by Eden Redd
“I think the animals in the zoo would enjoy your company,” Nia said with a wicked grin.
Trystan smiled briefly before stuffing more food in his mouth.
“So how is your day?” Nia said as she took a spoonful of soup.
“A disaster, I can’t go anywhere without people trying to stop and talk to me. I don’t know what to even say. The news has covered pretty much what happened last night.”
“Maybe they just want to hear it from you?”
“I’d rather focus on class work. I didn’t come here to be a celebrity. I hope this all dies down soon,” Trystan said with a hint of embarrassment in his voice.
“I think your right. It should calm down and the public will move on to something else,” Nia paused, “Have you thought any more about our date?”
Trystan froze, “I…uh…..”
Nia laughed, “I’m just teasing. I know you have a lot going on. I just wanted to tell you I’m here for you.”
Trystan let out a long sigh. He still didn’t know what he was going to do. It had to be romantic and beautiful. The pressure began to build as he ate slower, trying to figure out what they could do together.
Two shadows stood over the mage as he thrust more food into his mouth. Looking over and head turning up, Aznara was standing with her head bowed but her eyes filled with hunger. Next to her was the blue haired demon. Her eyes were closed and a hand was on Aznara’s shoulder.
“Go on,” said the blue haired demon girl to Aznara.
“Trystan, I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I shouldn’t have impaled an ice spike in your desk. Please accept my apology,” Aznara said in a low voice.
Trystan chewed his food and gulped it down, “Um…..thank you,” Trystan was unsure what else to say.
“Keep going,” The blue haired demon girl urged Aznara again.
Aznara looked back in annoyance and turned her eyes back to Trystan, “I have terrible impulse control and I simply wanted to get your attention. My sister thinks I should simply tell you how I feel. I want us to be friends.”
Trystan could see how uncomfortable Aznara was. Tail swishing back and forth and eyes glancing down, it must have been very difficult for the demon to speak those very words.
The mage gave Aznara a gentle smile, “It’s alright. I thought it was pretty impressive that you could combine your spells so efficiently.”
Aznara smiled, “You have to learn fast when out in the wilds. Can we join you for lunch?”
Trystan glanced to Nia who nodded, “Sure.”
The two demon women took seats at the table. Aznara sat next to Trystan while the blue haired demon sat next to Nia.
“My sister’s manners could use some practice. My name is Sunara, Aznara is my rookery sister.”
“Trystan,” The mage smiled, “And this is Nia.”
The three smiled and nodded to each other. Under the table a clawed hand squeezed the mage’s thigh. Trystan jumped up slightly, banging his knee against the underside of the table. Nia and Sunara looked to the mage with concern while Aznara smiled, showing pointed fangs.
“Rookery sisters?” Trystan asked while trying to distract the demon woman.
Sunara nodded, “We are sisters but not by blood. Succubus clans lay their eggs together as a community. When we hatch, we are known as family.”
“Your kind populates the west in the Great Canyons,” Nia said with knowing fascination.
Sunara gave a small smile, “Yes, that is correct. The clans have lived there for hundreds of years. There have been great strides on integrating with the local human towns.”
Aznara moved her face a little closer to Trystan, “Yes, the human men cannot get enough of us. It seems sex can bring all manner of creatures together,” The succubus licked her lips with a pointed tongue.
“Aznara! Again, forgive her. She tends to speak first before she thinks,” Sunara eyed the red headed succubus.
Aznara cackled, “And my sister thinks we must hide our true nature if we are to fit in. Don’t let her quiet demeanor fool you. She is worse than me when she wants something.”
Sunara looked down, letting shadows cover her expression. Trystan could see that the two succubi wore different sets of clothes. Aznara wore tight and revealing black clothes, down to black boots and spiky wrist bracelets. Sunara was clothed in an off-white dress but it showed more of her creamy cleavage then her hot headed sister. The mage was almost glad the two sisters fought because it took the attention off of him. Trystan continued to eat as the sisters shot each other dirty looks.
“Well I’m glad you are here. I’m sure we can all learn from each other and dispel some of the ignorant knowledge most of the public knows,” Nia said cheerfully.
Sunara nodded, “I agree. Some of the text books here at the college are thoroughly misinformed and out of date. I am of a mind to speak to the Headmaster and Headmistress concerning the racist views of my kind.”
“I was wondering about that myself. Do you think the old border wars would have ended sooner if humans simply……” Nia went on.
Trystan began to tune them all out. The day already proved taxing and fullness had taken over. The mage felt his eyes were too big for his stomach and now he didn’t want to move. The fire mage and succubus continued their conversation while Aznara stared at him. It wasn’t the worst lunch he ever had but it certainly was turning into the weirdest.
Aznara leaned in and whispered into Trystan’s ear, “If you ever want to research demon pussy, you don’t even have to ask. Your girlfriend can join us too.”
Trystan was ready turn and nearly bolt from his seat when another shadow fell upon him. Looking up, a goblin with slicked back hair stared at the mage. Trystan couldn’t help but notice the partially open black shirt and finely tailored black pants. Green ears pointed up higher than his hair. A rounded chin pointed down like the butt of a dagger. Defined neck muscles flexed and the goblin turned his head to Nia.
Nia turned her head to the goblin and smiled, “Reeko, good to see you!”
The goblin reached down and gently took Nia’s hand into his. He pressed the back of her hand to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss. Trystan raised an eyebrow while Aznara licked her lips again.
“It is always a pleasure to see you dear Nia. I caught your radiance from across the room and I had to come over and say hello,” The goblin smiled.
Reeko turned his attention to Trystan and his smile broadened, “And you must be the man of the hour, Trystan Song.”
A green hand slammed down on Trystan’s shoulder. The mage nearly tilted from the blow. The goblin was stronger than he looked but Trystan thought he looked pretty strong in the first place, even if he was standing at five feet tall.
“Thank you,” Trystan said, trying to keep the grimace from his face.
Reeko turned to the table but eyes went to Nia, “I’m having a sexy party in a few nights. I wanted to personally hand you and your friends an invitation. There should be about a hundred people there, maybe more. I would be crushed if you didn’t come.”
“Party? Isn’t there a curfew in place?” Trystan said automatically.
The goblin continued to smile, “With enough coin, nothing can stand in the way of good times.”
Reeko pulled form his pocket a stack of glowing cards and handed one to Nia, the two succubi and finally Trystan. The mage looked at the card in his hand. One side had Reeko’s contact information while the other side had swirling images. A second later, the swirling turned into an ethereal background with the words “Monster Ball” and the location address. Music pumped into the mage’s ears and he quickly put the card down. The music stopped and Trystan looked around for a second. Picking it back up, the music came back. Everyone holding a card seemed to bounce to the rhythm but the rest of the cafeteria carried on as if they couldn’t hear it.
“Please don’t break my heart. I will see you at around ten,” Reeko bowed to Nia. Nodding to everyone else, the goblin turned and walked off.
Trystan put the card in his pocket and thankfully the music stopped. Nia was nearly blushing as the goblin walked away. A sliver of jealously stabbed at his heart and the mage pushed it down. They were dating and he had no right to feel the way he did. But try as he might, the nagging sliver continued to poke at him.
Aznara began talking about what to wear to the Ball. Nia and Sunara joined in, trading fashion tips and what was in style at the moment. Trystan found himself sitting and listening. Feeling like a fifth wheel, the mage thought back to last night. He couldn’t understand why it was still bothering him, memories of the dead walking around him and heading to the library. Trystan tried to shake the thoughts away but they came flooding back.
“We will have to figure out how we are going to get there? The location is in the abandoned part of old Stukarr city,” Aznara said as she continued to bounce to the rhythm.
“Leave it to me. I think I have a few ideas,” Nia smiled.
Eight
Swirling darkness sucked at Trystan’s feet. Dead trees littered the landscape as unseen horrors lurched, glowing eyes turning in his direction. Blood rushing to his ears, the mage tried harder to walk away from the monsters in the shadows but the ground wouldn’t let go. The air burned as he inhaled and the taste of sulfur made him gag. The hell scape pulsed like a ball of hate. The mage pulled at his own legs, trying to move in the black molasses but the more he struggled; the more it sucked him down.
“It’s just a nightmare. Nothing here can hurt me,” Trystan whispered to himself, not entirely believing it.
A deep growl behind him caused his legs to fight harder against the black tar. Seeing the edge of the black tar pool, the mage swung his arms to help get some leverage and break free. After a few tense moments, the mage stepped onto firm ground breathing heavy.
“Sylk? Bella? Can you hear me?” Trystan said loudly and another growl emerged.
Looking back, Trystan saw nothing among the dead trees. The feeling of eyes on him caused the mage to not want to wait around. Moving on, fog covered the ground, shrouding the mage’s feet in a white mist.
On and on the dark world stretched out. The mage didn’t know where he was going but it had to lead somewhere. At least he had to keep moving until he woke up. Skeletal tree branches reached down, grasping at his face like the dead rising from their graves. Knocking them away, the mage ran. The silence was deafening and when Trystan began to lose hope, an orange light beckoned in the distance.
The glow was hypnotizing. Trystan moved, drawn to its comforting light. Passing through a thick band of dead trees, the mage came into a clearing. Inside was a roaring fire, flames and smoke touching the purple sky. Before the fire stood a pedestal. Stepping closer, the mage could see a closed book within arm’s reach.
“I don’t like the looks of this,” The mage whispered.
From behind the fire, two figures shambled into view. Trystan stared as two transparent slimes oozed around the blaze and moved to either side of the book. The mage took a step back as he looked at their faces. They both looked eerily like Bella but instead of blue, one was green and the other was red. Breasts bouncing to their movements, they smiled.
“Destiny calls,” The green slime said with a crazy grin.
“The Libro Nocte summons. Can you not hear it?” The red slime said angrily.
“I don’t believe in destiny,” Trystan said with fear clawing at his heart.
“It believes in you,” The green slime said and let out a mad laugh.
The mage backed off. He tried to call up spells but his mind was surprisingly blank. Every spell he thought about floated away into the darkness and the fear grew louder in his mind. The slimes bowed their heads and both began to laugh. Arms stretched and turned into smooth tentacles. Feet turned into roots, digging into the gravel ground. The fire reached higher into the sky. Trystan turned to run as green and red tentacles lashed out. The mage was barely a foot away before cold tentacles engulfed his limbs. Whipping the mage back, Trystan turned around as the black book opened. In the blink of an eye, his face slammed into the yellowed pages and tendrils of pain crawled across his face.
Waking up, a small scream shot up his throat. The mage was fighting with his blankets for several seconds before his limbs dropped and he felt the warm morning sun on his face. Looking around wildly, Sylk stood with wide eyes on her master. In her hand was a back pack and she was wearing her tiny black bikini. Dropping the back pack, the familiar rushed to her master, webbed hands touching his shoulder.
“Master, was it nightmares again?” The siren wondered.
Trystan swung his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his closed eyes with his fingers, “They seem to become a little more real every time.”
“Should we talk to someone, perhaps professor Hart?”
Trystan let out a small laugh, “I doubt the good professor will have time to help me understand my dreams. I think it may be stress.”
“If you say so Master. Get dressed. We are going on our date this morning,” Sylk smiled.
“Date? This morning? I thought we were going to plan it together?”
“As you said, you have been under a lot of stress. I thought it would be better if I took over the preparations. You have class this afternoon so I thought a picnic would be nice.”
Trystan eyed his familiar as she looked to him lovingly. Nodding, the mage stood up and began rummaging for some clothes. Thirty minutes later he was ready and the blue siren was at the door waiting.
It wasn’t long before master and familiar were walking across the campus grounds, toward Main Street. The sun glowed brightly in the mid-morning air. Sylk took her master’s hand into hers and almost pulled him along as they walked south on Main Street. The city was alive as people went about their business. It had been a few days since the undead attack but it seemed the news of it had died down and moved on. Even walking around school, the interest the night generated seemed to wane. Trystan was thankful for it. There hadn’t been any attacks but the mage was still keeping his ear open for information. At first the news feeds reported that the undead could have wandered to the sewers from the catacombs north of the city. There had always been legends that the great graveyard outside the northern city walls was filled with all manner of undead. The graveyard and the catacombs were too large to properly seal up but since the college wars, there was no more dead wandering into the city. The Lord Mayer informed the public that engineers, mages and magistrates were working hard to do what they could to seal off the northern tunnels. For a few days it was big news but with no further attacks, the public seemed to move on to preparations for the Pumpkin Festival a week away.
Thinking about the festival, Trystan remembered the Monster Ball party was tomorrow night. He had no idea how they were going to get out after curfew but Nia seemed to have a plan, even though she was leaving everyone else in the dark. The mage could see the excitement in Nia’s eyes as the night drew closer. He wasn’t sure if she was excited about the party or maybe seeing a certain goblin.
“Thinking about Nia again?” Sylk said while pulling her master’s hand.
Trystan sighed, “How can you tell what I’m thinking about?”
“You make a certain face when you think about her. Plus, you always talk about her after making that face.”
“Does it bother you?”
Sylk looked to her master, “Normally not so much but today we are on a date so no talking about Nia. I want you all to myself.”
“Like how you seem to show up at some point during my time with Nia?” Trystan chuckled.
Fire burned in the siren’s eyes, “That’s different. I need to feed!”
Trystan put his hands up, “Alright, no need to get your thong in a bunch.”
The siren turned away as they walked and stuck out her chin, “As long as we are clear on the subject, she may be special to you but I’m your familiar. First comes me and then Bella and finally Nia.”
“You seem
to have it all worked out but we can speak about the order of things another time.”
Sylk huffed but still held her master’s hand. The mage and familiar continued their walk until they reached the city’s gates. Trystan looked up at the high walls and could see more statues lining the top. Each one was slightly different but they carried the same basic look of a knight just like the ones at the Library. Until that very night of the attack, Trystan thought they were just for show, but now he knew better and could see that the Stukarr City was well protected. The guards waved as Trystan and Sylk passed them, waving.
“We are leaving the city?” Trystan said as a hint of dread reared.
“It’s too busy here. I want to be alone with you,” Sylk smiled and continued on.
Mage and familiar walked out the city gates and continued to the road. Trystan could remember this was the very road he fought Freya. Memories floated into his mind’s eye. He held the spear point to Freya’s neck and she told him she would never let go, the look in her eyes in pure contempt that he had finally fought her back. How she couldn’t accept the break up no matter what he said.
“You’re frowning,” Sylk chimed in.
“Sorry. I still have a lot on my mind.”
“Maybe this will cheer you up,” Sylk said, pointing off the road.
Trystan turned his head to lush green fields of grass. In the distance was a small pond with a few tree branches hovering over calm waters. Sylk let go of her master’s hand and raced off in that direction, laughing. The sound of her laugh was infectious and the mage chased after her. Worry and dread began to fade away as the warm morning poured light across the fields.
“Keep up master! I won’t be so easy to catch!” Sylk shouted.
Trystan beamed a smile as he made quick hand signals. He didn’t know many earth spells but he had one that might slow down the siren. Dirt raised a foot above the grass. Sylk caught sight of it and instead of tripping, webbed feet leaped into the air and landed on it. Trystan watched as Sylk looked back and stuck out her tongue.
