by Quinn Loftis
Nasima raised a brow at him. “That’s reassuring.”
“The words can be read now, air queen,” Aviur said, pointing at the book in her hands.
Nasima glanced down, and, sure enough, the words now made sense.
She held a book about demons, but it wasn’t about banishing them. This book was about calling them out of hell. “Why would the Vatican have a book on how to summon demons?” she asked Aviur as she continued to flip through the pages.
“I don’t know. What types of demons are we talking about?”
Nasima frowned. She flipped through a few more pages. “This book is an instruction manual on how to summon a … hazard demon.”
Aviur’s smile turned sly. “Aren’t they all hazards?”
“Apparently, this is a special type of hazard,” she said. “According to this text, hazard demons are summoned when there is to be great spiritual testing done among the Creator’s children.”
“Like the story of Job?” Aviur asked, referring to the book in the Creator’s book that humans called the Bible.
“Looks that way,” Nasima confirmed as she continued to skim the pages. “I didn’t realize church leaders could summon demons,” she said quietly as her eyes scanned over the words.
“They can’t.”
She turned at the sound of the new voice. The current pope of the Catholic church stood in the entryway, looking around the room as if it were a long-lost friend.
“Pope Paul Thomas,” Aviur said as he put his own book back on the shelves and walked over to the elderly man. The two embraced, and it was apparent to Nasima that Aviur was fond of the man.
“Fire king,” the pope said, his voice just as warm. “It has been a very long time, my friend.”
“So it has,” Aviur agreed. “And, unfortunately, this is not a social call.”
“What did you mean when you said that leaders in the church can’t summon demons? This text seems to suggest otherwise.” Nasima asked.
Pope Paul Thomas turned to her. His blue eyes were gentle as he spoke. “There are only a few of us who have been trained to summon or cast out demons,” he explained. “The rules for summoning a demon are very strict, and the reason for the summoning must be divinely inspired.”
“You mean the direction must have been given directly from the Creator?” she asked.
“Exactly. Summoning a demon is not something done on a whim. There must be prayer and fasting for weeks beforehand.”
“How many times has this been done before?” Aviur asked.
“If my memory serves me correctly, it has only been done twice," the pope answered. “Neither of those times has been in this century, or the last four, for that matter.”
He walked over to Nasima and gently took the book from her. “And that is not why you are here now.” He put the book back on the shelf in the empty slot and then walked several steps to the right. With a groan, he squatted down to the bottom shelf. “I believe what you are looking for can be found in the pages of this book.”
He held out the book to Nasima and she took it. It was just as heavy as the first one, but the leather binding was deep brown instead of black. Latin script, written in gold, adorned the front cover. “The Devil’s Trap,” Nasima read out loud.
“That is why you have come, correct?” Pope Paul Thomas asked. “Because you have a demon who has decided to turn the world into his playground.”
“His name is Dolion,” Aviur said.
Pope Paul Thomas said a quick prayer before responding. “Remember that names have power. It is why our Lord renamed those who came to him. They were given a new name, one that had meaning over their lives. The demon you speak of is powerful, but his name means deceitful, and the only time deceit has power is if there is no truth to counteract the lies. Dolion, the deceiver, has no power if he stands against the truth.” The man paused and then motioned to the book in Nasima’s hands. “I will leave you to read. Please, let me know if there is anything I can do for you. As it is, I will be praying constantly for your safety and for evil to fail.”
“Thank you,” Nasima told him. “We truly appreciate your help.” She motioned to the book. Who knows how long it would have taken them to find the exact book they’d needed if he had not come and handed it to them?
The air queen watched as Pope Paul Thomas left as quietly as he had arrived. Then she looked down at the book she held in her hands.
“Should we have mentioned that there’d been a witch in his library?” she asked Aviur as she moved toward one of the tables and put down the book that would hopefully hold the secrets to ridding the world of Dolion.
“We’ve taken care of the spell that was left behind,” Aviur said. “We can tell him after the world is no longer on the verge of freezing to death.”
“Good point.” Nasima touched the letters on the cover, brushing her finger across the embossed gold font. A hum of power ran up into her hand. “This book is old and was written by someone powerful.”
“What do you feel?” Aviur asked.
Nasima closed her eyes and concentrated on the magic thrumming through the book. It wasn’t evil, just ancient. As she allowed herself to hone in on it, her senses came alive. She could taste the smoke of fire and feel the cool breeze of wind. She smelled the warmth of the earth on a hot summer day and could hear the pounding waves of the ocean. “Gaia,” she whispered. “This is Mother Gaia’s power.”
Nasima opened the cover. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the scrolled writing on the first page.
“The devil’s trap,” she began to read, “is not just for the ruler of the underworld. The devil’s trap is a spell used to cast powerful demons into the lake of fire. It is the one place in the underworld that they can never escape, nor can the ruler of the underworld release them from that prison.”
“I wonder if Osiris is aware that his domain is actually more powerful than he is,” Aviur said.
“Surely he must,” Nasima pointed out, “but that’s not something he would willingly share with anyone. It would be perceived as a weakness by the demons he rules.”
Aviur nodded.
“In order to complete the spell,” Nasima continued to read, “the caster must have the Vessel of Sheol.”
“Wonder why she used the Greek word for hell instead of our language? It is written in the elemental language, correct?” Aviur asked.
Nasima nodded. “But if the spell was to be performed by a human, they wouldn’t understand the significance of the words if they were spoken in the elemental tongue,” she pointed out.
“True,” Aviur agreed.
Nasima turned the page, and her heart warmed at the words of Mother Gaia. “To my children,” she paused and swallowed down her emotions before she continued reading aloud. “I knew there would come a day when you would be the ones to use the devil’s trap spell. The demon you will face is powerful because of those he has gathered to himself. All of my royals must be present in order for the spell to work against one such as him. Be ready, be vigilant, and have faith that the light in you is greater than the darkness in the evil one. I am with you always.”
They were silent for a time. Nasima absorbed the words and tried not to worry over the fact that they didn’t have all of the royals present at the moment.
“That is going to make things difficult," Aviur said as if he could read her thoughts.
“Osiris must come through,” she said. “He knows what’s at stake if he does not.”
“We have what we need. I think it’s time we go and see how things are getting on with the teams that have been charged with keeping the world from falling apart,” the fire king said.
Nasima nodded. As she stepped through the portal Aviur had opened, she prayed to Mother Gaia that they wouldn’t fail. If they did, the human race would be doomed to a future of torture and death. Not to mention how the elementals all over the world would suffer because after the demons took over the human realm, it wouldn’t be long until they breach
ed the realms of the royals.
Chapter 14
Kairi knocked on the door to Terrick’s office. She clasped her hands behind her back, attempting to hide the trembling that had begun after the meeting with Osiris. She had not come straight to the headmaster of Terra Academy but instead had made a detour to her realm.
Her own power was beginning to wane because her mate was not here to share his own. Going to her realm had helped energize her, but it still wasn’t the same as having Ecthelion by her side.
The door to Terrick’s office opened, and Kairi was met with the gentle smile of Iterra, the headmaster’s mate. “Your majesty,” Iterra said with a bow of her head.
Kairi waved her off as she entered the room “Such formalities seem silly considering what we are facing. And we are all equals in this battle.”
Terrick rose from his desk and walked around to stand beside his mate. “Where are the others?”
She knew he was asking about Aviur and Nasima. “They went to the Vatican to do some research on how to deal with the demon that Osiris has lost control of,” she explained. “I came to check in on how things are going with the teams.”
“There have been a few skirmishes with dark elementals and acolytes,” Terrick said. “But so far, we have managed to keep the upper hand. The major power plants and water sources have been kept operational, but the humans are beginning to panic because the smaller ones are freezing.”
“We’ve been watching the human news,” Iterra explained, pointing to a television. Though her people did not use modern technology, she was familiar with most of it. After all, they spent a great deal of time in the human realm.
“We are still waiting to hear from Osiris about our mates,” Kairi said. “I’m truly hoping he has enough incentive to figure out a way to release them.”
“I’m sorry you’re going through this,” Iterra said, her voice genuine and full of care. “If it were Terrick, I know I would be lost without him. We will do whatever we can to help you and the others.”
“Thank you,” Kairi said. “I appreciate your concern and willingness to help.” Neither of them bothered to acknowledge that they both knew there was nothing Terrick or Iterra, or anyone else for that matter, could do. At least not for the royals trapped in the underworld. But they could help the humans, and that action would at least be a distraction from her own worries.
“Now,” Kairi said, taking a deep breath and letting it out, “where can I help?”
Aston pulled his phone out of his back pocket. He hadn’t heard from his brothers in over twenty-four hours, though he’d sent several texts to each of them.
He grinned as he read the text he’d just received. It was from Liam.
When did you turn into a mother hen? We’re fine. Or at least I am. I haven’t heard from Ra or Elias, but they’re probably just busy with a mission or sleeping. That’s all we have time for lately.
Aston couldn’t argue with that. If he wasn’t helping his team, he was sleeping. Though a lot of his help involved research instead of using his elemental power. Still, it wore him out.
Aston typed out his response. Thanks for letting me know. How’s your girl?
The last text he’d received from Liam had been informing him that he’d bonded, though not completely, with Gabby. Aston was happy for him, but, secretly, he was jealous of his three best friends. He saw what Elias had with Tara and what Ra had with Shelly, and he couldn’t help but crave that kind of bond for himself. Not only did it fascinate him, but it also called to a part of him that longed to have a deep connection with a female, to know she was his, and he was hers.
Liam’s response was quick. Best thing that ever happened to me.
I’m happy for you. Be safe, brother.
You too.
Aston slipped his phone back into his pocket and then pressed his hand to his chest. He’d been experiencing a throbbing in his chest ever since they’d arrived in Transylvania.
When they’d heard about the attack on the team who’d been in Michigan, Jax and Professor Fernis had decided it was pertinent they check on the portal to the dragon realm. Located in a haunted forest in Transylvania, it was the only location on earth that would take an elemental to the land of the legendary flying lizards.
Aston had done loads of research on the dragons when he’d started his Creatures of Legend class at the academy. Though he probably should have been scared to face the huge beasts, he was excited.
They had been walking in the forest for over an hour and still had not reached the supposedly haunted clearing. The farther they walked, the worse the pain in his chest became.
“Aston,” Professor Fernis said, his voice low as he leaned toward the wind elementalist, “are you all right?”
Aston couldn't speak. He was pretty sure if he opened his mouth, he was going to vomit. He nodded his head instead.
“The grimace and profuse perspiration on your forehead indicate otherwise,” the Crimson Academy professor pointed out.
Aston swallowed several times until he was sure he wouldn’t throw up all over Fernis and then spoke. “It appears that something in this forest doesn’t agree with me,” Aston admitted. “I did not want to bother anyone with it, considering the threat of dragons that will soon be staring us in the face.”
“You can’t face dragons if you are growing ill,” Professor Fernis said.
“Maybe they have an aversion to human vomit,” Aston said. “Though none of my research has indicated such a disinclination, that could simply be because the beasts have yet to come in contact with the projectile variety.”
Fernis chuckled. “Dragon death by human emesis. That would, no doubt, be a first.”
Jax stopped abruptly, and that caused the rest of the team to halt. “Let’s take a quick water break.” Everyone pulled out the water bottles they carried in their packs, and Ender, the water elementalist warrior, walked around to each of them.
Jax had explained at the beginning of their journey that having full bottles of water would simply add weight to their packs. Since Ender could pull moisture from the air to fill them, there was no reason to add to their burden by carrying full bottles.
Aston took a small sip from his bottle after Ender had filled it. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to keep it down and didn’t want to push his luck by drinking too much.
“You okay?” Jax asked as he stepped up in front of him.
Aston told him the same thing he’d told Professor Fernis.
“Let me know if it gets worse,” Jax told him.
“I will,” Aston said. Worst-case scenario, Aston would be sent back to Tempest Academy, but that would mean his team had one less person to help them. He didn’t want to leave them, so unless he couldn’t stand any longer, he wasn’t about to be sent home.
After a few minutes more of resting, they started off again. About thirty minutes later, the trees opened up into a circular clearing.
“Welcome to the Devil’s Heart,” Jax said as they stepped out of the cover of the forest.
“I thought you said this portal had not been accessed in a few centuries,” said Rush, one of the air elementalist warriors and soul bonded mate to Brianna, another warrior on Aston’s team.
“As far as I knew, it hadn’t been,” Professor Fernis answered.
“Well, it clearly has,” Brianna said. “The magic here is strong. Someone has used this portal recently.
Jax nodded. “Very recently.”
Aston’s eyes automatically looked up as if a dragon were going to fly overhead at any moment. Dread and excitement filled him all at once. The part of him that craved knowledge wanted to take the risk of being fried like a chicken leg dropped in a hot pot of oil, but the warrior in him recognized that a dragon wasn’t an opponent anyone should be eager to face in battle.
“What do we do now?” Colt, the other Tempest Academy student asked.
Jax took off his pack, set it down, and rested his hands on his hips. “We stand guard an
d wait to see if whoever opened this portal comes back.”
Aston took a seat on the ground before his exhaustion made him take one involuntarily. He felt a hand on his shoulder before a burst of power flowed into him. Aston looked up and saw Rush, holding hands with his mate, Brianna. They’d both offered him some of their power. “Thank you,” Aston said as he held out his hand to the older warrior. Rush clasped his hand around Aston’s wrist and held it for a heartbeat.
“You’re welcome. That’s what warriors do. We have each other's backs.”
When the soul bonded pair stepped away, Aston took a deep breath. He no longer felt as if he was going to throw up, and he did feel a bit stronger, though the ache in his chest was still there.
His eyes roamed around the clearing, and the hair on the back of his neck rose. Something was watching them, then he mentally revised. Something was watching him. He could feel eyes on him. His heartbeat skipped several times and stuttered as if trying to find a new rhythm, but then it steadied. Aston swore he could feel for a moment a second heartbeat inside of him, but that was impossible.
Just then, Professor Fernis sat down beside him. “I’ve heard through the grapevine that you hold the acquisition of knowledge highly as a virtue. I know quite a bit about dragons, but I’d like to hear what you’ve learned about them.”
Aston’s brow rose. He couldn’t possibly imagine he knew anything that Fernis, the Crimson Academy warfare professor, didn’t already know. Considering warfare was part of his expertise, surely Fernis would have learned everything there was to know about such a dangerous potential foe.
But, needing a distraction, Aston decided to humor the professor. It would pass the time while they waited to see if the beasts of legends were going to be unleashed on earth.
Chapter 15
Crescious muttered under his breath as he appeared on the street in the human town of Salem. He’d seen the name of the town written in the book he’d found in Dolion’s chamber. Also mentioned was a coven called Blackhorn and a high priestess named Saphora.
