“It’s for you,” he said.
My name was written on the front of the letter in a flowing script. It looked harmless, but after everything I had been through, I was nervous about opening it. There was no return address, but I felt a slight catch in my chest as I turned it over. I knew it was important.
“Well,” Jabari asked, “are you going to open it?”
Whatever was in it could help me, I thought. I opened it slowly, waiting for something to happen. When it didn’t, I pulled the paper out of the envelope and unfolded it. The handwriting was sharp and crisp, and my eyes fell to the greeting at the top.
“Dear Daughter,” I read out loud so Ian and Jabari could hear. “My name is Kirkorath. I am your father. You are in danger because of me. Urgnon, the wrath demon king, is trying to kidnap you to force me to side with him in an upcoming battle. I have asked the hellhounds to protect you. I am trying to stop him from here, but I’m sure he will send more demons after you. If you need to talk to me, send a note back with the hellhound, and she will get it to me.”
I looked back and forth between Ian and Jabari. We were speechless. My father sent hellhounds to protect me. He didn’t even know me.
“What the hell?” I asked, looking at Jabari and Ian. “I thought demons were monsters. He doesn’t sound like that.”
“They aren’t all monsters. I tried to tell you that, but you didn’t listen. The ones after you are certainly monsters, but their realm is filled with bad and good demons, too,” Ian explained. “Like almost every realm, you have good and bad guys. Nary’s think all demons are bad because of the stories they’ve made up.”
Jabari continued when Ian stopped. “Granted, to us, a lot of the stuff they do is bad, but they have their own set of rules. Usually, they don’t bother our realm. Our rules are too different for them, and very few of them can fit in. Most of them don’t exactly look human either. I wouldn’t want to hang out with a bunch of demons, but I’ve met one or two that try to live good lives.”
“At least now we know who sent the hellhounds and why they’re in the human realm. My dad doesn’t want me to get kidnapped.” I was still processing that my dad really was a demon. In the back of my head I had been hoping everyone was wrong and I wasn’t part demon. “What do we do now?”
“You can write back to him whenever you want as long as Molly is here to deliver it to him. I think we should go see Kellan now so he knows what’s going on. Plus, if there’s supposed to be a fight in Vammoriel, Kellan will need to know right away.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Any major war in the other realms can cause problems for everyone; between magi, demons, or other types of creatures trying to get away from the fighting by hiding in a different realm to issues like yours, where one side is trying to take something of the others to force their hand. It makes everything messy for everyone. We don’t want any more demons trying to cross over to our realm to get away from what’s going on there. It would cause chaos here.”
I understood what they were saying, and I didn’t want any more trouble to deal with, so I decided to tell Kellan right away. Ian left to go through the portal to get Kellan while I kept practicing with Jabari. Ian would return with Kellan as soon as possible. This was definitely something we needed privacy for.
I thought of the questions I had for my father when Jabari called for a break. I wanted to know the answers to the usual questions every child that has been abandoned wants to know. Why did he leave me? Where was my mom? But I also had a lot of other questions like what was my mom? What did it mean that I was part demon? And I needed to understand how to use my power.
I tried to figure out how to write all these questions down without sounding too needy, but my mind was blank. I didn’t even know how I was supposed to address him. Dad, Daddy, Father, Mr. Demon? I stood up and pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind as Kellan arrived with Ian.
Ian explained everything to Kellan, and I handed him the letter. I had no idea what he thought as he read it. When he finished, he handed it back to me.
“The good news is your father is not a wrath demon. They’re the worst type. And he isn’t the one after you. He may even be able to help you with your magic once you ask him, but you need to be careful, demons can be manipulative. He may genuinely want what’s best for you, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t trying to get something for himself too.”
“I’ll be careful,” I told Kellan. “Right now, I don’t even know what to do with this information.”
“You’ll figure it out,” he told me. “We need to start preparing for a demon war. I’ll inform the council and the other compounds. We may need to start bringing guardians home so they’re ready when demons start appearing more often.”
“It sounds like we have some time, though,” Ian said. “Serena’s father said they’re still trying to kidnap her to use in the upcoming war. He thinks they’ll try again, so the war isn’t starting yet.”
“We may have a few weeks until it starts but not much longer. Demons aren’t exactly known for their patience. If Serena’s father is going against the wrath demons, we need to keep her safe. We never want wrath demons to be the winner in any war. They’re uncontrollable. The things they would do to the other realms would be terrible.”
“Are you going to tell everyone about me?” I asked, not wanting them to know I was part demon.
“No. It wouldn’t do any good. Some magi still believe as you do, that demons are monsters, and they might not be willing to give you a chance. It’s best that your father remains unknown to everyone else.”
We discussed how to keep me safe and what everyone needed to do for a little longer before Kellan left to start informing everyone. Jabari took off too, saying he needed to train.
Molly and Ian waited for me, and we slowly walked through the portal and toward Ian’s cabin. I held the letter in one hand and the scarf in the other, not wanting to put them down.
I threw the scarf around me as the breeze picked up. The scarf unwrapped in my hands as I threw it over my shoulder and trailed down my back. I tried to grab it to bunch it up around my neck, but Ian grabbed my arm.
“Stop, look,” he said.
I looked down and didn’t see anything different until Ian pulled the scarf close around my body. The scarf was only partially unwrapped, but everywhere it covered had become invisible.
“It’s not a scarf,” Ian said softly. “It’s a special cloak called Pride’s Mantle. Your father must have spent a small fortune on it. There are so few in existence.”
“Why?”
“They’re incredibly hard to make. The ingredients are very rare. I’ve never even seen one before. This will make you invisible to everyone. He didn’t only send hellhounds, he sent this to protect you too. It’s said a magi can use Pride’s Mantle to travel unnoticed into different realms.”
“So what? My father wants me to come see him?” I stuttered.
“He didn’t say anything about it in his letter, so I’m guessing not. Maybe he sent it to keep you hidden. Here, let’s unwrap it the rest of the way.”
I held the mantle out and let it fall open. As the very bottom unwrapped, I could see a small hood.
“Oops, I had it on upside down.” Ian laughed and helped me put it around my body.
“You need to make sure your entire body is covered.” He put the hood up and stepped back. “I can’t see you at all. Even your scent is missing. There are no traces of you.” He lifted his hands and cast a spell, but nothing happened.
“It’s protected against anyone magically finding you too.”
I took a few small steps, so I was behind Ian. I laughed when he kept staring where I had been, not realizing I moved. I reached out and touched his back. He whirled around and glared. “That isn’t funny, Serena.”
I took my hood down, laughing, “It was pretty funny,” I said, “admit it.” He started to smile and then froze.
“Stay quiet, and get off the path, Se
rena. Quickly. Someone’s coming, and I don’t think anyone should know about this.” I threw the hood back on and stepped into the trees.
The girl who liked the throwing stars came around a bend in the path. “Oh, Ian, I didn’t think I would run into you here,” she said, giggling softly at him. “I haven’t seen you around lately. Where have you been?”
“I’ve been busy,” Ian said gruffly. “I have many duties to attend to.”
“I could really use your help in training.”
“I told you before, there are plenty of other trainers available. I don’t have time.”
“You have time for the new girl,” she accused him. “And she isn’t even that good. I heard she can’t control her magic. Rumors are going around that you’ve mated her.” She laughed flirtatiously. “As if you would ever mate a nobody. You know I come from a long line of shifters with a lot of influence. We would make a great team.” She tried to reach out and touch him, but he stepped away.
“We’ve been through this, Erica. You aren’t my mate, and as much as you want to try and force it, I’m not going to.”
“But you haven’t even tried,” she cut him off. “You know sometimes the only way to tell if someone is your mate is to sleep with them. You haven’t even kissed me. I could be your mate, and look at how you’re treating me. You’ll be sorry when you realize I’m yours. We were meant to rule together.”
“I don’t need to rule anyone,” Ian said. “I’m happy being a guardian, and I’m sure you aren’t my mate. The second I saw Serena, I knew she was mine. Those aren’t rumors. I’ve found my mate and claimed her in front of witnesses. We’ll never be mates, Erica. You need to move on.”
Ian started walking away, and I followed behind as quietly as I could. With Pride’s Mantle on, I didn’t make a sound. I didn’t even leave footprints. This could come in handy. I looked back at Erica. She stood glaring at Ian, her fists clenched together. If we weren’t enemies before, we were now.
I didn’t take the cloak off until we got to the cabin. I bundled it up and pushed it into one of the drawers so it would stay safe. I kept the letter in there too. I wanted to talk to Ian, but he said he needed to go take care of a few things. He wasn’t going to be back for a few hours, so I tried to call Beth, but it went straight to voicemail. With nothing else to do, I pulled the letter from my father out and sat down to write back to him.
Dear Father, I started, but it didn’t seem right, so I changed it to just Father. I wrote down my questions and asked the normal pleasantries, but my insides were tied in knots. When I read it back to myself, it sounded very stilted and professional.
Not the kind of letter a daughter writes her father, but since I didn’t really know him, I figured he would have to forgive me. I wasn’t being rude, after all. I made sure there wasn’t any information that could come back to me if anyone found the letter. I didn’t even include my name, I only signed it your daughter. He should know who it was from.
I looked around for Molly after I sealed the envelope, but she had disappeared after we left Kellan’s house. “Molly,” I called, opening the door. When she still didn’t come, I went back inside and read another book Ian had for me.
Molly scratched at the door an hour later, and I showed her the envelope asking her to deliver it to my dad. I rolled it up and used a rope to tie it around her neck so it wouldn’t get lost.
“Thanks, Molly.”
I leaned down and hugged her. She licked my face, and I opened the door for her. I wondered how long it would take to get a response. Hopefully, not too long. I really needed some answers, and a little help with my magic wouldn’t hurt, or maybe an instruction manual. I flopped onto the couch and picked up a book. At least I could learn about this world even if I couldn’t control my magic the way I was supposed to.
Kirkorath
I was doing my regular training with Jabari the next day when Molly appeared and huffed at me from the trees. I could see something around her neck, and my insides tightened. I already had a response.
“I need to leave, Jabari.”
“What?” he asked, still doing his forms and not really paying attention to me. “Why?”
“Something important came up. I need to head back to the cabin now.”
He looked around and spotted Molly. “Does this have to do with her?”
“Yes. It’s very important.”
“Do you need me to come too?” he asked, catching sight of something tied around Molly’s neck. “Does this have to do with your dad?” he asked quietly.
“You don’t need to come. I’ll be fine. I think it’s his response to the letter I wrote him.”
“Already?”
“It looks like it. We can finish later. Right?”
He sighed. “Fine, but you need to train more later. We don’t have any time to waste,” he said, staring at me. I knew what he meant. The demons would be back to try and kidnap me soon.
“I know,” I told him, already running for Molly.
We ran the rest of the way to the cabin, Molly staying hidden in the trees so no one saw her. As soon as we were inside, I bent down to her. “Hi, girl. You have something for me?”
She huffed and lifted her head. The rope I used to tie my letter had been replaced with a rope of silk. Tucked inside was another letter rolled up like the first one. I sat down after thanking Molly again and opened the letter.
Daughter, it started. I know you don’t know me, but believe me, if I had known about you, I would have been there for you. Even to most demons, children are precious. I can guess your mother’s reasons for keeping you secret at that time. Things were different then. Being half-demon would have put a child in great harm. There are still some magi that think it is wrong for a demon to have children and would hurt you if they could. You need to stay safe. Molly(she told me you named her that) tells me Ian is your mate. She approves of him, by the way. You will need to rely on him a great deal for what is coming. Show him what Molly has brought back. He will know what to do with it, and then I will answer all your questions. I love you, Daughter.
The letter ended, and I looked around in confusion. All Molly brought back was the letter and the silk. I looked through both again but couldn’t find anything else. Molly sat patiently watching me. “So, he can talk to you?” She huffed at me. “Can I talk to you?” Her mouth opened in what could only be a grin, but she didn’t answer. “Hmm, I will have to ask him how to do that. It would be nice to be able to speak to you.”
As soon as I hid everything, I headed back to the training ground to find Jabari and continue my training for the day.
“Did you take care of whatever you needed to?” he asked when I found him. He was leaning against the side of the compound, drinking some water. He looked like he had been training since I left.
“Yes. Didn’t you take a break?”
“No. I worked with a few others who are training. We need everyone ready.”
“Why haven’t I seen many other people training?”
“You train very early in the morning so Ian can still take care of patrols. By the time you’re finished most guardians are just waking up. In the evening the training ground has lots of magi here. You should train with the others today. Let’s go practice your magic first and then come back.”
“Ok,” I said, wanting to see the others train. I had met a lot of them but only in passing. I wasn’t sure I would even be able to remember their names. We spent a couple of hours working on my magic before coming back to the training grounds.
Jabari made me start with my standard sword fighting forms and moved on to daggers. He even made me do a few minutes with a mace, which I was hopefully never going to need to use. I was horrible with it.
He chuckled when my swing caused me to fall off-center and stumble to my knees. By then, a few other guardians were on the field. I recognized them from the battle we fought with the demon.
We practiced the throwing knives next, which I excelled at. I even di
d half decent with the arrows. More guardians were arriving, but instead of training, they were watching me.
“Why are they watching us?” I asked Jabari nervously.
“They want to see what caused Ian to agree to train you. He normally doesn’t like to train anyone. Plus, he’s been hiding you away from everyone and training you by himself with very little help from anyone else except me.”
We moved to an obstacle course next, which gave me a chance to check everyone else out. They were beginning to train, but they kept looking at me. It made me nervous, and my foot missed the next pole I was supposed to jump on. I twisted in midair and grabbed the side, pulling myself back up.
“Nice save,” Jabari called.
“Thanks.”
Watching the other guardians made me realize how unprepared I was. They were fast and flexible. The speed they moved at made me look like a turtle. I could see why Jabari and Ian wanted me to train so much more. I had a long way to go before I would be at their level.
I saw two other people who looked like they were in training too. They moved about the same speed as I did, and they both had a guardian with them, correcting their forms. I almost slipped again and focused my attention on the obstacles.
When I finished the course, Ian was waiting. “Let’s get going,” he said as he looked around at the other guardians. They quickly turned back to their tasks as we said goodbye and made our way off the training ground.
“Why are you here so late?” he asked.
“I left training this morning and wanted to make up for it. Plus, I wanted to see the other guardians train.”
“Next time let me know,” he said, nodding toward the others. “I’m not sure which ones we can trust, and I don’t want anyone getting a chance to learn anything about you.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would be a problem,” I said, worrying if anyone had seen something that could place me as part demon.
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