The Mythos Unveiled (Demona series) (9 page)

Chapter 9

Realization

Demona
waited in the office for Balen to show up. Bergfalk and Foss were still there
when she arrived, but were both filling out reports from their shift. Demona
had barely eaten her rations that morning and dazed as she watched Agrippa
stapling forms together. Occasionally, he glanced in her direction, but neither
made an attempt to converse.

“Hello,”
Bergfalk said. “Hello.”

Demona
had not even noticed that Bergfalk was standing beside her

“Hey!”
Bergfalk said.

“Yeah,”
Demona said.

“About
time,” Bergfalk said.

“Sorry,
it’s been a rough morning,” Demona replied.

“It
looks more like a rough couple of weeks,” Bergfalk said. “I notice you do not
speak to anyone while in the office. You should try to talk. Try and do
something or people will think you are being rude.”

Demona
stood there stunned. “I’m sorry. I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

“Whatever
your issue is, you need to straighten it out, before you get yourself hurt in
the field. Or worse, get Kerrick killed because of your inadequacies. Do not be
selfish! There is a dangerous world around you.”

Demona
noticed that Agrippa and Foss were watching the exchange carefully.

“If
you put Kerrick’s life in jeopardy, you will have us to answer to,” Bergfalk
said.

Demona
left the hostile environment and waited in the parking lot. When Balen got there
she climbed into the passenger seat. He stared at her for a moment, but ran
into the building before returning to the car.

Demona
sat in the car beside Balen. She had been so lost in thought that she had not
bothered to watch where they were going. She had not even bothered to read the
field report on their upcoming assignment.

Balen
stopped the car outside a townhome on a street that looked to have once been a
neighborhood consisting of multiple homes. The sidewalks ran up and down the
block. Through patches of weeds were old crumbled foundations, which indicated
where homes once stood. A broken mail box post with the box still attached lay
on the ground next to a foundation, it gave the neighborhood a haunting feel to
what may have once been a neighborhood full of loving families.

“Grab
a stake and protection charm,” Balen said.

Demona
went to the back of the car searching for the needed items. She then took her
place behind Balen. Demona slipped the charm around her neck.

“Ready?”
Balen asked.

“Yeah,”
Demona said.

They
walked into the lonely townhouse, which stood awkwardly on the vacant street.
Old wooden siding lay waterlogged around the outside. The windows had been
blacked out with newspaper. The light streamed through the windows in patches
around the dim room. Doors were shattered and hung off of their hinges. Demona
stepped over junk and trash that was scattered about the floor. As if the
neighborhood had not felt strange enough, the house felt unnatural.

Balen
searched the first floor thoroughly. He turned every corner cautiously and
opened every door he could find to make sure nothing was hiding behind them.

“First
floor is clear,” Balen said. He came back to where she stood and he sifted
through some items scattered across the floor.

“Okay,”
Demona said. She began to climb the stairs, reaching almost three quarters of
the way up. She put her weight on a creaky step. The creak ricocheted off the
walls, and Balen’s head jerked up in her direction.

“Demona,
get down!” Balen yelled.

Something
flew at Demona and knocked her backwards. She fell, in what seemed like slow
motion, as several more objects flew down the stairs and out of the door in a
blur. Demona’s vampire reflexes aided her in grabbing the railing before her
body tumbled backwards down the full flight of stairs. She caught herself, but
not before she managed to slide a few steps and skidded to a halt. She was
certain she had sprained her right ankle after a loud pop sounded, when it
caught and twisted in between the railing spindles.

Balen
rushed up the stairs towards her. He placed his arms around her waist and
turned her around and seated her on a step. He examined her leg gently as he
moved it from side to side, checking for any broken bones.

“It
isn’t broken. You’re lucky. Otherwise you would have had one long, painful
night of healing. What were you thinking?” Balen asked.

“What
do you mean?” Demona grimaced when she bumped her ankle.

“What
were you thinking going up the stairs? I didn’t check the second floor yet. Why
didn’t you wait?”

“I…I
don’t know. I guess I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing.”
Bergfalk was right, I put Balen in danger.

Balen
stared at Demona intently as if looking for something. He pulled Demona to her
feet and slowly helped her hop the rest of the way down the stairs. With each
hop she clenched her teeth. Then, he helped her into the car and took his place
in the driver’s seat; his hands gripped the wheel tightly.

“I
am taking you home. I will pick up your rations and drop them off on my way
home,” Balen said.

Demona
hobbled over to her sofa and propped her foot up on the coffee table. As long
as she stayed off her feet, she would be back to normal by the next morning.

“Rest
while I am gone,” Balen said. He turned and walked out the door before she
could get anything else out of him.

She
must have nodded off, because she woke to a knock at the door.

“Who
is it?” Demona asked.

“Balen.”

“Come
in.” Demona readjusted herself on the sofa.

Balen
entered carrying her rations. He handed it to her and sat in the chair across
from her. She sat the cup on the table before her.

“You
need to eat,” Balen said.

“I’m
fine.”

“No,
you are not,” Balen said. “You need to eat. You have been looking tuckered out
for days.”

“So,
wha—”

“If
you don’t eat the hunger will consume you. You live in a building full of
humans. If you stop eating you know what will happen. The blood rage will take
over and one day you will wake to find yourself surrounded by bodies. You do
not want that on your conscience.” Balen got up and began to pace the room.

Demona
grabbed the rations and proceeded to slurp the thick red substance through a
straw. She glanced at Balen over the cup.

He
watched to make sure she finished her rations. When she did, he sat once more
and stared at her expectantly.

“What?”
Demona asked.

“What’s
bothering you?” Balen asked.

“Nothing.”

“Don’t
lie to me. You were lucky you did not meet
telos
today. If those demons had not been in such a rush to leave you; you would have
died. There were at least three of them hiding in that house. There is no way,
that even with my help, you could have survived an attack by three demons at
once. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you withdrawing the past few months.
Something is on your mind and it’s preventing you from thinking clearly. You
know better than to go ahead without me checking things out first.”

Does Mr. Cold
Hearted actually care?
Sure he seemed to have a concern for her as his
partner. He always made sure after a confrontation that she had not been
injured. This seemed deeper. Balen seemed like he was genuinely concerned about
her.

“I
don’t want to talk about it,” Demona said. She sat back, crossed her arms, and
looked away from him.

Balen
got up and came to sit next to her. “Look,” he said. “You will talk about it,
or I will be forced to file a form about this incident. Your incompetence will
be noted, is this what you want?”

Demona
snapped her head in his direction and glared at him. “You wouldn’t!”

She
did not need any more trouble at TGHC. If Darius assigned Demona as a field
agent for punishment, because of her actions in the office, she could only
imagine what would be in store for her if she failed as an agent. Demona
speculated that he would probably stick her in the dungeon and throw away the
key.

“Why
don’t you understand that you almost got yourself killed? If you don’t talk we
can’t solve it. If we can’t solve it, then you could end up in another
situation similar to today’s. I don’t I want another dead partner.” Balen
waited for her response.

Demona
was still reluctant to discuss guy problems with her coworker, but Balen gave
her no other choice. She waited awhile longer and tried to find a way to
explain to him how she had lost what she felt was the love of her life. However
she seemed to word it in her head, it always came out sounding ridiculous.
Demona decided there was no way, but to just tell him what was going on.

Demona
still sat there with her arms crossed. “There was a guy—”

“A
guy!” Balen said.

“Yes,
a guy! You asked me to tell you what’s wrong!” Demona bit her tongue, when she
saw his stern deep brown eyes. After a few moments she managed to change her
tone.

 
“His name is Felix. We saw each other a few
times, things were going really well. I thought… I thought I might be falling
in love with him,” Demona said.

Balen
stood and paced the room. “The guy from the warehouse? He’s human. You never
should have allowed that to happen!”

“I
know. I knew it was trouble to begin with. I should’ve never agreed to see him
again. He has no idea what I am,” Demona said.

“What
happened?” Balen asked.

“Things
were going really well and then he had to leave. I don’t know when… if he’s
ever coming back.” The tears welled up Demona’s eyes. She had attempted to
conceal them, but a tear spilled down her cheek. “He stopped calling and I
don’t know what to do with myself.”

“Stick
with your own kind, Demona! Our job is to prevent exposure and here you are
putting yourself into a situation that could end up very badly. Not only is it
risky for you, but for all of us,” Balen said. “I don’t have the words to make
it better. But I do have an idea to take your mind off of him. I have never
been good with relationships, but one thing has always helped me in situations
such as this. I will pick you up in the morning and we will see how things go.”

“How
what goes?” Demona tried to slow her sobs.

“It
is long overdue. Tomorrow we are going to begin your training. It is time you
learned to defend yourself and control your
mageia
.
Rest, because tomorrow is going to be a long day. I will meet you at TGHC in
the morning. We are going to make a trip to Terra Hollow and gather supplies.”

“Ugh!
I’m never going to be as good as you. There’s no point in training!”

“How
do you know until you try?”

“I
just do.”

“You
are not getting out of it that easily. You are my partner and its time you
start acting like one.”

“I
thought I already did. I saved you twice!”

“No,
you act like a tag along. The only reason you saved me was by luck. Frankly, I
am tired of watching your back all of the time. It’s time you start contributing
to our assignments. I’m sorry if it seems harsh, but hopefully your training
will take your mind off of this problem and return your focus to work. I’m not
a babysitter!” Balen stood and showed himself out of the apartment.

Demona
rested her head on the back of the sofa with a sigh.
He is right.
Even if she managed to save Balen’s life every time
they found themselves in a sticky situation she could not hide in her apartment
for the rest of her life. She needed to back up Balen more than she currently
was and she needed to learn to defend herself.

Tomorrow
would be a long day, so she stayed on the sofa and propped her foot up for a
while. She would need all of the strength she could get for the following day
and for her injury to be completely healed. After, Demona hopped to her bed.
She laid down and found a comfortable position to lie in.
I will be a better partner.

Chapter 10

Training

In
Terra Hollow, Demona and Balen took the exit to the right of Club Chamber and
into a monstrous cavern. Along the sides of the cave were several exposed floor
levels.
It’s like the stepped pyramids
.

There
was so much activity in the cavern; people walked in front of her as she tried
to trail behind Balen. On one side of the aisle a man taught children how to
cast spells and on another a woman gave psychic readings. Farther down were
cages full of creatures that were unfamiliar to Demona. Some looked like giant
insects with faces, while others resembled moving plants.

She
continued to walk as a man shouted to all within earshot. “The time is near.
The prophecy is being fulfilled, the
Mythos
has come. To our knowledge she is of immense
mageia
. She has come at last. Demons are coming out of the
woodwork. Be prepared for the end times!”

“Ignore
him. There are always idiots here that have a theory on the
Mythos
, if only they knew the truth of
that prophecy was walking right past them,” Balen said.

“So,
they don’t know about me?” Demona asked.

“No.
Darius would never reveal you to the masses. He knows what’s at risk. If
someone were to try to sway your decision he would be furious.”

An
explosion came from ahead of them and the commotion in Bazaar Hall seemed to momentarily
freeze. Then, everything resumed as if nothing had happened. They continued on
their way towards the center of the cavern where the hustle and bustle
increased.

Straight
ahead of them were numerous stands filled with a variety of magical items. At
each stand shop keepers were shouting advertisements to entice customers.
Demona saw that some were even attempting to sell animal organs for spell
casting. At one cart she noticed a giant cauldron bubbling with a thick, gooey
substance.

There
were many species of dark creatures walking through the stands. She saw ogres,
cyclops, imps, and ghouls. She also saw the typical werewolves, witches, and
vampires. A ghost fluttered nearby and Demona stopped in her tracks and watched
it pass by.

Balen
had moved farther ahead. He finally noticed that she was not trailing behind
him and went back to find her. He found her frozen as she watched the ghost.

“First
ghost?” Balen asked.

“Yeah.
Of all the supernatural creatures I’ve heard about, the ghost is the only one I
haven’t seen. I thought they stayed near the place they died,” Demona said.

“They
do, usually. Willow has been around for a very long time. She has discovered
tricks to transport herself to different locations. She comes here to
socialize,” Balen said.

“Amazing,
she looks like she’s made of glowing spider webs.”

They
finally continued on their way to their destination. Balen stopped at a stand
and gave a witch a list of supplies he needed. She gathered the items and
packed them into a burlap bag.

“Is
there a name for this chamber?” Demona asked.

“Bazaar
Hall,” Balen said.

Balen
tilted his head downward. Demona walked around him to see what he was looking
at. Logan, the imp, stood tugging on his pants leg. He was so short that if
Balen had not been looking down, Demona would have never noticed him. Balen
bent down and the imp whispered into his ear. Afterward, the little man quickly
disappeared into the crowd.

“What
did he want?”

“Payment
for helping us with Lobo.”

As
they made their way back to the entrance of Bazaar Hall a fight broke out
between two merchants. Several bystanders were caught in-between.

“Someone
call the nurse witches!” a man yelled.

Demona
saw fists flying in every direction. Then, a foul smell rose into the air as
someone’s hair caught fire and a shimmer from a spell casting went through the
air. The fight began to quickly spread as the opponents ran into the other
creatures standing nearby. More and more seemed to join in the brawl.

Balen
grabbed Demona by the wrist and pulled her through the crowd of onlookers.
“Let’s get out of here before all of Terra Hollow is at war.”

They
passed a flaming cart and then a fairy huddled on the floor nursing her broken
wing.

“Does
that happen often?” Demona asked.

“At
least once a day,” Balen said.

I’d love to come
back and explore Bazaar Hall more, but I’m not so sure I want to come here
alone.

****

Balen
pulled the car onto a small gravel lot on the side of the road. They stared out
at fields of towering grasses; timothy, clover, and alfalfa.
What are we doing here?
She followed
Balen a way into the field. Then, they walked even farther through some trees,
until they came to a small grove of oaks beside a babbling creek.

The
water moved swiftly down the banks. Demona saw little minnows swimming against
the current. Robins sang in the tree nearby and the sweet smell of pollen
filled the air. The sun was bright, but the trees provided the perfect amount
of shade, keeping the morning sun from blinding them. Balen moved to a spot
where the creek bed had dried to provide a flat section of sand, clay, and
pebbles.

“What
are you doing?” Demona asked. She crossed her arms as she observed Balen.

“First,
we are going to cast a spell to bring out your
kataphraktos
,” Balen said.

“Why
didn’t we do this before?”

“Because
I wasn’t certain you would last. Darius seems to insist that this is what you
were meant for.” Balen placed several white candles in a circle. He lit a
bundle of sage and made sweeping motions to remove any negative energy. Demona
watched him as he moved around grove. Balen then lit the candles one by one.

“Stand
in the circle. First, we will invoke the spirit of the warrior and then proceed
with the spell.”

Demona
did as asked and stood in the center of the circle awaiting further
instructions.

“Spirit
of warrior, spirit of valor, send us your power, send us your might, aid us in
our task, forever we now ask,” Balen chanted.

Demona
felt a chill in the air. Balen seemed to respond to one as well. He continued
with the process. Balen stepped forward and lit a black, blue, and red candle.

“Now
close your eyes and repeat after me three times,” Balen said. “Life of the
immortal dead, protect the agent of darkness, when danger does threaten, from
harm by piercing of skin, change the texture to strength, producing the
warrior’s armor.”

When
they were finished Demona lifted her arms and looked at them as if expecting
her body to have changed somehow. She pinched herself to see if her skin would
take on the
kataphraktos
characteristics,
but nothing happened.

“How
do we know it worked?” Demona asked.

“We
train. If the warrior spirit and the spell worked the
kataphraktos
will appear when needed. Take this. This is your
weapon,” Balen said. He grabbed two thick sticks that lay nearby, one in each
hand. He handed one to Demona.

Demona
rolled her eyes. “Yes, sensei.”

“Not
funny. Pay attention.”

Demona
tried to focus. Balen took a battle stance, his feet spread slightly apart.
They were planted firmly on the ground with his right foot positioned slightly
to the front and the left slightly to the back. In his right arm he held the
stick outstretched, while his left arm was raised slightly to the side for
balance. Demona tried to mimic his stance.

“Pretty
good. Bend your knees a little; it will help with your balance. Now,
swordsmanship takes patience and skill. It is not a brutish sport. We are not
clobbering our opponent to death. We are aiming for a killing blow. You cannot
expect to survive with only speed and strength. You will need to anticipate
your opponent’s moves, so that they don’t kill you first. At the same time you
are trying to prevent harm to yourself you will also need to determine the
swiftest and most fluid response you can make to block or strike first. Now,
let’s try it.”

Balen
advanced toward Demona striking at the right side of her abdomen with the
stick. Demona tried to block his blow, but he was too fast. Her skin
instantaneously began to ripple with the
kataphraktos
. She poked at the silver metallic looking skin on her arm. It
felt almost scaly or shell like.

“I
thought that I would feel restricted, or metallic, or something,” Demona said.

“It
worked. Good. Now, you need to try harder to block my advances,” Balen said.

“Does
it look like I’m just standing here? I tried.”

“Had
you been trying you would have realized that each time I struck at you I was
using the same method. You would have been able to make a move in response. If
you want to block or strike back you need to alter your movements to mine in
order to gain the advantage. Anticipate my move and respond to it. Now, let’s
try again.” Balen tried to strike the right side of her abdomen again.

Demona
missed the block and his stick struck her. He made the same move again. This
time, Demona stepped towards him and her right arm came up. Their sticks met
with a crack. Balen responded by twirling his stick around hers in an attempt
to throw Demona’s away from her. Demona kept her grip on the stick and returned
to battle stance.

This
time Balen struck for her left arm, but Demona blocked his attempt to strike
her. Demona soon found herself able to block almost all of Balen’s attacks, but
still unable to make a blow of her own.

“You
will be able to strike back, when you get better at anticipating my moves, and
the faster you become. That’s enough practice for today. We will train again
tomorrow,” Balen said.

I’m so sore! I’m
definitely not looking forward to tomorrow.

****

The
summer’s hot sun beat down upon the green tree tops. Beneath the trees Balen
and Demona stood in their battle stances. Their silver
kataphraktos
gleamed in the sunlight. They stood facing one another
with sticks raised. Balen struck at Demona, but she blocked his move. Balen
forced her away and she twirled. Quickly she turned and felt their sticks
unexpectedly meet.

It’s kind of fun
hanging out with Balen, instead of always watching him in action from a
distance.

Balen’s
eyebrows raised and he smirked at Demona. His brown eyes sparkled as he tried
to anticipate her next move. They went at it again. This time Demona was able
to strike him first. His smirk faltered, but he was enjoying himself as well.

“What’s
so funny?” Demona asked.

“You’re
a quick learner. Let’s continue for a little longer,” Balen said.

They
danced around the creek bed, jabbing at one another back and forth.

“Is
there a reason we keep coming here?” Demona asked.

“I
have my reasons.”

“And
they are?”

“Did
anyone ever tell you that you ask too many questions?”

“No,
but apparently it makes people think I’m creepy when I do,” Demona said. “I
can’t help that I’m a curious person.”

Balen
laughed. “I don’t think you could ever be creepy. Maybe annoying, but not
creepy.”

“So,
are you going to tell me why it’s so special?”

Balen
paced a moment. Demona saw an advantage and struck Balen across his lower back.
He ignored her.

“It’s
where I was turned,” Balen said.

Demona’s
eyes grew wide. “I…I’m sorry, if I had known I wouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s
alright. I never regretted what happened to me. That’s why I come here,” Balen
said.

“Can
I ask what happened?”

Balen
sat on a large rock. “I had just been released from duty after a being sent to
Antietam.”

“Wait…
Antietam, you don’t mean like the Battle of Antietam, do you?”

“Yes,
though I saw little action, because by the time I reached there the battle was
over and we were sent home. As I was saying, I had just arrived in town by rail
and met my wife, Elisabeth, at the station. Elisabeth was as beautiful as ever.

“We
had walked a few miles towards home and it began to grow dark. We had been
talking as if nothing had changed in my absence. We stopped to rest for a
moment before continuing on our way. I turned to give Elisabeth a proper kiss,
since no one was around.

“I
noticed she felt very cold in the July heat. Before I knew what happened she
had pinned me to the ground and was biting me. It happened right over there in
the field. I had attempted to get her off, but she was too strong and I
couldn’t reach my saber,” Balen said.