Chapter 19
NINETEEN
“There’s an open door over there,” Tommy signals us as he walks out of the castle wall.
“Thanks, lad,” Mine mentions as he goes to the door. The rusty hinges rattle and it takes him a few tries to open it.
I follow after him, taking in the dusty surroundings. There are cobwebs everywhere, and goose bumps cover my skin as I see a few insects scurry out of our path. Tommy wrinkles his nose in disgust too, even though the insects cannot crawl on his ghostly body. He hurries ahead, disappearing from sight.
“I don’t think anyone’s been in this side of the castle in a long time,” I mutter.
“At least since the war started,” Mine agrees. “With a castle this size, I doubt they had the staff to maintain it after the museum closed.”
“You said you read about it. So you know where we’re going?”
“The Early Modern wing. The artifacts should be there.”
I nod. “I hope this works. Otherwise?—”
“It will work,” Mine corrects. “You trust me, no?”
My brows knit together.
“No?”
He blinks. “What? You don’t trust me?”
“Why would I trust you? I barely know you,” I add drily.
“Because I’m courting you? Because you’re alone with me without your powers? Because…”
“I get it.” I put my hand up and roll my eyes. “I suppose, from that point of view, I trust you. Although”—I narrow my eyes at him—“we’ve already ascertained that I would beat you in a physical fight, so that is moot.”
“Of course. You are so much stronger than me, Minnie. It is me who should be worried about being alone with you. God knows, you might even take advantage of me and steal my virtue,” he adds dramatically.
I lower my head to avoid a cobweb and turn to stare at him in confusion.
“What do you mean?”
“It was a joke.” He shakes his head as he walks ahead.
“No, really, what do you mean by stealing your virtue? That’s impossible.”
He half-turns to raise a brow at me.
“Minnie darling, you wound me. You wouldn’t want to steal my virtue?” He crosses his hands over his chest.
I purse my lips. “I never thought about it like that.”
“Like what?”
“That I could be a virtue thief, too. But that seems fair. Why should males get to have all the fun? I can be the one to steal your virtue too,” I add pensively.
“You can be my virtue thief all you want,” he murmurs as he comes closer to me.
I do my best to fight a smile, though my lips have a mind of their own as they curl up in pleasure. I slap his shoulder playfully, then lean in to whisper in his ear, “You’re lucky you’re still in possession of said virtue. Otherwise, I would have had blood on my hands.”
“My blood?” he asks slowly.
I smirk. “First, that of the person who would have taken your virtue.” I pause. “Then yours.”
“Ah, Minnie, you’re so bloodthirsty,” he murmurs appreciatively. “Don’t stop. I like it.”
“You’re morbid.” I chuckle.
“Morbidly yours.” He winks.
I gulp down and look away, afraid that if he gazes at me like this much longer, I will forget all about who I am, my duty, and the reason why we’re here in the first place.
“But I thought you can’t kill humans?”
“I never said I’d kill you. But I would have my pound of flesh.”
“Your pound of flesh, huh? That means that I am yours, too?” He licks his lips as he takes one more step toward me. He’s now so close I can smell his fresh soap—a relief considering the musty, old smell of this room.
“You are, Mine. You are.” Patting him on the chest, I try to ignore the way my heart beats in my chest or the fact that my cheeks are likely scarlet red. I move past him and walk further into the castle.
Mine’s chuckle echoes behind me. That scoundrel! He’s probably gloating that he’s able to tease me like this.
The grand hall stretches out before us, its soaring ceilings accentuated by clear glass that gives a glimpse of the sky. The walls are adorned with ornate tapestries, and sparkling chandeliers hang from above, casting a warm glow over the space.
“And Tommy—” My words are cut off when I spot him from the corner of my eye.
He’s coming back into the grand hall from another entrance, and he’s not alone.
“That is…”
“Major, Miss Minnie!” he calls out to us. “I met someone,” he adds effusively as he gestures us to the ghost of a young lady. Seemingly in her late teens, she’s dressed in a long linen gown that is tattered around the hem. The color is washed out, with spots of a vivid green and others of a pale green. Her black hair is braided down her back, with a few strands curling down her face.
“This is Annie. She’s been here a long time.”
“Oh, I bet,” I mutter under my breath.
Mine shakes his head and releases a long sigh.
“Some four hundred years?” He ventures a guess.
Tommy’s eyes widen. “How did you know?”
“She’s dressed in a seventeenth century dress,” he notes drily.
Tommy stares in wonder at him, probably idolizing him even more now. The girl, Annie, however, regards us both with suspicion.
I put on my best smile. It’s never wise to upset an old ghost. After a hundred years or so, they start gaining enough power to blast a human. And the last thing I want is the ghost of a young girl blasting me.
“How did you come to be here? Did you live in the castle?”
She’s still staring at me intently. But she doesn’t answer.
“Uh, Annie? Can you answer Miss Minnie? She’s a nice lady, I promise,” Tommy interjects.
Her hand shoots out and she grabs Tommy’s arm, the hold bruising, but in a ghostly way. I frown. His energy signature flickers in and out under her touch.
“Minnie, stay back,” Mine whispers as he pulls me close to him.
“Something’s not right.”
He nods.
“Tommy, can you come here?”
“Why? Annie’s nice. Right, Annie?” He turns to look at her. Her lips curl up in a sinister smile.
“Of course,” she murmurs in a sultry voice.
Tommy’s eyes glaze over with a type of adoration bordering on obsession.
Oh no. This is not good.
His ghostly signature continues to flicker in and out, and within seconds, his ghost is gone.
“Demon,” I grit out.
Some demons are known to take the form of an innocent ghost to lure people to their deaths and thus consume even more souls. It’s a strategy that works in a lot of worlds. If only I had my powers…then I would have been able to sense his demonic energy.
And now poor Tommy’s fallen prey to this blasted demon.
“We can still save his soul,” I tell Mine. “But it will prove difficult.”
The girl’s features contort and morph until the true form of the demon is revealed.
“This stink will never get old,” Mine mumbles under his breath.
“They’re made up of decaying energy. Of course they’re going to smell not so pleasant.”
The demon roars, opening its mouth to reveal two rows of sharp, canine-like teeth.
“Is there no demon dentist? Or at least demonic toothpaste. I rather think that would be an easy business venture, what with all these demons and their nasty cavities…”
“I don’t think it’s the right time to talk about demon cavities, Mine. Especially not when we are about to become this demon’s next meal.”
He scrunches his nose in distaste.
“Does he need to bite me to take my soul? Because why else would he need all those sharp teeth if he can just absorb the energy?”
“He can only absorb the energy when your soul is out of your body,” I explain with a roll of my eyes. “Until then, he will use his sharp teeth to make sure the soul gets out of your body.”
“Ew. He’s not putting that stinky mouth anywhere near me, Minnie. You won’t let him, right?” He flutters his lashes at me. I can’t tell if he’s genuinely afraid or if he’s mocking me. Sometimes I don’t know if Mine is joking around or is being serious, and that is rather annoying.
“I will protect you,” I assure him.
But as I face the demon head-on, I realize I have no idea how to fight him without my powers.
As if reading my mind, Mine dashes to the side and brings his elbow down upon a glass case, then takes something out of it.
“Here,” Mine mentions as he brings me one long bone. He’s holding on to another identical one as he assumes a fighting stance, looking quite proud of his quick thinking.
I look at his great find and release a long sigh. If this demon doesn’t eat us today, I’ll never live down this shame. Hear that. Fighting with a bone.
“Are you serious?”
“I’m not touching that demon with my bare hands,” he says with a look of disgust.
Rolling my eyes, I take a step in front of him, shielding him with my body as I wait for the demon to strike. Be it what may, but I can still heal—albeit much, much slower. Mine cannot. I suppose I can deal with a little pain as long as this demon is destroyed.
As I grasp onto the bone, however, my palms start sizzling and I feel the latent energy inside it. Eyes wide, I focus on that energy, drawing it out until it envelops my entire body, making it glow a deep blue.
“Minnie…” Mine whispers in awe.
“Energy. The bone has energy,” I whisper.
He gives me the other bone, too, and I hold on tightly to it, siphoning all the remaining energy until I feel a strong burst of power.
The demon lets out another wail that’s followed by a pungent smell of putrefaction.
“Ew!” Mine shields his nose.
“I have this handled. Stand back.”
Mindful of using the little energy I have carefully, I don’t summon my ice sword. Instead, I use the long bone and only freeze the end of it, making a sharp, spear-like head.
Just as the demon rushes forward, mouth wide open and ready to chew us out, I stab the bone in between his upper and lower jaw, digging the spear-like head into the roof of its mouth. It wobbles back, letting out a loud wail of pain. Before it can recover and charge again at us, I call back my makeshift weapon. As my fingers wrap around the middle of the weapon, the ice from the spear-like head flows down, enveloping the entire body of the bone and turning it into the perfect cold and deadly weapon.
I grab it tightly, letting out a sigh of satisfaction at the familiar icy feel. It’s so cold, the air itself is pebbled with ice crystals all around me. Yet for the first time in months, the cold is welcoming. It’s a part of me, no longer the enemy.
My body hums with pleasure at this little burst of power, and perhaps it’s rather cliché of me to say this, but I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated my spiritual energy as much as I do now, knowing how it is to live without it.
I don’t get to dwell much on the nostalgia of it, though, as the demon quickly recovers in the process, growing even more spikes around its body and emitting more foul gases.
“Gross,” Mine mutters.
A glance back reveals him sitting quite relaxed a distance away, arms across his chest, back against the wall. I blink. That is rather…odd of him. This is an ascended demon, not just a regular one. I doubt Mine would have seen one in his lifetime and, well, remain alive. They are that vicious with living beings as well. But based on his countenance and the way he’s cheering me on, you’d think he’s just a spectator watching a show.
“Go, Minnie! Show him you’re the bestest goddess in the whole universe.”
My lips fight against a smile.
“I’m the only goddess you’ve met.” I roll my eyes.
“So? That just makes you the standard and I shall judge all other gods and goddesses compared to you.”
The demon roars. I turn back my attention to him. His body is straining as more foul energy oozes out from within.
“I don’t think he likes not being the center of attention,” Mine says.
“He’s trying to ascend again,” I mutter.
Mine sobers up. “If he does… Tommy will be gone, no?”
I nod tightly.
“I’ll get you more magical objects,” he suddenly says and rushes toward one of the wings of the castle, leaving me alone with the demon.
I sigh. He could have just said he was afraid. I wouldn’t have judged him. He’s just a human, after all. Alas, there’s no time to think about Mine’s display of bravery—or lack of.
The demon’s back splits open and spike-like tentacles come out from his skin. There are three of them, all coming toward me. Still concerned about conserving energy, I use my body to dodge them, leaning backward when one aims for my head and sideways when the other two try to hit my body.
Pressing hard on the ball of my left foot, I propel myself in the air and jump behind him, using my makeshift icicle to sever one of the tentacles. The demon cries out in pain, but my victory is short-lived when two more tentacles appear from the same spot.
Damn it!
He’s ascending fast. He’s probably consuming the leftover souls at an alarming rate so he can reach the next level.
A demon of this level wouldn’t be a problem when I’m at my normal capacity. But like this…
With each use of my icicle, each movement of my body, I can feel the borrowed energy seep out of me. I have only a few movements left before I’ll be out, so I need to think about this strategically. There’s also the added worry that I might not act in time to save Tommy’s soul.
As the tentacles reach for me once more, I jump up and imbue the rest of my energy into the tip of the icicle. Getting in front of the demon, I rotate my body around to evade the tentacles while I mentally attempt to identify the demon’s core where his energy is stored. If I manage to land a powerful blow to its core, I can end him quickly. But I only have one chance before I’ll be depleted of energy.
But just as the tip of my icicle hits him in the chest, it disintegrates.
My eyes widen.
The demon laughs at me, and in a moment of inattention, his tentacles hit me straight in the chest, flinging me to the back of the room. I hit the wall and crumble to the floor, pain erupting in my entire body.
Blood pours from two incision sites where the sharp spikes of the tentacles hit me.
It’s hard to move without groaning in pain, but I push myself to get up.
More blood stains my clothes and drips to the floor.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. All my years of training come back to me in a split of a second. This is likely a level two demon trying to ascend to level three. Dangerous, but not unmanageable. With a level one, I could have had an easier time finding its energy core and destroying it, but this demon seems to have built an armor around his chest. Somehow, I need to penetrate that armor.
Yet my wounds are not closing, so I am completely out of energy.
“Minnie, here!” Mine’s voice echoes in the hall. I turn to look at him, surprised to see the multitude of items he’s holding in his arms. Items that might have spiritual energy in them.
My optimism resurfaces.
But before he can reach me, he has to evade the demon’s tentacles. To my surprise, he does.
Quite easily.
I blink.
He’s nimble on his feet, moving almost as if he’s floating while dodging every attack. I suppose his physical prowess might be attributed to his training in the military, but it is my first time seeing him like this.
He’s…magnificent.
And he’s not even doing anything.
He’s just evading every blow with such grace, it’s like watching a dancer on the great stages of Aperion mimicking an ancient battle where the protagonist easily subdues the demonic forces.
I don’t even like Aperite dance performances. Yet I find myself mesmerized by Mine’s performance.
He’s entirely unscathed as he reaches my side and gives me a handful of different objects—a mirror, an ancient comb, a small silver box, and a brooch.
The moment I touch them, pure energy washes over me. My wounds knit together until I’m completely healed. This time, there’s so much energy, I get lightheaded.
His shrewd eyes look me over, noting the blood stains.
“You’re all right?”
“Now I am.” I smile.
“Good. Go kill that demon.”
I give him a nod, though for a short moment, I’m unable to take my eyes off him. Danger swirls around us, and the demon is one second from attacking again, yet the look in Mine’s eyes as he watches me makes something within me vibrate.
It’s strange. Unfamiliar. But it makes me giddy in a way that only killing demons did before—which is itself odd since I’m hesitating to kill the demon just to get another glimpse of him. He might be just a human, but he is a magnificent one. A brave one, despite my previous misgivings.
A tentacle strikes in our direction. I push Mine out of the way and summon a shield of ice around him. If he moves, it moves with him, making sure he’s protected at all times.
He doesn’t protest. In fact, he seems rather pleased with it.
Good.
At least he’s not like those males who do not like a female doing things for them. He’s taking his role as a human companion to a goddess quite seriously, even going out of his way to help me. I suppose that earns him some extra points in this courtship of his.
The magical items yielded enough energy that I’m able to fight close to my regular standard. I summon my ice blades, rotating them around just as the demon sends his tentacles flying toward us again. When he notices he cannot hurt Mine, he strikes at me.
I deflect the blow and cut through the tentacle, but this time, I infuse the sharp edge of my swords with a dash of cryos—the secret ability my clan is known for. Instead of regenerating or even duplicating, the tentacle flesh is cauterized with a layer of ice that consumes it from within until the entire thing falls off.
I do the same to a second tentacle, all the while flashing myself closer to the demon. He’s much uglier the closer I get, and the smell of putrefaction is rather noxious. I can’t blame Mine for wanting to be as far away from him. But as it happens, I’m used to this. I’ve even had worse. The higher a demon ascends, the more they reek of putrefaction since the energy becomes more and more polluted. It’s only when they’re at the eighth level that they are able to control everything perfectly and mask the stench.
As I flash myself right in front of him, he roars loudly, sending a gust of putrid wind toward me. I dodge it and lower myself to the ground. Time is of the essence here. Otherwise, Tommy might not make it.
I scan his chest carefully, looking for any weak spot. The skin is a hard shell, similar to that of a reptile. No wonder it barely budged when I tried to penetrate it the first time. Yet on a closer look, I notice a darker spot close to the center of his chest.
It’s small. Barely visible. My aim must be incredibly precise to hit it, and with the thickness of the shell, I will need momentum too.
Pursing my lips, I jump back. My eyes are still focused on that small dot. I take a deep breath and let the remaining energy flow through me. Combining my two blades together, I turn them into a translucent spear. The sharp end is a deep blue as I infuse cryos into the tip.
The remaining tentacles move wildly around in an attempt to pin me down.
I move faster.
And when I’ve gained enough momentum, I sprint toward the demon, spear aimed toward the tiny black dot.
He attempts to protect himself with his tentacles, but I cut through them before pushing the sharp tip of the spear into his chest.
He shrieks in pain. His hands reach for me. I’m holding on to the spear that’s still lodged into his chest as he frantically moves around, pulling at me and trying to get me off him.
I hold on.
His wails of pain intensify as my cryos spreads within his energy core. When the outside of the armor starts turning a light blue, I finally let go and propel myself back.
Breathing hard, I wait for the result.
The cryos acts from within, and in a matter of seconds, his entire body becomes a light blue before it explodes.
To my surprise, Mine pulls me inside the shield, placing his body in front of me as pieces of the demon fly everywhere.
“It’s done,” I whisper when there’s nothing left behind.
The shield flickers in and out before disappearing too now that I am running low on energy.
Mine slowly turns.
“And Tommy?”
“Look.” I nod to the middle of the hall, where a shimmery light becomes stronger and stronger.
From a small, golden energy ball, tens of flickering lights burst out. Some are weaker than others, but they are still intact.
“There he is.” I point to one of the shimmery dots. It may not have Tommy’s previous form, but I can recognize the energy signature.
The air crackles with a new type of energy, and my eyes widen in surprise.
“We need to go. The collectors will come to take the souls. Take me where you found those items.”
He nods and grabbing my hand, he leads me down a windy path out of the main hall and into a smaller wing of the castle. As we enter one room, there are glass cases on every wall and some in the middle. A couple of them are broken—the ones Mine took the items from.
“You did a good job. How did you know which ones had energy in them?”
He shrugs. “I didn’t. I just hoped.” He flashes me a confident smile.
“You were lucky then.”
“Perhaps. But you were spectacular. Is that how you usually kill demons?”
I surreptitiously preen at his praise. Good on him to recognize it. He is a fine observer.
“A demon of that level? No. With my powers, I can dispatch him much quicker.”
“That’s impressive. You are impressive,” he praises as he gets closer to me. His shoulders brush against my own and I stifle a shudder. The image of him running with the items toward me as he evaded the demon’s tentacles is still fresh in my mind. It makes my heart beat rather wildly in my chest. My stomach, too, is a little unsettled, though that might also be from the demon stench.
“Let’s get more items,” I announce, stepping forward and putting some distance between us.
I walk straight to the broken cases and read the description of the artifacts. They are, as he first mentioned, believed to have belonged to witches. So he was right that they would be imbued with energy. Nodding to myself, I browse the intact cases, cross- referencing the descriptions to make sure the items also belong to witches.
When I find one that is similar enough, I prepare to break the case, but Mine stops me.
“Allow me,” he murmurs, trying to push me aside.
I narrow my eyes at him.
“You’ve already done plenty. I can do it myself,” I say as I shove him back.
Does he think I can’t break a damn case? I just killed a demon and kept him safe within my shield.
He opens his mouth to protest, but I’m quicker as I bring my elbow down on the case with the remaining bit of energy I have left.
The glass shatters and I reach inside. The item is a slight, golden hairpin with a leaf design at the top. Pretty. I might even keep it after we’re done. I quite like the color gold. And humans do make pretty jewelry.
I hum to myself in satisfaction, but Mine is mumbling on about doing it himself.
“Minnie, you’ll hurt yourself.” His hand is inside the case, too, as he tries to grab the item before me.
“No. I can handle myself,” I fire back, reaching for the pin.
Our hands bump one against the other and I pinch him. He releases a small yelp of pain, and that distraction is enough for me to get hold of the pin.
Holding it tightly in my hand, I focus on the energy within.
My mouth parts in shock as I feel the enormous amount of spiritual energy it contains, but for some reason, I am unable to siphon it.
I try again, focusing harder.
Nothing.
On the third try, I give up and open my eyes.
“It’s not working,” I whisper dejectedly.
There is energy inside. I can feel it. But I cannot get hold of it.
“Can I see it?” Mine asks.
I extend my arm to give him the pin when a voice resounds from behind us.
“That belongs to me.”
We both turn around at the same time.
I freeze in shock, and the pin drops to the ground with a thud. Mine doesn’t seem to realize the danger we’re in, so he stoops down to grab it.
“Another ghost? Demon?” he asks in a laid-back voice.
“Worse,” I whisper.
“You have taken what is mine,” the voice continues. “I will now require something in exchange.”
“What do you mean worse?” He frowns.
I purse my lips.
“That…is a faery. And a bargain with a faery is a bad, bad idea.”