Cursed Souls

Five

This was insane. Only two days ago I'd been in the Academy enjoying my breakfast, getting my assignment and living my life in safety and, well, ignorance. All I was concerned with was rising the ranks and feeding my family. Now I was standing in a room being gawked at by the Guild of Blades whilst allegedly being possessed by a demon. I needed to sit down.

As if they'd heard me - and given the obvious magic in the room, they just might have - the nearest chair scooted out towards me. Beautifully carved and finished with a plush grey cushion, it was the perfect thing to sink into whilst enjoying a psychotic break.

I was possessed? My head spun with the news. I hadn't thought anything had changed after I'd left the hospital - sure I'd sustained an injury during my time in the cellar, but other than that everything had been fine, hadn't it? "Are you sure about that?" The voice in my head had returned, but this time, it didn't sound like me. The voice was smooth and dark, hate filling every syllable. Before, I had dismissed it as a shaken brain and confused conscious, but now... "Who are you?" I asked it, reaching into the deeper levels of my mind - where previously all was quiet and normal, now there was something there. Tangible and violent, I felt as if a black mass had lodged itself firmly amongst my innermost thoughts. "I'm your undoing, bitch."

I shivered, maybe I was possessed.

A loud cough broke through the uncomfortable silence and I noticed it came from the figure to my right, a middle-aged man who had all eyes on him. A gold clasp adorning his navy cloak suggested he was more important than the rest - the leader perhaps? He turned to face me, his green eyes were kind and his face was lined from years of laughter - the kindest face I'd seen thus far.

"Welcome, Eve, my name is Tomas." He sounded wise, friendly and calm, which was a far cry from how I felt. "I understand you must have some questions for us?" I nodded in response. "Well, let's start from the beginning, shall we? What do you want to know? And do sit down Dorian, you're distracting me." Dorian plopped into the seat to my left as I asked "what happened to me?"
"Well," Tomas began, clasping his hands in front of him, showing off an impressive array of gold signet rings. "As Dorian stated, we speculate that you are a victim of possession. When you intercepted the cult ritual, you must have interacted with the demon - the being they were summoning."

"Whilst interrupting, the demon entered into your body rather than return to the Ether Plane, perhaps as a method of self-preservation. Either way, you act as a vessel, and it will be using your energy in order to survive until the cult can finish what they started."

"So I'm possessed by a demon." Dorian laughed in the seat next to me. "Not quite the Watch Officer life you wanted, huh?" I shot him a glare, I needed to figure out how to survive this, I didn't want a demon hijacking my body and I definitely didn't want to be tracked down by a cult.

I turned my attention back to Tomas. "What is the cult?" He sat back in his chair, exchanging nods with the rest of the navy-clad group, as if asking for permission. One of them, a lady seated near the window, nodded back, pushing a sheet of paper towards him.

"This," Tomas said, gesturing to the page in front of him, "is all the information we have at the moment."
"It's not a lot." I commented, noticing familiar sigils amongst the notes.
"No," continued Tomas, "it's not. So far, we know that the cult is an organisation - how large, we're not sure. But they have an agenda and there have been several instances that we're looking into. They tend to stick to lesser-known areas, so the ruins of the Undercity are perfect. And, as you saw, they're focused on bringing the demons back to our world using dark magic, Plane Walkers and portals."

"Our guess is that they view them as their masters, harbouring an allegiance with them that's lasted since before the war. We're unsure of the extent of their capabilities or their end goal, but at present they're taking human sacrifices and summoning demons to this plane. They will be looking for you Eve. They will want to finish what they started." A familiar feeling of dread rose within me, I couldn't stay here hiding out from the cult - people relied on me, I had responsibilities, mouths to feed.

"What about the Watch? How am I going to provide for my family? Are they safe?" Thinking about my family left a sour taste in my mouth.

Since the death of our father, I was responsible for ensuring my brother and sister had enough money to live - before, due to being sold to the Watch, the money I earned covered both the fee they accrued for having magic and their general cost of living. The money dad had left in his will took care of the house, and my older brother, Max, was able to take small delivery jobs to help out - but unfortunately folk up in Ireion weren't keen on hiring Wielders.

The prejudice against him made me sick. He was regularly hired under the table, meaning no job security, no breaks and no leg to stand on if he disputed his pay. Last time I saw him and my sister Lucy, he told me how during a job, he'd used his magic to help open a door that was too heavy to push on his own. He told me of the physical abuse that soon followed, the threats of losing his hands and the hefty fine the employer had made him pay - more than the worth of the wages of course.

Max had always felt guilty for being a Wielder. The shame he held for living on my wages from the Watch had always spurred him to keep looking for another way to support our family. After our father died, he had promised to us that he would be the man of the house. He wanted to get me out of the Academy, to let me study and live a "normal" life, and I know how much it hurt him that it was that or nothing.

"Your family is fine, Eve," said Tomas. "Dorian and Tess explained that you were working with us for the time being and relocated them to one of our safe houses." Excitement bubbled within me, it had been ages since I saw them. "Can I visit?" I asked.

"No." My heart shattered and I looked up at Tomas, pleading with my eyes. "Right now, you are the most dangerous thing in Ireion." He said, "with that demon in your head, we have no idea what you could do or how you could act. You pose a threat to everyone in this region, which is why you need to stay with us until the demon is removed."

A clap sounded from the doorway and the sea of navy turned in unison to face the most formidable woman I had ever seen. She was tall, lithe and vicious. A thick ponytail of deep black hair spilled over the padded shoulder of her navy blazer which was tied closed with a black sash. She wore tight leather trousers bore holsters for an array of silver daggers around the top of her thighs and a pair of sensible black boots.

A block fringe sat above steely blue eyes her faultless face was commanding and controlled. Whilst I didn't recognise her face, a familiar voice rang through the space as she spoke. "The demon shall be removed within the week. If there are any complications we will have no choice but to kill you and capture the demon upon your death."

Tess.

A gulp sounded through the room as I swallowed in fear, earning a chuckle from Dorian. Tess walked right up to me, assessing me - navy pajamas and all. Her eyes pierced straight through my soul, as if she were looking for the demon itself.

"My spies in Ireion have confirmed that the Watch is looking for you. The story is that you murdered your squad, and the Academy wants blood. You will stay here for now. Assuming all of your questions are answered, Dorian will show you to your room. Once there, please change. We will be returning to the ruin this evening where you will show me exactly what you did at that ritual." I supplied her with a quick nod, my Academy training proving useful.

"Unless approved, you will not touch anything, take anything or venture anywhere until we understand the hold the demon has on you. For the safety of our Guild, you will speak when spoken to, interact with only Dorian, Tomas and I, and remain in your room until needed. You are dismissed."

With another polite nod, I rose from my seat to follow Dorian. I had all the answers I needed, but honestly I had wanted none of them. I was scared, lonely and worried about my future. I didn't want to die.

The heavy door fell shut behind us, and as Dorian led me up a flight of stairs, I couldn't stop the tears that slipped silently down my cheeks or the smooth, low voice that entered my thoughts;

"What a fucking bitch."