The First Book of Demons (The Book of Demons Saga) (3 page)

Chapter Six

The door of
Balthazar’s audience chamber opened and a hunched figure shuffled in.  The old demon leaned heavily on a crooked wooden staff as he made his way over to the pile of cushions sitting opposite Balthazar, his long white beard swaying with each hobbled step.

“You have summoned me, boy?
” Salaman said as he settled himself into a cross legged position.  His milky blue eyes focused on the demon prince.  Salaman was the oldest living demon in Devas.  He had been around for many generations of Lord Sultan’s, and always served as an invaluable advisor.  The knowledge he held was immense, and he was well respected in the kingdom.  He was also the only demon that could anoint a new Lord Sultan.  Without his blessing, Balthazar would never be anointed. 

“You know my reasons
,” Balthazar said, returning the old demon’s stare.  “Do not waste my time.”

“Of course,”
Salaman said, with a nod. “You always were an impatient little thing.  I remember when you were born.…”

“I said do not wa
ste my time,” Balthazar said, “There is no need for pleasantries.”

“Very well
,” Salaman said, “You need to increase your power.  I will follow Lord Sami’s desires, and I will lend my blessing in anointing you.  However, that will not be enough.  There are many threats to your rule, and you do not possess the power to oppose them all.”

“How,” Balthazar said simply.  He could accept the fact that his current power level was insufficient, but there had to be a way to augment it. 

“That is not an easy feat, boy,” Salaman said, his milky eyes wandering.  “You have not even gained control of your beast.”

“I can contain it,” Balthazar said, uneasy about the direction the conversation was heading.

“That will not be near enough,” Salaman said.  “To reach true power, you must learn to harness its power.  You must master your darkness.”

“
I see,” Balthazar said his eyes narrowing in understanding.  Every demon struggled with containing the darkness that lurked within them.  It was not a particularly difficult thing to suppress, but to actually control it was another matter.  Even for someone as powerful as Sultan Sami it was a difficult task.

“Unfortunately,” Salaman continued as he began to stroke at his snowy beard, “mastering your beast will not be enough.”
 

“Explain,” Balthazar said,
a scowl forming on his face. 

“The threats you will face require more,” Salaman said, “only transformation will give you the power to face them all.”

“That is impossible,” Balthazar said, his voice low.

“No,” Salaman said.  “But you will require something very particular to assist you.”

“Tell me what it is I need,” Balthazar said, leaning in.

“A human,” Salaman said flatly.  “A human will have the power you need to conquer your beast and facilitate a transformation.”

“A human,” Balthazar said, his eyes narrowing as he leaned back. “I believed they were only myth.”

“
It has been many centuries,” the old demon said, a peculiar smile creeping on his face, “since our worlds mingled, but that will soon change.”

“You will obtain this human,” Balthazar said.

“Unfortunately I cannot,” Salaman said, as he rose from his cushion, “I have told you all that I can.”

“I have not dismissed you, old man,” Balthazar said, a growl echoing his words.

“And I do not require it, boy,” Salaman said, turning for a moment to look at Balthazar.  “You will have the power you need at the precise moment you need it and not a breath before.”

Balthazar growled in frustration.  The old man was insufferable, and if his services had not been absolutely
indispensable, Balthazar would have ripped his throat out long ago.  Darius came rushing into the room, brushing past Salaman as he was leaving. 

“My Lord,”
he said, his breathing heavy. 

“What is it?” Balthazar said.

“It is your younger brother, Hasan,” Darius said, still trying to catch his breath.

“Has he disgraced himself once more?” Balthazar asked.  It wouldn’t surprise him.  Hasan was always doing something to disgrace the family.  He had far too much of his mother in him, in Balthazar’s opinion.  

“My Lord,” Darius said, pausing, “He is with Baal.  They are conspiring to sidestep you and steal the throne.

Chapter
Seven

Alexandra’s jaw hung open, her clogged nasal passage forcing her to breathe through her mouth.  Her swollen red eyes stared blankly out the window.  A dead glaze hid the once vibrant life that use to shine through her emerald eyes.  She sat in one of the spare bedrooms in Sam’s house that had become her new home.  She spent most of her days sitting in the window.  Just sitting quietly and watching.  Every now and then she would burst into a fit of tears until her body was sore and she couldn’t cry anymore.  Then she would fall into a light sleep before waking to repeat the cycle. 

Afternoon before last she noticed an old
man standing on the other side of the street.  He was watching her.  She watched him back for a few moments before he turned and walked away. 

Now,
the man was back.  This time he was on her side of the road, and as he passed just in front of the window Alex sat in, he stopped.  The man was tall with a thick chest. His face carried a thick white beard, and bushy eyebrows that stood out on his weathered face, hiding his eyes. The man looked up into the window, his eyes meeting Alexandra’s.  A tingle raced down her spine.  She knew this man.  She didn’t know how, or where, but recognition hit her when her face met his.  She rose to her feet; this could not be a coincidence. This man had been watching her, and Alex wanted to know why. The door to her bedroom swung open.  Alex whirled around to greet the intruder.

“Oh good, you’re up,” Sam said, barging into the room, clearly not caring if she was in fact up or not.

Alex turned back to the window, ignoring her friend. The man had vanished.

“Would you stop with that window,” Sam said, as much concerned as annoyed. “It’s not healthy, what you are doing.”

“I’m not doing anything,” Alex said, plopping back down, craning her neck to look up and down the street.  ”Have you noticed an old man around the neighborhood?  White hair, white beard?”

Sam sighed, shaking his head
.  He knew that it would take time for Alex to heal, but she was exhibiting some rather disturbing behavior.  Something needed to be done. Alex needed to socialize, and she needed to be around her friends and other people that cared about her. Not wasting away, staring out of a window all day. 

“Alex,” he
said, stepping into the room. “Let’s go camping.”

“I don’t
want to go camping,” she said, finally moving her eyes away from the window to look at her friend.

Sam had anticipa
ted this, but he had resolved not to give up.  He would get her out of the house if it was the last thing he did. 

“You don’t have to
want to, but you’re going to,” he said, his balled fists placed firmly on his narrow hips.  Alex had seen that stance before.  When he stood like that, he meant business.  There was no use in fighting; he wouldn’t give up until she relented.

“Fine, when are we leaving?”
she sighed, once again turning to look out the window.

“
Half an hour. I already loaded the car. Will and Kat are gonna come too,” he said, flashing her a satisfied smile.

This must be some sort of intervention
, Alex thought. She couldn’t blame him.  She could imagine trying to do the same for him. Alex wanted to feel better; she wanted to get on with her life.  But it felt like a ton of bricks was constantly resting on her chest.  It was so tiring.  She was alternating between burning pain and raw numbness.

Alex knew
the last thing her Aunt Tamy would want was her to waste away like this.  She knew she had to wake from this lethargy and get her life back together.  She had to try.  She turned to look at Sam, and forced a smile.

“
Ok,” she said, “I’ll get my things ready.”

His smile broadened and he left to finish getting ready
, closing the door behind him.

Alex stood from the window and walked over to the small closet in the co
rner of the room, pulling a ratted pink backpack down from the top shelf. She packed a couple changes of clothes, something to sleep in, a book she had been reading on and off, and a few things she would need to bathe in the small lake at the campsite.  Alex and Sam had been camping at the same spot since as long as she could remember.  She cherished those times, remembering the peace that would wash over her as she sat before a roaring campfire, marshmallows roasting on an untwisted wire hanger.  It had been a few years since they had been camping, and the more Alex thought about it, the more excited she got.  This camping trip was just what she needed to start pulling herself back together.  She looked around her room, thinking of anything else she might need.  A sparkle under her bed caught her eye, and she walked over to it.  Reaching under the bed, she pulled out the small silver box that was her only inheritance.  Alexandra hadn’t told anybody about it, not even Sam.

“Alex!” Sam hollered from downstairs.  “Let’s get going.”

“I’m coming,” she called back, shoving the silver box into the bag and heading downstairs.

They
arrived at the campsite just before sunset.  The light of the dying sun played off the small lake like a million fireflies in the air, lending a surreal feeling to the clearing that bordered one side of it.  There was a vast forest that splayed out in every direction from the small campsite.  The evening air was cool, hinting at the onset of the winter months to come.  Not very many people knew about this place, so they were pretty secluded. The guys got to work setting up camp right away

The five friends sat around the campfire late into the n
ight, roasting marshmallows and trading scary stories.  Kat and Will decided to sleep in the tent, while Alexandra and Sam fell fast asleep outside in their sleeping bags as they gazed up at the stars sparkling brightly above them.

#

Alex woke suddenly
from her slumber, her eyes opening to see the stars shining high above her.  A light breeze blew through the campsite, and for an instant Alex thought she heard her name, like a whisper on the wind.  Alexandra.  She heard it again.  She sat up in her sleeping bag and glanced around the campsite.  The embers of the once raging campfire had died to a soft glow.  A movement beyond the tree line caught her eye.  She squinted trying to make out what it was.  A pair of almond eyes, shining in the darkenss, watching her.  She glanced at Sam, who was still peacefully asleep. 

“Alexandra,” a
voice cut through the silence of the night behind her.

Alex jumped, s
napping her head around to see who had called her name.  It was the white haired man.  She rose out of her sleeping bag and turned to face him. 

T
here was something…inhuman about him.   A fleshy tip stuck out past locks of white hair that now seemed unnaturally aged. His eyes were a mesmerizing charcoal color, with a black slit for a pupil.

“Who are you? And
why have you been following me?” Alex demanded.

“There’s no time
,” the man replied, taking a few steps closer and holding his hand out to her, expecting her to take it.  “You must come with me.”

 
His fingers were tipped with nails that tapered to a fine point, and when he spoke Alex saw the pointed fangs of his canines glistening in the moonlight.

“
I’ve seen you before.  In the neighborhood,” she said, ignoring the urgency in his voice. “but…you looked different.”

“I
can alter my form while in this land.  This is my true self,” the man said, his strange eyes sparkling softly in the moonlight.  “I knew your parents, Alexandra.    You must come with me.”

“I’m not going to go anywhere with you,”
she scoffed, turning to wake Sam.

“Do you have the d
agger?” the man asked.

Alex turned and looked at
him, narrowing her eyes.

“I don’t know
what you are talking about,” she said.

 
“Your Aunt Tamy left it for you,” the man replied.

“
You knew Aunt Tamy?” Alex asked, her heart leaping into her chest, her brows furrowed.

“
I knew her well,” he said, his voice sad and eyes cast downward.

Alex s
huffled her feet, staring apprehensively at the old man. “And you knew my parents?”

“I did,
” the man replied, looking back up at her, “and I will tell you of them, but you must come with me now.”

“L
et me wake my friends,” Alex said, stepping closer to Sam.

“There is no time
Alexandra!” The man insisted, his voice a harsh whisper.  He looked cautiously around the campsite. “Do you have the dagger?”

“Yes
,” she said, walking over to where her bag was resting by the tent. The man turned and walked into the wooded area, not even turning to see if she would follow.  Alex glanced around the campsite, and with one last wavering thought she followed after the man.

She picked her way through the dark forest
, stumbling over fallen branches and tree roots.   She wondered how the man she was following could see where he was going as he easily picked his way through the sparsely populated forest, his footing sure.  Alex was running out of breath trying to keep up with the brisk pace the man had set.

“How did you know my parents?” Alex asked
between panting breaths.

At first he
said nothing.  Alex wondered if he had even heard her.  Finally, he glanced over his shoulder at her without slowing his pace.

“
Now is not the time for that,” he replied.

They came
to a clearing in the forest with a rocky outcrop, and one massive boulder in the center.

“Where i
s the dagger?” He asked, looking down at her with ashen eyes as he extended a clawed hand out to her.

Alex rummaged in her bag, and a moment later produced the small
silver box. Handing it over to the man in front of her, she watched as he removed the dagger from the box.  Two cloaked figures stepped into the clearing. 

“It is time for you to
meet your destiny, Alexandra,” the man said.

She
felt a sharp sting in her chest.  She looked down to see the glittering gold handle of the dagger sticking out of her chest.  Her eyes followed the hand that grasped the hilt to the face of the white haired man. 

“I know this part can be
painful,” he said.