The Catalyst

Chapter 50

At dawn, Tessa ventured in the maze to meet with Dylani, as was becoming their habit. Since she had a knack for fire, they'd decided to pursue that path, the time for learning new skills being limited. Today she meant to improve her control. She needed to muster the correct amount of energy to either keep a flame floating above her palm, send it where she wanted, or swiftly extinguish it. She'd collected a few more marks by now, across her back and down her legs.

As she paced between the hedgerows, she thought again that this was the perfect place to practice. Not only was it away from prying eyes, the maze reminded her of Malek, which continually stoked her determination.

However, this morning Dylani never showed. His presence was unfortunately necessary. He always conjured up some sort of magical perimeter around them, which would warn him if someone approached. Tessa had yet to learn how to perform that feat. Dylani also stayed close so he could instantly quench her flames should they go astray. With a simple flicker of his hand, fire disappeared as if it had never been there. When Tessa tried to do the same, the flames flared up instead, as if to mock her.

Sick of waiting, Tessa darted back to the mansion. She reached Dylani's study and rapped the door with her fist. There were hushed voices, then footsteps came her way. The door creaked open as Dylani spoke urgently behind his mask, "Did you bring what I asked? Oh, I thought you were the servant."

Tessa crossed her arms. "Well, sorry to disappoint you."

"No, I should apologize. We were supposed to meet and I completely forgot."

"You're not alone." Tessa craned her neck to glance over his shoulder. Someone sat at the desk, candlelight outlining a slender shape and long dark hair.

Dylani nearly closed the door, blocking her view. "Tessa, please, this isn't a good time."

Before she could reply, the stranger in the room beat her to it.

"Just let her in," he said in an accented Azurian. An accent she could not pinpoint, which was rare.

When Dylani still hesitated, Tessa shrugged one shoulder. "I believe I've been invited in."

He stepped aside to let her slip inside. The man at the desk turned and smiled, and her heart froze. All his teeth were as sharp as canines.

"Tessa Nightvale." His dark grey eyes gleamed in candlelight as he rose. "I see the resemblance with your brother. Speaking of, I saw him earlier, we had quite a fun time. Oh, where are my manners? It's so good to finally meet you. How's the phoenix? You like her?"

For a moment, she remained stunned. Then she absorbed the new information, and her thoughts raced and calculated.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Seraph, at your service." He made a little bow, still smiling.

Tessa glanced at Dylani, who stood quietly in the dimness, then back at Seraph. He wore training gear like her, including fingerless gloves from which protruded fingertips that ended in sharp claws. As he moved in the light, his sleek hair tinted blue-black, like a clear sky at dusk. In between the dark strands, his face was pale and angular.

"Isn't Seraph a word akin to angelic beings in many languages?" Tessa inquired.

His grin widened. "Who are you to say I'm not angelic?"

Tessa bounced back with something else. "You said, at your service. I really don't think that's true."

"Oh? Why is that?" Seraph was clearly entertained.

"Because it's quite the opposite, isn't it? From what I gather, you can exert some sort of control over people who have demons. I don't know how, but that's the only explanation. Otherwise, why ask Dylani to bind me to one?"