The Devil's Liege (The Mathias Saga Book 2) (20 page)

Vlad closed his eyes for a minute. He had to keep a cool head. This one was tricky, but he’d known that long before Mathias came back. “Without the riddles please.”

Azazel laughed. “All right.” He took off his metal working gloves and threw them down on the table. “Follow me.”

Vlad stood back up. “To where?”

Azazel didn’t answer, so Vlad followed him anyway. He needed answers.

The man led him through the dungeon and through another archway that turned out to be the top of a stairwell. He then proceeded to climb down the flight of stairs. At the bottom of the stairway was a small, arched, wooden doorway. Azazel opened the door and motioned for Vlad to enter.

It was a single room. The walls were the same stone as was in the dungeon. There was a single bed in the corner. There were a couple of leather chairs with a table in between them and another door that Vlad assumed led to the facilities.

“Have a seat,” Azazel said and motioned to the chairs surrounding the table.

Vlad sat down in the chair closest to the door. The room would have been comfortable if it hadn’t been so close to the dungeons. Vlad supposed that was a mental thing though. The dungeons for Azazel were probably like his office. It was where he worked, nothing more.

Azazel closed the door to the room and sat down in the other chair.

“So, you want to know what has happened to Mathias?” he asked. He stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his ankles.

“Yes, please.”

Azazel leaned over and stared at the stone floor for a minute. “First, you have to understand that where Nossy was kept does not exist in our world—not the way we understand it that is.”

Vlad motioned for him to continue with his hand.

“The Snow Queen is a witch,” he said. “Or at least that’s what she once was. Now, she’s probably more like me.” He waved his hand and two glasses of wine appeared on the table in between the chairs. The wine was red and almost black in color. “Tallus made a deal with her. When he died, she could have his soul if she allowed him to imprison Nossy in her castle.”

“How was this a good thing for her?” Vlad asked.

“She feeds on souls freely given. You can imagine how rare that is. And, why winter suits her. She’s in an almost perpetual state of hibernation.”

“Until now,” Vlad said. He was getting goosebumps.

“Exactly.”

“And Mathias?” If this thing had latched onto Mathias, they needed to do something to stop it, now.

Azazel cleared his throat. “In general, Mathias is affected mainly by the loss of time and the stress of finding Nossy. However, she has set her sights on him. Why? I’m not sure yet. She has to have a motive.”

“How do we keep Mathias safe?” Vlad asked. He really wanted to ask how they could keep him sane, but that wasn’t exactly the question he wanted to ask either.

“He has to keep himself sane. The only way she will show herself in our presence is if she feels safe. Right now, she knows Mathias is mad because of Nossy.” Azazel took a sip of his wine and placed the glass back on the table.

“And yet she apparently visits him in his mind?” Vlad asked.

Azazel blinked. “When was this?”

“Earlier today, when you walked in to explain about the horse’s hoof.”

“Shit.” Azazel downed his glass of wine.

“What?” Vlad leaned forward.

“It means that she really has connected with him. Technically, the first stage of possession.” Azazel got up from the chair and began to pace.

Vlad blinked. “Are you telling me that Mathias is possessed by a demon?”

Azazel stopped and looked at him. “No, the first stage of possession is more like the demon comes to visit a lot.”

Vlad rolled his eyes. “Then why is it called the first stage of possession?”

“Because a lot of demons like to get to know their victims before they take full possession. It doesn’t matter. She isn’t trying to possess him. Her powers don’t work quite that way.”

Vlad took a deep breath then slowly exhaled. He should thank Azazel for almost giving him a heart attack. Not to mention, he wouldn’t be freaking out so bad if he’d actually explain fully what this woman was capable of. “Then, why did you bring it up?”

“Because she isn’t exactly a nice being.”

Vlad sighed. “I think I would have figured that out by her agreeing to allow Nossy to starve to death.”

Azazel shrugged. “In the scope of things, that isn’t as bad as some of the things she has done over the years.”

Vlad took a drink of his wine. “Why do you work here?”

Azazel laughed. “What brought that on?”

“You know too much for a dungeon master.” There was a reason he knew so much about this demon woman. A reason that he truly didn’t want to think about, but had to.

“Let’s just say that I like what I do. I wasn’t hired, per se. All of you simply chose to build this castle above my domain.”

Vlad was stunned. He should have known it was something like this. Azazel hadn’t ever acted exactly like the other vampires. “So, how did you become dungeon master?”

Azazel laughed. “No one else wanted to.”

* * * * *

Sleep was deep for Mathias. Perhaps it was the fact that he was sleeping in his own bed again. Perhaps it was knowing that Nossy was okay. The warmth helped. He was so tired of cold. Still, the dream came.

The air around him seemed to undulate with clouds. Beyond the clouds was a strange undulating mass that was made of multiple colors. There was nothing there. Or rather, there was only a voice.

“Thias,” it hissed.

Mathias looked around. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of black. He whipped his head around and saw the flash of black in another spot. Then, suddenly, the flashes stopped.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” he asked.

“You are alone.”

The scenery of clouds suddenly became a movie screen. On the screen were flashes of his life, both past and present. Him as an orphan a millennium ago. Seeing Stuart in the garden when he died after Lilith tortured him. His parents on their way out the door before being killed by the drunk driver. It was all there.

“Just because someone is dead doesn’t mean they’re gone,” he said.

Lilith appeared right in front of him. “Now you understand.”

“No!”

He flung his arms around. She wouldn’t stop grabbing him. Then, suddenly, he realized the hands felt cool on his arms. His eyes popped open. The Snow Queen was looming over him. Her eyes were wide, and amazingly, she looked concerned.

Mathias brushed her arms away and sat up. “Ever think I would be happier if you would stop fucking with me?”

“That’s not how I mean it to be,” she said. Her head bowed.

Mathias ran his hand though his hair. “Then why are you doing it?”

She looked into his eyes and crossed her arms. “I’ll admit, I am not a good person. I have done many things that are repugnant to someone like you. But, even I have a soft spot for certain people.”

Really? That’s what this was about?
He’d thought Azazel had been joking. He couldn’t let Nossy get word of this, or it would be the complete fucking end. “So, me?”

She nodded. “I do not expect you to accept me completely, but can you try to view me as a friend?”

Not fucking likely.
He wanted to roll his eyes so bad, but he kept himself still. “It all depends on Nossy.”

She nodded again. “That is quite fair.”

He lay back down. His head hit the pillow. “Can I sleep now?” he asked.

She smiled. “You may.” Then, she disappeared.

“So fucking weird.” He adjusted himself so that he was comfortable. Jesus. If she was going to be hanging around, he needed something else to call her besides “Snow Queen”.

* * * * *

Vlad paced in his bedroom. There was no sense in waking up Mathias. The kid needed his rest. Especially given what Azazel had told him. If the boy was weak, he couldn’t fight her off.

The things Azazel had told him kept running a marathon through his brain. How could they get rid of the demon without bringing on her wrath? Mathias needed stability. His life up to this point had consisted of too much turmoil.

Azazel had not said she meant Mathias ill will though. He just wasn’t sure what to do for once.

“Father? Please give me some guidance,” he said quietly.

But there was no sign. At least not any Vlad could see which meant he was expected to take care of it all himself. The older he got, the more it happened like this.

He left his bedroom and walked to Mathias’ door. He opened it and looked in on the boy. He was asleep, his cover askew.

Vlad knew all of this stress was not good for Mathias, but he didn’t know how to stop it. Yet. First, though he needed to find out more about the Snow Queen. Even if she wasn’t his enemy, she was dangerous.

He closed Mathias’ door and headed to the library.

* * * * *

Vlad blinked the candle lit and cleaned the dust from the library room. No one had been inside since he’d put all the books away that Mathias had taken out before going to find Nossy. At least that’s what it looked like. It was unusual. Back before, the library was commonly used. This new Order seemed not to care for the events of the past, and that was dangerous. He supposed he better keep a cleaning spell attached to the place, but that was a job for another day.

In past times, the library was used quite often, and you would find Order members chatting and having camaraderie amongst the tomes. But ever since Tallus had become a traitor, it seemed like the Order was not interested in information anymore. That, or they were hiding something which was entirely possible. Vlad still did not trust Erasmus. He could only hope the man would either do something stupid and accidentally kill himself or give Vlad a very good reason to put him to death. He hoped for the latter. The man was too much trouble.

He shook all of that from his mind and concentrated. “Find me all references to the demon witch known as the Snow Queen or Snegurochka.”

The books shuffled themselves for a moment, then went silent. He should have known Tallus would have taken everything. No one else would have had a reason to remove that information from the library. Vlad closed his eyes for a minute and forced himself to calm down. The only person at fault for this was Tallus himself, and with him dead and the other ones involved caught and put to death for treason, well there was no one left to be mad it.

He blew out the candle and left the library. His only option now was to rely on his gut. It didn’t sit well.

Chapter Fifteen

Stuart was gazing out the window. More snow had fallen overnight, leaving a new pristine blanket. A small layer of ice had formed overtop the snow making it sparkle. It wouldn’t take long for the children to mess it up, but for now, it was pretty. He still missed the green of the jungles though. Maybe, once everything with Nossy and Mathias was taken care of, he could go back to the places where he felt at home.

He raised the mug he was holding up to his mouth and took a drink of his coffee.

“This is my favorite time of morning,” Stuart heard a tinkling voice say.

He turned around. There, in front of him, was the most beautiful and unusual woman he had ever seen. Her hair was so blond it was almost white. Her skin was just as pale. Her eyes were ice blue, but she had these unusual shaped eyes. Almond shaped. She did not look like she’d ever been human.

“Who are you?” he asked.

She bowed her head. “You may call me Xiao,” she said. Her lips were slightly tinted rose, but there was a blue cast underneath. “It means ‘flute’.”

Stuart sat down his coffee cup on the end table next to the sofa and stepped a little closer. “Where did you come from?”

He didn’t bother asking her how she got inside his apartment. He’d left his door unlocked last night in case Vlad came back. He never had.

Instead of answering, she pointed toward the window.

He decided to try a different tactic. “Okay. Why are you here then?”

She folded her hands in her lap. She was wearing a dress that matched her eyes. What bothered Stuart most, of course, is that he didn’t know who the hell she was. A name meant nothing at this point.

“I need your help,” she said.

Stuart started to laugh. He wasn’t exactly known for being the one who could solve things. Destroy them, well, that was another matter.

“Why me?” he asked.

“You are the one they will listen to.”

He seriously doubted that anyone listened to him, but that was beside the point. She was too pretty to turn away. Especially if he could twist it around to his advantage. If she wanted his help, and it was something that wouldn’t hurt anyone, then so be it.

“Listen to about what?” he asked.

She blinked. Instead of a normal eyelid, a membrane moved from the side of her eye like a lizard. “That I will not hurt Mathias.”