7

Walter

I stood barefoot on a stone floor. Not stone. Clay with a stone-like texture and an oddly polished finish. I swallowed hard. Golem flooring. Not flooring crafted from golem Mythics, but actual floor made out of golem hides. The luster added to alter the color and add a shine was proof enough of Fae manipulation. Nothing was ever just right for the Fae, so much so that they needed to augment and alter everything to fit their perfect desires.

Perfection. The sentiment sent a shudder through me, reminding me of every Alden trait I'd never fulfilled due to my imperfections in a family that never faltered.

I shook it away, shook away the need to study the floor, shook away every curious inkling that crept inside me. What I needed to do was figure out where I was, how I'd gotten here, and how to contact Bez. No. Escape. Because I already knew where I was and how I'd gotten here. The Fae summoning pulled me through into Baron Novus' villa. Somewhere tied to another plane, where I literally spoke the chant voluntarily, offering myself and my mana.

Bars surrounded me from every side, forming a circular shape around the pentagram traced in chalk along the stone—correction, clay—ceiling. As if the tips of the pentagram weren't far out of reach, they each extended far beyond the bars confining me. No chance I'd be able to knock off one of the altars silencing my magics. An archaic but completely effective way to diminish a mage's connection to the Pentacles of Power.

At each tip of the pentagram sat a totem, each representing a connection to magic from the Pentacles of Power. I couldn't believe how willingly I'd walked right into this trap. I should've caught on as I uttered the words. No, I should've known based on reading alone. I was so distracted translating, solving the puzzle, proving I knew what the fuck I was doing. I sighed. I had no idea what I was doing.

I couldn't write or speak incantations to will the bars to heed my call. I couldn't saturate the floor to strengthen my resolve. I couldn't glamour myself in a desperate attempt to cloak my presence. I couldn't summon elements to defend or destroy. Most of all, I couldn't contact Tony or even feel my familiar's presence.

Our link was as disjointed as my severed connection to Bez.

Bez.

He must be so worried.

I trembled, and the essence coursing through my body stirred. My veins blackened. I quelled the surge of Diabolic power radiating within me because there wasn't enough to be wasteful. We hadn't performed the offering in weeks, and if I burned through what remained, I'd be screwed. More screwed than I already was.

Still, this gave me an opportunity. Even if Novus knew I had essence, he didn't know how to smother the power, or perhaps he believed the bars did the trick. They were covered in incantations. Guess I'd have to test my luck eventually, but first, I needed to properly evaluate my situation.

"Walter." Novus floated into the room, literally hovering a foot above the ground as he entered through a glowing blue door that disappeared behind him. "Marvelous you could join me."

"What's going on?" I asked with a strained, cringy smile. Anything to appear as dumbfounded and simple as he assumed, and quite honestly, accurately assessed since I waltzed right into a caged trap.

His white skin held a glowing hue to it, the light traveling along his skin following a continuous pattern like blood flow. It highlighted the silver armor behind him, the same one from the foyer—exact dent on the chest piece. I doubted Novus lugged a full suit from his foyer to wherever the hell we were. A cellar? A dungeon? Did villas come standard with dungeons? Definitely a construction addon. The armor stood tall—not perched by anything at all—next to a bookshelf, far from my reach, and filled with many expensive collectibles from fresh gorgon eyes, a half-dozen harpy feathers, a petrified goblin egg, leather-bound tomes, and countless other baubles. Not baubles. Illegally obtained artifacts. This must be where he stored all his ill-gotten goods, including mages bound to Diabolics.

"Surely, we can end the pretense," Novus said, drawing my attention from the vast collection of rarities.

His face had changed. His entire head, in fact, was no longer twice the size as before, less rounded with more sculpted features for high cheekbones and a sloped nose. His smile still stretched long with thin lips, but the curl of his smile didn't quite reach his ears like before.

"Your face, it's changed."

"Ah, yes." He ran his elongated fingers along his cheeks, rubbing his chiseled chin. "During the Fae Divinity, we often attempt to augment into the human form. It helps establish better synchronizing with our audience. Walking in their shoes, so to speak. Their very tiny-footed shoes."

"Fascinating," I said, faking enthusiasm. Well, not entirely, because I had no idea they differed from humans so much. "And you thought humans had such large heads?"

"So, we're still placating? So be it." He released an exaggerated exhale. "I drew inspiration for the performance from human infants, but I'd forgotten how much larger your newborn's heads are compared to fully grown humans. We Fae are the opposite, born as vast as an exploding star. Only through temperance, wisdom, and age do we mature into a more confined adult. Whereas all the species in your realm are quite bizarre, growing larger and wider before wilting away over the course of a few seasons."

"Few have the longevity of the Fae," I said, grinding my teeth into a smile. "Not all worlds can harness time and space with such ease."

"Quite the travesty, too. Why even bother with such ephemeral existences? I've taken longer naps than most beings on this plane live."

I needed to keep him talking until I devised a plan of escape. How I'd accomplish such a feat was beyond my grasp, but I had Bez's essence. Hopefully enough to escape this pentagram keeping me from accessing mana and magic.

"Why are you detaining me here?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Yes. Some attempt to use me as leverage against Bez, though killing Bez wasn't his intention—otherwise, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

"I can only assume this is because of the Collective," I said, a weak lie, which hopefully he bought. Didn't need to tip my entire hand yet.

"You think I'm here for some bounty?" Novus scoffed. "Do you believe me that pedestrian?"

"Then why have you taken me? Why make the phony offer? Why not simply take me from the Fae Divinity performance?" He'd already snatched me away that night, pulled me into another plane of existence which disrupted my connection to Bez much like now. How powerful was he? I scrunched my face. Strong enough to flaunt his abilities, give me fake flattery, and set up this trap.

"With so many eyes on me? No, Walter. As far as any Fae are concerned, I was merely an intrigued member of Court seeking to converse with a notable mage." He hovered toward the bookshelf, running his hand along the spines of several books.

Books to titles I knew—tomes stolen from archivist vaults across the world. The skill it'd require to break into a vault guarded by a Magus themself. Given how I'd been framed for such an incredible feat, it was difficult not to quake with curiosity and terror at the skill Baron Novus possessed.

"Besides, the best traps require bait and patience," Novus said, his grating smile unyielding. "I waited three centuries before acquiring my first demon. Surely, I could show some restraint when acquiring a devil."

"This is about Bez?"

"Naturally. Beelzebub is the only devil to dwell so long in the human realm, left unguarded and now vulnerable due to his romance."

I hated this. Hated being such a weakness for Bez. Literal kryptonite. His downfall. I had to escape. Stop Novus. Prove I could outmaneuver this trap.

"You're not the first to try and fail to control a devil," I said a bit smugly, goading him into talking, revealing his plans, and stalling for time to strategize.

"I do not seek to control the devil."

"Then what?"

"Diabolics are a brutal species, most thriving on violence and destruction, the very thing that birthed many of their Hells, gave creation to devils, and made way for legions of demons. Quite frankly, I'd rather have nothing to do with such disgusting entities."

Metal clinked behind Novus, and I looked past him, searching for what moved or fell. Nothing. Wait. Had the suit of armor's helmet turned? The slits in the visor were vacant yet positioned to stare directly at Novus. I shut my eyes tightly. No. It'd always faced that direction. I was seeing things. Still, the clinking continued.

"But they possess a glimmer of potential." Novus wiggled his fingers; the rings rattled, casting ripples of color matching sound waves of their contact. That was the clink I'd heard, had to be. "Like the Fae, they are the only other creatures in existence to master dimensional travel. To a degree. Demons, being base in nature and skill, can merely pass through barriers of any type, which is quite a feat considering the dimensional wavelengths can be excruciating on the body. Even the portals and pocket worlds the Fae have bestowed onto the Collective and Mythic Council are so diluted they may as well be two-dimensional. It is with Diabolic essence from demons that I've attained a higher form of travel than any others in the Fae Court. It has allowed me to venture further than any before."

"So you're kidnapping Diabolics to travel between dimensions, something the Fae can already do?" I studied the shelves as he spoke, rambling—no wonder Bez tuned me out. Did I always drone on and on like this?

"You speak on it as if you understand it."

I rolled my eyes, landing them back on the purplish-green harpy feathers.

"The Fae Court controls all travel, dictating who can travel where and when and how long." He waved a hand, disgruntled, while I did my best to tune him out and plan. "With the demons I've acquired, I've created my own separate dimensional wavelength, unique as it's mixed with Fae and Diabolic magics, each working in tandem to tear fabrics dividing worlds asunder. I will create my own form of transport for all those willing to pay."

The harpy feathers seemed like the best option for escape. They were arranged on a metallic stand, displayed as delicate, but quite the opposite since those quills could hack through their stand, the bookshelf, and just about everything on the shelves. Or in this room, including the bars.

I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palms. Not sure I had enough Diabolic essence to wield telekinesis long enough to direct the feathers to shred these bars to pieces. Plus, I didn't know the defensive measure of the incantations on the bars. For all I knew, they'd been placed to block Diabolic abilities, but I wouldn't know until I tried.

I could try to impale Novus with the feathers. Oh, Bez would have a huge laugh if I went that route. All my scolding on murder and where did my mind go? I'd probably miss, given how Novus dodged Bez with ease.

"Thanks to you, Walter Alden, I shall obtain Beelzebub's essence. Devils, that is where the real power comes from. They can rip through the most potent veils of reality and illusion—no rituals, no loss in strength, no permission necessary. With it, I should be able to create a truly unique traveling port—one that ceases to decompose from the infinite friction of dimensions cutting off paths deemed dangerous. I'll be triumphant, capable of reigning higher than anyone in the Court."

Boy, would he be furious to learn Bez had only a tiny fraction of Diabolic devil essence coursing through him, not nearly enough to pave a path to his future, let alone tear through the walls of any Hell realm. I wouldn't let him learn his plot for some dimensional traveling monopoly was bound to fail because I'd get out of here before he harmed the demon bound to me.

The petrified goblin egg sat on the center shelf; its rigid bumps accentuated its off-white color and contrasted with the smooth, golden stand displaying it. These fossilized eggs were resilient and wouldn't break if I accidentally knocked it off the shelf when channeling telekinesis, which was good since the insides contained an acidic smog that'd melt someone's lungs with their first inhale.

Or! Or, or, or that acid mist could melt through the bars entirely. Also, probably me. A bad idea for sure, but the only one I had.

I'd have to hope I had enough essence to enact the plan and survive it. I trembled.

Screw it.

Reeling the essence from deep in my gut, I sent the energy to my hands and waved them at the harpy feathers. My fingertips tingled from the strain of Diabolic wisps oozing out of my pores, knocking things off the shelves. I didn't have much to waste but needed to throw enough around to hide my actual target.

The petrified egg rolled off the bookshelf and hit the clay floor with a loud thud. It didn't crack, not that I expected it to. Maybe the floor, though.

"Boorish behavior." Novus fumed, the lines in his furrowed brow deepened. "Such a juvenile attempt to thwart a trap. Though, it is good to see Diabolic essence coursing through you so strongly. All this would be for naught if you lacked a leash for your devil. After all, I'll need enough intact once I've extracted what's attached itself to you."

Extraction. The essence flowed through every part of my body. Attached to arteries, weaved through my muscular system, moving with blood flow, stitched throughout organs, and basically latched onto my nervous system. He couldn't seriously believe he had what it took to remove it, did he?

Harpy feathers fluttered, twirling in their descent. One by one, they stabbed the floor around the egg. I grimaced. All I needed was one to strike the egg. Just one. The tip of the quill landed atop the stone egg, sliding into the rocky shell like cutting through butter.

A hiss released from the egg, followed by a putrid yellow smoke, which immediately disintegrated the harpy feather allowing for a bigger airway of escape. The smog melted the bookshelves, ate away at the floor, and soon reached the bars.

I moved away to the corner of the cage, back pressed against the cold steel bars. I had to wait until enough of the bars in front of me had rotted away to slip between. Looked like the smog ate away the clay flooring a lot faster. I steadied my shaky legs, channeling essence and preparing to create a gust that'd hopefully be strong enough to carry me through the smog unscathed, past Novus, and out of the door leading beyond this dungeon.

Novus clapped, creating a cluster of gleaming lights which obeyed the rhythm of his applause. The glowing orbs moved into the yellow smog, absorbing it instead of disintegrating. As a shiny light swallowed the toxic air, the color dimmed and turned a dark gray before crumbling to ashes.

Dammit. He'd removed nearly all the smog in seconds, which meant there was no buffer to distract him with. He'd definitely catch me if I tried to move past him, and the bars still hadn't melted all the way through—not like the huge hole in the floor creeping closer to me each second.

A dark hole leading deeper into this dungeon wouldn't offer an escape from the villa.

Novus continued removing the smog.

Fuck it. I didn't have any other options, so it looked like I was improvising—more.

I conjured a black gust, knocking what remained of the smog, spinning and knotting it in windy waves around Novus. His flawless snow-white face bubbled and burned. He shouted, furious and pained, but I didn't stick around, jumping through the hole in the floor.

I landed in a dark corridor, hitting the stone floor hard. Glitter illuminated the rocks beneath me, but they followed the flow of my moving hands. Once I stood, the only sparkle came from the pressure of where my bare feet were planted. I wiggled my toes on the warm stone, then ran forward, searching for an end.

After several twists and turns through long stretches of doorless hallways, I paused to catch my breath.

Diabolic essence continued funneling through me, but I still couldn't feel Bez. However, I did feel the restoration of my mana. I muttered an incantation for illumination, lighting my path through these seemingly infinite hallways.

Walking ahead, I traced more incantations for defensive wards if anyone attacked, alerts on the presence of other magical signatures, and a highly complex set of symbols that should theoretically guide me to an exit, assuming a villa located on a different plane of existence had an exit.

"Walter Alden," Novus screamed, his voice a wailing screech at the far end of a corridor.

The piercing sound vibrated along the walls and floor, sending a glimmer rushing toward me. I raced ahead, cutting a corner just in time as sound waves barreled through a wall. Stone exploded, sending glittered dust and chunks of rock everywhere. The other side of the wall was brightly lit, so I ran through the debris, desperate for an exit that may not exist.

I entered a gigantic room and came to a stop, mesmerized by the vast collection of books, larger than anything displayed in the archives. Walls that stretched several stories high, shelves that floated and moved in a rotation similar to a conveyor belt. I could spend a lifetime researching in this room alone. So much information. Everywhere.

Novus tackled me, crashing into my back and sending us tumbling over one another as he clawed at my face and arms. The left side of his face sizzled and oozed pus; his teeth grew bigger and snapped shut, nearly biting my nose off.

I shoved him back by the shoulders, but he reached out, wrapping his long fingers around my throat.

Everything blurred.

My heart pounded.

I couldn't breathe.

A wall burst, and the immediate terror was replaced by relief when I saw black flames devouring everything in his path.

Bez.

I grimaced at the sight of so many books lost in the fire and rubble, but I couldn't fault him for rescuing me. How had he gotten here?

He cackled, sending torrents of flames throughout the library.

"Bez, stop." I fought against Novus' tightening grip. "H-help."

"Oh, that's right." He quelled his flames, then descended to the floor a few feet from where I struggled against Novus, eyes wide with rage, claws at the ready, and teeth bared in a way that meant he'd rip this fucking Baron to shreds.

Good.