Instrument of Chaos

by Rebecca Hall

  Mitch groaned, he should have pushed Nikola harder before giving him the damn things but Nikola had been drifting in and out and Mitch hadn’t wanted to leave him at the mercy of whatever poison had been on the demon’s blades.

  “Hey,” Amelie said, “Cryomancer remember? If anyone can keep him from overheating it’s you.”

  “Right,” Mitch smiled. He didn’t dare try to freeze Nikola directly but he could radiate cold himself.

  “I’ll get us dinner,” Amelie said. “Juice and a straw for him too I suppose. Daddy will deal with Rana.” She sighed, “I guess he can stay with you tonight, I’ll take care of the washing.”

  “Will he really be ok?” Mitch asked.

  “As long as none of those cuts need stitches,” Amelie replied.

  “I don’t think so,” Mitch said. He’d used butterfly stitches on a few of them and it looked like they were doing the trick.

  “Then he’ll be fine though he’ll probably need a couple of days to rest once the potions wear off.”

  “I’ll look after him,” Mitch said.

  “I know,” Amelie said softly.

  Improvisation

  Mitch flailed at his alarm clock until he hit the snooze button and it fell mercifully silent. He groaned and opened his eyes, relieved to see that Nikola had slept through the racket. Nikola didn’t even twitch when Mitch sat up and Mitch breathed a sigh of relief as he checked Nikola’s bandages. A couple needed changing but everything had stopped bleeding and his fever was falling. Mitch felt a little of the tension in his shoulders ease, truly believing for the first time that Nikola would be fine. Really fine, not Nikola’s strange definition of it.

  “I’ll be back after class,” he promised, rushing to get ready. “I’m sure Amelie will check on you while I’m gone.”

  He gave Nikola a hug and hurried out the door, if he was lucky he’d be able to get his usual coffee before class. He was lucky, there was almost no line at his usual coffee place and the barista started making his drink as soon as he walked in the door.

  “Hey Mitch.”

  Mitch jumped, he hadn’t even noticed Hayley sitting at one of the tables, he’d just assumed that it was another student. What the hell was she doing here?

  He mechanically paid and took his cup before turning to face her. She hadn’t changed at all since the last time he’d seen her. Her hair was the exact same length, her skin the same degree of not tanned, her eyes an unnaturally pale shade of blue.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be in hiding or something?” Mitch hissed, forcing himself into motion.

  “I can hide anywhere for a short time,” she replied, falling into step beside him. Mitch sipped his coffee, hoping that it would make him feel more alert though if the sudden appearance of an angel couldn’t do the trick nothing could. At least the coffee was enjoyable.

  “I have lectures to go to,” Mitch said. He yawned. Despite his nap yesterday and an early bedtime he still felt tired, his sleep disturbed by Nikola’s fever dreams and crying.

  “I’ll be gone before it starts,” Hayley smiled at him. “I have to travel a lot to stay ahead of them but Belle said that I’d have long enough to talk to you.”

  “She said what?” Mitch asked, feeling a flash of anger that almost made him crush his coffee cup. “Haven’t you done enough damage to her life already?”

  They reached the door just as it started to rain and Mitch scowled. The skies had been crystal clear five minutes ago but sudden storms were another manifestation of the Eternity War.

  “She’s safe,” Hayley said, “there won’t be a repeat of last year’s incident.”

  “Sure,” Mitch muttered. Last year’s incident had turned him into a vampire; he didn’t want to know what this year’s would do.

  The rain intensified, pelting them from every direction but somehow they weren’t getting quite as wet as Mitch expected. No one around them seemed to notice but his dripping wet classmates would. Those that had umbrellas were rapidly giving up on them lest they lose an eye. With the rain largely horizontal they weren’t doing much good anyway. Mitch raised an eyebrow.

  “Even angels find getting soaked to the skin unpleasant,” Hayley said.

  Mitch grunted in response. “What are you doing here anyway?” he asked.

  “I wanted to talk to you,” Hayley replied.

  “So talk,” Mitch said, resigning himself. She could zap him half way around the world if she wanted to, if she wanted to talk then he didn’t have much choice. Not that she would of course, at least he didn’t think so. They’d never exactly been friends but he was relatively sure that she was a good person.

  “You captured a demon yesterday,” she said.

  “It was mostly Nikola,” Mitch said, already convinced that he wouldn’t like where this was going. “I don’t want anything more to do with that thing.” He took another gulp of coffee, certain that the paper cup wouldn’t survive the entire conversation and determined to enjoy as much of it as he could.

  “They weren’t always monsters,” Hayley said levelly.

  “So Nikola was right,” Mitch said, “they were created by the Twisted Curse.”

  “It might be more accurate to say that they were created for the Twisted Curse,” Hayley said. “Something that big has to have a key somewhere.”

  Mitch nodded, the Academy hadn’t covered curses in much depth, they were both rare and illegal, but he’d researched them plenty himself to learn about the family curse. He hadn’t learnt much that was of actual use to him but he had learnt that the more powerful curses created a magical key and that its destruction would break the curse.

  “So you made them to break the key?” Mitch asked.

  Hayley shook her head, “The Fallen made them to find it.”

  “Good job there,” Mitch muttered, “You made a bunch of homicidal maniacs.”

  Hayley grimaced. “Lucifer didn’t think that they’d be so twisted by the curse,” she said. “Most of them have been imprisoned within a cold star for eons now.”

  “And you’ve come to take Rana’s prize from her?”

  “Not quite,” Hayley said, shaking her head. “We believe that the demons did succeed in their original purpose, they’ve certainly hinted at such.”

  “But?”

  “They refuse to tell us.”

  “Can’t you compel them?” Mitch asked. It wasn’t his favourite branch of magic but if that was what it took to break the Twisted Curse…

  “No,” Hayley replied, “they were made to be resistant to angelic magic to protect them from the Host. Lucifer never thought that they might refuse to answer to him.”

  Mitch sighed, of course they were.

  “But, as you’ve just shown us they are susceptible to other magic users.”

  “No,” Mitch said sharply, freezing in his tracks. “You’re not sending Nikola to interrogate that thing.”

  “Mitchell–”

  “I said no,” Mitch snapped. “It almost killed him, there’s no way in hell he’s going near it again.”

  “He’s a telepath Mitchell, he may already know what we need.”

  “Then why are you talking to me?” Mitch demanded, “You know where Nikola is.”

  “I also know that he hates me, you don’t.”

  “I’m working on it, just keep talking.” Coffee dripped off his hand, the paper cup crushed while they talked though Mitch couldn’t have said when.

  “If we find the key then we could end the war Mitchell,” Hayley said, her eyes blazing a brilliant blue. “You want that just as much as we do.”

  “So I’m supposed to sacrifice my best friend?” Mitch demanded. “It’s bad enough that you’re using Belle, I won’t let you use Nikola as well.”

  “All he has to do is talk to it.”

  “No!” Mitch yelled. “Go talk to it yourself, Rana is keeping it down there somewhere,” he jabbed a finger at the ground. “And no doubt she’d love having an angel indebted to her.”

 
“You know I can’t.”

  “Then find yourself another telepath,” Mitch said, knowing that it was probably impossible. The only other telepath he knew about was the Seelie Queen and she hadn’t left Faerie in centuries.

  “Mitchell,” Hayley reached out a hand and he brushed her aside.

  “I’m not doing it and neither is he,” he said, turning and stalking away from her. He was going in the wrong direction but suddenly he didn’t care about going to his maths lecture. He didn’t look over his shoulder to see if Hayley was still there or not, he wanted to forget that he’d seen her at all.

  #

  “You’re late,” Amelie said when Mitch got home. She already had her boots on, her jacket buttoned up and bag slung over one shoulder.

  “Sorry,” Mitch said guiltily. He hadn’t even gone to class. He’d wandered through the storm and eventually found himself sitting in the nearly deserted union food court. “How’s Nikola?”

  “Asleep,” Amelie said, her voice softening. “He should be fine by dinner but yesterday completely wiped him out, I don’t think he’ll be going to class again this week.”

  Mitch nodded, it wasn’t great but Nikola was practically the world champion at catching up on missed classes. The photographic memory usually helped, assuming he still had it, Gawain might have had to rewire it away to make everything else work.

  “I’ll see you later,” Amelie said, “I have to get to class.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and hurried out the door.

  Contrary to expectations Nikola was actually awake when Mitch returned to his room.

  “Amelie said that you were asleep,” Mitch said, putting his bag down and hunting for some clean, dry clothes.

  “I’ve been awake for a while,” Nikola rasped. Mitch looked at the glass on the bedside table and found it empty. He sighed and tossed Nikola his bottle instead.

  “Ow,” Nikola protested when it bounced off his hand, his usually perfect reflexes had failed him. “I feel worse than I look you know.”

  “You look dreadful,” Mitch informed him. Face flushed, eyes glazed, pyjamas soaked in sweat.

  “Whereas you look like a drowned rat.”

  “I’m working on it,” Mitch said changing out of his dripping clothes and tossing them in the general direction of the laundry basket. “Better?”

  “Yes,” Nikola croaked, gulping down the last of Mitch’s water.

  “Amelie seemed quite certain that you were asleep,” Mitch said, sitting next to him.

  “I’m afraid I was frustrating her,” Nikola said, resting his head on Mitch’s shoulder. Mitch sighed and wrapped an arm around him.

  “So you pretended to be asleep?”

  “It worked didn’t it?” He yawned. “I almost did doze off.”

  “You didn’t have to stay awake just for me,” Mitch said.

  “How else would I reassure you that I’m ok?” Nikola asked. He yawned again.

  “Well your fever is down and you’ve stopped bleeding everywhere.”

  “And you’re toying with my hair, you only do that when you’re worried.”

  “Sorry,” Mitch muttered, he hadn’t even realised that he was doing it.

  “I don’t mind,” he said softly, his eyes closing.

  “You already got my bed,” Mitch said, easing himself away, “You don’t need my shoulder as well.”

  “But I like your shoulder,” Nikola protested, sinking down onto the pillows.

  “I got you a present,” Mitch said, fishing it out of his bag. At least it was still dry in its plastic bag, his books were looking a little wet around the edges.

  “What kind of present?” Nikola asked.

  “A get well soon present,” Mitch replied, hiding it behind his back. When he’d realised that he was doing nothing but staring into space in the food court he’d wandered into town, a detail that he’d neglected to share with Amelie.

  “Really?” Nikola sniffed.

  “Really,” Mitch replied, handing him the toy dog.

  Nikola grinned in delight, his eyes watering. “Is it supposed to round up surfer sheep?” he asked, hugging it to his chest and laughing when it barked.

  “Don’t cry,” Mitch said, grabbing a tissue and wiping Nikola’s eyes. “It’s just a toy dog.”

  Nikola threw his arm around him, sandwiching the dog between them. It barked again and Nikola sobbed into his shoulder.

  “I just changed into dry clothes you know,” Mitch said, returning his embrace.

  “No one ever gets me get better soon presents,” Nikola said, shivering. Mitch couldn’t tell if it was the fever or emotion that was making him tremble.

  “But you’re sick all the time,” Mitch said.

  “No one ever really expects me to get better soon I guess, just temporarily recover until the next problem.” Nikola’s grip on him was slackening but Mitch found himself taking more and more of his weight and he carefully manoeuvred them until Nikola could rest against the headboard.

  “You are going to get better,” Mitch said, handing him another tissue so he could blow his nose.

  “From this.”

  “From everything.” Mitch put an arm around him, not saying anything when Nikola once more used his shoulder as a pillow. “Gawain and Morrigan must have gotten you plenty of presents over the years, I still remember the chocolate bats.”

  Nikola laughed weakly, “Those were to cheer me up, they weren’t get well soon presents.”

  “Pedant,” Mitch replied, yanking on one of his curls. Nikola laughed weakly and sank a little lower into the bed, one hand toying with his new soft toy.

  “You’re going to make Amelie jealous,” he said.

  “What? Because I pulled your hair? In my experience girls don’t like it when you do that.”

  “I don’t like it either but I was referring to him,” he waved the toy dog. “You don’t have a present for Amelie hidden in your bag do you?”

  “Um…” No. “I’m going to take her out for dinner when you’re better,” Mitch improvised. “It’s a surprise ok?”

  “For you or for her?” Nikola asked, grinning.

  “For her,” Mitch replied, glaring at him.

  “And where are you going?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “Mmm hmm.”

  “You really should be sleeping,” Mitch said, “You can barely keep your eyes open.” And he never won an argument with Nikola, he didn’t see why this one would be any different. Nikola had a unique grasp on logic and even in his fever-addled state he had a point.

  “Mmmm.”

  “Hush,” Mitch said, “just go to sleep and let me have my shoulder back.”

  “Sorry,” Nikola sobbed, fresh tears filling his eyes. “I know this isn’t how you wanted university to go.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Mitch said. “I blame those friggen angels for that.” Hayley flashed through his mind and he was suddenly glad that Nikola couldn’t see what he was thinking. He’d have to tell him later but not now, not when he was already so upset.

  “Go to sleep,” he said, “and no pretending this time ok? I’m more observant than Amelie.”

  Nikola hiccoughed a laugh and sank onto the pillows, curling up around the toy dog. It wasn’t long before he really was asleep and Mitch eased himself off the bed so he could Google restaurants. He thought ruefully that he actually would have known where to take Nikola, Amelie was a different story.

  #

  “Dinner and now a moonlit walk along the beach,” Amelie said, not that they were walking. Amelie clung to Mitch’s arm as she fiddled with the straps of her heels. They might have looked good but they weren’t very practical for walking on the white sand. “Much better,” she said, sinking her feet into the sand. Mitch considered removing his own shoes but Amelie was already moving.

  “Stars, I don’t know what Nikola was thinking when he recommended these.”

  “I didn’t tell him about the beach,” Mitch said, he’d had to te
ll Nikola about the restaurant or risk ruining the surprise when Amelie had asked how she should dress for their night out. Mitch wasn’t sure if Amelie had actually listened to any of Nikola’s recommendations but he couldn’t fault the end result.

  “In case you haven’t noticed Nikola is reasonably intelligent,” Amelie said, “he probably could have deduced the beach from the restaurant’s location, assuming he didn’t just fish it from your head.”

  Mitch shrugged, “Maybe he just wanted you to look pretty,” he suggested, “and you didn’t seem to have much trouble taking them off.”

  Amelie rolled her eyes. “What else do you have planned for tonight?”

  “Whatever you want,” Mitch replied. He’d considered booking a hotel room but that had seemed like going a little too far. Besides that would have meant leaving Nikola alone all night. The fever had broken days ago but he was still weak.

  “Really?” Amelie grinned up at him.

  “Within reason,” Mitch said hastily, waving his hands.

  “I’m sure I could find a reason for anything that I might want to do,” Amelie said, her grin broadening.

  “You know that’s not what I meant,” Mitch sighed. He was definitely going to have to take his shoes off soon or he’d end up taking half of Saint Claire’s beach home with him. Apparently good shoes didn’t equate to sand-proof.

  “How could I?” Amelie asked, “I’m not a mind reader.”

  “Well the shoes looked good,” Mitch said, abandoning that line of conversation for one that was less likely to end in him buried in the sand.

  “I don’t need a pair of shoes to look good.” Amelie spun around and turned to face him, a broad grin on her face.

  “That dress looks good as well,” Mitch said, grinning back.

  “I’m sure it’s flattered,” Amelie said, skipping back just as a wavelet surged up and soaked Mitch’s shoes.

  “You could have warned me,” Mitch muttered. Now he had to take them off.

  “Aww, not going to compliment my jewellery next?”