Chapter 4
Valac
Valac was supposed to be on his way back to Hell to report his findings to Astaroth. Instead, he found himself lingering outside the human Julian’s home. Something about him was captivating, and Valac couldn’t resist getting one more look at him before he journeyed back to the underworld.
But what began as simple curiosity left Valac feeling uneasy.
Standing in the shadows outside Julian’s abode while he and his companions discussed ‘the guild,’ Valac realized how perilously close he was to involving himself in human affairs.
This human’s affairs. The guild he belonged to was a danger to him.
It was hurting its people. People like Julian and his friends.
They despaired over their powerlessness, and Valac longed to help somehow.
He had never longed to involve himself with a human in his entire existence.
This was unprecedented, and he couldn’t trust his own judgment.
The thought of making the trek to Hell right now, when Julian was so clearly unhappy, made him gnash his teeth in frustration.
Demons like the leviathans had involved themselves in the guild’s affairs. Perhaps they could give him further insight.
Valac waited until the humans went inside with their dishes, and then he traveled through the folds of space to appear inside the Rink. The humans and their demons were scattered around the space.
He appeared near the snack bar, directly beside Isaac, who startled away with a “fuck!” that drew everyone else’s attention.
“I thought you were making your descent already,” Talon said, leaning against the half-wall that split the room. “What brings you back?”
Nathan was on the padded training area with the teens and the prophet. Malachi and Luke were perusing paperwork by the strangely shaped table. Wolf, Shadrach, and Storm were at the glass counter, pouring drinks, with Alex nearby eating something that smelled sweet and nutty from a shiny wrapper.
“Tell me more about this guild.”
Talon looked nonplussed, though whether by his demand or his tone, Valac couldn’t say. The humans, spread around the room, converged on them curiously.
“How much time do you have?” Nathan quipped.
“I am immortal,” Valac said blankly.
“Yeah, he didn’t mean—” Talon stopped, shaking his head. “What exactly are you wanting to know? They’ve been around for a long time. They like to kill demons and boss their people around.” He shrugged. “They’re pains in the ass, really.”
“It—bothers me that they are hurting their members.” He couldn’t articulate why, and he knew they would ask.
“That’s what they do,” Isaac said, folding his arms stiffly.
“The real question is, why do you care?” Talon said. “It has nothing to do with Lilith’s death. I thought that was your mission here.”
Valac wasn’t sure how much to share. Would they dislike that he’d followed Julian to his home and eavesdropped on his conversations? They didn’t like Julian, and he couldn’t put into words why he felt so drawn to the man. Perhaps it was better to keep things vague.
“The possessors attacked this guild, correct? At Lilith’s behest.”
“Well, hers and a kalmach’s, technically,” Malachi said, tucking a glossy black lock of hair behind his ear. “Does that matter? I mean, what the guild does to their people is way out of our hands.”
Valac shifted anxiously. They were right; Valac shouldn’t care. It unnerved him that he did. “Why do they do this? Why do people pledge themselves to their cause if they harm their people?”
Nathan opened his mouth, but Talon beat him to it.
“Come on, Valac,” Talon drawled. “I know you’ve been in Hell for a long time, but this isn’t a new thing with humans.
There have been countless groups over the years that have behaved like this.
Cults have always punished anyone who tries to get out.
Using tactics like fear and manipulation to get what they want has always been a method humans use against each other.
Hell, we’ve used it over the years, too, when there was something we wanted. ”
Beside Isaac, Shadrach nodded sagely.
“You can’t help someone who won’t help themselves,” Talon went on.
“Like that guy that was here last night, Julian. He was raised by that guild, same as the rest of these guys here. The difference is that the people in this room saw through what was happening and got out. Julian’s still marching to their drum.
Maybe he’ll wisen up and get out, maybe not.
But it’s not our responsibility to save them from themselves.
In fact, most of them want us dead. If we tried to help them, they would probably try to kill us for our efforts. ”
Valac scowled. “You just said they punish anyone who tries to leave.” One of Julian’s friends had said something similar. “How is it possible for them to leave on their own, then?”
Talon shrugged. “It’s hard. They have to learn to think for themselves first. All of the humans here have done it, so it’s not impossible.”
Alex patted Talon’s arm. “We all had various things happen in our lives that led us to where we are. None of us just woke up one day and realized we wanted something different. In our cases, we met our demons. For me, Talon was there for me when no one else was. I think the only exception here might be Ira.” He smiled over at the other human, who ducked his head sheepishly.
“Why?” Valac asked.
“Ira’s a prophet,” Alex said. “He knew he and Wolf would wind up together before Wolf did.”
Valac blinked over at Ira. Prophets had been around for all of time. Gifted with visions of the future, they knew things others didn’t.
“It’s more complicated than that, I think,” Ira said, tugging at his earlobe. “But basically, yes.” He met Valac’s eyes, sobering. “Julian’s a good man. He might even be better than all of us. Maybe he will wake up one day and realize he wants something different.”
Talon scoffed—then frowned. “Wait.”
Ira smiled. To Valac, he added, “That’s not to say he’ll have it easy. Like Talon said, they don’t let people leave without consequence. It would be… nice for him to have someone in his corner, don’t you think?”
Valac tilted his head in consideration. The prophet knew he felt drawn to Julian, and he was telling him to let it happen.
He needed to return to Hell with his report, but perhaps there was a way for him to keep an eye on Julian even from a distance.
Humans’ minds were pliable when they were unconscious.
There was a chance he could access Julian’s mind while he slept, even from Hell.
He’d never tried it before, because he’d never wanted access to a human’s mind, but it was worth a try.