Chapter 7: In the Human World pt. 2

“Are you a demon?”

I could only stare at the young man. He’d just channeled magic into himself so violently that he lost control of his spell, floated off the ground in a localized windstorm that did not disturb a single candle, and was then rescued by a woman who broke into his house by smashing a window in order to do so, only to be

tied to a chair in the corner by that surprisingly strong woman. And his first question, his only question, was whether or not I was a demon.

“Were you looking for a demon?” I asked dryly. Getting through the basement window in these confounded skirts wasn’t easy, and I’d ended up damaging my vessel in several places. Thankfully, I couldn’t feel her pain. She’d get to experience it later, confused as to how she ended up with shards of glass in her skin, and a ripped dress.

“I may have been seeking to reach out to a powerful entity of some sort, yes.”

I arched an eyebrow. I was, by his estimation, a powerful entity. Had he summoned me, somehow? I didn’t feel summoned. “You were successful.”

“I was?”

I didn’t answer immediately, nor did he struggle against the way I’d bound him. Thankfully, rope hadn’t been necessary, as the young man had been wearing both a tie and a thin belt I could use for the binding. For a moment, I simply watched him. He was utterly unremarkable in every possible way. Brown hair, brown eyes, pink skin. He looked like a hundred other young men I’d seen on the road that day. I could discern nothing incredible about him at all. No horns, no sparkle to his skin, no special glow to his eyes. Just… A reedy-looking youth with all of his teeth and a normal-sized nose… “Well, I suppose you have somewhat big ears.”

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“W-what? What do my ears have to do with anything?” He finally squirmed, as if just then realizing I’d made him unable to escape the situation.

I moved to crouch in front of him as best I could in a skirt. “Are you Elijah Mott?”

“What? No, I’m Malakai Mott. How do you know my brother?”

A brother. That complicated things slightly. But, I knew the protocol. Bringing back stolen magic ranked far higher on the priority list than keeping someone out of the Lightchained. I’d have to come back for Elijah Mott later, possibly. “Where is your brother?”

“He’s…” I watched Malakai closely. He wasn’t a very good liar. Not a lot of practice with it, perhaps? I could see it in the way his gaze darted around the room, looking for something substantial to say. “...he’s just taking an evening walk. He’ll be back soon.”

“He’ll be back after he kills someone, I assume,” I said lightly, standing again, and leaving Malakai to stew. I wanted to check out the old tome he’d had next to the ritual circle.

When I mentioned his brother’s murderous proclivities, Malakai went silent. I glanced at him before I bent over to pick up the tome, and found that he’d become ashen. His big brown eyes had grown even rounder and wider. At that moment, I knew that Malakai knew exactly what his brother had been doing. Perhaps there was a connection between that and these basement activities.

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“He…he wouldn’t…he doesn’t…”

“He’s the Dockside Killer,” I asserted, lifting the heavy tome from the floor so I could begin to flip through the pages. Thankfully, the ability to understand languages remains with the vessel chosen for the Mirrorwalker’s trip. This vessel spoke ‘English’ so I could use her ability with it to speak in the language of the land. Unfortunately, she didn’t appear to have had any ability to read. Most of the words meant nothing to me, therefore. But… The book did contain sketches, pictures, and different runes and symbols that I instantly recognized. These were from Anathema. After a few pages, I realized that Malakai had not responded to my comment. “He is the Dockside Killer, isn’t he?”

No reply came, and in the end, I had to look up from the tome and then stamp my foot loudly in front of Malakai to even get him to say anything.

“Are you here to hurt Elijah?” The question had such a vulnerability to it that I found myself taken aback. Being an only child, I’d never considered what I might do if a sibling turned out to be something horrifying. The last time I’d cared deeply for any person had been before the destruction of Ab-polsk. Even the sound of such a heartfelt worry slithered along my skin like rancid grease. Connection to others is an insidious poison, one only activated when you lose them.

“I was here to kill Elijah, yes. But whether or not I will now depends on you. Tell me, Malakai Mott, what do you desire most in this world?” I moved closer to him once again, and when I did, the scent of him hit me. Spiced apples. How I loved spiced apples as a child. Mother would bring back apples from her hunting trip, and we’d stew them with honey and shadowbark until they melted in your mouth. Would Malakai melt in my mouth?

As I leaned a little closer, wanting to sniff his flesh, his instincts warned him of the danger. He tried to lean away but also spoke louder, and quicker, than before. “I just… I just want my brother back. For him to go back to being how he was before… I don’t want anyone to ever find out what he’s done. And I want him to forget it, too. It was all just a terrible mistake, just him trying to get vengeance for our father’s death. He’s not really like this, not at all. He’s a good person.”

“A good person?” I found that unlikely but didn’t push the matter. “Nevermind. I believe it is very possible for you to get what you want.”

“But, how?”

“Magic, of course. A blood oath will bind you to me for seven years. You will serve me in my lands as per the tenets of our contract. Here, in this world, only seven days will pass. You will return after that time to find that what you desire has taken root.”

This was the difference between the Mirrorwalkers and the Mirrorblights. We alone had the binding agreement of Anathema, the ability to tap into her magic. What we promised as part of our contract to bring humans into her lands, she would make into truth. Her magic could reach through the mirrors and alter the fundamental reality of the human world, if necessary. The Mirrorblights, on the other hand, did their business without Anathema’s sanction. Those they pulled back through the mirrors were taken by force, not by agreement. The humans brought to Anathema by the Mirrorblights would never return home, because no agreement had been made for a termination of their existence within Anathema’s borders.

I watched Malakai swallow hard. They had taught me, in the Mirror Academy, all sorts of things I could do to convince a human of the truth of my words. Violence was always an option, but seeing magic with their own eyes tended to work even better. Magic could be dangerous, though. It could alert the Mirrorblights. Even though the sun had long since set, if they knew a Mirrorwalker to be in their territory, foiling their plans, they might come.

But, Malakai didn’t need convincing. He’d just experienced magic, and didn’t need to see it made real. I think what worried him more was the possibility that if he said no, I might just wait for his brother and complete my initial mission. He needed to appease me to protect his brother, even if that meant agreeing to something he doubted could be truly real.

“Seven years is a long time.”

“You will not age.”

“What will I do for you?”

“Whatever I desire.”

Malakai recoiled as best he could in his chair. Did I truly sound so ominous, even in this woman’s body? “If what you speak is true, then I will agree to it.”

“Good.” It was settled. Now I only needed to draw up the contract and have it marked with blood from both of us. Turning away from the still-restrained youth, I held up the book. “Also, I’ll be taking this.”