everyone looked toward the elf lord with rapt attention. Damn, I could hardly drag Kirby off now. Such rudeness would draw everyone’s attention.
The lord began a long, dull speech about winter, death and rebirth, so fresh new growth could occur, rejuvenating the land, or some shit like that. I was bored. The humans were bored. The other demons were especially bored. Bored demons are never a good thing. They wandered among the attendees, shoving food items into inappropriate places and laughing loudly while the elves swatted them away. The demon I didn’t know crawled under the tables, bumping them with his horned back and spilling food and drink off the sides. With a leap, Zalanes jumped into the fountain, unaffected by the cold water. He shoved his hands into the gentle spray from the tree–like column, re–directing it onto any unfortunate nearby humans and elves. Now that was funny. I wished I hadn’t needed to be incognito, because I would have loved to join in on that one. Haagenti suddenly frowned and looked around the room while I held my breath and tightened my energy even further inside. What had he noticed? I never leaked. He can’t have sensed me. Suddenly he jumped into the fountain with Zalanes and kicked the center column with front hooves. With a flash of light, the marble column broke in half, and the pipe supplying the fountain snapped in two, shooting a stream of water toward the ceiling like a fire hose.
Everyone screamed, the lord’s speech forgotten, and ducked for cover. Instinctively I shot out a net of energy and grabbed the water molecules, every last one of them, changing their surface temperature and structure in a show of power that no other demon could. Gregory had taught me, and I’d spent months practicing this angelic art. The stream of water burst into white, and snow fell light and powdery from the ceiling in a gentle swirl.
The elves abandoned their usual decorum and shrieked in joy, racing about catching snowflakes with their hands and tongues. His lordship looked startled, but quickly recovered, proclaiming the snow as a symbol of the death of the old god, preparing the world for a fresh start. The demons froze, and not from the cold of the snow either. Eyes narrowing, they looked around, searching. I tried to hide behind Kirby as I saw Haagenti smile and reach for my net of energy. Fuck.
Time slowed to a crawl and I felt a snowflake on my finger. Its geometry was delicate and irregular. I looked up and noticed Kirby carefully examining a snowflake. His eyes slowly rose to meet mine and they held awe, uncertainty, and fear.
“That snowflake is not symmetrical, not balanced,” he said, comprehension dawning. “You … you. I saw....”
I shook my head at him, in a gentle warning. Elves strived for perfection, for balance, just as the angels did. Their magic, the magic they taught to the humans was the same. The snowflakes were clearly a demon creation, obvious to anyone who examined them closely. But demons didn’t do this sort of thing, angels did. And only one demon had contact with angels and lived to tell the tale.
The other demons were beginning to take their cue from Haagenti, reaching out with their own energy to trace the source. Their movements became purposeful, predatory. Shit. I needed to break off my snow–making before they followed the unusual energy stream back to me. I needed to break it off and resume my guise as a human with not a hint of demon energy at all. Then I needed to get the fuck out of here, although that would be near impossible with his stupid lordship droning on and on.
“Can someone shut off the water?” I whispered at Kirby.
He nodded toward a group of elves, who were trying to shoo the demons aside and climb into the fountain basin. The demons ignored them, their eyes scanning the room. Fuck. I had no time. Abruptly I cut off my energy, pulling it tightly back inside with a snap. The water shot out of the broken pipe in a wild,
The lord began a long, dull speech about winter, death and rebirth, so fresh new growth could occur, rejuvenating the land, or some shit like that. I was bored. The humans were bored. The other demons were especially bored. Bored demons are never a good thing. They wandered among the attendees, shoving food items into inappropriate places and laughing loudly while the elves swatted them away. The demon I didn’t know crawled under the tables, bumping them with his horned back and spilling food and drink off the sides. With a leap, Zalanes jumped into the fountain, unaffected by the cold water. He shoved his hands into the gentle spray from the tree–like column, re–directing it onto any unfortunate nearby humans and elves. Now that was funny. I wished I hadn’t needed to be incognito, because I would have loved to join in on that one. Haagenti suddenly frowned and looked around the room while I held my breath and tightened my energy even further inside. What had he noticed? I never leaked. He can’t have sensed me. Suddenly he jumped into the fountain with Zalanes and kicked the center column with front hooves. With a flash of light, the marble column broke in half, and the pipe supplying the fountain snapped in two, shooting a stream of water toward the ceiling like a fire hose.
Everyone screamed, the lord’s speech forgotten, and ducked for cover. Instinctively I shot out a net of energy and grabbed the water molecules, every last one of them, changing their surface temperature and structure in a show of power that no other demon could. Gregory had taught me, and I’d spent months practicing this angelic art. The stream of water burst into white, and snow fell light and powdery from the ceiling in a gentle swirl.
The elves abandoned their usual decorum and shrieked in joy, racing about catching snowflakes with their hands and tongues. His lordship looked startled, but quickly recovered, proclaiming the snow as a symbol of the death of the old god, preparing the world for a fresh start. The demons froze, and not from the cold of the snow either. Eyes narrowing, they looked around, searching. I tried to hide behind Kirby as I saw Haagenti smile and reach for my net of energy. Fuck.
Time slowed to a crawl and I felt a snowflake on my finger. Its geometry was delicate and irregular. I looked up and noticed Kirby carefully examining a snowflake. His eyes slowly rose to meet mine and they held awe, uncertainty, and fear.
“That snowflake is not symmetrical, not balanced,” he said, comprehension dawning. “You … you. I saw....”
I shook my head at him, in a gentle warning. Elves strived for perfection, for balance, just as the angels did. Their magic, the magic they taught to the humans was the same. The snowflakes were clearly a demon creation, obvious to anyone who examined them closely. But demons didn’t do this sort of thing, angels did. And only one demon had contact with angels and lived to tell the tale.
The other demons were beginning to take their cue from Haagenti, reaching out with their own energy to trace the source. Their movements became purposeful, predatory. Shit. I needed to break off my snow–making before they followed the unusual energy stream back to me. I needed to break it off and resume my guise as a human with not a hint of demon energy at all. Then I needed to get the fuck out of here, although that would be near impossible with his stupid lordship droning on and on.
“Can someone shut off the water?” I whispered at Kirby.
He nodded toward a group of elves, who were trying to shoo the demons aside and climb into the fountain basin. The demons ignored them, their eyes scanning the room. Fuck. I had no time. Abruptly I cut off my energy, pulling it tightly back inside with a snap. The water shot out of the broken pipe in a wild,
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