mogust

This is the second chapter within a 24 hour period - make sure that you have read chapter 23 (staring into the void) first.

Chapter 23 – Schemes of the Demon.

Callie had never been this deep into the main building of the Guardians of Humanity’s complex. She hadn’t even been aware that these levels existed. While she had known that they did have vaults, where all of the valuable discoveries were kept, separate from the stores of the archives, where they were walking now was even deeper. Like the lair of a villain. Which, she guessed, totally fit. She had no love at all for Riddling, and she’d only been aware of his existence for a few days. No, that wasn’t strictly true. She had always been aware of Elf, but not in the personal capacity that she knew him now. And everything that he’d done or been involved in just made her dislike him more.

It was funny that. As a child, she’d half dreamed of meeting one of the originals. She had no idea what she would have said to them, possibly just yelled at them, given that they were responsible for the deaths of the totem animals, who she liked even more, but there had been that mysterious nature about them. Little had she known that there had been one right there, in the background. It made sense, really. Then of course, only a few days ago, she’d run into Vampire. Amber. That first encounter had been... strange. But not as unusual as their second. There she’d learned something valuable, and Julia had been given a gift. A gift that had brought them all closer, but was now putting Julia at great risk. If there was one thing that Callie could say for certain about Riddling, was that he had ambitions. And that he was very self centred. He carried an arrogance about him, that was only amplified when he’d revealed himself. That kind of mindset reminded her too much of her parents, and she knew just how dangerous it was.

One of the benefits of the familiar bond was that she knew where Felicia was at any point in time. A background knowing that became clearer when she focused in on her. Which had left her confused at first as they’d raced into the building and then worked their way down to the lowest level, only to realise that they were still far off where they needed to be. A quick message to Felicia had solved that issue, Felicia reciting the route that they had taken and what Riddling had done to access the lower areas. Ridiculously simple in fact, the maintenance panel hiding the extra buttons and the access key still sitting in there.

The lowest levels looked and felt... normal. Just like all the other floors of the building. Plain, mundane, white washed walls and clean polished floors, harsh white light from the fluorescent tubes illuminating it all as their footfalls echoed around them. She could feel them all now. Felicia, Julia, and Riddling. He didn’t feel as powerful as he had when he’d stopped their fight with her father, but he hadn’t folded it all in like he usually did. Down here, there was no one else who he needed to hide it from, she guessed.

The room in which they were though, was a little bit different. Stone floors and walls, the lights bolted into the stone ceiling, cabling running through a little plastic pipe to it. A pile of gear sat thrown in one corner, otherwise it was empty. Apart from the arrays carved into the floor and the three people there. Well, two people and a fox, but Felicia was a person as well. Julia was on one side, leaning against the wall and looking more than worried, a flash of relief as they stepped in, Felicia held protectively in her arms, while Riddling stood in the middle of the room, a cocky smile on his face.

“The Witch finally graces us with her presence,” Riddling stated with a mock bow, his power leaking through a little more.

“What is it that you want?” Callie asked as they made their way over to Julia, standing there beside her. The array on the ground was giving her a headache, and was nothing like the one that Amber had left for her. This one was on a whole other level.

“It’s not often that someone gains a title, you know,” Riddling said with a flourish as he turned, facing them. “In fact, it’s rather rare. Outside of those that you have termed the originals, I can only think of a handful.”

“What has that got to do with anything?” Uriah growled. ‘He’s starting to power the array, Callie,’ he added mentally to her.

She could sense it too. Whatever trap he’d laid, they’d walked straight into it. And she wasn’t sure at all what she could do about it.

“A lot, but me telling you would be a waste. It’d be lost on you. You lack the understanding. That you have achieved what you did was rather a surprise, but I suspect you had some help there.” Riddling gave them an intense stare.

“That is none of your business,” Callie snapped back. She was still raw from her visit to her parents, and Riddling was doing nothing to help the matter.

“Come now, don’t be like that,” Riddling smirked. “You met our vampire friend, Yeah. Even I can’t pronounce her name. Her smell is all over Julia, and I think that you got more than just the bonding array from her.” His eyes went cold and hard. “What is it that she asked of you?”

“Nothing!” Julia responded, pushing back up against the wall.

Riddling looked at them for a moment more before he shrugged. “Perhaps you are telling the truth there. She was always a strange one. Yet, you managed to use that knowledge, and bond both the fox there, and form one to your little friend as well. That isn’t easy you know, except your title reflects that. That’s the problem with marks. They reveal too much to those who can understand them.”

“What is it that you want?” Callie asked again, and edge to her voice. “And why have you involved Julia?”

“Why, she is as bonded to you as your familiar and husband are, Callie. It’d be cruel to separate you all now, wouldn’t it? Besides, leverage is necessary in situations such as these. I know that you don’t trust me at all, even if what I offer is what you are after, so a little bit of insurance never hurts.”

Callie narrowed her eyes at him. She was curious, but he was also right. She did not trust him at all.

“I offer you your freedom and independence again. The return of everything that your parents have taken from you.”

“You are in no position to offer that. You have no influence over them,” Callie hissed. She’d seen how they’d acted.

“You’d be surprised what I can achieve, dear. On that I do not lie. But in return, I need you to fetch something for me.”

“No.” Her answer was instant. She wanted nothing to do with Riddling and his schemes.

Riddling’s smile went all kinds of nasty. “Oh, but I’m not offering you a choice in this, daughter of Theodore and Violet. You will be doing this. After all, you hold the key to it all.” He started walking towards them, Callie filled with the urge to run, but knowing at the same time that it would be futile.

The arrays around Riddling surged to life, glowing a vibrant mossy brown, a wave of nausea smashing into Callie as the magic intensified, causing her to collapse to her knees. And Julia as well, Uriah the only one who appeared to be less affected. He was looking all kinds of ill, but at least he was still standing.

“To think that there was a shard under my nose all this time. And so well hidden too. But Alyther forced your hand, didn’t he? I felt it during the battle, strong and clear. I’d point out his true nature, but you already know, don’t you? And it doesn’t matter to you at all. You took him as your husband after all. I will admit that you make a good pair. You always have. Perhaps if your upbringing had been different you would have both flourished a lot earlier, but who am I to judge?”

Riddling shrugged as reality seemed to shift and tear around them, colours splitting and the air itself hissing, a rift in reality opening up behind the man. Callie keeled over completely as she was struck by a splitting headache, the pain being fed back through the bonds nigh unbearable. The others were not doing well at all.

“Bonds have their disadvantages as well, you know.” Riddling sniggered as he kneeled down in front of her. “You are young, and yet you have three very strong ones. Everything carries a cost.”

Callie wanted to swear at him, or fry him alive with her magic, but she was having difficulty forming coherent thoughts at the moment. Riddling rose quickly, stepping off to the side as Uriah attempted to kick him. He was standing, but only barely, his ethereal fox features burning brightly and vividly around him.

“What have you done to them?” Uriah growled.

“I haven’t done anything,” Riddling stated, easily dodging another swing. “It’s just a side effect of magic such as this. In fact, you’d also be much worse off if your lover wasn’t taking the brunt of it for you all. But, I tally. This rift won’t last long.”

Riddling’s form shimmered and vanished, reappearing beside Julia. “I want the seed from the last remaining totem. You will bring it back to me, and you won’t be able to return without it.” With one smooth motion, he picked up the limp form of Julia, and by association Felicia, and all but threw her through the rift, a fresh wave of pain stabbing into Callie as they passed over the threshold. “That is the realm of the totems, where Mort and her kin came from. Though I doubt that there is much left to it any more. I would hurry if I were you. Time is not kind.”

Callie stared at the rift as it pulsated purple and green. She could feel the dread, the fear. And the pain still surging through the bonds. It was exactly the same as it had been there. ‘We have no choice. We have to go after her.’ She hated that her hand was being forced, but she would not abandon Julia or Felicia.

‘We do.’ She could still hear his voice back, even with all of the noise.

“Oh, and I’m not completely cruel.” Riddling had picked up the packs that had been lying in the corner of the room, and proceeded to throw them through as well. “I’m sure you’ve both had enough training to make use of them.

“May your soul rot in hell, Riddling,” Callie managed as she took Uriah’s hand and stumbled to the rift.

“Oh, a little spite. I like that.” Riddling laughed as Callie took one last look at him and then stepped into the rift.

The magic wasn’t at all what she expected. Cool, soothing, the mental pain quickly subsiding as the strain on her bonds lessened. But that wasn’t what was dominating her thoughts as she passed between realms.

She had seen his mark, on his lower neck, the meanings immediately clear to her. He did indeed have a title, as he had implied. She had always called him Elf, but that was so far from the truth that it wasn’t funny. His title labelled him as something completely different.

It marked him as Demon.

mogust

She has been rather curious about the other realm(s), but this was certainly not how she expected it to go.

And Riddling... yeah.

Before I forget - Julia has artwork! It can be found in the discord server, in either the story-art channel (which has all of the art to date for my stories), and also in the What-Lies-Within channel.

The next chapter (24 – Wasteland) will be out within the next week.

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Anyways, thanks for reading. Comments etc are welcome. There is also a discord Server if you'd just like to chat: https://discord.gg/Y2gaPFB6X6 (as well as a bunch of other stuff; we're nice people). It also has a channel with larger versions of all of the covers, since SH and RR only store tiny versions.

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