“Indeed, I am blind, young lady.” The old man’s voice sounded weak and hollow, as if he were struggling to speak. It left Sophie, Alexi, and Kain with the impression that each and every word which left the shaman’s lips had to travel a long, long distance before reaching their destination. “That doesn’t mean I can’t see.”
Kain squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, and his hand went to the thin scars around his eyes without him even noticing. There was something about this relic of a man that made him feel uneasy.
Sophie leaned forward in her squeaky chair. Those white, glazed eyes fascinated her. “How exactly can you see?”
“I can feel the energies floating in the air and sense the colors of your auras. You three bring the smell of rain, red poppies, and cherry blossom with you.” The old man inhaled hungrily. “Your simple presence has chased away the toxic stench of the demon’s power.”
Sophie, Alexi, and Kain exchanged quick glances. The shaman had described their personal auras in just a few words. Sophie smiled when she noticed neither Alexi, nor Kain flinched or looked away when their eyes met.
“Will you help us… wise shaman?” Sophie hesitated. She studied his wrinkled face, the rough skin that covered his prominent bones, and the old rags he was wearing. “What is your name?”
He smiled, his thin lips revealing pink, empty gums. “My name is not important. I haven’t had one in years. Where I come from or who I was before dedicating my life to the mysteries of magic doesn’t matter either. Yes, I will help you, my lady. All I ask is that you help me in return when all this is over.”
“Your phial… dead water and living water…” whispered Alexi.
“Indeed. It is the most precious magic item I own, and I will not res
t until I find the one who stole it from me and get it back. However, this can wait. First, we have to release these innocent, unfortunate people from the Ke’let’s horrible spell. He keeps them entranced and helpless while he steals their children and feeds off their energy. We must put an end to it.”
“And that we shall,” said Tengu. He rose from his chair and started pacing the room. “Father Michael’s own daughter has been taken.”
Kain crossed his arms over his chest and furrowed his blond brows. “Does he know she’s in danger?”
“No, and I refrained from telling him. He’ll be of no help if he panics. He believes his daughter is one of the few lucky young women and men whom Casimir D’Argyle hires every year to help with organizing the fancy party he throws at his mansion to celebrate the Spring Equinox. Father Michael told us that those chosen by D’Argyle only work for him one or two months, and if their master is satisfied, he finds them better jobs in one of the big cities.”
“How does that even work?” asked Sophie. She couldn’t believe her ears. “What age do these people live in?”
Tengu turned towards her and fixed her with his black, intense eyes. “Look around you, Miss La Volpilliére. The people of this village have been kept under the demon’s powerful spell for hundreds of years. They almost live like in the Middle Ages. It’s like time itself forgot them. The young men and women D’Argyle recruits every year never come back to their families, and parents don’t ask themselves why they never hear from their children because they’re not even aware there’s technology today that can help people keep in touch. And what’s worse is that this is just one of the villages he has under his control. There are four more.”
“Wow… Just wow…” Sophie leaned back in her chair, taking her time to wrap her mind around Tengu’s words.
“You’re right,” said Alexi, “We have to move fast. What have you learned, Tengu? How did Father Michael’s daughter manage to get hired by the Count?”
Tengu stopped in front of the window and looked outside at the tall mountain rising behind the house. “There’s a representative of D’Argyle in the next village. She assesses the candidates who come willingly from all five villages and chooses the ones she deems appropriate. I haven’t been able to go there because the demon would immediately sense me. You will have to go and investigate, ask around and find out what the Count wants from the young women he is recruiting for the Spring Equinox. I believe it will be easy for Sophie to convince the representative she’s a worthy candidate.”
“I… I don’t know if I can do it…” Sophie’s voice was barely a whisper. Yes, she knew that as a cambion she had the power to hide her demon nature as she pleased, but if the shaman had identified their unique auras so easily, wouldn’t it be just as simple for the Count or this demon woman who acted as his envoy?
“You can and you will.” Tengu’s words were harsh and final.
Sophie’s cheeks turned red and she wondered if it wouldn’t have been better for Kain and Alexi to work with a more experienced cambion. The blond sneaked a hand under the table, found her knee, and squeezed it reassuringly. She raised her eyes to meet his, and returned his smile.
“I’m so sorry for taking so long.” Father Michael burst into the room, carefully balancing a huge tray on his big, clumsy hands. “I had forgotten I was out of ground coffee and I had to fix that first.” He placed the tray on the table and proceeded to offer each guest a small, steaming cup of fresh coffee.
“Mmm… this smells wonderful.” Sophie inhaled the incredible aroma and almost moaned.
“Oh yes,” said the priest, a bright smile on his chubby face, “On the plus side, freshly ground coffee smells divine.”
?
Father Michael prepared separate rooms for his three guests. They were small, with old, creaky beds and hard mattresses, but the sheets were freshly washed and well ironed. Since his wife died and his daughter went to work for the Count, he had been paying a woman to clean the house and do the laundry once a week. He didn’t usually have guests, so he did his best to make Sophie, Alexi, and Kain feel like home, just as he had done for Tengu in the past few days. He had no idea what they were. All Tengu had told him was that he was investigating Count Casimir D’Argyle because there had been some complaints regarding his usual Spring Celebration. When the priest asked the incubus if his daughter, Leila, was in any danger, Tengu had assured him that it was not the case. As much as they hated lying to their kind, hospitable host, Sophie, Alexi, and Kain agreed with Tengu. It was better for the priest and the villagers to be kept in the dark a while longer. If people started to panic, they could endanger their mission.
Sophie made sure father Michael was inside the house, fumbling with pillows and duvets. She would have loved to help him, especially since he was going through all this trouble for their sake, but she had more important things to do. She closed the front door carefully, then headed to the gate, where Tengu, the shaman, Alexi, and Kain were discussing the last details of their plan.
“Rest tonight,” said Tengu. “Tomorrow, make sure Sophie knows how to hide her demon sigil and her powers. We can’t risk the demons living up in these mountains sniffing her out the moment she reaches the next village.” He threw her a harsh glance.
Sophie bit the inside of her lip and forced herself to keep a straight face. What was his problem, anyway? Why didn’t he like her? “Of course… just like Lilith, he would have preferred to see Kain and Alexi work with someone else. Does he really think I’ll screw this up? What a jerk…” However, she couldn’t ignore the feeling tugging at her heart. Maybe he was right. Maybe she would screw this up. After all, what did she know about the Ke’let demons? Yes, she had read everything she could find about them in the Library, but was that enough? Tengu was speaking again, so she tried to focus. “I’ll think about it later.”
“You shouldn’t worry about Sophie reaching the Count, because I have no doubts he will gladly accept her services. It will be hard for you two, though.”