Devdan Manor Read online

  Cyl slammed the door closed.

  “Damn, I hate this house,” he said.

  Ozais howled with laughter.

  “That was fun.”

  Ryse slipped out of Cyl’s arms. She started drawing her circle. Uryl and Nuall walked around chanting while drawing symbols in the air.

  Cyl still didn’t have enough control over this power to create such complex spells. If they all came from Ancient demons, why was he having a harder time controlling his power?

  These thoughts weren’t any help. He was never good at protective spells. His powers was more suited for killing demons—whether or not they had a physical form.

  They gathered in Ryse’s circle.

  “Wondering around is not going to work,” Uryl said. “What do we know about moving rooms around?”

  “The demon has to be here,” Cyl responded.

  The demon needed to merge with the house to manipulate it. This means the monsters who created this abomination were here.

  “That’s not possible,” Ozais said.

  His eyes stretched. He allowed too much space between words.

  Nuall sipped her water. “Where do you think they are? Ozais has been here seven-hundred years and he didn’t know. Demons that live in the walls haven’t found them.”

  “That’s because they aren’t here,” Ozais snapped. “They wouldn’t be stupid enough to live here.”

  “Ryse, please explain.” Uryl said.

  “She’s a dumb child. Why would I listen to her?”

  “Because she’s read every book in the Mortaus central library.”

  Ozais’ mouth fell open. “That’s impossible.”

  Mortaus history went back farther than most books. It had always been the center of the demon world.

  Cyl tipped his head. “Yet, she did it.”

  Ozais stood. Why did he look at them as though they were strangers or beings that only existed in stories? He had been with them for hours.

  “What are you?”

  Ozais’ dark eyes widened. He pressed his lips together. He was afraid of them.

  Nuall sucked her teeth. “I have some questions I need to ask Mom and Dad.”

  Cyl should’ve seen that coming. She had silver hair and gold eyes. No one in her family had those features. While living with the Otav’s, Cyl had been subjected to centuries worth of family portraits. No one had been born with silver hair.

  Cyl had ignored his odd appearance because he resembled Uryl and Ryse. The three of them looked alike. Their sibling took after Mom and Dad more than they did. They had to have Antun blood in them or the family mark wouldn’t have appeared.

  They’d figure that out once they escaped this trap. Tortured had been a part of their education. Cyl couldn’t wait to use it on Mom and Dad. Maybe he’d torture Nuall’s parents too. No. Nuall would kill him. Still, it was nice to dream.

  “You need to stop whatever you’re thinking. The face you’re making is disgusting.”

  Leave it to Nuall to destroy a good mood.

  Ozias hadn’t sat down. They needed him. He’d be useless if he was afraid of them.

  Ozais paced.

  “I should’ve known. No protection spell is this perfect.”

  Nuall shot to her feet and gripped his shirt.

  “Shouldn’t you be happy we are so unique? That means, if you stick with us, you’ll have a chance of getting out of here.”

  Ozias slapped Nuall’s hand away. Cyl jumped between them before Nuall decided to make him calm down.

  “Step out of the circle and I’ll kill you both,” Uryl said as he opened one of Ryse’s books.

  Cyl sat. He ruffled Ryse’s hair. The book was old. The librarians wouldn’t have let it leave the building.

  “Did you steal that?”

  She smiled showing off her sharp teeth. “It was going to waste rotting in that underground tomb.”

  It wasn’t a tomb. Ryse liked to call it that because it was where good books went to die.

  Ozias sat at the end of the circle. “How many abilities do you have?” he asked Uryl.

  “At least ten,” Nuall answered instead.

  Uryl stretched his eyes. Nuall managed to surprise him. No one surprised Uryl.

  Nuall waved her hand. “I’ve been watching you since we started this journey. I figured you were like Cyl only you have better control over your power. Why haven’t you trained him?”

  Uryl shrugged. “I tried.” He flipped through the book. “We were probably born from the same Ancient demon only Cyl’s power is more violent than mine. Things didn’t turn out well when he tried to control it too much.”

  “Sounds like Nuall,” Cyl mumbled.

  Nuall slapped his back. “Glad you remember that.”

  “What are you searching for?” Cyl asked Uryl.

  “Fortunately, Ryse packed the books with the most illustrations. I’m seeing if I can find any advice on how to deal with this house. It would be more helpful if those markings were in here.”

  Cyl dug out the other book from Ryse’s bag. This one weighted more than she did and was about half her height. His sister was insane.

  “If we only knew the demons’ name,’ Uryl said. “Then we could summon them.”

  The demons probably owned this house. Wait. The portraits.

  “What’s your problem?” Nuall snapped.

  Why where they looking up at him? He stood without realizing it.

  “In that arched tunnel that lead to the lounge, there were portraits on the wall. Could those be the demons who live here?’

  Uryl nodded. “We are unlikely to find that hall again.”

  “There are probably other portraits around,” Nuall said. “Are they?” She turned to Ozais.

  He shrugged. “I’ve only ever seen this house from my jar. I only know about the demons trapped here because they’re never quiet.”

  “Well, did they talk about portraits of pretty demons?” Cyl asked.

  “Them. Those portraits are only there to give the demons here hope they could get out. I’ve heard others talk about them dismissively. No one believe those demons exist. Demons can make themselves beautiful to ensnare humans but our true appearances aren’t appealing.” Ozais searched each of their faces. “Or so I thought until you four came along. Even the little one makes sharp teeth appealing.”

  How often had Cyl been accused of transforming his features to make demons like him? No one believed he ever showed his true form. Nuall used to get attacked by male demons until she started killing anyone who touched her. Uryl was the same. He stopped demons with one glare. Older demons had tried attracting Ryse with treats. They learned soon enough that wasn’t a smart move.

  Rye yawned. She leaned against Uryl’s arm. How long had they been here? The area they sat in opened to the outside, only darkness sat beyond the glass ceiling. It must be almost morning by now. They had been awake almost all night. Ryse needed to sleep.

  “We should find a room to rest for a couple of hours. We’ll put protection spells up and sleep in turns.” Uryl closed the book and shoved it in his bag.

  Ryse whined. Uryl chuckled. He only laughed with Ryse.

  “You’re too tired to carry two books. I’ll give it back to you when you’ve slept.”

  Ryse yawned. “Promise.”

  “What would I do with them?”

  Cyl didn’t like how he felt. Why wouldn’t Uryl be that nice to him? Why couldn’t his brother smile at him like that?

  This was not the time for thoughts like these.

  Nuall tried to hide a yawn behind her hand. “We’re safe here. Why can’t we sleep here?”

  Uryl shook his head. “I don’t like it. I feel too exposed.”

  Cyl didn’t want to move, but the open space made him feel vulnerable.
r />   Nuall’s stomach grumbled. “We didn’t take into account we would be using spells every time we needed to rest or that we’d walk around in shields. We’ll burn through our food faster.”

  They hadn’t thought of that. It wasn’t like them.

  Cyl’s temples throbbed. Exhaustion dropped on him. He couldn’t process anything else. He wanted everything to stop. He didn’t care about answer. He needed the world to stop. He needed to escape to a place where nothing existed. Where he didn’t have to do anything except be at peace. Was that too much to ask?

  Nuall sniffed. “My senses are coming back. Not the best time. All I smell is soul deep exhaustion and hatred.”

  They walked. The rooms kept changing. Hot and cold phantom wind caressed Cyl’s face. It brushed the back of his neck. His shield only stopped poisons and attacks meant to break the skin. He could still feel. The wind was like a slap in the face. He was more alert then he wanted to be. It was gone. Exhaustion fell on him harder than before.

  He felt pressure on his arm. It moved up. Felt like an insect with sharp legs crawling across his skin. Cyl lifted his tired arm and rolled up his sleeve. His vision blurred. Tiredness attacked his eyes.

  Cyl focused. His vision cleared. His flesh dented under the invisible crawling demon. It was in no hurry. Cyl pulled strength from his depths and shot a bolt of electricity through the shield surrounding his arm. The insect left him alone.

  They walked. Cyl was at the back. Every so often, the others flinched or jerked a limb for seemingly no reason.

  For once, Ozais wasn’t muttering to himself. The knowledge that the wardens were nearby probably sat at the center of his mind. Small favors.

  Cyl’s bag weighted like a stone block. So did his legs. The throbbing pain behind his eyes didn’t help. Ryse was lagging behind. He picked her up. He didn’t want to. He had to. Felt like he was carrying three boulders.

  “This will do,” Uryl said.

  He led them into a room. It had one window. No furniture. Small like a cave. It was easy to create a barrier here. Cyl wanted to lie down and never get up.

  Everyone dropped their bags. Ryse grabbed her markers.

  She yawned. “I need to draw on the walls only I’m not tall enough.”

  Cyl tried not to groan. Uryl and Nuall were busy making their own type of barrier. He’d never hand Ryse over to Ozais. He’d have to carry her.

  She drew her circles and symbols on the walls. The strange markings ran away from her protective wards. Up until then, Ryse only drew her wards on the floor. The strange symbols were only on the walls and on some decorations.

  Cyl didn’t want to talk. He needed to point this out.

  “Take a look at this,” he said.

  Uryl, Nuall and Ozais were at his shoulder.

  Ozais whistled. “Never saw the marks do that.”

  “Let’s finish the barrier. We’ll talk about this when we’ve had some rest.”

  Cyl could’ve hugged his brother.

  They finished the barrier and spread out in the middle of the floor. They rolled out their sleep mats. They each had extra blankets, which they gave to Ozais to make his own bed.

  This felt nice. Sitting. He closed his eyes.

  Ryse made a low whining noise as she shifted. She never sounded like that. What could Cyl do to make her feel better?

  “There once was a demon,” Uryl said. “Everyone called her odd. They said there was something strange about her.” Cyl opened his eyes. Ryse shifted to face Uryl. “They couldn’t tell her why she was odd. They said she wasn’t normal. No matter what she did, she never felt like she fit in.”

  “She loved the library.” Ryse yawned. “She loved books. She’d read about far off places with demons she had never seen before. ‘Maybe I could fit in there.’ She said.”

  “She studied,” Uryl continued. “She worked hard to hone her powers. She read as much as she could. Everyone still called her strange. She no longer cared. She would find a place where she didn’t feel alone. The day finally came. She saved enough wealth and supplies. She had more than enough power. She had her destinations plotted. She left.”

  Ryse giggled. “Did she find where she belonged?” she said. “What do you think? I think she enjoyed traveling so much, she stayed on the road. She found lands not touched by demons for years. She met lots of new demons and made friends.”

  “I think,” Nuall said. “She traveled and learned that being odd wasn’t a bad thing. She returned to her home showed them just how amazing she was. Not everyone fits in. Some demons have to show others they aren’t someone to be played with. They have to show demons that being different isn’t wrong.”

  “I think she left her home only to find herself trapped in a wicked house where she met a delightful demon,” Ozais said. “They had fun playing together. The most fun either of them had ever had.”

  That was unusually sentimental for Ozais.

  Nuall snorted. “Play together. You make them sound like children.”

  Uryl had said they would take turns sleeping. That wasn’t happening. Cyl wouldn’t mention it. He wanted to sleep. He didn’t want to watch. The wards and barrier would keep them safe. At least until they had some time to rest.

  Dirt, sun, the scent of water. It smelled green. Cyl opened his eyes. Light shot through his temples. He closed his eyes. He was outside. How had he gotten here? He opened his eyes again. He was alone. The forest didn’t look or smell familiar. He was supposed to be somewhere, with someone. Why couldn’t he remember? Red and silver hair flew through his memories. His arms were naked. They shouldn’t have been. He didn’t know why.

  A stepped forward. His foot found a soft log. No, it was too small for a log. He stepped back. It was a hand. He knew this hand. It had a thorned line tattooed on the back. The appendage rocked. Cyl recoiled. How could it move on its own? A hole opened under the thumb. A fat worm ate its way out of the hands depth. It slithered out. And, kept going. The monster was about as long as his arm. Its tail wrapped around the hand. Cyl rushed forward, snatching the hand before the worm carried it away. This limb meant something to him. He held it to his chest. What was this anxiety? Why was fear freezing his blood?

  A tattered book with strange symbols on the cover sat not far from him. He kicked it open.

  The yellow pages were blank. He blinked. Words appeared.

  Ryse Antun- dismembered and eaten.

  Uryl Antun- burned while trying to save his sister.

  Nuall Otav- abandoned her friends.

  Cyl Anutn- alone. As he should be.

  He remembered.

  This was wrong. He had been trapped in that house. How had he gotten out? This had to be wrong. He stepped back. He was holding Ryse’s hand. This was impossible. She was never this cold. The ground moved from under him. His foot slipped. He landed on something wet and soft. He turned his palm over. Blood.

  This was wrong. This had to be wrong. He could handle anything, anything as long as he had his family. He couldn’t be alone. They wouldn’t leave him alone.

  His power raged. He didn’t need to get it under control anymore. Nothing mattered. His power exploded. It would destroy everything. Destroy evidence, memories.

  “Cyl stop.” The voice sounded far away. It was familiar.

  “Open your eyes.” The voice was closer.

  His eyes were closed. When had he closed them?

  “Open your eyes.”

  He opened them.

  He was in a room. Sun shone through the window. Ryse, Uryl, Ozais and Nuall were huddled in the corner, under a shield. His power lashed at them.

  Get it under control. Listen to your master. Stop.

  His power calmed. It went back where it belonged. It was quiet again, inside him.

  “What…” he asked.

  Uryl pointed to the walls. The marks we
re gone. Ryse’s wards were still there.

  He could smell outside. Smell the world. The demons’ fear. They were cowering. He smelled intense hatred and anger mixed with hope coming from the belly of this mansion. Hope?

  The sun slowly vanished. The markings crept back on the walls.

  His legs were on fire. Why? Nothing was there. Why did it feel like he was being lowered into a boiling pot? The burning sensation climbed his legs. His skin should be falling off. It didn’t. Felt like it. His eyes watered. His entire being settled on the pain eating up his legs. His power turned to a raging windstorm inside him. It had gone insane. It rushed away from the burning sensation. His power tried to squeeze behind his chest.

  A hand dragged him to his knees. It ripped open his shirt.

  “This will hurt,” a voice said.

  A blade dug into his skin. It carved into his flesh. The burning in his legs retreated, replaced by a stabbing pain. He ground his teeth.

  The blade stopped moving. The wound healed. It left an eye on his chest.

  Ryse wiped the blood off on her clothes.

  “Are you alright?” he asked. He couldn’t smell a wound.

  “Not my blood.”

  She had carved open his chest.

  “What happened?”

  Uryl stood. “Your power exploded. Nearly killed us. Looks like your violent power is finally good for something.” He jabbed his thumb to the wall. “You removed the marks for a while. You broke the spell on this room. We felt the head demon’s anger. They tried to seal your power. Ryse stopped them. I’m confused, though. I also felt hope and heard laughter.” He shook his head.

  Cyl got to his feet. He grinned. “So, they are here.”

  Nuall nodded. “And you made sure the trapped demons would leave us alone for a while. However, the wardens won’t let us roam around as we please anymore.”

  Cyl cracked his neck. “Small price to pay.”

  Ozais struggled to his feet. “They were here all the time. Hiding. Seven-hundred years and they were here.” He cracked his knuckles. “Good”

  “What happened?” Cyl asked. “How did a demon get in?”

  That was the only way he would have such a vivid nightmare.