Hidden Runes

by G. Bailey

  "Cheri is outside, and we are going to practice fighting with the others. They are training everyone just in case, and I think I need to keep myself busy as I'm worried, too," she tells me. “Honestly, as much as I loved our life together, it feels good to have people my age around to train with like Cheri, and not humans who hate me. I also like our dysfunctional family.”

  "Any training is good training, and I’m glad you have friends now," I reply as Hali opens the door further so I can see Cheri outside. I knew keeping Hali from the supernatural world was always a hard thing to do. The witches wouldn’t dare touch her now because everyone knows she is protected. It’s different now.

  "Also, Cheri can make portals, so if anything goes wrong, she will portal us to safety. My mark is covered up, and I won’t make eye contact with anyone," she tells me, making me feel much better about letting her go out there alone.

  "I promise to keep her safe. I have been training my whole life, and I'm good at portals," Cheri awkwardly tells me. “Hali is my best friend; I’d die to keep her safe, Queen Evie.”

  "Straight back here at the first sign of trouble. If it's too dangerous here to get to me, then you go to our old home in Scotland," I tell Hali and look to Cheri. “It’s near Inverness, so portal there, and Hali knows where we keep a secret money and weapon box.”

  "Understood, Evie," Hali says, hugging me tightly before going off with Cheri who nods in understanding. I don't exactly trust the white-haired demon teenager, but I have a feeling she will keep Hali safe, and that is enough for me. I watch until they are out of sight before shutting the door and walking to the kitchen. I pull out bacon, eggs and sausages from the fridge before frying the bacon and sausages, and making scrambled eggs. Nix and Azi come down the stairs first, just as I put four pieces of bread in the toaster.

  "My beautiful woman cooking us breakfast, what could be better to wake up to?" Nix asks, kissing me on the cheek as he gets to my side.

  "You guys are always cooking for me, so I wanted to return the favour," I reply, but Azi keeps his eyes on me as he comes over.

  "You have bags under your eyes, did you not sleep well?" he asks, sliding his hand onto my shoulder.

  "Bad dreams," I explain, not wanting to lie to any of them about this. "The necklace might keep Cex from finding me, but it seems like he can haunt my dreams either way. I used to have nice dreams where I floated in a sea of maple syrup next to a bacon-made boat with my favourite weapons on it as you guys fed me bacon. Now that is gone."

  "That's really what you dream about?" Connor asks as he gets to the bottom of the stairs, smiling at me. "Never mind, of course it is. I will go and find the keepers today, see if there is a way to get him out of your head so you can sleep."

  "Thanks," I reply, knowing there isn’t going to be a way until I kill him. Which I will never stop trying until I do. Cex has to die, it’s the only way to make this world safe. It’s everything after killing him that I’m concerned about. "Come and sit down, I made food."

  "Why don't I make us all some orange juice while we wait for Trex to get his ass out of the bathroom," Nix says, kissing my cheek once more before going to the fridge. I carry on frying the bacon and sausages while Azi takes over with the toast, and Connor gets plates out for us. We all sit down and eat the food in a comfortable silence that has taken over us all.

  "Where is Hali?" Azi asks after he finishes his food. "Still sleeping in?"

  "Nope, she was up earlier than me," I explain, seeing Trex walking down the stairs, and he grins at me before going to get some food. "She and Cheri have gone to practice fighting with the other people at some gathering. Cheri can portal, so I think she will be safe."

  "What are your plans for today then?" Trex asks when he comes into the room, sitting next to Nix.

  "Going to see Keira, she wanted to speak to me, and it seemed important. I’ve noticed the demons see her as a leader of sorts, so it’s worth a small chat with her," I explain.

  "Keira is mated to a strong demon now, and he is currently the leader of this place. She moved here before the war started," Nix tells me, and I raise my eyebrows, wondering how he knows so much already. We only just got here, and I really didn’t think the demons would be chatting with Protectors so soon about important secrets. "I've been speaking to a lot of the demons around this place who respect you and heard some things. Do you want some company at this meeting?"

  "I’d love some," I instantly reply.

  "Tomorrow, we begin training with Hali and the others. Hali has the right idea by being in shape for what is to come," Trex informs us. Though Hali can train all she likes, there is no way she or Cheri will be in the fight. I plan to get Cheri to take her to our hide out in Scotland when it’s clear the fight is beginning. At the end of the day, she is a young, vulnerable kid with no powers. It wouldn’t be a fair fight, and I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on killing Cex if I were worried about Hali. I’m pretty sure my guys know this.

  "Yes, and could you spread the word that all Protectors are to come and fight if they are able? We need to be working with the demons," I reply. “Train together, fight together. New Protector rules.”

  "I will do that today while securing a safe place for the kids who will not be able to fight with us later on," Azi explains to me. “Seth is helping me make plans and talk to people.”

  "I found the name of another half reaper kid here yesterday, who apparently regularly speaks with his reaper mother. I'm going to ask him to get my mother and father a message," Connor explains. "We are meeting in an hour."

  "And I'm going to watch Hali and Cheri, secretly, because you don't even need to ask," Trex interjects, and I flash him a thankful smile. "And I'm sure I will find Seth watching as well if you want to head that way with me, Azi?

  “Yes, I will. We have no more information about black magic, but the demons are still looking. Everyone is looking,” Azi replies, looking as frustrated as we all feel. There has to be some information on this black magic. It had to come from somewhere…and be controlled somehow, right?

  "Maybe there isn't anything," I mutter, looking at the stone which is dim at the very top. It's only been a day, and it is already fading. Shit. How long do I actually have left?

  "We will find something," Trex states as I pull my chair out and get up, taking my empty plate to the kitchen, not having the strength to really reply to them. None of them says anything as they help me wash up the plates, each of us more worried than the next, I suspect. I feel like loving them has made me happy, different and yet weaker than I have ever been. I want to fight for this, more than anything I've wanted to fight for in my whole life, but I don't know how. And if I don't figure it out soon, then there won't be time left to enjoy the life I finally have.

  Ninety-Two

  "Keira," I say her name once I get close to where she is waiting for me in front of a large tent, the smell of soup and fresh bread filling the air. There is a large queue of people, some of which are children, waiting for their food. It reminds me of when I was a kid, and Rita couldn't escape the witches to risk coming to see me. I had to come to places like this, pretending to be a demon child and getting my food before running back home, scared a Protector or someone might find me. These places are a godsend for kids, adults and anyone that needs food when they don't have anything else. I hate that, though it has been years since I was a child, nothing has changed at all. Demons are still treated like they aren’t real people, that they don’t feel pain and love as strongly as we do. They can be just as vulnerable as we can, but they have no one to protect them. No real home other than this muddy village of old containers and broken things the humans throw away. It’s no real life.

  "Queen Evelina," she bows to me and glances at Nix who stops by my side, holding his hand out.

  "I'm Nix," he introduces himself, and they shake hands.

  "We can go somewhere else if you like, but I thought you might like to help out today. We are short-staffed," Keira suggests. “I didn�
�t want to cancel on them.”

  "I'd love to. I used to rely on places like this as a kid," I explain to her as we walk to the tent, going in through the back. We pull on gloves as we look around the old, thrown together kitchen. The cooker looks like one of the first ever made in history, with more rust than actual metal. The cupboards are falling apart, only little tiny parts of them are painted to cover up the worst of it. There is a massive pile of dirty plates, not one bit of cutlery matches the others.

  "Can you cut the meat up into chunks for the stew, Nix? And Evie, would you wash up while I dry them as we talk?" Keira asks Nix, pointing at the fridge which is just as old and deteriorating. The door is taped shut to hold it in place by the looks of it. I meet Nix’s gaze for a second, and I see the same thing as I feel. Shame. Shame that anyone is treated so poorly. Demons are people, and this has to change.

  "Sure," I reply, following her over to the sink, as Nix goes over to try and open the fridge. I start washing a big red, chipped bowl out while looking back at Nix every so often to see him focused on his job.

  "You love the Protector, don't you?" Keira softly asks me.

  "I didn't think I could ever trust anyone to really fall in love with them, but here I am with three Protectors and a demon I'm in love with," I answer her more honestly than I intended.

  "I like how open you are. Honesty is a rare quality in a leader. Usually, they keep more secrets than one person should ever hold," she replies to me.

  "I'm not without my secrets,” I tell her.

  "I am sure you have plenty," she replies. "We all do."

  "What did you ask me here for?" I ask her, cutting to the point. “I doubt it was to find out all my secrets.”

  "The demon underground sees you as the leader—the queen—we have never had...but they want a promise of a future to fight for," she informs me. “You cannot ask them to die for you without something more.”

  "What kind of future do you think they will fight for?" I ask, interested.

  "It's not a hidden secret the Protectors have money, and even if the Protector city is destroyed, it can be rebuilt, re-warded as the perfect place of safety," she says. “Money is something we extremely struggle for. Even the basics are impossible to buy for us.”

  "They want me to move them into the city?" I ask.

  "More than that, they want to be seen as equal to the Protectors. That you are equally queen of both the Protectors and demons, and the laws apply to both. Demons will not fight next to Protectors if they are going to hunt them like they always have done when this is over," she says, locking her eyes with me as I hand her the wet bowl to dry. “They want to know life is more than this. That we can rise. That demons will rule.”

  "Then gather the demons for me tomorrow night. I will make it clear what they have to fight for," I reply. "I will put the word out for the Protectors to come too for a massive gathering. There must be a future at the end of all this."

  "The old motto of demons will rise seems to be coming true. I just hope that we don’t lose too much blood to get there,” she tells me.

  “I can’t promise anything to anyone right now,” I answer honestly.

  “I know,” she replies, eyeing the glowing stone resting above my top. “That glowing stone is a temporary fix.”

  “You know what the stone is?” I whisper, eyeing Nix behind us who is thankfully distracted as he talks to a demon who is making a stew.

  “Your secret is safe with me…but please make sure you are ready for when the stone fails and he can find us. We must know what is coming,” she implores me.

  “I will end him…one way or another, I will make sure he is gone,” I make a vow to her.

  “I don’t doubt it, Queen Evelina,” she says and rests her hand on my arm for a moment before letting go. “Let’s get this all done, and perhaps we can find you some bacon for lunch.” I shakily nod, filled with a nervous emotion I really hate as I pull my eyes back to Nix who looks so happy and relaxed as he laughs at something. At least I have these days with them.

  Ninety-Three

  “Thank you for all your help, Queen Evelina and Nix,” Keira says, bowing her head at us as we step outside the tent. I really liked spending the day with Keira and helping out here. I found out so many demons are running here because Cex’s yellow demons are walking around the streets outside, looking for me, I’m guessing. It turns out there are far more demon children without parents than there ever has been due to the fighting and the destruction of the other demon undergrounds. Trex came to check on us half way through the day, and I sent him with orders for Keeper Grey to buy safe houses for the children and, well, anything they need. We have all this money, and it doesn’t make sense to not use it for something good.

  “No, thank you for letting us help. I would love to come back next week and help out again," I offer, knowing it could be one way to feel useful until we run out of time.

  "We both would," Nix says, and she smiles at us as Nix wraps an arm around my waist, and I rest myself into him. I was surprised how much Nix loved helping out today, laughing with the demons, and I even saw him helping an older demon pack a bag of food to take home.

  "I will see you both at the same time next week then," she replies before walking into the tent, and I look up at Nix, seeing him staring at me. Today has been eye opening but sad all the same. It’s hard to see my people still suffering and really having no major way to help them yet. They need a home, a real home that isn’t in the mud and made of old containers with many holes and rust.

  "Can we go and do something crazy? Something completely mad?" I ask him, not sure why I know I need to do something, anything to get my mind out of my gloomy thoughts of war and pain. “Somewhere away from here. I need a break.”

  "I have a perfect idea," Nix says and holds his hand out. A portal appears in front of us, and Nix grins at me, nodding his head towards it. "Let's go." I nod, happy that Nix just gets it, and if I could trust anyone to have fun with, it’s him. Nix walks me through the portal with him, which leads us out into a little village street where a black painted shop is in front of us with a big sign that flashes tattoos in the window. There are a few other stores, but as the sun sets in the sky, they are closing up shop. The street itself has a few cars that pass by, but overall it is quiet. I have no clue where we are though. I wasn’t expecting a tattoo shop to be where he took me, but I love the idea.

  "I like your plan, Nix," I say, squeezing his hand.

  "I like you and tattoos, love. If it isn't pretty obvious," he says with a smile as I run my eyes over the tattoos on his neck and lower arms that are visible. I've seen him without a shirt and know he is covered in tattoos all over his body. Nix walks ahead of me and pushes the door open, which rings a bell as we head into the room.

  "Nix, my man," a large, grey-haired human who is covered in tattoos states as he comes out of the back office. Nix lets go of my hand to give the human a manly hug, and they both laugh as the man looks over at me. "And with a new friend."

  "This is my girl, Evie. Evie, this is my manager and old friend, George," Nix introduces us, and I shake George’s hand before stepping back.

  "Manager?" I ask.

  "I own this tattoo shop, but George taught me how to do tattoos and everything really," he explains to me.

  "You have a natural talent, and I knew it the moment we met," George says. "Now, I was just about to close up shop for the weekend, but I can stay if you want? It’s been a long time since I saw you here."

  "No, I wanted the place to myself anyway, and you have a beautiful family to get back to. It's good to see you though," Nix replies.

  "Alright then. You should pop in more often," he says, patting Nix's shoulder before Nix walks him to the door.

  “Go and have a look around, love, while I walk George to his car,” Nix suggests, and I wave goodbye to them both before looking for the door. I walk into the back room, seeing a tattoo chair, the needle and ink on a small table with sealed packets o
n the side on a counter. There is a wall near the door with dozens of pictures of tattoos, and each one is gorgeous and pretty amazing. There is everything from butterflies to famous celebrities done, and each one is extremely realistic, though it doesn’t surprise me. All of Nix’s tattoos are drawn and designed to be unique, and they really stand out.

  "Do you like them? I did a few," Nix says when he comes back and finds me looking at them.

  "I do...now what are you going to do on me?" I ask him, and he grins as he crosses his arms, running his eyes over me as he thinks about it.

  "How much do you trust me, love?" he asks.

  "Are you going to ask me to trust you to blind tattoo me?" I ask, and he smirks. I roll my eyes and walk over to the chair and sit down. I very slowly pull my top off, dropping it to the floor, and I see Nix's eyes widen before I lie face down on the chair.

  "Tattoo away. I trust you," I say to him when he is silent for a moment.

  "You always surprise me, Evie," Nix mutters, walking past me to get everything ready and trailing his fingers across my back as he passes.

  "I surprise you by trusting you?" I ask, curious about what he means.

  "Honestly, yes. I was a drunk, fuck up of a Protector when we met, and somehow you make me want to be better. You make life seem worth it again," he tells me, which in some ways is hard to hear. I hate that he thinks that way of himself, and I dislike that I can’t be certain of our future enough to tell him everything is going to be okay.

  "I never saw you like that...you were just lost because the world was cruel and heartless to you. It wasn't who you were, but more who you became to cope with life. Nix, you are incredible under all the pain," I say as he comes back over to me. Nix leans down, gently moves my hair to the side, and presses a kiss in the middle of the top of my back.