Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Bellcolor
“ D rive to the nearest hotel, we’re not staying here another moment,” my father instructs my driver, shoving me into the backseat.
I’m so confused. I have no idea what happened and how it all fell apart so quickly. The wrinkle in my father’s forehead deepens the further we get from the Council’s castle, and I want to ask him any of the million questions spinning through my mind.
“Not here,” my father whispers to me, and I can’t even nod.
The drive doesn’t take long, or my mind’s managed to detach itself from the chaos rising up around me, and we stop in front of a luxurious hotel the driver decided would satisfy my father.
You must think it’s strange for my father to bark “Presidential suite” at the reception clerk and throw his black Amex card at her, and that we’re going up the elevator a moment later, but that’s my life.
“What did Libretto mean? What exactly did he get out of this meeting?” I don’t wait for a moment after we step into the suite.
“I don’t know,” he confesses, seeming deep in thought.
“How do you expect me to believe you? You’re the mind-reader!”
“It doesn’t work that way, Bellcolor. To get access to the mind I want, there has to be a blood bond.”
“I take it Libretto didn’t offer you any of his. If I recall, I didn’t either, yet you took it anyway.”
“It was necessary.”
“I’m not even going to ask, Dad, because unlike you I trust you completely. But right now, I have to trust my instincts. If you refused to stay at the castle, that must mean something bad is about to happen. The least you can do is let me in on what you’re worried about.”
The voice of reason must have finally pierced my father’s defenses. “You’re right.” Thank God he agrees with me. “As I’ve said before, demons are immortal. Only our creator can remove us from this world, but we’re not impervious to everything. When the Devil came for your life, he recruited you into a war that’s been waged from the moment the first man set foot on the land of the living. though you haven’t completed the transformation, the Devil has given you rare power… that’s never happened before.”
Did he mean the fact that I didn’t bleed? “And Libretto’s jealous? That’s what this is about?”
“You must understand that Libretto rules the demon world with an iron fist, he has for thousands of years. Straying from the familiar, a loss of control, these aren’t things he’s used to.”
“Why me?” I exhale in frustration. What the hell have I gotten myself into?
“You’re no ordinary demon, you don’t feed like we do.”
“Does that have something to do with the remnants of humanity still within me?”
“Maybe… that would be my guess, but I can’t confirm it until those remnants are gone from your bloodstream. The question is whether God’s army is aware of that, and what his position on it will be.”
“God’s army? You mean… angels?”
“Not just them. Some humans are part of this war too.”
“Isn’t it natural to assume they’d take God’s side? Redemption and the promise of Heaven and all that shit?”
“Language!” my father chastises me, but I don’t care about that anymore. “The hearts of humans are easy to sway. You’d be surprised to learn that there are some religious folk claim that they act in the name of their God, but are in fact working on behalf of the Devil.”
“And what does the Devil actually want?” I dare to ask, because if he’s recruited us into a war, I should at least know what we’re fighting for.
“Souls,” my father replies. “Every human who knowingly gives their soul to the Devil is another bit of power the Devil draws on.”
“I assume our world’s not so different from the human world. Power makes the world go ‘round, on all levels.”
“You’re a clever girl, Bellcolor,” my father praises me, but for some reason it doesn’t sound like a compliment at all.
“Are you motivated by that power too? All the money you have, the offer to join the Council?”
“The race for power was the center of the first century of my life. It was also necessary for the part the Devil has designated for me. It’s important that you know it wasn’t at all simple back then. Things are handled differently these days.”
“What’s changed?” I’m curious to hear about the past. When I think of history, the olden days actually seem simpler than now.
“It wasn’t the historical changes that forced me to change, Bellcolor, but rather the family that changed me. When I met Naomi, I’d alone lived for so long that it was almost unnatural to me. But it happened. She pierced every aspect of my life, every vein, and when she was gone she left a void I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fill.”
“I didn’t think demons could fall in love...”
“Not frequently, we dedicate our lives to the cause we’ve come to this world for. And yet, it happened to me.”
“It’s too bad I never really got to know her… maybe I’d be less angry with her if I knew why she chose to abandon me, us.”
My father opens his mouth to reply but I stop him. “I shouldn’t have said anything,” I admit. It’s unfair. He lost the love of his life and I shouldn’t dump my anger on her for the way my life turned out because of her selfish choices. “Tell me more about this war.”
I ask and pray that I’ve managed to change the subject away from what I don’t want to get into. Not now, at any rate.
My father looks at me and I know he can hear all the thoughts running through my head. This whole mind-reading thing really isn’t cool at all.
“Like us, angels walk the earth as well, and they fight for the same souls.”
“So what’s the goal? For one side to get as many souls as possible? A competition of sorts? Like a soul soccer match?”
My father drums a finger on his lips and considers my words. “It’s a rather simplistic interpretation, but yes, you could say that.”
“And what happens in the end? What does winning the war mean?”
“Power, control over the human world. More real estate, if you will,” he explained.
“Why are wars always about territory? Why can’t anyone make do with what they’ve got?”
“Humans call it ‘human nature’, but in fact divinity and devilry instilled that nature in them.”
“Okay, but it’s endless, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“So what’s the point of all this?” I raise my hands in the air. It’s too much. I’m trying to get to the root of the reason I became this crazy hybrid creature, and I just can’t.
“Each side has their faith, and clings to it by their fingernails. But you, Bellcolor, Libretto may have found something in you that he can use.”
“Me?!” What would Libretto want with an eighteen-year-old girl?
“The Devil marks demons he recruits for the war, and only a few of them receive a demon with considerable power. But even when those powers are discovered, it’s never happened immediately, especially not before completing the transformation. And you, Bellcolor, are immune to physical harm. You must have noticed it. Libretto surely could find a use for your exceptional ability, a way to deploy it for his own benefit. The question is how.” He pauses for a few moments, and I almost lose my mind trying to understand what he’s thinking.
“What could that possibly be?” I demand.
“I don’t know yet, but I’m going to find out.”
“Too bad I’m not immune to pain… if anything I seem to be more sensitive to it.”
“I know, my dear, but from what I’ve seen your blood can’t be shed. Which means you’re immune to any blood sacrifice.”
“I’m not immune to having my mind read.”
“True, because I already took your blood before you went through the change. There’s no telling if your blood would still respond to my abilities once you complete the transformation. I hope your stay with other demons will accelerate the change.”
“At Demon University?”
“Yes, as far as humans are concerned it’s a very prestigious university that only accepts a handful. These are the years when you’ll learn all about our history and the war. You’ll be trained there, and the faculty will prepare you for your new life as a demon in the human world.”
I let out a groan. My head is spinning with the amount of information my father is revealing to me. “Will they be able to tell what’s happening to me?”
“If there’s anyone who would know better than me or the Council, they’re probably there. Professor Sapienti is the oldest historian and demonologist in the demon world. Maybe he can share his insights with us. I’ll set up an informal meeting with him tomorrow; The Council mustn’t learn of this.”
“How do you know he won’t tell them?”
“I’ve known Prof. Sapienti for many years. I also know he doesn’t always agree with the Council’s decisions. And if there’s anything that overrides the Council’s laws for him it’s his curiosity for new discoveries. He’ll sell his own parents to examine you once we bring you before him.”
“I’m not sure I’m as glad about that as you are.” Because hey, who wants to be a guinea pig? Fortunately, my body’s impervious, or I’d probably get jabbed constantly to see what’s wrong with me.
“Don’t worry, they’ll teach you to protect yourself,” my father answers my thoughts.
“That’s not especially encouraging, now that I know I’ll have to defend myself not just from angels but from demons as well… it doesn’t sound fair at all.”
“I won’t let anyone hurt you, Bellcolor,” my father promises, but I’m not sure he can keep his word.
“You won’t always be by my side. You have a company to run, and the Council…”
“I know, but even if I’m not at your side, I’ll make sure you’re protected at all times,” he assures me.
“How exactly do you intend to do that? Give me a bodyguard?”
“Let me worry about that, Bellcolor. All you have to worry about is acquiring the education you need to prepare for your new life.”
I barely survived high school, how am I supposed to survive university too?
If I thought humans were cruel, I have a feeling hanging out with demons will be substantially tougher.