by J E Mueller
“Why would you think it’s about demons?” Lee asked.
“They watch you all the time,” she declared.
I eyed Lee carefully before turning back to Tella. “You can see demons? Are you sure they’re demons?”
“There’s lots to see. Ghosts, demons, angels. They’re everywhere, but Momma says if you mind your own business they won’t bother you and will eventually go away. Some do, some seem to stay forever,” Tella explained, shrugging.
“I can see why your mother hasn’t told anyone,” Lee said carefully. “It’s a big secret to keep.” This poor guy couldn’t catch a break from family secrets.
“Yeah, if everyone knows you can see them, they’ll ask all sorts of questions you can’t answer.” Tella agreed. I wondered how she had learned that. “Demons rarely take a physical form, much like angels. They look very similar to ghosts but are more fiery.”
“Do any of them talk to you?” Lee asked hesitantly.
“Some try, but I ignore the bad ones,” she said cheerfully. “They like to say things to scare you, but they can’t do much if you don’t listen.”
“What do the good ones say?” I asked, happy to hear she was shutting out anything negative. I couldn’t imagine how terrible that gift could be if she didn’t have that discipline. In some ways I wondered if it was more like a curse, but kept the thought to myself.
“Some just say to say hi to people, or give someone they miss a hug, but for the most part it’s boring. They tell me about the weather, or to add something to the stew, or that my ribbon fell out. I don’t loose ribbons much anymore, at least.” She smiled, amused at some memory.
“How old are you now, Tella?” I asked curiously, realizing I had never did asked her age.
“I’ll be fifteen next month.” She said proudly.
“We’ll do our best to be here before then,” Lee reassured her.
Tella looked off for a moment but quickly turned her attention back to Lee, “Since you know my secret, you can tell me yours.” She smiled pleasantly. “You’re not currently being watched, and someone you’re already mad at thinks I can help.”
“Who?” I asked, confused.
“Dammit, he’s still here isn’t he?” Lee grumbled.
“He’s going to continue to watch over Auntie Juni whether you like it or not.” Tella rolled her eyes. “But the good news is I can see them.”
“Ooooh. I get it,” I said, liking the plan.
“We’re not involving my cousin!” Lee almost shouted, outraged.
“We don’t have to involve her in all of it.” I shook my head. “But if demons take your mother, she can see where they take her. She even knows how to not be noticed by them and how and when to acknowledge which presences are around her. It’s a great talent.”
“Exactly.” Tella nodded to Lee before turning to me. “Aunt Juni is in trouble?”
“It’s like you said before, they’ve been watching Lee.” I ignored his annoyance at my explanation. “They know he’s got the gift to actually hunt and kill them and that he does not know how to use it yet. If they can lure him out and get rid of him, that’s one less threat they need to worry about.”
“I hate demons.” Tella made a foul face. “But I can still help. I can point you in the right direction.” She paused. “I don’t know if I’d want to do more than that.”
“Good, because I won’t let you,” Lee agreed. “I’m not putting anyone else in danger.”
Tella shrugged before glancing around. “Please don’t tell mom I said anything about the ghosts. She’ll ground me for a month at least.”
“I really don’t want him sticking around here. Can you tell him that?” Lee grumbled at the ceiling.
“He can hear you, you just can’t hear him. I’m not getting involved in a stupid fight.” Tella stuck her tongue out at Lee then skipped off.
“It’s not a fight, I just don’t like him suddenly being around after abandoning us,” Lee muttered.
“It will be interesting to hear what the reason was some day,” I mused.
Lee rolled his eyes. “You can’t wait over twenty years and expect someone to be interested in hearing your reason for leaving.”
Fair point. I couldn’t hold that against him. “Anyway, we are forgetting that we need to get things ready to go to make this plan work. That’s more important than a family squabble.”
“Sounds good,” Lee agreed, happy to be off the parental subject.
And with that the week continued on. Half way through the next week we were doubting whether or not the fixed event would actually come to pass. Lee constantly searched his vision for when it would occur until I made the suggestion to search for why it was delayed.
“There’s a new player in the game.” He said in surprise, “I can’t see the face, and the outfit is strange. I haven’t seen one like it around here. It’s hooded, but instead of a round hood it comes down to make a V in the middle, blocking the face but letting the wearer see. It’s dark and she has daggers… At least I think it’s a she. The frame is small but it’s too hard to tell for sure.”
“What’s her part in all of this?” I asked confused.
“I haven’t the slightest idea.” He grumbled. “I’m going to check in on my mother at my aunt’s.”
Tella skipped inside while holding a box as Lee was heading out.
“How’s my favorite little cousin?” he asked.
“Good!” she said as he exited. Tella paused for a moment and watched him leave. “Perfect timing.”
“What’s that about?” I asked, not sure what she was up to.
Tella glanced at me with a sly smile. “I know you’ll get this better than anyone. I need your help.”
“All right, with what?” I asked, getting up to follow her into my room. Tella wasn’t normally sneaky, so this peaked my interest.
Tella dumped the contents of the box onto my bed and went to lock the door as I stared at it. There were a set of daggers, and homemade leather sheaths, and a very well made cloak. It seemed that Lee was full of questions and I was getting all the answers.
“Alright, I’m game. What do you need my help with?” I crossed my arms and turned to her. Tella had no idea she was accidently getting more involved.
She smiled. “Well, do you remember the whole mess last year with the village being attacked when I was captured.”
“Of course.” I nodded and let her continue. She hadn’t spoken much of the incident, and I would gladly help her with whatever she needed.
“I started practicing in secret, then but now there’s more stuff going on and I have a feeling there’s never going to be an end to it. I want to be able to fight for myself. I can’t be an innocent bystander forever.”
“You want to control your own fate,” I stated and she nodded. “I can’t hold that against you. Clearly, I’ve done the same, but why the secrecy?”
“Mother thinks I don’t need it, that there will always be someone there to protect me.” She shook her head, her memories swimming in her mind. “Life’s not like that, and it sucks, but it’s true. Can you teach me more?”
“I’ve no skill with daggers, but I know plenty of people who can help and keep it a secret,” I replied honestly.
“Thank you!” She jumped up and hugged me.
“On two conditions,” I said carefully.
Her expression sobered. “Okay, what are they?”
“If asked you’ll be honest about what you’re doing. Your mother may not like it, but we’ll back you up. Two, can you show me how you made this fantastic cloak? It’s wonderful.”
“Gladly.” She smiled.
“All right, let’s go teach you how to stab things correctly. You can leave all of this here for now.” I said, “Just going to leave Lee a note telling him where we are.”
“I hope he doesn’t hate this idea,” she said glumly.
“So what if he does?” I laughed. I wouldn’t let anyone stop Tella from taking control of her
own defense. “Being able to keep yourself safe is a good feeling. Even better, you’ll be able to do more than just run if and when the time calls for it.”
In that moment I fully understood why she had come to me first. I did more than just simply understand. I could already do all the things she wanted to do.
“I do have some pretty good running skills.” Tella laughed, striking a dramatic pose.
“Indeed.” I rolled my eyes at her as I scribbled down a quick note.
Tella read it over my shoulder, “Teaching my shadow self-defense, likely with Clover… oh, your guard friends!”
“They’ve got the skills.” I shrugged and we headed out the door.
It wasn’t hard to find them, and with a surprising turn of good luck, Clover was off duty and hanging out with her friends.
“Of course I’d love to help teach this young lady how to be a capable fighter and to defend herself.” Clover smiled with glee. “I learned the same at about your age too, actually.”
“Can I join?” Mara asked excitedly. “It’s been so long since I’ve gotten to help a newbie with self-defense.”
“Of course,” Clover said. “Let’s use the storage room, let the kiddo see if this is what she wants to do before fumbling about in the practice field.”
“Do I have to learn the self-defense part first?” Tella asked impatiently.
“Yep.” Clover laughed. “If you can defend yourself without weapons, being unarmed won’t matter as much.”
“And you will get disarmed easily while you are learning,” Mara added as we all headed towards the back of the building.
“I’d actually like to brush up on my own skills and learn more. I’m sure Zarek will already be mocking my form.” I sighed.
“Of course! You’ve got to show off proper technique. Otherwise it’ll be pushups for days with him.” Mara snorted.
“Don’t remind me.” I shook my head. “At least thanks to the wedding I was spared from practicing. I won’t get that lucky next time.”
With that Clover and Mara dove into the basics, showing guard stances and how to throw a proper punch. At first Tella was frustrated with her positioning, but quickly got the hang of it and started having fun with it. After two hours they were finished for the day. Muscles aching, I was glad for the break.
“If you want to go through more later tonight feel free to come back and we’ll review what you’ve learned,” Clover encouraged her. “Otherwise I expect to see you daily for at least an hour. We’ll get you in great shape in no time.”
“Thank you so much!” Tella exclaimed, still enthusiastic and full of adrenaline.
“No problem.” Mara smiled. “We all start somewhere. It’s even better your super speed is helping you not only throw quicker punches but also letting you learn faster.”
“Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that’s part of it.” Tella bounced around with glee. “That’s great. Thank you.”
“Thank you for helping,” I said again. “You are both awesome.”
“Anything for you, little pyro.” Clover winked.
“Since you inspired us to mix magic with training things have been great!” Mara added.
“Yeah, it’s helped make everyone think and work harder to figure out how to handle different situations. You just never know what you’ll come across in this world,” Clover agreed.
“Glad I was a positive spark then.” I laughed at my own joke and got shooed out of the room. It was worth it.
When we returned back to Lee’s house no one was home yet.
“We’ll need material for the cloak. I can bring some by later if you’d like,” Tella suggested.
“If you’d like to. I don’t want to keep you busy all day.”
“Zane and Tristan are on a hunting trip since there seems to be an abundance of turkeys around. Gally is infatuated with Phill so she’s busy following him everywhere. Lydia is out of town working on helping her mother make her sister's wedding dress and Molly is down with the flu. If I have to hear Marc talk about the fields or Mother complain about the lack of fruit she wants for her pies, I’ll scream.”
“I don’t know how I became the most exciting person in your life, but okay.” I laughed. “Bring the material on by.”
“Yes ma'am!” She dashed off gleefully.
Lee came in as she was leaving. “What was that about?”
“She is going to show me how to make this new cloak design.” I shrugged and grinned at him.
“Wait, new cloak design?” he asked surprised. The mystery from earlier was clearly still on his mind.
“Come look.” I lead him back to my room and he saw the daggers and cloak on the bed. I held it up for him.
“There is no way my cousin is what’s putting all this on hold.” He shook his head. Frustration lined his features.
“She may not be,” I agreed. “This might be the new incoming fashion, and I’m going to learn how to make it as well, but it is something to consider. Don’t dismiss the kid. She’s a fast learner, and is going to have amazing skills someday.”
“Kids should not be getting into this type of trouble,” He argued.
I crossed my arms. “She’s already older than I was when I left home. Yes, she is young, but this is our world. I’ll protect her from it, but I won’t hide her from it. Being hidden from what’s out there and what I am is what killed half my family. She won’t suffer the same fate, but she will feel like she is suffering if she’s not allowed to do anything with her life.”
Taking a deep breath, Lee walked out. I followed him, shutting the door behind me.
“You’re right, but I don’t like this,” he said, reigning in his feelings.
“She’s learning self-defense with Mara and Clover. That’ll keep her plenty busy, and in a good way. Tella’s a great kid. Let her figure out what she wants to do with her life.”
Lee sat down on the sofa. “Okay, okay. Just let me adjust to the idea.”
Juni got back a short while later and we were talking about dinner when Tella dashed in with a large box in hand.
“What’s this, Tells?” Juni asked, surprised.
“I’m working on a project with Key.” She smiled. “I’m going to show her how to make this nifty cloak design Lydia taught me before she left.”
“It’s still in my room if you’d like to show h-” I started to say, but Tella dashed off and was back within the same breath.
“Isn’t this wonderful?” She handed it to Juni who looked at it curiously.
“Why such a hidden face?” Juni asked.
“For the mystery! Imagine that style but as a capelet attached to an extravagant ball gown. It’d be the new masquerade style of fashion and secret.”
Juni handed it back with a smile. “I’d love to see it sometime.”
“Me too. We’re going to work on the idea when she get’s back, but it won’t be for another few weeks.” She sighed. “So for now I’ll show Key how to make the cloak design!”
“That sounds fun. I’m sure Key will like having a non-magical project to keep her busy,” Juni teased.
Chuckling, I agreed. “I’ve never had trouble staying busy here.”
Lee, not wanting to think about his mystery cloaked figure from his vision decided it was time to change the subject. “Anyway, back to something we can all agree on. Dinner.”
After dinner, while we were washing the dishes, I was finally able to ask him quietly what was on his mind.
“What friend does Tella keep talking about?” he asked in response.
“Lydia.” I said and it finally clicked. “Juniper goes missing, Kegan is injured, Lydia is used as bait. But her friend is out of town preparing for her sister's wedding.”
“Where?” Lee asked.
“I don’t know…” I answered softly. “But if it’s Faraden I may just scream. Why are all the people from that town involved in this damned fixed event cycle?”
“Great question, but I doubt there’s an easy answer,”
Lee replied, handing me the last dish to dry.
“At least we have no unknowns now. Do you know what Lydia looks like?” I asked.
“Yes, and I’ll be looking for signs of her when this all starts.” Lee replied. “But let’s not give Tella something else to worry about. She doesn’t need to be following us.”
“That’s for sure. This will get messy quickly.” It was a fact that didn’t seem avoidable. “Best get back out there then, otherwise she will have questions for us.”
Smiles on, worries off. It was time to learn how to make a wonderfully mysterious cloak.
Chapter 34
The next few days went by in much the same way. Tella’s skill quickly improved, impressing Clover and Mara enough to speed up their lessons to match Tella’s growth. It was fun to watch, but I felt the winds changing.
There was something magical about the sudden breeze and I started to wonder if these hints at things to come were from these angels and spirits I could not see. I had half a mind to stop and ask Tella, but knew it was best to let it wait. My gut told me it was time to go, and Lee was already heading out the door as I was approaching. Handing me my pack, he shook his head.
Cuts ran along the sides of his arms and he knew what I was going to ask. “Soon,” he said, waiting to explain until we were well out of town.
“Apparently demons can only nab someone when they are visible. That means they can also fight back,” Lee finally explained as the town vanished from view. “Even though I knew I couldn’t win, I’d be damned if I didn’t give it my all.” His expression was bleak. “I’ve no idea how we’re to get my mother back. There were four of them, and I couldn’t do enough to stop them. There’s bound to be more wherever they took her.”
“I wish I could be of more help,” I admitted. “I don’t know where this is going to lead to at all. Did you see which direction they went?”
“They were headed towards Faraden before disappearing with their magic.”
That implied a lot. The demons had vanished with Juni, but how and where did they go? Did they just become invisible, or had they teleported elsewhere?
