Chapter Eight
The Return to the House of Terrors
Dark purple goo bubbled in a large black cauldron nestled within a stone hearth in the corner of the clinic. Phantasia stirred the contents, then added a sprinkle of a blue powder, causing a pop of smoke.
The demon physician showed little expression beyond the occasional furrow of her brow and grim set of her mouth as she worked.
Red horns protruded from her wavy brown hair, and a long black and red tail poked through a slit in the back of her floral dress, a clothing design specific to demons: male and female alike.
“Dragon’s breath?” Phantasia asked, not glancing up from the cauldron. “Two petals.”
Briar sprang into action, going over to the cabinet along the wall filled with ingredients of all sorts and searching until he found what he was looking for: a jar filled with orange and vibrant red flower petals.
He stepped over to the crafting table and ground them using the mortar and pestle, then rushed over and handed them to her.
“Gratitude,” she told him before adding the crushed petals to the cauldron and stirring again. The bubbling goo reduced to a satisfying simmer. “Now, we wait for it to finish brewing.”
“Um.” I sat on a barstool near the window and scrutinized the bubbling liquid. “What exactly is that?”
“A potion for human boys who are too curious for their own good.” The female demon peered over at me, the grim line of her mouth smoothing into the faintest of smiles.
I eyed the bubbling cauldron. And gulped.
“It’s a revitalizing tonic for the warriors,” Briar explained, coming to stand beside me.
He smoothed his hand along my shoulder blades and smiled.
“As we know from our own group of hardworking warriors, they tend to overexert themselves during their training. This helps replenish their energy and provide them with the nutrients their bodies and minds need to maintain peak performance.”
That explained the large cauldron. Enough needed to be brewed for several units of soldiers. I cringed at the thought of drinking that slimy looking goo though.
“I think I’ll stick to coffee for my revitalizing needs,” I said with a shudder.
“Speaking of your health…” Briar smoothed away a strand of my bangs. “How do you feel? The tonic should have taken effect by now.”
Last night, I had trudged back upstairs after eating two bowls of porridge, feeling loads better, at least with my upset stomach, but had woken with a pounding ache in my skull. That pain had triggered another round of nausea. Briar had asked me to come to the clinic after breakfast for a tonic.
“I’m okay,” I answered and leaned into his touch. “No more pain.”
If only the same could be said for the ache in my heart. When I’d offered to keep my distance from Onyx, to stop pursuing him, instead of taking the out, he’d kissed me. It was confusing as hell.
“Good.” Briar brushed a kiss to my temple. “You should take it easy today just as a precaution.”
“Is that an order, Doc?” I snatched hold of the bottom of his tunic, tugging him closer.
“Yes.” He palmed my cheek before tipping my face up. “But only because I love you.”
“I love you too.” I reached up, locked my wrists behind his neck, and brought him down for a kiss. Against his lips, I added, “So much.”
“Yet, it pales in comparison to the love I have for you.” Briar gently tweaked my cheek before drawing back, a smile shining in his hazel eyes. “Where’s our wolf this morning?”
“With Koga in the vegetable garden,” I said. “Oreo went with him. Though, he probably just wants to murder the tomato plant.”
He softly chuckled.
Warmth swirled in my chest at the sound. And a different type of heat swirled in my veins.
Briar looked like a damn snack that morning, wearing a white tunic with the sleeves pushed to his elbows and the top string unfastened, showing a peek of his pale collarbone. And don’t even get me started on his slutty little glasses.
The heavy flap of wings drew my attention to the monster bird haunting the clinic. Orange eyes glowed from within the shadowy corner where Salem sat on his perch watching everyone in the room. A large, sharply pointed beak that was just waiting for its next victim.
“Be mindful of Salem,” Fane had warned. “He’s fond of biting.”
The exact reason why, despite my love for animals, even the ones that probably wanted to eat me, I had kept my butt planted on this stool instead of going over and trying to pet him. The threat of losing my hand overrode the desire to touch his pretty red and gold feathers.
I needed that hand for baking muffins.
“You seem nervous, human.” Phantasia stepped over and petted the bird’s neck, tossing me a smirk over her shoulder. “No reason to fear. Salem will refrain from tearing into your flesh. For today.”
“For today, she says,” I harshly whispered.
Briar offered me a reassuring smile, but as the bird flapped its heavy wings again, that smile faltered and hesitance touched his eyes.
Oh god. Between Salem and Phantasia’s House of Terrors, would I get out of the clinic in one piece? I wasn’t too confident. Felt like if I breathed wrong, Salem would go in for the kill.
My obituary would read: Evan Clark passed away in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Got mauled by a sadistic bird. He’s survived by his harem of hotties and their son, Oreo.
Salem made a squawking sound that caused every hair on my arms and legs to stand on end. Images flashed through my mind of him lunging from his perch, wings spread and murder in his eyes. I wouldn’t stand a chance.
“You know? Phantasia has her hands full. I’ll come back later.” I hopped down from the stool, taking that squawk as my cue to leave. “Might get a start on all that relaxation. Somewhere in the bright sunshine. Maybe in the quaint little courtyard all the way on the other side of the castle.”
Far, far away from the buzzard-sized sadistic bird that likes biting people.
“Sit back down, human,” Phantasia told me in a no-nonsense tone. “Lord Onyx requested my assistance, and I have no intentions on going back on my word. I need to examine you.”
“Um. Examine me?” My ass crashed back into the seat. Right then, she scared me a lot more than the murderous bird. “For what?”
“Now that your powers have awoken, I need to assess your mana levels,” Phantasia answered as she went over to the crafting table along the wall.
“How much did Lord Onyx tell you?” Briar asked, the skin tight at the corners of his hazel eyes. “Do you know the type of power Evan wields?”
“Aye.” Phantasia ground something down into a fine powder. “He is the Hallowed Saint. A child born from both light and dark.”
“This doesn’t surprise you?” Briar asked her, his expression pensive. “There have only been five other saints in known history, yet you speak of his power so casually.”
“Because he is not the first I’ve met,” she coolly responded. “I lived during the reign of the one before him.”
“You met Saint Vera?” I asked.
“I did.” Phantasia put more force into the grinding of the flower petals she’d just added. “She shattered the barrier around this realm and led an army that slaughtered countless demons, warriors and civilians alike. Bringing devastation to my home and all those I love.”
A pang hit my heart.
My destiny as the Hallowed Saint prophesized that I’d rise in times of great conflict and help turn the tides in a future war. But it occurred to me in that moment that turning the tide for one kingdom meant sending another into ruin.
Saint Vera had ensured Bremloc’s victory at the expense of the demons in the Shadow Realm. One person saved was another one harmed.
“I don’t want to be like her,” I said, fighting the burning in my eyes. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“I stand by what I’ve told you before, love.” Briar bent forward and pressed his face into my hair. “There’s no darkness within you. Of that I’m certain.”
His reassurance in me eased some of my anxiety, so did his unique scent of magnolia blossoms and springtime. Briar had a way of calming me like no one else.
“Listen to your mate, human.” Phantasia tossed me a look over her shoulder before reaching for a glass bottle of what looked like honey and adding it to her concoction.
“You are nothing like the former saint. I sense a purity in your heart, whereas her heart had been consumed by a vengeful rage. She cared naught for the innocents she killed nor the lives she tore apart. And what she did to Lord Onyx… it’s deplorable. ”
“What did she do to him?” I asked, interest piqued and scalp prickling. Felt like I was on the verge of some huge revelation.
“It’s not for me to say.” Her tail swished quickly through the air. A sign of nerves, maybe? “If your curiosity persists, you can ask him yourself.”
A lot of good that will do. Onyx rarely told me anything worthwhile when I asked him questions, oftentimes just making me more confused.
A flutter of wings drew my attention to the shadowy corner again. Salem’s gaze burned into me. Those orange eyes peered right into my soul.
“He keeps staring at me,” I whispered, turning my face into Briar’s shoulder, using him as a shield.
“Because he finds you interesting,” Phantasia said.
“Interesting how?” I eyed the large bird and hoped that interest didn’t stem from what it felt like to bite me.
“As a rare and powerful creature himself, he’s sensitive to those with a high aptitude for magic,” she explained. “And he senses great power in you. One that’s on the cusp of awakening.”
“Pretty sure it already awoke.” I breathed out a nervous laugh. “The scorch marks on the mantel in the throne room are proof of that.”
She shook her head. “Your powers are no longer dormant, yes, but have not yet fully awoken. Think of it like a locked chest. The lock has been removed, but the chest remains closed.”
“Can you help him open it?” Briar asked.
“I can. To an extent.” She raked her gaze over me. “However, what lies within that chest is a thing only Evan can control. I can only provide guidance.”