by J E Mueller
“Good.” I gave her a hug. “When they appear, run. Until then, let’s cover some ground. Where are they?”
She pointed behind us at six different spots.
“Let’s go,” I encouraged everyone to continue forward.
There was no sign of the demons attacking for the first five minutes. Or the next five. Half an hour went by and we were all on edge. Forty-five minutes and nothing. Then an hour. An hour and a half. Every snap of a twig or rustle of a bush made us jump, but we continued on.
Our nerves were fired. Our bodies tired from being on edge. Us knowing they were there was actually giving them the advantage. They only had to follow us to wear us down.
Finally Tella stopped. “We’re surrounded. There are six of them.”
It was a relief to finally be at this point.
No more wondering when we would be in trouble. The doom was here.
They appeared around us in a circle. Once again, the creatures looked as if they were made out of smoldering coals. Flickers of red appeared on or around them as if their magic was slowly dying out in this realm. I worried if it would be even worse in the levels below us.
They watched us, snickering at us.
“It’s decided then? Make a path?” Clover asked.
“And let the kid run. Got it,” Mara agreed.
I nodded. “Straight forward it is, then.”
Together we rushed to the front and Tella slipped by us and ran. One demon pursued her, but I had no doubt of her abilities to evade it. Together we pushed the first demon we could back and I brought up my shield around us.
“They can break my shield,” I informed them as it was struck and I pumped more power into it.
“Guess we’re on our own then,” Clover replied as I dropped the shield.
Mara blocked the next swing with her weapon and we were quickly swept up into combat. Five versus three. We stayed as much in a circle as possible, but as soon as I fell back Mara and Clover were also knocked over.
Snickering, the demons laughed and contemplated their plan aloud. Their language not like one I’d heard before.
“What are they saying?” Clover asked.
“I’ve no idea. I don’t speak demon.” I replied. I was cursed by demon magic but all I got was this stupid fire.
“How did Tella understand them?” Mara asked, confused.
“I have got no idea, but if we live to find out that’ll be great.” I rebuilt my shield as a claw swiped my way. Together the demons struck it again, breaking my shield.
Gasping in pain from the sudden disconnection from my magic I had no idea what to hope or wish for. It was a struggle to regain my breath, and everyone soon knew just how weak I was. I hadn’t fully recovered from my last battle.
Mara swung to block the next blow and Clover stabbed an attacking demon but it didn’t do much good. The sword lodged in the demon’s gut and it looked like it was in pain. But only a moment before laughing, and ripping the blade out of itself and tossing it aside. They snickered, cackled, laughed, and pointed at us. In their own language they made what seemed to be snide comments and debated how to kill us. They seemed to want to toy with us.
“Well fuck,” Clover declared. “That was my favorite sword.”
Mara’s sword was ripped away from her in the next moment and the demons’ snickering continued.
“I officially hate my luck,” Mara cried in response. “They just need to die.”
In response a spear came into view and stabbed through one of the demons.
The demon dropped, bursting into flames and vanishing. We all looked over to see two cloaked figures returning with Tella at their side. Unamused, the remaining demons changed targets.
The fight was shifted, in our favor, and soon the two new comers had defeated the demons. By then both Clover and Mara had retrieved their swords and I had regained my composure.
“I found help!” Tella skipped over to me when the coast was finally clear.
“Great job.” I hugged her tightly as I could. “You couldn’t have had better timing.”
“I’m so glad you didn’t die!” She squeezed me.
“Your friend found us pretty quickly,” one of the figures said. “But how did you get in this mess?”
“Long story.” I didn’t bother explaining yet. “Valeon’s Lullaby is the saddest song, don’t you think?”
They both removed their hoods.
“Where did you learn that? You’re not one of the Blessed.” a guy, who looked like he was just a bit younger than me asked.
“That’s the long part. Emmyth taught me the phrase, and we’ll be needing to get back to him in Faraden,” I replied.
“Emmyth? He’s not the kind to say such things.” The girl shook her head. She was about the same age as the boy.
“Then let him explain for himself,” Emmyth said as he was coming out of the woods. “Looks like I’m late. Thankfully, it worked out.”
“Sorry, I didn’t know where to find you, and I knew I needed to go,” I replied, glad he didn’t seem mad.
“I’ve no doubts of that. Trouble always seems to find you,” he agreed. “Explain on the way.” Emmyth looked over at the other two, “Their story is true, Rosalie and Jareth. I don’t know if you heard me write back to the guild, but she’s one of the ones who put an end to the demon league attacking magic villages.”
“I did hear of that story.” Rosalie nodded.
“I didn’t.” Jareth shrugged. “We’re finishing up a quest though.”
“I’ll fill you in.” Rosalie nodded. “Be safe brother.”
Emmyth bowed to them and they bowed in return. “Many safe journeys on your horizon.”
With that they went on their way and we headed back towards Faraden. On the journey back, I explained my parts of the story and Tella filled us in on hers. I was still struck by the oddity of my dream and the winds changing around me.
“It’s been going on since the time my brother Zarek was ambushed last year. We had just parted ways to meet up with Lee’s mother and I don't know…” I trailed off, thinking. “The winds just changed. Everything felt wrong and I had to stop. I made Lee check with his magic and he confirmed that I was right. We were off in an instant to warn them.”
“Interesting.” Emmyth considered. We were nearly back now.
“It’s probably just your guardian warning you,” Tella said helpfully.
“What do you mean?” I asked curiously.
“Well, you picked up a great follower ghost who I noticed when you returned from all that demon nonsense last year,” Tella explained slowly. “She has a name, let me think.”
“You see all supernatural beings, then?” Emmyth asked curiously, eyeing her carefully. He was likely surprised he hadn’t noticed it prior to this.
“I suppose.” Tella shrugged. “How would I know the difference if they don’t tell me? Demons have a bad vibe and are easy to identify. Angels straight up tell me what they are and ghosts are very confused and I try to ignore them and leave them alone. I don’t know how to help them cross over and a lot of them don’t want to. That’s really an angel's job anyway.”
“Fascinating,” Emmyth stated, enthralled by her explanation. “So you can hear and see the demons, even when others can’t? And you’re not even of Blessed blood. That’s not a normal gift.”
“In the end, Blessed blood is like any other magic,” Tella stated. “You just start with an advantage. If I were to make a pact with an angel, or even Key, Mara, or Clover here, we’d have almost all of the same exact gifts as you. You just were able to tap into this sense without an enhancement.”
“Truly?” The disbelief was thick in his voice.
Tella glanced up and to the right. “Ecanus?”
Emmyth glanced in the same direction and seemed to listen for a moment. “Well that does change a lot of perspective, but certainly there’s a reason for this?” He listened again before giving a firm nod.
“Either way…” I sa
id, interrupting. “Tella, who is this guardian you said was following me?” While it was rude to interrupt an invisible conversation, I had a strong desire to understand why this was going on.
“Julianna,” Tella supplied.
I stopped in my tracks, causing Mara to run directly into me.
“Are you sure? What does she look like?” I demanded.
Everyone stopped and looked at Tella.
Tella seemed to be looking over my shoulder, listening. “She says she’s happy you remember her so well. She’s sorry she didn’t find you sooner, but you ran so far away. All she could do before was stay with your siblings.”
“Are you okay?” Mara asked me softly.
“It’s a lot to process,” I confessed, eyes watering against my will.
“Who is it?” Clover asked with great interest.
I shook my head, not wanting to discuss this.
“Her mother,” Tella replied for me. “A loving mother who left this world too soon, by no mortal fault. No. Her end came quickly and it was a blessing. The sickness was not able to be cured.”
“This is too much for one day,” I said, starting down the path to Faraden again.
Tella followed closely behind me. “She’s here for you, whenever you’re ready to face the past in full.”
“Another night.” I nodded, trying not to just brush Tella off. “Thank you.”
“It’s nice that my gift actually has a use for once. This whole night may be a mess, but still. It’s come in handy,” Tella said as we continued on. “Do you want to hear about how I convinced two town guards to follow me on a nonsense quest?”
“She is actually really convincing,” Clover said, ready to defend herself, “Probably some persuasion magic in there.”
“I really just wanted an excuse to go on a long adventure. Town life isn’t always what it’s cut out to be,” Mara said, riding the story out.
Tella flashed a smile my way. “As I was saying…” She continued on making us all laugh and letting the focus shift off of me. Bless every fiber of her soul.
Chapter 38
When we finally made it back every one of us was exhausted. When we arrived back at the inn it was just in time for the early lunch rush. Thankfully, hardly anyone was there. She took one look at us and clicked her tongue.
“This adventure best have been worth it,” She said holding up a key accusingly.
I put an arm around Tella. “I rescued my best buddy from her crazy quest,” I teased Tella.
“I’ll toss another room together. There’s another but it only has one bed,” Kegan warned.
“I’d even sleep on the floor at this point,” Mara replied indifferent, “Sharing is not a problem.”
Clover yawned. “Ditto.”
Kegan motioned for us to follow.
“I need to check back in, but please don’t go anywhere without me next time,” Emmyth pleaded.
“I promise.” I agreed. “Where can we find you in case next time happens when it shouldn’t?
“Do you still have that paper I gave you?” he asked instead. I nodded. “Just give that to the door guard and they’ll get me at once.”
“What does it even say?” I yawned.
“That you’re under my protection, more or less.” Emmyth responded vaguely and waved us off.
Ready for sleep, we followed Kegan.
Tella didn’t mind sharing with me. Hardly caring about changing we flopped onto the bed.
“Do you think you’ll listen to your mother anytime soon?” she asked into the pillow.
“I’d say no, but honestly, it’d be best to get that sorted sooner rather than later.” I yawned. “Just… not now. I’ll let my mind wrap around it for a bit first.”
“Fair enough,” Tella agreed. “At least she understands. She’s happy you figured your gift out for yourself.”
“Me too,” I agreed. “It’s been chaos since, but at least I’m not killing bystanders. I’m so glad…”
Tella yawned, rolled over on her side, and was out in a few short moments. I fell asleep moments later.
My dreams, unsurprisingly, returned me to my youth. There were a lot of good times with my family, but my dreams always turned to the moments I least wanted to remember. The moments with Isaac, Elena, and finally Mother dying. It was hard to say if I’d ever be over those deaths. They were accidental, as far as my siblings went, but my guilt was still strong. Mother’s death was all my fault, but I did understand it had been only a matter of time before the sickness took her. Hers was easier to deal with. When a good moment came, I would be ready to talk to her.
A knock at the door finally woke me. I was groggy and my eyes were full of sand. I made a sound at the door that sounded like a combination of “come in” and “who is it?”.
Emmyth poked his head in. “Feeling rested?”
I blinked at him. “Not really, but I’ll live. What’s going on?” I tried to rub the sand away.
“I have good news and bad news.”
“All right.” I took a deep breath. “Hit me.”
“I have a new plan. It’s fantastic,” he explained, entering the room in full.
“I’m going to hate it with every fiber of my being, aren’t I?” I asked, trying to rub the remnants of sleep from my eyes.
“Oh yes. It’s terrible if you have any sense of feelings at all,” Emmyth agreed. “Tella is perfect for leading us to where we can attract the most demons.”
“Yes, this is terrible.” I hoped my expression conveyed there was zero chance I’d let Tella get in harm's way.
“It’s either that, or use her gift for finding the quickest way to save Juniper. Ghosts can move between realms with ease if they know what they’re doing.”
“So you want to either use her to attract the demons or send her to the demons to rescue Juni? She’s fifteen!” I argued.
“I told you you would hate it.” Emmyth shrugged, with a smug look on his face. “But my order believes in giving people choices if they prove they can understand the consequences of their choice. She understands both of these concepts very well, but still wants your opinion.”
“Ugh,” I complained. When had Tella even gotten up to make all these decisions? “No! Not at all!” Taking a deep breath, I recentered myself. “I guess it doesn’t matter what I say, she’ll choose on her own.”
Emmyth nodded. “That is an option. What are your thoughts?”
“Is there any way we are guaranteed to attract as many demons away from her as possible?” I asked.
“There is a way to make your route the most dangerous one possible, yes.” Emmyth shut the door to give us more privacy.
“What is it?”
“Beg for a contract. Call for any demons to answer, but delay it. You’ll need courage and your words must be well-spoken. They’ll come for a Cursed born. They’ll come in swarms to be the victor over someone else’s failings. You stole someone’s victory in their eyes. They’ll fight tooth and nail to win the end of the contract,” Emmyth explained, not holding back on describing his idea. “But it also means you may call enough of them that we can’t get rid of them. You may have to sign a contract or die.”
“What are the odds it’ll get Juni back safely? That Lee, Tella, and anyone else involved will be brought back not just alive but also safe and well?” I asked.
“If I had to put a number to it, there’s ninety-six percent chance of the plan going perfectly. Three percent to near perfection, and just one percent someone gets injured. I see no reason that any would die in the rescue mission.”
“What are the odds you won’t tell anyone of this idea aside from those who need to be in the know?”
“For this, I swear I will not explain to a soul who needs not know how you got to this point.” Emmyth bowed. “You know the demons will do anything to destroy you. You’ve already experienced it firsthand.”
“I’ve been stabbed twice over something that was not my doing. I’m ready for this if it he
lps the greater good.” I nodded. My choice was either very bold, or very selfish. There was no way I could let harm come to Tella, or even Juni. And there was no way I could have Lee die. I wasn’t going to face that again.
“What would you have me tell her, then?” Emmyth asked in an effort to coordinate stories.
“Go with the original plan. It’s already believable that I’d let myself be bait to help Lee. Why change a good plan? They won’t suspect I’d call the demons directly to myself.”
Emmyth smiled. “I only request you write this all down in case you don’t survive. Give them something to help them understand if the worst is to befall you. No plan is perfect, and this one is very dangerous.” With that, he took his leave.
I took his words to heart and did just that. I wrote a letter for Tella. Then one for Lee. I prepared to write a final one for Juni before I thought of the other people I’d be hurting. So I wrote on and on until there was one for Sandra, David, Zarek, Jameson… then all the guards I had befriended. When I was satisfied, I finally went to find everyone out in the dining hall.
Tella was talking happily with Kegan while Clover and Mara were conversing with one another across the room. Emmyth had an ale which he was drinking deeply. I sat down between Tella and Emmyth.
“Nice friend you have. Lee’s cousin, eh?” Kegan asked.
“Fantastic, isn’t she?” I smiled. She was one of my favorites.
“Bet you’re hungry, dinner was slow tonight. Let me grab you a big plate.” She hurried off.
Tella turned towards me. “Emmyth said you were hard to convince, but I’m glad you decided.”
“I still think you’re too young for this.”
“Didn’t you start adventuring at my age?” she asked defensively.
“I had different adventures. Demons weren’t involved then. At least you’re better trained than I was.” I sighed. I was younger when I ran away, but I wasn’t going to fuel her fire.
“It’ll be all right. It should go even quicker with my gifts, so you won’t be bait for long.” She smiled, happy to help. “Then we can all celebrate!”