by Jared Stone
“Panhavant kind of recommended the same thing,” Lucian stated thoughtfully.
“Well then, Mr. Valenti,” Schuntz stated, turning to again face Blake with a conclusive nod, “it appears you have your solution.”
Blake looked back up with anger in his eyes. “How am I supposed to accept and embrace something that is trying to kill me!?” he spat. “Sure, it’s really easy for everyone else to tell me to just relax and accept it; it’s not happening to them! But how the Hell do I do it!?”
Calmly, Schuntz began to walk back around the obstacle-strewn floor to his desk. “Ah, now that is apparently the very secret you must uncover, is it not?” he asked, sitting down in his wooden desk chair once again. “I am not able to do this for you, Mr. Valenti. Nor is anyone. This is a journey you must face on your own. You will either learn to live…, or you will not.”
Blake stood there with fists clenched in frustration, and Lucian could sense that he was getting more overwhelmed by anger with each passing moment. Lucian feared that his roommate might become so enraged that he would try to attack the professor…, a battle which would undoubtedly end very poorly for the student.
“Well, thank you, professor!” Lucian said, walking up to Blake and laying his hand on his roommate’s shoulder gently. “Your advice is very helpful. We’ll definitely keep all of that in mind.”
Schuntz reached out and picked up another paper from atop his desk. “Alert me if you encounter any further difficulties, Mr. Aarden,” Schuntz said, holding the sheets up before his eyes. “And I wish you the most auspicious development, Mr. Valenti. Remember: only the wisest and stupidest men never change. Hopefully, you will come to find yourself somewhere between those two extremes.”
Lucian slowly pulled on Blake’s shoulder in the direction of the exit, and Blake reluctantly turned with him and began walking out the office door. Lucian was positive now that Blake had a long and difficult road ahead of him if he wished to survive.
* * *
Friday, December 5th
After the disconcerting news from Schuntz just days before, Lucian was very anxious to get back down to Deer Park and continue Blake’s training; and he thought that Blake felt the same, but he couldn’t be entirely certain. The dark haired boy had been particularly quiet over the past couple of days – which Lucian didn’t necessarily mind while in the midst of studying for finals – and Lucian was getting worried about his roommate’s spiritual and emotional state. However Blake was feeling, Lucian knew one thing for certain: it would not benefit either of them at all to be weakened by depression and hopelessness.
“Okay, now just breathe in and out slowly,” Lucian instructed. “Don’t focus on the breath, but try to get into a rhythm where it’s almost second nature.”
Lucian was sitting beneath the big tree at Deer Park with Blake and Panhavant on either side of him. Panhavant was absolutely still, watching Lucian coach Blake on meditation while Blake fidgeted around in discomfort. There was thankfully no snow on the ground that day, but the earth beneath them was bone dry and ice cold, and Lucian could feel the warmth slowly escaping his body through his legs and butt. The leafless branches above them allowed some scattered sunlight through, but, on the whole, they simply created an etched, crisscrossing lattice of shadows that blanketed the three sitting figures like a chilly net of darkness.
“Dude, how the Hell am I supposed to relax when I’m so uncomfortable?” Blake asked in frustration.
Lucian chuckled. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” he said, bringing up memories of his own bodily struggles when he first started meditating months ago.
“I still don’t get how this is supposed to help me,” Blake continued. “I’ve got some demonic force in me that’s trying to kill me, and meanwhile we’re just sitting here under a tree!”
“You’re really not very accustomed to this whole ‘relaxation’ thing, are you?” Lucian asked jokingly.
“The storm breaks the tree, but bends the grass,” Panhavant interjected. Both boys turned to look at him. What came next was the standard moment of silence following everything that Panhavant said, when everyone around him tried to decipher what kernel of wisdom had been doled out inside a very complicated shell.
“I think he means you’ve gotta learn to be flexible,” Lucian said to Blake after this reflection, happy that the enlightened master was supporting his position. He still hadn’t fully forgiven the tiny sage for what had happened with Gus, but he was trying to bury the hatchet for now while the two of them turned to address far more pressing matters. There would be plenty of time to be angry in the future…, if they lived long enough.
“Yielding overcomes the resistant; soft overcomes the hard,” Panhavant clarified with a nod.
“Yeah, I’m not really down with that…,” Blake countered stubbornly. “Me and my mom have been struggling our whole lives. It’s the only way we’ve been able to make it on our own. It’s the only way we could survive.”
Once again, this tiny glimpse into Blake’s personal demons – if one could pardon the pun – gave Lucian greater sympathy and insight into Blake’s struggle with letting go and accepting his new condition. Still, even though he could identify the root cause from the past, Lucian felt it didn’t justify refusing to change in the present. Blake would have to change if he wanted to live.
“Well, it seems like you’re gonna have to learn how,” Lucian stated, “if you wanna survive now.”
Blake grumbled incomprehensibly. “Well, let’s at least try this someplace warmer,” he then said as he once again shifted his position on the ground. “Why are we doing this here anyway?”
“Because you are here,” Panhavant answered.
Blake glared at him. “Yeah, but can’t we go out in the sun or something? Why do we have to be in the shade in the winter?”
“Because the tree is here,” Panhavant clarified.
Blake then turned to Lucian. “I’m trying hard to be patient here, buddy. But he’s making it tough…,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Panhavant, do you think we could just move out of the shade?” Lucian asked the tiny master. “Blake’s been through a lot of stuff lately, and he’s really struggling to keep his anger in check….”
“Grief is the garden of compassion,” Panhavant exclaimed, holding one finger up in the air. He stared at the two boys. The boys stared back at him. But no one moved.
“Just what are you anyway?” Blake asked bluntly. “You some kind of alien or something?”
Panhavant simply smiled. “No,” he responded.
“An angel?” Blake continued.
“No.”
“A demon?”
“No.”
“I mean, geez, are you even human?”
“No.”
“Then what the Hell are you!?” Blake finally cried out in exasperation.
“Awake!” Panhavant announced exuberantly with a beaming smile.
* * *
Later that evening, after the two boys had finished practicing meditation with Panhavant and traveled back on the transit line to campus, both Lucian and Blake found themselves standing in front of the red door of Willow’s tall white townhouse. She had called Lucian with muffled excitement in her voice and told him to come by as soon as he could. As such, Lucian and Blake both changed and rushed over there in a state of heightened anticipation.
Blake glanced at Lucian before he had a chance to knock. “I don’t think she likes me, man…,” he said almost regrettably.
Lucian acted as though he was surprised by this, but he definitely wasn’t. She hated him.
“Why would you say that?” Lucian said, feigning ignorance.
Blake cast his eyes down to the stoop. “Well, there was that whole calling her a freak show thing…,” he whispered.
“Pfft,” Lucian said with a dismissive swing of his hand. “I’m sure she’s forgotten all about that by now!”
Blake could be heard swallowing. “Yeah, I hope so…
,” he said, sticking his hands in his pockets and rocking back and forth nervously on his heels. “I just really haven’t been myself lately.”
“Yeah, I know,” said Lucian reassuringly. “And she knows that too. Trust me, it’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” Blake said with doubt.
Lucian lifted his arm and knocked a few times on the door. “Coming,” he heard a flat voice say from inside. Following the sound of a sliding deadbolt, the door swung open and Willow stood there in the doorway, looking at each of them. The long blue streak of hair on her head was matched identically by her blue contact lenses.
“What is he doing here?” she inquired of Lucian with a nod of her head toward Blake.
“Well, he’s part of our team now, too,” Lucian responded diplomatically. “With his knowledge and powers, I thought he should be included if you have good news.”
Willow scowled. “But I hate him,” she stated.
“See!?” shouted Blake, also turning toward Lucian accusatively.
Lucian let out a sigh. He felt sandwiched between two opposing forces, each of whom blamed him for the very existence of the other. “Would you two just stop it?” he pleaded with them. “You’re gonna have to just learn to get along.”
Willow let out a dissatisfied snort, but she stepped to the side to allow both of the boys to enter. Lucian passed through first, and Blake came in behind like an embarrassed child. Pausing next to Willow, he cast a glance down to the floor.
“I know I was a jerk before…,” he mumbled.
“Is that supposed to be an apology?” Willow asked him quizzically.
“Yeah, I guess…,” Blake admitted with a one-shouldered shrug.
“Yeah, well…, actions louder than words, Demon Boy,” Willow said brusquely as she swung the door closed behind him with a BANG and walked over to plop down on the couch. Blake stood there, stunned for a moment by the rejection of what he believed was a heartfelt apology, but he eventually trudged over to the other two on the furniture with a sulking walk.
“So, what’s up?” Lucian asked anxiously, leaning forward toward Willow on the couch opposite him. “You sounded pretty excited on the phone!” You know…, for you, Lucian added in his mind.
“Yeah, well…,” Willow began, reaching to the table beside her and pulling a stack of papers into her lap. “Remember when you told me Demon Boy over there said that the masked guy is in an old brick mansion on a hill?”
“Can you not call me that?” Blake requested with a growl. But Willow’s narrowed glare back at the boy indicated that she was not in the mood to accept requests that evening.
“Well, over the past few days, I’ve been scouring real estate listings for the area, trying to pinpoint which properties could match the one mentioned,” she continued without addressing Blake’s concern. “And I only found five possible matches.”
With this, she took the papers in her lap and laid each individual sheet out on the table in a row. On each, a picture of a brick mansion was displayed with information beneath, such as square footage, pricing estimates, and addresses.
“That’s it!” exclaimed Blake, frantically pointing at the third picture in the row. “That’s the place!”
Willow folded her arms and sat back on the couch. “You’re welcome,” she said smugly.
Lucian couldn’t believe their good luck. They had finally discovered the location of the villainous mastermind who was hunting them. But now what? he thought apprehensively.
“We’ve gotta go there tonight!” Blake practically shouted, jumping up from his seat. “I’m gonna make that bastard pay for what he did to me!”
“Woah, woah, woah!” Lucian repeated with arms outstretched as he, too, stood up. “Let’s not be so hasty. We have no idea what’s waiting for us there, and you don’t even have a handle on your abilities yet. It would be suicide!”
“What Golden Boy said…,” Willow chimed in.
Blake locked his jaw into a scowl and clenched his fist. “I’m not gonna be able to wait too long, man,” he admitted, shaking his head slowly. “That guy ruined my life.”
“If you’re not careful, he’s gonna end your life,” Lucian countered.
“Why should I care? I’m practically dead as it is!” Blake shot back.
“Wow, melodramatic much?” Willow mumbled.
“Oh, shut up!” Blake snapped back at her. He had clearly run out of patience for trying to be nice to her.
“Oookay!” Lucian cut in, pushing Blake toward the door. “Well, Willow, thanks a ton. Super helpful! I’ll let you know what we’re planning soon!”
“I’ll text you the address,” Willow called out after them as they walked out through the front door. “Have a fun rest of the night with the demon….”
* * *
“Ugh, why does she always make me so mad!?” Blake asked in frustration as he and Lucian walked back toward their dorm from Willow’s apartment. “I was trying to be so nice to her!”
Lucian laughed and shook his head. “I’ve more or less given up on trying to understand Willow,” he admitted. “But she’s one of the most unexpectedly loyal friends I’ve ever had. I’m sure she’ll grow to like you too, eventually.”
“Heh,” Blake said. “Wouldn’t count on it….”
The two boys walked with heads facing down and hands in their jacket pockets as they wound around the twisting pathways of the darkened campus. As they were traveling along, Lucian thought he heard something.
“Huh?” Lucian asked, stopping and turning to his roommate.
“What?” Blake replied as he also turned, confused.
“Oh, I thought you said something,” Lucian stated, now confused as well.
“Nope,” Blake said assuredly.
“Oh…,” Lucian said. Then, out from behind him, he suddenly heard the snapping of a branch and the rustling of leaves. He whipped around and took a step back.
“What was that??” Lucian asked.
“Who’s there?” Blake shouted into the darkness, arms tensed before him, ready for a fight. “Show yourself!”
At this, the bush in front of them rattled violently before something small and dark scurried away clumsily behind the trees.
“Eh, just a squirrel or something,” Blake said as he lowered his arms with a relieved chuckle.
“Oh. Yeah,” said Lucian. He could feel his quickly-beating heart once again slowing back down to a regular rhythm. “Guess so….”
10 - Names
Sunday, December 7th
There was no escaping it now. No opportunity left to alter the careening rush toward impending doom. For as much as Lucian tried to resist and get away, he did so in vain; the grim spectre rose up before him like an impassable wall of darkness. No amount of crying, begging, or screaming would save him now. Final exams week was upon him.
After discussing (which at times seemed more like arguing) the situation in which they found them-selves, Lucian and Blake decided that they would wait until they had a better understanding of Blake’s powers before attempting to act on their newly gathered information about the mansion on the hill. Willow agreed that this was likely the best course of action, and Lucian was frankly relieved that he would have the time over the next couple of days to focus solely on finals and not be so worried about how to defeat a necromancer.... That could come later.
This was how he found himself sitting in the library next to Lilly, staring into a World History textbook, on the night before the next day’s final exam. They had already been at it for a couple of hours by this point, and Lucian could feel his mind getting weary.
“Do you remember the Battle of Hastings?” Lilly asked gently, trying her best to jog his crowded memory.
“Yeah, wasn’t that that Cardinal de Richelieu guy?” Lucian asked, throwing out one of the few French names that had managed to lodge itself in his brain. “The battle between Protestants and Catholics?”
Lilly gave him a blank stare, obviously trying her hardest to remain
kind and understanding. “No, I’m afraid the Battle of Hastings was actually William the Conqueror of Normandy,” she informed him. “Do you remember that? When French became the language of England?”
Lucian felt like an idiot. “Yeah, but, didn’t he and the Cardinal know each other or something? In the 30 Years’ War?” he asked, hoping desperately that he could salvage his error.
“No…, you’re about 600 years off…,” Lilly stated, almost apologetically.
“Ugh!” grunted Lucian, flipping his textbook closed in frustration. “That’s it. I think I’ve had about all the studying I can handle for one night! I guess I’ll just sleep on it and see how I do tomorrow, then….”
Lilly giggled softly. “I think you will do very well,” she assured Lucian, looking directly into his eyes and clasping her hands in her lap. “Just have faith that everything will be okay!”
“I hope you’re right,” said Lucian with a chuckle, shoving his books and notebook into his bag before standing up. “At this point, I don’t think I could cram any more knowledge in my head, even if I wanted to!”
Lilly stood up as well. “I hope all this extra review was helpful for you,” she stated earnestly. Though Lucian would have normally taken this from anyone else to be fishing for compliments, he had the sense from Lilly that she genuinely wanted to be helpful just for the sake of being a good person.
“Yeah, you helped out a ton, thank you!” Lucian responded adamantly. “Once I have a good night’s sleep, all this information will be cemented in my head for the test, I’m sure of it. I really owe you one!”
He said this last statement more out of habit than a feeling of true indebtedness to the girl, but Lilly apparently interpreted it differently.