Fury of the Demon

So

We left Bryce and made our way through tall grass, swarms of mosquitos, and questionable footing. “Couldn’t he have blipped to a place with a trail?” I grumbled, then lifted the phone to my ear. “Hey, Zack? We should be getting close. Do you hear a herd of elephants nearby?”

“Rhinos,” he replied. “Definitely . . . rhinos, and they need to bear right . . . make their way around the curve.”

We continued to follow his directions and finally found him on a flat spit of stone that extended into the water. He lay curled on his side, his phone on speaker beside him.

I tucked my own phone away. The clouds were gone and the rising moon cast everything in soft light. A fat toad hopped across my path as I moved to Zack and knelt beside him. “I’m here, ghastuk,” I said softly, the demon word for friend coming up naturally.

“You’re right, I lied,” he said. “I’m a wreck.” He made what I suspected to be an attempt to sit up but ended up as little more than a body jerk.

I laid my hand on Zack’s shoulder, caught So

So

“It’s not all right,” he said. “It’s not.” The desolation in his voice matched the despair in his eyes. “There is only silence. Silence,” he said in a heart-wrenching whisper.

“We’re going to help you,” I told him. “That’s something you can hang on to.” The reminder of Mzatal’s silence and imposed distance twisted like a knife in my heart, but I swallowed the temptation to sink into my own pain and focused on Zack. I kept hold of his hand and wrapped my other arm around his shoulders. “Tell me what’s going on with you so I know how to help.”

“Isolated.” His voice lurched as though the word forced its way through suffocating grief. “Crippled.”

I gestured So

“All right, you’re isolated from the other demahnk,” I said, doing my best to understand. “It’s some sort of telepathic link that’s silent now?”

“From Rhyzkahl as well,” Zack said, expression bleak, but then he shook his head. “Not telepathic. Different. You  . . . understand.”

I frowned, puzzled. “I do? How?” I thought for a moment. “You mean with Mzatal?”

“Similar.”

“Oh.” Now I had a far better understanding of the magnitude of his loss. Mzatal had built a wall but he hadn’t cut our co

“How are you crippled?” I asked. Maybe knowing the specifics would help me help him.

“Ca

I had no idea what flowing or extending meant, but now wasn’t the time to ask. Wrapping my arms around him, I held him close. He clung to me like a drowning man to a life preserver, and then gave in to his sorrow. He wept in big shuddering sobs that shook us both, and grief and loss as powerful as the aura of a qaztahl washed over me. I wept with him, held him, and did as much as I could to let him know I was there for him.

After a time, he eased and went still in my arms. I continued to cradle his head to my shoulder and stroke his hair. So

“Do you need Jill?” I asked softly.

He drew in a sharp breath and stiffened, eyes reflecting panic. “No! No, I can’t,” he said emphatically. “It’s not her. I just can’t.”

“It’s okay. I understand,” I hurried to assure him, then considered the situation. “You need time. You need to feel safe. And you don’t need to be alone. But you need to be with someone . . . neutral.”

“Yes. I’m so sorry.” The words came out in a pained whisper, and the veil slid from another level of understanding. Zack was accustomed to being the caretaker and guardian, the elder and advisor. He was the one with vision and understanding. Yet, for the moment, he couldn’t serve in any of those roles, and instead was the one who needed care. The whole mess surely made for a confusing and heavy burden.

“No need to be sorry, Zack,” I said. “You went through a major trauma. I needed a few days away from it all not too long ago.” If Helori hadn’t accompanied me to the wilds of the demon realm for a timeout after Rhyzkahl tortured me, I never would have recovered. “How about Jill’s house?” I suggested. “It’s already warded, and she’s at our place with Steeev which means you’d have it to yourself.”

A flicker of relief passed through his eyes. “Yes.” He swallowed, gave an unsteady nod. “Yes, that’s good.”

“After we get you settled, I’ll call her and let her know what’s going on. She’ll understand.” I had faith in my friend. “I also think So

Zack looked at me with naked hope in his eyes. “Will he?”

That response alone told me I’d made a good call. I looked over at So

Pleased relief lit his face. “Sure thing. Whatever you need.”

“Great. It’ll be good for you as well,” I said. “In fact, it’s probably best for both of you to simply trust me, go along with everything I say, and not argue.”

Zack managed a weak smile. “Opportunistic dictatress.”

“That’s Stubborn Opinionated Bitch,” I corrected. “Come on. Let’s get out of here. The mosquitoes are vicious.”

Zack made a failed attempt to stand. “I don’t know that I can walk.”

So

I ducked under Zack’s other arm and wrapped my arm around his waist. Getting back to the car was a lot harder than going in, but we eventually got Zack tucked into the backseat with So

I quickly filled Bryce in and told him where to go. Zack slumped against the door with his eyes closed, while So

Trampled grass in Jill’s yard remained the only indication there’d been a crime scene only a few days ago. Bryce pulled into the driveway and parked, then So

I checked the kitchen for supplies, relieved to find plenty of food in the pantry and fridge. So

I knew a little about trauma, and I remembered how awesome it felt to wade into the sea after my torture ordeal. Though a bath was a far cry from the ocean, it held plenty of merits of its own. I went into the bathroom and cranked the water on full in the tub, then hunted in Jill’s closet and found Zack a set of his own sweats. A scrounge under the bathroom sink turned up some simple herbal sea salt, and I tossed a handful into the steaming bath, glad that Jill had something not too perfumey.