Authors: Auden D. Johnson
Devdan Manor
Short Stories
Novel
Maybe he could hang everyone by their ankles. Cyl Antun would sit back and enjoy the fear and anger crossing their faces as the blood rushed to their heads. Then, they would know how he felt to be at the mercy of demons who despised him. He would string them up in the forest outside the gate and leave them overnight. Let the nocturnal demons have their way with them
His power slipped out of his body. Damn. Cyl took several deep breaths. His power sucked all the fun out of being angry. If he imagined strangling someone, his power would be ready to do it.
He stepped away from his anger. He couldn’t destroy Otav House. Could he?
No. Nuall Otav would hate him. Best not to turn his only friend into an enemy, especially not that friend.
The brilliant purple and silver trimmed walls of the Otav’s estate spoke of subtle elegance. It paired perfectly with the black glassy floor. The Otav family crest sat above each door. Small enough to avoid being ostentatious. In the right position to be noticed by those who walked by. The halls and rooms were adorned with items one couldn’t find by walking into a store. Yet, Otav House was ugly. It felt ugly. It had taken into it the hearts of its residence. Everything seemed alive. All the time, Cyl felt eyes burning into his skin, probing him. This house knew his soul. This place didn’t like him.
He had lived here for half a year. What did that say about him?
Even Nuall Otav’s strong aura couldn’t remove the centuries of disgraceful acts all in the name of order and purity. Not that she tried. Nuall had a presence that demanded attention. She controlled rooms before she entered them. She should’ve been able to purge the house of the filth. But it was beyond saving.
Nuall rested her narrow hips against her ornate wooden desk. She didn’t have the Otav features. No one in the household had her short silver hair and bright gold eyes.
Her presence ruled her room. Cyl was safe here. He could relax.
“Will you be coming back?”
He could feign innocence. Come back from where? She’d asked that many times before. He always avoided it. He was leaving tomorrow. He could no longer avoid it.
“More than likely. I don’t know how long I’ll be away. It could be years.”
Her rising anger soiled her power. It seeped out and poisoned the air. It burned his throat.
“They will not do this.”
Nuall was an only child with no other friends. If he left, she’d be alone.
She bounced off the desk. It jumped back, knocking a hole in the wall.
She headed for the door. Cyl grabbed her arm.
“That’s enough, Nuall.”
The anger in her power tried to eat through his flesh. It could never reach far inside him. He knew her too well.
She snatched her arm from his grip.
“Are you giving up? This is your life. They cannot make you do anything you don’t want to do.”
“You forget, I don’t have the freedom you have. My family still controls my life. If they want me to leave, I have to leave.”
She pulled the door open, ripping it from the wall. She screamed down the hall for her family to meet her in the living room. Cyl wouldn’t allow himself to hope. Nuall would talk. Her family would humor her. In the end, he’d leave for Caster tomorrow.
Everyone told him he was being sent away to train under Master Jorain. Cyl had been listening too hard. He knew better. They were sending him away. They didn’t care whether or not he made it to Caster as long as he was no longer fouling up Mortaus. He was a burden. He was leaving so his family could go back to being happy.
The Antun family were weak demons. At least, they were in the past. Children born to his family only held skills to be servants for wealthier, more powerful beings. He, on the other hand, had been born with more power than his body knew what to do with. The Antuns was ashamed of this power.
Cyl wanted to go for a drive. He’d have to pass through the house to reach Nuall’s vehicle. He didn’t want to run into anyone, least of all Nuall.
Mortaus was the most advanced land in the world. Researchers and engineers visited the human world to examine their technology and adapt it for demon use. They even discovered medical remedies for diseases spells couldn’t cure. Of course, they never shared this technology with anyone outside the land’s walls.
He walked to her window. The Otav family mansion stood four stories. Nuall’s room was on the top floor. Could he jump without destroying the ground? Probably not. Besides, sneaking out the window was the coward’s way out. He walked past Nuall’s broken door. He’d get blamed for it.
Mortaus. The Crystal Land. Paradise. Lies demons on the inside told the rest of the world. Not entirely. The buildings were made of immortal clear crystals. Researches spent centuries studying the crystals. They still didn’t know how to emulate it. Mortaus boasted the best of everything. The best schools, library, way of life. The residents were happy here. Any map of the demon world would show Mortaus at the center with everything else shrinking in its presence.
Demons would sell their children to live here. Demons betrayed their families just to be allowed to work as a street cleaner. The outside didn’t know. Everything and everyone here had a place. They weren’t supposed to wish for things above them. They weren’t supposed to have more power than the demons here thought they deserved. Demons glared at Cyl as though he had murdered their prodigy.
The walls of Otav House whispered. Like thousands of voices cursing him. He couldn’t understand the words. He felt malice behind the hissing.
A shadow moved in his side vision. Cyl didn’t turn. He wouldn’t be fooled this time. The furniture felt like they were possessed by something ugly. Nuall said it wasn’t true. The furniture could not move. The mansion didn’t have any servants spying on him whenever he left Nuall’s room.
“Excuse me Antun.”
The butler always said his name as though spitting it out. Cyl decided to ignore him. They were kicking him out anyway. Why did he need to be polite anymore? Why did he need to pretend he liked living with this snobbish family?
“Lady Nuall wants to see you.”
Cyl stopped. Nuall never sent for him. If she wanted to talk with him, she either shouted his name across the building or searched him out. She didn’t even like having her meals cooked.
The best thing to do was leave. He walked on.
“The Lady will be disappointed in you.”
Cyl’s pace slowed. What if Nuall had called for him? She’d be angry he ignored her.
He quickened his pace. He knew Nuall better than her family. She would never send the butler after him. He didn’t like the scent coming from the older male. He usually bled dislike whenever he was around Cyl. Dislike had been replaced with glee. Cyl would not run. The door was in sight. The butler was following him.
“How sad. I knew your kind was filth. I just didn’t know you were this bad. The one person who actually cares about your putrid existence is asking for you and you’re running away.”
Don’t listen. It was a lie.
“You walk out that door and you’ll never see the Lady again.”
Cyl stopped. Why did they like playing with him? Why did they enjoy making him feel hurt and alone? It was fine. He had already said good-bye to Nuall.
He pulled to door open and walked out.
He made it to the end of the driveway. He ran. He couldn’t concentrate on anything besides the butler’s words. Why did she have to be his best friend? When she forced her friendship onto him, he should’ve fought harder against it. He raced out the gate and into the forest.
Someone was in his spot.
Bear demons. All attitude, little power. They snapped at everyone. No one could take them seriously with their fury bodies and cute stuffed animal faces. Their jaws could break a tree in half. That didn’t matter. Their big watery eyes could melt the hardest heart.
They surrounded him claws bared, mouths open. They spoke. Cyl didn’t hear them. He didn’t want them to do anything but bleed. His power exploded in a massive black wave. It roared as it rushed to them. They ran. His power would never let them get away.
It drilled through their bodies slowly, pulling out the most amazing screams. He would leave nothing behind. He would make sure they felt everything tearing him up. They screamed. He wanted to hear more of it. He slowed his power. Making it eat slower. They screamed louder. Delicious. This was the one thing he could control. He would exercise it to its fullest.
They were gone. Not even blood remained. It wasn’t enough. He needed more screaming, more pain.
“That’s enough, Cyl,” Nuall said.
He turned around.
“No, it’s not.”
“I can and will stop you.”
“No—”
The scent of her blood seeped through his high. Cyl’s power exploded, blowing apart trees.
“This is nothing. Calm down,” she said. “Stop acting like I’m some weak human that needs protection.”
A sharp blow to the stomach. He was flying backwards. He stopped moving. He was stuck in midair.
“Put me down, Nuall.”
In this position, he was at her mercy. His power was going out of his control.
“You don’t trust me.”
“Put me down.”
He needed to regain control. She put him down. His power slid back inside him.
Sharp pain slide up his leg. Felt like iron had pinched his flesh.
“Why do you always greet me like that?” he said to the green-eyed little girl biting his leg.
His little sister Ryse released him. She hugged his leg. Most demons took the form of animals while others looked human with animal features. The most acceptable demons were those that looked pure human like his family and the Otavs. Rarely could a demon pull off the half-human half-animal form.
Ryse could.
Her thick main of black hair and slits for eyes were adorable. She had a predator’s teeth with small fangs. Now, she looked like an adorable pup. She’d be stunning when she got older. Cyl didn’t like it.
The family’s mark was already making its way up her arm. She had a single jagged black line on the back of her hand. Around the age of eight, a maze of thick black lines tattooed the Antuns left and right arms between the wrist and shoulder. It usually didn’t travel farther than that, to the neck and hands. It was a source of pride to have the family tattoo visible above the clothing line even in the winter.
Himself, Ryse and his older brother Uryl were the only living members of the family to have the mark start on the hand. Cyl’s went from his first finger on his left hand to his neck. Uryl’s went past the neck to braid itself under his right eye. This was supposed to be considered special. No one believed Uryl’s was worthy of having such a visible mark. They all believed he had it extended.
Cyl spent most of his childhood being told the Antun family mark was a gift he didn’t deserve. Mom and Dad had spent nights discussing whether to get his removed. The choice was made for them. The mark could be altered but not removed.
Uryl appeared as though the ground threw him up.
“What is all this nonsense? Why are you fouling up the air? The land around Otav House is in chaos. They’re blaming you, Cyl, demanding you be executed.”
That was harsh. Not unexpected. He’d be leaving earlier than planned.
Cyl had seven brothers and sisters. Ryse and Uryl were the only ones that didn’t treat him like he had killed their favorite pet.
Uryl’s black hair was wild as usual. No matter what he did, his hair never obeyed. Cyl had the same problem.
“Just because you’re my older brother doesn’t mean you can chastise me every time you see me,” Cyl said.
Uryl stood beside the deflating Nuall. “If you didn’t make trouble all the time, I wouldn’t have to reprimand you.”
“This is not my fault. That one,” Cyl stabbed his finger in Nuall’s direction, “threw a tantrum.”
Ryse released his leg. Cyl dropped to his knees. She jumped on his back. Cyl stood.
“What now?” he asked.
“We can’t go back there,” Uryl said jabbing his thumb towards the gate.
“We?” Cyl looked over his shoulder at his sister. “No, you three are going home.”
Ryse tighten her grip on his neck, cutting off his air.
