Aislinn nibbled on the fruit, seemingly unconcerned. “Suit yourselves. My aunt won’t provide you with any assistance to travel there. She won’t risk the wrath of the Unseelie should you be caught.”
“The mountains are between your lands,” Liesel said. “Why should the Unseelie care?”
Aislinn tipped her head back and laughed. “Oh, trust me. They’ll care just for the sake of it. Their dark natures demand it.”
An idea began to take shape in my mind. “Aislinn, can you create a portal to anywhere?”
The pretty faerie regarded me like I was a simpleton. “I could create a link to Dominion itself if I really wanted to.” She raised her chin a fraction, almost daring the nephilim to object.
“It isn’t Dominion I’m thinking of,” I said. “Listen, you don’t want these demons in Faerie, right?”
“This isn’t their home,” Aislinn agreed.
“What if you used your special skill to relocate the demons back to the Nether?” I asked. “You’d solve this problem for your aunt. I bet she’d be very grateful.”
Aislinn polished off the remainder of the fruit as she considered the suggestion. “I’d be a hero, wouldn’t I? More importantly, my aunt would be in my debt.” The subtle curve of her lips was pure mischief. “This is a fine idea, halfling.”
Excitement rose within me and I beckoned to Damasca. He came forward reluctantly, one wary eye trained on Aislinn. I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“Damasca, this faerie is able to create a portal to return your group to the Nether, if that’s what you desire.”
His dark eyes sparkled with hope. “Truly?”
“You have my word. Just let me know where and when.” Aislinn tossed the core over her shoulder and sauntered out of the courtyard. “May the wind rise at your back, halflings.”
And then she was gone.
“Cassia, that was genius,” Liesel said, bursting into a wide smile.
“A natural diplomat,” Rafe agreed.
“I cannot speak on behalf of the group,” Damasca said. “It is not my place, but I cannot see why they wouldn’t agree.”
“We’ll take our proposal to them,” I said. “Can you show us the way?”
The demon broke into a smile. “With pleasure.”
“Screw it. We’re flying up,” Liesel said. We stood at the base of the mountain, ready to escort Damasca back to his group. “I can handle our wingless friend.”
“Are you sure?” Rafe asked. “I don’t mind.”
Damasca appeared hesitant. “I might mind.”
I smiled. “Not sure about heights?”
“Trees are as high as I typically go,” he admitted. “Though I’ll make an exception in this case, if only to return home faster.”
The three of us spread our wings and launched into the air, with Liesel scooping up Damasca as she ascended. There were no soft hills here, only rough cliffs and rocky terrain. A narrow river snaked around the mountain. I spotted a lone figure hunched over the water and tilted my wings for a closer look. Damasca noticed the figure as well because he indicated that we should land.
As I skimmed the ground, I saw the figure draw a pail from the water. Her gray, wiry hair was pulled into a tight bun. She didn’t turn around when we landed behind her.
“Hello?” I crept forward, not wanting to startle her.
She set the pail aside and slowly swiveled until she faced us. Her olive skin showed signs of sun and age and her gray eyes were edged with red.
“Yara.” Damasca rushed forward and embraced her. The older demon squeezed him once before releasing him.
“When Ule returned without you, we moved camp again, but I knew you’d come back to us,” she said. Her eyes locked on mine and she seemed startled, as though she hadn’t noticed us until now. “What are you doing here?”
“My name is Cassia and these are my friends. We’ve come to help you,” I said. Although the weight of her stare made me uneasy, I refused to show it. There was an air of confidence about her that seemed at odds with her situation.
The older demon narrowed her eyes. “Why would you do such a thing?”
“Yara, be kind. They saved me,” Damasca said.
“We’re not enemies,” Liesel said. “Our role is to protect the mortal realm and you’re not a threat there.”
She angled her head. “And why are you here and not there?”
“It’s a long story,” I said.
The older demon lifted the full pail from the ground. I offered to take it from her, but she shooed my hand away.
“My family?” Damasca asked.
“Safe,” the older demon replied. “Come.” She walked away from the river and we trailed behind her. We trudged along a rocky path until we reached a winding path through a forest. The trees were so close together that their branches overlapped and I was tempted to slice through them with my blade. Finally, we spilled out into a large grove where the rest of the demons had set up temporary living arrangements. I saw beds of straw and leaves and a campfire with a spit.
The first demon to spot us dropped the small knife in his hand and narrowly avoided stabbing his own foot.
Yara addressed the group in a language I didn’t understand, although it sounded oddly familiar, like a song I’d heard before but couldn’t remember the lyrics. The other demons huddled closer to listen but also to examine us. Clearly no one had ever visited them in their mountain hideaway before.
“How would you like to return to the Nether?” I asked.
Yara’s eyes rounded. “All of us?”
“Yes,” I said. “That’s the deal. There’s a faerie in the Seelie Court that can create portals to anywhere. Aislinn. She’s agreed to create one for you, so that you can leave Faerie and go home.”
The woman with her arms around Damasca planted a wet kiss on his cheek. “Home,” she said.
I shifted my attention to the older demon. She appeared to be the leader of the group and I knew her response would be the deciding factor.
“She offers this with the expectation of nothing in return?” the older demon asked, her gray eyes practically slits. There was no trust between these demons and the fae, not that I blamed them.
“All you need to do is walk through the portal to hold up your end of the agreement,” Rafe said.
“We can go home, Yara,” Damasca said to the older demon. “Where we belong.”
Yara’s gaze swept over the rest of the greater demons. “I need a moment to think.” She left the grove, her face lined with worry.
I hurried after her. “If you’re concerned about Aislinn breaking her promise, she won’t. We’ll stay in Faerie until you’ve all returned safely.”
The older demon was silent for a moment, studying me.
“What is it?” I asked.
“This life never ceases to surprise me.”
“I’m just glad we’re able to help…”
She shook her head. “That is not what I mean.” She reached toward me, but then seemed to change her mind. “You have the look of him, especially that stubborn jaw.”
“I look like someone you know?”
“Yes, child. Your father.”
It felt as though all the air had been sucked from my lungs. It took a moment to recover my voice. “How do you know my father’s identity? I don’t even know.”
“I know because I spent my entire childhood looking at his face. He is my brother.”
Her brother. “How can you be sure?” I asked.
“I imagine you have one of these.” She shifted the neckline of her top to reveal a dark blue mark in the shape of a star. When I glanced at my midriff, she smiled. “I see that you do.”
“Does he know about me?” I asked.
“That I cannot say,” Yara said. Her eyes softened. “I do look forward to seeing him again when I return to the Nether. It has been too long.”
“He’s alive?” My heart thumped wildly in my chest.
“I certainly
hope so,” Yara said. “He was when I was last in the Nether.”
If he was alive, then why did he not keep me and raise me himself? Why was I discarded in the mortal realm like human garbage?
“I was found as an infant, abandoned in the mortal realm,” I said. “I was saved from a Whistler.”
Her weathered hand pressed against my cheek. “Fortune smiled upon you that day, child. This does not surprise me, given the prophecy.”
“What prophecy?”
“When my brother was born, our father went to see a seer to find out all the achievements he could expect from his firstborn son, as is our custom. The seer told our father to expect many wonderful accomplishments, but to beware—the birth of his first child would mean our father’s doom.”
“That’s…not a great omen.”
“Not for anyone, but certainly not for a king.”
I blanched. “The king?”
Yara pursed her lips. “Yes, my father. Your grandfather. The King of the Nether.”
I knew the birthmark was connected to the royal family, of course, but to hear the truth spoken was another thing entirely.
“My father warned my brother that, when he came of age, any romantic prospects had to be approved by our father, which is not unusual in the royal family.”
“He didn’t know about the prophecy?” I asked.
“Not at first, but it was common knowledge by the time he reached maturity. Eventually, he chose the role of emissary to escape our father’s constant scrutiny. It allowed him to spend time outside of the Nether.”
“Like in the mortal realm.” Where he presumably met my mother.
“The Nether has dealings with all the realms,” Yara said. “Even here, though there is not much need for it sadly, or our presence may have been discovered sooner.”
“Do you know my mother’s name?” I asked. “Know if she’s alive?”
Yara averted her gaze. “I’m sorry. I wish I knew more. My brother and I did not share confidences. He was away too often.”
“Do you think that’s why he abandoned me? To keep me safe from the king?” I asked. It didn’t explain everything, but it was a reasonable start.
“It is understandable to have so many questions, but I’m afraid I’m ill-equipped to provide the answers you seek. I will tell you that the king is not an easy demon to live with. He became paranoid and unreasonable after the prophecy. Began accusing his advisors of conspiring against him. Factions formed.”
“What about your mother?” I asked.
“It was after her death that I decided to leave. The tensions grew worse between factions. I worried for the safety of the greater demons without royal blood, but I did not have the courage to stand up to my father, so I acted in secret.”
“Are you sure you want to go back?” I asked.
The older demon nodded. “It is time. I have hidden from my responsibilities long enough.”
“It’s not your fault that you got stuck here,” I said. “It’s not as though you knew what would happen.”
“It is my fault I chose to leave the conflict behind and to take innocents with me. I should have stayed in Enir.”
“Is that where the palace is?” I asked.
“No, it is the village where I made my home. I was never comfortable in the palace. Too much heightened emotion all the time.” She lowered her gaze. “You do not want my father’s rage directed at you or anyone you care about.”
“Will you be in danger when you go back?” It was hard to imagine what Yara’s life had been like there. Maybe Faerie was the lesser of two evils.
She scratched her cheek with a long, sharp nail. “It is a chance I must take. Perhaps I will try to reconcile with him as a way of protecting my friends.”
“Then I guess you’ve made your decision,” I said.
Yara glanced over her shoulder toward the grove. “It was no decision at all really. There are others who suffer because of my choice. I will not allow it to continue out of fear.” She fixed her gaze on me. “Your friends—the nephilim—they do not know, do they?”
Instinctively, I glanced in the direction of the grove. “No. There’s still too much I don’t know.”
We returned to the grove where a celebration appeared to be taking place. Children had made wreaths of flowers and leaves to wear as necklaces. Rafe had a pink daisy tucked behind his ear and held the hand of a small demon girl.
“You make an adorable couple,” I said.
He grinned. “Thank you. Pink is my signature color.”
“Have we reached an agreement?” Damasca asked. His chest rose and fell as he awaited the answer.
“We are going home,” Yara said, loud enough for all to hear. Cries of joy erupted and the demons embraced one another.
“Promise you won’t say anything to anyone about me,” I whispered to the older demon.
“It is not my story to tell,” Yara said. She squeezed my hand. “But we shall meet again, Cassia. Of that I am certain.”
Chapter Seventeen
Aislinn didn’t renege on her bargain and the demons were safely transported back to the Nether. There was nothing to do but hope that Yara was able to avoid retribution for her and the other demons. The younger children in the mountains hadn’t even been born when their parents left the Nether. Would the king be so cruel as to exact punishment on them as well? Was my grandfather that heartless?
“Cassia?” Rafe’s voice snapped me out of my trance. We were back in Liesel’s library, where we’d decided to regroup before heading out to Hole in the Wall to track down Mephisto.
“Yes?” I asked.
“Liesel and I were saying that we should change our appearances before we find Mephisto. It’s a bounder bar, so we need to look the part.”
“What are you saying? My wings might stand out?” I fluttered the feathers on my back.
“Not to worry,” Liesel said. “We’ll all be good and glamoured. You might cloak that scowl too.” She clapped Rafe on the shoulder. “Makes you look grumpy. We don’t want to scare off the mortals with your sourpuss expression. One of them might know something.”
I suppressed a laugh. “What’s the plan? Find Mephisto and shake the information out of him?”
“This wizard is smart, so we have to be smarter,” Rafe said. “I say we go in and ask enough questions to locate him without raising suspicion.”
“I suspect the simple act of mentioning his name will trigger some sort of alarm,” Liesel said. “He likes to stay in the shadows. Someone asking for him is going to trigger automatic paranoia.”
At the mention of paranoia, I thought of Yara and her revelation about my grandfather. “Mephisto is probably not a reasonable guy,” I said. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to ask polite questions over a cup of tea and expect responses.”
“In other words, you think he’ll try to kill us on the spot,” Liesel said.
I shrugged. “Or worse. He tortured Harlan for information when he could have used the truth serum first. He’s not exactly a cuddly wizard.”
“Are any of them cuddly?” Liesel asked. “Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever met a wizard I wanted to cuddle.”
“That’s because you’ve never met a man you wanted to cuddle,” Rafe shot back.
“Fair enough,” Liesel said.
“Mephisto is powerful and ruthless,” I said. “Not the best combination in an opponent.”
“He’s bad for the realm,” Liesel said. “I just hope we can get to him before he does any more damage.”
As we applied our glamours, my thoughts turned to the book and the damage it could do. What if Mephisto was planning to raid the academy and wanted a snapshot of everyone in the spires before he attacked? He’d know our range of powers and how many children. He’d even know our names. He could use the information against the younger children—lull them into a false sense of security. The thought sickened me.
“Don’t worry,” Rafe said, as though reading my mind.
“I doubt he’s been able to open the book.”
“Why not? He’s proven how talented he is.”
“With portals,” Rafe said. “And even for that, he needed someone else’s help.”
“Rafe is right. This wizard isn’t a one-stop shop. That’s probably why he summoned those lesser demons to attack you in the burial ground. He didn’t want to get his portal-making hands dirty.”
I tried to shake off my nervous edge. “Mephisto is going to be different from anyone I’ve encountered.”
“Don’t give him too much credit,” Liesel said. “You’ve been out in the world long enough to have met magic users with at least as much power, if not more.”
Rafe and I exchanged guilty looks. Liesel didn’t know how wrong she was.
Liesel gave Rafe the once-over. “You definitely look ready for a dive bar.”
“What? You said to look the part.” Rafe looked down at his ripped jeans, black boots, and ragged black T-shirt bearing the image of a motorcycle.
Liesel laughed. “You don’t have to be so good at it.”
“Am I mortal enough?” I wore jeans, a red tank top, and flip-flops. My newly flaxen hair was pulled into a messy bun.
Liesel glanced at me. “I can’t decide whether you’re the kind of girl that drinks whiskey on the rocks or giggles over a mojito.”
I smiled. “How about both?” Or neither, since there was no way I’d be touching alcohol again for a very long time. One volcanic rock was enough for me.
We left the library and hailed a cab to take us downtown to the shadowy side street where Hole in the Wall was located.
“Remember, I’ll do the talking,” Rafe said.
“Are you sure about that?” Liesel asked. “Places like this—sometimes it’s best to let a woman do the talking.”
The only indication that a bar was inside was the flashing beer sign in the small, highly placed window. There was no bouncer so we walked straight into the nondescript brick building.
Liesel rolled her eyes. “Not country music. I should have known.”
A lone bartender waited on a few men at the far end of the bar. He was bald with round, tired eyes and a burgeoning belly beneath his faded T-shirt. To the right of us, two more men played a game of pool. They gave us a cursory glance as we entered and quickly resumed their game.
Demonspawn Academy: Trial One Page 17
