by Alicia Rades
“Usually?” I asked warily.
“Well, it’s not every day you offend a demon and become a target. They don’t usually try to mess with us like that.”
“You’re using that word a lot.”
“What word?”
“Usually. Why would he be after me? Why not you? You were the one who hurt him the other day.”
“Oh, um…”
“You’re doing it again,” I accused, pulling away from him. “You’re hiding something from me. What is it you don’t want to tell me?”
Marek dropped his gaze. “I thought you understood.”
“Understood what? Marek, just tell me.”
He finally looked at me. “Ryn… you killed his friend. He’s out for revenge. And he won’t stop until he kills you.”
12
I drew in a sharp breath.
“No,” I insisted. “No way. I would never.”
It didn’t matter that Marek had just pointed out that my life was in danger. All I could focus on was the fact that I’d killed someone.
“You didn’t know what you were doing. It was an accident.” He said it like that justified what I’d done.
Suddenly, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I grabbed onto his shoulders to steady myself. My fingers dug into his leather jacket.
After deciding I wasn’t going to puke, I relaxed my grip and drew away from him.
“You really had no idea?” Marek asked curiously.
“That I killed someone? Yeah, because that happens every day.” My face grew hot.
“He vanished in a puff of smoke,” Marek pointed out. “What did you think happened to him?”
“I don’t know! I’ve spent my entire life thinking the demons were in my head. I thought I was hallucinating.”
That’s what everyone told me the last time something like this happened.
“He could’ve teleported or something,” I said. “It’d make just as much sense as the rest of this. Besides, you used the same thing on the other guy, and he got right back up and is apparently doing fine.”
“It’s not—Ryn, calm down.”
I covered my face with my hands, still unable to believe it. “Why’d he disappear like that?”
What kind of fantasy world had I fallen into?
“It has something to do with the demon’s curse,” Marek explained. “They live on a different plane of existence. Without their life force tethering them here, their bodies fall into a plane we don’t have access to.”
I shuddered at the thought of demon bodies piled up throughout the world, rotting away on another plane of existence we couldn’t see. It quite literally sounded like Hell.
“It’s not a bad thing,” Marek assured me. “He was just a demon.”
“Just a demon?” I balled my hands into fists and paced away from him several steps. “That doesn’t change the fact that I killed him.”
“That’s what Davina do, Ryn. We help protect the world from demons.”
“Then why are there so many of them still running around?” I couldn’t help the accusation from slipping out.
“Believe it or not, they’re actually not that easy to kill. We can’t just shoot them.” He paused momentarily. “It’s complicated.”
“I have all day,” I challenged.
Marek sighed. “What do you want, Ryn?”
I closed my eyes and attempted to steady my breath. There were so many answers to that question. I wanted to erase the last hour of my life. I wanted escape all of this, to live in a world where I never saw the demons and never learned I was a Davina. At the same time, I wanted to learn what I was capable of. I wanted to be able to defend myself.
“I want to see Fletcher,” I said in a small voice.
Marek nodded. “Okay, we’ll go see Fletcher. I’ll give him a call.” He pulled his phone from his pocket.
Just as he placed it to his ear and the other line began ringing, a familiar voice called from behind me.
“Hey.” Allie crossed her lawn toward us.
Kyle followed behind her.
“What’s going on?” Allie stopped beside me and glanced between us. “Is something wrong?”
How did I even begin to answer that question?
“Hey,” Kyle said cheerfully. He lightly elbowed me in the side. “Don’t look so glum. Cheer up.”
I glared at him.
I noticed Marek subtly shake his head at Kyle out of the corner of my eye. Kyle’s expression instantly fell.
“Hey, Fletcher,” Marek said into the phone.
“What happened?” Allie asked me, her tone full of concern.
I looked up to the overcast sky then down at the sidewalk. Anything not to meet her gaze.
“We’re meeting up with Fletcher,” I told her like it explained everything. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to truly explain it.
“The school?” Marek’s voice came into focus again.
My head instantly snapped in his direction. “No!”
He furrowed his brow at me as he listened to Fletcher on the other end of the line.
“I don’t want to go back there,” I whispered.
Marek nodded in understanding. “Forget the school,” he interrupted Fletcher. “We’ll meet at your house.”
“What’s going on?” Allie demanded as soon as Marek hung up.
A muscle popped in Marek’s jaw. “The demon found her. We’re going to see Fletcher.”
“We’re coming with,” Kyle insisted.
“Yeah,” Allie agreed. “You two go together. Kyle and I will take my car.”
“I’ll come with you, too,” I suggested.
“No,” Allie insisted, pushing me toward Marek’s motorcycle.
He was already sitting on it and holding the helmet out toward me.
I huffed. Now was not the time for Allie to play matchmaker. But I didn’t want to waste the time arguing. I grabbed the helmet and put it on. I wrapped myself around Marek again, and we sped down the street.
We pulled up in front of a small ranch-style home at the end of a cul-de-sac. It was a simple one-story house with gray siding and stone accents. Two well-kept flowerbeds lined the edge of the house, and a carved wooden bear stood next to the front door with a welcome sign in his hands.
Marek placed a hand on my back as we approached the house.
Fletcher opened the front door for us before we even had a chance to knock. He wore tan slacks and a white button down shirt.
It wasn’t until we were inside that I realized I was still wearing Marek’s motorcycle helmet. I pulled it off and breathed in a deep breath. The house smelled like dryer sheets and freshly baked bread. It’s what I thought my grandparents’ house might smell like—if I’d ever met them.
“Sit down,” Fletcher said, gesturing to the couch.
I set the helmet on the coffee table and sank into the couch cushions. Fletcher’s living room was small, housing only a couch, recliner, and TV. Several photographs hung on the walls, but they were just to add a pop of color to the space; I didn’t see any pictures of his family. The room was bathed in earthy tones. That, coupled with the smells I detected earlier, gave it a welcoming, homey ambiance.
I felt safe here.
Allie and Kyle entered a moment later. Allie sat beside me, and Kyle leaned against the arm of the couch next to her. Marek took my other side, and Fletcher sat in the recliner.
Fletcher fixed a serious expression on his face. “Tell me what happened.”
My gut twisted. I didn’t know if I could. I exchanged a wary glance with Marek. He took charge and began to recount the details from earlier. My hands shook against my knees when he told them how he’d returned to find Dorian attacking me. I was grateful he didn’t go into detail. I could still feel Dorian’s hand cupping my breast. The last thing I wanted to do was relive that moment.
The more Marek talked, the angrier he became. He rose from the couch and began pacing back and forth across the living room.
�
��I made a mistake,” he said. “I had the chance to kill him, and I didn’t.”
“Calm down, James,” Fletcher insisted.
Marek glared at him. “We should go back out there and hunt him down.”
Kyle scoffed. “Yeah, because that worked so well the last time.”
I instantly became alert. “What do you mean?”
Marek stopped pacing and raked his fingers through his hair. “He’s talking about last night. Fletcher, Kyle, and I were out there trying to hunt this guy down.”
So that’s what he’d been busy doing when I texted him.
“He knew we were on his tail, though,” Marek said. “We never got close enough to him. I was hoping we’d scared him off, but…”
Tension formed in my head. “You still don’t have to kill him.”
“Would you rather he kill you first?” Marek’s voice rose.
“Calm down,” Fletcher repeated. “Sit, James.”
Marek’s chest rose and fell rapidly, and his lips pressed into a thin line. After several moments, he finally gave in and sat next to me.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
I was the first to break the silence. “I don’t think he was trying to kill me, Marek. He was trying to…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
“He was having fun with you,” Marek said with disgust. “He would’ve killed you as soon as he was done.”
Nausea returned, and a lump rose in my throat. “That doesn’t make killing him okay.”
I had to believe Marek was better than that.
“What do you suggest?” Marek snapped. “It’s not like there’s a prison we can lock him up in.”
“He has a point,” Kyle said.
“Everybody needs to calm down,” Fletcher said in a commanding voice.
The four of us stared back at him.
“Ryn,” Fletcher said softly, “are you okay?”
My shoulders relaxed. I appreciated that he cared.
“I’m scared,” I admitted. “But I’m okay for now.”
Fletcher’s gaze dropped. “There’s something you should know.”
Oh, crap. I had no idea what to expect. I couldn’t even manage to come up with insane possibilities in my head.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I stated. I just hoped I meant it after I heard what he had to say.
“Good,” he said. “Because if you did, the entire human race would be put in jeopardy.”
I forced my shock down so it couldn’t overwhelm me. I could hear it in Fletcher’s voice. There was something bigger going on here, bigger than the age-old war he’d mentioned before.
And somehow, I had something to do with it.
13
“What—what do you mean?” My voice wavered.
Fletcher leaned forward. “We believe you have the Power of Grace.”
I glanced around the room, hoping someone would elaborate without me having to ask.
Thankfully, Fletcher continued. “Marek knew when he met you. It’s evidenced in the color of your essence—purple. Most Davina can only conjure white essence. Yours, Ryn, is special.”
This must be what Allie wouldn’t tell me about before.
“What does it mean?” My hands shook slightly as I thought about what I’d done with it. “It’s more powerful?”
“Yes. Most Davina can’t kill with their essence—only stun,” Fletcher explained. “We have to turn to other means or use weapons to kill the Aedes, the same way they do with us.”
“Other weapons?” I asked cautiously.
“I told you the Aedes’ curse doesn’t apply to materials that originate from another realm,” Fletcher said. “When the Davina first returned here, they brought certain things from their realm back with them. We have a small collection of what we call Davina Blades. They’re daggers that came from Vehena. We can use those against the Aedes. You, Ryn, are another type of weapon.”
My body gave an involuntary shudder at the word weapon.
“Your essence is unique,” Fletcher said.
I crossed my arms. I tried to remain as calm as I could, but my words came out flat and accusatory. “Because I can kill. What if I don’t want to?”
Allie placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. Her eyes pleaded with me to hear Fletcher out before jumping to conclusions.
I uncrossed my arms.
“There’s more you should know about our history,” Fletcher said. “When the Davina created humans, the Aedes believed it to be a form of trickery. They thought the Davina created humans in an attempt to build an army faster and to force the Aedes back to Malum. They felt betrayed; they’d once again been cast aside by those who were more powerful than they were. The Aedes soon realized, however, that humans were powerless, and they became power-hungry. They were finally stronger than someone else, and they exploited that.”
I considered this for a moment. “Allie said they feed off human essence.”
“Yes,” Fletcher confirmed.
“But humans don’t have essence,” I stated.
Fletcher’s forehead creased. “Of course they do. Remember what I told you. Essence is the energy that makes up who you are as a person. Humans simply can’t access their essence physically like we can. The Aedes, however, found a way to tap in to it. It’s essentially an unlimited power source. But that doesn’t mean it can be stolen without consequences. When an Aedes feeds off a human’s essence, it throws the balance of their four energies off. Humans can easily be manipulated then. Many will go into deep depressions as long as their essence is being fed upon. Others will be overcome with greed or jealousy, all the things that make the Aedes themselves evil. The Aedes do it for amusement.”
I trembled. Fletcher’s story brought back too many horrible memories. And now those memories were starting to make sense.
“How do I fit in to that?” I asked.
“Because of the way the Aedes treated the humans, the Davina became protective,” Fletcher continued. “That’s what started the second war, the one we’re still fighting today. The Davina believed the earth belonged to the humans. They forced the Aedes back to Malum and sealed off the portals to that realm. They decided to seal off their own portals to Vehena as well to prevent any of their own kind from exploiting the humans.
“Sixteen original Davina stayed behind to seal the portals. Afterward, they found their power so drained they’d nearly given up their immortality. Remember that the Divinities tried sealing off Malum before only for the gateways to reopen?”
I nodded.
“The Davina knew it could happen again. The realms touch and can’t be broken apart. They made a difficult decision. At the time, their work was finished, but they feared what might happen if another war broke out and they weren’t around to help. They decided to freeze their bodies in time by sending their consciousness and essence into the earth, where it would be safe until they made their return. As legend tells it, their essence would return if we had to call upon the Originals once again for protection.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It all sounded like make-believe, but Fletcher told it like it was fact, history.
“What does that have to do with me?” I asked.
Fletcher took a deep breath. “Your power is a sign that we’re in danger. If the Power of Grace has returned, it means the line between the realms is thinning. The problem is that we don’t know where to find the portal that poses the threat. Even if we could find it, we’d need an Original’s power to close it. This is why the Power of Grace is important.”
The room went silent for a beat.
“Grace was among one of the Originals,” Fletcher explained, “and she’s our last hope.”
Was Fletcher out of his mind? He didn’t actually think I played a role in this, did he?
“So,” I said, “I have some other Davina’s power inside of me?”
Allie and Fletcher nodded in unison.
“What am I supposed to do with it?” I wasn’t sure I wan
ted the answer.
“It’s your job to wake Grace.” Fletcher said it like it was so simple.
“Excuse me?” My eyes must’ve widened to twice their size.
Fletcher frowned. “I apologize if I’m not explaining it well enough.”
“I get it,” I said. “It’s just a lot to take in.”
Fletcher nodded in agreement and then continued. “A group of Aedes managed to stay behind when the portals were sealed. When they heard about what the Originals had done, they turned to hunting them down so they could never awaken and use their powers again.”
I drew in a sharp breath. “Why would they do that?”
Fletcher shook his head like he’d never quite understand. “Same reason they want to kill the rest of us. Power. If we’re not around to stop them, they can play their games with the humans and manipulate them like puppets. They’ve never been in a position of power before; this would put them there.”
Marek cut in. “Not to mention that if we don’t have the power of the Originals, we’d never be able to seal off the portals to Malum again.”
I stared at him in confusion. “Why is that a bad thing, though?”
“Have you seen the world today?” Marek asked rhetorically. “The demons have bred and grown their numbers so much that things are bad enough as it is. They’re the ones corrupting the world. If the portal opens, the rest of the Aedes get through. Their numbers skyrocket; they kill us off; and they manipulate the humans to extinction. It’s how they get revenge for their ancestors.”
I looked between Fletcher and Marek, still trying to absorb all this information. “Do you really believe all this?”
Everyone nodded in unison.
“So, if the demons hunted the Originals, where are they today?” I asked.
Fletcher sighed. “When it started, the Davina formed a secret society called Praesid dedicated to the protection of the Originals. They thought it was best to split the Originals up, and so members of Praesid moved the Originals across the globe. Every few centuries or so, they’d move again to keep anyone from tracking them down. Unfortunately, the Aedes managed to hunt down fifteen of the sixteen Originals and destroy their bodies with the help of humans through manipulation if needed.”
