"What do you mean it's not a corpse?" Tama demanded as he and his men exchanged uneasy glances.
"It used to be a corpse," Linh said. "Something…else has claimed it."
Some of Tama's men retreated from the body; others even tripping over themselves to get further away. They were hardened warriors, veterans of battles. But even so not all could stomach matters remotely connected to the eldritch and the unseen realms.
"Something else? You mean a …a.. demon?" One of the men asked in a halting voice.
It was a kind of demon. But the word 'demon' was terribly inadequate to describe the varieties of beings seen and unseen that walked freely about the world.
There was no point explaining in detail what it was, how it differed from others or how its nature manifested. Tama's men could deal with physical enemies they could see and understand. But this was a whole different matter.
"It's not of this world. It feeds on people, uses their bodies when they've digested their souls." Linh said and pointed at the corpse. "It will wake, but it won't be human. It will appear human, and blend in as one of us."
"Now you see why we must isolate the corpse and destroy it without delay?" The angled-faced female spoke up.
Linh fisted her palms. "Destroy it? But you can't do that."
"It's a soul stealing demon. It must be destroyed." Maigida Xun said. "We've already delayed too long."
He turned to Tama. "You wanted a second opinion. The Maitsaro has given it."
"And what about Diwa?" Linh asked, crossing her arms.
Maigida Xun shrugged. "What about him? He's not our concern."
Linh could hardly believe her ears. They were Imperials. Their whole life, their whole duty was to protect and rid the realm of beings, entities, seen and unseen that constantly wreaked havoc. Surely they understood the connection between the corpse and the youth.
"You would kill Diwa too?" She shook her head. "I knew Imperials were hard hearted but I never thought Imperials would intentionally kill an innocent."
Maigida Xun narrowed his eyes. "You tread a very fine line, Maitsaro. Don't regret it if your words are misunderstood."
Tama's men froze, and some brought their hands to the hilts of their weapons.
"Peace," Tama said, stopping his second in command from drawing out his sword. "Let her explain herself."
"This is how you treat Imperials who only wish to protect the realm?" The angled-faced female said, advancing toward Linh, her blue mark swirled, mirroring her agitation.
"Yaffa, enough," her spiky-haired companion said. "You're making it worse."
"Imperials will always believe they're right." Linh snapped, her ire rising. "They never listen in their duty to protect the realm."
"As I said," Tama cut in between them and frowned at Linh. "The Maitsaro will explain herself. And she will."
He gave Linh a cutting look that said she better explain because he had had enough of her egging the Imperials on.
"Don't get distracted," he said, his voice low. "We have Diwa to think about."
Linh let her anger go. Tama was right. She couldn't let her hatred of the Imperials get in the way of finding help for Diwa.
"The demon is connected to both the body he possessed and Diwa." She turned to Maigida Xun. "You destroy the corpse and you kill Diwa."
He frowned. "Soul stealing demons don't acquire two victims. Never. It can only possess one soul at a time."
He looked down at Linh. "I don't expect you to know that."
"It's not possessing two souls. It's using Diwa's soul to feed." Linh said, in utter exasperation. He was even more ignorant than she had thought.
"You think you know everything there is to know about the demons that roam the realms. But you can't even see the clues they leave behind or hear their true voices."
Narrow-minded, arrogant Imperials. She had had enough. There was no point in talking sense to them.
She turned to Tama. "Whatever happens protect Diwa. Don't let him out of your sight."
"Wait— what…"
She grabbed a torch and shoved it straight at the corpse's face.
The ground exploded beneath her feet, the force sending her sprawling to the ground. Soil and dust sprayed the air making everyone cough and choke. She struggled to her feet.
The corpse was not lying on its back anymore. It crouched on all fours, like a wild beast, and gnashed its teeth at the petrified men. It had worked.
Froth dribbled from its mouth and its bloodshot eyes raged. It howled a blood-curdling eerie sound.
"Are you insane?" Maigida Xun bellowed. He yanked the torch from her grip and flung it into the sea.
She ignored him. "Don't damage the corpse," she yelled at Tama's men. "Just stop it from getting to me."
She positioned herself a few feet away and dug through her satchel. A miniature flask and tiny dagger were all that she needed.
"What're you doing?" Maigida Xun demanded.
Was he really still hovering around her? There was no time to explain.
"Don't let the corpse get to me," she repeated. "But don't damage it. If you do, it'll drain Diwa's soul to heal itself."
If he was going to help then he knew what to do. She wouldn't beg him to do anything.
Without another word, he ordered the men into an organized unit. Their objective: to hinder the corpse's moments while avoiding its attacks.
The men shoved branches in its way, tackled the corpse and kept it occupied. Even the two Imperial subordinates had sheathed their weapons and were busy pinning it down. Good.
She sliced her palm and winced. The cut wasn't deep enough but she had applied enough pressure for the blood to flow.
She fisted her palm and held the dripping fluid over the bottle. It should fill up quickly.
"Using your blood," Maigida Xun said as he watched. "So risky."
She grunted. "But it should work." It better work. Father had said Maitsaro blood was the most potent liquid in the eldritch world. She was putting it to the test right now.
"Maitsaro!" several voices yelled. She looked up to see the corpse charging straight at her. An Imperial dove in and kicked the corpse's legs from under him.
"Hold him down," she yelled, wrapping a torn rag around her palm and plugged the bottle opening with her thumb. Not one drop of her blood would be spilled. Not if she could help it.
She ran off a few feet away and looked back. The corpse lunged after her with arms outstretched.
Its mouth opened, gaped wide, much too wide for a human mouth. Several men grabbed its chest and legs but it struggled.
Holding the bottle high she backpedaled making sure she was upwind. The blood's fumes should be wafting toward the corpse, making it impossible to resist the lure.
An enraged roar escaped the corpse and it fought against its captors. It got one arm free, then the other arm. It leaned in her direction and stretched.
"Come on, come on," she whispered.
Sudden anguished screams jolted her. Two of the men holding the corpse back had dropped to the sand. They writhed and held their heads in pain. Dark patches formed on the ground around them.
"It's tearing their ears and cheeks off. Don't let it near you!" The spiky haired Imperial said.
But the terrified men had loosened their hold. The corpse bounded towards Linh and caught her in its grasp. She fell in a heap and raised her arms to protect her face and head.
Someone dragged her away and lifted her to her feet.
"Stay with me," the Maigida ordered and placed himself between the corpse and her.
The female Imperial sprang forward and sent a blow to the corpse's chest. It staggered, its gait slowed but still it lumbered on. She brought her palm up and force blasted at the corpse. It dropped to its knees.
"Don't hurt it," Linh screamed.
Maigida Xun made a quick gesture and a mark pulsed golden underneath the corpse feet. It bellowed and screamed but its limbs stuck fast to the ground.
She drew closer and held the bottle within a foot of the corpse. It snapped at her, stretching with all its might. Its neck stretched and kept stretching, and she backed away a few steps.
A strange protrusion emerged from the corpse's face and it kept extending itself towards the bottle that she kept just out of reach.
"Good goddesses," someone rasped.
The protrusion changed color turning from the corpse's original hue and transforming into a dark, viscous miasma. It thrust out of the corpse' face with a sharp snap and plunged into the open bottle.
Her arms dropped with the sudden weight of the demon inside the bottle. The Maigida grabbed it from her and stoppered the opening.
Suddenly the corpse on the ground disintegrated into fine powder and blew away. It was gone.
All around her Tama's injured men groaned, stirred and staggered to their feet. Those who were uninjured assisted and bandaged their wounds as best they could.
At the far end, surrounded by torches, his uncle and watching sentries, Diwa sat up on his own and hacked up a discharge of black, oily sludge.
It was over. It had worked.
Her legs trembled, gave way and she dropped on the sand, energy all but spent.
The other Imperials came over and the spiky haired male sat on the sand as well.
"What a fight! I never expected that you'd do that," he said with a hint of admiration in his voice.
"Fast thinking," the female said her words slow as if not willing to part with her words. "You were willing to risk your life."
Linh just stared straight ahead. "Anyone would have done it, if they knew what to do." Or had her blood. Father would have done just the same.
"Reckless and irresponsible." Maigida Xun said, his words clipped and angry. "You deliberately woke the demon. I should have known you were just like the rest of your deceased House."
His words touched a nerve. But she wouldn't give him the pleasure of letting him see him her upset.
She gritted her teeth and mustered the strength to push herself up on her feet. Much still had to be done. The injured needed clean bandages and a ride home. The wound on her hand needed tending to.
Her gaze flew to the bottle that the Maigida held. She ought to keep it. It had to be cleansed.
She gestured to it. "What will you do with it?"
"Why?"
"It's mine. Its my blood in there."
The spiky-haired Imperial snorted. "You're going to keep it in your bedroom? A soul-stealing demon?"
She bit her lip. "It needs to rejoin the Circle, like all entities should in time. It's been gone from its path too long."
She would have performed a cleansing ritual that would erase its hunger for souls and make it pure to be cycled again.
It's not worth the trouble," the female said. "For all their crimes demons deserve true death."
"But…"
"It's a demon." The Maigida said. "It's kind never hesitates to kill."
He held the bottle up to his face. "You Maitsaro seal them away, in the end a useless, incompetent solution. Why contain it when it can be destroyed?"
A burst of flame sprang up from his hand and engulfed the bottle. He set the bottle on the sand. They all watched as the heat grew and intensified.
Linh skittered away from the heat. The fire devoured the bottle and its contents till there was nothing left. Not even melted glass lay on the sand.
She felt around and sifted through the sand. Apart from the fast dissipating warmth, there was nothing else to mark where the bottle had been. Such power the Imperials wielded. True the
Maitsaro guarded and sealed away those that caused the most trouble. But the Imperials. They only judged and destroyed. Another reason to stay clear of them.
Clasping her arms together, she bowed to the Maigida. "For your help I thank you. If there's nothing else, I shall take my leave."
"There's something else," he said. He withdrew a picture from within his robes and held it out to her.
"Malaki Tersi. Do you know this man?"
She tensed. Her mind froze. What did he say? She must have misunderstood.
"Malaki Tersi." He repeated with slow emphasis, watching her intently.
A long-buried memory exploded into her mind, overshadowing all else.
Again, she was pinned down on a rough wooden floor like a butterfly on a collection board. She couldn't move, couldn't run. Again, the musty smell of old tomes mixed with balsam and spice overpowered her, enveloped her nose and mouth. Again she couldn't scream, couldn't breathe.
A burst of heated fury and fear consumed her. Her breathing quickened, her fists balled up.
In the light of the nearest torch, a satisfied expression, an almost smug one, flitted across the Maigida's face. He knew. He saw. Her whole body tensed. He had wanted to see her reaction. And she had fallen right into his trap.
"You know this man." He angled the portrait closer. Someone brought another torch.
It was a painted picture of a familiar face. Father's former Imperial assistant. No, not this. Not him. Not when she had burned everything that reminded her of his features. A tight spasm constricted around her lungs, her heart. But she couldn't look away, couldn't pull herself away.
Malaki Tersi. Plain as the sun and sky. The photo showed a younger version of him with innocent curious eyes, unlike the sullen, jaded appearance he had the last time she saw him. She gulped. The artist had captured his roguish smile, the smile that said he knew something you didn't. And that careless lock of hair falling over his forehead — the one she always had to resist smoothing away.
Her heart splintered again. She forced her frozen voice to speak. "No, I don't know him."
"You knew him. You were … close." Maigida Xun persisted and blocked her path.
She flinched and dodged around him hurrying after Tama's clan. Must get away. They wouldn't see her lose it. Musn't break. Not here. Not now.
In a few strides the Maigida caught up to her. She shrank away, still moving and ignored him. Don't think of that name, don't think of what happened, she chanted to herself over and over again.
"Maitsaro. A few answers are all I need," Maigida Xun said.
She didn't reply but scurried over to a waiting cart that carried the injured. Tama was assisting Diwa up on it. She took Diwa's other arm.
"Let's go. I'll take care of him," she told Tama, ignoring the Imperials.
Tama bowed to the Maigida. "Pardon our haste. Our injured need immediate attention so we must leave."
There was nothing the Imperial could do but bow in return and watch them depart.