The Mythos Unveiled (Demona series) (16 page)

“How
was your night?” Kerrick asked.

“Pretty
eventless,” Foss said.

“We
found signs of the priest at the same location we had found him the other day.
He seems to be sticking close to the same area,” Bergfalk said.

“Interesting,
I wonder what is attracting him to that spot,” Kerrick said.

“Oh,
Darius wants to see the five of us again before Foss and I head out for the
day,” Bergfalk said.

“I
guess we better head up,” Kerrick said.

Agrippa,
having heard the conversation, joined them before making their way to Darius’
office. Once inside the office they resumed similar seating positions as they
had the previous day for a meeting.

“Let
us get all of the facts out before any discussion. Yesterday, Kerrick and
Demona were able to get some information out of the demonologist. It seems as
if our possessed can only be captured or destroyed by those who have faith in
an all powerful being. This means that we have a difficult task ahead of us
all. We need to find a way to form a temporary alliance with GLC in order to
deal with this matter,” Darius said.

“Last
night, Salina and Foss were able to track the possessed to the same location
where they had seen him transform into a serpent. At this point it is safe to
assume that he is not venturing very far. I think this buys us some time to
gain an alliance with GLC and prepare to deal with the situation.

“Foss
and Salina, you two will be in charge of watching the possessed at night for
any change in behavior. We want to make certain that we are keeping track of
him. Kerrick and Demona will be in charge of sorting through the field agent
candidates and scheduling a preliminary training. Now, let’s discuss this
alliance, any thoughts?” Darius asked.

“This
will not be an easy situation; we are on opposite sides here. There needs to be
a common ground, other than the possessed that will create this alliance.”
Agrippa said.

“He’s
right, we need to get close to them,” Bergfalk said.

“Anyone
have an idea on how to accomplish this?” Darius asked.

“I
have an idea,” Kerrick said. He had spoken through gritted teeth. “Demona.”

“What?
Why me?” Demona asked.

“Because
of Felix,” Kerrick replied.

“Who
is this Felix?” Bergfalk asked.

“He’s
a kid we saved awhile back. Demona ended up dating him then he disappeared for
a while. Come to find out he is GLC,” Kerrick said.

“Ahh,”
Darius said. He leaned forward on his desk with eyes focused on Demona. She had
not seen him do that creepy stare of his in a while. Demona wanted to shiver,
she felt as if he was picking at her brain with his stare. After a few moments
he sat back in his chair once more. “Demona is our key. Do you think you will
have any issues getting involved with this Felix and getting close to the GLC?”

“Felix
sent me a letter last night by a friend. He wants to meet me, I guess to
discuss any issues between us,” Demona said. She could feel Kerrick staring at
her.

“Good.
When you are not assisting Kerrick with the agent candidates you will get close
to this Felix again. After that, find a way into GLC. We want you to be able to
talk them into aiding us with this. They are already aware of the situation, so
they must have some ideas of their own on dealing with the possessed. Once
discussions have begun we will have you act as liaison between our two parties,”
Darius said. “I believe you have the applications for agent in the office,
Agrippa?”

“Yes,
Sir,” Agrippa said.

“That
is all for today,” Darius said.

Chapter 17

Newbies

Demona
and Kerrick sat on either side of one of the desks in the office. They had been
sorting through applications for the majority of the morning; each had their
own stack to review.

“Half
of these candidates are nowhere near qualified,” Kerrick said.

“I
can’t believe how many people actually want this job. Why would they want to
risk their lives?” Demona asked

“Agents
are like royalty. We get special privileges and Darius is the only one we
answer to. Why wouldn’t they want the job?” Agrippa said.

“That’s
it,” Kerrick said. He pushed back from the desk and rose to his feet. He walked
to the cork board and pinned up the candidates he selected from his pile. Next
he put up the candidates that Demona had selected.

“There
is only one way to deal with those that are left.” Balen stared at the
applications. “We put them through testing. Agrippa, can you call these people
to the gym?”

“You
got it,” Agrippa said.

“We
have a gym?” Demona asked.

“Haven’t
you learned by now that we have everything,” Kerrick replied.

Demona
had to admit that Kerrick did make a point. They exited the office and turned
to their left going down the long empty hallway. Every time they went through
one of those doors Demona was always surprised at what she found inside.

As
they were walking Demona heard Agrippa make the announcement over the intercom.
In the beginning, she had not paid close attention to the names being called.
“…Doyle…Claudia Purcell.”

With
that name Demona’s stomach dropped. She had not realized that Kerrick had
chosen her from the pile of candidates he had sorted through.

Agrippa
continued. “…Baya….Persephone Black.”

Demona’s
stomach twisted into knots.
Both of them?
This is going to be a nightmare.

Upon
entering the gym, Demona saw that the floors were lined with mats from wall to
wall and the walls were lined with mirrors. Off to the right were various types
of gym equipment, benches, and weights. Demona noticed two doorways which must
have led to changing rooms and showers.

“What
else does Darius have in this place?” Demona asked.

“You
would be surprised,” Kerrick said.

“Somehow
I’m not so sure.” Demona walked around the gym checking things out as they
waited for the potential candidates to arrive. Within several minutes about ten
people walked through the door.

Demona
went to stand beside Kerrick as he faced the group. She avoided any eye contact
with Persephone, or Claudia.

“Okay,
I have gathered you together so we can have a few tests to determine who will
make agent. First, I ask that you each state your name and give a description
of your abilities. Let’s start with you.” Kerrick pointed to the girl at the
far left.

“I’m
Baya Ragno. I’m a changeling. I’m able to walk on any surface, at any angle.”

Demona
leaned towards Kerrick. “What’s a changeling?”

“They
are fairies that are switched with human children; they grow up in human homes,”
Kerrick said.

“My
name’s Homer Doyle. I am of the dwarfish species.”

There is no
denying that.
Demona looked down at a very short and stout man.

“I
am an expert in sharp objects ranging from ancient to current weaponry,” Doyle
said.

Kerrick
leaned towards Demona this time. “He would be a great asset. He will know how
to use half of the weapons in the armory.”

“Claudia
Purcell and I’m a werewolf.”

“Anything
else?” Kerrick asked. “Other than her size and the intimidation factor, I don’t
know if she’s a fit.”

“Nope,
that’s it,” Claudia said. She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet.

“My
name is Persephone Black. I am a witch. I possess the ability to memorize and
cast spells of different experience levels.”

“She
really does. I’ve seen her do it,” Claudia said.

“Agrippa
already does this, but if she is as good as she says, it wouldn’t hurt to have
her on the team,” Kerrick said.

Ugh!

The
candidates continued to give their name, species, and skill as they went down
the line. Kerrick took notes on each. Claudia and Persephone stood there
whispering to one another and Demona glared at them. When Kerrick had finished
his notes he went over to Demona and turned his back to the others.

“I
want these four to stay for the next round,” Kerrick said. He pointed to the
names on the list. She glanced over the names.

“Fine,
but I want to tell them,” Demona said.

The
pair turned around to face the group.

“Baya
Ragno, Homer Doyle, Persephone Black, and Waverley Yap. You can stay; the rest
of you can go,” Demona said.

Claudia’s
mouth fell agape. “You made a mistake.”

“No,
I didn’t,” Demona said.

“Yes,
you did. You did this on purpose!” She stepped forward with fists clenched.
“You are just trying to get rid of us, because you hate us.”

“No,
I did not. Persephone is still here for the next trial.” Demona shrugged. “You
are not qualified.”

“You’ll
just get rid of her next.” Claudia’s skin ripped and long hair began to sprout
all over her body.

“There
is no mistake, Claudia. I made the decision myself. Control yourself!” Kerrick
said, “I see now that I was correct by not selecting you. You have no self
control.”

“If
she stays, so do I!” Claudia replied.

“You
will leave at once!” Kerrick said.

Claudia
looked down and pouted. She was about to say something else, but looked up and
saw the stern look on Kerrick’s face. She turned and stormed out of the gym,
stomping the whole way. Demona had to stifle a giggle. Claudia was making a
racket on her way out, but stomping her feet was useless on the mats.

One down and one
to go
.

“Now,
that that's over. We are going to ask you a series of questions. Please answer
to the best of your ability. I will give each of you a separate question and
your answers will determine if you will be trained as an agent or return to
your typical work. I will start with Baya Ragno,” Kerrick said. He went to
stand in front of her. “If you were placed in a situation in which you were in
a public place and you are about to be hit by a car, what would you do to
prevent your death?”

“I
would jump up on the car before it could hit me,” Ragno replied.

“That
is a good answer, but you are not what we are looking for. In jumping up on a
car you risk exposure. Humans are not as flexible as you are. You may return to
work,” Kerrick said. “Doyle, if you were insulted based on your stature, by a
human, how would you react?”

“I
would tell them they are discriminating based on appearances,” Doyle said.

“Good.
This is a proper reaction, a human might respond in this way,” Kerrick said.
“You may stay.”

“Black,
if approached by persistent girl scouts selling cookies, how would you
respond?” Kerrick asked.

“I
would ask them to leave, first. If they kept on, I would buy a box of cookies
so that they would leave me alone,” Persephone said.

“Good.
That is an appropriate response. Those pesky girl scouts can be difficult to
get rid of. Someone such as you might be tempted to curse them instead of
giving in,” Kerrick said. “Yap. Can you take human form?”

“Eh…
No.” The image of a little green man with big ears and a long crooked nose
blinked in and out of existence.

“I
am sorry, Yap. You do not qualify. Your skills may be useful to us in the
future. However, it would be difficult for an agent to have a partner that must
remain invisible in the human world. It would draw suspicion if they were seen
talking to themselves,” Kerrick said.

The
little boggart disappeared. Moments later the gym door seemed to open and close
on its own.

Demona
looked back at the group. The realization hit her.
Ugh… not her
!
She was
supposed to go too
! Demona grimaced with the thought of having to work with
Persephone. Persephone seemed as if she knew what Demona was thinking, because
she seemed to snicker as the thought had crossed Demona’s mind.

“Doyle
and Black. You can return to work. You will meet us in the agent office in the
morning. I will inform Mr. Grier of the changes in your duties, so that your
positions can be filled,” Kerrick said.

Persephone
continued to smirk at Demona. All Demona could do is glared at her in return.
This is not going to be fun.

Persephone
and Doyle turned to leave the gym. Demona and Kerrick lingered behind to talk.

“What’s
wrong?” Kerrick asked.

“Persephone,”
Demona said.

“What
about her?”

“She
and Claudia had cubicles on either side of mine, when I worked in the office. They
gave me nothing but problems. I just don’t want to relive that.”

“You’re
forgetting who is in charge here. You are at a higher position than Persephone
now. And I think Claudia has pretty much humiliated herself. I know one of the
witches in the group of candidates, she loves to gossip. I can guarantee that
what happened is being spread throughout TGHC, maybe even in Terra Hollow,”
Kerrick said. He went over to Demona sensing her apprehension and wrapped his
arms around her shoulders.

Demona
leaned into him and rested her head against his collarbone. “I guess I better
call Felix.”

With
the mention of Felix’s name, Kerrick stiffened. “I don’t like this.”

“Me
either. I wanted to forget about that letter, and him. You were the one to
brought it up remember?”

“Darius
has other plans for you. He knows what he is doing.”

“I
know. I just don’t like this idea in so many ways. I feel like I am betraying
you.”

“Just
do me a favor. When you are with him, don’t forget who you are and where you
belong,” Kerrick said.

Demona
thought about his words for a moment
. Who
am I? I don’t even know if I know the answer to that question.

****

Demona
had walked into her apartment after a long and emotionally exhausting day. She
went to sit on her balcony and stared out over the rooftops as the sun began to
disappear behind the buildings. She watched the car beams driving around. After
a few moments she picked up her phone and dialed Felix’s number.
I better get this over with
.

“Hello?”
Felix said.

“Hey,
Felix… It’s Demona. I read your letter… I think I’m ready to meet.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”
Demona rubbed her neck.

“Great!
When is a good time for you?”

“Whenever.”

“Well,
I’m free tomorrow if you are?”

“Sure,
I guess that’s fine. You can come here, if you like, sometime in the evening.”

“Okay,
I’ll see you then,” Felix said.

Demona
spent most of the next day distracted and concerned for her appearance. Felix
had only seen her for moments at the church; this time he would have a chance
to really take a look at her. Once again she found herself searching through
her closet for something to wear.
Huh, I
never did this with Kerrick
. Demona threw on a pair of cream colored lace
shorts and a navy tank top. She brushed her teeth and combed her hair.

The
knock came a few moments later, and it almost made her jump even though she had
been waiting for it. Demona felt a lump rise in her throat. She was not certain
if it was from anxiety or excitement. Demona imagined that if her heart was
still beating it would be thumping right then. She went to answer the door.

Felix
stood with that smile of his; the one that had always made her melt. She tried
her hardest not to let it get to her, but he was working his magic already.
Felix pulled his arm from behind his back with a bouquet mixed of white roses, green
leaves, and baby’s breath. Memories of the time he had brought her the single
white rose flooded her memory, it was the day he had gone.
Those were the times when I had hope and happiness.

“Thank
you,” Demona said.

“I
figured I owed you. For all the ones I should have been sending you while I was
away. I’m so sorry, Demona!” Felix said.

Demona
thought she saw tears welling up in his eyes, but he blinked them away.

“I
hate myself for the decision that I made. I never should have let you go.”

“Sit
down,” Demona said. She wanted to avoid bringing up those emotions as much as
possible. She directed him to the sofa.