Chapter 20

“Biletheos,” Snow said the name under a tight breath.

With a bloom of golden fire, a person appeared in the center of the moss-covered nook. One might have mistaken the creature for a human if they managed to overlook its half-naked bronze body and its gleaming tattoos, or the exotic, golden outfit it was wearing. But they’d certainly know it wasn’t human if it looked on them with those glowing, golden eyes and a grin of sharp teeth.

“Oh, please, there’s no need to be so formal. After all, we’re old friends now, aren’t we?” Biletheos said as he stepped closer with a casual grin. Pheobe gave a sharp whinny at the sight of him. She stamped her hooves, but a sharp glare from the creature and she was silent.

“We are NOT friends. Willa banished you,” Snow stepped back and took a defensive position. The fire was gone now so both hands could be ready to deal with the sly demon.

“She banished me from the library. Shame on you for tattling. I thought we were having fun?” The demon said as he twisted his musical voice to sound disappointed.

“You were an irritating imp! And you haunted Cicero as well,” Snow replied with a scowl.

The demon shrugged, “I couldn’t help myself. He’s adorable. It’s such a shame that he has no taste for all that power. Oh, how I could have given him everything,” he said wistfully before sighing over the missed opportunity. “But he seems to be happy.” The demon then looked off as if he could see something far in the distance. “The rabbit found a gryphon to shelter under.” It didn’t take more than a second for him look back at Snow with a new grin. “I do look in on him from time to time. A momentary apparition in a mirror to make his heart race and cheeks turn pale.”

Snow had never understood Biletheos’s interest in Cicero when it was he who had summoned him. Snow had assumed the demon would be solely focused on him, but it seemed Cicero became a bonus – an extra toy to play with. Though unnerved with the situation, Snow was thankful that Cicero harbored no ill-will towards him and only blamed the demon for being what it was.

Demons, Snow came to realize, were chaotic, tenacious beings, and Biletheos was a prime example. During their time in the library, Snow had called him to gain knowledge of his mother only to find the creature demanding a trade. When Snow refused, the thing hounded him until Willa had had enough of his presence. After a rather cryptic argument with the demon, Willa had extended her power and Biletheos seemed forced to disappear back beyond the veil.

“What do you want?” Snow barked the question in anger.

“Same thing as before, but I have so much more to offer now,” Biletheos stepped closer. Snow backed up once more but brought a small ball of fire back to each hand this time, ready to use them against the apparition by spelling out a fiery banishment spell to shove in his face.

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“Oh, come now. I don’t bite,” the demon stopped and grinned, “unless you want me to.”

“Out with it! Speak or begone!”

Biletheos rolled his golden eyes before replying. “There’s a war coming. I can tell you all about it if you wish. AND I can tell you more about your new friend. You have questions, don’t you… Snowflake.” The demon’s grin turned unnaturally wide as he used the same obnoxious nickname Titus had grown accustomed to using.

Snow stood silent for a moment.

“Good, I see I have you attention.”

Snow’s fire gradually dwindled.

“I don’t need you to tell me about this war. You don’t possess knowledge of the future, but I know one who does. You have nothing to sell here.”

“AH, but can she tell you about the past! Or about that mountain of muscle you left back in Folfern?”

Snow scowled. “I know what he is. He’s liar and a coward.”

“Are you suuurreee?” the demon sang the last word.

“Yes. Now begone!”

“Fine. But I’ll be around if you change your mind. Just give a shout.” The demon turned as if to walk away but then paused. “And next time, call me Bill. Is that so much to ask?”

Snow then watched the same golden fire take the demon away, leaving the damp clearing a little darker without his radiant glow. He slowly lowered his hands as he stood staring at the empty space.

Snow had always warned people when it came to dealing with demons. The phantom-like creatures could be a great source of power and knowledge. Existing beyond the veil, they could see anything and everything they wish. They could also whisper and manipulate on this plane by working through the ones who called them for favors. If inclined, they might give one what they want, but they’ll demand something in return. For most it was their soul or the souls of others. For Snow, it was something entirely different.

Of course, Snow received that same warning, but it wasn’t enough to dissuade him from trying to find out more about himself. All he had ever known about his dragon mother was that his father met her in the north while trying to establish a new trade route. She had deigned to save him from a pack of highway men; walking into the midst of their melee like some mystical queen of the white mountains. The bandits were quick to flee at the sight of her, leaving his father the sole survivor among his small entourage.

His father had called her the Snow Queen because he claimed to have fallen under her spell the moment she laid eyes on him. He said she was pale yet beautiful, and when Snow first saw Willa, he thought she was his mother. But it was only because such unnatural beauty was a common choice among immortal beings, dragons included.

Snow was driven to know more, but after enduring the chaotic drama of Biletheos for over a month, he reluctantly gave up the idea. The defeat only added to his anger towards her; for dropping him on his father when he was a babe and never explaining what she was – or what that made him. The old, painful thought made Snow clench his still burning fists once more before he turned towards the incline of rocks he intended to craft into a shelter.

When Lia returned, he didn’t mention the demon or its warning. He’d know the truth soon enough.