Inquest

by J. F. Jenkins

  I have to trust Kale. There's a reason he's an Elder. Still, it made him sad. It was more proof as to why he needed to keep as far away from Halyn as possible. Distractions weren't an option.

  Chapter Eight

  After his nightmare, Teague took it upon himself to avoid everyone, especially Halyn. Faking sick wasn't too hard to do, since he wanted to puke from the combination of fear, nerves, and heartbreak. Halyn's disappointment was evident any time he saw her in the hallway or during mealtimes. She pouted at him a lot, and for a while, she kept trying to talk to him any chance she got. His responses of only a few words did their job — they pushed her away. The night of prom, rumor went around school that she went to the dance with a senior boy. She spent the night in his dorm room.

  Kale had better be happy. The loneliness was suffocating him all over again, and with no dreams and no word from Denver, he was down to using the last of his options. Going to the underworld. At least it gets me away from here for a little while.

  The past few times he'd gone to the underworld, someone else had brought him. Denver had been his source for transportation between the realms. Through observation alone, Teague was pretty sure he could replicate the spell accurately enough to go there and back.

  Taking a cleansing breath, he closed his eyes, focusing on the dark magic within him. He'd never used it. Darkness scared him. The idea of being lost in it, letting it take over his life, was the greatest of all his fears. Magic in general was intimidating. Having control over so much power could prove to be infectious. Even the weather elemental magic he contained within him was a lot more fun for him to use than it should have been. Shooting lightning from his hands or creating miniature tornadoes was generally frowned upon unless used in a defensive manner. Even then, he had to be careful.

  Yet, every time he got to use his magic, he was filled with a great deal of glee. How could lightning not be fun to play around with? Power and responsibility went hand in hand — that was what his mother had always taught him. He could choose to be wise with the gifts he was given or be an idiot and abuse his privileges. Since his older brother provided a prime example of how to be stupid with magic, Teague was scared into not using his magic at all. Zapping demons over the past handful of months had been awesome, though.

  If he got a lot of joy from something as small as lightning, then how would he feel about controlling an entire realm of magic? I guess I'll find out now. Time to boss some demons around. He knew he should have done it sooner. Part of the reason he put it off was he'd been hoping Denver would be able to find things out without Teague's help and then contact him.

  Teague recited the incantation to activate the transportation spell to the underworld. With time and practice, he would eventually be able to do it by just batting his eyes. The walls of his dorm room faded and were soon replaced with the dark brick walls of Hades' castle. He shivered, though the castle was anything but cold. Outside its walls, the underworld itself was hot and dry. Inside, however, the temperature was regulated and set to a more comfortable degree and humidity level. When Lucien was in control, Teague remembered the castle being a bit cooler and lifeless. Since Denver had taken over, there was a lot more energy — positive energy, at that.

  For a brief moment, Teague closed his eyes and braced himself for the arrival of a slew of demons, ready to take him into the dungeons until Denver decided to deal with him. Intruders were not usually welcome inside of the castle. Demons wouldn't cause major harm without being ordered to. They had no issues with locking people up or playing head games, however.

  When no one burst into the hallway to apprehend him, Teague relaxed. Duh, I'm the heir. They probably don't realize I'm even here. One of my many privileges. He took a deep, cleansing breath, and ran a hand through his hair. Okay, I'm safe. Time to get busy. Let's find some demons to put to work.

  "You summoned us, my lord?" a rough voice asked from behind him.

  Teague spun on his heel and saw three, black, shadowy figures without faces standing before him. He let out a small yelp of surprise, mixed with disgust and a pinch of fear, before clearing his throat. "Yes, I-I need you to help me find the Lady Cheyenne."

  If the demons had eyes to roll, they most likely would have done so. Maybe they did but Teague couldn't see it. Whatever the case, they sure gave him a lot of attitude.

  "We've already been tasked with finding our goddess Persephone by Lord Hades," one of the demons said, obvious agitation in its voice.

  Teague straightened his shoulders, wanting to show more confidence. "I want you to find Cheyenne, not Persephone. Because she's a goddess, a reincarnated soul, it might be easier for Lucien to hide Persephone from you. Cheyenne on her own is just a nymph. Most importantly, she's still alive. Should make her easier to find."

  "Of course," another demon said. "You are clever, my lord."

  He couldn't tell if the demon was being sarcastic or not. Maybe Denver had already told them to look for Cheyenne, as well as the spirit of Persephone the First who resided inside of her. It didn't hurt to give them the extra reminder that they could be looking for Cheyenne as well. Demons were incredibly literal.

  "There's more," Teague said. "You know who I am, obviously, which makes me think you don't have the same concept of time as we do in the land of the living, right?"

  "Yes, my lord. Again, you are clever to understand this."

  "Can you give me some information then? About the things that are going to happen." He swallowed. "I still have holes in my memory and –"

  All three of the demons shook their head. "We can't reveal the future to you, as the future is always changing and shaping. Whatever information you seek, you'll have to find it through your own mind."

  "I'm not asking you tell me the future. I mean, not the future that has yet to happen, but can't you tell me anything from my original –"

  "No, I'm sorry, my lord. That would be breaking the rules for magic set up by the one true God. You'll have to come up with a new way."

  Teague snapped his fingers and scowled. "There goes that idea."

  "Every time I see you, all I see is your parents and how much you act like them sometimes," Denver said, walking up behind the demons. With one stern glare, he scared them away. All three evaporated into thin air. "What ya doing here, kid? Better yet, how did you get here, and why are you asking for favors from my minions?"

  They're my minions, too. Teague shrugged. "Last ditch effort to get some help? Too much quiet is weirding me out. I don't like it. Thought I could help more, or..." He ended with another shrug, unsure of what else to do.

  "A lot of quiet is happening, because I'm busy with my search for Cheyenne. And I think she's been found." Denver's smile was one of pure joy, an unusual expression for the guy. Come to think of it, Teague had never seen him express happiness in a pure way. There was always a smirk or a coyness to his emotions.

  "Yeah?" Teague perked up at the news. Finding Cheyenne meant they could stop her from doing Lucien's bidding.

  Denver nodded. "Some of my minions noticed her around during prom. They were able to follow her back to the woods just outside of campus, and then she disappeared again. She's lingering around here for a reason."

  "Zes," Teague whispered.

  "Ugh, don't mention Twinkle Toes. Seriously, she has no business hanging around for him of all people." Denver rolled his eyes.

  "I know he has something to do with Lucien's plan," Teague mumbled. He ran his hands over his face. "If only I could remember."

  "Kid, no offense, but you need to back off," Denver said. He put a hand on Teague's shoulder. "I got this."

  Sighing, Teague gazed down at the ground. "I thought you wanted my help. The whole reason I'm here is to...do something."

  "And ever since you got your brain back, you've been useless." Denver gave him a pointed look. "Hate to point it out, but you're thinking too much now. Asking the demons to tell you about the future? Shame, shame. That sort of thing usually costs a person their s
oul."

  Teague kicked his feet, not bothering to look up. "Figured it was worth a shot. I feel so...so...angry."

  "Angry?" Denver blinked.

  "Yes, angry. Time is running out, and I feel like I'm not busting my butt enough to get things done."

  Nodding, Denver kept his arm around Teague's shoulders and directed him down the hallway of the castle. "The problem with knowing the future is wanting to wave a magic wand and have everything fix itself right away. But life takes time. Patience might be a virtue you have to use more often. Hey, it sucks. I don't like waiting either. It's why I got so excited when Chey popped up for prom. I thought, 'awesome, she's back, I can swoop in and save her, and life will be awesome again.' But there's a whole lot more to the situation than just riding in on a shiny white horse. You gotta remember that. Heroes aren't the ones who come in on the horse anyway. They're the ones who aren't afraid to get dirty and do what it takes. They're also patient."

  "I hate patience," Teague mumbled. He folded his arms in front of him, not liking anything he was hearing. I'm not over-thinking. I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm scared.

  "Breathe, kid," Denver said. "Tell you what you can do to help while you wait for that memory to come back. Watch Twinkle Toes and hang out with him. If you honestly think he's a target, then try not to leave him alone too much. There's no way I can watch him, and he'd notice if I had demons stalking his every move. Will that make you chillax and not angst over feeling worthless?"

  Teague nodded. "It's something, assuming he'll let me hang out with him."

  "Don't see why not. He's the nice one, most of the time. Fake nice, but it's still better than the drama queen attitude that..." Denver cleared his throat. "Not important. I'm sure he won't turn you away."

  "Okay." Teague wasn't sure he agreed with his new task. At the same time, it was better than sitting around and waiting. It gave him the chance to have some memories with his uncle in the chance that he was to fail his mission. And with how much my memory isn't cooperating, I'm probably going to. Halyn still has that potion she offered. Doubt she'll give it to me, though. Maybe Mom has one. She's a witch. Or I can just not be afraid of seeing Halyn. It's business, nothing more. Just because I knock on her door doesn't mean we're going to hook up.

  He still hated it all.

  "Gonna tell me how you got here? Or were you hoping I'd forget?" Denver asked.

  Smirking, Teague shrugged. "I have my own magic tricks hidden up my sleeve."

  "Well played. Stay as long as you like. I got some stuff to do."

  Chapter Nine

  Spending time with Zes wasn't an issue for Teague. He loved Zes, and he barely knew the guy. They got along well and seemed to have a lot in common. Maybe that's why Dad likes to spend so much time with me. I make him think of his brother. The problem was finding a reason for Zes to want to spend time with him. It took a while, but Teague finally came up with a good enough reason to stop by.

  With graduation coming up in a handful of days, summer vacation was upon them. It was Vala tradition for all students who weren't allowed to go home over the summer break to attend camp. What better way to spend some time with his family than to ask them for help with packing for an adventure?

  He walked down the hall to the twins' room and knocked on their door.

  "Get the door!" one of them yelled after a few seconds passed.

  "I'm working on it," another one called back. The doorknob turned, and in front of him was Zes. "Oh, hey, T. Long time no see."

  He shrugged. "I still eat lunch with you."

  "But you don't stay for long. You don't talk either."

  "I've been trying to focus on my studies. My grades haven't been good," he said. Not a complete and total lie. His grades weren't good. So far he'd been squeaking by with C's, maintaining an average performance to keep the teachers off of his back. He was capable of more. Motivation to take the time on classes that weren't going to matter was low enough as it was. The depression of feeling worthless didn't help.

  Zes let him into the room. "What's up?"

  "I've never been camping," Teague said. "I heard you've gone every year. I...need some help."

  "It's not too hard. Just need some warm clothes, bug spray, bed sheets, essential toiletries."

  "I...don't have a lot of stuff," he admitted. "All I have is what came in my bag when I first got here."

  Zes narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, I've noticed you only have so many outfit combinations. Tell you what, we can go shopping, but after graduation. Or, actually, I have stuff I want to get rid of. Why don't you take some of it."

  "R...really?" He gasped.

  "Why not? You're a little shorter, but not by that much. Should be close to the same size. It'll save me a lot of time, because otherwise everything was going to get donated." Zes smiled at him. Teague couldn't help but return it. When he did, Zes's faded a little and he cocked his head to the side.

  Teague shifted between his two feet. "Something wrong?"

  "Nothing," Zes said. "Anyway, I'll go through all of that stuff and have something ready by next weekend."

  At that moment, Anj entered the room with a toothbrush in his mouth. "I still think it's stupid."

  "There is nothing dumb about downsizing. Can you go do that somewhere else? You're foaming at the mouth like you have rabies and spitting all over the place when you talk." Zes rolled his eyes.

  Scowling, Anj walked back into the bathroom, mumbling to himself.

  "I have too much stuff, and if I'm going to be getting more things after graduating, I need to make room. College dorms aren't as big as these ones. I'm going to have to share a room."

  Anj spat into the sink and ran the water. "That's why you can put things in Mom's house. You have a whole domain down in the basement for storage."

  "Not a lot of space for clothes," Zes muttered. He then said in a low voice. "I don't know why he even cares. Brothers. Do you have those?"

  Nodding, Teague rubbed at his arms. "I have two older brothers and a sister."

  "Obviously the sister, but wasn't sure about the brothers. Cool, so you're remembering more stuff," Anj said entering the room again. "Perhaps that's why you've been so different lately. We were talking about that the other day."

  "How you've been different," Zes said. "We were getting worried."

  "Really?" Teague had to hold back a small smile. They cared about him after all.

  Both of the twins laughed. "Yes."

  "There's nothing to worry about," he said, leaning against the back of a chair. He recognized it as his father's favorite chair in the den back home.

  "You can sit," Zes said.

  "Yes, stay with us for a while," Anj added, sitting on the couch by his brother.

  Nervously, Teague sat down in the chair. Anj was particular about who got to sit in it in the future. In the past, he seemed not to care as much. Of course, the chair was in a lot better condition in the past, less to worry about in terms of it falling apart. There had to be something sentimental about it as well.

  "Jewl would kill me if she knew I said this to you, but she doesn't have to hear about this conversation," Anj stated. "She's worried about you as well. On the girl's side of things, Halyn was in a fit of tears for quite some time because you've blown her off. In fact, Jewl felt so bad for her that she didn't decline when Halyn asked her to move in until...you know who...comes back."

  Zes rolled his eyes. "You can say her name. The world will not explode. I'm fine. Watch. Cheyenne, Cheyenne, Cheyenne, we're all still here. I'm not mad. I'm not feeling anything."

  "Ri-ight." Anj crossed his legs casually. "Point is, we've all noticed things not quite in character for you, or what we know of you. You're even better at being mysterious than I am. I think I finally understand why it's annoying. So now that you're remembering things, is there anything you want to share? I mean, you said you had brothers, too. Jewl has never mentioned having any siblings outside of you."

  I forgot. Crap. Teague swallowed,
trying to think of a believable lie. Even better would be if he could spin the truth. "Well, I mean, she didn't know I existed until this fall. My brothers are older by three years."

  "Oh," Anj said. "Which would mean they'd have a different father, since he hadn't even met her mother by then. And since Aphrodite has a tendency to get around, it wouldn't surprise me if she had a lot of kids."

  Zes shrugged. "Whatever you say. I still haven't heard this story." He shifted his gaze down, and Teague could see how it bothered him.

  "I don't know it either," Teague said, shrugging, and trying to play it off as not a big deal. He didn't know anything about either set of his grandparents. Yet another taboo topic in the household, and he'd learned to accept it a long time ago.

  "It's not my story to share," Anj said. "You know her mother is Aphrodite. I told you that much. As the goddess of love and lust, she doesn't have long-lasting relationships. Jewl is determined to be nothing like her."

  "She already is nothing like her," Zes pointed out.

  Anj exhaled. "Yes, I know. Tell her that."

  "Girls are weird. She'll come around and relax. You'll live happily ever after. I don't think you have anything to worry about. She's put up with you for this long, so it's gotta be true love."

  With one swift move and impressive accuracy, Anj smacked his brother on the back of the head. "I'm not difficult."

  "Nope." Zes rubbed his head. "You're impossible."

  Watching the two of them together was surreal. In a lot of ways, they were similar to Cory and Alain — drastically different, yet frighteningly similar to their other half. The two brought out the best and the worst of each other. Must be interesting having a twin. It explained a lot about why Anj was so hard on his sons in the future. Because his brother was gone, he was extra protective of his twin sons so they didn't have to suffer through the same kind of loss.