DARK SOULS (Dark Souls Series) (16 page)

His angst became more and more obvious the longer he continued. “We haven’t even fully tested your abilities. Normally we only possess one or two powerful traits, like me for example. I’m stealthy. Deadly quiet. It’s how I can so easily sneak up on my prey—sorry, on humans. And then I can very easily persuade them to forget I was ever nibbling on their soul in the first place. But that’s it. That’s all I possess.” His eyes were hard on me when he continued, “But you, my dear, so far you’ve told me that you can alter reality, persuade people, mark specific demons, and even have human
physical changes, all without any ounce of effort on your part. It’s remarkable. Truly, there’s only one other demon that displays the vast array of powers that you do. “

He went silent. My butt was on the edge of a protruding tree root, my feet tapping furiously. “Who? What?”

“Damos,” he said, and if I didn’t know any better, I could swear he sounded frightened.

“Like, the King of all demons you were talking about before?”

“Damos. That’s his name, and I beg you, please only use that name sparingly. You don’t want the wind catching that name and carrying it to someone who could use it against you. He is feared, even by his own kind. You never, ever want to find yourself in front of him.” Even now, his eyes darted around the park.

“How is that possible? Why would I display powers that only an evil demon-king possesses?”

“I told you, stop being so glib about him.” I seemed to have snapped him out of his dark and somber mood, as he glanced over at me in irritation. “And I don’t know. All I can do is study you, watch your powers, and see if it rings a bell. I’ve been around a long time. Centuries. You’re the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in hundreds of years.” His expression twisted, but only for a moment, and not long enough for me to catch what it was. Then he turned to me, his face carefully blank when he said, “Speaking of which, let’s take you for a test run.”

“Wait, just talk to me a bit more. Please. There’s so much I still need to know.”
About you.
Instead I asked, “What’s this Trine you mentioned before?”

I caught his interest. “I suppose you should know about them. Seeing as it is only a matter of time before they come after you. And come after you they will. You’ll be their most powerful catch in decades
.
”

He stared up at the darkening sky, shaking his head in wonder. “It’s not often powerful demons make themselves known. They hide well. They adapt very well. It’s only the uncontrollable ones, the greedy ones who make mistakes that end up on the wrong end of the Trine. It’s incredibly rare to smoke out an old, powerful demon, but if anyone can do it, they can.”

My legs stopped twitching. My body stilled.

“Trine means three. A trinity. A trio, if you will. Three warriors, tasked with eradicating all demons from this world.”

I raised my eyebrow at that one and had to interrupt. “Like, demon slayers?”

He laughed sharply, but there was no humor in it. “Pretty much. They are powerful. They’ve been around almost as long as we have, each with their own title. A Chaser. A Trapper. And lastly—and most deadly—a Hunter.”

“You’ve used that word before. Hunter.”

“Yes, because one has entered our midst in this quaint little city. He’s always waiting. The Chaser would have led him here. The Trapper ensnares. Once the Trapper has the demon, the Hunter will come.”

“I guess I don’t need to ask you what the Hunter then does,” I said.

“He will destroy us. He’ll damn us to eternity. We’ll suffer with endless pain, because we can’t truly die. But we can be trapped.”

My stomach lurched at his words. “But not all demons are evil and deserve that sort of fate, do they? You don’t seem very evil.”

There was a moment of silence.  

“Darling, we don’t kill humans just to sustain ourselves,” he said, his mouth curling into a slow smile. “We enjoy it. We cause havoc within this world. We start wars, we kill humans’ loved ones. We thrive in mayhem. We take over human bodies in order to disguise our true selves, with no thought to the soul we consume in order to get it. Some demons, of course, have more fun with humans than others, and I suppose those are the types of demons you would call ‘evil.’” He paused and his eyes lowered as he regarded me. The piano continued to play, riding on the wind. “I sucked out and consumed the soul of the real Derek in order to transition and inhabit his body. Is that evil to you?”

His eyes regarded me flatly, lifelessly. His gaze had turned cold and hard. I realized that my body had started shaking again, but not from my pent-up energy. It was from fear. From disgust at the meaning of what he was stating.

“I am not like you.”

Although my voice didn’t sound loud to my ears, Derek flinched.

“No my darling, I don’t believe you are.”

“Then what am I?”

“That, I can’t answer. But we can try to figure it out before the Hunter finds you.”

“Why do you stay here, if you know at least one of the Trine is here?”

Derek barked with laughter again. “Little demon, this isn’t my first rodeo with the Hunter. I’ve been around many versions of the Trine before and know how to avoid them.”

“Versions? You mean there are a bunch of them?”

“There are replacements. If something happens to one of the Trine and they are killed, the rest lose their abilities. They come as a team, you see. If one falls, they all fall.”

“But you make the Hunter sound invincible,” I said, confused.

Derek gave me a sideways glance and didn’t bother to hide his annoyance at my interjections. “He is, but the other two aren’t. And he’s just as susceptible to losing his powers if something happens to the others. That’s why a Hunter is immensely protective of the other two. It’s also why it’s only the Hunter that can destroy a demon.”

“Yes, and damn a demon to an eternity of suffering. How ironic, wouldn’t you say?”

His gaze narrowed at me. “I believe this tutorial session is over for today.”

I sighed, mentally kicking myself for annoying Derek before I was able to get more information.

“Now, time to show me a little of what you can do. Let’s go into an abandoned building.”

I nodded before I fully registered his words. “Wait, what?”

“Where else are we going to test out your paranormal abilities but in a spooky, deserted, dangerous location?” He gestured around the park, the growing crowds of tourists despite the setting sun. “Unless you want to cause a mass panic. Actually…”

“No, Derek. No widespread terror today, ok? Let’s go.”

He smiled, and I knew he was happy I was putting my trust in him. I just hoped it was smart.  “Oh goody. Follow me.” He stepped behind the tree.

“God, there’s not a portal or something, is there? I can’t handle a demon Narnia, okay?” But I followed him anyway, away from the clusters of innocent eyes.

He laughed. “Of course not.” He looked the tree up and down. “Tree’s too small anyway. I just need to get you ready.”   

I bobbed from foot to foot nervously. I had never deliberately tried to use my newfound abilities. It was always by accident, never by choice.

“Come on, scaredy-demon. Just use your swift feet and we’ll be there in no time. Watch me.”

Before I could reply, he became a blur as he blew through the park and crested over the Arch. If I didn’t hurry, I would lose him entirely and really would
be lost in a dark, deserted, scary late-night city. Or at the very least, stuck to face the Trine in Washington Square Park, because who knew what kind of demon movements attracted them? That thought scared me, and most certainly motivated me. I took a deep breath, telling myself to fly forward, to become invisible. I felt the heat rise up in anticipation at my thoughts, swelling, spiraling down my legs and arms, boiling up into my neck. I was consumed by the fire of it, but I loved it. I needed
it.

I flew into the air, so fast I was invisible as I grazed over the crowds and trees. I focused on the voice inside me, searching.

He was marked, and I’d find him.

Sure enough, I did. I felt him cross the East River, and I rocketed forward, following him, my feet grazing across the water, dipping down before flying up and into Williamsburg.

The dark sky didn’t even deter me as I crested over flickering lights and honking cars, focusing forward, shadowing him.

I felt him stop all to soon and I had to apply all the brakes my body possessed in order to prevent myself from crashing into him. I jerked to a stop, my upper body flying forward as my feet anchored to the ground, my windblown hair settling in haphazard strands across my face.

Unfazed, he said, “Well. Go on, then.”

I took in my surroundings. We’d flown through a broken window, the shards of glass not even nicking my skin as I entered. Concrete pillars surrounded us with jagged pieces of wood piled in the corner and books stacked in precarious piles. It was then I noticed a ribbon of red painted across the center of each wall.

“Wait, are we in a school gym?”

He shrugged. “Yep. Schools are shutting down all over the place.” Smile. “All the more playgrounds for us demons to frolic in.”

I shivered, only the pale moonlight filtering in through the high rows of dusty, neglected windows. “You are so creepy.”

“Duh. I’m monster that eats souls. Now go.” He flapped his hands forward. “Be powerful.”

“Uh, okay,” I blew out a breath, my cheeks pillowing. I was unsure of how to begin, or even really what I was capable of. Or even really how I just flew from the West Village to Brooklyn.

I decided to start off with what I’d just learned: my ability to leap tall buildings and all of that. I brushed a hand over my face to remove my tangled hair from my vision as I looked up. Instantly, my body coiled and tensed in anticipation, the dark flame pulsing with pleasure. Without much effort at all, I was able to put myself in the proper state of mind and bent down and leapt up to the rafters where I nestled between the ceiling and the wooden beams. I even found an errant basketball tucked into the corner with me.

 I must have been a blur, because Derek lost track of me, blinking and glancing around the spot that I had just occupied.

“Up here, silly,” I called down from the rafters.

He looked up and quickly tried to wipe the impressed expression off of his face before he called back, “So you can leap up to the ceiling. Bravo.”

I twitched and nearly fell off the beam when his breath tickled my ear and he whispered behind me, “So can I. What’s your next trick?”

I frowned, my preening immediately forgotten.

“Fine,” I said, contemplating my next moves. Then I had an idea.

I turned as gracefully as I could on the beam to face him, my hands and feet resting on each side as I poised like a crab underneath him, locking my eyes with his. I pulled gently at the dark flame, accessing a small portion of its power but not allowing it to come to the forefront. Whether it was allowing me a small concession or merely entertaining my measly attempts at manipulating its power, it allowed me this small favor and didn’t push to take me over. A gentle burn languished behind my eyes.

Derek’s eyelids lowered, his pupils in his soft brown eyes dilating at my command as his body covered mine and his face lowered. When my lips were a breath away from his I said, “
You want to get on the ground now.
”

Mechanically, Derek nodded. Without question, he departed, using the same invisible technique that allowed him to sneak up on me, and soon resumed his place on the ground below me.

Connection broken, he looked up at me in surprise. “Hey, how’d I get down here?”

“I compelled you,” I said as I deftly jumped down, taking the basketball with me as I landed on my feet in front of him.

“You what me?”

“You know. Compelled. Persuaded. Whatever you call it.”

“No, not possible. Demons can’t compel other demons. I don’t think even Damos can do that,” he said, his eyes wide. “I mean, I’ve never had the misfortune of meeting him, but I’ve never heard another demon talk of such a thing.” Pause. “Although, we’re not the most communicative bunch.”

“Well, I did. I told you to leave the ceiling and come back to the ground. And you did. Also, I’ve repeatedly told you I’m not a demon, so my compelling you would make sense then, wouldn’t it?”

“No, you’re a demon, darling. I can sense it. And even you can’t ignore that you’ve been dining on souls, something only a demon does. Even baby ones like yourself,” he said. “What else you got?”

I couldn’t argue with his points. I was also tempted to continue on exploring what else I had in my power-arsenal, but I stopped myself. “Tit for tat, Derek. I want more information. How do I spot the Hunter?”

“Getting smarter by the minute, too, little demon.” He smiled and took the ball from my hands. It was filthy and deflated, but Derek was nonplussed when he walked over and threw it into the dented, net-less basketball rim on the other side of the gymnasium. “It’s ingrained in us. When he’s near you, you’ll know. Now, show me something else.”

“I don’t think that’s it,” I said, ignoring his last request. “I don’t think I’m going to know the same way you do. You’ve already told me I’m different. So different that you can’t put a finger on what I am.”

“Well then, I can’t help you on that point now can I? I have no idea how you specifically can sense the Hunter. I just know how I
can sense him.”

I
harrumphed
in concession. It seemed that I had beaten myself at my own game.

“All right, well how do I fight him then? If he attacks me.” I added the last part hurriedly.

In my mind, I wanted the Hunter and I to be on the same team: eradicating demons, saving humans, but I didn’t think he would know that if he came across me. Whatever I am, whatever I’m becoming, it was beginning to look a lot more complicated than simple black and white or good versus evil.

“Oh little demon, whatever am I going to do with you,” he said, but not as a question. More like a sigh of perplexity. He straightened and then walked towards me, the moonlight through the windows gliding across his glasses as he said slowly, “If you find yourself face to face with the Hunter, it’s already too late.”