Desire (Legends of the Kilanor Book 3)

by Jared Stone

  “RRrrrrrrrrr,” she growled loudly, continuing to walk circles around the center of the room and breathe heavily like some sort of enraged beast. Finally stopping after a few minutes of this feral behavior, she let go of her hair and held her hands out in front of her. They still trembled with barely-restrained rage.

  “He does not think he needs me,” she hissed quietly to herself. “But I shall prove to him that he is wrong! So very wrong!”

  Rotating her wrists so that her hands were facing the ceiling, the woman took her right index fingernail and dug it into her left palm. Without even flinching, she raked the nail across the skin and opened up a sizable gash in the flesh. Turning her hand over, she squeezed tightly, forcing three drops of blood to drip out and fall upon the wooden floorboards beneath her. She then slowly passed her right hand over these three red dots on the floor and whispered words in an otherwise forgotten tongue. The droplets began to glow with a purple hue. Lilith took a step back and watched with a mischievous grin as the blood started to pulsate like the beating of a heart.

  “Yes…,” she whispered. “Arise! I, Lilith, summon you to do my bidding.”

  The droplets now gradually flowed outwards from their points of impact, the rhythmic pulsation intensifying to the point that it seemed as if they were boiling. From these bubbling, writhing pools of crimson liquid, sharp horns emerged, sticking out of the floorboards and into the air like demonic spires. As they continued to rise, they were soon followed by round mounds with glowing red eyes embedded within them that snapped open as soon as they were clear of the viscous fluids of their origin. Whole bodies followed after this – skinny, seemingly frail little humanoid forms with bat-like wings and sharp claws on tiny hands and feet. These impish creatures stood no taller than two feet, and they twisted their heads around and gnashed their sharp teeth as they surveyed their surroundings.

  “Find the boy,” Lilith commanded of them. “Find Lucian and bring him back to me. Alive.”

  All three of the imps nodded once in comprehension, then scurried over to the window of the room. One of them slid open the glass pane and immediately leapt out. The other two followed behind, spreading their wings and taking to the air like giant bats silhouetted against the moonlight. Once they had exited, Lilith waved her hand and sent the window crashing down again with a slam.

  “Samael shall learn not to doubt me,” she whispered assuredly to herself. “I shall make him appreciate me. I shall make him love me once again….”

  * * *

  Monday, December 22nd

  Lucian stood outside of his dorm, by the circular driveway – the spot where his parents had dropped him off less than four months ago to begin his new life in college. He thought about how drastically different he had been back then – how innocent and blissfully naïve. So much had happened to him in such a short span of time: he had defeated Zagan and freed Blake from demonic possession, Willow and he had become friends and her parents and sister had been killed as a result, he had developed his abilities to utilize qi under the guidance of Panhavant, and he had gained a great friend and guardian in Gus, who now stood beside him on the end of a leash.

  “They’ll be here in a minute,” Lucian said, glancing down at the little black puppy who sat on the ground. Gus looked up at the boy and wagged his tail in excitement. “So be good.”

  Gus panted with his mouth open, wearing that same, dopey grin he always used to wear as a human. Lucian smiled in return. He couldn’t imagine how anyone could remain upset or stressed while staring at the eternally optimistic face of a puppy.

  Just then, Lucian heard the crunching of wheels turning into the driveway. Glancing up, he beheld his parents’ car coming toward him, with his father driving and his mother waving excitedly from the passenger seat. The car had barely come to a stop in front of him before Mrs. Aarden had her door open and foot on the ground.

  “Yaaaaayyy!” she cried, running over to Lucian and giving him a big hug. “You made it through your first semester!”

  As his mom swayed back and forth with him tightly grasped in her arms, Lucian couldn’t help but grin. Just barely…, he thought to himself.

  “And who is this!?” Mrs. Aarden then exclaimed, kneeling down next to Gus. Excitedly wagging his tail to the point that his whole back half shook violently along with it, Gus eagerly licked at the woman’s fingers.

  “That’s G-” Lucian caught himself right before he made a very awkward slip. He realized he couldn’t give his parents the puppy’s actual name, as they had met Gus while he was still in human form. His mom already thought Gus and he had been dating…. He couldn’t make it even more awkward by seeming to have named his new dog after the man. Lucian therefore had to rely on some very quick thinking to cover his tracks.

  “That’s Titus, mom,” Lucian said in more of a relieved sigh than a statement of fact. “He’s a stray puppy I found on campus one night. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if I brought him back home with me for break. He’s very well behaved, I promise.”

  His mother looked up at him from her position on the ground. “Of course he can come!” she cried, taking Gus’ soft cheeks and mushing them between her fingers. “Look at this adorable little fluffy face! Who could say no to that?”

  She then stood up and playfully smacked Lucian on his arm. “How could you not tell me that I have a grandpuppy now!?”

  Lucian laughed. “Sorry, mom,’ he said. “My mind’s been really occupied lately. I guess I just forgot!”

  His mom narrowed her eyes at him. “Mhmmmm…,” she murmured.

  “All packed up and ready to go, then?” Lucian heard his father ask as he walked around the back of the car to join his wife and son.

  “Yup!” Lucian said excitedly. “I am so ready to be back home for a while! This past semester nearly killed me!”

  “Oh, I bet!” Mrs. Aarden said sympathetically. She reached out and grabbed the leash from Lucian’s hand and began to lead Gus over to the car. “Okay, Titus. Time to go over to Grandma and Grampa’s house for the holidays!”

  Gus gleefully pranced along behind her, and Lucian couldn’t help but wonder if it was because he still remembered that one slice of pie she had offered to him on his last visit.

  * * *

  Thursday, December 25th

  The first few days at Lucian’s parents’ house had been great. Lucian and Gus basically lounged around doing nothing but watching TV, eating, and playing video games, which seemed to perfectly fit how both of them wanted to spend their vacation. Although Lucian got some texts from old friends asking if he was home for the holidays and wanted to hang out, Lucian politely declined. He had been through so much over the past few months that he needed some significant downtime, far away from people and responsibilities, in order to recharge; and he could only assume that the process of dying and coming back as a puppy had taken its toll on Gus’ mental health as well. As such, Lucian and Gus pretty much led a cyclical existence between the bed and the couch until Christmas Day rolled around, when they finally had to leave their comfortable routine and go to Lucian’s grandparents’ for Christmas dinner.

  “Okay, now, remember: make sure to tell Grandma Aarden how delicious all the food is!” Mrs. Aarden reminded her son as they walked along the cement path to the front door of the house. “She’s worked very hard all day on it, and it’s very important that we enjoy it!”

  Lucian chuckled, following along behind her with Gus cradled in his arms. “I do every year, mom,” he reassured his mother. “Dinner’s always great, and I always make sure to tell her that.”

  Mrs. Aarden smiled at her son. “I know you do,” she said. “We raised you so well!”

  Arriving at the front door, Mr. Aarden gave his wife enough time to make sure her hair looked presentable and her scarf was on correctly before knocking three times against the wooden panels in front of him and waiting. Within a minute, the door swung open and Lucian’s grandfather stood in the doorway.

  “Hey!” the
old man exclaimed, throwing his arms open in welcoming. “Come in! Come in!”

  Lucian’s father was the first through the door, giving his own father a hug before fully stepping inside and heading directly into the kitchen. Next came Mrs. Aarden, hugging her father-in-law with a kiss on the cheek.

  “Hi, Bill,” Mrs. Aarden said. “Thanks so much for having us over. How are you feeling?”

  Grandpa Aarden grinned broadly. “I’m still alive!” he said proudly. Mrs. Aarden laughed heartily at this before joining her husband in the kitchen.

  Lucian was last in line, holding Gus out to the side to ensure that the puppy was not squished between them as he hugged his grandfather with his free arm.

  “Hi, Grandpa,” Lucian said, stepping up into the foyer and releasing his grip on the man.

  “I swear you’re growing taller every time I see you!” his grandfather exclaimed, shutting the door behind him. “And who is this you’ve got with you?”

  Lucian looked down at Gus, who wiggled anxiously in his arms, awaiting introductions. “This is Titus, Grandpa,” Lucian said, holding Gus out so that his grandfather could scratch the puppy’s head. “I found him at school and couldn’t find his owners, so I decided to keep him.”

  Grandpa Aarden continued to scratch behind the puppy’s ears for a minute, staring into his big brown eyes as he did so. Gus stared back at the old man, wagging his tail beneath Lucian’s arm.

  “I feel like I’ve met this little guy before!” Grandpa Aarden then stated, standing back to stare some more at the puppy. “Are you sure we’ve never met?”

  Lucian chuckled slightly with a confused look on his face. “No, Grandpa. I’m sure. I just found him this past semester.” He began to worry that maybe his grandfather’s mind had started to slip with old age.

  Grandpa Aarden stood silently for a moment, his brow sunk low with thought. Then he shrugged. “Well, maybe in a previous life, then!” he suggested lightly, patting Lucian on the shoulder and pulling the boy along with him into the kitchen. “Come on! Let’s go say hi to your grandmother!”

  * * *

  “Grandma, dinner is delicious!” Lucian exclaimed earnestly, looking over toward his grandmother who sat on the other side of the table from him. “Thanks so much for cooking all of this!”

  Grandma Aarden smiled softly. “I’m happy you like it, Lucian,’ she said. “It’s so nice to have the whole family together for the holidays again.”

  Lucian nodded. He truly did enjoy spending time with his parents and grandparents. He had always heard some of his friends and classmates dreading the mandatory family time over the holidays; being bored and stuck with their relatives for a whole day and wishing they could just leave and go home. But Lucian never understood that. Especially with what had gone on in his life recently, it was very nice to just live in the presence of loved ones.

  “So, Lucian,” his grandfather cut in, “how was your first semester in college?

  Lucian took a second to swallow the food in his mouth before speaking. “It was… very, very busy,” he said, taking a brief sip of water before continuing. Thoughts of defeating a demon, battling draugar, and confronting a masked villain once again entered his mind. “There was a lot more to do than I thought, and it got a little crazy at times. But I ended with good grades, at least!”

  “I see…,” Grandpa Aarden said thoughtfully. “Have you decided on a major yet?”

  “No, not really,” Lucian admitted. “I’ve been kind of thinking of maybe Religion, but I’m still not sure yet.”

  Lucian’s father furrowed his brow. “Religion?” he asked in surprise. “I don’t remember you ever saying that before.”

  “It’s just a thought I’ve been having lately, that’s all,” Lucian clarified, for some reason now feeling embarrassed about having now said it out loud. “I just really enjoyed everything I learned this past semester about other religions, and I’m interested in taking some more classes on it and seeing if it’s something I’d like to make my major.”

  Mr. Aarden looked concerned. “What kind of job do you think you could get with that?” he asked.

  Lucian had to pause and think about how to answer his father’s inquiry. He honestly hadn’t given it any significant consideration past acknowledging that it was an interest of his. If someone had asked him four months ago if he would ever consider majoring in religion, Lucian would have laughingly dismissed the entire premise. Even when Professor Schuntz had first suggested it, Lucian though that the notion was absolutely absurd. But after getting to know Schuntz, Willow, Blake, Gus, Panhavant, and Dareia, he had a newfound appreciation for what, before, seemed to him like nothing but mystical mumbo-jumbo.

  “I guess I could be a professor or something,” Lucian suggested meekly. “Or maybe some kind of expert on religions. I honestly don’t know. I just know I’m really interested in it.”

  Or, I could just become a Kílán, like Gus, Lucian reminded himself. He glanced down at the puppy by his feet who stared up at him with ravenous desire in his eyes for the ham on the boy’s plate.

  “I just want to be sure you’re thinking this through,” Mr. Aarden cautioned. “You don’t want to come out of college with a useless major and no job prospects.”

  Mrs. Aarden then laid her hand on her son’s arm. “Maybe you could make it your minor and major in something more useful?” she suggested. “Something complimentary, like International Affairs or Law.”

  Lucian nodded, even though neither of those options sounded particularly appealing to him. “Yeah,” he said. “I’ve still got some time to decide, anyway.”

  There was an awkward moment of silence before Grandpa Aarden cut in again.

  “Well, I think that sounds like a very interesting major,” he stated assuredly. “I would have done the same thing when I was younger! Always follow your passions, that’s what I say.”

  Lucian smiled. “Thanks, Grandpa,” he said.

  Grandpa Aarden just winked at him.

  “Alright, who’s ready for dessert?” Grandma Aarden asked everyone suddenly, standing up to collect all the empty dinner plates.

  “Let me help you with that, Barbara,” Mrs. Aarden said as she stood up herself to help her mother-in-law with the cleaning.

  The two women began to grab plates and silverware and glasses with the skill and speed of only those who have perfected the art over thousands of home cooked meals. Lucian was just getting up out of his chair to offer his own assistance to his mother and grandmother when he heard his grandfather’s voice.

  “Hey, Lucian,” Grandpa Aarden said, “I forgot that there was something I wanted to show you in my office. Come with me for a second.”

  “Oh, sure,” Lucian said. He wondered what on earth it might be. Hopefully not some sort of mounted fish carcass he had picked up at a yard sale or something.

  Grandpa Aarden wiped his mouth one more time with his napkin, then slowly stood up. “It won’t be more than a minute or two,” he reassured the rest of the family. As he walked off in the direction of his office, Lucian followed behind him. Gus remained in the kitchen, directly beneath where the plates were being scraped off into the garbage.

  Once Lucian had stepped inside his office, Grandpa Aarden closed the door. The room was small – Lucian thought he remembered it actually being his father’s bedroom while he was growing up – and it now contained a bookshelf, desk, and office chair. It had the same old-world feel as Schuntz’s, but not nearly the same level of book clutter. Lucian couldn’t really understand why his grandfather needed an office, as he had been retired for as long as Lucian could remember, but he figured it was the comfort of having a place to call his own. Grandpa Aarden slowly made his way around the desk to stand behind the cushy chair, laying both of his hands down on top once he was standing behind it, and Lucian continued to hover uncertainly by the entrance.

  “So, Lucian,” his grandfather began quietly, “how was college really these past few months?”

  Lucia
n wore a baffled look on his face. He had just answered this question at the dinner table only a few minutes ago. He feared that his grandfather’s mind was truly beginning to slip. ‘It was good, Grandpa,” he restated. “Busy and stressful, but good.”

  Grandpa Aarden continued to stare at his grandson, as if he didn’t truly believe him. “Nothing out of the ordinary happened that you want to talk about?” he asked.

  Lucian nervously swallowed as he felt a twisting sensation in the pit of his stomach. “Nope,” he said hesitantly. “I mean, it was all new to me, so it all seemed weird. But I’m pretty sure it was just what every normal college student goes through….”

  Grandpa Aarden stayed silent for a moment. “You know, Lucian,” he then said, “there’s something about going through significant hardship that leaves a mark on someone. It’s something that most people won’t notice, but it’s there. It’s the sort of thing that you can only see if you’ve been through it before yourself. Something you have to have personally experienced to perceive.”

  “Oh…,’ Lucian said. He wasn’t quite sure where his grandfather was going with this, but it made him feel a bit uncomfortable – like his grandfather sensed that something was wrong with him. He knew he couldn’t tell his grandfather everything that had happened, though. Grandpa Aarden wasn’t like Schuntz or Gus. He had always lived a very ordinary life with very predictable routines and interests, working for many years in real estate sales. There was no way he’d believe or understand.

  “You’re sure there’s nothing you want to talk about, then?” Grandpa Aarden asked again.