Gerald scratched his head.
He moved down the hall and ignored the tired, breathless pleas of the humans that saw him from their cages in the succubaes’ rooms. Freeing them would only doom himself and his companions to a similar fate.
When he got to his room he fumbled in his pockets for the key and unlocked the door.
Why was she smirking at me like that?
The room was dark.
Gerald thrust his torch in and entered.
Torch-light revealed a dresser-vanity mirror combo piece with a fan of three mirrors. This was to the right of Gerald, against the wall, by the door. Gerald stepped into the room and let the door close behind him. Reflected torchlight looked like the ghost of a fire on the walls.
A bed made from unfinished black wood in the middle of the room was large enough for at least six people. Gerald walked to the bed and slid the torch in a notch on the wall. He ran his hands up and down the black sheets. They were smooth.
“The most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in.” Gerald sighed, and tossed his ruined leather trench coat at one of the bedposts. It hung on it for a moment and fell to the floor. Gerald frowned.
He stripped out of the rest of his tattered clothes, threw them at the foot of the bed, took the torch from the holder and moved to the bathroom area of the quarters.
A small circular mirror hung above the sink. His face, hair and body were caked with a mixture of mud and blood.
Gerald placed the torch in a holder to his left, turned the water on and splashed it on his face several times. His face felt cool and refreshed. His face itched as the healing properties in the water reduced its scarification.
Gerald smiled and walked into the bathroom. It had a toilet and a shower enclosed in glass large enough for two.
Gerald sighed with relief as he urinated. He flushed the toilet and glanced at the shower, smelled himself and decided it was a good idea. He opened up a small cabinet above the toilet, removed a black folded towel from it and closed it.
The shower knobs and head were both made from the same well-polished black metal. A naked succubae’s upper body was the head of the shower, and when he turned the water on, it sprayed from her mouth.
He cringed when freezing water hit him, but it warmed quickly. He watched the mixture of blood and mud flake off of him and drain from the shower. He scrubbed the remnants of his battle with Shrazz off of his body. He lost track of time and let himself relax.
Later, he stepped out, dried himself off with a towel and threw it over the shower’s door. In the vanity mirror he could see his body’s scars had almost completely vanished. He felt at ease.
He glanced at the torch.
Nah, I’ll leave it there. The light will probably just keep me awake if I leave it by the bed.
He folded the covers back and slid into them. As soon as he laid his head down on the one of the four pillows he felt comfortable, and he let his consciousness drift.
His room’s orange glow vanished. Gerald’s eyes snapped open.
“Did the oil go out?” Gerald sat up.
Not likely, he decided.
He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. A hand pushed against his chest, and he fell back on to the bed.
Strong, supple arms held him close. His head fell against the soft bosom of his captor. His body burned with want. He looked up to see who it was, though he already knew.
Iridescent green eyes met his gaze, and the red of the succubae’s full red lips were accentuated by her fair skin. They smiled at him.
“Welcome back, lover,” Marylza said.
Chapter 40
Riell stood before the opaque blue crystal double-doors to the easternmost part of Gri’s estate. Multicolored incandescent crystal framed them. She could not sense Gerald or Drean anymore and her blindness unnerved her. Slow, deep breathing did not lessen the anxiety and frustration building up to an inevitable eruption. As long as they were on Earth and not in Hell she would not be able to rest. So what was the point of their vacation? What the hell were they doing here?
“Will you be able to find your way from here? Your room will be at the end of the hall on your left,” Ajeb said, interrupting her inner tirade.
“I’ll be fine.”
Ajeb dropped a small silver key into her hand.
“Mind where you keep that key. Don’t lose it,” the ghost said.
“I won’t.”
Ajeb bowed and faded away.
I think he could tell that I was ready for him to leave, Riell thought.
An arched hallway of black stone that looked like it had been polished by water and time was beyond the door. Blue tongues of flame hovered close to the high ceiling.
Riell walked down the hall, and the door closed behind her.
She passed the first of the rooms and noticed they had no doors. Some force within the doorways repelled light cast from the flames in the hall, which made the rooms pitch black. As Ajeb had said, there were two staircases leading to the floor beneath her. Blue luminescence from below lit the hallways dimly, but enough for someone to find their way. She continued down the hall. Her room was on the top floor.
She could hear low hums. She glanced to her left. Her room was behind her: a door with a small silver lock. She reached to insert her key and stopped.
Purple light shone through a gaping entrance at the end of the hall. Riell closed her hand around the key and stored it in the spirit realm with her armor and weaponry without much effort.
She decided to satisfy her curiosity and peered into the room.
Several male and female half-breeds in gray hooded robes sat cross-legged upon brown cloth rugs with their backs to Riell. They faced their teacher who sat at the front of the group. His eyes were closed.
What is he? Riell thought to herself as she gazed at the demon’s face. Blue skin, with spines and small spikes on his cheeks and skull? I can’t place the race in my head.
“Concentrate, my pupils, how are you to master the ways of the ensynae when you cannot even feel the Inner within you?”
An ensynae. I thought that race of demons was extinct.
“Good, Loranna, Chino, Brazy.” The demon nodded. “Your minds are clear and you are fully connected with your spirit’s energy.”
They sat still. Their bodies glowed with the purple light that Riell had seen from the hall. The three students levitated a few inches off the ground.
“Yes. That’s it.” The teacher stood up and opened his eyes. “See how long you can stay like that. I’ll be right back.” He stared at Riell from his pedestal.
Do you wish to join us? His smooth, deep voice resonated in Riell’s mind.
She immediately turned from the door to go back to her room.
“Please, miss?”
She jumped at the closeness of his voice and turned. He extended his hand.
“Riell.” She shook his hand briefly, and folded her arms.
“I am Azuleophis.” He gave her a low, gracious bow. “You may call me Azule, or teacher, as I am known to the residents of this manor.”
If he thinks I’m going to waste my time in a class with students that don’t look like they have even seen the turn of a century yet... Riell opened her mouth to say something to end the conversation.
“I was informed we would have a guest,” Azule interrupted.
Riell’s mouth shut. She tightened her lips in annoyance.
“Please, Riell, join us.” He gestured back at the classroom. “I can sense you are skilled in Inner utilization.”
“I was schooled for many years as a child.”
I want nothing to do with fledglings, she thought.
“You could learn more from the young than you think.”
“Did I say that out loud? I’m sorry. I must be getting tired. I need to rest.”
Azule smiled.
“Are you familiar with the ensynae race?”
“I can’t say I am,” Riell said, barely noticing that Azule had cha
nged the subject. “They were said to be extinct long before my time.”
“Many half-breed races are blessed with strength beyond humans and enhanced senses,” Azule said. “We are blessed with neither. We have a distinct connection with the energies within us and the world around us. It is true however that our race seemed to dwindle and then vanish,” he said.
“Yes,” Riell said. “I was taught that Asmodeus wiped your kind out because of your gentle nature and your relationship with the humans.”
“Like I said, it only seemed like our race dwindled and passed away,” Azule said, with a smile.
“You used your powers to mask your race?” Riell asked.
“Yes.” Azule nodded at her recognition. “Our most powerful elders made it possible to allow the remainder of our people to feign extinction.”
“Your kind must have been extremely gifted to escape the eradication parties of Asmodeus,” Riell mused.
“Indeed,” the teacher said. “Would you like to know more about us?”
“Sure. I’ve got some time,” Riell said, trying not to sound too interested.
Azule gave a nod and smiled. “We can attack the mind with an assault of Inner or use it to move objects.”
“So can many who know basic Inner utilities,” Riell said.
His eyes flashed a brilliant violet. The silver key Riell had previously stored away faded into view in front of their faces and hovered in the air.
She gaped at this. “How did you...”
It rotated in the air. Its spin accelerated by the second.
“This is the most basic of our psychic abilities.” He glanced at Riell. “You may want to move.”
Riell pressed herself against the wall.
Azule gave the key a telekinetic nudge and thrust it down the hall faster than a bullet. Riell could not follow it with her eyes, and when it clanged against the exit to the courtyard less than a second later her eyes widened.
“Perhaps I underestimated you.” She moved back to her original position in front of the teacher.
He bowed.
“But tell me this, how did you remove that from the spirit realm?”
He gave her a knowing look but said nothing.
“I put that there myself, and it should have been secure.” She was half berating herself, thinking it was something she did that gave away the key’s location.
“It was just a demonstration,” he said. “In time you will learn how to keep your mind guarded from intruders.”
So he did take the information from my mind without me knowing, she thought. Maybe he has something to teach me after all if he could slip through my defenses so easily.
He chuckled. “Surely by now you must know that your thoughts are as open to me as a house without walls. Easy to see. Easy to predict. Easy to manipulate.”
Riell glanced down the hall where the key had flown and back at him, her face expressionless.
“I’m going to need that key back so I can rest.”
Azule frowned at this.
“Surely you know why I am here,” she said. “And I do not appreciate you infiltrating my mind.”
“Why are you here, Riell?” he asked.
“I...”
“Moreover,” the teacher continued, “why didn’t you just go into your room? Why did you investigate the class instead?”
Riell nodded abruptly. “I get your meaning. You have knowledge that could be useful to me. I don’t understand how you think I can trust you after what just happened.”
The ensynae’s face grew solemn. “I apologize for my intrusion, Riell,” he said and bowed his head to her in supplication. “As I said. It was merely a demonstration.”
She sighed. “I can tell you mean no harm. I just wish I had been able to detect you is all.” She looked at the floor. “I was powerless, and I hate feeling that way.”
Azule put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. “These are things you will develop in time.”
“I’ve been around longer than you would think,” she said, backing away from his reach. “I should have grasped that by now.”
“Then, with a little focus you should be able to develop natural barriers rather quickly,” Azule said.
“Tell me more about the ensynae,” she said. “What do these students learn from you exactly?”
“After a few years of schooling ensynae can break illusions and use Inner as potent weapons, leaving their opponents either brain dead or irreparably mad. The most skilled of us can cancel, redirect and bolster energy with our wills alone: a kind of telepathic aikido if you will,” Azule said. “We also learn how to invoke deep meditation states to rejuvenate the mind, body and Inner rapidly.” He looked into Riell’s eyes. “You came here to rejuvenate yourself did you not?”
“Yes. I did,” she said.
“Do you know of the art of deep meditation?” he asked.
“I know that it’s long and boring.” Riell folded her arms and smirked.
“So you’ve tried it before with no success?”
“I fell asleep if that’s what you mean.” Riell laughed.
“No, this isn’t a state of unconsciousness I’m talking about.” Azule remained serious. “You remain conscious, but your body shuts down while you give yourself to the Inner.”
“Is that all you’re going to teach me then? I might as well be on my way,” Riell said.
“So, you’re still unconvinced? Or are you just too proud to realize that you are completely inferior to me?” the teacher asked.
“Inferior?” Riell smiled at this and drew her short sword, and stepped back into a combat stance. “That’s a word you should have left out of the conversation.”
“All right then.” Azule nodded. “If you can show mastery over me in combat, I will take my leave of you.”
She noticed he had no weapons on his person.
“Fair enough. What are the rules of engagement?” she asked.
“Hold nothing back,” he said. “The first one on the ground for ten seconds or longer loses.”
Riell sighed, put her long hair up and sheathed her sword.
“Don’t hold back I said. Your fists alone will not be enough to subdue me.”
The teacher closed his eyes and placed his palms together in front of his chest.
Let’s test this guy. Charging in is probably what he’s expecting me to do, Riell thought, before remembering he could hear her thoughts. She silently cursed. She would have to improvise without really thinking about what she was going to do before she did it.
Riell connected herself with the darkness beneath the teacher’s feet and felt it ripple in response: a tickle in her mind.
Certain that her plan was going to work, Riell attacked.
As she neared him, he made no movement to counter her. She somersaulted and used the wall in conjunction with her wings to flip up above him. She drew her sword.
Still he did not react.
Her feet touched the ceiling and she vaulted off it, her sword poised to strike. As she grew closer she called upon the shadows below Azule to entrap him, they leapt up behind him in response. When the shadows touched his body they fizzled despite Riell’s commands.
She felt pinpricks in her head as they dissipated against his skin and could not concentrate to mount another assault with her Inner.
Riell flapped her wings to slow her descent, and she tumbled out of the way and landed behind him.
“Having second thoughts about this?” Azule chuckled.
Riell jabbed at him with her sword. Before it punctured him he spun about and knocked it aside with the edge of his right hand. Energy surged through Riell’s arm and numbed it. She struggled to keep the sword in hand. Azule punched Riell’s stomach. She fell to her knees.
My whole body is numbing... She tried to stand up, but her muscles wouldn’t respond.
One, two, three... the teacher’s voice resounded in her head. He took his time, his count noticeably longer than seconds.
She managed to put one foot on the floor and stood, clenched her sword with both hands, and slashed upward at the ensynae. He opened his right palm as if he were going to try to catch the incoming blade.
Her sword halted like it had been embedded in a wall. Her momentum kept her moving. She fell backwards and smashed her head against the floor. Her vision blurred and her head spun. She lifted her head and Azule pressed her own sword against her throat with his mind. He stood with his arms folded and eyes closed.
“Do you concede?” he asked.
I will not give up that easily, Riell thought and used her wings to push herself away from the hovering sword and flipped up onto her feet.
Violet flared beneath the teacher’s eyelids. Azule’s will debilitated Riell’s body immediately and pressed her into the floor. Its pressure increased steadily and the floor cracked against the strain. Riell simultaneously screamed.
One, two, three, four, five, six.
Riell’s ribcage buckled, and she could not breathe.
I concede, she thought.
She could breathe again. She took a deep breath and coughed it out. She fought the urge to rub her burning chest and lifted her head to look at her opponent. Azule offered his hand. She grasped it. He pulled her to her feet, and she braced herself against the wall.
“This is yours.” He offered the sword back to her. She took it and attempted to sheathe it but missed her scabbard altogether. Riell stumbled and almost fell back onto the ground again. Azule caught her and put her arm around his shoulder.
“Thanks.” She coughed. Blood ran down her chin.
He fought me like he knew every move I was going to make. He had counters prepared before I even executed my attacks, she thought.
Before the battle you made a plan to use a whimsical style to catch me off guard, the ensynae thought at her. Was that plan yours? Were the executions yours?
Riell’s cheeks burned with embarrassment when she realized the teacher had implanted every move she was going to make into her own head.
“I trust you’re ready to learn the art of deep meditation now?”
He smiled at her.
She nodded and tried to sheathe her sword again. This time it slid back into its scabbard.
From Heaven To Earth (The Faith of the Fallen) Page 29