I paced the throne room, not even registering the chaos flowering around me. The Queen, having heard everything we had discovered at the café, was giving out orders every other sentence, readying her forces however she deemed necessary. I felt useless. All I’d ever done for her had put her in danger, and now it had led to this.

A blinding light emerged without warning in the very center of the throne room, causing alarm from the flittering guardsmen and various important noblemen. I knew what it was though. I’d seen that exact method of travel only a day or so before. It had to be Hazuzu. He must be desperate if he would portal directly into the throne room. I smiled grimly. It’s good that he was desperate, it meant he understood what was at stake.

He stepped out of the pure white light, all contrast, as he wore his fearsome visage of pure navy blue skin and black eyes, ever the King of Hell. At least two women and several men fainted at the sudden sight. I held back giggles. I might be a coward and a failed demon hunter, but at least I didn’t pass out at the sight of a portal opening. That had to count for something, right?

“I came as soon as I heard, Selissa,” he said urgently, taking in the sights of the panicked room. He raised an eyebrow. “Looks like you have things under control.”

Selissa scoffed, her attention drawn away from her delegation of commands. “Pleasure to see you, as always, Hazuzu.”

Her words earned gulps and stiffened postures from the residents of the throne room. And possibly a few shat pants.

“Don’t fear, citizens, you know we have an alliance. He is here to help,” she reassured them. Their relaxation was minimal at best.

Hazuzu’s gaze narrowed in on a particularly burly guard nearby. “Hello,” he greeted, smiling and revealing too many teeth. The guard whimpered. “I’d forgotten how fun you humans can be,” he laughed, slapping the guard on the shoulder. The guard gave a sick, awkward smile, amplifying Hazuzu’s delight even further.

“Hazuzu, stop,” Selissa sighed. “This is important, and we have work to do.”

“You gave me the signal, and I appeared, as per our agreement,” he said, eyes narrowing. “What do you need from me, ally?”

“It’s Callie!” I shouted, unable to hold it back any longer.

Hazuzu and Selissa’s eyebrows both raised at my impudence. I shook it off, ignoring their surprise.

“We need to find her. Zaavi has been awoken, and I know he’s the one who took her.”

“How do you know this?”

“Let’s just say that I know,” I said shakily. Hazuzu was technically our ally, but now that I knew that he had formed the Guild, I wasn’t sure what to think of him. There was so much history behind him, it was hard to get a handle on things. Was our trust in him well placed?

“What makes you think the followers of Zaavi – or Zaavi himself – captured her?” questioned Hazuzu, his voice suspicious.

“An educated guess,” Selissa said, taking over. “My men found her tracks, and she vanished into thin air. Only a demon capable of portaling could have kidnapped her that way. Do you know of any other demons powerful enough?”

“…Hmm… Only one, but she wouldn’t get involved directly like that. It’s not her style,” grumbled Hazuzu. “You’re right, it must be him. It can’t be a coincidence that as soon as he’s awakened, Callie’s been captured… and any of my own demons would never violate the alliance in that way.”

“Well, are you guys going to just sit here and talk?!” I shouted, waving my hands in desperation. “She could be getting tortured right now! We need to find her and rescue her!”

“I don’t think he would torture her,” Hazuzu mused. “Although I can’t rule out the possibility. I’m almost entirely sure he wants her as bait to get to me.”

“Then going to retrieve her is a trap,” Selissa said. “We must be careful, pragmatic.”

“Are you guys fucking kidding me?” I yelled. “Selissa, you raised her as your daughter. Hazuzu – she is your daughter – and you’re just going to let her sit there, alone, scared, and at this madman’s mercy?”

“No.” Hazuzu turned to face me, directing his terrifying stare into my eyes. “We’re going to kill Zaavi and all of his followers.”

My mouth fell open. I shouldn’t have expected anything less from the demon King himself. I turned to look at Selissa to see how she would respond to Hazuzu’s bold declaration of war.

“We must be rid of him once and for all,” Selissa declared, presenting to her entire court. “We will join with Hazuzu’s demon army to defeat Zaavi the Cursed and rescue the princess Callisto.”

~

The Queen and Hazuzu had made quick work of assembling the necessary forces after that bold declaration. Selissa had sent word to her human allies, urgently requesting their reinforcements. There was no battle plan as of yet, but Hazuzu had sent word to his generals as well, demanding that they collect their men, ensure that everyone was armed, and everything was ready for them to leave at once.

There was only one problem, and it was that we had no actual idea where Zaavi had taken Callie. She could be anywhere, in the demon or human realm. Sage had said that he could track her if he found the trail again, but that it would only work in the human realm. We sat at a table in a meeting room, strategizing the likely places that Zaavi would possibly have fled to, or where his follower’s home base might be. It was a topic that Hazuzu’s spies had been trying to uncover for years but had little to no luck. Their only lead was that the followers seemed to favor the human realm, where there was less interference from Hazuzu’s subjects. I could have told them as much, as apparently the demons that the hunter’s guild typically encountered were followers of Zaavi.

Hours later, and we were still pointing at different sections on the massive book of maps, wondering where on earth he could be. My eyelids were so heavy, they kept threatening to fall shut even as I spoke, standing upright.

“Hey ya, you alright?” I heard a familiar voice ask me. Fingers snapped in my face, a concerned visage peering close.

I rubbed my eyes, felt an unavoidable yawn come on, and desperately tried to choke it. Which failed and caused everyone else in the room the yawn as a result. Sheepishly, I apologized.

“Come take a walk,” said the familiar face. My vision was too blurry to see who it was just yet, but I was so tired that I’d do just about anything someone told me. “You’re not of use to anyone right now. You need to rest.” Sage, who had always showed concern for me when I’d visited him, escorted me out of the room full of generals, human and demon alike. “They can manage without you for now, they’re professionals,” Sage affirmed, walking next to me and directing me around the castle hall.

I sighed. “They’re better off without me,” I said. “I’m a failure at everything I do, anyway.”

These were words I’d never spoken aloud, not to anyone else. I’d heard them enough from my mother. Her memory elicited a pang of regret, tinged with sadness. I felt guilty that she was gone, but what really made me feel guilty, was that I didn’t miss her. I groaned. What kind of human being did that make me? Granted, she never seemed to like me much, but still, to not even feel bad that my own mother was dead? There aren’t much worse things.

Sage stopped walking, grabbing my arm to stop me, too. “Son?”

I didn’t say anything, just looked at him frankly, and blinked slowly. I was still too tired for this conversation.

“I’ve something to tell you,” he said quietly. He looked around at the castle hall. It would normally be lined with guardsmen, but every last man was off being readied for battle. Selissa was sparing no expense, and neither was Hazuzu.

“Okay,” I said.

“But not here. You’re going to want to sit down.” He pulled me way too fast for someone his age, practically running down the hallway.

After a few minutes of walking at a pace far too quick for my taste, we had found a small inner courtyard, only perhaps ten by ten feet, a little fruit tree in the corner, the edges lined with delicately pruned flowers. Next to the tree were a few benches, next to a small bird fountain. The moonlight shone over and through the leaves of the fruit tree, dappling the benches below.

“Ah, perfect,” Sage said, dragging me to the benches.

We sat. I stared at him blankly. I’d known him for years and had gotten used to his strange antics. A retired demon hunter doesn’t live that long and not pick up a few odd quirks here and there. But as I looked closer, I realized I’d never seen that expression on his face before. Was that… fear?

“There’s something you should know,” Sage said finally.

I watched him carefully. Whatever he was going to tell me, I had a bad feeling about it. He looked so uneasy.

Sage settled into the bench, tapping his fingers together, as if considering how to phrase this next sentence. Which he probably was, given the situation. “Ah, have you ever wondered why you can see demonic auras?”

Stunned, I just shook my head slowly. “I just thought I was weird,” I said finally. My mother had never addressed my ability, instead, ignoring it completely. Although she ignored me, as well. I used to think I was going to be an excellent demon hunter one day with that ability, but when I’d told my mother about it, she had reacted poorly. I’d been shunned ever since.

“Well, that may be so,” Sage said, smiling wryly. “But your talent is how some of your… heritage has presented.”

“What?”

“I’m getting ahead of myself,” Sage said, waving his hands in the air as if he could wash away the sound vibrations from his mouth. “I’ll just spit it out. First of all, I’m your grandfather.”

Taken aback, I raised my eyebrows. “Really?” I asked.

Sage shrugged his shoulders. “I wanted to tell you before, but your mother forbade it.”

“What? Why?”

His pale eyes grew sadder with the weight of memories. “Because of my involvement in what happened to your father.” He sighed, the air leaving his mouth like pressure released.

“Tell me everything,” I demanded. “I am so tired of being lied to.”

He nodded grimly. “Your father, Tomas Senior… I loved him so. He was my son, my greatest treasure, the light of my life. He was showing such promise, had grown up to be a successful Hunter, always following in my footsteps.” The pride in his voice was clear, but his words were growing slower and slower until he stopped altogether, halted in his remembrance of the past.

“And?” I prompted.

“We would go on hunts together, always the dynamic father-son duo. But there was an accident… things went wrong… I returned, but your father did not. Your mother rightfully blamed me. I retired. She vowed never to let me do the same thing to you as I had to your father. She barely let me see you, and I was never acknowledged as your grandfather.”

I looked down at my hands, the moonlight dappling my skin. The cool night air caressed my face with a breeze, the hoot of an owl filling the silence off in the distance. “I knew he died in an accident,” I said. “Mother had told me that much. I just wish…” I sighed again. “I just wish I’d known.”

Sage didn’t respond, just watched me carefully with pity and regret clear on his face.

“I’d always pretended you were my crazy uncle or something,” I said, trying my best to place a smile. “It was a measure of comfort when my mother treated me… poorly. At least you were always there for me.”

“I wish I’d been there for you more when you needed me,” he said. “But your mother was right. I didn’t bring your father home, and I’ll always blame myself for that. I never would want the same fate to befall you.”

“Fuck her!” I spat. “She was wrong. I don’t care who’s fault it was - she was wrong. You can’t turn your back on people who care about you.” The water welled behind my eyes, trickling out as my anger grew. “But I can’t… I can’t think about that right now. I need answers.”

“Yes… you deserve answers,” Sage said wisely. “I’ll give you as many as I can.”

With shaking breaths, I swallowed the information I’d heard for later, to think about when I had a clear head. “Why can I see demonic auras? What does that have to do with you being… my grandfather?”

“I’m half demon, Tom.”

I looked up in surprise.

“I know. I don’t know who my mother was, but she was apparently a demon. That makes you one-eighth demon. Demons can’t use magic the same way humans can – runes confine them far too much. For me, my human side dominates, so it works for me. For you, for some reason, your demon side, small as it may be, presents itself in hindering your human magic and amplifying your talent of seeing demonic auras.”

“Then why can’t I see yours?”

“I must not have one. This isn’t really an exact science.”

“This is… a lot to take in,” I said, shaking my head. “If you’re half demon… then why are you a demon hunter?”

“I was born into it, just as you were. I did my best to do what was expected of me… then I met her.”

“What?”

“Ah, ancient history, my boy,” Sage said with a small grimace. “You probably don’t want to hear about your grandfather’s love life.”

I shuffled uncomfortably. “Probably not. But what about this mysterious her that changed you? What happened?”

“I met her, and through her, I met Hazuzu. Meeting them changed the course of my life, made me realize my heritage, and redirected my purpose. When I met her, she changed everything for me. I’d do anything for her.”

“Women seem to have that effect on us, don’t they,” I said, only partially joking. “Was she… my grandmother?”

“Ah… no. Long story short, I was forced to marry across the founding families, as tradition mandated.”

“I have so many questions still,” I said, resting my face in my hands. “But I am so, so, so fucking tired. I can’t think. I’m not entirely sure all of this isn’t a dream.”

“We have a long day ahead of us, child. Go to bed, the world will still hold the same chaos in the morning.” He stood, extending a hand to me, papery wrinkled skin wrapped over enlarged knuckles, and helped me up to stand as well. “I feel better having told you all this,” he whispered, patting his other hand on top of mine in an affectionate gesture.

“I feel better… knowing it,” I said, and surprised myself that it was true.

“You should rest, now,” he said, his voice warm and pleasant. “We can talk more when we journey off to find your lady love.”

“She’s not my lady love,” I said, cheeks reddening. “But she’s become a good friend of mine.”

Sage’s smile widened, paternal and caring. “I can see that you love her.”

My cheeks heated further. “I don’t love her,” I protested.

“Oh, my boy, don’t be alarmed!” he said, catching my arm with a gentle grip. “There are many kinds of love. Many civilizations before have given them names, even.” He settled down onto the stone bench once more and patted the seat next to him.

I sighed, sitting down next to him. It appeared I would be getting this brief lesson whether I liked it or not.

“There’s the romantic love, of course,” he said, sounding much like a professor giving a course. “That’s what you feel for your spouse, your mate - passion. Then there’s affectionate love, which isn’t necessarily romantic. That’s what you feel for your friends, platonic, caring love. There’s also the selfless, unconditional love for strangers, familiar love for family, and the obsessive love of mania, which in my opinion, isn’t really love at all...,” he trailed off. “But there’s also the playful love of a fleeting crush, the enduring love built on commitment and compromise, and of course, self-love. Just because you don’t want to marry her or think of her in that way doesn’t mean you don’t love her.”

I blinked rapidly. That was a lot to take in. I knew all of these things before but had never really thought of it quite like that. It seemed that whenever a male and a female were in the same room as each other, spent any time together, everyone else always pushed them towards romantic love. Sage himself had teased me about it, participating in that culture, even. His words made me realize, of course, I love her, but it wasn’t that of romantic love. What I felt for her, which at first, hadn’t been love at all, had blossomed through mutual growth as people, experiences shared, and how we had depended on each other and came through.

She had become my first real friend, aside from Sage. I’d never told anyone else my hopes and fears, never succeeded at drawing a rune before, and she had encouraged me to do that. She had saved my life. At first, I thought she was just a demon I could use to regain my status, but then she had kept surprising me, changing my opinion on just about everything. And now, she was in trouble. She needed my help. I had to find her.