THE ROOM reminded Angus of his college room back in Vinland, except for the turquoise walls and wood floor. There were sheets on the bed, and there was nothing else in the room but his dirty clothes where he’d left them in a pile before his shower. At the moment he didn’t care about the mess. He just wanted to sleep.
After not using magic in weeks, maybe months, he’d forgotten how exhausting it could be. He wasn’t sure how long they spent crossing the desert, but he knew he’d been in the Mayan Empire for several weeks already. He was relieved the priests in charge hadn’t let him heal anything complex, but he’d done his bit and hopefully proven that he wasn’t a threat or a danger.
He dropped the towel he’d worn from the communal showers and got into bed. He didn’t remember falling asleep, only that he woke sweaty and tangled in his sheets to someone knocking on the door. The blinds had been left open, allowing bright sunlight to stream in.
“Just a minute.” He pulled on yesterday’s pants, even though they weren’t clean. He really needed more clothes. He’d been wearing three outfits in rotation, and now he didn’t even have them because they were in the apartment. That would be the day’s mission—get clothes.
Angus yanked open the door.
Kabil stood on the other side. He lifted his eyebrows. “I thought I’d better show you around and give you a timetable so you can attend classes.”
Angus blinked. He wasn’t ready to slot into college life. “Um… unless they’re given in Vinnish, I’m not going to understand anything.” That was a complete lie. Angus was still wearing the jade in his ear.
“You don’t know how to translate?”
Angus stared at him. He wasn’t awake enough for this, and he hadn’t had coffee in weeks. He shook his head. “My things are at my old apartment. I need clothes. I need….” He needed a life instead of skulking around trying not to get killed.
Maybe going to college was what he needed. He could be a normal nineteen-year-old for a while.
“I’ll lend you a set of clothes. Then I’ll get you set up here then take you out.” Kabil smiled, but it was small and secretive. “I think there are some things you’ll be interested in.”
“Like what?” Angus was instantly wary. “And why are you helping?”
“I was told to. I’m interested in working for the Intelligence Temple, and getting to know an actual college-trained warlock was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.” Kabil gave him a quick once-over. “Cadmael said you’re headed for the Hospital Temple?”
“Yeah.” He’d wanted to be a doctor before he was forced to be a warlock, but this was feeling too easy, too neat. He should grab the chance with both hands, but he wanted to reach for Saka and Terrance instead. “What about the debacle with Saka?”
“It will be sorted.”
“You aren’t annoyed?”
Kabil twisted his lips. “Yes, but mostly no. Cadmael shouldn’t have pushed.”
“Yet he did.”
“And I am still to watch you.”
“I thought you were here to help me?” Was Kabil someone he could trust or not?
“Same thing, really.”
No it wasn’t. “So you learn Vinnish if you want to go to the Intelligence Temple?”
Kabil nodded. “But I speak five other languages too. Most Mayans speak at least three. I’ll get the clothes and meet you back here shortly,” he said and walked away.
Angus grabbed his towel off the floor. He’d shower and hopefully, by the time he was done, Kabil would have gotten him some clean clothes. Then he’d follow along with whatever Kabil had planned. Maybe he’d be able to find out where Terrance was and if he was alive.
KABIL WAS waiting by the door with a small pile of clothes. While some people wore suits, many didn’t. The most common clothing was loose drawstring pants—almost demon in style, or did the demons get them from the Mayans?—and a shirt that was more tunic and didn’t unbutton all the way down. He’d seen a few people wearing dresses. All the clothing was bright. The more expensive-looking clothing was in finer fabric with colorful borders and patterns on the sleeves.
Angus slipped into his room to dress and turned the cuff of the pants up twice. Kabil was a little taller, and Angus was thinner, but otherwise it wasn’t too bad. He slipped the sandals on and ran his fingers through his hair. Hopefully by the time they were done, his things would’ve been delivered and he’d be able to have a shave and brush his teeth. He picked up the card he’d been given. It was his identification and bank card all in one. He’d noticed that most people wore it around their neck, but he wasn’t sure how to use it, nor did he understand what Cadmael had meant about base wage. Did everyone get a fixed amount of money even if they did nothing? Was he getting paid to go to college?
It didn’t make sense, but he didn’t want to ask too many idiotic questions.
Saka would shake his head and tell him it was better to ask, and he’d be right. What would he say to this? He’d probably see it as a great learning opportunity, which it was. But he’d only learn if he asked the right questions.
Kabil was still in the corridor, doing something with his phone. He traced over the screen in quick strokes. When he finished whatever he was doing, he glanced up. “Ready?”
“Sure.”
“You’ve missed today’s classes. They run six days a week from six to one.”
“Six in the morning?”
“Yes. Leaving the afternoon free for self-study and relaxation.”
He hated the place already. No one should have to go to class at six in the morning.
An hour later they’d gathered up everything he needed, including books. He’d gone to pay for them, only to be told they didn’t pay for books. He was expected to take care of them and return them. Damage would be billed as would nonreturn. But he couldn’t read the books anyway. They were filled with indecipherable glyphs—pretty to look at but not much use.
His timetable was also in glyphs.
He was so screwed. He was going to be that person who failed everything. They didn’t use magic the same here. The rules were different, he didn’t have a human to share Saka with, and there was most definitely no sleeping with his demon. The only place his kind of magic was acceptable was in Demonside, but he wasn’t a demon or a mage.
Kabil showed him the doorway where demons could be summoned and where students could go to Demonside. “So I can’t summon Saka from anywhere?”
“You can… but you aren’t supposed to until you graduate. If you want to see him, you can go through here. They will log you out. The void is opened three times a day. There is only one doorway on the other side.”
“Then it must get very busy.” Or was the demon village they’d first arrived in the one that was linked to Uxmal? He wasn’t sure how that all worked. If he got out a map, would Demonside neatly overlap with Vinland and the Mayan Empire, or was it more to do with where magic was used? Were there demons who lived without ever knowing about humans?
Kabil shook his head. “Aside from here, there’s only one other, and that’s for public use. They open the void frequently so you’re never going to get stuck there.”
“Then why do I need an anchor if the doorways are so well regulated?”
“Because one day you may not be near a doorway or your demon may not be near a doorway. That and because magic is worked better with three. How do warlocks manage if they don’t even have a mage?”
Angus glanced at his toes. “To draw up magic, they drain the demon.” He didn’t need to add that they often killed their demon. Vinnish warlocks had a reputation.
“Is that why you started…?” Kabil’s dark cheeks took on a reddish tone.
“That was to rebalance. You only rebalance in blood and souls.” But sex had become an easy way to draw up magic. He probably had started relying on it too much. Saka had said so, and Saka was usually right about magic. He’d rather be taking lessons with his demon than here.
“That isn’t true. We focus much more on keeping magic circulating, which is why we’ve been a little more protected from the growing glaciers. We work with our mages to gather magic. I believe you call that wizarding?”
Not really. “Close enough.”
“Let’s go into town. I’ll show you how to use the tram and where to buy clothes and food, and then I’ll take you somewhere special.”
He had to ask while there was a chance for Kabil to change his plans. “Do you know where Terrance is?”
Kabil paused and then sighed. “Yes. No, I can’t take you. People in the pitz school don’t get visitors until the day before they play.”
“Did he survive the attack?”
“I’ve already asked Cadmael for you. He hasn’t replied.”
Angus closed his eyes. “I need to know.”
“There are lots of people looking for loved ones. Hundreds died last night. Thousands were injured. Buildings were damaged in the shock wave. I don’t think you understand how devastating the weapon is. The only reason our fatalities were so low is because we’ve been creating and installing wards in public buildings and as many private buildings as we can. But we’re still rolling out the devices. We learned fast after nearly all the priests in Ekab were killed.
“The Nations have been hit hard, particularly those that use demonology. We’ve been looking at ways to neutralize the clean sweep with them, but… but they are fracturing. The people who don’t use demon magic are trying to break away from those who do.”
“I’m sorry.” He should’ve taken his father seriously when he claimed they were weaponizing magic. Angus hadn’t thought it possible. But the Mayans were doing plenty with magic that he hadn’t thought possible.
Kabil shook his head. “Let’s go out. You can tell me what Demonside is like.”
“You’ve never been there?”
“Only for excursions at school or with the Training Temple.”
“Why is everything a temple?”
“Any official organization that deals with demonology is a temple.”
That implied there were unofficial places. “So where are we going?”
“The entertainment plaza,” Kabil said with a smile.
ANGUS LEARNED how to swipe his card to buy a ticket for the tram, despite not being able to read a single thing. Instead he memorized the symbols. Kabil bought him a lanyard so he could wear the plastic card around his neck like everyone else.
The tram rolled down the street, and people got on and off. As they made their way through the city, Kabil pointed out the damage done by the shock wave.
“If you look to the left, the red building with the frieze of ball players is the pitz training school.”
Angus’s heart leaped into his throat. Terrance was so close and yet unreachable. Angus stared out the window until the red building was gone.
How did people go past it so casually? “Will they all eventually die?”
“We all eventually die. But no.”
Angus frowned and looked at Kabil. “I thought the game was played to the death.”
“Some are. Some are just played. Excitement is generated either way. The final match is always to the death. Did you expect an endless tide of blood?”
He wanted to nod, but he didn’t. “So he may not play to the death?”
Kabil winced. “He has been put in that division. The crowd will want to see Vinnish blood.”
People on the tram looked at them more than once. They would know they were speaking Vinnish even if they couldn’t understand it, and their stares were as hard as knife blades. If Angus were to walk about on his own, some might let their anger and frustration out on him, even though he wasn’t to blame.
Angus couldn’t keep apologizing for his country. He needed to do something to stop them, but if the best priests and other magic users had failed, what could he do?
He stared out the window, barely listening to Kabil. He might no longer be locked up, but he wasn’t exactly free to wander. Kabil touched him on the arm at their stop. Angus followed and stayed closer than he probably needed to, but he took note of landmarks so he’d know the stop for another time. They went into a few stores, and Angus bought some extra clothes. Kabil explained that everyone had a weekly allowance and that he’d need to buy any luxury food items. The food they were served in the mess hall would be very basic.
He let Kabil pick what he needed. That included something that wasn’t coffee but would wake him up, although Angus wasn’t convinced that anything made of cocoa and chili was going to be a good drink first thing in the morning. With the shopping done, they entered the plaza proper. Demons and humans walked through the plaza, shopping and talking as though it were perfectly normal. Angus wanted to stop and watch, but Kabil didn’t pause at any of the stalls, nor did he take Angus inside any of the buildings that framed the outer area, even though he said there were movies and plays and bars there where people and demons could socialize.
Together? How could they exist so closely but not be intimate?
Demons were treated differently here, as if they weren’t different at all. He wanted to linger, but Kabil led him on. They slipped through another archway and into a much smaller courtyard. This one had a more private feel. There were stalls, but they seemed to only sell alcohol.
“What is this place?” There were more demons there, and magic was thick in the air.
Kabil smiled. “This is where humans and demons mingle much more… closely.”
The way he said closely implied something more than mingling. “Cadmael said that shouldn’t happen.”
“It shouldn’t happen between a mage and priest… or warlock.” Kabil glanced at Angus. “What title do you use?”
“I don’t know.” He hadn’t thought about it. He didn’t want to be a warlock, never had. But he wasn’t a priest either. He wasn’t Mayan, and one day he’d like to go home… to even have a home.
Kabil made a sound of disapproval, as though Angus’s preferred title was a major concern. “There are no prohibitions on any other human getting close to a demon. We keep the magic moving in any way we can. In the same way that humans are curious about demons, they’re curious about us, and people come here to find out. Some come here on a regular basis, especially those with magic in their blood but no formal training.”
“So wizards can do whatever they want.”
“No. Lay priests can’t do anything but offer charms. We regulate magic for safety. But we also make training free. We want people to develop their skills. Most of the humans here have no magic but want to experience some. I thought you might like to come because you like demon sex.”
Angus lowered his gaze as heat rushed to his cheeks. It had never been about liking demon sex. He wasn’t sure he even liked it the first time, because it had been so wound up with rebalancing. It was unlike anything he’d done before—intense and heady. The memory was enough to make his blood heat.
“Go on. Find a demon. I’ll wait.”
“But I’m a… I have a demon.”
“Yes, and you can’t have sex with him, but there’s nothing stopping you from being with a different one. There are male ones here. You do prefer men?”
He walked away and had his card scanned so he could buy a drink. The alcohol was dark and bitter and cut right through him. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to stomach a second cup, but he’d need more than that to continue this conversation.
Kabil followed. “You don’t want to be here.”
That wasn’t entirely true. Angus was intrigued. “Do the demons?”
Kabil stepped back, horrified. “We do not enslave demons. They come here to take back the magic they gather. Small-scale rebalancing has a place, and magic circulates as it is supposed to. You have enough money for a visit if that’s what concerns you.”
Angus finished his drink with a shudder that ran all the way down his spine. Whatever that was, he wouldn’t drink it again. He should’ve gone with the red option, and he would soon if Kabil kept talking. “It’s not the money.”
“No one watches… unless you like that.”
“You’ve been here?”
“Once, just to see what it was all about.”
Angus shook his head. “I… umm… I couldn’t. Not with anyone but Saka.”
“But you have Terrance? You are intimate with him too?”
Did he still have Terrance and Saka? Or had he lost everyone he cared about? He hadn’t seen Lizzie or the others since they arrived. Words formed, but they melted. He sighed and went with the simplest explanation he had. “I love them both. I’m not going to pay for random demon sex.”
He knew he shouldn’t love them, but he couldn’t help it.
“Oh.” Kabil glanced away. “Don’t tell Cadmael that.”
Angus hadn’t wanted to tell anyone. He’d never even told Saka. It was a mistake he wouldn’t make again.
“Let’s soak up the magic, and then I’ll teach you how to create a translate talisman.” Kabil bought two more drinks—red ones—and they sat beneath a tree.
Sounds of sex and laughter drifted out on the night air. The hollowness inside Angus expanded. Kabil had brought him out to have fun, and all he wanted was to go back to a time when the people he loved were sleeping on either side of him. Sure they’d been slowly dying in the desert, their life and magic being leached out, and they’d been too exhausted to do more than sleep, but each night Saka had been on one side and Terrance the other. He should have said something then, made it clear how important they were to him.
“Saka gave me this.” He lifted his hair to reveal the jade spike in his ear. He’d healed the ear, but the jade still got hot and made his ear throb.
Kabil smiled and nodded. “He shouldn’t have, but I guess you’ll have no problem understanding the lectures.”
“No one will understand me. How much are you going to tell Cadmael?”
“About a third of the priests speak Vinnish. Though most will probably ignore you. As for Cadmael, I’ll answer his questions, but I won’t volunteer information.”
“Why?”
“Because what we’ve been doing has only stalled the ice age, not stopped it. You don’t do magic like the others. You survived the clean sweep. No magic user has ever done that. It scared Cadmael.”
Angus bit back a laugh. He wasn’t scary at all, unless his inability to use magic properly counted as terrifying. “I want to see Saka.”
“Then you’ll need to go through the doorway to him. You don’t have approval for that.”
“I’ll summon him.” Or at least he’d try. How long until Saka would respond, or would he think it all a trap? He needed to speak to Saka… or maybe he didn’t. Maybe he could get a message through to him.
“He hasn’t been responding when you try.” Kabil sipped his drink. “Cadmael will reach a point where he sends you across to sort this out.”
And Angus wouldn’t be surprised if Cadmael left him there. At the moment that didn’t seem like an all-bad idea. He sighed and slumped against the wall, still not sure what to do next. But he had to do something, and tonight seemed like his best chance. “How long until the next attack?”
“They won’t attack Uxmal for a while. They’ve been moving from city to city. The Institute for Magical Studies and World Council of Demonology will probably make official statements over the next couple of days.”
“But they won’t do anything. No one is doing anything.”
“Bombing another country and killing innocents isn’t the first step.”
“It’s what Vinland is doing to everyone else.”
“And we’re not them.” He turned the glass in his hand. “Military strikes are planned. This latest act of aggression might be enough to make it happen. My uncle belongs to the Military Temple. He said that, despite the magic, it would come to blood on the ground. He knew the Vinnish wouldn’t stop.”
“It’s not the people. Just a few at the top.”
Kabil lifted his gaze. “Your people could’ve stepped up fifty years ago or ten years ago. But they didn’t. So few did so little, even as the noose tightened. Did you not realize something was wrong?”
Angus stared at his drink. It was sweet like berries with a burn that almost made him sweat… though that could be the humidity. “I thought it was normal. I didn’t realize how broken my country was.” He downed the rest of his drink. What was normal anyway?
He didn’t feel like a freak for enjoying sex with Saka or Terrance. People came here to lie with demons and demons to lie with humans. Those demons went back to Demonside to take gathered magic with them. Angus stood. “I’ve changed my mind. I’m going in.”
He didn’t wait for Kabil to answer. The scent of heady perfumes and the sweet roil of sex magic washed over him. He drew a breath and couldn’t help but be aroused. The magic in his blood crashed around his body seeking an escape. His dick hardened in anticipation.
A few of the humans eyed him warily. The demons were more intrigued. Angus checked out a couple and decided on a feathered male with teeth like little knives. He walked over and pretended he’d done that a million times, when he had no idea what he was supposed to do.
The demon stood and beckoned without a word, his erection pressing against his pants. Angus followed, his heart beating so fast he was sure it was going to explode in all the wrong ways. But he needed to get this done before he changed his mind.