Silva had barely been eight when she saw her first nil. It had been a camping trip with her father. Silva had been more than excited about it. They hadn’t gone anywhere special, just enjoying the forest outside of the castle.
It had started out amazing. Hiking, animal watching, and ending the day with fireworks. She went to bed exhausted and content. Nero had only stepped away for a little while and despite being tired she stayed awake. She kept making the fireworks, wanting to get them right. Wanting to make the same dragon that he had manifested.
It was in that innocent moment that the shadowy monster struck. It escaped from the darkness of the trees and with a shriek that still haunted her to this day. It tore through their camp searching for magic and it found her. She screamed the firework going off in panic. It had been enough to slow the creature.
That bought her enough time to scramble away. For her father to hear and come back. To save his daughter from the monsters. She still remembered the fear she’d felt that night. Remembered thinking for the barest of a second that she could die.
Staring at the thing that had appeared in front of her right now in the present she felt that same fear. Felt it more than when she stood between Daze and her sister. She was paralyzed staring at the massive entity that had stepped in front of her. It was massive, standing nearly as tall as the castle behind them. It filled the courtyard not just with its mass but also its presence.
It stood on two legs and yet something told her that wasn’t right. As if the smoking entity that stood in the shape of a man only appeared to her because that’s how her mind could process it. That there was something more to it beneath the surface. But looking at it hurt her head and eyes. She forced herself to look away and instead looked at the magus.
She stood and spread her arms staring at them, “My lord. Thank you for answering the call of such a humble servant.”
And then it spoke. It spoke in a single rumble that was more like a weight than a sound. It shifted the air, made those who heard it stumble and those weaker simply fall to their knees. “It has been many long centuries sent I set foot here. And I take it you were the one who called me?” it said looking around slowly. The noise it made turned into words. But no voice was attached. They just simply knew what it said like they thought it themselves.
As its gaze wavered over them, they shirked away from it or hid their faces. Some remained on their knees and spread their hands as they worshipped the being. Others covered their faces, holding onto them and trying to keep themselves together. Penny held onto Sefirin and Sofie keep their eyes down. The last thing this demon wanted to do was to draw the attention of another.
“Yes my lord!” the magus shouted getting its attention again as it swept around to face her. “Under the guidance of lord Daze we reach beyond the veil to you. To receive your wisdom.”
“The soul of one of my kind beats inside of you.”
“Yes. We merged with them to bring ourselves closer to one such as yourse-“
The demon’s hand crushed her in the blink of an eye. There was no woosh of air. No boom of its hand hitting the ground. Just a silence as all sound was stolen away. Those nearest had no idea as to what had just happened. But Silva and her two escorts saw it and their eyes widened.
“You are the reason I was allowed to cross over. You will not suffer. But being in this plane. I hunger. And I will feed.”
Leaning its head back the demon let out a shriek. Some saw visions of color and shapes. Of a world they could barely comprehend. A place where their senses were reversed and intensified. For most who saw this world, they slumped to the ground, blood running from their orifices of sensory overload.
Others saw a world black as oil with creatures that roamed said darkness. Watching them with their awkward gate and shrieks of communication. The ones who only saw them from a distance were the lucky ones. Some were forced to see them up close. To face them, their eyes, their claws, and their hunger. Those collapsed covered in claw and teeth marks.
Sofie and Sefirin watched people collapse and die around them. Sofie’s eyes widened and she took a step back, the fear in her so thick that it was like a miasma. She wanted to vomit or pass out or scream or maybe really all three. The thing that truly hurt and struck her was how everything was silent. Like she was suddenly struck deaf.
She looked and saw the soldier that led them here collapse to the ground, a content smile on his face but his eyes filled with blood. She stumbled back into Penny and looked up at them. The demon looked at her through Alison, with their pitch black eyes, and said gruffly. “Focus child. Both of you. That thing’s power is toxic and you need to fight it. We’re not done yet but we need to all be ready.”
Sofie gasped trying to swallow back her fear and nod. But Sefirin growled, his teeth growing larger and his own magic spiking. Both looked at Silva who had been pushed back by the woman toward the castle. The man stepped back as well but he looked to be in pain.
“I’ve never seen a nil that big before,” Sefirin said slowly.
“I’ve never seen a nil,” Sofie whispered.
Sefirin sensed the demon take a step, not heard but he felt it like a pounding in his ear. It walked past them as a hulking giant and those still standing near them dropped and bowed to it. As it walked toward the arch it stepped through, blowing away the stone handiwork with the same muted sounds as everything else it did, the important factor being that it had turned its attention elsewhere.
Penny took a shuddering breath and took a step forward as Alison stepped back into control, one of her brown eyes returning. Looking back at the kids she nodded slowly, “Alright. Let’s go.”
“Go? Go where?”
“We still have to save your sister, don’t we?” Alison asked.
“But what about that thing?”
“That demon is the least of our worries. We can’t stop it. Not with just the three of us at least. But we can do what we came here to do.” She looked back at the hulking shadow of a demon as it continued to move. The cultist started to follow it in droves and that left very few living people in the courtyard.
Sefirin jumped first landing in the middle of the courtyard. The ground was scorched from the circle that had spawned the demon. The people who’d been at the edges of it were gone. Just smoking husks on the ground where they had previously taken up space. That just left him and the two with Silva behind.
Silva looked at her brother wishing that relief would fill her veins but instead, it was fear. Fear from the thing that had just appeared in front of her. Fear of what it might do to her. Fear for what it might do to him or Sofie because there was no way she wasn’t nearby. She tried to speak and reach toward him with her restrained hands.
Sefirin stomped forward his magic wafting off him, “Silva!” he shouted and his voice shattered the imposed silence like a bomb. “Get away from my sister!”
Miles’ eyes widened, “Your sister?”
Julie stepped forward narrowing her eyes, “We’d love to but contractually we can’t. And you know that Miles.”
“Contractually? What are you talking about?” Sefirin shook his head. “If you don’t let her go I’ll make you.”
Half of Julie’s face was immediately covered by the mask and she shook her head, “You’re a brash one. Probably young. But if you want to force this into violence, we’re more than happy to oblige.”
Miles kept one hand against his eye and the other wrapped around his waist tightly, “Yanriel stop. We don’t need to escalate this.”
“Careful Miles. Looks like the shark is waking up.”
“Which is why we’re trying to prevent the escalation of a fight,” he said carefully.
“Tell that to the kid,” Julie growled and gave a slow eye roll.
Alison and Sofie both came down to land beside him. Alison walked forward slowly and raised her hand. “You. You’re the guardians that we’ve been hearing so many rumors about, aren’t you?”
Julie looked at her and raised her eyebrows, “You know who we are and we don’t know who you are. We feel guilty.”
“Not knowing who we are is preferred. It means that we’ve been doing our own job properly,” Alison smirked but that expression quickly turned to a scowl. “You’ve been ravaging Noria and its people. And for what? For the dreams and whims of a madman? To call those things down here and just cause death for the sake of it? We never thought anyone could top the Ouroboros.”
“No idea what the Ouruboros even is,” Julie shrugged.
“They were the cult to arrive through Arkoria before us,” Miles said grunting and standing a bit straighter. “They wanted to turn the entire country into a massive undead nightmare. And they were close to doing it. In fact, their efforts are the only reason that we’ve been able to get this far.”
“Thanks for the history lesson,” Julie smiled. “You’re such a nerd.”
“It is our home too. We have to know what’s going on in it,” he replied. “We don’t want to fight you. We swear. We don’t even want this,” he motioned to the death around them. “This isn’t our choice.”
“Then why be a part of it?” Alison asked wanting to humor him at least.
“Just let our sister go. Please,” Sofie said taking a step forward. “We’ve done nothing wrong to any of you. Ever.”
Miles winced and looked away, “That’s true. But unfortunately, we don’t get a say in these things.
Julie raised a hand and glanced at him. “Julie. That one. The woman. She’s got something in her. Something like us.”
“What? Another one of us?” she looked at Alison carefully and saw the shadow of Penny behind her. “Huh. So there’s people out here having demons shoved inside them.”
“No. That one has a contract. A proper union of a demon and a mage. Not like us. Keep an eye on them,” they said and Julie nodded in response.
“It’s okay,” Silva said looking at her siblings. “I’m okay. Don’t risk getting hurt trying to save me!”
Sofie shouted her eyes turning a bright orange almost ready. “We aren’t going to leave you behind!”
“Please,” Silva whispered her eyes turning green.
Sefirin spread his arms and his scales covered his body instantly. “Sefirin wait!” Alison shouted. He spread his wings and jumped flying right at them. All three of them watched the dragon fly at them and heard the roar leaving his lips. He brought his fist down and Julie moved fast thrusting her hand forward.
She caught it holding him aloft in the air, her skin suddenly covered by the black oil, solidified into its proper metal form. She looked up and the mask covered her face entirely bringing a red glow to her eyes. “We didn’t think you’d actually do it. But we so wanted you to.”
They cocked their fist back and punched him in the jaw. The force from the metallic fist hitting his face sent him soaring backward. He crashed into the ground letting out a choked cough.
“Sefirin!” Sofie ran over to him and he groaned getting up. His scales faded around his face and she saw the huge bruise against his cheek and the blood running down his nose. He got back up slowly letting the scales reform. “Are you okay?”
“It’s not that easy to take me down,” he growled.
“Let’s not run off like that again,” Alison said glaring at him. “There’s three of us. Let’s work together. Now follow our lead.”
Alison walked forward quickly and thrust her hand forward. Ice raced across the ground straight toward the pair of them. It jumped up quickly encircling them with spikes almost like a makeshift. Miles looked at the ice around him, not even able to raise his hands in defense.
Yanriel raised both their eyebrows slowly and then back at Alison, “Ice? That’s your gimmick?”
“It’s a specialty of ours,” Alison said raising her other hand. The ice from the base of the spikes leaped to the sky and encircled them to become a hanging ceiling. “We wouldn’t be moving if we were you.”
“Well good thing we aren’t you,” they said. Spinning around quickly their black skin shattered the ice around them and Miles. As if triggering a trap, the ice above them started to fall above their heads. Miles dove away while Yanriel covered their face. But the ice shattered against their skin and they shook their head quickly.
“Got any other specialties up your sleeve?” they challenged.
“We only need the one,” Alison smirked and closed her hand into a fist.
The shattered ice flipped around on the ground, and melted into several solid lances of ice that shot into her. One struck them in the shoulder and shattered, another hit their stomach and they stumbled backward but the other hit them in the shoulder again and this time they let out a shout as blood flew from them.
Snarling behind the mask they glanced at their shoulder touching it gingerly. “Ouch.”
They heard the ice start to move behind them again and turned around quickly. Swiping with their hand they broke the ice before it could form properly and that was when the woosh of wind sounded. Looking up Yanriel braced as Sefirin crashed into them. He came claws first and tried to get them despite Yanriel holding him back.
Grunting he kicked at their chest and then opened his mouth. A glow appeared and he unleashed a torrent of flames on them. They shouted and shoved him away. Stepping back, the flames licking across their suit they growled. Once the flames subsided they let out a laugh, “We think we miss the ice.”
“That can be arranged,” Alison said creating a sharp disc of ice over her hand. “But before that.” She glanced behind them and a wall of ice shot up between Silva and Miles. Startled by the sudden separation Silva stumbled backward and then looked at her. “Move Silva!”
“Oh no you don’t!” Yanriel began to move but Sefirin dove at them again. Whirling around they blocked his claw and then grabbed his wrist. His eyes widened and suddenly he was being thrown into the wall of ice shattering it and going through it.
“We need Em here,” Sofie said reaching out toward her partner.
“No!” Alison shouted. “If she flies by here she’ll get the ire of the demon. If she comes, we need to be on our way out. Not in.”
They started to say something when they felt another one of those silent waves of power. It was like a muted rumbling in their minds, in the ground beneath their feet, and in their souls. Alison held a hand to her head covering her real eye as her black eye seemed to glow brighter.
Sefirin fell to the ground and growled keeping his head down against the ground. He pounded the ground with a closed fist cracking it under the impact. Silva and Sofie both winced reaching to touch their heads and felt the pressure that pulsed against their temples.
The mask on Yanriel’s face cracked and half faded away as Julie took control again. She blinked behind the mask and then looked at them shocked. She looked past their courtyard and saw the demon in the city proper. Saw a glow around its body and swore, “They really summoned an old one.”
“Julie.”
She turned around and her eyes widened suddenly as she watched Miles holding onto his face as a mask started to appear. She rushed over to him and put a hand to his back and he shuddered. “They’re waking up aren’t they?” When he gave a shaky nod, she shook her head and then looked at Silva who was barely recovering from what was happening. “Get back to the castle. Now. This is going to be a mess.”
Silva looked at him and then back at her siblings who were getting their bearings again. The wave of magic that radiated off Miles forced her attention back to him again and she watched as he started to stand. The mask fully formed around his face, but unlike Julie’s mask the mouth on this one cracked open revealing Mile’s mouth but a roar came out.
“Finally,” they growled as their eyes shined red.
“Great. Invictus is here,” Julie mumbled.
Invictus smirked then jumped forward diving into the ground. The moment they touched the ground it rippled like liquid and then settled as they disappeared beneath it.
Sofie shook her head, stepping closer to Alison when they leaped out of the solid rock like it was water. They came down behind Sefirin and grabbed him by the shoulders sinking their teeth into his neck. Sefirin roared like a wounded animal. Turning around they jerked and tossed Sefirin aside like a doll.
“Stay back Sofie!” Alison brought both her hands forward magic racing across her body as streams of ice raced across the ground and lunged at the guardian. They whirled around and dove again as the ice lanced over where they’d started. Invictus launched out of the air this time beside her and grabbed her by the face. Hissing they slammed her head into the ground so quickly that Alison could barely react.
Sofie heard a sickening crack when she landed and her eyes turned a deep yellow. Landing and turning around Invictus stomped forward slowly. Their mask was streaked with blood and the way they huffed their eyes square on Sofie. She took a step back and her hand jerked to the pocket watch at her side.
She pressed it rapidly three times, feeling the object twitch at her tough. But nothing happened. No surge of magic. No portal. No soothing and knowing words from her headmaster. It was her staring down the demon and the panic set in. She stumbled, falling down her eyes widened.
Invictus started running forward and dove head first at her as she covered her face with her hands. White light manifested at her palms and a bright light shot out. It blasted Invictus backward like a cannon shot. They were barely able to keep standing under the light beam and Sofie had no idea as to how she even conjured it.
Sofie shouted as she stood again continuing the beam and keeping the demon at bay. She shouted at them her frustration, fear, anger, and pain channeling through the white magic pouring from her hands. Until suddenly it ended and it wasn’t by choice. Another hand covered her own blocking the magic. As the hand covered her own it was like she suddenly didn’t know how to use her own magic, let alone whatever she’d conjured.
“Enough of that. I need them in one piece,” Daze said softly.
Sofie looked at the man in front of her and nearly lost her train of thought stumbling away from him. “How? How are you here?”
He smirked and produced a simple pocket watch and held it out. It started as gold but as it swung in his hand it started to turn black and her heart sank with each continual swing of the timekeeper. “I answered your call. I wondered when the three of you would have used the gift I gave you.”
The Harlequin Library 