by John Corwin
"So you can use me? I don't think so."
"Nephew, you try my patience," Vallaena said, her voice terse. "Do you wish to gain powerful allies when a war of unimaginable destruction approaches?"
I sulked for a moment before answering between clenched teeth. "Yes, of course."
"Your father has given you the chance to earn those allies in accordance with Foreseeance Forty-Three Eleven. If you earn the respect and trust of House Slade, the other Daemos will fall in line. Our nation will be united and ready to face the Seraphim threat."
"Seraphim?" I asked, wondering if I had a new homicidal super-race to worry about.
"The angels," she said. "I have spent a great amount of time studying these adversaries. Our history with them is rather more extensive than I thought."
Her mention of history piqued my interest. Had she discovered information we didn't have? Despite my dislike of my demonic aunt and her political maneuvering, I had to admit her points about earning stature with the Daemos would help if the angels started a war. This history she mentioned might sweeten the pot.
"Tell me more," I said.
She laughed. "I think not. First, prove you are willing to commit to your studies. Promise to learn from me, and I will tell you what I know."
"What sorts of things do I need to learn?"
"Political protocol, of course. I'm sure you will find it boring, but necessary." She paused as if waiting for a snarky comment before continuing. "Then, of course, you must learn better control over your powers such as manifesting and summoning."
"Summoning?" I asked.
Shelton and Bella gave me sharp looks when I said it.
"Yes. Summoning creatures from the demon plane is very important, especially hellhounds."
I wrinkled my nose at the thought of massive black dogs with sickly yellow eyes and breath like brimstone. One of them had nearly killed my felycan friend, Stacey. Then again, Kassallandra's hounds had rescued me. As with normal dogs, they acted according to what their masters taught them. "Why in the hell would I want to summon those?"
"It's very simple, child." I could almost hear Vallaena smile on the other end. "Either you learn, or you die."
I couldn't argue her logic. Just like learning magic, I had to be in full control of my demonic abilities. I'd nearly killed Elyssa after manifesting into my full demon form, a huge beast without conscience or remorse—only the desire to consume and destroy.
A groan escaped my throat. "I'm going to Arcane University to study magic," I said. "It'll be hard to make time for you."
"On the contrary," my dear aunt said. "The university will provide the perfect setting for learning. Let me know what your schedule is, and I will gladly tutor you after classes."
After I ended the call, Vallaena's words echoed in my mind.
Learn or die.
This was going to be one hell of a semester.
Chapter 4
Shelton came into the kitchen the next morning, a pensive look on his face. "Check your email. I sent you directions to Miles's office for the assessment."
I paused with a spoonful of cereal halfway to my mouth. "You're not coming with me?"
He shook his head. "Nah, no need. You're all growed up, kid."
I'd faced giant leyworms in a cavern filled with life-leeching angel husks and shadow people. I'd fought hordes of vamplings. I'd even fought an army of vampires and nearly been killed by a raging demon spawn. But something about going to my first day of Arcane school made me feel like a shy, nervous kindergartener. "You can't abandon me, Shelton." A pleading tone came into my voice. "Come with me."
He made a harrumphing noise. "I'm sure you'll be fine with your girlfriend there to protect you."
As if on cue, Elyssa came into the kitchen, her face lit with excitement. "Guess what?" she said, practically dancing with excitement.
"What?" I said, feeling somewhat mollified that she'd be there to watch me make an idiot of myself at the assessment.
"Dad called. He said I'm ready to take the Cho'kai! Can you believe it?"
It took a moment for me to remember what the heck that was. "You mean the trial to become a full Templar?"
She gripped me in a tight hug, let go, and clapped her hands like a little girl. "Yes! I've been studying battle strategy, perfecting my killing strikes, and I even achieved proficiency merits for three different forms of sword mastery. I thought, with all that's happened in the past few months, my father would make me go back to basics and start over."
"Welcome to the Girl Scouts," Shelton said with a shake of his head.
I ignored the comment. "He changed his mind?"
She nodded. "Now I have the chance to pass it in time to be the youngest person granted full Templar status."
"What are they doing about the whole, um, Divinity issue?" I asked. We'd recently discovered Daelissa was, in fact, the Templar Divinity—the one who blessed new Templars and gave them their supernatural strength and healing, among other things. Since she was a crazy angel with a taste for world domination, having her in control of the Templars seemed like a bad idea. Thomas Borathen and other Templar legions had broken from the Synod. I hated to think what that might mean in the future—a Templar civil war, maybe.
"Supposedly, Daelissa is still helping the Templars who sided with the Synod." Her lip curled in anger. "Even though we're no longer allied with them, we're inducting new members. Unfortunately, without Daelissa, it means those who don't already have supernatural abilities or immunity to certain curses won't get any."
"Is the Cho'kai the same thing as the ceremony Daelissa used to perform?"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "It's a test of courage and ability. If you pass it, then you go through the initiation." She quirked her lips. "I don't know what they plan to replace it with."
We'd discovered Daelissa wiped the minds of Templars after giving them their superpowers. She'd wiped Elyssa's mind of me in an attempt to turn her against me. "When does the trial start?"
"They don't assign a date. Half the time you don't even know you're taking the Cho'kai until you're halfway into it." She dipped a banana in yogurt and ate it, excitement dancing in her eyes. "It's always different too. It might take a couple of days, or weeks. This one guy—" Her smile abruptly fell.
"What is it?" I asked, wondering if I'd ruined the moment with bad BO or something.
"The Cho'kai might take too long," she said. "I—I don't want to spend time apart from you."
I narrowed my eyes. "In case I don't unlock my inner angel?"
"I don't want to risk missing—" she choked up. "If the potion doesn't work. If you don't unlock your powers, I don't want to lose a single precious moment with you." A tear trickled down her cheek.
I didn't even want to consider Meghan's potion not working, but knew it was a risk. "The Cho'kai is so important to you," I said. "It's your dream to become the youngest Templar ever."
She shook her head. "No. My dream is a long life with you, Justin. Nothing else is more important."
I wiped the tear from her cheek. "Listen to me, Elyssa. I love you. I want you to be happy. If you don't take the trial just because of me, it'll make me really, really sad. I want you to go forth and kick ass." I smiled. "Besides, Meghan's potion will give me plenty of time to unlock my angel powers."
Uncertainty clouded her eyes. "I don't want to take the chance. What if—"
"It's going to work," I said, smiling. "I know it is." A tingle of bitter cold bit my calf as if the vampling curse was calling a bluff.
"Look, it doesn't matter if I'm the youngest ever," Elyssa said. "It's no big deal. I'll tell them to wait."
"Don't put your future on hold for me," I said, the thought of her giving up her dreams weighing me down with guilt.
"How many times do I have to say that you're an important part of my future?" Elyssa said. "Don't you get it? You're more important to me than breaking some stupid record. I've thought about this a lot, and I think it all boils down
to me wanting to make my father proud. But you're more important to me than that."
"I understand," I said, starting to feel a little frustrated. "But, you've given up a lot to be with me, Elyssa. I want you to do this for you."
"But—"
I put a finger on her lips. "We'll beat this," I said. "I know we will. And now that we have more time, I want you to seize this moment and make it yours, babe. Don't do it for your dad, or for me. Do it for you."
She blurred toward me, pressing her lips against mine so fast, I hardly had time to think. When she pulled away, her eyes glistened. "When you say things like that, it reminds me why I love you," she said.
"My cheery attitude?"
A smile lit her face. "You just always seem to know what I'm thinking. You help me realize that it's okay to do things for myself. Of course, knowing the potion gives us time…" her voice trailed off. "I would never leave you for a minute otherwise."
"Not even when I have to use the potty?"
She snorted. "Oh, babe, you're too much sometimes."
I kissed her. "Don't you need to go practice or something?"
"Yes." She pecked my lips. "I'll see you for supper."
The moment she was gone, my grin faltered, faded, and fell. I'd really wanted her to come with me this morning. But it felt like I'd done the right thing, supporting her even if I missed her like crazy. And I sure as heck didn't want her thinking the potion might not work. She deserved her chance at the Cho'kai after pouring her heart and soul into the Templars for so long.
"Aw, geez, you have to go and look like a freaking puppy who just crapped the bed," Shelton said, grabbing his duster and slapping a brimmed hat atop his head. "Fine. I'll go."
He wasn't Elyssa, but at least I wouldn't be alone. "Thanks, Shelton."
"C'mon," he huffed, and grabbed his car keys.
Shelton drove us to the Grotto and parked next to a pink Ferrari with fluffy yellow seats. As we walked toward the ticket booth to purchase a ticket for the Obsidian Arch, I noticed what looked like an undulating jellyfish circling the parking lot. I'd seen such a creature before in Bogota, Colombia at the Obsidian Arch way station at La Casona.
"Minders," I said, with a shudder. "What the heck are those doing here?" The creatures looked like something out of a nightmare and, considering they fed on people's thoughts and could make people see whatever they wanted, maybe that was true. I'd never seen them on guard duty in the Grotto before.
"No idea," Shelton said, walking up to the ticket booth. A surly man with heavy jowls sat in the small square building behind a window made of the same liquid glass utilized by buildings inside the Grotto. He looked the two of us up and down. "Yeah?"
"Service with a smile," Shelton said, rolling his eyes. "Two tickets for Queens Gate with return."
"That'll be four hundred tinsel," the man said, gazing steadily at Shelton.
"I'm a Triple-A member." Shelton slid a card through the seamless glass, though I noted it stopped his fingers from passing through. The card bore the logo of a staff with a fireball coalesced on the end and the words "Arcane Academics Association" imprinted on it.
The man shoved it back without looking. "No discounts."
"What the hell do you mean, no discounts?" Shelton said, his eyes going hard.
"Conclave ruled it was unfair the Arcanes got discounts while others paid full price." A grunt. "Take it up with them if you don't like it."
"Four hundred tinsel is a rip-off!"
The man shrugged. Picked up an arctablet—the Arcane equivalent of touch-screen tablet—and resumed playing a puzzle game.
"Uh, how much is that in dollars?" I asked Shelton.
Shelton fumed for a moment before answering. "The exchange rate sucks right now. One tinsel is worth about two bucks." He glowered at the ticket agent. "Son of a bull-licking ba—"
"We have money," I said, pulling Shelton away from the ticket booth before he said something to piss off the ticket agent. My father had apparently left Shelton with access to one of his secret bank accounts. It wasn't a million bucks, but it definitely took care of the basics.
"It ain't the money, man; it's the principle of the matter. I've always gotten an Arcane discount, and now some stupid Conclave law comes along and ruins it!"
I shrugged. "Well, it's definitely a rip-off, but I don't think we have a choice." I checked the time, wondering when the assessments started. "Let's just buy the tickets and go."
He narrowed his eyes at me. "You realize you'll have to use this arch pretty regularly if you want to see your girlfriend, right? You'll be halfway across the world while she's over here earning her ninja merit badge. Four hundred tinsel a pop ain't gonna be cheap, and the money your dad gave us isn't gonna stretch that far."
I imagined not seeing Elyssa for weeks at a time. She was one of the few people who'd kept me sane and alive since discovering I was more than a mild-mannered nerd with a penchant for live-action role playing. We'd work something out. Shelton and Bella were right—unlocking my angel powers would not only heal me, but give us a fighting chance to beat Daelissa.
"Can't I earn frequent flyer miles?" I said in a plaintive voice. "How about a student discount?"
Shelton's gaze softened, and he made a grumbling noise. "I know it's tough. Damned women, falling in love and all that crap." He swatted the air. "That's why I don't get involved."
"Not even with Bella?"
He squirmed under my question, tugging at the collar of his T-shirt as if it had grown too tight. "You gotta be kidding. She's like hundreds of years older than me. That woman would—"
"Be more than you can handle?" I smiled.
Shelton grinned. "Ain't that the truth about all women?" His grin faltered, and a look of pure disgust twisted his lips. "Women are poison."
My eyebrows pinched at that statement. When he didn't elaborate, I said, "I think the right woman is just enough to handle. Enough to keep you interested and coming back for more. You don't want someone who bores you."
He huffed out a breath. "Poison, man." A shrug. "Don't get me wrong. Bella ain't bad. Sometimes she scares the hell out of me, and I don't even know why." He flinched. Looked at me. "Don't you dare tell a soul I just admitted that."
"That you're intimidated by a woman?" I laughed. "Elyssa intimidates the crap out of me sometimes, dude. And I'm not ashamed to admit it."
"How in the world did you drag us into talking about relationships and feelings?" He shuddered. "Someone must've slipped estrogen in the damned coffee this morning."
I sighed. "Well, I don't think it's any secret Bella digs you. Either that, or she's a masochist for hanging out with you and your grumpy self this long."
Shelton gave me a hurt look. "Hey, I ain't grumpy. Just antisocial. But you know, maybe Bella—"
Thirty feet away, the doors leading inside the Grotto opened, and a young blonde girl stepped out, skipping merrily along in front of a matronly woman with long, silvery hair. A shock of cold fear drowned out Shelton's words.
Self-preservation claimed my reflexes and triggered a panic event racing from my brain all the way to my toes. I gripped Shelton and jerked him behind the ticket booth, cutting him off mid-sentence. Sheer terror commanded me to flee this place at top speed. I glanced at Shelton's pickup truck, some hundred yards and a million miles away in the parking lot. We'd never make it without being seen.
"What the hell?" Shelton grumbled.
I peeked around the corner. Shelton peered in the same direction. I didn't know the silver-haired woman from sight, but judging from the company she kept, I could take a good guess.
"You afraid of that kid?" Shelton said.
I trembled as I pressed my back against the ticket booth and said in a low whisper, "That girl is my sister."
Chapter 5
Shelton's mouth dropped open a fraction. "That's Ivy?"
I nodded.
"She's the one who almost wiped out every vampire in Maximus's compound with a spell too powerful f
or most Arcanes to even dream about pulling off?"
I nodded again.
He let out a low whistle. "Hoo-boy. I just recognized the woman with her. It's old lady Conroy. Man, I wouldn't mess with that woman if you gave me an army of ninjas and pirates with laser guns."
"Jeremiah tried to kill me the first and last time I saw him. I have no doubt Eliza wouldn't hesitate to finish the job." I risked another peek and took a good long look at the woman who I'd once thought was my grandmother. Shaking off the horrific feeling, I took note of where my sister and Eliza were headed—not toward the parking lot, but the stable. Instead of walking inside, however, they veered toward the back of the long, wooden structure where it sat against the rocky cavern wall. I frowned. "Where are they going?"
Shelton moved to the back corner of the ticket booth and looked. "They ain't going to pick up an elephant, that's for sure."
A man wearing yellow-and-black-striped Arcane robes appeared at the rear corner of the stable and gave Eliza a deep bow. He said something I couldn't make out over the noise of the menagerie housed in the stable and motioned for Ivy and her grandmother to follow.
"Dude looks like a bumble bee," I said, snickering.
"That's a utility Arcane," Shelton said, narrowing his eyes.
"Utility?"
He nodded. "Arcanes who perform public works like aether power, arch maintenance, and all that jazz wear those clown suits."
With the threat to my existence out of sight, I took a deep breath. Swallowed the knot of panic in my chest and fought down the urge to flee. This was a golden opportunity to spy on my beloved relatives, but mustering the courage proved harder than I thought.
You have to find out what they're up to. The fate of the world depends on it.
When my subconscious put it like that, it felt like I had no choice. I sighed. Steeled myself with the knowledge I could run really, really fast if necessary and said, "Let's go."
