by K T Munson
“It is a miracle what you’ve done with the Fringe Science field,” Dr. Harrid said with a half-smile. “And it only took you a few years.”
“Despite your disadvantages, you have overcome everyone’s expectations,” Professor Greenly said with an equally coy half-smile.
“Disadvantage?” Elisabeth said before she could catch herself.
“Why, being half demon, of course,” Professor Greenly clarified.
Milo took a step forward. Being a lesser demon, he could do damage, but that wasn’t how Elisabeth solved things. Elisabeth’s jaw clenched as she raised a hand to stop Milo, and she put on a smile that could melt facial tissue from bones. “I could not have advanced the technology I presented today without my gifts. By that token, it is an advantage. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an early morning planned.”
She swept around them before they could reply. On this day, she would not let their words dissuade her. It didn’t matter that it was early and that her leaving would be seen as cowardice—there were too many people too close to her. Elisabeth could remember when other children were afraid of her growing up, some even to the point of throwing rocks. Private tutors had kept her well enough away from them. But it hadn’t kept them from hurling curses at her on the streets. She sometimes thought that children were the cruelest beings because the words they spoke were embedded deeply in truth. In some cases, this carried into adulthood.
“Elisabeth,” Milo called, getting her attention. “You’re walking too quickly.”
Elisabeth stopped and turned back to find A.J. struggling to keep up and Milo bridging the gap between them. She blinked, realizing she had far outpaced them, like she always did when she was alone. She glanced down at her fingers and found they had been madly drumming against her leg. Her thoughts had consumed her, and she had forgotten about her companions.
“I’m sorry, A.J.,” Elisabeth said unsteadily as she straightened her back. “I forget myself.” She sighed.
“That is quite all right, Miss Avery.” His voice rang clear as he drew closer.
“Don’t let words bother you,” Milo said softly.
“Thanks,” she replied, but his words gave her little comfort. “Can you get my father on the line?”
He nodded as A.J caught up to them and they resumed at A.J.’s pace. The hallways were mostly empty because everyone was at the reception dinner. When they reached the base of the large staircase that led up to the guest rooms, Milo handed her the telecommunication disk.
“Elsa! How is my brilliant daughter?” His voice boomed his pet name for her over the communication piece.
“Papa,” she said as she felt the tension go out of her shoulders, “I am well. I just wanted to let you know that I’m done for the night and that A.J. is doing well.”
“And the presentation?”
She smiled, but when she glanced up as they rounded the corner on the landing of the stairs, the smile turned into a scream. A man dressed all in black suddenly slammed both knees into Milo’s chest, sending him crashing back against the stone banister. She dropped the communication device, and it skidded across the floor.
“Elsa? Elisabeth?” Malthael called out frantically. “Are you all right?”
She looked toward the device and opened her mouth to answer, but saw a long thin blade leveled at her. Her eyes went wide as she looked up at the man holding it. She could hear her papa yelling her name and demanding to know what was going on. Her hands started to shake—partly from fear and partly from her loss of control.
“Unhand her!” A.J. said, lifting his arms to attack.
The man turned and punctured the suit in one swift jab, causing it to deflate. A.J. gasped and tried to stop the leak with his ill-equipped hands. Elisabeth made it to two steps away from him before the blade was pointed back at her. She froze. Her hands were out by her sides twisting in slightly circular motions. The man in black brought a boot down and crushed the communication device, silencing her papa.
“Miss Avery!” A.J. said as he filtered out of the suit.
“Go back to your other suit, A.J.,” Elisabeth said as she continued the motions. “I’ll be fine.”
The man made of stardust and gelatinous goo spilled over the side of the banister and down through the floor to his other containment suit. A glob of ectoplasm was all that remained. She knew he could make it to the suit, which wasn’t far off in storage, before he started to dissipate. She glanced at Milo and realized that the man threatening her life wasn’t there for him or A.J. He was there for her.
“What do you want? My father is rich,” Elisabeth said, narrowing her eyes.
She had to buy time—the demon dogs would come for her. She kept moving her hands in small circular motions, reaching into the spirit lines and calling them to her. He stayed silent and continued to stare at her with his impossibly dark grey eyes. Moments passed, and her chest rose and fell; she felt grateful that it still could.
He put the double thin blades away. Reaching behind him, he pulled a long sword from his back. She glanced hopefully at Milo, but he gave no indication of consciousness. Elisabeth calmed herself when she felt the demon dogs near. She took a step back. The man tipped his head to the side and took a few measured and lithe steps forward, bringing the blade down.
Like slivers of white, her guardians rose from the ground. An instant before the man’s weapon struck home the Netherhounds appeared. The deadly bladed tips of their ribbon-like elastic tails shot out and blocked the man’s attack. He stumbled back, caught unawares by their sudden appearance. Unlike A.J., who was something everyone could see, her guardians were half spirits that only she and those like her could see until they materialized. They stood on two hind legs with their heads down, so she could see their strange curly ears and sets of ram-like horns on each side of their heads.
Her attacker reacted to their second strike and narrowly dodged away from the lethal blades. Nathan, the guardian on her right, took hold of the sword with his tail and yanked it free, while Duke, the guardian with the chipped horn, attacked again with his deadly tail. The man flipped backwards, out of harm’s reach, and pulled out his twin blades from a sheath strapped to his lower back. He landed on his feet in a crouch and immediately lunged toward them again, but his blades went right through her body and slammed into the banister behind her without doing any harm.
Touching the dog demons had allowed her to transform into her spirit form. Since Elisabeth was only half Soul Collector, she needed help to travel the spirit lines, which her guardians did with ease. She watched the man in black, with his piercing dark eyes, as she faded into the floor, and then she was quickly far away from him.
Notes from the Author
Thank you for taking the time to read this glimpse into Elisabeth’s life before the events of The Sixth Gate. Ashlad is just one of the planets you’ll get to read about in the series — not to mention the Netherworld! If you enjoyed this please leave a review at your favorite retailer.
Thanks,
K.T. Munson
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Frost Burn (Coauthored)
North & South
Unfathomable Chance
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