The Demon's Game (The Guardian Series Book 4)

by Rain Oxford

  “Can you tell me where the void guardians are?”

  “I can normally sense them when I sleep. I can sometimes see them in my dreams. There is one girl on Kahún that is pretty reliable. She might be difficult to find though; I haven’t felt her in almost a year. There were two boys on Dios, but they both died a month ago. There is one on Skrev… he’s violent and powerful. I always hate seeing him because I know he can see me. I’m the black sheep of the void-bonded. They can open gateways and control passage through the void. I actually have the void in my blood, but I can’t do anything.”

  The goblin growled. “You are a leader,” he argued. The boy rolled his eyes.

  “I’m going to Skrev to check on the void guardian. How do I find him?”

  “Open the void on Skrev and he will come to you.”

  I flashed to Skrev and felt my brother trying to pull me out. I fought Araxi off and tore into the void. Unlike the guardians of the void, I couldn’t make it safe. All I could do was hope nothing went wrong before the void guardian found me.

  Standing in the middle of a jungle, I tore a hole in the universe just to find someone who I wasn’t sure could even help me. To my shock, the hole started to close. I didn’t fight it, though, because I was distracted by the sky, which was changing quickly from light blue to deep red.

  “You are a fool!” A sharp bark drew my attention to a small tree. From his hiding place among the leaves, a man jumped to the ground. He was scruffy in all sense of the word; about Dylan’s size with long, light brown hair tied back in a messy braid. His luminous eyes, narrowed with anger and suspicion, were an unusual sort of amber-orange. “Do you realize what opening the void here could do?”

  “You do not realize who you are talking to,” I said patiently.

  “The goddess Tiamat, I presume. I have heard of you. Since you are not bonded to the void, you have to be a god to open it, and there is only one that is female.”

  “Then how dare you speak to me that way?”

  “You are risking my life and my world. Ghidorah may fear you, but the worst you can do is kill me.”

  “I have come here to find you.”

  “I know. Foolish woman!”

  “Mind your tongue, mortal,” I demanded. “I need your brain, not your tongue, so I am not afraid of cutting it out.” The man was severely trying my nerves, which was something I never felt before taking a mortal body.

  “I am sorry, foolish goddess. Now, what do you want? Other than to be worshipped?”

  “Janus is missing.”

  “Yes, I know. And so is almost everyone who is associated with the void. You know how I survived? By being wonderful company.”

  “What happened to them?”

  “They were killed.”

  “By?” It was like pulling teeth to get a complete answer out of him. This must have been what Dylan felt every day of his life.

  “By the demons of course, particularly one they call the queen. She is an Ancient, exceptionally strong in her illusions and seductions, that has fought her way to the top of their hierarchy and has a very devoted following. Once she crawled out of the void, she overthrew Janus. She did not stop there, though; she went after everyone associated with the void until she set her sights on Earth.”

  “Why Earth?” I asked.

  “How should I know?”

  “But demons obey the balance.”

  “Demons are compelled to obey, but the Ancients can overcome the instinct. If the demons devote themselves to their queen over the balance, she will be acting against it.”

  “So the demons are building an army.”

  “And there is no one on this side to fight,” the man added.

  “There is. Have you heard of Dylan?”

  “I heard the demons mention him while they were hunting me.”

  “They fear him. Dylan is the most powerful Noquodi ever born.”

  “What would a servant of the gods be able to do against the Ancients?”

  “He may be called a Noquodi, but he is no servant. Most of my brothers fear him and Vretial is his ally. One of the Ancients has been captured by him and is his faithful pet. He is even friends with dragons and voids.” Well, one dragon and one void.

  “It sounds like he is building his own army.”

  “You would have to meet him to understand. Why is the sky red?”

  “The Ajaskakara is coming. We have maybe another hour before everyone either shifts or… For the next twenty days, it will not be safe for anyone to travel to Skrev.”

  I flashed back to the apartment. It was late this time and Dylan wasn’t at home. I could feel him, so I followed the sense until I reached the apartment next door, where I met our neighbors. The wife was a powerful fae and the husband was a human with no magical skill whatsoever. It occurred to me how perfect they were for each other. Whether I believed in soul mates for the Iadnah or not, Dylan was mine.

  I prided myself on being able to blend into a society. Of course, I only did so to gather information. However, Dylan really seemed to want a chance at a normal life. It could only last a few days, but I refused to be the one to spoil it for him, so I would play human and be nice to the mortals in this town.

  After an hour or so of visiting with the neighbors, we went home and Dylan put the boys to bed, more for his own comfort than for theirs. I was getting undressed when he returned to our bedroom.

  “What time do you have to be at work tomorrow?” I asked.

  “I have tomorrow off. I planned to take the boys and Mordon out to see what the town has.” He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my neck. Before he let me go, he pulled the ponytail out of my hair.

  “You don’t like my hair up, do you?”

  He sunk his fingers in my hair and tightened his grip so he could gently pull my head back and roughly kiss me. When I met him, he was a virgin who only ever fooled around with his ex-girlfriend. Vivian was quite far out of the way and Dylan was all mine, but it took time for his personality to come out during sex. After Ron was born, he never held back. Maybe it was odd for a goddess to submit to a man, but I loved it, and him.

  “You know exactly how to dress and how to wear your hair to make me happy. You know I love you in red plaid. I also know you don’t look at my clothes or my hair. So what do you like? What attracts you to me?”

  “I’m Iadnah, Dylan. My people can change our physical form at will. How you look, how you dress, none of that matters. I like your green eyes because they’re very expressive.”

  “Yet I must be attractive to you somehow. We have kids.”

  “I like when you’re in charge. I like when you know something no one else knows, terrify an Ancient with a bluff, threaten my brothers…”

  He laughed. “That’s natural for human women. It’s an ancestral instinct for women to be attracted to men that can protect them and scare off anyone who threatens their position. I’m not physically powerful like the people of Dios, but magically, I’m top dog. That’s very interesting to me.”

  “You like that I have human instincts?”

  “I wouldn’t call them human instincts, since you created humans. No, I think it has more to do with the war. Iadnah could absorb the power of those you defeated, and since this was the cause for the war, I figure it’s part of your nature. If it comes to killing someone just as powerful or breeding with them… it makes a little more sense for you to be attracted to them.”

  “That’s a rather disturbing deduction. You’re basically saying I would find anyone more powerful than me attractive.”

  “No, because that would make you very attracted to Vretial and Regivus, which would really be disturbing. I think you love me and that’s why you’re attracted to me. My power is what attracts you biologically. You have a physical form so you have emotions, physical needs… and biological impulses.”

  I ran my fingers through his hair and then over his five o'clock shadow. “You’re right; I find you sexy because I love you.” That made comp
lete sense if I was anyone other than myself. “Don’t shave tomorrow. I like this.”

  * * *

  Dylan was lain out on the ground like a sacrifice, not bleeding, but absolutely dead. I saw myself crying over him while Mordon stood to the side in shock and Ron and Hail cried silently. Vretial appeared next to me and ran his fingers through my hair. The destroyed, crying woman that I was in this vision looked up at him.

  “Help him.”

  “It’s too late. This is all your fault. You didn’t listen to the warnings.”

  “No!” I screamed.

  * * *

  “Divina!” Only the feel of Dylan’s arms around me could calm me. He held me tighter the harder I shook and pressed his lips to my forehead. I was a god, crying and shaking in his arms, but at least I wasn’t still screaming. “What did you see?”

  “I…” I choked on my tears. I knew it was not a nightmare but a vision. This was a possible future and if I didn’t find a way to stop it, it would come to be. As a god, I saw far too many realities, far too many possible futures. Very few were so strong or vivid. If I didn’t figure it out, Dylan would die.

  “You what?” Dylan whispered.

  “I don’t remember…” I lied, my voice broken. I wiped at my eyes with frustration. “It must have been memories.” If I told him what I saw, it would come true, that part I understood. I knew Ron and Hail were beginning to have dreams about it, too. I trained Hail as best as I could to understand his visions, but Vretial was better at teaching them.

  Dylan pulled me against him and settled the covers over us. “Just sleep. I’ll wake you if it looks like you’re starting to have a nightmare again.”

  “I love you,” I said.

  “I know. Sleep.”

  I had to hold onto my strength. Now more than ever I couldn’t let Dylan develop the Sight. I couldn’t let him know that I kept the power from him. Vretial suggested I force Dylan’s power onto Mordon, but if Mordon saw Dylan’s death, there would be no Earth left by the time the dragon settled from his rage.

  * * *

  Spying was a low move for a god, but I made an excellent spy. I was much more hands-on than my siblings, so spying, manipulating, and seducing were some of my most useful skills. I couldn’t directly follow Dylan because he was with Mordon. In order to use enough magic to hide myself from Mordon, it would tip off Rojan. So instead I went to the hospital and hit the jackpot, as Dylan would say.

  The entire town swarmed with paranormal creatures, from fae, to shifters, to people from other worlds, and it was run by dragons as law enforcement. This area was one big refuge, so it was no surprise why Dylan chose this particular town. He could probably sense how badly he was needed even without the Sight.

  The hospital, however, was being invaded. There were hundreds of demons in this town and half of them were in the hospital. Most were milling about the morgue, but some were disguised as staff and some pretended to be patients or visitors. I disguised myself in nurse scrubs and busied myself with eavesdropping. It was fairly easy by use of magic to find myself in the right place at the right time.

  From what I gathered, the demons were using an old farmhouse right outside of town as a base, as well as a rundown medical lab on the opposite end of the city. They also mentioned Dylan and their “queen” several times. They were definitely here to destroy Dylan and they were definitely sent by a female Ancient.

  * * *

  I returned home to my cabin on Duran and dug through old chests and boxes until I found what I was looking for, then went to the apartment and grabbed as much food and water as I could fit in a plastic bag. When I flashed to Nila, I was surprised to find that the king and his guard were no longer in a cave. Instead they were in a large, seemingly abandoned town, both even dirtier and sweatier, with bodies at their feet.

  “What…” Nila turned to me with shock. “Dylan was just here a second ago.”

  “The demons are trying to kill anyone associated with the void.”

  “You mean, like these demons?” he asked, waving his hand at the piles of ash that had been bodies a second before.

  “I brought you more food and this.” I held out the gold pendent. “You can’t wear it because your blood would negate the magic, but your guard can use it.”

  “Kseve?” Nano prompted. The goblin reached out and took the pendent.

  “This will ward off demons.” I also handed him the bag of food. “Dylan may need you both before this is over.”

  “All of Dios will stand with him.” He put his right hand over his heart. “I am High King, Dleso Nila, and my kingdom, the entirety of Dios, man, goblin, and troll, will stand to defend Dylan Yatunus of Earth. The enemy of Dylan Yatunus is the enemy of Dios forevermore, just as Dylan’s friends are mine.”

  “Thank you, Nila. If you need me, call my name.” I flashed back to my apartment to find Dylan, Mordon, Ron, and Xul in the kitchen. Ron was in Dylan’s lap, asleep. “Hello, demon,” I said to the Ancient.

  “Tiamat.” A slight nod in greeting proved how unafraid the Ancients were of the Iadnah.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “Dylan pulled my chain, so I came running. I assume it’s the same for you?”

  Dylan growled and started to get up, but I put my hand gently on his shoulder. Ron looked so cute in his father’s lap. I went to the kitchen counter, pulled a bottle out of the cabinet above the sink, and opened the lid before turning it upside down over my hand. The iridescent blue liquid potion didn’t pour out onto the floor but instead formed a glob about an inch above my hand. With will and a little energy, the liquid shot at the demon, causing him to topple over. When he shouted with surprise, the liquid slipped down his throat.

  “There; I muzzled your dog for you,” I told Dylan. The demon tried to yell and make demands, but he couldn’t utter a sound.

  “You shouldn’t keep that in the kitchen,” Dylan said.

  “I was thinking, tomorrow I should take the boys…” Mordon trailed off with a smirk.

  Heavy footsteps ran down the hall. “Swimming!! We’re going swimming!” Hail screamed, bursting in. Ron jumped about foot in the air and looked around with startled eyes. Hail grabbed Ron’s arms and pulled him to his feet, all the while jumping up and down. “We’re going swimming tomorrow!”

  Dylan smiled, happy that his children were settling in. Of course I didn’t want to live on Earth, but it was a chance for Dylan to live a life he never got to before. It wasn’t permanent; nevertheless, I hated to spoil the moment.

  “Dylan, there is a problem.”

  “Of course there is. What is it this time? Let’s see… The gates are closed, Vretial is on our side, and Xul is muzzled. So either the being that attacked the Guardians is back or the demons are acting up.”

  “It’s the demons. They are apparently building an army against you, directed by…”

  “By who?”

  “Nila believes it is his father, but I have also heard of a female Ancient,” I answered. We all turned to Xul, who shrugged.

  “We need a weapon that can defeat them,” Mordon said. “We should go to the cabin and get the azurath blade.”

  Dylan didn’t move to stand. Instead, he looked thoughtful. “We might already be working on something. Rilryn dropped by and asked to search for a weapon on Earth. He hasn’t gotten back to me, so I assumed he hadn’t found it or had any problem. He said it was one of the weapons from the Iadnah war.”

  Obviously, Dylan wanted me to enlighten him with information… possibly a location… but he wasn’t going to be confrontational about it. “I know nothing about it. You may want to talk to Vretial or Regivus about it.”

  The last thing I need is to owe Vretial anything more, he thought. I realized Dylan’s thoughts were unprotected, which was unusual. “There is another question I have. I’m a little concerned about your self-confidence. The Ancients… When Xul attacked Hell, you sent me after the demon and told me the gods couldn’t defeat him.”
<
br />   “The Ancients are as old as us.”

  “Yes, but you still believe Iadnah energy is more powerful than demon energy. I don’t believe that. I believe you are more powerful than minor demons because you are older, but I don’t believe Iadnah energy is any more powerful than demon energy. Nor do I believe nominal energy is less powerful. I think they’re all the same thing, but different frequencies.”

  “Iadnah are more powerful than mortals because our energy is more powerful,” I argued.

  “No.”

  We all stared at him for a moment. “That’s it? You know more about god magic than I do?”

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but Ron and I are the only ones in this room who can use both god and mortal energy. Xul can do demon magic and Mordon can do dragon magic.”

  “Hail can use both god and mortal energy.”

  “Wrong again.” I looked at the boys, who glanced at each other and shrugged. “Hell was born with both nominal energy and mortal power because his genetics were unusual. He couldn’t control either one. When Ron was born, Hell stabilized and his Iadnah genetics took over.”

  “So I’m a god now?” Hail asked.

  “Yes.”

  “How do you know?” Mordon asked.

  “When the gates opened… Ron knew it, but not Hell. The energy failed, which should have affected the most powerful wizards first. Hell didn’t bat an eye. Honey, when was the last time you tried to use nominal energy?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t feel nominal energy anymore.”

  “So the boys can’t use---”

  “Ron is able to use both,” Dylan interrupted. “Hell is Vretial’s biological son, so he is Iadnah. Ron is my biological son, so he can do both like I can. The point is, magic energy is equally powerful whether it is Iadnah, mortal, or demon energy. Therefore, a god can be injured by demon energy. If you’re injured in the void, you can’t heal yourself from it even after you return to the universe. Why, I don’t know, but since you have full faith in your own power, I’m sure you don’t have the answer.”