All of me wants to say yes.
‘No, I have an unfortunate social gathering I must attend. Father’s orders, you know how it is,’ I say, and he does – to an extent. His experience of family duty and expectation is not quite as severe as my own.
‘Hm, that is unfortunate. I was also trying to escape such a horrendous fate with my own mother. Apparently, I am expected at one of her soirees again.’ His words are dismissive but affection coats his voice in a way I can only envy regarding my own family. What must it be like to be a part of a family that doesn’t treat you like a pawn to be auctioned off for status or money.
Sensing the nature of my thoughts, he lays his hand on mine. A tender comfort that I embrace. A cool wind blows down the way, rustling the leaves in the still night. His dark messy hair frames his face. I know this person, I think, looking up at him, leaning in.
No, wait.
I know this person. I freeze, a sudden realisation hitting me. William frowns, tilting his head in curiosity. ‘Charlotte, what’s wrong?’
Charlotte? No, I’m…
I wake from the dream with a jolt, my hands gripping the edges of the couch. My sigh breathes out slowly, regaining control of my body. That answers who Charlotte is. The last moments of the dream play over in my mind and I can’t help but gag at the thought. I’m glad I woke up when I did – that was quickly turning into a nightmare.
8
William
Her breathing flows in and out, repetitively, in and out, out and in, over and over, grating like nails on a chalkboard. I had forgotten how often and how loud humans breathe. A century of unnatural silence has now become normal, and anything alive and breathing is strange and foreign. Upstairs in the study, I sift through the newspaper clippings and the remnants of clues that had been gathered on Charlotte. A sighting here or there. Admittances into medical facilities, appearances in background photographs and scattered residences. No matter how many times I search, the result is always the same. A dead end. Like she has vanished into thin air. Pinning the clippings to the backboard of the desk, I stand, taking a step back. And how, through all of this, is Siara connected?
A whistled sigh rings in my ears from downstairs. I have never found my demonic hearing to be such a burden up until the day the human came. Xander knocks, then peeks from behind the door.
‘Is there anything I can help you with, Master?’
He avoids looking at the mirror as he walks into the room. I know that he’s noticed. The nervous energy in his eyes as he picked up the shards of the porcelain today alluded to a feeling I was wanting to avoid; he has begun to grow attached to the girl. When I first found him, he was neurotic. A child filled with equal parts hate, sorrow and loneliness, not unlike many of the demons here. Back then, he didn’t so much as blink when I took his vengeance on as my own and ended his mother and her pathetic excuse of a partner. Xander was a demon, void of emotion just like the rest of us, and he consumed those souls, just like any other demon would have. Now, seeing his fear for the girl’s safety, has caused my own concern. The possibility of him moving on is very realistically in the cards – which would be fine, convenient even, as long as the girl is not lost. If she ever were to die… there would be no hope for the boy, and I’ll never get rid of him. I can’t have a repeat of the previous situation.
‘Yes, actually, there is something,’ I say. Xander’s expression lightens just a little. ‘You could show me where you put the creature.’
He nods, disappearing from the door. I follow him closely behind. Xander leads us outside around the corner of the cottage. He digs up the remnants of the day.
‘That’ll be all.’
Xander glances over curiously but leaves once he catches my expression. Moving the snow away, I call the name of the woman responsible and walk through the emerging portal.
‘What did you do to my poor baby?’ Heret-Kau shrieks, picking up the shattered remains of her pet from the white tiles.
‘Your horrid pet tried to kill the girl, so actually I was just following your orders.’
Heret-Kau shoots a doubtful look. The plump man sitting next to her looks up, raising an eyebrow at this.
‘It’s true,’ I say. ‘I came back to find it cornering the human.’
Her thin dark eyebrows narrow together. ‘How strange.’ She draws the essence out of the ice easily, releasing it back into the space between us with a snap of her long fingers. It hovers in place, complete again as if nothing had happened. She reaches down its void and a faint glowing encompasses the being.
‘Nothing seems to be wrong with it.’ Heret-Kau ponders, letting go. The creature moves back from her, waiting patiently for instruction from its creator. A thought flashes behind her eyes, one I know she will not convey, and with it her body becomes still. ‘I think I’ll be looking into this further.’
With barely a wave the Goddess dismisses me, a vertical portal forming directly ahead, framing my dark ice world. I walk through it without protest. The glowing ring closes shut, returning me back to the frosty night. The dark forest surrounds me. I release an irritated sigh in the silent night. That was a rather abrupt departure.
Shapes shift through the trees ambiguously, their forms not quite able to take shape in the shadows. There are a lot more souls here than there used to be. Is that why that Seether came? There are much worse things that exist within these woods and I can’t let the human die just yet, not until I find Charlotte. I also can’t bring the girl around everywhere; she barely was able to handle the recent transportations.
A twig snaps behind me.
‘Master?’ Xander says, peering through the trees from the clearing. ‘Did you talk with Heret-Kau?’
I stride past him.
‘What we discussed today – it’s happening tomorrow.’
Xander flinches. ‘Already? But I thought you said…’
We reach the cottage, the barrier warping as we move through it. ‘The sooner the better.’
Xander sinks his shoulders, his face contorting to an unsure expression. ‘I know.’
9
Siara
It isn’t the words themselves that unnerve me but more so the directness that accompanies them. The demons stand expectantly at the door, waiting.
‘What’s going on?’ I say, interrogating their unreadable expressions. Xander hasn’t met my eyes all day, a stark contrast to his usual vies for attention. Instead, he fidgets his little green fingers. A sickeningly sweet smile dances on his face, the kind one makes when they’re obviously uncomfortable. ‘You have never asked me to come along before.’
The ice demon’s jaw clenches, a usual sign of his irritation.
‘It’s clear that keeping you inside the barrier is no longer a safe and viable option. So for the time being, you’re coming with us.’
This is sudden. I glance over to Xander but his stale expression reveals nothing; instead, he leans on the doorframe, looking intently at the floor. Without warning, he exits the cottage and journeys off on his own. William enacts what can only be considered an eye roll, evidently savvy to the inner workings of the small demon’s thoughts.
