by Langland, J.
"A hand mirror?" Antefalken asked.
"A hand mirror. Apparently it is capable of detecting demonic influences." Antefalken made a gesture with his face, impressed apparently. "It seems they are now in a hyper-paranoid state. They now suspect that anyone coming near them could be a demon or a demon's agent. They weren't particularly clear on that point. However, what seems clear is that they now know that some demons can shape change."
Edwyrd started getting a sick feeling in his stomach. "How would they have gotten that idea?" Antefalken asked Damien.
Gastropé interrupted. "Can they?" He was starting to look a bit paranoid himself. Damien ignored him, answering Antefalken instead.
"I'm coming to that. Apparently, they claim to have captured a spy. A demonic one." Edwyrd was really getting nervous now. "It happened last night. One of their sentries spotted a demon hovering over the camp, spying on their actions. Talarius apparently shot it out of the sky somehow."
Gastropé was looking completely lost. "When soldiers went to hunt it down, all they found was a naked boy, approximately nine or ten years old." Edwyrd had to hold himself from groaning out loud. "The young boy apparently told Talarius that he'd been captured by a demon, and only released when the demon was wounded."
Gastropé started putting a few of the pieces together apparently, for he spoke up. "You mentioned Rupert earlier? Are you saying that Rupert was kidnapped by a demon?" Gastropé looked almost in shock. Edwyrd knew the man's feelings about demons, he was also sure Gastropé was thinking about the fact that the Rod was after Rupert, along with the rest of them. "Gods above." He rubbed his temple.
"Not. Exactly." Damien replied. Edwyrd's stomach went through the floor; he dreaded what must be coming. "It seems the next morning, Talarius brought a priest to verify the truth of the boy's story. It seems the boy and the priest recognized each other."
"Shit." Gastrope' said. "The priest from Gizzor Del." Damien just looked at him meaningfully. Gastropé coughed slightly and said apologetically, "I guess we did kind of gloss over that part."
"Why don't you explain it now? Since it seems appropriate at this point." Damien said.
Gastropé smiled sickly, Edwyrd wanted to find out what had happened to Rupert, but he figured this was going to be the only way. "Well," Gastropé said hesitantly, "I'm not up on all the details, Jenn or Rupert could probably tell you better." Damien continued to stare. "It seems that in order to leave the Abyss, the demon needed a link or something. Needed someone to summon him. I'm not sure what he did, but apparently he intercepted another conjuring. An individual summoning another demon. He sort of appropriated the summons I guess. I'm not really sure if that's possible?"
"Extremely rare, but it can happen." Antefalken assured him. "One of the risks of demon conjuring." Antefalken smiled evilly. Gastropé gulped.
"Anyway, it turned out to be this priest Verigas, in Gizzor Del. He sort of went hysterical. Can't say I blame him. Anyway, the demon forced open a rift and let us all step out. Including the demon traveling with us now." Damien was shaking his head, obviously imagining the situation. "Needless to say, the big demon alone was enough to send the man off the deep end. The rest of us didn't seem to help. We were all looking rather disreputable at this point."
Gastropé shrugged. "To make a long story short, we tied him up. He'd seen us all, but we didn't plan on ever seeing him again. After all, he'd been doing something taboo for his religion. We just left him. We arranged it so that he'd be able to get free after we'd left the city. Apparently his conscience got the better of him, and he went to his superiors and they unleashed the Rod on us."
"He sent the Rod after you?" Antefalken asked incredulously.
Gastropé smiled rather embarrassed. "It seems he kind of thought we were the first wave in a demonic invasion force." Damien was rubbing his head with both hands.
"So that explains why the Rod is here?" Damien asked.
"Well, we thought so at first." Edwyrd spoke up at this point. "However, it's apparently escalated beyond that. They apparently found out about the archdemon after the book, and that sort of added fuel to their fire. I'm pretty sure finding hundreds of demons and some archdemons in the palace didn't do much to relieve them." Damien simply groaned.
"But what about Rupert? You say the priest identified him? Or someone?" Edwyrd asked.
Damien nodded, reorienting himself. "According to Talarius, Verigas identified him as Rupert, one of the Minions of Evil. From your story, that sounds exactly like what happened."
"So the Rod has him?" Gastrope' asked Damien. "I know they probably think he's evil, but they wouldn't hurt a little kid would they?"
Damien just looked at him for a moment. "Actually, Talarius apparently did try and calm Verigas, and if it had succeeded, they probably wouldn't have harmed him."
"Wouldn't have harmed him? What exactly do you mean?" Edwyrd was literally sick to his stomach at this point.
"Simply this: In an effort to convince Verigas that Rupert was harmless, Talarius pulled out the mirror. Apparently to his surprise it revealed the boy to be a fourth order demon."
"What! That's ridiculous!" Gastropé shouted. Antefalken was thinking hard, it appeared. He was twisting his head and chewing his lower lip. "Rupert is as human as any of us!" Antefalken looked up at this, Gastropé paid him no heed.
"Perhaps." Damien said calmingly. "Except that, apparently, when he realized he was revealed, Rupert started to shape change into a demon." Gastropé was shaking his head in adamant denial. "Fearing an attack, and knowing how dangerous a fourth order demon would be. Talarius slew the demon or boy."
"Slew it?" Antefalken asked in disbelief. Edwyrd put his head in hands. Gastropé just stared in shock at Damien, finally silenced.
"Slew it. The Arch-Vicar General and Verigas were both there. Both priests swear by their god in front of the entire Rod that what Talarius slew was a partially shape changed demon. As if further proof were needed, the body and all its blood faded as if it had never been. Leaving only the clothes torn by the demon's transformation." Edwyrd breathed a sigh of relief. If Rupert had faded, then maybe he'd been sent to the Abyss like a real demon. It hadn't happened on the ship, and Rupert had no real connection to the Abyss, but maybe. All he could do was hope.
"Now the priests know that demons can shape change. They don't know how many or which ones, but they know some can. They know that anyone that comes up to them could be a demon. They are highly nervous, to say the least. They are also convinced that Rupert was sent there to spy on them, and probably to sabotage or corrupt their mission."
"This is preposterous!" Gastropé shouted again, getting up to pace dramatically. "If it was a demon, and if demons can shape change, then it couldn't have been Rupert. It must have been some demon posing as Rupert! Jenn and Lenamare have both known the boy for years. There is no way he could have fooled them." Damien shrugged; Antefalken didn't look convinced.
"For magic's sake! You Edwyrd! You're his cousin!" They all looked at Edwyrd. "You should know..." Gastropé looked puzzled for a moment, remembering something. "More than that! Tizzy told us that you're the boy's father!" It was Edwyrd's turn to do a double take. He looked at Gastropé in shock.
"Tizzy?" Antefalken spoke up. "Is that the demon traveling with you? Why didn't anyone tell me? He and I are old friends! The mealy little cockroach didn't even stop by to say hi!" Antefalken shook his head. It was then the import of Gastropé's words seemed to sink in. "His father?" He looked very intently at Edwyrd. Obviously, he was thinking back to his meeting with Tom. Edwyrd just shook his head in his hands. Damien was staring directly at Edwyrd.
All of the people in the room were staring at him. They wanted answers. The ball was in his court. What was he going to say? Too much had already been revealed. Lies, he hated all the lies he was involved in. Maybe it was time to end some of them. He just didn't know if he could trust these people.
Unfortunately, enough had been said that if he wasn't honest now,
none of them would trust him. If this Talarius was after them, and he could slay Rupert, a fourth order it appeared, with no problem, then Tom himself might need help. That didn't even bring into account the archdemons. No, he was going to need allies if he was going to get himself and those he'd promised to protect out of harm's way. He sighed.
"For one thing, Gastropé," he said slowly, looking up to the wizard, "you should know to take everything Tizzy says with a grain of salt." Gastropé just looked at him, waiting for him to defend Rupert's humanity. The man was in for a bad surprise. "As for being my son, that's a long story, which can wait to another time." He might be willing to undo some lies, but that was one he wanted to straighten out with Rupert first. He didn't want to mess with it and have word get to Rupert before he could talk to the boy himself.
Edwyrd stood at this point, all eyes following him. He guessed that Antefalken had an idea of what was coming, but he could tell that neither Damien nor Gastropé did. "What I'm about to reveal to you, must remain a secret. It must not leave this room. I can't risk you revealing this to anyone without my express permission. Do you understand?" He looked at Gastrope' intently.
Gastropé shrugged. "Certainly, you have my word. But why all the secrecy?"
He turned to Damien. "You want us to be allies, wizard? You want no secrets? Then you've got to swear to keep this secret amongst us. I, in turn will swear that I mean you no harm, and want to work with you. I also promise that keeping the secret won't harm you or your city? Fair enough?"
Damien was really puzzled now, but he said. "Your statement seems fair enough. I swear it then, so long as it doesn't compromise any previous oaths."
"I hope it won't, however," he turned to Antefalken, "as I suspect our demonic friend here can guess I am prepared to enforce all these oaths, my own included." He looked at the demon.
"You have mine, then, as long as you're on our side." Antefalken said.
Edwyrd smiled, "I'm on Rupert's side, and Jenn's, and his and Maelen's I guess." He pointed to Gastropé. Gastropé was completely out of the loop; at this point he was very puzzled.
"What is all this crazy secrecy about, Edwyrd? Just tell us." Gastropé complained impatiently.
"Very well." He looked at Gastrope', "Talarius was right. He slew no imposter. Rupert is a demon."
"What!" Gastrope' said again. "This is ridiculous! How could he be a demon and you know it but none of us?" Gastropé was waving his hands above his head.
"I can know it very well. After all, you brought out the part about us being related." Gastropé just looked at him, uncomprehending, not wanting to comprehend. Damien simply coughed behind him. "Gastropé, you are a good man, and I do like you, but you're going to have to be a little more open minded on this demon question."
"What are you talking about?" Gastropé wanted to know.
Edwyrd just smiled, somewhat sadly. "'Demon, attend! I am the Wizard Gastropé, and I shall be thy master. Cease this destruction at once, I command thee.'" Edwyrd said imitating Gastropé.
Gastropé just shook his head, "How could you know that? You weren't even..." Finally, like a lead brick, it sank in. Gastropé sank to the couch, his eyes wide, his face draining of all color.
Edwyrd just shook his head. "Gastropé, you've really got to stop doing that. All that blood rushing from your head can't be good for your brain." He smiled as he said it, hoping the young wizard wouldn't pass out again.
"So...what you're saying is that you are the big demon? Tom?" Gastropé murmured.
"That's what I'm saying." Tom said matter-of-factly. He glanced at Damien who was shaking his head, as if finally putting pieces of a puzzle together.
"But...but...you don't look like a demon. You don't act like one either!" Gastropé was looking more lively as his protest gathered steam. "I mean, while we haven't known each other that long, you're a pretty nice guy. You act just like everyone else, you help out. You don't go around doing demonic things. You're just like a normal human! Demons aren't like that at all!"
Tom shook his head sadly. "You're right. I am just like a normal human. It also happens that everyone on this planet insists on calling me a demon, and forcing me to live by their rules. You people haven't given me much choice in the matter."
Gastropé was just shaking his head. "But demons are frightening, ugly, wicked and evil. They are the corruption of all that is good. The destruction of life and the personification of all that is wrong in the world."
"No, Gastropé," Tom shook his head once more. "We demons are but the mirrors of your fears. Our forms and our actions are the products of wizards' twisted nightmares and imaginations. The greatest evils are not to be found in the Abyss, but rather within the hearts of men and women."
Antefalken tilted his head, mumbling quietly to himself, smiling, "You haven't met many demon princes have you?"
"Look there. In your fellow humans, if you would see true evil. For it is at the bidding of these individuals that demons act. It is their minds and beliefs that give demons form and power." Edwyrd noted Antefalken squirming on his seat, wanting to interject some objections, Edwyrd glared at him though. He was making a point to the wizard and he didn't need it undermined by a complicated reality.
"Are you saying that all demons are good and wizards bad?" Gastropé said, starting to bristle as the shock wore off.
"No. I'm not. There are some very good wizards. I think Jenn is good, Damien seems to be, and I think you are too. There are also evil wizards, like Exador," Gastropé frowned, hating to have to agree. "Lenamare doesn't strike me as a particularly nice fellow either. There are also evil demons. Possibly the archdemons we have to face here. Ramses the Damned perhaps. However, there are also good demons. Rupert is one. You yourself called him an innocent little kid. He is. He is just a child. A demon child, but still a child. He is exactly what he appears. The Rupert you know is the real Rupert. Do you seriously think he is evil?"
Gastropé shrugged uncertain. Edwyrd continued, "I don't want to blow my own horn, but I don't think of myself as evil. Have I done anything to harm you? Or anyone that wasn't attacking us? Have I done anything more than a normal human might do? One with the same powers and abilities?" He hoped he wasn't pushing it too far on this one.
Gastropé frowned. "I seem to recall you nearly killing me in the mountain pass."
Tom snorted softly. "And I seem to recall you being part of an ambush on Jenn and Rupert and a bunch of other children and students."
"I didn't actually kill anyone, though!" Gastropé protested, "Besides, I was working for Exador then; I didn't have a choice!"
"You're right. You were working for Exador, and you didn't have a lot of choices. Although to be honest, I seem to recall you mentioning that your ability to kill anyone in the pass was rather hampered by Jenn."
"Well, yes, but that was then, this is now. She and I are on the same side now. And you did kill a lot of people!"
"Yes, and you and I are on the same side now. And I didn't have a lot of choice. I am, after all, on retainer, so to speak, to Lenamare and Jehenna. I was ordered to kill the attackers; you know how stringent a demon's orders can be. Further, if I hadn't killed them, what do you think they might have done to Jenn or Rupert?" Gastropé shrugged uncomfortably.
"Finally, I did kill those who attacked the wagon train. You didn't attack them, and I didn't kill you. In that instance, since you were technically an attacker, I certainly could have interpreted my orders to kill you, too. In fact, that would be the logical interpretation. I chose not to, however. I let you go. Even though, you'd clearly stated your intention to try and enslave me and do me harm."
Gastropé looked quite uncomfortable at this. "Well, it's not like I could have hurt you. You ignored my strongest wards!"
"True, but when you started, did you know you couldn't harm me? Wasn't it your intention to control me?" Tom asked.
Gastropé shrugged, not having an easy answer. "Look, I don't want to argue with you." Tom said, "I would like to
be your friend. I am the demon that you encountered during the ambush, the one that could have killed you, but let you get away. I am also the demon, who with the assistance of another demon, Rupert, helped you escape a rather unpleasant fate at the hands of Exador. I am also the human being you've known as Edwyrd for the past few weeks. I am all of these things. What you see is what you get."
Gastropé sat with his head in his hands. "I don't know. Maybe you're right. I just have to think about this. I don't like it at all."
"Think about it then. I know it will take some getting used to the idea." Hopefully, the journeyman wizard would come to the right decision. He turned his attention back to Damien and Antefalken.
Damien smiled at him. "Well, I guess you've answered the question about where Lenamare's big demon went to. You also raised some good points that I want to think about. Is there anything else I should know?"
Edwyrd laughed. "Anything else you should know? I know some things that would really turn your world upside down, wizard. However, given the circumstances, I think that experience can wait until we've dealt with the problems at hand."
"So, that explains why you suspect Ramses the Damned. It's not certain, but it's better than anything else we have to go on." Damien said to Edwyrd.
Edwyrd proceeded to detail Maelen's experience and the interpretation the two had made of it. They discussed Ramses and the likelihood of it being him for some time. Gastropé had been essentially silent throughout. Still trying to come to grips with the Edwyrd-Tom duality, it appeared. "We need a little more confirmation though. A little more to go on."
Damien turned to look at Antefalken. "You were going back to the Courts to see if you could dig up some more information anyway, perhaps you could fly by this Ramses estate? Note anything suspicious, like a demonic horde waiting to invade Astlan?" Antefalken smiled and nodded.
"You're going back to the Abyss soon?" Edwyrd asked Antefalken. The demon nodded. "How do you return here? To the same place?"
