Demon of Darkness

by Andrea Pearson

  I chuckled. Knowing my neighbors were safe and that I couldn’t do anything more for Abel, I headed back to my house. My eyelids began feeling heavy, and I didn’t want food. I didn’t want to talk or examine what had happened. I only wanted sleep.

  But first, I had to take a shower. Because ew.

  46

  I’d been awake for a couple of minutes when a soft knock sounded at my door.

  “Come in,” I called, pulling myself to a sitting position.

  Nicole entered. “I heard you stirring. How are you feeling?”

  I shrugged. “Better than expected, honestly. And I feel guilty for that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I barely got a few scratches while Abel almost died.”

  “Is he okay, then?” Nicole asked.

  “I don’t know. Last I heard, he was still in surgery.”

  I grabbed my phone, eager to see if there were any updates. I’d given the nurse my number and asked her to pass on any news about Abel.

  She’d sent several texts, all of them with the message that Abel was still in critical condition. He was on surgery number five now and had two more to go. They’d kept him under general anesthesia the whole time, fearing that if they awakened him, it would be too much for his system and he wouldn’t make it.

  I quickly grabbed a bite to eat and made sure my friends were all okay. Mindy and Nicole were watching movies while Coolidge, Austin, and his dad chatted. All of them were clean, and none looked like they’d just participated in a war, apart from minor cuts and scratches here and there. They’d been incredibly lucky.

  I grabbed my keys, checked to see that my phone was fully charged, and headed to the hospital.

  They took Abel out of surgery a few hours after I got there. His nurse let me go in and see him, but he was still unconscious. She told me the doctors had decided to keep him in a medically induced coma for at least two days.

  I couldn’t believe how beaten and battered he looked. Tears filled my eyes as I examined him, holding one of his hands. Little cuts were all over his whole body, and bigger ones were covered by bandages. Bruises had started to form everywhere, making him look like he belonged in the Blue Man Group.

  The nurse put her hand on my arm—the one holding Abel’s hand. “Sweetie, I hate telling you this, but there’s still a very, very large chance he’ll never wake up. The doctors got all of the internal bleeding, but he had so many cuts and they were so deep that some organs might never work again. And we aren’t sure how much damage was done to his brain.”

  I nodded, understanding everything she said. But oh, it hurt so bad to hear. My heart rose in my throat, practically choking me, and fresh tears poured down my face.

  Even knowing he wouldn’t wake up for days yet, I couldn’t help but stay at his side for several hours, messing around on my phone, glad I’d brought my charger but unable to concentrate on anything. Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I needed food. And I had other people and tasks that itched to be taken care of.

  I bent and kissed Abel on the cheek. “I love you,” I whispered. “Please stay with me.”

  And then I headed home.

  47

  Several cars were out front when I got there. I hesitated for a moment before approaching the door and letting myself inside.

  The living room was full of people. Vincent was there, along with Omar and Alexander.

  “How is he?” Coolidge asked.

  I still couldn’t believe how much my former professor had changed where Abel was concerned. They’d hated each other before. And now, he’d pretty much saved the man’s life, and I would forever be grateful. At least, he’d saved Abel’s life up to the point where the paramedics had taken over. Anything could happen now.

  “He’s still in critical condition. They’re going to keep him in a medically induced coma for a couple of days to allow his body time to heal.” I couldn’t mention what else the nurse had told me. My emotions were still too close to the surface.

  Coolidge’s expression was grim. “I’m shocked he lived.”

  I nodded. “He’s been through a lot before, but this is definitely the worst.” After taking a deep breath, I glanced at Vincent. “How are your people?”

  “About half of my vampires were killed,” he said, his expression downcast. He glanced at me, obviously still upset. “Including Rauel.”

  “Oh, no.” I sat in an armchair, unable to compute what Vincent had said. I really liked Rauel.

  “Yes, I feel quite awful about it. I’ve known him for hundreds of years.”

  I shook my head, swallowing several times. “I can’t believe it.”

  No one said anything, then I glanced at Nicole, needing to change the topic. “What about the people who got caught in the traps? Did we ever find out what happened to them?”

  Nicole nodded. “Apparently, once Lord Kenan was unconscious, those he controlled slipped out from under him, leaving on their own. He wasn’t close enough to them to maintain a connection, especially while unconscious. Oh, and your ghosts helped quite a bit where his army was concerned—tripping them up, freaking them out. That sort of thing.”

  “Glad to hear it.” I turned my phone over and over in my hands. “What are you going to do about the spheres? Do we leave them there, or should we gather them all up again?” My weary body ached to think of trekking all over the mountain again so soon, but I’d do it if we needed to.

  “They’re already back in Shonlin. I didn’t even need to go get them or anything like that. I told Shonlin they were done being used, and they disappeared, reappearing in the same spot where I’d found them.”

  “Wow. That’s convenient.”

  “No kidding.”

  The ifrits had already gone home. I wasn’t surprised they’d done so without saying goodbye, and it didn’t bother me. I knew that Hamza and Martin had left too.

  I glanced at Vincent. “What will you do now?”

  “We’re planning on moving to Europe, where we belong. Without Lord Kenan, we will be free to rule over our previous kingdom.”

  There were so many logistical things I wanted to ask him. Like, how would they keep themselves fed? Did I have a moral obligation to make sure they only feasted on evil people? Was that moral? I decided not to poke that sleeping bear, instead moving on to another question.

  “What about Lord Kenan’s ashes?”

  “We have to keep them separated. I will keep one bag. And you still have yours, correct?”

  I nodded. It was under my kitchen sink. I hadn’t wanted to leave it in the car, since that didn’t feel safe, but I also didn’t want it in one of the cozier rooms of the house. Like my living room. Or bedroom.

  “Good. The ifrits already took one with them, and your neighbors have accepted another. They’ll place it in their castle, in their dimension. The other two, I’ve handed off to people you don’t know, along with instructions that they give the ashes to someone I don’t know.” He met my gaze. “It is imperative that we never allow these ashes to be reintroduced to each other. If that were to happen, it is not entirely implausible to believe he’d heal himself and return to life.”

  I slumped in my armchair, putting my head in my hands. “We’ll never be fully rid of him, will we?”

  Austin put a hand on my shoulder. “Yes, we will. We already are. Nicole and I would like to suggest that we drive to some random part of the desert, dig a hundred-foot pit, and bury your portion of his ashes there. Only you, Nicole, and I will know the location. And I’m positive Nicole and I will forget it quickly.”

  I nodded. That was a great idea.

  Omar raised his hand. “Before you do that, would you please perform the spell on me? I’m ready for a lifetime of rest.”

  “Of course.” I glanced at Alexander. “How about you?”

  He shook his head. “If it’s all right, I’d like to accompany you when you bury Lord Kenan’s ashes. It won’t matter if I know, since by the end of the day, I’ll hav
e forgotten. But still, I’d like to be a part of that.”

  “That’s totally fine with me,” I said, getting to my feet. “Thank you for your help, Vincent.” I shook his hand. “While I hope we never have to work together again, I appreciate everything you’ve done.”

  He nodded once. “Likewise. I’ll be leaving now.”

  I almost told him to send my thanks to Rauel too, but stopped in time. Rauel was gone.

  Vincent disappeared in a cloud of mist, and Omar, Austin, Nicole, and I headed to the Russells’ house. Mr. and Mrs. Russell let us inside, and we entered their basement.

  Omar turned to my friends and shook their hands one at a time. “Thank you for your help,” he said to all of them. He turned to me last. “Please pass along my thanks to Abel as well.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “I am sure he’ll be fine.”

  “Thank you so much.”

  My mind went blank as Omar and I stepped into the interrogation room. There’d been so many things I’d wanted to ask him, so much knowledge I’d hoped he’d share, but right then, nothing came to me. I scrambled mentally, trying to come up with something to say—final words of appreciation or something. But I couldn’t think of anything.

  Tears filled my eyes as Omar and I stared at each other. His expression was one of sadness as well.

  “Thank you for everything,” I said quietly. “I can’t believe we’re at this point.”

  “Neither can I.” His voice was quiet, and I saw that he was blinking back tears too. “Would you like to talk to my evil side one last time? Say goodbye to him too? I might be able to coax him into joining us. Well, into joining you, since I’ll step aside.”

  I laughed, practically choking on my tears. “Ha ha. Funny. No, thanks. I’m fine without tripping or lying to him ever again.”

  Omar rubbed his shoulder, wincing. “I had a bruise from that for a week.”

  “And I was scared of you for much longer than that.”

  He chuckled.

  We fell silent for a moment, neither seeming to want to continue. Finally, I said, “Are you ready?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “Okay. Repeat after me.”

  As I was saying the words of the spell, Omar reached over, giving my knee a squeeze. His hand was there still when he finished repeating the words. I couldn’t hold back another batch of tears when I saw all of his memories, his guardian status, his immortality, and his knowledge leave him.

  I removed his hand, putting it on his knee and patting it.

  “It was a pleasure to know you, Omar.”

  And then I stepped from the room, not looking back.

  48

  We chose a spot well past Cedar Fort and Fairfield, south of Tooele. After following a dirt road for twenty minutes, we reached a silo riddled with bullet holes and graffiti.

  Alexander and I watched as Nicole and Austin used their powers to dig. Once they finished, they motioned for us to join them.

  I stepped to the edge of the hole and looked down. I couldn’t see the bottom of it. That pretty much told me it was deep enough. Without fanfare or ceremony, I tossed the bag of ashes inside, then stepped back as Nicole and Austin refilled the hole.

  “May you rot for all eternity,” I said.

  The trip back to my house was silent.

  49

  Alexander and I walked over to the Russells’. I felt the amulet vibrate against my sternum. Its excitement over the fact that the quest was so close to ending was almost contagious.

  Alexander was quiet as we entered the basement and stepped into the interrogation room.

  Once the door was shut, he turned to face me. “Thank you, Lizzie, for everything. You have performed your task admirably. Yes, there were pitfalls and difficulties along the way, but it is obvious to anyone who worked with you that you were the perfect person for this mission.”

  “Thank you.”

  He took my hand. “Promise that if you ever need anything, you’ll call on me, regardless of whether I remember who you are.”

  “I will.”

  “All right. I’m ready.”

  I recited the words of the spell to him, having him repeat them after me. He did so. As with Omar, I saw everything that made him who he was leave him.

  The moment Alexander’s eyes glazed over, I sensed the mantle of hound hunter fall from my shoulders. A lightness and a relief I hadn’t felt in months flooded my system.

  Then something weird happened. A pin-pricking sensation crossed my body, starting from my toes and working its way upward and out. It felt like dust flowing through my veins.

  I realized it was the spell leaving my system. It built in pressure, gaining speed as it raised into my heart, passed through my neck, and entered my brain.

  And then, dust flew from my eyes, dispersing into the air around me. It didn’t hurt, and I didn’t need to blink. It was an odd sensation—sort of drying, but not uncomfortable.

  The moment the dust had exited my system, all knowledge of the spell left me.

  I knew I’d done something magical, but I could no longer remember what. Alexander stood in front of me, his eyes glazed over. I’d done something to wipe his memory, but whatever it was seemed just outside my grasp. I took him by the hand and led him from the room, handing him over to Austin and Nicole.

  50

  My friends all left roughly around the same time. Hugs and goodbyes were exchanged, and soon, it was just Mindy, Sia, and me in my house.

  I still couldn’t believe it. All the hounds had been taken care of. I no longer had to hunt them.

  That didn’t mean all of my duties had been accomplished, though. I was bound and determined to help Abel find his mom, regardless of anything we might come across in the process.

  I owed him that much.

  ***

  I knocked on the door of the governor’s mansion, hoping Mrs. Boggs was home. Was this still her home? Or had they kicked her out to make way for the new governor? Had they realized Governor Boggs was dead? I hoped to get my questions answered. More importantly, though, I hoped to help a good friend get through what was probably proving to be a very tough experience.

  Mrs. Boggs opened the door, and I could see she wasn’t handling things well. Her face was blotchy, her eyes red and swollen. “Oh, Lizzie,” she said, throwing her arms around me. “I’m so glad you’re here. What an awful, awful week it has been.”

  “Still no sign of him?”

  It had been all over the news—Governor Boggs had disappeared. He’d up and left his position, his wife, and his children. Reporters hadn’t acted surprised by it, not after his failure to protect the state from the plagues that had happened.

  “No,” Mrs. Boggs whispered. She started shaking as she cried.

  “Let’s go inside,” I said after a moment. I didn’t want her to feel like she and her emotions were on display. Though, with how many cameras they had inside the mansion, she was pretty much always on display.

  “Yes, sorry.” She sniffed, then led the way to the sitting room where we usually chatted.

  “Do they have any idea what happened to him?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “The best guess is that he couldn’t handle the pressure anymore. I don’t know what to believe . . . other than the fact that he changed significantly over the past week or two.”

  “Where are the kids?” I asked.

  “They’re with my mom. I dropped them off today. None of us is getting through this very well, and they needed a break from their emotional mother.”

  “I hate to ask this,” I said. “But what do you think happened with your husband?”

  She sighed. “I honestly agree that he snapped under the pressure. He started drinking so much and yelling at the kids and fighting with me. As I said, he became a completely different person.”

  I could tell she was about to start crying again, so I rushed to say, “He truly loved you, honey. It was absolutely apparent and completely obvious to anyone who
saw you together.”

  She nodded. “I know. That’s why I’m struggling so much with this. Yes, his last few days with us were hard . . . but I’d spent years with him. I knew him. Or at least I thought I did.”

  I didn’t want to lie, but I hated seeing her so miserable. “Maybe there’s still the chance—”

  She shook her head. “No, Lizzie. There isn’t.” She glanced around the room, then leaned over and whispered, “He’s not alive anymore.”

  My eyes widened. Did she know? “How . . . what do you mean?”

  Mrs. Boggs took a deep breath. “It’s something I feel. Call it women’s intuition. He’s disappeared in the past for a few days—before he was governor—and I always felt comfort during those times, like he’d be back. But this time, I feel nothing. It’s like he no longer exists.”

  “How will that affect things moving forward?”

  “I don’t know. I’m still married to him, I still love him, and I still need to grieve him. I’ll take it one day at a time.”

  I nodded. “And I’ll be here as much as you need me.”

  51

  I got a call the next day that they were going to wake up Abel soon. I rushed out to my SUV, hopped in, and sped to the hospital, not wanting to miss it when he gained consciousness.

  A doctor was in the room, waiting for me. “He’s healed much faster than we thought possible. We believe he’s ready to come out now.”

  “Oh, thank goodness,” I said.

  He nodded at the nurse, who twisted some switches on Abel’s IV bags.

  “It’ll take him a while,” the doctor said. “Possibly up to several hours. It depends on just how much damage remains.” He glanced at the nurse. “Let me know when he’s awake.”

  She promised to do so, he left, and the nurse turned to me. “You might as well have a seat. It really can take a while for these things to happen.”

  I did as she suggested, my eyes not leaving Abel’s face. He looked so peaceful, so relaxed. It only took him an hour to wake up. The moment he turned his head, struggling to move, I was by his side, holding his hand.