“You’re not going to get away with this. Sybil he’s a demon.” Katara shouted to them as they began ascending the stairs. If the child heard her, she made no indication.
“Torhan where’s Tole now? I’d like to see him again.” Priest Piersum asked as soon as Katara was in her trance.
“We left him inside the Grove.” Torhan responded without even turning around.
“Why don’t you tell me how you were able to get the amulet?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“Why?” Piersum insisted.
“Because, it’s better that you don’t know.”
“Tell me, because I’d like to know how you got past the guardian that guarded the relic.”
Torhan looked over at him. “That’s interesting.”
“What is?”
“How did you know about the guardian?”
Priest Piersum realized he’d made a mistake and quickly said. “I told you about him before you left.”
“That’s funny, you only mentioned that Tole knew the whereabouts of the amulet and said nothing about whom, or what, was guarding it.”
Piersum’s face turned ashen, and he stood up to leave.
“Sit back down and don’t move.” Torhan barked at him, and the priest complied.
After Torhan turned his gaze back toward Katara and Sybil, Priest Piersum began quietly chanting and within a few seconds, Torhan’s scabbard glowed in warning, catching his attention.
“If I were you, I would stop chanting, or else you will die before you finish.” Torhan threatened.
The priest heeded his warning and did so.
****
Every time Katara tried to remove the vines, and get free of her ensnarement; the small whirlwind drew closer, threatening to hit her. When she left them alone, it moved away. Katara thought about how to deflect the whirlwind, but nothing happened, and now she wasn’t sure what to do. Obviously, she couldn’t stay where she was, but wondered what would happen if she’d died in this place. She mentally asked for help, and a voice whispered for her to relax and think of something that could unravel. She listened, and calmly thought of a length of rope unraveling and like magic, the vines did the same thing from around her legs and released their hold.
Free to move, she took a few steps backwards and when the whirlwind attacked, the voice whispered to deflect and with a mere thought from Katara, it was sent high into the sky and disappeared. The voice reassured her, that as long as she wore the amulet, she was safe from any type of harm the creature could bestow. Fully trusting the source, she walked up the stairs and around back where the steps ended on a landing with a wooden door. Quietly, she opened it and entered.
The room was large and filled with toys the likes of which Katara had never witnessed. Towards the center, Sybil was sitting and playing with several strange toys. The demon stood nearby, eyeing her protectively. They didn’t notice her enter.
“Sybil, listen to me. He is here to harm you.” Katara said.
Both demon and child turned their gazes toward her and were equally surprised by her appearance.
“I see that you have escaped my vines.” The demon was clearly annoyed. “You have no business being here.”
“And neither do you. So leave or I will destroy you.”
The demon bared his teeth, raised his hands, and created icicles above his head and then sent them forth. The voice whispered “shield” to her, and Katara thought of one and a split-second later a force field was erected in front of her and deflected the sharp projectiles away.
Katara looked directly into the creature’s eyes and said. “I told you, you couldn't hurt me.”
The demon sent forth fire and ice balls and just like the sickles; they bounced away. In retaliation, the voice told her to think about a powerful force and when she did the demon was blasted across the room and knocked unconscious after it hit the wall.
Sybil screamed. “Why did you hurt him? You’re a bad person. Get out and leave us alone.” She said as tears streamed down from her eyes.
“Sybil you need to come with me right now before he wakes up.” Katara inched closer to her.
The child looked over at her captor and back at her. “He’s my friend and you hurt him.”
“He’s an ugly, evil, creature and this place is bad.”
“He’s a nice old man. How could you say that?”
“Nice old man. Maybe she was under some sort of illusion.” Katara thought. “What does he look like to you?”
Sybil described the demon as an elderly bearded man wearing multi-colored garb. Katara now knew she did not see the creature’s true nature.
“He is not a nice old man, but an evil creature keeping you captive here.” Katara stated.
Sybil looked puzzled.
The demon regained consciousness.
“Sybil,” the demon whispered caching her attention, “look at what she did to me. She hurt me.” He moaned.
Sybil cried anew.
“Sybil, don’t believe him. He is keeping you a prisoner.”
The demon groaned in pain and Sybil looked over at him and then back at Katara. “You’re mean.” She said to Katara.
The demon climbed to his feet grinning, careful to kep Sybil from seeing the delight on his face. “Sybil, tell her to leave before she hurts you like she did me.”
“Leave.” The girl ordered.
“Now think of her outside of the room.” The creature commanded.
Sybil did and before Katara could do anything, she was teleported outside of the room.
Katara faced the door deciding what to do. She knew the creature couldn’t hurt her, but didn’t know if Sybil could. She was running out of options. Behind the door, she heard them laughing and having a good time. Maybe she was going about it all wrong, and the direct approach wasn’t the best option. She decided to create her own illusion and thought about Sybil and her family. Images suddenly appeared and coursed through Katara’s mind that could only have been from Sybil’s memories. When she was ready, she entered the room again. Both Sybil and the creature looked up.
“Not you again.” The demon said.
“Mommy?” Sybil said, and her eyes lit up.
“That’s not your mommy.” The creature said trying to dissuade her.
“It is. It is.” Sybil got up excited and ran over and hugged Katara around her waist. The creature rose up in a furious manner.
“Let’s go home Sybil.” Katara told her.
The child looked up at her mother with tear streaked eyes and nodded.
The creature began waving its hands in the air. “GIVE HER BACK TO ME OR FEEL MY WRATH.” He shouted at Katara.
Katara shook her head in a mocking manor, and the infuriated creature summoned daggers above its head and sent them directly at her. Katara concentrated her thoughts, erecting a wall between them, and the daggers bounced away. The voice whispered the word “reality” in her mind.
“Sybil, look at him now.” Katara said and projected how she saw the creature into the little girl’s mind.
Sybil screamed when she saw the creature’s true form. “Mommy, save me!” She cried.
Katara picked up her up and turned.
“You may have won this day, but know this; my Lord Avalos will hunt you down in the material world, Katara from the Order of the Hallowed.” The creature laughed.
Hearing her name sent shivers up and down her spine, and she suddenly wondered how he knew it.
After leaving the room, Katara took her to the place where she appeared and stopped. She wasn’t sure how to leave and then the voice spoke to her. It said for her to remove the illusion and to convince the child to wake.
Katara looked down at Sybil and removed her façade.
“What did you do with my mommy?” Sybil asked. She was clearly upset.
Katara knelt down and placed her hands on the child’s shoulders. “Sybil, I came here to rescue you from this place.”
“Where’s my mommy?�
��
“Truthfully, I don’t know.”
“Then I am not leaving.”
“Do you want to be trapped here with that creature?”
Sybil remembered what she saw. “No.”
“I don’t think we can leave this place unless you want us to.”
“Why did you lie to me and look like my mommy?”
“It was the only way to get that creature to reveal itself.” Katara paused and stared into her eyes. “Do you understand?”
Sybil shook her head.
The voice whispered “return” in her mind.
“Hold my hands.” Katara said and reached out taking the child’s hands in hers. “I want you to think about sleeping in a bed.” Katara instructed and then said “return”.
The area darkened, and they disappeared from the dreary area.
Back in the bedroom, Katara lifted her head and met Sybil’s blinking eyes.
“Welcome back.” She said to the girl.
Sybil smiled.
“You did well.” Torhan said to Katara after noticing they were both awake.
Katara turned her head to look at him, and her smile faded when she noticed his scabbard glowing and the priest standing over him poised, and ready to stab him with a knife. Before she could warn him, Torhan’s dagger left the scabbard and intercepted the priest as he was about to strike him.
Priest Piersum only had seconds to defend himself. In his former days, before he repented and joined the holy order, he used to be a cut-throat thief and avid knife fighter often terrifying the locals of his town for money. So when Torhan’s dagger attacked him, his skills that were dormant for many years, kicked in and allowed him to parry the blade while moving away. Katara stayed close to Sybil, while Torhan got to his feet and unsheathed his sword.
Despite how well he fought off the knife, Priest Piersum’s arms grew weary, and he was cut and slashed in his arms, chest, and legs. Torhan debated whether to allow the priest to die, but decided he wanted answers instead and told him to drop his weapon and remove any thoughts of aggression toward him, or he would surely die. The priest half-heartedly did so, and the dagger returned to the scabbard. The glow dwindled to a light shade of green.
“That was foolish. I told you not to do anything stupid.” Torhan said.
The bloodied priest dropped to his knees begging for forgiveness and asking to be allowed to live.
“You will have our forgiveness after you answer a few questions. Now sit in the chair.”
Piersum complied. Torhan bound his hands and feet to the chair and asked Katara to take Sybil out of the room. When they were gone, he picked up Piersum’s knife and stood in front of the priest.
“Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? I want to know the real story behind your relationship with Tole.” Torhan moved the rusty dagger near his left cheek, indicating his intention if he found that he was lying.
The priest glanced at the dagger and then spoke. “The part about me and Tole belonging to the same Order was true, and yes, we did become good friends while serving there. Every year, the head priest asks his students to go on a pilgrimage and retrieve certain items like herbs, amulets, necklaces, goblets, and other trinkets to help our cause. A few years ago, Tole and I were given the task of finding an item called the Chalice of Plenty, and we weren’t supposed to return until we found it.”
“What did it do?” Torhan interrupted.
“The chalice was supposed to refill itself on its own and satisfy your thirst, no matter how parched your throat became. After a few discouraging weeks of searching, we stopped at a small village and met a stranger named Molech at one of the inns.”
Torhan did not react when he heard the assassin’s name.
Piersum continued. “After a few tankards of ale, we found out he was a forager, by trade, and he asked if we thought about a different career path, one of fame and riches instead of being errand boys. Tole was already tired of our Order’s lifestyle and was easily persuaded, but not me. Several hours later we left the inn and went to our rooms to rest. We left the town the next morning and—”
“What happened to Molech?” Torhan interrupted.
“Here’s where it gets a bit strange. A few days later, while we were camped for the evening, he shows up with two young males that were obviously twins. They were identical in every way; from their looks, to the way they wore their hair, their mannerisms, and how they finished each other’s sentences. I asked him how he found us and Molech said something about they were scavenging in the area and saw a campfire. I had my suspicions about him. Tole, on the other hand, was delighted to see him and asked them to join us. While we were talking, I noticed something a little strange about the twins, it was something in their eyes, but I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time. Eventually, the conversation turned to riches and fame and by morning, they had convinced me to join up with them, and so I did.”
“I thought that you said you didn’t want to leave your Order?”
“I didn’t, but I don’t remember how they convinced me otherwise.”
“Was your faith that weak?”
“I guess it was.” Piersum said sadly, looking down.
“What happened next?”
“The twins promised to pay us a fortune if we were to travel to the town Snowdrift and watch over a child named Sybil, and her family, until she was a teenager. They also wanted us to establish a foothold in the town’s church and gave us a lot of gold.”
“That’s it, no strings attached?”
“That’s all we had to do.”
“So that’s how you became the priest of Snowdrift?” Torhan flatly said. “After you left what happened to Molech?”
“Every now and then, he would show up and give us gold, ask about the child’s wellbeing, and leave.”
“And the twins, did they visit you as well?”
He shook his head no.
“What happened after that?”
“A year later, during one of Molech’s visits, he wanted Tole to take up residence inside of the grove. We questioned his motives, and he said that is what the twins wanted and implied a small threat if he didn’t comply. Tole left the following day, and I was instructed not to stay within the town.
Molech made a few more visits over the next six months and when I asked about Tole, he said he was fine, and I should keep to my task and not to ask again. I could tell his demeanor had changed. I grew concerned for my friend, and after he was gone, I left the town to go see him.”
“Weren’t you afraid Molech might find out?”
“Yes, but I didn’t care. When I arrived at the grove I found him speaking with the twins. As I approached them, the twins saw me and told me to wait where I was and continued speaking with Tole for a few more minutes. Afterwards, they approached me. I noticed right away they looked older and less alike then I remembered. They asked me why I was there, and I told them that I was worried about Tole. They insisted that I turn around and leave. I called Tole’s name and when he didn’t respond, I made an attempt to walk over to him. They barred my way and said that I should leave and not return until I was instructed to, so I did.”
“Did you go to the authorities?”
“I was too scared. After another month, I went back to the grove at night and found Tole sitting alone by the fire. Without turning around, he said that he was expecting me and for me to sit down so we could talk. I could tell right away that something had changed the man that I had once known. We spoke for several hours and all he wanted to talk about was our task and money. I finally grew fed up with him and threatened to leave Snowdrift, and that’s when the twins and Molech suddenly appeared. I knew they overheard me taking to Tole. Molech told me I might want to rethink my plans, and then the twins' shapes changed into these black hideous creatures with red glowing eyes. They told me they were demons and said that if I didn’t continue to do what I was asked to do, they would torture me until I died and take my soul down into their world and torment
me for all of eternity.”
“You were a priest, couldn’t you do anything?”
“Against them? I didn’t have the skills.” Piersum continued. “It took Molech two years before he returned to Snowdrift. He posed as Sybil’s long lost uncle, went to her birthday party, and presented her with the two gifts for her birthday. A nightgown and a teddy bear.”
“Let’s backup. Why was everyone interested in Sybil in the first place?”
“She has a special gift that allows her to commune with animals.”
“How would that serve the demons?”
“That I don’t know. Anyway, after the party, Molech left the town and everything was okay until Sybil fell into a deep sleep a few nights later.”
“Was she supposed to?”
“I don’t think so. I heard about what had happened and how the parents suspected Molech, so I went to the grove and told Tole. When I returned to the town, I found out Sybil’s parents already went to the authorities and when they weren’t going to do anything, they hired a tracker named Shoel to find, and bring Molech back for questioning. Shoel and his band of mercenaries, tracked Molech down to the grove. What they didn’t know was that he and Tole were already waiting for them along with this creature Tole called a Rime Lord. They killed Shoel, his group and dumped their bodies in a nearby crypt, locking each corpse behind a separate door.
Tole always believed that if you murdered someone, then you needed to bury their body in a shallow grave and bind their spirit tsome sort of trinket, so that their spirit would remain rooted where it was. After Tole finished binding their souls, they left the crypt and summoned me to the grove and told me what they did to Shoel.
At that point, we didn’t know what to do with Sybil, so we contacted the demons and explained what befell her. They ordered us to bring her out of her slumber, and said that we would need the amulet of REM to do so. They even told us where it was and how to use it.”
A Demon's Quest the Beginning of the End the Trilogy Box Set Page 76
