DragonFire

Chapter 6 - Talya

"What is a Demon?" Talya asked. Tria stopped reading from an old tome, and looked to Talya with dark eyes. She stood and brushed herself off, then walked over to rows of books lined on shelves against the cold stone wall. The torch flickered, and cast an array of shadows. They were in a cave on the outskirts of Pa. The damp air formed clouds of mist that collected at her feet.

"A demon," She said, "is a piece of the soul."

She pulled another dusty old book from the shelf, then fell heavily into a chair. She opened the covers and flicked through the pages. Once she had found the page she was looking for, she leaned forward from her chair and handed Talya the book.

"They are an invention of Nala, the goddess of death." She said leaning back. She crossed her legs and sank into the chair.

"They represent moral injustice and sin. They serve as a form of punishment, as your soul will never be pure once one is created."

Talya rested against the wall, and traced the words on the page with her finger. The ink was messy, but the pages were beautifully illustrated with detailed drawings and sketches.

"Who wrote this?" She asked.

"My mentor. He died a few years ago." Tria replied quietly. "Those are his notes."

Talya continued to read the passage that Tria had given her, but struggled to form words in the ink.

"This is very hard to read." She said

"I know. Try reciting an incantation that must be read aloud perfectly from that handwriting."

"Don't get me wrong," Talya said. "Thank you for showing me your... Cave, but, what is it that you want from me?"

"I am going to teach you summon, control and master Demons." Tria replied calmly.

"And if I say no?" Talya asked.

"You won't. I've spent the last two years trying to find a talent like yours. I won't let you say no."

Talya felt threatened. She shifted her weight uncomfortably and glanced towards the door. Tria saw the change in posture and said,

"Do not be afraid. I will in no way bring harm to you. On that you have my word."

"Is that supposed to make me trust you?" She asked.

"If you don't trust me, then you were a fool to come here."

Talya said nothing. Tria looked on with a smug look on her face.

"Shall we get started?" She asked. "I have much to teach you."

When Talya continued her silence, Tria began lighting candles.

"When a person dies, their soul is divided into two." She said. "Demons are sent and bound into rocks, cursed to be so close to life, yet unable to reach it. Occasionally a demon will escape. It's been my job to contain any outbreaks.

"Where does the other part of the soul go?" Talya asked.

"That part is sent to the afterlife. The world beyond this one. As to how much of the soul moves on to the afterlife depends on the amount of demons the person has within them. Less demons, means more of the soul moves on in the afterlife, and vice versa."

"What about someone who has no demons?"

"Everyone has demons, Talya."

Tris finished lighting candles around the small room. She then moved on to retrieving stones from the bag resting against the chair. She set one in the centre of a rune, carved into the cave floor. It was almost covered in moss and lichen.

"To beat demons, I use demons. There are spells that are strong enough to counter them, but they are difficult to use, and I personally am not strong enough to cast them."

"Meet Casper." She said. Tria mumbled something under her breath. Suddenly the rune began to glow, and the body of a child formed out of shadow. It was a boy, she could tell by the outline of his features.

"Casper was my child. He died shortly after my mentor, in a fire accident."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Talya said. "I too have lost someone close to me."

"Yes, I heard about your father. I met him once, seemed like a nice man."

"He was. Tell me about Casper. How old was he?"

"Casper is a little nickname I have given him, his real name was Ollie and he was nine. He was my everything, I put all I had into the raising of that boy. Then someone decided to start a fire off in the woods. It burned down nearly half the town, Ollie included, before it was put out."

"That sounds terrible."

"It was. But I'm better now, I devoted my life to trying to steal my boy away from Nala, and in some ways I succeeded."

She mumbled something else, and instantly the rune stopped glowing and Casper disappeared.

"Casper is completely under my control. That's what makes people think my line of work is a scam, that I control the demon that is terrorizing the town."

She rubbed her temples and sighed loudly.

"They have no idea." She said.

Tria reached into her bag and pulled out another stone. It was small, no bigger than her palm, and it felt warm to her touch.

"That warmth you feel is the presence of a demon bound in stone." Tria said. "I want you to summon it."

Talya tore her gaze from the little white stone in her hand, and looked uncertainly at the rune carved into the floor. She was nowhere near as powerful as her brother, but she knew how to activate the rune. When it began to glow, she placed the stone above it, and the shadows began to form. Instantly she could feel her energy drain. It wasn't the usual grogginess she felt whenever she attempted magic, no. It felt as if her spirit was being tapped into, and her life force was leaking away.

The shadow quickly formed into the shape of a man, and a single tear ran down her cheek. Although she could not see his grey eyes, or blond hair. She knew without doubt that the figure before her was indeed her father. She lost focus, and the connection was lost. The shadows quickly returned to their normal places around the cave. Talya fell to her knees, as a rush if nausea took her. Tria beamed.

"Well done." She said.

Talya fell to the floor, and lost conscious.