Demon World

by Balvir Bhullar

  Lillian smiled, that was Rowanne for you! And she was beginning to sound more like her every day: that same, precise, no-nonsense attitude to life. Rowanne was looking at her with a funny puzzled expression.

  ‘What is it, have I suddenly grown horns?’ asked Lillian.

  ‘For a second there, you reminded me of someone familiar... it’s the expression on your face... I can’t quite place it, but it will come to me eventually.’ Rowanne observed the way the light seemed to catch Lillian’s hair, and her eyes had a weariness to them of someone who has been in the world a long time; too long perhaps, and seen too much.

  ‘Let’s get back to business. And take that ridiculously morose expression off your face! I’m still here, and I don’t plan on going anywhere until I have my answers!’ and silently Lillian added, and settled my scores...

  Rowanne’s necklace glowed in anticipation of the trouble that was brewing ahead. It suddenly flared up, and produced a blinding violet flash that temporarily blinded her, so that she ended up slamming on the brakes. Thankfully, there had not been a car in front or behind her, otherwise...

  ‘Lillian! You have to keep calm or very soon, I’ll end up joining you!’ said Rowanne, frustrated beyond belief; that was the third time today that she had nearly had an accident! And she remembered the superstitious belief that bad things always come in three. Well, she’d fulfilled her quota, what more could possibly happen…?

  ‘I’m... sorry. I just got so angry. It’s that necklace of ours! It amplifies everything, from your emotions to your powers! You must have noticed by now, that if you’re really frightened or angry, then strange and inexplicable things start to happen around you.’

  ‘Does it by any chance, and this is going to sound really stupid, effect the weather?’ Rowanne waited with bated breath for Lillian to laugh at her. She started the car and once more began the slow shuffle home.

  ‘Naturally. Though, it’s probably you more so than it is the necklace. A higher level demon’s mood could affect the weather, but most demons are trained, so that they don’t let their emotions trickle out into their power. You have much to learn, my girl.’ Not that I’m any example to go by. I’m becoming a rank amateur! she thought mournfully.

  Lillian came across as a school teacher explaining basic concepts to an unruly child; or so it appeared to Rowanne. Lillian had the ability to rile people instinctively.

  ‘I got back a couple of hours ago and have been looking for you ever since. I was trying to avoid using my abilities as much as possible. What’s happened since we last met?’ asked Lillian.

  Rowanne was not sure how much she should reveal, especially concerning her grandparents. ‘I’ve just come back from meeting my grandmother, but she could not help to shed any light on her family background, and said that she had inherited the necklace.’ That was as close to the truth as she could get without revealing more. She felt a strange uneasiness at keeping the truth from Lillian, who was looking at her with a sad expression; it was as if she was more than disappointed with what she had heard.

  ‘Are you sure there isn’t anything else? She didn’t mention any names?’ This time Lillian looked at her with a fierce determination that unsettled Rowanne. She had not intended to make her uneasy, but she desperately needed answers of her own. There was more at stake than Rowanne’s life; many more people were now consequently in danger, but unaware of it.

  Rowanne bit her lip unconsciously, drawing blood. Looking straight ahead, she answered, ‘No... I wish I could tell you more... but that is all there is.’

  Rowanne failed to notice that Lillian’s expression had changed, her eyes blazing an unearthly violet as a strange faraway look came into them. She sat in a trance unbeknown to Rowanne, who continued to drive. Finally, Lillian came back to herself, peace settled in her heart for the first time in a very long time. She knew what she had to do... She smiled at the necklace that glowed warmly in its former owner’s presence. Thank you, dear friend, she thought.

  Rowanne neared the Thames and stopped at a crossroads: she could either continue home, or go to the offices. The dashboard clock showed her that she had an hour to go, and making her mind up, she drove towards her offices.

  ‘I must say that you are looking better than the last time I saw you. There’s a calm about you, it suits you. Why are you going to your former place of work, I thought you had left?’

  Rowanne whipped her head around fast, facing Lillian, ‘How could you possibly know that? No one outside of work knows that I have left. I haven’t even told my family!’

  ‘Rowanne, it’s me. Of course I’d know!’ stated Lillian, by way of an explanation.

  Rowanne drove up Victoria Embankment - she was nearly there. ‘I have a lot to tell you! First, I nearly died chasing the ghost of the missing security guard, Thomas! Secondly, I plan on following him to the end tonight!’ she finished quickly, without pausing for a breath. She let Lillian digest the information.

  ‘Fantastic! this whole mystery might be wrapped up by tonight, what a splendid plan. I’m really impressed right now!’ Sarcasm and disdain dripped heavily from Lillian. What on Demon World is this human thinking? Of all the stupid schemes!

  ‘I’m glad you’re so thrilled. Please, keep your enthusiasm in check,’ said Rowanne resignedly. Lillian was like an annoying relative that you could not quite shake off. She pulled up into the empty car park and switched off the lights as soon as she had parked.

  Rowanne sat in the dark, unable to see Lillian beside her; it was a little creepy but she sensed her presence.

  ‘Well, who else is involved in this, Alexander by any chance? Maybe Lady Enid will pop up!’ said Lillian, fuming.

  ‘Do I look completely stupid to you? No, don’t answer that!’ She quickly amended, as she saw the eagerness with which Lillian was about to reply. ‘I would never endanger Lady Enid or anyone else for that matter, but...’ Rowanne looked at her remorsefully, ‘Amanda, from work, has agreed to come with me...’

  ‘How could you be so stupid as to invite another human into this mess? You are putting her in more danger than you realise, and I’m not talking about the harmless ghost, he’s the least of our problems. What if not only you, but also your friend, came under the notice of Demon World? You’re probably already on their radar,’ said Lillian wearily.

  ‘What do you mean by that last part?’ Rowanne’s heart began to beat fast, though she had been suspecting the same thing herself for a while now, just not wanting to acknowledge it.

  ‘Then you aren’t completely dim witted! We both suspect that the attack on you originally might not have been by random demons,’ said Lillian.

  ‘Why do you think I was targeted?’ asked Rowanne.

  ‘I suspect someone, most likely a demon, recognised the necklace for what it was. Not many people outside of my world know what that necklace represents, but they can smell power a mile away! A demon would do anything for power, and I don’t have to tell you what power can do in the wrong hands. You don’t need to look at my world as an example of that...’ stated Lillian.

  Rowanne received a text, ‘Amanda’s asking of my whereabouts. Hold on, give me a second.’ Rowanne messaged back and instantly got a reply, ‘She’s told me to come to the back door, she’s already in the building. She must have parked down one of the side roads to look less suspicious.’

  ‘I like your friend. Thank God one of you possesses a brain!’ said Lillian cuttingly.

  Rowanne chose to ignore her and counted to ten in her mind before grabbing her phone, and leaving the car. She walked briskly to the entrance, while Lillian quietly followed her - this, however, did nothing to alleviate her fears. In no time at all, she had reached the back door, which was ajar, and she saw Amanda huddled on the threshold, nervously looking around.

  ‘Thank God! You’ve finally arrived. Get in here quick, it’s freezing!’ Amanda rubbed her hands together furiously to keep warm - after all, December was not far off.

  Rowanne felt the c
old penetrate her heavy coat, and her breath misted in the air. The building was pitch black, not a single light was on. She quickly followed Amanda through the door, before closing it behind her.

  Amanda stood beside the stairs waiting for her.

  ‘Sorry. It took me forever to get here. I came straight from my grandmother’s house,’ said Rowanne, her teeth chattering.

  Amanda looked at her steadily, ‘How did it go?’

  ‘Well, I guess it went better than I expected,’ she answered vaguely, not wishing to go into any details just yet. ‘Let’s go to the office first and get some coffee, I have a feeling I’ll need some just to stay awake,’ she said, as she followed Amanda up the stairs.

  She felt a tap on her back, a little reminder that she was not alone! Great, that’s all I need, Casper the Friendly Ghost!

  Rowanne stumbled forward, but managed to catch herself.

  ‘Are you okay?’ asked Amanda.

  ‘Go ahead, I just lost my balance.’ Rowanne waited for Amanda to continue before angrily turning behind her to confront Lillian, who wore an amused expression. Rowanne turned her back on her, but could hear ghostly laughter in her mind. Finally, she reached the first floor lifts, Amanda already waiting inside, and as soon as she stepped in, the doors closed behind, taking them to the top floor.

  Stepping out, Rowanne followed Amanda through the office doors to the staff lounge.

  ‘Sit down, you look like a human icicle!’ said Amanda, turning on the coffee machine.

  Rowanne gratefully sank into the sofa as Amanda brought over two steaming mugs, settling them onto the table. She gratefully held her mug, warming herself.

  Amanda sat beside her, and asked, ‘So, what’s the plan? I’m going on faith here. You don’t realise how difficult it was to set this whole thing up! I’ve switched off certain cameras, so we’re safe on that front. The security guard is asleep, so there’ll be no trouble from that end, either.’ She drank her coffee, grateful to feel the warmth spreading through her.

  Rowanne looked at Amanda with admiration, ‘How on earth did you manage all that? I won’t ask why the guard is sleeping... I’ll take your word on that! I assume you tweaked the security system, otherwise we’d have guards running up here,’ said Rowanne astutely.

  Amanda had a rueful look on her face that didn’t quite match the fierce delight that sparkled in her dark blue eyes, ‘Yes, I like that word. I ‘tweaked’ the system, so that certain cameras will run on a loop,’ she said, with great poise.

  ‘I haven’t got a solid plan, it’s as basic as following Thomas, and beyond that we will have to see what happens.’ Looking at her watch, Rowanne realised that they had half an hour to go, and putting her hand on Amanda’s shoulder, she said sincerely, ‘Thanks again, for coming. I know none of this makes any sense to you.’

  ‘Hey, no problem. I’m always up for a ghost hunt. And I always wondered what the people on TV actually saw and felt when investigating haunted places,’ replied Amanda.

  Rowanne smiled, ‘I guess we’re about to find out.’

  They sat, quietly counting down the minutes. The atmosphere became tense when they proceeded to make their way back down to the first floor. The lift doors opened and they stood in the corridor waiting.

  ‘Are you ready for this?’ asked Amanda, who felt the excitement like a current running through her.

  Rowanne looked wearily to the office, and replied, ‘As ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go,’ and slowly she edged closer, not wanting to make a noise — not that the ghost would notice, anyway.

  They stood just before the door, just as the needle of her watch reached twelve o’clock exactly, and the show began without further delay.

  The room started to glow an unearthly shade of blue. ‘I’m debating whether we should go in, or just wait here for him. Listen, you go down the stairs and wait for him there, just in case I miss him,’ said Rowanne.

  Amanda didn’t look happy with the plan, ‘Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if something goes wrong? I won’t be there to help you.’

  Rowanne looked at her steadily while keeping watch for the resident ghost, ‘Look, the worst that can happen is that he doesn’t show up tonight, and I miss the chance to find out what happened. Don’t worry, I’m still in one piece from my last encounter with him. It’s like you said before, he’s reliving his last moments on a loop. Therefore, I don’t think he’ll interact with us,’ said Rowanne, with a conviction she didn’t feel - but it was enough as she watched Amanda head to the stairs.

  Amanda turned towards her, and mouthed a silent, ‘Good luck,’ before heading down.

  I can do this! thought Rowanne, as she entered the room. The overhead lights flickered on and off. She decided to go to the back of the room to get a better view of the whole office, and to be ready for his arrival; she would not be caught off guard, again!

  Her necklace began to pulse, and glowed a shade of violet under her coat; it was one of the reasons she’d sent Amanda downstairs. She could not come up with a good excuse as to why her necklace did this. Well, an excuse that would sound plausible, at least.

  This time the scene unfolded differently, or maybe she had somehow missed what had happened prior to Thomas entering the office. She jumped as she heard the doors to the offices slam shut, and had a feeling that they’d be locked, even if she were to try and open them.

  Blue light appeared suddenly in the centre of the room in the form of a sphere that seemed suspended in mid air. Rowanne had a bad feeling about this...

  It exploded outwards, and she quickly threw her arms up to shield her eyes, not noticing the blue light covering every inch of the office and bathing her too.

  Slowly, Rowanne opened her eyes, light spots dancing in front of her, and she waited patiently until her vision returned, and finally noticed. Everything appeared sinister, her necklace glowing fiercely keeping the shadows at bay.

  The light from her necklace reached out until it mingled with the blue light, then something strange happened...

  Another memory was unlocked, despite Alexander’s best efforts.

  The room plunged into darkness, but Rowanne held her nerve. She was not about to run away, not this time. She waited a second as the lights turned on, and this time the room was bathed in a hazy white light, giving the now miraculously restored room a dreamlike quality.

  Oh, this is how the room looked before it was ruined. It was empty, as if everyone had just left. Rowanne was mesmerised as ghostly doors were flung open and at the threshold stood Alexander. She stifled a scream as she saw a dead woman in his arms, only to realise... it was her! Well, he did tell me that I had died, she rebuked herself sternly; but to see it before her was another matter. Why was she being shown this again, now…?

  The scene seemed to skip forward quickly, but she didn’t miss the care and tenderness with which he had attended her. Rowanne felt tears run down her face as she watched him perform the ceremony to turn her into a half demon; her question was finally answered.

  There was an ultimate price to pay for a demon wishing to bring a human back to life, and Alexander had not even paused to consider the ramifications: he had in his quiet grace, given her half of his life! Her grandfather had said that demons were immortal, and here was Alexander knowingly sacrificing his immortality so that she would live.

  Why did he do that? Why did he save someone he had just met a moment ago? It didn’t make any sense to her, but she felt the full weight of the responsibility that now fell heavily on her shoulders with this knowledge.

  How on earth am I ever to repay such selflessness... thought Rowanne, feeling ashamed with how she had treated him. It made sense now, why he’d helped her instead of leaving her: they were in danger because of his decision. Rowanne knew it was permanent — Alexander was now mortal. Even if he wanted to live forever, he no longer had that option.

  Rowanne did not know how she would be able to face him again, or how she should behave around him... And would he kn
ow the truth just by looking into her eyes? She didn’t have much time to ponder as the scene faded, bringing her back to the ruined room. The light once more turned blue, and she felt perspiration dripping down her face, and her heart began to beat fast.

  The lights in the room began to flash like crazy to herald Thomas’s arrival. Ice seemed to form within Rowanne as the room’s temperature plunged, her breath coming out as a cold cloud.

  She watched Thomas make the rounds, and at one point he walked past the place where she had crouched down. But heedless of her presence, he just followed his eternally fixed course. She let out the breath she had been holding, and quickly scooted off the floor to follow him.

  Thomas was fast, he had a measured walk; he knew what he had to do, and was unswerving as he went out the door. Rowanne was almost at his heels, but maintained a short distance between them. She followed him down the stairs, and called out softly, ‘Amanda, get ready, here we come!’ she didn’t hear a reply, but was not unduly worried.

  He had reached the bottom, and Rowanne looked around frantically for any sign of Amanda, but there was none. I hope she hasn’t run into the security guard... thought Rowanne, and determinedly followed Thomas out the front doors. After all, there was every chance that she could be outside.

  ‘Don’t worry, you have me,’ whispered Lillian.

  ‘Where were you? I thought you’d be in the room with me,’ said Rowanne, quietly.

  ‘I was barred from going into the room! All I could do was pace outside until you came. There was strong magic concentrated in that room, and I didn’t have the energy to force my way in,’ replied Lillian.

  ‘Don’t worry about that now. I don’t want him out of our sight. By the way, did you happen to see where Amanda went? She was supposed to be waiting at the bottom of the stairs,’ said Rowanne, hoping that she was okay.

  ‘I heard a commotion downstairs, but I could not risk leaving you to investigate,’ said Lillian, hoping that Rowanne’s human friend had not gotten into any trouble.