him to a sudden stop. Then he was in a room with no windows. It looked solid, as though made of stone. A man in a red pinstripe suit stood behind a desk. Under his hand was a skull that appeared to be made of jade.
It was the most elaborate image he’d ever seen using the telestone.
The man spoke in a language he didn’t know, and Angus shook his head. The man tried again. Who are you?
I’m Angus Donohue, formerly of Vinland. I’m… we are seeking asylum. Did the man even have the power to grant that? I need to speak to immigration?
The man considered him for a moment and then laughed. I’m Priest Cadmael Och of the Mayan Empire Intelligence Temple. I am the person you need to talk to. We have been monitoring your approach across the desert.
Angus had to steady himself so he didn’t drown in the tide of anger. The man had watched two of them die. But that was the Mayan Empire. They weren’t known for being friendly to outsiders. Then you know it hasn’t been easy.
Why are you defecting? You have magic, a demon even, given that you are in Demonside.
I am wanted by the college for…. There were so many reasons. For joining the underground, for realizing that they are the ones hoarding magic and causing the spread of ice and the drying on Demonside.
The priest was silent. Angus was sure he was going to say no. After all of their struggles, there would be nothing but death.
Why not stay and fight? What kind of warlock flees?
One who has realized the underground seeks to take power from the college, and does not want to right things. Was he giving too much away? He didn’t care. There are five humans and two demons.
Yes, a Mage Saka. I have been told about him.
Without a country, the humans will die. They had days, not weeks.
They will rebalance, Cadmael said, as though discussing the heat in Demonside.
More than five deaths are needed to rebalance what has been locked up by the college. If Cadmael didn’t grant asylum, could they keep going and find another tribe? Unlikely. They had come as far as they could. They were at the end of their walk.
Angus’s strength wavered. He would have to dip into himself to hold the connection. How much power did Cadmael have to form an entire room? Or was Angus actually in the room? But even if he wanted to let the connection go, something or someone had anchored him and stopped him from leaving. Was magic pouring out of him while he was trapped in that windowless room? While Cadmael took his time thinking, Angus used his mind to search for exits or for ways to break the connection, but there were none.
A faint smile formed on Cadmael’s lips. You may proceed to the demon tribe. Mage Iktan will be expecting you. From there the humans will be brought across the void to the Empire for debriefing. You will be a guest until such time as you are deemed safe to the community.
By guest, Angus was sure he meant prisoner. And the demons?
The tribe will determine how to deal with them.
That didn’t sound promising. How could he accept asylum if it meant that Saka would die? Saka and I… he is mine.
Cadmael’s eyes narrowed. Or are you his?
Both.
Cadmael nodded. Angus had time to see Cadmael’s fingers lift off the skull. Then he was thrown back, vertigo swallowed him whole, and he fell over onto the sand. It was hot against his cheek as he drew in a couple of breaths.
There was no taste of blood in his mouth, so he hadn’t ruptured anything.
&n
bsp; Saka helped him sit up. He cupped Angus’s face, stared into his eyes, and winced.
“I had to.” And he didn’t want to know how bad the loss of color was. Maybe it was only a little. He hadn’t been there for long. But the camp was all packed up and everyone was waiting and looking at him. He licked his lips and said, loudly enough for everyone to hear, “The Mayan Empire has granted us asylum.”
Everyone cheered and hugged.
Angus smiled and he let himself be hauled up. Terrance kissed him.
All they had to do was survive for a little longer.
Chapter Thirty-One
“Is that rain on the horizon?” Angus stared at the smudge in front of them that hid the stars that should be visible. He’d noticed it a while ago but hadn’t been sure. It was clearly something.
“It’s not clouds.” Saka stopped walking, and Angus caught up to him.
Everyone else followed suit, and they all stared at the blot.
“It’s hills,” Terrance said eventually. “I think it’s hills.”
“I think you’re right,” Lizzie said, and hope lifted her voice.
No one said anything for a little while as they all took in the realization that they were almost there.
Hope prickled along his skin. “That’s where the other tribe lives.”
Saka nodded. “Yes.”
Lizzie took several steps forward. “Well, let’s not dawdle. My eyes are white, and I’m thirsty. I figure I’ve got two days at most.”
Angus glanced at Terrance. His eyes were also almost white, but the thirst hadn’t started yet… unless Terrance was keeping that to himself.
It had only been two nights since he’d spoken to Cadmael, and he’d been close to giving up. If Dustin and Norah had been able to hold out for just a few more days….
The lump in his throat swelled, and his heart seemed to grow another fracture, but he held himself steady.
They continued to walk as dawn lightened the sky and even when the sun rose and they would usually stop. The smudge of hills became clear, and they weren’t made of sand. They were blue with vegetation.
As they got closer, plants started to poke their way through the red sand. Then the sand vanished beneath a carpet of plants with small, pointed leaves. By midday they were surrounded by shrubs, and they finally reached the shade of the trees. The sunlight lost its cruelty as it danced with the leaves.