The Mythos Unveiled (Demona series) (20 page)

“I
never realized… Why didn’t you guys ever tell me?” Demona asked.

“Hopefully
nobody will read too much into your
mageia.”

“Why
am I so different from everyone else?” asked Demona.

“You
know the answer to that.”

Long
moments passed before another word was said. They sat in the car and stared out
the windshield at the other vehicles.

“We
need to talk,” Demona said.

“Now
what?” Kerrick asked.

“Something
is up with you. You keep denying it, but I know something’s up. I know you and
Darius were arguing,” Demona said. “Plus you have been all weird lately. You
skip work and then show up in Terra Hollow. I barely see you or hear from you
anymore.”

“Don’t
worry about it,” Kerrick said.

“You
can tell me not to worry, but I’m still going to!”

Chapter 21

The Masquerade

Kerrick
and Demona waited in line outside of Club Chamber as they waited to get into
the Masquerade. The music poured out of the entrance. Demona could make out the
music; it was slightly different from the time she had been there before.
Instead of the heavy bass thumping through the air she could make out what
sounded like a musical mix of classical and techno. She thought she heard a
violin and other string instruments.

In
line were men and women of different species dressed in formal attire. The
women wore beautifully designed dresses of different colors and hues. The men
wore suites or tuxedos, usually in a darker color. Some of the men wore top
hats as well.

Each
person wore a mask, as was the requirement to get in. There were so many different
masks. Some reminded Demona of something you would see at Mardi Gras. Other
masks covered entire faces with large jester-like patterned cloth pointing out
of all sides. Some looked like they had been created from lace, others from
wood. Many of the women wore masks with gems and feathers. The men wore more
simple designs or with long pointed noses. Each mask was unique in its own way.

Demona’s
dress had been delivered to her apartment the night before. She had unwrapped
it and found something magnificent inside. The bodice was a tight fitting
strapless corset made of black satin. More black satin material fell from her
waist and extended to the floor. Off of her waist cascaded silk royal purple
ruffles that were drawn together with white pearl accents. A mask had come with
her dress made of precisely cut black metal which formed a butterfly wing over
each side of her face.

“I
cannot wait until this is over with,” Kerrick said. He wore black dress pants,
a dress shirt, and tie. Over it he wore a sleek black and silver paisley dinner
jacket. He wore a silver metallic gladiator mask, which was simply shaped to
fit across his eyes. Etched into the mask were some geometric shapes.

“Hey,
we’re here to have fun. Besides you look pretty hot in a suit,” Demona said.

“Alright,
I must say that I can’t wait until this is over,” Kerrick said. He eyed Demona
hungrily.

“Is
that all you think about?”

“I
am a man, you know.” Kerrick shrugged.

He
had not bothered to comment on Demona’s dress, but she knew he was enjoying her
costume. He kept peeking at her cleavage when he thought she was not looking.

They
finally made it to the entrance and waited for their turn to enter. The
cyclops, Golias, was acting security. He eyed Kerrick carefully as they made
their way into the tunnel entrance.

Demona
was taken aback by the magnificence of the decorations. The club looked
completely different from what it had when she was there before. In the vast
chamber colorful decorations glowed under black lights. People laughed and
danced everywhere she looked. Tables were set up with various drinks, desserts,
and appetizers.

One
of the bars had been turned into a stage where women in tutus and men in
leotards danced together to the music. On the stage behind them were the DJ and
orchestra. On one side of Demona a man, probably a dragon, stood on a platform
performing fire breathing tricks. From the ceiling hung women from cloth
streamers, they weaved themselves in and out of the fabric eloquently with the
music. Fairies, the kind with wings, weaved in and out of the different colored
cloths strips that hung above. It was as if their fluttering movements were done
in sync.

It
was nothing that Demona had ever seen before and she soaked it all in. She was
captivated by all of the commotion around her and everywhere she turned there
was some new and exciting thing to look at.

Kerrick
pulled Demona along through the crowd, until they found Darius seated at one of
the reserved tables towards the back of the club. He watched and admired the
entertainment around him. Darius’ mask began just under his eyes and extended
just above his head in the shape of a crown. It looked as if it had been made
of gold and stood out perfectly against his black and gold pin striped tuxedo.

Bergfalk
sat at his side. She wore an elegant black strapless dress. She stood to greet
Kerrick and Demona admired the form fitting dress that ended just at her thighs
followed by a long flowing train. Her mask was made of black lace that fit
snuggly against her face. She wore bright blue eye shadow beneath that made her
amber eyes pop with color.

Darius
had the two of them sit in the other seats at his table. After she was seated,
Demona noticed that Agrippa stood at the bar. He wore a simple black suede suit
and solid black half mask. After awhile a server brought champagne to them.

Bergfalk
gulped hers down in one sip and went to stand near Kerrick. She bent to whisper
in his ear. “I believe you owe me a dance.”

“Alright,”
Kerrick said. He stood and walked Bergfalk to the dance floor.

Demona
secretly hoped that someone would ask her to dance. She looked at Darius who
was already preoccupied with greeting newcomers. She watched as Bergfalk danced
a little too slowly and a little too closely to Kerrick, considering the fast
pace of the music that blared around them. Demona turned away before she grew
too jealous.

Their
rations had been served and everyone had completed their meals. The dancers
that provided entertainment during the meal had left the dance floor. The music
grew louder once more and people returned to dancing, this time having had much
more to drink than before. The room thumped and bodies melded.

BOOM!

Dust
from the cavern ceiling fell upon the guests below. Pieces of the stalactites
broke and spiraled downward, injuring a few unlucky people below. The chamber
grew frigidly cold. Screams came from the outside of the club entrance.

Several
black masses flew through the entrance. People were knocked over and others
flung clear across the club. The mists zoomed around the club leaving a path of
destruction as it went. People screamed, some ran and others hid.

Demons.

“I
want to know what is going on right now!” Darius yelled.

“I’m
calling security,” Agrippa said. He picked up the phone and quickly dialed a
number as he ducked when debris fell his way. “Someone released the demons from
the demon vault!”

“Damn
it! Get them to safety!” Darius pointing to the guests.

Kerrick
and Bergfalk helped get people to protected areas. Agrippa sent shimmering
defense spells through the air. Several other people attempted to fend off the
demons. With the amount of demons in the club and the close contact of the guests,
fighting was useless.

Some
of the more adept witches shot spells at the demons only to miss and injure
bystanders. A few fairies crawled up walls or flew above to stop the demons,
only to crash down to the ground. A group of vampires joined hands and
attempted to use their mental abilities to control the demons. They were flung
backwards and knocked unconscious. The club was in chaos and everywhere Demona
looked people screamed and panicked.

One
of the demons stopped before the table where Demona had taken cover. The demon
began to take form. As it grew in density the clerical clothing of a priest
became visible and Demona recognized him as the priest from the photo.

Demona
found herself standing face to face with the demon.
People
screamed all around as the remaining demons continued to create destruction
around the club.

The
demon priest lower himself to the ground and he approached Demona. Demona
blocked out the chaos around her and focused solely on the demon before her.
Her body refused to obey her and she froze as the demon approached.

“Who
are you?” Demona asked.

“I
am Abd al-Malik,” the demon said. The demon continued to approach Demona.

“What
do you want?” Demona asked.

“Your
power!” The demon’s hand reached out and touched Demona’s head. Everything went
black.

****

The
room was dimly lit. Darius sat back against his office chair and stared across
his desk at Kerrick.

“Kerrick,
you are my best agent,” Darius said.

“Thank
you, sir,” Kerrick said.

“I
have a very important task for you. One that needs your upmost devotion.”

“It
is an honor, Darius.” Kerrick was on the edge of his seat.

“I
am assigning you a new partner. Her name is Demona Brennan. I need you to watch
out for her, protect her, and gain her trust.” Darius leaned forward as if
stressing the importance of this assignment. “She is the
Mythos
. I need you to get close to her, woo her. Make certain she
stays on our side.

“You
and I both know the many theories about what the future holds, now that she is
here. I have been watching her for quite some time and I would hate for all of
my efforts to be for naught. We must make certain that she stays on our side!”

“How
do you know she’s the one?”

“Because,
I have watched Demona for a long, long time. She possessed the proper qualities
that we have expected to find in the
Mythos
.
I made certain when I created her. I am her master.”

“Why
would you do that?” Kerrick asked. “How do you know she will not destroy us?
Shouldn’t you have just made sure she stayed human or killed her?” Kerrick
looked unhappy about this news.

“I
needed to make sure that we had a large influence to play in her life. I needed
to keep her under our control. We can use her against GLC and take control of
the world,” Darius said. “She is the one, you will see.”

“This
is risky,” Kerrick said.

“That
is precisely why I need you. You will make certain that she does not receive
any outside influence.”

“I
will try.”

“You
will do this.”

****

Demona
came back to the present. Screams and chaos whirled around her. The priest
stood before her and Demona stared back. Kerrick and the other agents were now
fighting the more concentrated forms of energy. They were gaining form by
feeding off of the beings around them. It was only a matter of time before this
masquerade turned into a blood bath.

Demona
was irritated. She knew the demon had just showed her a memory from the past.
It was definitely something real. Demona was confused, and upset. Most of all
she was angry. The more she thought about it the angrier she became.

Her
anger was growing more and more unstable by the second.
Kerrick… You lying asshole! You used me, both of you used me!

BOOM!

A
sonic boom bounced off of the walls. It had emanated from Demona. Demona’s
sonic boom was equally as destructive as the previous explosions and demons
combined. Dust and debris fell onto the helpless people below. The impact of
the sonic boom shook the cavern knocking over people and objects with its
reverberation. Stalagmites and stalactites crumbled all around.

BOOM!

A
second blast emanated out from Demona. The demon priest returned to his mist
form once more and sped out of the chamber. The remaining demons followed close
behind. People screamed as chunks of the chamber ceiling began breaking lose
and falling to the floor below. As the ground continued to shake around them
people fled the chamber seeking solitude outside. Soon, the chamber was filled
with dust and Demona heard people choking all around her.

A
shimmer rippled through the air. The shaking stopped. The falling debris and
dust ceased to fall. A voice chanted a spell nearby. Demona’s anger was still
explosive and it was only a matter of time before it took control and created
another boom. Nearby, Agrippa had been chanting a spell which created the
shimmer.

Kerrick
walked to Demona, who was unconscious to what was taking place around her. He
placed his hand on her shoulder, bringing her slightly back to reality.

Demona
looked around. Hundreds of eyes stared at her from the bodies crouched on the
floor or hidden under tables and chairs. Giant pieces of stalactites lay
scattered about the chamber and a cloud of dust hovered in the air for several
minutes before it slowly settled to the ground.

People
began to stand once more, but none took their eyes away from Demona. The cavern
was silent, even those who had been injured feared to make a noise. The demons
had been dangerous, but Demona was something new and powerful.

Agrippa
stopped chanting. Minutes later people began to look for and assist the
injured. Most people were still staring at Demona. Nurse witches rushed into
the cavern moments later.

Kerrick
stood beside Demona. He had a firm grip on her, just in case she lost control
again.

Soon,
Darius moved near her. “I suppose we ought to tell everyone who you are now.
After all, there is not much sense in trying to deny it any longer,” Darius
said.