Demon World

by Balvir Bhullar

  Driskell smiled broadly. Well well... he thought darkly.

  ‘We seem to finally have something in common...’ he said brightly, bringing her up short in surprise.

  ‘What do you mean by that?’ asked Amanda, feigning nonchalance, and hoping that he was not encouraged in his delusions by her momentary digression. She had only wanted to figure out his motive, his plan, but to no avail. The man was like a fortress; she doubted whether anyone could get by his defences.

  ‘Why our families, of course,’ he said mirthlessly. ‘What else is there?’ he asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly as an iniquitous look played across his face, and he began to play a joyfully fast staccato on the dashboard.

  Amanda straightened in her seat. ‘Well, if there’s nothing else then I think I’ll be going, Chief Inspector,’ and she made as if to grab for the door handle.

  She paused, as Driskell said casually, ‘Well, there is the small matter of Rowanne retracing the deceased’s steps...’

  Amanda froze. Think fast, her mind screamed at her. She heard the insidious laughter of Driskell behind her. And close by her ear, she heard the words, ‘Check and mate,’ whispered.

  Damn! she thought. And flinging open the door, she ran across the road, but his laughter seemed to follow her.

  ‘Please, don’t make this any more interesting than it already is,’ said Driskell, right behind her.

  Amanda didn’t hesitate, and performed a spinning kick which unfortunately for her, Driskell intercepted, as he held her leg securely under his elbow. He didn’t look too pleased; more downright confused.

  ‘Well, that was hardly the reaction I was expecting! You should be careful, you could have hurt someone,’ he said conceitedly, as a slow smile spread across his face.

  Funny, he seems less terrifying when he smiles, thought Amanda, as she tried to quickly work out a strategy to get out of this situation and back to Rowanne as soon as humanly possible. But first, she just had to deal with the dangerous moron before her.

  Amanda struggled to pull her leg out. The man was built of stone, completely unmovable.

  ‘Can’t we just talk like normal people?’ asked Driskell. Her response to this was to twist her body and leg downwards, throwing him off balance. Driskell let go, and watched her spin away into a run down the steps towards the river.

  He watched her run across the demon path. He judged it, and suddenly let loose with his own preternatural speed, blocking her halfway across the River Thames.

  Amanda was brought up short with Driskell suddenly appearing before her, and below her the river raged. That’s new. Damn it! she thought, frustrated. Why does he turn up like a bad penny?

  The path under Driskell seemed to burn: his speed alone had created its own path. Technically it should be impossible, but then again, demons had their quirks...

  Amanda did a roundhouse kick, intending to strike the side of his head to knock him out, but he easily deflected her kicks with his arms, not even breaking a sweat. The problem was that he was in control of the situation, of his power; whereas her only thought was getting back to warn Rowanne.

  ‘I could do this all night, and I wonder which one of us will tire first... Fine, if you want to tango then by all means go ahead,’ he said, whilst deflecting strikes that were aimed for his face; it was as if she wanted to destroy his looks. Gently he pushed her back.

  Amanda was tiring. She glared at him as perspiration glistened on her forehead. She straightened up and, taking a deep breath, centred herself and gathered her power before charging towards him.

  Unsurprisingly, Driskell chose that exact moment to step to the side, but he grabbed her hand before she could lose her balance, and spun her in towards him, holding her close.

  ‘Look, if you wanted to dance, you could have at least waited until our date tomorrow night,’ he whispered against her hair.

  Amanda was incensed, ‘You conceited piece of work,’ she replied, and duly proceeded to stomp and twist her high heel into his foot; he released her abruptly. She turned and watched as a dark expression settled on his face, the smile gone.

  She was about to laugh, but was cut off as she was blasted off her feet. She had a look of surprise as she flew off the pathway and fell into the inky river below; it closed over her head...

  Driskell dusted himself off. He controlled the panic in his stomach, and forced his breathing to slow down. His green eyes turned a shade darker, and his mask came down, so that when he took the hand that was proffered to him, he had a wickedly dark smile pasted onto his face.

  ‘When did you get here?’ he casually asked the beautifully tall woman before him, who lifted him easily to his feet.

  She straightened her hair so that it fell in a cascade over one shoulder, and adjusted her dress as her midnight blue eyes mercilessly looked over it for any damage; there would be hell to pay if there was. And finally, she deigned to look at Driskell. She ignored his question, much to his consternation, and instead stated audaciously, ‘Looks like you were having some trouble there. Good thing I came when I did.’

  ‘Yes, Lady Blaze, how fortuitous of you...’ replied Driskell dryly. This earned him a sharp look from her.

  Evelyn walked to the edge of the dark path and looked down into the river for any signs that the hybrid could have survived. It’s disgusting, what they allow to live these days, she thought distastefully of all the lower rank demons. Satisfied that the thing was dead, she went to Driskell.

  Smiling brightly, she said, ‘It won’t be bothering us again. And by the way, I’m looking for Alexander, have you seen him?’ her bright eyes stared piously into his. The very picture of insincerity, he thought.

  ‘No, I haven’t, Evelyn. You could try him at home,’ replied Driskell.

  Evelyn stepped closer to him and put her hand gently on his arm. ‘Come by later, and give me the update on the investigation,’ she gave him a genuine smile before walking off into the distance.

  He could almost hear her heels strike the wispy path as she vanished into a distant portal.

  Driskell waited impatiently and when he was sure enough time had passed, he ran over to the edge. Calling on the power within him, he raised a giant glass sphere to the surface of the river. Water cascaded off it as it continued to rise, and finally it hovered before him. He clicked his fingers and vanished through a portal with the sphere in tow.

  Rowanne stood transfixed looking at the road, wondering if she really had done the right thing by letting Amanda drive off with Driskell.

  ‘I think I should have stopped her,’ she said to Alexander, who had suddenly materialised beside her.

  ‘It would have aroused his suspicions had you tried to interfere. I was surprised at his causal and dismissive behaviour towards you,’ said Alexander.

  ‘I don’t trust him. How can I suddenly be off his list? It doesn’t make sense. Something is definitely going on with him.’

  ‘He seemed to play the part of a love struck suitor a little too well. I think it’s a ruse,’ said Alexander. Rowanne shivered in the cold as their breath mingled. ‘Permit me to give you a lift home, it’s too cold for us to be out here,’ he waited for the rebuke that would certainly come, but she surprised him with her equanimity.

  ‘Thanks, but I can give you a lift back, if you want? Or you can come along to my apartment? I do have a lot to discuss with you,’ and without waiting for his reply, she made her way back to her car. Her teeth were chattering by the time she opened her door and stiffly got in. Alexander got into the passenger seat.

  ‘Your home it is then,’ he replied, as he shut the door. He turned on the heater, for which Rowanne was grateful, as she managed to get the feeling back painfully into her ice cold hands.

  She gave him a smile as she pulled out of the car park and drove back along the river towards her apartment.

  They were silent, lost in their own thoughts. Rowanne had a knot in her stomach; she could not stop thinking about Amanda.

  As she drove,
she noticed forked lightning above the Thames that looked ominous. But finally, if a little anxiously, she arrived home.

  Alexander got into the lift after Rowanne. He could feel waves of tension rolling off her; he too was concerned for her friend. Rowanne had a knack for attracting demons to her, and it was blindingly obvious that she had yet to work out that Amanda was a half demon.

  He had not confronted Amanda about it; he thought the secret was hers to keep. And she’d disclose the truth to Rowanne when and if she saw fit. He would not interfere unless it put Rowanne directly in the path of danger. From what he had observed in the short time of being in her company, Amanda appeared to be a lovely girl, headstrong and clearly capable of taking care of herself, as well as others. He liked her more due to her choosing to keep Rowanne’s company.

  Rowanne got out of the lift feeling the weariness in her bones. When was the last time she had gotten any proper sleep, without something going wrong? She looked at Alexander, ‘I feel like I haven’t slept a wink since you entered my life,’ she said, rubbing her tired eyes.

  ‘I know the feeling...’ he said amicably, to the sound of her derisive laughter.

  Rowanne opened the door, and held it for Alexander, who walked past her. She kicked it closed behind her. Walking into the living room, she found Alexander resting on one of her sofas, and continued on into her bedroom.

  She came out a moment later, dressed in jeans and her comfy jumper with her hair tied up in a knot. ‘You don’t possess the ability to sit still for even a moment, do you?’ she asked accusingly, joining Alexander in the kitchen, where she found him making camomile tea.

  She grabbed a bottle of milk from the fridge and handed it to him, leant against the counter, and rested her head against her hand, content to just watch him.

  Alexander momentarily turned his head towards her and smiling warmly, replied, ‘You should know me by now, I can in no way function properly with that less than perfect concoction you brew up and have the audacity to call tea.’

  Rowanne punched him playfully on the arm, and snorted indignantly. ‘Here, let me help you with that,’ she said, and took the mugs through to the living room.

  Alexander joined Rowanne on the couch, and grabbed a mug from the table. ‘Tell me, what happened tonight?’ he asked, looking less than pleased.

  He looks infuriated, thought Rowanne.

  ‘Well, are you going to tell me what you were doing in the middle of the night with an ill conceived plan involving your colleague?’ Alexander was understandably worked up as, yet again, Rowanne had endangered her life and didn’t even have the decency to involve him.

  Rowanne’s cheeks coloured; it didn’t help that Alexander bombarded her with images and words to convey the depth of his displeasure. And normally, she would have got angry, and hurled harsh words at him, but she was beginning to comprehend herself, and him, better. He had every right to feel the way he did.

  Rowanne took a deep breath to clear her frazzled mind, and decided to continue calmly. Alexander seemed to have the unwanted effect of making her into a crazy woman whenever she was in his company.

  I can do this, rise above it! Rowanne smiled tentatively, ‘You should rethink your choice of drink... I have just witnessed its shocking effects on your emotions.’ She knew she was stalling.

  ‘Rowanne...’ he said quietly, trying to hold onto the last shreds of his sanity. She had a death wish it seemed, coupled with a horrendous sense of humour.

  Rowanne held up her hands defensively, ‘I was there to try and find out what happened to Thomas. Following his spirit seemed like the best bet.’ She waited for him to explode, but was pleasantly surprised instead.

  All he said was, ‘Next time, include me in any plan you have. It’s never a bad idea to have people with you. Not that you couldn’t handle it alone,’ he added quickly, as her eyes flashed at him. ‘Just that, if something should go wrong, you’d have help.’

  Rowanne considered his words carefully, and remembered the many times Alexander had risked his life for hers, but wisely kept this to herself.

  ‘What did you learn, was it a demon attack? If it was, then it is my duty to track down the rogue demons and find out exactly what happened to the security guard,’ he put his cup down and crossed his legs, rested his arm along the edge of the sofa as he waited intently for her reply.

  Rowanne turned to him and started to recount the events of the night. ‘And so you see, he might still be alive if they dragged him through a portal - possibly to Demon World?’ she finished with a note of uncertainty in her voice.

  ‘I won’t tell you how dangerous that was. After all, you’ve seen firsthand what spirits are capable of-’

  Rowanne found it absolutely necessary to interrupt him, ‘I’ve learnt a thing or two by living with Lillian... And the first time I encountered Thomas’s ghost nothing happened, therefore I had no reason to believe otherwise this time.’

  Alexander was baffled, ‘How did you know the exact time to be in the office?’

  ‘I sort of just knew... And I suspect this is going to sound stupid, but I felt as if he was waiting just for me. I could have gone any time and possibly have got the same results. But there’s less to explain after hours!’

  ‘I think it could have been a trap to make it appear as if he’s a ghost to lure you to a quiet spot, and then...’ he left it open.

  ‘That thought only occurred to me when I saw him being pulled through the portal. Someone wants me to go to Demon World, but I don’t think it’s to uncover the truth of what became of Thomas,’ said Rowanne.

  ‘I think it’s the work of an intelligent demon, and not the Shadows that have an interest in you. Probably someone with great power, and the demons are just working for whomever it may be. I have suspected for some time that the attack on you was not random. I think you’re a pawn caught up in an elaborate scheme of a Noble.’

  ‘Do you think it’s Driskell, is it something he’d do?’ asked Rowanne.

  Alexander was well aware of Driskell’s thirst for power and could not rule him out entirely. ‘Maybe, but it could be someone higher up in the ranks. But why would they have a vested interest in a human? No offence meant.’

  ‘None taken. They might take an interest if the human in question has a... demon heritage.’ Rowanne wanted to be completely honest with Alexander. She knew she could trust him with more than just her life. She waited for him to digest her revelation, not knowing how he would take it.

  Alexander’s eyes widened in surprise as emotions flashed across his face. She could tell that he was rapidly processing this bombshell, probably wondering to which family she belonged.

  Alexander grabbed Rowanne by the shoulders unthinkingly, and his eyes went dark; he appeared to be livid with her. He forced himself to calm down, and not to jump to conclusions. Then he asked in a quiet voice, that disturbed Rowanne more than if he had just shouted, ‘You weren’t by any chance concealing your heritage from me?’ Alexander kept a light hold on her shoulders, but his eyes bore into hers, demanding the truth.

  A hurt expression passed over Rowanne’s features briefly. She tried to sit straight but it was awkward, to say the least. Cooling her anger, she wearily replied, ‘Look, it was just as big of a shock to me as it is to you. Do you have any idea how I felt when I found out just a couple of hours ago?’ Finally, Alexander released her, and she sat back to give them both space.

  ‘Which family do you belong to?’ he asked, with a calm he didn’t truly possess. Everything had changed... It had made what he had done ten times worse. This could potentially put them in even more danger.

  ‘On my grandmother’s side, I don’t know. She was adopted and the identity of her parents is a mystery. But my grandfather on the other hand, is Ju-Long Hou of the-’

  ‘Dark Fire Clan,’ finished Alexander in wonder. He looked at Rowanne in a new light, his head tilted to one side, his sapphire eyes sparkling as he tried unsuccessfully to work out the mystery that she was.<
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  Rowanne felt uncomfortable with the way Alexander was making her feel. She wished he would stop staring at her; his eyes were practically trying to bore into her mind, if not her soul. To break the tension, Rowanne asked, ‘So, you’ve heard of my grandfather? That’s good, perhaps you could enlighten me?’ This provoked a strong reaction from Alexander, who smiled broadly as his shoulders shook suspiciously, as if he were trying not to laugh.

  ‘Heard of him? Everyone in Demon World knows who he is! He’s a great warrior, not to mention that he is a Noble from a First family. Well, Rowanne, you’ve proven to be a dark horse...’ he tapped his fingers rhythmically on his knee, his head rested in his other hand.

  Rowanne thought that he looked entirely too comfortable; he’d been in her apartment so often that he appeared to have become a part of the furniture. When did that happen? And how has he so immersed himself in my life that I notice when he isn’t here…?

  ‘What does that mean?’ asked Rowanne, and immediately regretted asking, dreading the answer.

  ‘It means that you are now no ordinary human. Or half demon, I should say. You are, Rowanne, for better or worse, a player in the big leagues of Demon World society. You do realise that, right? You have powerful people backing you in the form of your grandfather and his clan! The question is, does whomever orchestrated the attack on you also know of this?’

  ‘One other thing - I didn’t mention to my grandparents that it was you who saved me, and...’ said Rowanne.

  ‘Changed you,’ finished Alexander gently, sensing how difficult it was for her to say it. Alexander took her hand gently in his and kissed it; a look of surprise came over Rowanne, and he smiled captivatingly.

  Rowanne controlled her features so that she appeared indifferent, ‘What was that for?’ she asked quietly.

  Alexander kept a hold of her hand to her great annoyance; and his amusement. Looking steadily into her eyes, he replied humbly, ‘For thinking of me. For keeping me safe... thank you-’