by Hickory Mack
Nakia woke her, shaking her shoulder and the questions began anew. Chiori told her what she’d told Yuuki and pressed the snake demon into keeping the information to herself.
“There’s nothing he can do about it anyway,” she said. Nakia looked unhappy about it, but she reluctantly agreed so long as Chiori remained healthy. Chiori avoided reading any more of the journal, and after dinner she walked the path Winry had taken her on the day before. Saya and Mai trailing behind her. When they got back to the house Mai was shaking her head in bewilderment.
“How were you able to remember where to go? Had you been on that path before Winry showed it to you?” she asked.
“No. It’s not a big deal, I’ve always been able to remember directions like that. If I’ve been somewhere once, I can find it again,” Chiori said, looking at the front door. “Except inside the house. For some reason I can’t find my own rooms from anywhere but the gardens and the classrooms. It’s disorienting in there.”
“That’s actually kind of cool,” Saya said. “The first part. Not the whole, getting lost in the house part,” she added when Chiori gave her a look.
“Maybe it’s part of having Earthy witch magic,” Mai suggested.
“Maybe,” Chiori said, following Mai inside. “I’ll ask Kai about it tomorrow.”
Chapter 30
The next morning Saya attended Language class with Chiori. Sen froze for a moment, her ginger striped cat ears flat against her head. She sniffed and composed herself before sending Saya to the cushion at the back of the class.
Sen started the class with a brief reminder of honorifics and their uses, then moved onto simple vocabulary. The many ways to say yes and no and I don’t know, both politely and informal. Chiori ended up scrawling it all out on a notepad, knowing she would not retain the information without some study time. By the time class was over there were seventeen variants of the three simple phrases, all in Japanese.
“How am I ever going to remember all of this?” Chiori moaned to Saya on the way out. They crossed the gardens on their way to Moscow’s class.
“If you want to, you will. People learn things they are interested in and passionate about far more quickly and easily than they will learn something unwillingly,” Saya replied. “Sometimes it can be as simple as changing your mindset, and other times you have to fight the urge to bang your head against the wall.”
Chiori grinned at that and opened the coop door to check the chick’s food and clean their water. They peeped loudly and stretched their tiny wings and she picked them up individually, petting them and kissing their fluffy little heads.
“Do you think Moscow Sensei would be offended if I brought a baby to class with me?” she joked, setting one of the pullets back in their enclosure.
“I think he might object to the baby poo, yes,” Saya said.
“Ani did, too. I think we drove her nuts,” Chiori said and Saya laughed.
“You did. I’ve heard the stories. It’s a Spider thing, they’re fastidious,” Saya said. They walked into class together where Moscow waited, his wings folded behind his back, his dual colored eyes watching them arrange themselves quietly. Chiori sat in her desk, hands in her lap. She could cut the awkwardness in the air with a knife.
“Welcome back. Before we start I need to apologize for the way things turned out on Monday. For the storm getting out of control, and for the results. That was my fault, I thought a demonstration would be more fun, I was wrong,” he bowed deeply from his waist. Chiori stood and bowed back, feeling flustered, not sure what to say. Mai had forgiven him, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to yet. When she took in the genuine expression on his face, she softened.
“I accept your apology,” she said, seating herself once more.
Class went on and he spoke on the different classes of demons, the lessers, the upper class, the Lords and the Gods and what made each, lineage, power and prestige. He used Lord Makkai as his example. His lineage made him a Lord from birth, his power helped him keep his Lordship after his banishment and he’d built his prestige from there.
“Most of us here are powerful enough to be of the upper class, though there are a handful of lessers with useful talents. Everyone here is given the benefit of being a part of this house, it gives us more prestige among other demons in the area. Lord Makkai’s name is known throughout the world. I was a Lord, once, until my lands were taken from me and I discovered I was a Lord in title alone. I did not have the power to stop it from happening. I came here, and train to become stronger,” Moscow said, no self-pity in his voice.
When their first two hours were up and the moment came, Chiori was unprepared, she’d been absorbed in the lesson and all the questions she’d saved up had flown from her mind.
“Ichio told me that the first vampire wasn’t a vampire, what was she?” Chiori asked after some thought, disappointed because she knew it wasn’t at all what she’d wanted to ask.
“She was a man. Merrick, Akunin Yaksha, The First, The Ancient One. He’s had as many names as civilizations he’s touched. I wasn’t expecting that question.” Moscow gave her an engaging grin and for the first time Chiori could kind of see what Mai saw in him, beyond his looks. “I’ll have your answer after lunch.”
Chiori and Saya went to her sitting room where the journal sat on the table, a glaring accusation that she wasn’t doing her homework. She deliberately set her notes from Language class on top of it and sat in her favorite chair. Someone had set a throw blanket over one arm and she gratefully snuggled it. Before long Mai and Hina came to fetch them for lunch.
“Ooooh,” Chiori said when they walked into the dining room. Each place was set up with a large, colorful salad with fruits and vegetables and nuts of a wide variety. Bowls of quinoa and lentils accompanied the greens and little pots of a raspberry vinaigrette dressing sat next to each salad. There were even warm rolls set out.
“Itadakimasu!” was repeated around the table and all six girls dug into their lunch happily, chatting with each other and remarking about which fruits were their favorites. They all used the phrases Chiori had learned in class that day, helping her study through practical use. When they were finished Chiori was accompanied by Hina instead of Saya. The dog demon almost wiggled with excitement down the hallway and Chiori couldn’t help but grin. Her energy was infectious.
“You’re so lucky Lady Chiori,” Hina crooned, “so many people here care about you, and your teachers?! I’m a lesser, so normally I would only see people like Moscow or Ichio or Kai from a distance. My gods, they’re all among the most desirable men in the house!”
“I guess they are, but I don’t really think of any of them like that, I’m bonded to Lord Makkai,” Chiori said quickly. “Everyone should really leave Kai alone, he’s trying to be good while he’s here.”
“Lord Makkai is too scary to daydream about. And you can still look at other guys, he isn’t even here! You’ll understand when you’re older I guess. Kai might pretend he’s trying to be good, but that man is walking sex, he can’t help it, it’s what he is,” Hina continued, missing the tone used completely, and Chiori stopped mid step. She couldn’t listen to another word of it.
“Hina, I’m going to put an end to that kind of talk right now. Your behavior on Tuesday and the way you’re speaking now is embarrassing. Kai and my other teachers aren’t your playthings. I’ll be finishing Moscow Sensei’s class without you panting after him, thank you,” Chiori slipped through the barrier, leaving Hina calling apologies after her.
Moscow was leaning against a pillar outside of his classroom a few feet away, a serious expression on his face. Chiori blushed and looked at her feet. “You heard all of that?” she asked.
“I did.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Moscow said. “I’ve misjudged you in more ways than one, Lady Chiori. Looks like you’ve a bit more substance in that head than I thought.”
“It sounds like that’s a good thing,” she said.
“I think I’m allowed to make my own rules occasionally. It will get the point across better this way,” she answered. Moscow gave her a lingering look with his mismatched eyes, then leaned forward.
“Okay. Please, come in,” he said. She followed him into the classroom and sat at her desk. Moscow sat in his chair with a sigh.
“The magic teacher probably doesn’t need you to be his champion, he is half sylvan, after all and that type of reputation comes with the territory. He would not deny that’s who and what he is, an incubus that denies its own nature is soon dead. However,” he added when she started to protest, “your reaction was warranted. Lenient, even.”
Moscow pushed the hair out of his eyes.
“Members of this house are held to a higher level of decency than elsewhere. If the dog cannot behave, she must be chastised, and you executed it in a timely fashion. She’ll get far worse when the head of your household learns of what has happened. It’s a lesson she will not soon forget.”
“I barely know her, but her words were gross, and I won’t tolerate it,” Chiori sniffed, wondering what sort of punishment Nakia would mete out and if she should put a stop to it. Then she wondered if Nakia would do anything, since she had not yet been officially named the head of her companions. She’d have to change that.
“Nor should you. You’re the Lady of a great house. Keep your people in hand and hold them to the standards you set. Do not allow your staff to lower your standards, and thus, your expectations of them. Their actions reflect directly on you and because of that they should be peerless, untouchable,” Moscow advised.
“I will keep that in mind, Sensei,” Chiori said.
“Now, back to task. Merrick was his first name on Earth, given to him by a witch named Mithua. She killed three hundred magic bearing infants over three years in sacrifice, the last on the night all three moons were full, in order to bring him from one of the ethereal realms and into corporeal form. He is a creature unlike any other on Earth.”
“Merrick was born in blood and he craved it from the very beginning, he slaughtered humans and demons and witches and fae, he didn’t care to whom the blood belonged. The stories of his first century describe entire villages slaughtered. Covens wiped out. Fae families drained dry,” Moscow said.
“It’s believed the first actual vampire was your age, a boy named Elijah, and it’s said that Merrick created him out of loneliness. This was somewhere between his first and second century, but it was so long ago I doubt either of them would remember exactly when it happened,” Moscow said.
“Wait, you’re speaking of him like he’s still alive,” Chiori said, a note of horror in her voice.
“There haven’t been any substantiated rumors of his whereabouts in three hundred years. There are always frauds, who always turn out to be vampires or lessers trying to buy themselves some notoriety using his name. However, the fact that there are still vampires makes it probable he’s out there somewhere. It’s his blood running through their veins, and while nobody’s certain his death would bring about theirs, it’s the most common theory,” Moscow said and Chiori shuddered. He sounded like a true monster.
“The biggest problem with him going missing is the vampire population has exploded. There are historical records, census polls. One year there would be an estimate of tens of thousands of them and the next the Devil Yaksha would sweep them out, leaving only a few hundred. It happened every hundred years or so, he just, cleaned house.”
“Why would he do that to his own people?” Chiori asked.
“I don’t know the answer to that. Some say he didn’t really think of them as his own people, and their demand for his attention annoyed him. Others say the more generations away from him a vampire was, the weaker they were, making them useless to him. It was shown true that the older a vampire was, the more likely it was to survive his sudden urge to slaughter them all,” Moscow looked thoughtful.
“He had his very own prophecy, given to him directly from the greatest prophet of all time, Elander. It was said he would find ‘the key’ and use it to save the world. He would know it because she would be the only one he would ever love. Pretty sad stuff, really. Legend from then says the girl died when the time came.”
“One of the scariest demons I’ve ever heard of saved the world?” Chiori asked doubtfully.
“He is the scariest demon I’ve ever heard of, and yes. He did. He stopped the Dragons from destroying the planet, once. Though it almost happened a second time,” Moscow answered.
“Why is he scarier than the Dragons, if he saved everyone from them?” Chiori asked.
“The Dragons weren’t trying to hurt anyone, they were reacting to other people, trying to use their powers for their own selfish desires. Elander told many prophecies about them, including one warning the world not to try dominating the pair, else death would find them. Elander’s prophecy that they would destroy the world was self-fulfilling from the very start. Once the Earth Mother heard it, she was hell bent on killing them, which caused the very event she was trying to prevent. They lived tragic lives, and Yaksha was right in the middle of it all,” Moscow said.
“What a crazy story,” Chiori remarked, unable to think of anything more substantial to say.
“All the crazier because it was well documented. The Light Dragon was even filmed all over the country with an elf and Yaksha, the three working together, by multiple humans and their surveillance cameras. There are people who have devoted their entire lives to Dragon Lore, and those that still believe the final prophecy of Elander,” Moscow frowned a moment, searching his memory for the right words.
“When the need is at its greatest, the Dragon Priestess will be born, and her coven of legion will summon the pair’s return,” Moscow finished. “There’s more to it than that, clues on where to find the Priestess and such, but I can’t remember it all. There are entire covens dedicated to figuring out exactly when and where this woman will arrive.”
“Why would anyone want them to come back? It sounds like it was chaotic when they were here,” Chiori said.
“Well, yeah, it was. There is also speculation that the Dark Dragon would not do well here, since the dark moon was destroyed when the Light Dragon harnessed the celestial bodies to rip a massive hole through the Universe,” Moscow said. “Nobody, not even the reapers, know where she took them. The hole closed up and nothing was heard since.”
“Wait, there was a third moon?!” Chiori asked incredulously.
“It was only destroyed three hundred years ago Lady Chiori, pieces of it are still being found today, you can’t tell me the humans don’t know this,” Moscow lifted his eyebrows.
“If they do, none of them shared it with me,” she said.
“Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, all of this is history lesson stuff as much as it is Demon Lore. Ichio can help fill in holes if you’re truly interested, or we can revisit the subject later. I can tell you no more today because our time here is up and your magic teacher is going to come looking for you if you’re late. Your lines are still crap, but slightly better-quality crap. Keep practicing. See you on Saturday,” Moscow dismissed her.
Chiori was a bit disoriented, when she left Moscow’s classroom, she hadn’t known time was moving so quickly. She considered going to find one of the girls before Kai’s class but thought better of it. If they really needed to be with her, they could go around through Lord Makkai’s halls to reach the classrooms.
She walked confidently to Kai’s classroom, nearly stumbling when she walked in. Kai stood with his back to her, enormous, leathery black wings spread out, the tips nearly touching the ground. He heard her footsteps and turned.
“Does everyone in this house have secret wings? When do I get mine?” Chiori joked.
“Only the cool kids get wings. Sorry, you’ve
gotta be at least this tall to-” Kai started to joke back, his hand in the air indicating height, then he looked behind her and his words faltered. “Where’s your girl?”
“It’s just me today,” Chiori said.
“That’s not a good idea,” Kai replied.
“Why not? It’s not like you’re going to eat me. You promised Lord Makkai, it’s part of your contract. I know something about having a death wish, and you don’t seem like someone carrying one around. I may not know you well yet, but I trust you not to break that promise to him,” Chiori said and Kai flinched.
“Why would you know anything about having a death wish?” Kai asked sharply, his brows drawn together. Chiori crossed her arms and refused to speak. “If you choose not to give me a satisfactory answer I will involve Lord Makkai. Right now.”
“Don’t bother him. He already knows. He’s the reason I’m still alive. In a way, he saved me from myself,” Chiori said.
“You owe him a life debt?” Kai asked, his face falling. Chiori cocked her head slightly.
“I guess. I’ve never thought of it like that before. He owes me seven more, though. Maybe we can make a debt trade,” she said thoughtfully, a small smile on her lips, making no sense to Kai. She looked up at him suddenly. “I can trust you, right?”
“You’re safe with me, but I could hurt your reputation without even trying. A chaperone is best,” he said, tucking his wings away. Chiori sighed.
“I don’t have a reputation to hurt. I’m nothing more than gossip fodder around here. Besides, I’m bonded, your incubus powers can’t touch me, even if you tried,” she said confidently. Kai actually looked wounded for a second, but he covered it up with a half-smile.
“You don’t think so?” he asked. Chiori felt the tiniest tug at her heart and she took a step back. Kai dropped his smile and shook his head. “You’re right, anyway. My incubi powers aren’t working right now. On anyone. And not because of the contract. They went wonky a few days ago, so, you’re perfectly safe with me, but I’m questioning one more time. Do you want to go get one of your girls before we go on our walk?”