A Demon's Child Ch. 07

I sensed the demon's residue. It was pretty fresh, further evidence the body wasn't that old. "I can track this," I told Anita. Maybe if I found the demon, I'd get some brownie points. We might even recover one or two of his victims, though they probably wouldn't be sane.

"Do you want to go alone?" she asked me.

I nodded. "Of course. It'll sense you coming. I'll bring it back to you in the village."

Adena wanted to stay with the body, so Anita promised she'd send someone. We walked back to the village, and I left Anita at the pub. "I'll be back before dark," I promised her.

"Be back with the demon," she told me. "However long it takes."

I nodded. "As you wish, mistress."

Anita snorted. "You're sucking up, aren't you? Well, it won't get you anywhere."

I shrugged. "Worth a try. Mind turning around while I shift?"

Anita directed me to do it in the outhouse. When I trotted out of the building, I was a large black dog.

Anita nodded her approval. "Go. Good luck."

I didn't need luck, I thought as I left the town. The trail was ridiculously fresh, and I doubted the demon would dump bodies very far from his lair. This wouldn't take long. I'd be back to my Anita by sunset.

*

Anita

After having dinner, I wandered over to the river. It was a slender line in the middle of the riverbed. We'd had a wet summer, so the small river indicated that there was a dam upstream. I tried to remember the map of the area. How far upstream was the dam? What was it called? I drew a blank. Good thing it wasn't important.

"Anita!" Tom called. "Any luck?" He trotted over to me.

"Plenty," I told him. "We found the body of Mag Sauder. And it was covered in fresh demon residue. Saban is off tracking now. He'll bring the demon back when he's found it."

Tom nodded thoughtfully. "Bet you met Adena, then. Adena Sauder. She's Mag's-"

"Daughter in law. Yes, I met her. She went with me to find the body." I said.

"Of course she did. She thinks she should have been a wizard," Tom said.

I nodded. "I noticed. Rowan should keep an eye on her. She might break the summoning ban."

Tom shook his head. "Doubt it. She may want to be a wizard and have a familiar and all that, but she's also got a strong sense of self preservation. She'd never risk her life like that."

"Good. We've got enough demon trouble already without lesser mages trying summon-" I began.

Tom raised a hand. "Do you hear that? That roaring sound?"

I did hear it. It was coming from upstream. We turned, and saw a wall of water heading straight for the village.

I didn't have much time to think. I could just shield myself, but then half of the village would be washed away, including Tom. Or I could-

I raised my hands as the water rolled closer. No time to finesse this. I said three words. A huge half circle of power materialized over the village.

Pain shot through my head as the water crashed against my makeshift barrier, but it was working. The water curved up and away from the village, rushing past the dome. This would have been a lot easier, I thought, if I'd been able to encircle the village first. But if I'd had time to encircle the village, I would have had time to make a better plan.

I heard shouts behind me. "What the hell is she-"

"Shut up!" Tom ordered. "She needs to concentrate."

There was more talking, but it was lost in the rush of water against my mind. Now I knew how it felt to be a riverbed. I was gradually eroding away. My head ached, and I could feel the pull of the water in my bones.

The pressure was overwhelming. The pain. Blackness began to grow at the edges of my vision. I needed to hold on. Just a bit longer. Just a bit longer. Just-

*

Saban

The demon's trail ended at the edge of a lake. I swore silently. I couldn't follow the residue through the water. I'd have to pick up the trail where the demon came out.

When I walked around the edge, though, I found a multitude of paths leading away from the lake's edge, some old, some new, some traveled many times over. Did the demon enter the lake as a way to shake off pursuit? That couldn't be right. He didn't know there'd be another demon after him, though. Perhaps... Perhaps he was laired inside the lake. He could even be in there now. Water blocked my sense of other demons.

Most of the trails came out right next to the dam, so I decided to start there. I shifted into the form of a giant frog, and jumped into the water. As soon as I swam up next to the dam, I sensed the demon. Several demons, in fact. The demon lord. He was laired up in the dam itself, with several of his subjects. He had chewed a small cave. I swam through the opening, and popped up into an air filled space within the dam.

The demon lord had taken the form of a cross between a human and a frog, as had his minions. They croaked in surprise when they saw me. The lord was, I noticed, a very young, weak demon lord. This would be easier than I thought, but I would need to subdue them physically before I could take control. I shifted into a more compact version of my true form, and added some spikes.

"Wait!" the demon lord croaked. "Wait! There is no need to fight! There are plenty of humans for all!"

I charged, slamming him up against the wall. I heard a muffled scream. Glancing to the side, I noticed a human tied up against the wall. He bore the marks of torture, but not many, and his eyes were still clear and focused, although they were wide with terror. He would likely recover, given time. If he survived the fight.

The demon lord's marked demons piled into the fight. The young lord was likely trying to distract me long enough for him to get away. I shoved them away from me, trying to avoid pushing them into the human male. Rescuing him might make Anita forgive me for my earlier lapse in judgment.

I slammed into the demon lord again. The wall I pushed him into began to crack. The entire room shuddered. Shit.

I barely had time to wrap myself around the human, trapping him in a small pocket of air, before the entire room collapsed. Masonry battered me, and then the force of the water shoved me down. The dam was breaking. This would not please Anita.

I couldn't see anything except water and debris, and I couldn't feel anything except the squirming human and the irresistible power of the water. I flailed, trying to force my way to the surface. After what seemed like an eternity of rushing waves, I broke the surface. Wings grew from the part of me above the water, and I pulled free of the overflowing river. I raced downstream, trying to get ahead of the flood. The town was downstream. Anita.

I saw the town, right in the path of the waves, and a pair of small figures by the riverbank. One of them was Anita. I dove toward her. She raised her arms, and a blue barrier appeared in front of me. I slammed into it with a thud. Ouch.

The water poured around Anita's barrier. I hovered above it, anxiously watching Anita as she began to sway. The strain of holding such a big spell against such a powerful force was taking its toll, destroying her mind as I watched helplessly from above. This kind of damage could shatter sanity, erase memories, or even kill. She might never recover. And I could do nothing.

Anita collapsed. The barrier broke. No! I dove down into the water as it crashed down on her limp form.

*

Anita

My head felt like someone was using it as an anvil, pounding it against red hot metal. I felt a cool cloth against my forehead. So. I was alive. That was good. My eyelids fluttered weakly as I tried to open my eyes.

Someone lifted my head and placed a cup against my lips. "Swallow," a voice ordered, so I did. The ache in my head began to subside. I opened my eyes.

Saban's worried face hovered in front of my own. "Anita?" he asked. "Can you talk?"

Could I? I opened my mouth. "Yes," I croaked, sounding almost unintelligible. I wet my lips, and tried again. "Yes."

Relief crossed Saban's face, but it did not entirely erase his worry. "Do you know who I am?" he asked.

"You're Saban," I answered. "My familiar."

His forehead creased. "Is that all I am?"

"You're a demon lord," I added. Saban's forehead creased further. Not the answer he was looking for. "My lover," I tried, and his brow smoothed.

Saban sighed in relief. "Do you remember how you got here?" There was something other than worry in his eyes now, but I couldn't identify it.

I detailed the circumstances surrounding my collapse. Saban sighed in relief again. Apparently my memory was accurate. Good. I ran through a short checklist in my head, examining my mental function. I couldn't use magic, obviously, but everything else seemed intact.

I tried to sit up, and found I was tied to the bed. I tugged against the strand of rope around my wrist. "Saban? What is this?"

Saban's fists slammed down on either side of my head. I recognized the emotion in his eyes now. Rage. "We are going to have a little chat," he informed me, growling, "and I don't want you going anywhere until it's done. You try to use your magic and, I swear to the gods, I will never, ever, let you go. Got it?"

I nodded. "Look, Saban-"

"What the hell were you thinking?" Saban snarled. "Trying to save the whole village. That could have killed you!"

"Saban-" I tried again.

Saban's eyes flared red. His fingers grew slender claws. "Were you trying to die?"

"If I hadn't, half the village-" I began, then stopped.

The tips of Saban's claws were tracing patterns against my stomach, almost, but not quite, hard enough to break the skin. His eyes were red from lid to lid. "Continue," he said icily.

"Could you stop with the claws?" I asked.

"I could." For an instant, Saban's teeth were long and sharp. "I won't."

"It's kind of distracting," I said. I was starting to get nervous. Under normal circumstances, I was confident that Saban would never hurt me. When he was this angry, though, he might lose control.

Saban's red eyes narrowed. "Too bad."

I followed the path of a claw as it traced a small circle just below my navel. It moved lower, tracing tighter and tighter circles as it went. I swallowed. "Ok, then." I swallowed again. "If I hadn't put up the shield, half the village would have been washed away. People would have died."

Saban's red eyes bored into mine. "So?"

I blinked. "Don't you care?"

Saban smiled, revealing way too many pointed teeth. "No, I don't. They'll die eventually, whatever you do. They're mortal."

"So am I," I said.

Saban froze, with his claws resting lightly against my skin. "Shut up."

I met his blood red gaze. "I'm mortal, Saban, and-"

"Shut up!" Saban growled.

"And, just like them," I continued, "someday I'll-"

"SHUT UP!" Saban roared. His claws flashed, and I felt a sting just below my navel.

I looked down. Four slender white lines stood out against my skin. As I watched, they slowly turned red.

Saban staggered back, face pale. His teeth and eyes returned to normal, and his claws retracted. "What have I done?" he whispered.

I glanced back at the red lines. "Saban, it's not much more than a paper cut. It's ok."

He shook his head. "But I hurt you. I lost control. I could have killed you!"

"It's ok," I repeated. "Saban, I'm fine. Aside from being tied up. Any possibility you could untie me?"

Saban, in a daze, undid the knots. I pulled him close. He shivered, and then leaned into my touch. I kissed the top of his head. "It's all right, Saban. It's all right." I lay back down, and pulled him down beside me.

Saban buried his face between my breasts. "I don't want you to die, Anita."

I wasn't sure what to say. I just held him. I felt tears against my skin, and Saban shook with silent sobs.

Eventually, Saban's breathing slowed, and he stilled, fast asleep. I absently stroked his hair, thinking. Saban was immortal. I was not. Eventually, I would die, and he would be left alone to grieve for a very, very long time.

Something had to be done.