Enigma of the Soul - Book 1 - Pieces (18 page)

Relaxing in his study, Devan thinks about what needs to happen next. The first part of his plan is executed. People must die for the second part.

Devan concentrates and relaxes his mind as he searches for his pet in the outer lands. He sees in his mind a village being burned to the ground. The village people run out, trying to escape the monsters responsible for the destruction. Devan lets his mind drift through each of the buildings as he searches for his pet. The first couple of buildings are empty. Then he sees what he is looking for. Two men stand out front while others are inside. Devan’s mind zips right past them and into chaos. His pets are raping and killing everything in sight. Men that stayed to defend the village are being tortured to death. Children are tied down so they can watch their parents die. Women are raped in front of their family, and the best of them go to the leader so he may have his way with them. Devan smiles at this dreadful sight.

‘Stop for a second, my pet.’

“Yes, my master. What do you wish for me to do?” Devan’s pet answers back as he holds on to a woman’s hair.

‘You have done me proud. So proud that I have a new job for you, this one is tougher.’

“Nothing is tough as long as I serve you, my master. What do you wish for me to do?”

‘There are some men that need to die. These men are of exceptional importance to the king but of no importance to me. They are the advisors to the king, and these men will be no trouble to kill. You have one week to make it to the castle. Then I will usher you in, and you will be my personal bodyguards. From there, you shall have access to the entire castle. Then, in one night, you will kill all of the advisors while they sleep making the king appear unstable. This will be the downfall of this once grand man.’

“We shall be there in one week, waiting for your directions, my master.”

‘Continue with the destruction,’ Devan leaves his pet’s mind and returns to his own body.

“Well, well, it looks like we are alone, again,” the leader stares down at a young woman. She screams in immense pain as he lifts her off the floor by her hair. She kicks and claws at the leader trying to hurt him. He laughs at her.

“Come on now, young lady, all I want is a kiss.”

The men outside of the leader’s room only hear the screaming of the young woman followed by the leader’s voice mocking her as he laughs. The tears run down her cheeks and drown out her cries. She begs him to stop, but this only fuels his aggressiveness. After he is done with her, he drags her body over to the washbowl then cuts her throat to let the blood drain into the water. He tosses her body to the side and bathes in her blood. When he is done, the leader uses a piece of her clothing to dry himself off. As the leader comes out of the building, he sees his men having a good time with the last of the townspeople.

“Kill them all. We have a mission!”

No one was spared, for now the town is a sweltering tombstone for the dead.

David sits with Zaria as they eat breakfast and talk about what happened over the last couple of days. The fruit stand has had its struggles, as if the stand had irregular heart. One minute there would be people crowding asking to buy everything that they have then people vanish like turning off a spigot. Zaria cannot figure it out no matter how hard she thinks about it. David has a hunch as to why this is happening. Taking the last bite of his apple, David looks at Zaria.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll figure out the answer.”

David senses Alfonzo at the window. Keeping herself cloaked, Alfonzo talks to David in his head.

‘If you’re done playing with your little toy, we have training to do.’

“I think that I am going to go take a walk to help clear my head about the fruit stand. I am sure the answer will come to me.”

“Okay, but please come back by nightfall. I don’t want to have to think that you are dead or anything bad like that,” Zaria smiles at David, thinking about the last time he vanished. She cannot endure to lose him again.

As David closes the door, he knows he must get some answers. Heading out to the woods on the outskirts of town, David’s head is spinning with thousands of questions. Hopefully, Alfonzo can answer a couple of them.

“This training would be easier if leaping into Alfonzo’s head was an option.”

“So you think that everything up to this point has been hard? Quit being a cowardly cat about all of this. You know that I have never taken it easy on you.”

Alfonzo shows her location to David after following him the whole way into the woods. She transforms into her human form right in front of David. Alfonzo forgets to do one important final thing because she is irate with him for saying what is on his mind.

“Dear God! You’re naked!” David screams while pointing at Alfonzo.

Alfonzo looks down at herself for a spilt second then screams. She jumps behind a bush trying to hide from David.

“You weren’t supposed to see me like that. Wait one second while I change into something better suited for this occasion.”

An idea hits her. David hasn’t seen anything yet. Alfonzo holds her hands out into the cool air and concentrates. What used to be her skin for all of these years is now her demon armor. Alfonzo’s skin opens with hundreds of slits joining to make larger holes. Behind these holes is a black, watery substance that starts to cover her body and take the shape of armor. Alfonzo leaves her head uncovered. The scent of freshly cut roses fills the air as she walks out from behind the bush. Standing in front of David, Alfonzo winks at him and smiles devilishly.

“What do you think now?” Alfonzo asks.

David stands there speechless, staring at Alfonzo in disbelief.

“This is what I looked like all the time when I was a little girl. I would be in this form when I was alone or with my father. If I wanted to go anywhere, I would fly around as a phoenix and cloak myself whenever I flew by or into a town. I was very lonely for many years, but all that changed the night that I meet you,” Alfonzo walks toward David with a seductive motion to her body.

“Why won’t you cover your head?” David asks as he backs away.

“I don’t want to look ugly ever again.”

“So you don’t want to be ugly? Did you ever hear the story of Medusa? She was once a beautiful woman but was turned into a monster.”

“Yes, I have, but what you don’t know is that Medusa is my aunt. I spoke to her while I was a monster. I meet her on my eighteenth birthday. My father took me to meet her because he felt sorry for me being all alone. We bonded right away and have been friends ever since,” Alfonzo standing one foot away from David now, looking deeply into his eyes for the flame that is only for her.

“So is the story about her true?” David tries to look away, but he cannot because Alfonzo’s eyes are mesmerizing.

“She can choose who she turns into stone. Medusa once dated a blind man for many years but as time passed, her powers that she used to change from monster to woman grew weaker as the blind man aged. Then that tragic day came when she had but one last change left. She explained to her partner what had happened to her in the past and what was going to happen. She begged him to leave, but he loved her too much to do so. With tears in both of their eyes, they kissed one last time, and she changed back into the monster that she begun to loathe. With her gaze and her curse, she stared into the blind man’s eyes, and Medusa turned her love into stone. The blind man still has a tear on his cheek and a smile on his face. He holds his arms out in a hugging circle, so she could still feel his love whenever she felt lonely,” A tear runs down Alfonzo’s cheek as her mouth stops moving.

David pauses for a second, then steps close to Alfonzo. He puts his arms around her to let her cry. Minutes pass as the two stand in silence.

“I am so sorry. I had no idea,” David finally breaks the silence.

“It's okay. Many people have no idea about Medusa's life and that story always gets to me,” Alfonzo wipes tears off her cheeks.

“Teach me how to do what you just did, the transformation to the demon armor. Please teach me how you did it.”

“Okay, I will teach you.” Alfonzo lets go of David. She stands three feet away from David and tells him to mimic her. Holding out her arms, Alfonzo walks David through the steps to turn on his demon armor.

David tries repeatedly but fails every time. He gets frustrated because it came so easy to Alfonzo. He screams and makes all the wildlife run away from them.

Alfonzo just shakes her head at David.

King Dimitri sits at the top of a U-shaped table eating his breakfast. Gireten, his wife and long time love, is sitting next to him, enjoying her breakfast also. Both are terrified from the horror that they awoke to. Knowing that they cannot trust anyone leaves a wicked taste in their mouths. Bite after bite becomes harder to swallow due to the circumstances of this morning.

“My lord, all is accounted for,” Frickle, one of the king’s advisors, whispers in the king’s ear.

“Good. How many are dead?”

“Everyone but me and Gardly. We did not sleep here in the castle last night. The only other news is that Devan’s men caught the man behind the murders.”

“Who is it?” The king takes another bite of his breakfast appearing to keep calm.

“It was a group of your own men, my lord. They were outside of your bedroom waiting for the right time to kill you and your spouse. Devan’s men were doing their rounds when they came upon them. My lord, it is because of Devan’s men that you and your spouse are still alive,” Frickle replies as he glances out of the corner of his eye at some people entering the room.

Devan’s men enter the room with Devan in the middle of all of them. His men secure the room by stretching out around its outer perimeter. Each one nods at the other and keeps a close eye on everyone else. Devan walks into the center of the table. Facing the king and queen, Devan puts his hand out in a friendly jester, and the room becomes quiet as Devan speaks loud enough so everyone can hear.

“Your majesty, did you know that your men were out to kill you and your spouse? Did you even suspect anyone on your royal council of wanting to kill you?”

Devan pauses for a second look around the room. The people are in total shock.

“Ah, I see, you haven’t made up your mind about all of this. I ask; what kind of king are you when you sit around waiting for someone to kill you? Even if it was in the middle of the night. How long ago did you let your guard down? When did the feared lion become a sloth?”

“Devan! That is enough out of you! Ever since you took over for Donald you have become a pain in my rear.” The king waits for a comeback, but Devan says nothing.

“I am wondering if you were the one that really killed all of my men last night. Then blamed it on someone else to appear like the hero.”

Devan laughs at the king, “I knew that you would say that, and that is why I am standing before you. My men did not kill your men because they wanted to. They killed them because they were ordered to protect you and your spouse. My men followed my orders to the end with no exceptions. They do whatever I say whenever I say. I told them to protect you at all cost, including if they had to die. You are no good to your people if you are dead. Your people need you. They need a grand leader. If you are dead, then chaos will dominate for many years to come. I want you to be celebrated. I want you to be even greater than your father was before you. You can be so much more, if only you wish to be. The choice is up to you.”

The king was in total shock at Devan’s reply to him. He had no idea that Devan thought so highly of him. All this time, the king thought that Devan was completely against him. Now the truth comes to the surface.

“Will you help me to be a better king to my people? Will you always watch my back? If I fall, will you take my place and carry out my wishes for my kingdom?”

Devan turns and walks away from the king. When he reaches the end of the table, Devan turns around, “Yes.”

He then nods to his men to exit the room. King Dimitri is left wondering about Devan’s answer.

As night awakes to the sun’s tender sleep, Devan stands before his dark altar deciding on what to do with the king. Should he kill him? Should he replace him with someone else? Should he take the king’s place by shape-shifting? Pondering over many unanswered questions that are flying around in his head, Devan stands completely still and gazes into an empty onyx bowl, letting his thoughts race through his head.

Like lighting striking a person to the ground for evil intentions, it comes clear to him. Lifting the glass cage that Donald called his worm farm, Devan throws it to the floor. Dirt, glass, and worms spread across the floor like a broken watermelon. With an open hand raised palm up, Devan uses his powers to lift the worms out of the dirt and into the onyx bowl. Holding his hand over the bowl, he cuts it with a black knife. Blood drips from the opening and into the bowl, covering the worms as Devan begins the incantation.

“Blood of our father, master of all demons, hear me. Grant me this request. Use my blood and change these harmless worms into controlling, flesh-eating parasites. Make them poisonous to humans and give them the life they deserve. Hear my request my father.”

The blood soaks into the worms like water into the dry desert sand. The mouths on the worms open to reveal shark-like teeth. Their bodies change to resemble a porcupine’s quills. Screeching noises fill the air as the worms turn on themselves. Out of thirty-three worms, only two are left. Devan uses his powers to put each of the worms into their own jar.

“My little pets are just evil. I bet that you can’t wait to see who your new host is going to be.”

Fetching two bags, Devan laughs to himself about what is about to happen. Devan puts each jar in a bag and ties the top close.

“They will never know what hit them.”

Two guards stand watch outside of the king and queen’s bedroom. They were ordered not to let anyone pass. These two guards are the only people in a dead end hallway. They stare forward, watching for anyone.

The guard on the left draws his sword and turns to face the guard on the right. The left guard’s face contorts with anger. The right guard pulls out his sword hoping he will not need to defend himself against his partner. The left guard screams at the top of his lungs and charges the right guard. They fight back and forth in a dance of death. Neither guard knows who will be victorious. The duel lasts only for seconds, but it seem like minutes are melting away. A loud clang and the sound of raw meat being cut with a large knife fills the air. The right guard is victorious.

“Bravo, my dear boy, bravo. I am going to tell you what you have won, a one way ticket to hell.”

Devan appears out of nowhere to pick up the dead guard’s sword. He shoves the bloody blade into the other guard’s chest.

Devan takes up the
second guard’s sword. He uses it to draw a circle with a six-pointed star within it. Writing words inside and outside of the circle, Devan begins to chant, he cuts off the heads of the guards and places one head in the center of each triangle. He pries open the eyes so that they are looking at each other.

“Close this door so when I walk through no other person may. Protect this room so no human may hear any sound that comes out of this room. With the blood from these two guards, I command thee,” Devan splashes the guards’ blood on the door and enters.

The king and queen are asleep in their bedroom. Devan walks into the middle of the bedroom, using his powers to push everything to the outer walls and clear the center of the bedroom. Now a clear path stands between him and the king and queen’s bed. From beneath his robe, Devan pulls out a tiny bag that has a rope to tie it shut. Devan unties the knot and turns the bag upside down. Black stones drop one by one to the floor. Devan recites numbers in multiples of two. Each stone drops with the same number corresponding with a clock face.

Devan clears his throat, “My lord, wake up. Your guards outside your door are dead. Are you and your wife okay?”

As in a deep trance, the king answers back, “I’m okay.”

He shakes his wife to wake her up. The queen sits up to see what is going on.

“Are you okay my sweet?”

“I’m fine. What is all of the commotion?”

The queen looks around the room and sees a dark figure at the other end of the bedroom.

“I had a terrible feeling about this night. So I sent my guards out on patrol of the castle. One of my men was sick, so I came out to help. When I arrived at your hallway, I was too late. Your men were already dead. I was hoping that your men hurt the culprits enough that did this enough to make them die
somewhere else, but I could not tell from the amount of blood on the floor. Upon entering your room, I looked around to make sure no one else was in here. I pushed all of your furniture to the outer walls so there would be no place to hide.”

“So where do we go from here Devan?” the king asks.

“My lord, I want to offer my services to you and your queen. As you already know, I am one of the greatest wizards that this kingdom has ever known. If it pleases you, I want to put a protection spell over you both. This spell will protect you from whomever or whatever wants to harm you, my lord.”

“And to what do you get out of all of this?” the queen speaks up.

“The satisfaction that my king and queen are protected and safe from harm. That is all I wish to know. Do you wish to have me perform this spell?”

The king and queen look at each other to decide on this offer before them. They both know what the other is thinking. In unison, they say, yes.

An evil grin crosses Devan’s face. Walking away from the bed, Devan is overjoyed at the outcome of these night’s events. He stops outside of the invisible clock–like circle. He points to the bed.

“Come here.”

The bed slides across the floor and straight into the center of the invisible circle. The king and queen are startled by what is happening. Devan recites a couple of words from a forgotten language.

“My brothers and sisters, give me the strength to open a portal to hell.”

The onyx stones begin to glow and red lines connect them together. A small circle is created around the bed in the center of the clock face. Then two triangles form to make a six-pointed star by connecting opposite numbers, sealing the small circle in the middle. Finally, a large circle forms around everything, connecting the onyx stones together, and sealing up the symbol for the spell.

“I call to you, my master. Hear me and grant me strength over the lessor demons that I may control them.”

Devan takes out the jar of worms and smashes it on the bed making the worms drop to the floor.

“Here are the two vessels for these small children of hell.”

Two jet-black hands rise through the floor and grab the worms. They descend back into the clock face symbol. The cries of hurt animals fill the room. Sitting still in their bed too afraid to do anything, the king and queen look on.

“Now, combine the demons with these human hosts.”

Hands with long black arms reach up from the symbol. They grab the bed as the king and queen scream in terror. An eye appears on each of the six triangles. The stench of burnt flesh consumes the fresh air as a crimson glow fills the room. The bed disappears into the symbol with the king and queen holding on tightly. The sound of wood being torn apart like ripping fabric come from the symbol. Screams from the king and queen’s mouths sweeten the air for Devan. Devan knows what is happening to them. He has seen his master performing the same spell on other humans. Devan learned to use this spell long before the Great War. It is a sweet memory.

The bodies of the king and queen emerge from the symbol. Steam pours
off their skin like a raging river. Their bodies are limp and motionless. Unsure if the spell worked, Devan waits for an answer.

“King, queen, my servants, awake and stand before your master.”

Fingers begin to twitch. Heads begin to move robotically. Their chests jump in the air like electrical surges are ramping through them. First the king sits up then the queen. Both bodies adjust to the new souls within and try to speak.

“M-M-Mas-Mast-Mast-er…” the king and queen repeat over and over as they bob back and forth with arms and legs twitching.

“Good. On to the fun stuff!” Devan smiles.

The eyes close on each of the triangles. The crimson glow darkens. The symbol fades away and the room becomes quiet once more.