Jack didn’t need to ask the man who he was, or why he was there. The man was James Farmoore. His dad.
***
For several stunned, empty moments, Jack could only stare through the bars of the mansion’s gate. He didn’t know what to think, let alone what to say. Twelve years had gone by since he’d last seen his father, but there was absolutely no doubt in his mind.
He started moving before his mind had caught up with the situation. He punched in the code and opened the gate, and then took an unsteady step forward in his father’s direction.
“Dad?” he said, shaking his head. “How… Why? Where have you been?”
A smile spread across James Farmoore’s face, and there was something cruel and hollow about it.
“I am not your father, mortal. But I forgive you for your confusion. I am Mezolak, and I am here to answer your questions.”
Jack froze, though it took him an embarrassingly long time to parse through the words he’d just heard. Not his father. Mezolak. Several pieces of the puzzle fell into place, but not enough to give him a clear view of the final picture.
His father’s body had been possessed by a demon. He could infer that much.
“Mezolak,” Jack said, slowly enunciating each syllable. “You’re… Adana’s brother.”
His emotions were swinging back and forth on a rubber band trajectory, roiling within his chest as he considered what to do next. He felt like he was ten years old again, missing his father, except now with the knowledge that a demon had taken him away instead of an accident. He wasn’t a child, however, and he wasn’t helpless. Even now, he had options that extended far beyond anything a normal human would be able to consider.
“Do you wish to know how I came to inhabit your father’s body, mortal?” asked Mezolak.
“What I wish,” Jack said, “is for you to go back to the Outer Realms, or wherever it is that you came from.”
Mezolak let out a single, snorting chuckle. It made his face look ugly and cruel, and the sound of it cut Jack far deeper than it should have.
“You have no grasp on your position,” said Mezolak. “Though, given what my sister told me, it should come as no surprise. I—”
Jack launched forward, hoping he could catch the demon off guard. He threw a punch at Mezolak’s stomach, and managed to land the blow, though he barely put any of his strength into it. Between the clouds and the shadow of the mansion, it was dark enough for him to use his blood magic. Whether it would be of any use to him in a fight in which he couldn’t maim or kill his opponent was another question.
Mezolak let out a grunt as the blow made contact, and staggered back slightly. Before Jack could decide what to do next, red electricity crackled around Mezolak’s body, as though he had a cage of contained lightning encircling him. Jack’s hand was caught within it, and he sucked in a breath as the nerves of his fingers screamed in pain.
Mezolak slammed his hand forward, and the red electricity moved in sync, jolting into Jack’s chest and knocking him off his feet. It hurt far more than he’d been expecting, and it was all he could do to writhe in place for a couple of seconds once he’d landed on the ground. His skin felt like it was on fire, and the inside of his skull was pounding hard enough to make flecks of black mottle his vision.
“Why would you try to fight me?” asked Mezolak. “Typical mortal. You jump straight to violence after all but beckoning me here in the first place.”
“I didn’t release you from your oath,” said Jack “I never finished saying the words.”
Mezolak let out a single, mocking laugh. “Adana still believed that oath to have a hold over me? I suppose I should have told her. Your father’s will gave way years ago.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You drew my attention by speaking to my sister as you did, but I would have come anyway,” said Mezolak. “Sooner, rather than later. Within the year, most undoubtedly. Perhaps even within a few weeks.”
Jack gritted his teeth as he forced himself back to his feet. The situation was spiraling out of control. He needed to find a way to win the fight without killing his opponent. And then… what? Who would have knowledge of banishing a demon from a person’s body? If Palmer knew of such things, Jack doubted he’d share them willingly after the way he’d reacted to Adana’s name. Who else then? Mira? Katie, if Jack could find a way to track her down?
Mezolak was standing completely still, watching him and making no move to press on his advantage. Jack took a few steps to the side, slowly shifting himself deeper into the shadow of the mansion. Mezolak smiled and followed after him.
Jack channeled his blood essence and cast Spectral Hand, extending a swirling shadow tendril from each of his palms. He lashed out with them as though they were whips, pulling both arms across each other.
The tendrils wrapped around Mezolak’s left leg and right arm. Jack extended them further outward, trying to completely encircle his opponent and lift him off his feet. Mezolak didn’t fight against what he was doing, instead eyeing the dark tendrils with a wary expression.
“Ah…” he said, in a voice of realization. “An Aquinian vampire. Adana spoke of you as though you were one with a minor amount of Potential. Yes, there is no chance I’d have overlooked you for much longer. A full-blown blood mage is certainly worth my time.”
The red electricity crackled to life again, this time severing through Jack’s spell like a runaway fire igniting a scrap of paper. He took a step back, unsure of what to do next. Summoning his Spectral Sword would be pointless unless he was willing to commit to killing Mezolak. Along with his father, if he was somewhere in there, too.
It was one thing to acknowledge that a demon had taken over his father’s body and accept what that meant. But it was another to go the full distance and internalize the information. Even now, Jack felt hesitant. Each time Mezolak’s gaze settled on his, he felt emotions and nostalgia surging, as though he expected the demon’s expression to soften and become that of the father he remembered.
“What does me being a blood mage have to do with you being here?” asked Jack.
Mezolak gave a small shrug.
“It’s intriguing,” he said. “When you’ve existed for as long as I have, intrigue becomes a severely undervalued experience.”
Jack crouched, and then moved. He feinted forward, trying to get a reaction out of Mezolak. He’d landed a punch earlier, and it didn’t seem as though the demon had enhanced strength or speed. If he could score a blow of the right strength on Mezolak’s head, it wasn’t outside the realm of reason to think he might knock him unconscious.
He moved with the full breadth of his vampiric speed, surging forward fast enough to catch his opponent off guard. He swept Mezolak’s legs out from under him with a spinning kick. Mezolak gasped in surprise, but never hit the ground. His eyes flashed bright white the moment before he would have landed, and he lifted several feet into the air, floating just outside of Jack’s normal reach.
“Strong,” said Mezolak. “Stronger than a normal vampire of your lineage. You’ve been gifted with the essence of another, haven’t you?”
Jack didn’t answer. He didn’t want to let Mezolak gain control of the encounter. He’d already seen the way Adana was capable of manipulating him with her words, and he wasn’t interested in taking the risk a second time. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure if he would have much choice.
“Come down here and face me,” said Jack. “I’ll show you just how strong I am.”
“I’d rather you come to me,” called Mezolak. “Here. I’ll assist you.”
He waved his hands out to either side, and a darkened dome began to expand around him. It grew in size, inflating like a balloon, though it extended upward from the ground in the manner of a flattened snow globe. Its surface was similar in opacity to a pair of sunglasses, and when Mezolak reached his hand out, it passed through without stopping, causing a gentle ripple along the magical dome’s surface.
“To m
ake it easier for you,” said Mezolak.
“Why would you want to make this fight easy for me?” asked Jack.
The question triggered a deep, hearty laugh from the demon. It was his father’s laugh, and Jack felt his anger and frustration bubbling in response to it.
“You understand so little, mortal,” said Mezolak. “Come and face me. For your father’s sake, if not your own.”
Jack stayed where he was. The idea of taking Mezolak at his word and assuming that the dome of shadow was just to block out the sun seemed so foolish that it bordered on lunacy. The spell the demon had cast to create the shell could have any number of other residual effects, some of which he might not even notice affecting him immediately.
Mezolak stood at the center of the dome with his arms crossed, with a smile on his face. He was waiting, and he knew he held the one and only card that had any deeper meaning.
“Show me your true power, mortal,” shouted Mezolak, “and I’ll show you how I came to possess this body.”
Jack ran a hand through his hair, hating himself for what he was about to do. He needed to know the truth. It was the same impulse had pushed him to dig up his father’s casket and summon a demon., and now again, against his better judgement, he would be risking everything.
He had to know the truth. Without it, he would never live to see another day. Sure, he might go on with his life and attempt to maintain the veneer of normalcy he’d clung to since first becoming a vampire. But his heart would never leave this moment. It would never catch up with him, and he’d never be able to forgive himself for turning away from the ghosts of his past.
Jack started walking, and he didn’t stop as he approached the dome. It covered most of the mansion’s side yard, including the cherry trees and a section of the wrought-iron fence. It extended upward at least fifty feet, like a miniature, closed ceiling arena. He took a breath as he stepped through the magical shell. It felt like crashing through the surface of an icy lake.
CHAPTER 19
It was dark inside of the dome, though closer to the illumination level of twilight rather than night. It was also just as cold as it had first seemed. Jack could see his breath come out in white puffs as he exhaled, and the hairs on the back of his arms stood up straight as goosebumps rose across his skin.
“I won’t kill you,” called Mezolak. “And I won’t allow you to destroy or irreversibly damage my body. So please, do not insult me by holding back.”
Don’t hold back. It was easier said than done. Jack still couldn’t banish the image of the father he remembered from childhood from the precipice of his awareness. It was the same man he was facing off against now, or at least, that was how it seemed. It was a near-impossible struggle to keep his reactions to Mezolak’s familiar appearance from triggering automatically.
“What does any of this matter to you?” asked Jack. “Why do you care how strong I am?”
Instead of answering with words, Mezolak extended a hand and released a singular bolt of magical, red lightning. He telegraphed his spell, and it was easy for Jack to dodge to the side. He summoned his Spectral Sword on reflex as he came to his feet, swinging the ethereal blade in a drawing arc.
Mezolak rose into the air and wiggled his fingers. He was grinning, and he stared at Jack’s sword with a mixture of curiosity and appreciation on his face. He slammed his hand forward in a sudden movement, sending another bolt of lightning outward. Jack swung his sword in a defensive sweep, dispersing the spell as the blade made contact with it.
“Yes…” said Mezolak. “Come now. Face me up here.”
Jack scowled. He hated the fact that the demon seemed to have such a firm grip on the situation. What was even the point of fighting him? What was the endgame, if Jack managed to win? He couldn’t imagine containing Mezolak within the mansion. Handcuffs wouldn’t be enough to restrain him, even just taking into consideration the spells he’d already showcased.
But still, he had to do something. He could worry about practical concerns after winning the fight.
Jack took a breath and cast Shadow Levitation. He rose a few feet into the air, touched back down, and used a combination of his enhanced leg strength and his magic to leap at Mezolak directly.
He kept his sword summoned but didn’t use it to strike, instead twisting to orient his legs in front of him for a supernaturally enhanced drop kick. Mezolak didn’t dodge, taking the blow directly to the chest and letting out a grunt of pain. A network of red lightning in the shape of a spiderweb spread out across his back, stretching back slightly to absorb the momentum before springing Mezolak directly forward. He slammed both palms into Jack’s shoulders, giving him a brusque shrug that sent him flying toward the edge of the dome.
Jack used his levitation to cushion his fall, at least somewhat. His face struck the ground as he tumbled, and he had to spit dirt out of his mouth as he pulled himself back to his feet. Mezolak was still floating in the air, looking no worse off from the exchange.
“Your tactics are basic, mortal,” said Mezolak. “I can tell that you have no formal training, and your magic is instinctive, rather than the result of structured spellcraft.”
“I get by well enough on what I have,” said Jack. “It helps that my opponents tend to underestimate me.”
It was hard for him to put much force into his words. Despite everything, it still felt as though he was speaking out against his father. Jack had never known him as a man, and it was hard to shake off the remnants of that old power dynamic, with James as the parent and Jack as the child. He reminded himself that he was facing Mezolak, and not his dad, but the knowledge did little to stop his underlying feelings from bleeding through.
“You think I’m underestimating you?” Mezolak’s voice took on a cold, calculated quality. “So be it.”
The demon flew forward in a flash of movement. Jack dodged, but not in time to completely avoid a flurry of punches and kicks, unleashed in quick succession. Mezolak wasn’t as physically strong as he was, but he knew where to place his blows.
Jack let out a shout and threw a counter punch. His fist made it past Mezolak’s guard, and then passed through his body without ever connecting against anything solid. He stumbled back in surprise, spinning around only to discover that he was now facing half a dozen identical copies of the demon, all of them wearing his father’s face.
A few of them drew within Jack’s effective striking range. He attempted attacking one, and his fist went right through it again, much as he’d been expecting.
“You would be dead right now, if it was what I truly desired.” Mezolak’s voice came from above him, and the copies faded. “Fighting against an opponent like me is beyond your realm of experience, mortal. But it doesn’t have to be.”
Jack was sick of being toyed around with. He cast Shadow Levitation, lifting himself a few feet in the air. Forcing the shadows against his legs and back, he hurled himself forward into another offensive lunge.
He knew that Mezolak would dodge or attempt a defensive spell at the last second. He also knew that the cherry tree behind the demon had a thick branch at just the right angle for him to gain an advantage.
Mezolak lifted higher into the air, avoiding Jack’s strike, just as he’d been expecting. He seized the branch on the other side of him, using it as a flexible handhold to shift his momentum in a way that his levitation wouldn’t have been able to on its own.
Both of Jack’s shins connected with Mezolak’s face with a crack that he found simultaneously satisfying and worrying. The demon fell from the air with a surprised grunt, landing heavily on his back. He sat up and let out a low growl, bringing a hand to his nose as blood began to gush across his upper lip.
“Yes…” said Mezolak. “Good.”
Jack was in the middle of dropping into another attack when the spell hit him. Red lightning, and not just a single bolt, struck him in the face, chest, and shoulders. He would have screamed from the pain if he’d had any breath left in his lungs. He would have
done anything he could to make the agony stop, but the lightning sapped his strength completely away from him. It felt like white-hot knives underneath his skin. It was the worst pain he’d ever experienced.
And then it stopped. Jack fell to the grass with his arms and legs still seizing on reflex. He took a shaky breath and forced himself to focus on what was happening. Mezolak was suddenly doubled over, facing away from him. He had both arms wrapped around himself, as though he was trying to shield his body.
No, that wasn’t it. Mezolak looked as though he was trying to hold himself back. Jack blinked, feeling hope stirring within him that he hadn’t realized was there.
“Is that…?” He swallowed, and took a step forward. “Is that you? Dad?”
A sound resonated through the interior of the ethereal shadow dome, and not the one Jack had been hoping for.
Mezolak was laughing.
He turned around with a broad smile on his face. A smile made crimson from the hot blood that was still dripping from his shattered nose.
“You’ve done as I’ve asked,” said Mezolak. “I see now. You could be molded into something great.”
“You’re insane,” said Jack. “Whatever it is you want, I won’t give it to you.”
“Oh, but you already have,” said Mezolak. “Now, as I said, I shall let you see the truth. You have questions, and I have answers.”
He waved a hand, and the shadow dome overhead rippled from existence like a popped soap bubble, revealing the cloudy sky overhead. Mezolak took several quick steps forward, and before Jack could stop him, he slammed his hand down on his scalp, almost like he was patting the head of a dog.
“Relax,” said Mezolak. “And enter an old memory.”
The hand suddenly grew burning hot against his skin, and Jack felt his reality shift, transporting him to a different time and place.
CHAPTER 20
Water Nymph Page 11
