by Nichols, TJ
Angus looked around, his eyes dazzled by the glare coming off the sand. Everything was too bright. He blinked a few times. He seemed to be in some kind of market.
In a shimmery blue circle with his demon.
With a small gesture, the circle shattered like crystal, leaving a sharp tang on the air.
Wait…. Magic was visible here? He had seen the circle. Had anyone else?
“Don’t try to run, there is no settlement for several days and the scarlips will find you most tasty… assuming another demon doesn’t get hold of you first.” His demon’s voice was smooth and too close. He was still holding Angus’s wrist as though he expected him to flee.
Angus lifted a hand to shield his eyes. Beyond the mats of wares, there were colorful tents, beyond them miles and miles of red sand. Red, not yellow. He glanced up. Above him in a slightly more purple sky than he was used to was a fat orange sun that seemed too big and too close.
He knew the answer, but he still had to ask. “Where am I?”
“What you call Demonside. We call it Arlyxia. It is one of the dimensions closest to yours, thus the bleed through.”
“What?” Only the first part of that sentence made sense. He knew where Demonside was, and he hoped that he wasn’t there. All the talk about demons summoning their warlocks had suddenly become truth. Some of those missing warlocks were never heard from again.
Angus felt that he should be panicking or crying or begging or something, but all he could muster was a kind of numb shock.
The demon stared at him. His skin was a dark reddish brown and glittered as though covered in metallic dust. His eyes were black, as black as his horns. The typical black-horn demon was considered relatively harmless. They had no sharp teeth, or claws. If anything, aside from the horns and tail, they looked fairly human. There was no glory in having a common black-horn demon. His father would be disappointed. No, his father was going to be infuriated that a demon had dragged him across the void to Demonside.
“Aren’t you supposed to be an all-knowledgeable warlock? Hmm?” The demon lifted a brow ridge. He had no eyebrows or any hair on his head. “Did your classes not give you the whole truth?”
“Um… no?” None of his teachers had ever mentioned what to do if taken. Not in ethics, spell casting or the theory of summoning, or even the history of demons and their use throughout ancient and classical history. Modern history and the demon wars of the early twentieth century were well known.
Had he read something about horned demons being tricky and debauched? Gaining mastery over your demon was so important so they didn’t act up. Oops. He obviously hadn’t succeeded, that or his demon was trickier than usual.
Nice work, Angus. He could hear his father’s disappointment already. Did this count as a fail? He hoped so.
“I should be getting home. My parents will be worried.” How hard could it be? Make a circle and open up the void. Easy. Demons crossed the void all the time and ran wild through cities until the college stopped them. He started to imagine a circle. It formed, and shimmered around him, then shattered.
Angus gasped. That was twice in one day this demon had brought down his circle. Had the demon called himself a mage? What was that exactly? Was it like a warlock? If it was, he was in trouble. More trouble.
The demon shook his head. “I don’t think you understand your situation. I told you I am your Demonside master and I meant it.”
Angus blinked at the shimmery, handsome demon. “You can’t be my master. That’s not the way it works.” He needed to get home. “I am going home.”
He cast another circle only to have it pulled apart again.
The demon laughed. “Humans. You have such a limited understanding of magic. You think you can pull us through the void and tap us for power whenever you want. Where do you think that magic comes from?” The demon stalked closer.
“Here.” Everyone knew that magic flowed cross the void from Demonside, but only some humans could use it.
“We call it alchemy; I believe you call it physics. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, yes?”
Angus nodded, suddenly aware that there were still people, demons, watching them.
“So where do you think the magic comes from, and where do you think it goes?” The demon crossed his arms over his bare chest. “What happens when the two worlds become unbalanced?”
“I haven’t studied that yet.”
“I don’t think you will. It isn’t in the syllabus.” He turned away. “Follow.” Then he glanced over his shoulder with a grin, his teeth were a little too pointy for it to be reassuring. “Or not.”
Angus did a quick assessment of the market full of demons and decided that, in this situation, it was most definitely better to go with the demon he knew if he wanted to get home.
Chapter Two
Saka waited for a moment to make sure that the human warlock, warlock-in-training he corrected, was indeed following. While the unwritten rules forbade kidnapping humans, anyone who opened up a portal was considered fair game. After all they had invited the connection, and one didn’t accidentally open up a portal to another dimension. That took effort and will and an ability to use magic.
If a human could use magic, it meant they could also then abuse it and the demon they took it from. Saka pressed his lips together. He hoped his lover was still alive, but he knew in his heart that Kitu was gone. Waiting for a fresh connection with a new warlock had been torturous. But today there had been a crackle in the air. He knew the scent and the feel on his skin.
Arlyxia might be full of magic, but the tears to Humanside couldn’t be opened from here. Which, while annoying, made sense. After all magic, like any power, would rush to equalize across the dimensions. The universe could implode. He shuddered despite the heat. At least humans knew how to contain the small tears they made, even if they didn’t understand what sucking too much magic out of Arlyxia did to his world.
He would be able to rebalance some of that magic now that he had a human. But the blood of one warlock wouldn’t be enough to stop the desert from spreading. One drop on dry sand quickly evaporated.
“Um… where are we going?” the warlock asked. His long legs eating up the distance Saka had put between them.
He bit back a grin. At least the human wasn’t crying. He’d caught one with some courage. He might prove to be useful for more than rebalancing. “I have to report your capture to the leader. It is a formality.”
It had better be a formality. He didn’t want Miniti to eat the warlock; he was not an offering. One could never tell how she was feeling, though.
“Capture?”
Saka glanced at the human, this time he let the grin form. “You are my captive.”
The warlock’s eyes widened. They were a curious shade of blue. Like the Humanside sky. It wasn’t just the blue that was odd, there were also white and black parts. Humans had very strange eyes. It was surprising they could see at all. White eyes usually signified blindness—not that blindness had ever stopped riverwyrms from finding prey when they came to the surface to hunt. A riverwyrm didn’t need eyes to hear the heartbeats of prey.
“Can’t I just go home? I’m not supposed to be here.” There was a hint of fear starting to edge into the warlock’s words.
“No. I have need of you for a time… surely the notion doesn’t offend you? You were going to use me after all.”
“Um.” The warlock fell out of step.
“I shall call you Um. You say it a lot.”
“My name is Angus,” he said with bite.
“I am Saka.” He stopped in front of a tent painted in varying shades of green. “When we go in, drop to your knees and stay there and keep your mouth shut unless spoken to.”
Saka didn’t give Angus a chance to disagree. He pushed open the tent flap and walked into Miniti’s tent. It was only because of his standing as tribe mage that Saka didn’t need permission or an invitation.
He acknowledged the guards and kept going. Mini
ti was reclining on cushions, reading a map and cross-checking with other papers. Trade? Water? A small gathering before the main one that was coming? Saka didn’t know, and he didn’t care. It wasn’t his job to lead their tribe.
“You finally came to show me the human specimen?” She didn’t look up.
Had she really expected him to rush here? Yes. Someone had already brought her the news, so it was clear he had walked too slowly.
Behind him Saka heard Angus drop to his knees. Miniti gave a small nod as though pleased. Her skin was as white as chalk and her lips were red. Her mouth was wide enough to swallow a soul whole. Her lack of teeth was more than made up for by talons as long as her fingers. Many considered her beautiful. Saka wasn’t one of them.
“Time well spent educating him. What do you want to do with your pet, or is he for me?” She looked at Saka and then Angus. Her mouth opened and her black tongue flicked over her lower lip.
“With respect. I would like to keep him and see if he can be taught.” Saka paused, then lowered his voice. “It isn’t often that a mage gets a warlock.”
Kitu wasn’t the only demon to be taken, never to return. Saka had seen all the demons pulled through in the class. He’d taken note of the different types. Many had been animals, but some had been sentient. The young warlocks would return them all to Demonside. Older warlocks, who had burned out one demon and wanted more power, were the dangerous ones. They had the knowledge and the ability to trap a demon on Humanside where he’d run out of magic that much faster.
The loss of magic was bleeding Arlyxia dry. It had to stop, or soon there would be no demons in Arlyxia, only endless sand.
“Hmm. I do remember something about more mages being asked to make a bond with a warlock. You have excelled again.”
Saka inclined his head at the compliment. It wasn’t actually hard to get a warlock, but few mages were willing to take the risk. He didn’t tell her that in case she took Angus and gobbled his soul before Saka could learn anything from the warlock. He waited for her decision; hurrying her would do no good.
“You may take him away. Report to me in the morning after I have communicated with the other leaders. Then we shall decide if I get him or you get him.”
“May I use him to rebalance the magic?” He needed to know how far he could take Angus’s lesson in alchemy. Although there was little point in schooling the warlock if Miniti was going to devour him.
She laughed. “I only care about his soul. You may do whatever you want with his flesh.”
Chapter Three
Angus flinched and looked up. The white demon wasn’t even looking at him as she tossed his fate around. She wanted his soul and Saka wanted his body? What was going on? Did they regularly divide humans between them? Was this what happened to missing warlocks and wizards? They got eaten?
He closed his eyes, wanting to wake up and find himself in bed. This was just a nightmare brought on by his fear of summoning a demon in a class, which would happen later today.
Wake up.
But the air was hot in his lungs. Outside the tent demons were talking and singing as though there was nothing strange about having a human around. He opened his eyes. He was still in the tent with the demons. His stomach sank, nausea clawed up his throat. This was so not good.
Saka inclined his head and turned. He flicked his hand, indicating for Angus to get up and follow. Given the choice between Saka and her, Saka seemed less likely to kill him… at least until morning.
He needed to find a way to get home, tonight. If he could get a few minutes alone, so Saka couldn’t break his circle, then he could escape back across the void.
Uncertainty and confusion had given way to fear and tension. His gut clenched, and sweat rolled down his back. It was hot in the tent, but at least it was shady. Now he was going to have to leave the lovely shade.
He followed Saka outside. The brightness of the sun hurt his eyes and struck his skin. He was already burning; suddenly the cold of home didn’t seem so bad. Saka’s skin shimmered like metal as though he reflected the sun’s rays. He seemed unbothered by the heat. Even the sand beneath Angus’s sneakers was hot and sucked at his shoes, finding a way through his socks to rub against his skin.
Few of the demons wore shoes. Those who did were wearing sandal-like things. Adults watched him either openly or subtly. There were even little demons, children. He hadn’t thought about how demons were made. Or how they lived. He’d thought, he’d been told, they were little more than animals. Angus slowed so he could take in more of the market. It seemed to be laid out in a cross. At the center was the tent they had just been in. This was the work of a civilized people. While he’d seen pictures of the different demons, there had been no mentions of thriving towns.
Not all the demons he’d seen pictures of were here. Maybe some were animals. Again he cursed his luck at getting one that talked, a mage and a demon with obvious standing in his town.
Saka led them down a leg of the cross, away from the market.
“Where are we going?”
“My tent.” Saka paused to speak to another man. Most of the demons seemed to be either the vampry or black-horned, but there were a couple of other types that Angus couldn’t remember the name of.
Every so often there would be a crackle of magic. Something sparked between Saka and his friend. A flash of purple, then the other demon handed Saka something that looked like food. Angus hoped it was food. He was hungry and thirsty, and he’d really like some answers. However, after kneeling in front of the demon in charge, he didn’t want to ask anything in public that might draw attention to himself—extra attention.
They moved on, ducking down the side of some tents before stopping. Saka pulled open the flap. “My home.”
The maze of tents had led here. Even if he had wanted to run away, he had no idea where he was going and there were demons everywhere, and he suspected some might gobble him up without thinking twice. Then there were the creatures. He was sure some were pets, running around freely, and others were food, but they all looked dangerous to him.
Plus, if he went into the tent, at least he’d be out of the sun.
The inside of the tent was mostly cream. Shear white panels of cloth divided what could be rooms. Gold lettering adorned other walls. Saka put his purchase on a small low table, then poured two cups of something.
The table looked as though it was made of a smoky gray glass. The jug and cups out of gold. It looked expensive, but Angus couldn’t be sure of anything.
“Sit. Eat. Drink.” Saka waved his hand over the offerings.
Fattening me up for tomorrow?
After a moment of hesitation, he drank—he was so thirsty—what tasted like sweetened water. “Is it always this hot here?”
“This is cool. The hot, rainy season won’t start for another couple of lunar cycles. Before then we will gather at Lifeblood Mountain to trade and have face-to-face talks.”
“This town moves?”
Saka nodded. “We are not here to talk about the customs and lifestyles of greater continental Arlyxia. You’re a warlock, I’m a mage. We are going to talk magic.”
“It’s visible here.” That was the first thing he’d noticed about magic here. It was about all he could say about magic. He was a wizard, someone who could use magic, with a bit of warlock training.
Saka considered him for a moment. “You really have no idea, do you?”
“I haven’t known anything since you pulled me through the void.” That had to have been less than an hour ago. He’d been a warlock for less than an hour. Were people already looking for him? He couldn’t rely on help, he had to try to escape, but he was interested in what Saka had to say about magic. The theory had always fascinated him. It was his father who had put him off using magic by pushing him into the college to become a warlock. No son of mine will be a wizard.
“Magic is visible. Most of us here have it to some degree. Some of us train to use it and it becomes our job.” Saka
sipped his drink and smiled. “My world runs on magic. But all the magic you take from here, from your demon, has to be replenished. Magic, energy, cannot be destroyed or created.”
Angus nodded. “If we pull it through to our side….” He looked at Saka. “Then somehow it has to get back here.”
Saka didn’t take his gaze off him. His eyes were unreadable pools of ink. “Do you want to know what happens?”
Not really. He was sure he wasn’t going to like the answer. “You capture and kill humans?”
“Crude, but effective. Blood magic is one of the three ways. It usually involves a lot of ritual cuts and gets quite messy.” He flicked his fingers as if dismissing the notion. “Miniti devours souls. Soul magic is another way of reclaiming some of the magic back. Blood and soul usually work together to maximize the gain.”
Angus flinched. He didn’t want to end up as some kind of ritual sacrifice. But he’d heard of warlocks sacrificing demons for big workings. Was it any different?
“Don’t worry. We don’t go around snatching just anyone. We only take those that offer themselves as a conduit. Like you.”
“I didn’t offer. It was part of the class, and I didn’t even want to be there.” He’d never wanted to be a warlock. “My father made me go to Warlock College. I’d have rather been a doctor or vet or something.” He looked away to the gentle flapping of the white cloth. It was almost soothing. Somewhere in the town, there was music and laughing. If he closed his eyes, it could be Vinland, but the music was alien and the air had a taste that he couldn’t quite place. Well, maybe not Vinland, but it could be somewhere on Earth.
“You would’ve still been able to use magic.”
“Yes, but no demon. I didn’t want a demon.” He glanced back at Saka. Was what he’d said incredibly rude? “No offense intended.”
Saka broke off some of the food. It looked a little like flaky bread stuffed with something. The demon ate and stared at Angus.
Angus tried not to fidget. His cheeks burned. His father was never going to let him forget this failure, assuming he got home. Hopefully his father would let him walk away from being a warlock. He wasn’t warlock material. That was painfully obvious.
