Demon World

by Balvir Bhullar

Rowanne interrupted him by slowly pulling her hand back. He raised an inquisitive brow and smiled archly, which she pointedly chose to ignore, much to his satisfaction. ‘It was nothing... It was to avoid any unnecessary questions. For now, they’ve accepted my decision to remain quiet,’ she didn’t add that she was worried for his safety, and that she hated lying to those that she loved. However, she kept reminding herself that it was in their best interests. She was carrying around so many secrets, some of which were not hers to tell. Great! I’m like a guardian of secrets, she thought wearily.

  Rowanne may have casually dismissed his gratitude. But thankfully, she was not yet adept at shielding her thoughts, and Alexander was amused and touched as he listened to what was not verbalised.

  ‘What did you discuss?’ he was curious as to what she’d learnt.

  ‘In a nutshell, the precarious world that is Demon World politics, and you’ll appreciate that there’s nothing new I could inform you of in that regard. But my grandfather is thinking of approaching Lady Enid. He’s worried that she knows too much about me. But I don’t know whether this is the best course of action, as she doesn’t know of my heritage, yet.’

  ‘It’s a risky move, but if you have a Noble who’s hell bent on using you to their advantage, then it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to get as many powerful Nobles as you can to back you. We have no idea what their next move is, especially if the worst should happen and we end up in the Noble Court. And then, Rowanne, we are going to need their support, otherwise it’s Prima Stella for you and me. And that’s if we’re lucky enough to keep our families beneath their notice,’ he said darkly, in a sombre mood.

  I’m sorry, she wanted to say. It’s my fault you’re in this predicament. If it wasn’t for me, you’d be living an eternity, thought Rowanne, with a heavy heart.

  Taking the cups, Alexander got up and turned away from her, so that she would not see the pain in his eyes, or the sorrow that was etched into his face. In a quiet voice, he whispered, ‘Perhaps, but it would’ve been lonely...’ I will live an eternity in a mortal existence, he thought, and went to the kitchen to rinse the cups out.

  A lump formed in Rowanne’s throat; she’d heard his words, thanks to her improved hearing courtesy of her demon side. She watched as the rain pounded the windows in the early hours of the morning.

  Rowanne got up and went to the kitchen, and Alexander stiffened at her approach. But she walked right up to him, and hugged him fiercely from behind. And slowly his wet hands covered hers, holding her to him. He could feel her head resting on his back, and no words were spoken.

  They stood together for a moment, as everything they felt, from their sorrow to their concern for their families and friends, engulfed them. A tear slid down Rowanne’s cheek; was it for him, or herself, she honestly didn’t know. She closed her eyes, content just to hear the rain hitting the windows.

  Rowanne wiped her eyes, and went back to the living room, and Alexander followed behind. They sat in silence. Rowanne was bone weary, and after a while her eyes closed, and she fell sideways, her head coming to rest on Alexander’s arm.

  Alexander got up carefully and positioned Rowanne on the sofa so that she lay comfortably on it with her head resting on the edge. He went into her bedroom and a second later returned with a blanket which he covered her with, gently tucking her in.

  He sat on the opposite sofa intending to keep watch. But perhaps the mortal side of him was just too tired, because suddenly his eyes closed of their own accord, and he, too fell asleep.

  The lights in the apartment suddenly went out and Lillian materialised. She stood before Alexander and shook her head in disgust. He calls himself a ‘guardian’ - indeed! Rather, she’d watch over the pair of them!

  Lillian walked over to the huge floor to ceiling window and sat before it, tucking her long legs beneath her. And as she leaned against it, she could almost feel the cold seeping in where her face touched the glass. Well, almost. Technically she could not feel a thing physically.

  But it was nothing compared to what she felt emotionally; her inner turmoil. She’d learnt a lot in the last few hours - to say it was a small world was putting it mildly! She had wondered whether it was a coincidence that she had ended up possessing a human — a normal human with a normal life... if only. Sometimes the Fates could be cruel.

  Truth be told, they were all a part of a giant web: the silken cords were slowly reeling each of them in and soon there would be nowhere to hide. What would happen as they confronted each other…?

  Lillian could see as clear as day, a giant tree: the lines of ancestry of the various families running with life. Some of the branches were cut off and dripped with blood, as new shoots grew preparing to take over, but certain branches refused to take their designated path. Instead, they twisted, gnarling back in on themselves, and stood firmly, ready to usurp the others, and take control of their final destination.

  Lillian realised that she had more to lose than she had initially thought. A great responsibility rested on her shoulders: she’d have to see through the obligations that she’d made more than seventy years ago.

  ‘At least I don’t look bad for an old lady,’ she said, smiling intensely at the reflection of the young woman with old eyes; they looked back at her, waiting to tell her story. She watched as the sky began to gradually change colour. She’d wait patiently for the dawn to break, bringing her vigil to a close. After all, all she had now was time... endless, unbound time.

  CHAPTER 24

  Driskell stepped out of the portal and into his apartment. Turning, he manoeuvred the giant glass sphere, so that it gently lowered to the ground, coming to a rest on his wooden floor. He didn’t quite know how to take the look of vengeance frozen on Amanda’s face. Her eyes seemed to shoot invincible daggers at him. No doubt aimed at my heart, he thought, dispassionately.

  Stepping back, he flicked the light switch on illuminating the dark room. He clicked his fingers, causing the glass sphere to disappear in the blink of an eye, so all that remained were sand particles, and in their midst Amanda, who was fuming.

  ‘What the hell was that? Were you trying to kill me, is this your sick twisted fantasy?’ asked Amanda, as she took a menacing step towards him.

  Driskell held up his hands to show that he meant no harm. ‘For your information, I was actually saving your miserable existence! Do you have any idea of the damage you’ve done with those knife-like shoes of yours?’

  ‘I’M GLAD! So, you are actually capable of feeling something.’ Amanda slowly advanced towards him. Driskell backed up slowly as if he was watching a dangerous animal that could pounce at any moment.

  Driskell looked pained, ‘I was referring to my shoes,’ he said quietly.

  That did it! The pompous idiot was actually more concerned with his shoes than the fact that he had nearly drowned her; maybe he really was a lunatic! She flung herself at him, intending to show him exactly what she would do to his precious shoes.

  Driskell stepped to the side and circled Amanda, whose eyes widened, waiting for a chance to strike him. They slowly circled each other, though he was getting bored with the tedious and pointless violence.

  ‘Look, Amanda, I’m trying to tell you something! But if you test my patience, I’ll have no choice but to resort to unpleasantness, which could be avoided if you would do me the courtesy of sitting down whilst I explain a few things to you.’ Driskell looked grim.

  Amanda was not a fool - standing before her was a full demon from another world. Who knew how powerful he actually was? Maybe it would be better to bide her time, and find out what was going on. She realised she had been acting recklessly; but he seemed to have this effect on her. She counted to ten and sullenly sat on the sofa; to her great relief, he sat in the chair opposite to her.

  She glared at him. She doesn’t like taking orders, he thought. She may also be slightly deranged... always fighting someone or other, every time I grace her with my presence. This enlisted a snort from Amanda who look
ed at him contemptuously.

  Who the hell does he think he is? Demon World’s gift to women!? ‘Well, why am I here?’ She looked disdainfully at her surroundings - here was someone who liked to flaunt their wealth.

  Driskell crossed his long legs and narrowed his eyes angrily at her disrespect. ‘What is the last thing you can remember?’ he asked gruffly.

  Amanda thought hard. ‘You blasting me off the bridge! Almost drowning-’

  ‘You almost drowned, the imperative word being ‘almost’, but survived thanks to my sphere. Which by the way, I sent as soon as Lady Blaze blasted you off your impertinent feet,’ he said conceitedly and smiled.

  ‘You complete and utter-’ she stopped herself from finishing the sentence, and taking a deep breath, she continued, ‘you’re actually enjoying this?!’

  ‘Well, the look on your face as you went head over heels - priceless. By the way, are you hurt?’ he asked cautiously. Joking aside, he had seen the blast strike her, and how she was still alive was frankly a miracle.

  ‘Don’t tell me, the Great Dewain Driskell actually has a caring side?’ she asked sarcastically.

  ‘Do you know how expensive this floor is? I really don’t want you dripping blood all over it,’ he replied disdainfully.

  Amanda sat forward and looked at her arm, realising only now that it had a great gash on it that was bleeding heavily. She remembered throwing her arms up in a futile attempt to protect herself as much as possible from the blast. Admittedly, it stung somewhat, but she had put the pain out of her mind as she had faced the dangerous idiot before her.

  She waved her arm tauntingly in his pretentious face, and droplets of blood fell on the floor. She smiled blatantly at his horrified expression.

  Driskell swept out of the room and returned in a blink of an eye. Amanda stiffened at his close proximity, ready to fight him if necessary. He was appalled with her. ‘Follow me,’ he said, as he wrapped a towel around her arm to stop the bleeding.

  Amanda looked at him with mistrust, before reluctantly following him down the corridor. He stood before an open door, and as she got closer, she realised it was a bathroom, and walked past him as he stepped to one side.

  Driskell opened a cabinet and took out an old worn first aid box. The contents in it seemed new. How many times must he have used it... wondered Amanda, her eyes widening in surprise; it should not actually have come as a revelation. She considered his formidable reputation for hunting down rogue demons, no matter their rank, and dispensing his own style of justice.

  He was about to rip open an antiseptic wipe, but Amanda stopped him.

  ‘I’ve got this,’ she said dismissively, taking the box from his hand. He laid the wipe down on the side of the sink.

  He looked at her with detachment, and replied, ‘As you wish. I’ll just be in the living room,’ with that, he turned around and left, closing the door behind him.

  She heard his footsteps receding, and finally let out the breath she had been holding and with it some of the tension eased out of her body. She put down the box, and, turning the tap on, cleaned her wound, watching the black congealed muck falling away into the bath. She applied a gauze to it before wrapping a bandage around it; hopefully it would stop the bleeding. She’d deal with it later.

  Amanda looked at herself in the mirror: her blonde hair was in disarray and her blue eyes were dull, as if the life had been taken from them. Splashing water on her face, she thought, I can do this! She wondered how Rowanne was, but thankfully, she had Alexander by her side. She smiled momentarily; perhaps it was the other way around.

  Amanda carefully replaced the box in the cabinet before leaving the bathroom, and going back to the living room. She was pleasantly surprised to find that Driskell had brought her a glass of water. He’s just feigning, luring me in before he makes his move, thought the cynical part of her.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, before taking a sip of water.

  Driskell looked severe, ‘Well, as I can see that you are not about to bleed out on me, I think we should return back to the matter at hand - that of Ms Knight,’ he finished coldly.

  Amanda nodded her head, secretly relieved that he had returned to his normal self. ‘What do you want to know?’ she asked calmly; inside she was fighting not to panic. She could not let Rowanne down, let alone... She fought to keep her mind blank.

  The perspiration gathering on her forehead was not lost on Driskell, who continued to gaze at her intently, as if he could bore the information straight out of her mind. He sat back casually, but his eyes began to flare an unearthly green colour, almost like an emerald set alight.

  Amanda tensed. Oh, no! she thought. Here it goes... She called on her training and innate strength of will as she fought against being bespelled into revealing everything that she knew. Driskell’s laughter created goosebumps along her arms.

  ‘Look at me, Amanda... It’s common courtesy to look at your host when they’re talking to you.’

  It was a battle of wills; they’d soon find out who the victor would be.

  You arrogant, psychotic piece of work, thought Amanda. As she slowly raised her eyes to him tentatively, an evil smile lit up his face. Nevertheless, she looked directly into his eyes boldly; daring him to do his worst...

  ‘To which clan do you belong?’ he asked in a hypnotic voice. His eyes were mesmerising to look at.

  ‘My name is Amanda, and I belong to the Eghan clan,’ she answered brightly, and waited patiently to see what his next move would be.

  ‘You know very well that it is not a clan of Demon World. You have given me a human name! I want your demon clan name,’ he demanded.

  Amanda watched him tapping his fingers, waiting for her answer.

  ‘We can do this one of two ways; this is the more civilised approach. Do not presume to underestimate me, I fear you would not like the other way...’ his eyes flashed dangerously at her, his face a mask of stone, cold and foreboding. He was giving her one last chance; which was more than he did for most of the people who found themselves inadvertently in his company.

  Amanda felt certain that he would not do anything. After all, he had saved her, so far. And if he wanted her dead, she was in no doubt that she would not be sitting here now. She looked at him condescendingly; her first mistake. Her second was to walk away from him when he was in the middle of questioning her.

  She walked around the room to buy herself some time to think. She looked at the many photographs on the wall. So, they do know each other... thought Amanda, as she looked at a photograph of Alexander and Driskell: they seemed to be standing next to a fountain. Driskell had his arm around Alexander, and they were both smiling cheerfully.

  She never heard Driskell sneak up behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck rose, and she spun around. He was practically in her face, but she could not step back, there was nowhere to go. She could feel his power rising; she was in trouble. Don’t look at him, she thought, desperately.

  Amanda accidently knocked the picture off the wall, and it smashed as it hit the floor. Whatever Driskell had been about to say was lost as she swiftly bent down to pick up the pieces of glass. She was almost afraid to look up. I’ve definitely done it this time... if he didn’t want to kill me before, he will now, she thought.

  Driskell bent down to Amanda’s level. He looked into her shocked expression, as he grabbed her hand before she could cut herself on the glass. ‘Just leave it,’ he said quietly. Her eyes narrowed as a look of frustration came upon her; much to his bewilderment. He could not fathom her reaction. After all, she had broken his picture; had he said anything? No. So why was she peeved? He dropped her hand, and continued to pick up the glass.

  Amanda rubbed her hand on her dress as an uncomfortable look flashed across her face. Thankfully she managed to rearrange it into a scowl by the time Driskell looked up at her briefly. He took the glass away to the kitchen.

  Amanda took the opportunity to pick up the photo. It felt thick, which she thought was strange
, and turning it over she discovered a second photo had been glued to its back. On closer inspection, her anxiety grew as she recognised the man in the photo; although, she didn’t know who the woman was. She was beautiful, and looked as if she belonged on the cover of a magazine.

  She turned her attention back to the man, who was possibly twenty years old. He had beautiful soft brown hair, or so it appeared. And he wore a uniform of some kind... What fascinated her the most was the way his green eyes were longingly fixed on the woman beside him. If a picture was worth a thousand words; then, his look told of a passionate love story. She had never seen him like this before...

  His picture hung in the hallway of her ancestors, it has been there for over half a century. And in that photo, he wore a suit, and even had the same smile; but his beautiful emerald eyes had an intensity to them, some might even have called them captivating. He certainly appeared more solemn there than he did in the picture before her.

  ‘Great-grand-uncle?!’ she gasped, too caught up in her thoughts of why his picture should be here of all places, to notice Driskell standing in the doorway looking pale, as if he’d seen a ghost.

  Driskell strode forward and pulled Amanda to her feet. She had the presence of mind to hold onto the picture, which she clutched desperately. He looked at her severely as perspiration beaded on his brow. ‘Repeat yourself immediately! Do. Not. Lie to me,’ he said, a wild look in his eyes.

  Amanda tried desperately to cover her tracks, realising that she’d made a fatal error; one that could come back and finish them all off. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she replied, flipping over the photo to conceal what she’d discovered, knowing that it was futile. But she continued single-mindedly and pointing to the picture of Alexander and him, she remarked, ‘I didn’t know that both of you were so close... Best friends, perhaps?’

  Driskell sighed; he was getting tired of this game of cat and mouse. His hand shot out fast and captured Amanda’s face, tilting it gently towards him. And before she could lash out, he solemnly announced, ‘Times up.’