Wystan (7 page)

Chapter Eight

Rhia leaned against the back of the chair in Eban's office, watching the doctor clean blood off his brother's shoulder. An uneven row of slashes marred the tanned flesh. The changesteed's mouth was big and it could easily have torn Wystan's arm from his body.

Eban glanced at her. “Blood doesn't bother you?”

Wystan made a noise of disbelief. “
Nothing
bothers her. She shot that damned changesteed like it was a jackrabbit and never blinked. She's not natural.”

“A thank you would do.” Inside she trembled like a coward. If they only knew. The changesteed had looked like a leftover jumble of animal parts. Such a thing shouldn't exist. She prayed she'd never cross paths with one again.

A muscle in Wystan's jaw jumped as Eban prodded the wounds, but he didn't respond.

“One demon two nights ago, another today. They're coming with more frequency. Maybe we should post a guard outside of town.” Eban unstoppered a bottle, poured some liquid on a cloth, and dabbed Wystan's shoulder. The elder Heckmaster's eyes brimmed with tears of pain. “I hope Tell comes back soon. A week is a little excessive for tracking.”

“The kid is fine,” Wystan ground out.

“I know he's fine. I'd just prefer he was closer to home.” Eban held the cloth in place, despite the look he earned from his brother.

“The albastor should be an easy catch for him. I reckon it took him on a merry chase, or he'd be back by now.”

“What's an albastor?” Rhia asked, annoyed by how they referenced monsters, but didn't tell her anything.

“A shapeshifter. White hair, human form, usually, but they're prone to shifting into animal forms as well. They're typically nude. Quite the shock for a well-bred lady. Others don't mind so much. They like to mate with human women, but a man who lays with a woman who's been with an albastor can die.” Eban retrieved bandages from a drawer and bound Wystan's shoulder. “They're crude, and this one is under instructions to murder us.”

Rhia tilted her head. “Astaroth thinks he can break the shield by destroying all of you?”

“That, or by capturing one of us.”

“So you let Tell wander around out there by himself?”

Wystan looked up sharply. “No one lets Tell do anything. He has no sense of self-preservation. When he was fifteen, he took a crossbow, a horse, and a week's worth of supplies, and rode off into the desert, and when he came back, he had two demon heads tied to his saddle. The kid has a sense neither of us possesses.”

She thought she heard a hint of jealousy in his voice. “How many demons have you killed apiece?”

“Who's keeping a tally?” Eban's question was far too innocent.

She didn't have any brothers, but she knew that siblings were competitive by nature. They each probably knew exactly how many they'd killed. “I asked earlier how your father came to fall in love with a human woman.”

Eban looked at Wystan, whose face hardened. “Back then, Astaroth was free to wander Earth as he chose, on his helldragon, granting answers to human problems and questions in exchange for their mortal souls. The lesser demons he favored were a bit like feudal lords. They were given a territory to watch over and New Mexico Territory belonged to our father.”

Wystan sat a little straighter, causing the bare muscles in his abdomen to flex. Rhia tried not to notice, but couldn't help staring at the various scars crisscrossing his flesh, telling the story of the battles he'd faced.

“Ma wasn't the prettiest girl in town, but our grandfather was a prominent landowner. When Father arrived at the farmhouse to tell Granddad that there was going to be a tax on his crops if he wanted them to keep growing so well, Ma served Father lemonade. He swore that was what made him fall in love with her. She was betrothed to the town doctor and she told him so before he could so much as ask if she was promised.”

“Why would she do that?” Rhia asked.

“Probably the way he looked at her. Demons are known for their powers of persuasion. It takes a strong soul to resist one.” Eban leaned against the examination table Wystan sat on. “No one knew he was a demon—they don't advertise, instead making promises and extracting bits of soul in exchange, then arranging accidents to collect the full debt. He wasn't very nice.”

“She kissed him, the world changed, they eloped, had a slew of half-demon babies, and left us their mess. The end.” Wystan slid off the table, his feet hitting the floor with a
thunk
as his weight settled. “It's not a fairytale.”

Rhia frowned. “It's interesting. I've never heard of such a thing before. Please, Eban, go on.”

“She figured out what he was doing. Clever, our mother. She went to his house in the middle of the night, armed with a crucifix and a vial of holy water. She planned to banish him, but demons don't sleep a lot and they like virgins, so he had a good idea when she arrived. He surprised her in the front yard, forced her to drop her weapons. He told her it was cowardly to sneak up on an unarmed man, but she confronted him and he admitted who he really was.”

“I thought demons were frightening.” Rhia glanced at Wystan again. He might tower over her, might be able to gut a changesteed and slit a barghest's throat, but she sensed a softer side.

Eban shook his head. “You've heard tell of Lucifer changing his appearance at will to trick the people he wants, haven't you?”

“Yes.”

“Makes sense for some demons to have the ability too. Our father was proud of his human form and hardly ever changed out of it. Even though Ma was attracted to him, she said unless he stopped ruining the town and the people here, she'd find a way to kill him.”

“Stupid story,” Wystan grumbled.

Eban glared at him. “It changed everything. It made him realize what a miserable creature he was. That there's good in the world. He found it, Wys. He had it.”

“Until Astaroth figured out what was going on and murdered him.” Anger flared in Wystan's eyes. “There's good, Eb, but there's twice as much evil to destroy it.”

“She asked him why he wanted to hurt people. He told her it was his job, he didn't have a choice. She was saddened by his story. So she kissed him and told him that everyone has a choice. Something happened—a spark of humanity came to life, maybe. They continued to see each other and he stopped harassing the townspeople. Years went by, with Father growing more and more human. They had us and it seemed like Astaroth had forgotten about Berner. When Wys was about ten, Astaroth called Father to his throne room in Hell. Father swore on his life that he was fighting to claim souls, but the people were resisting. He knew Astaroth didn't believe him.”

“No one would. Father, for all his trickery, was a shitty liar.” Wystan crossed his arms and stared out the clinic window.

“Astaroth sent another demon, one higher in the ranks than Father. He spied and saw what was happening in town. Goreth was Father's betrayer. All that time, barghests and changesteeds and a slew of other lesser demons were coming out of the Pit and Father fought battles to keep them away from town. With Goreth's report, Astaroth vowed to destroy Father.”

“
Destroy
isn't a strong enough word.” Wystan's voice was gravelly. “There's a boneyard outside of town that contains the remains of the war between armies of demons and our father. Astaroth emerged from the Pit to take care of Father himself. It must have given him some pause to see what a minor demon had done to his legion, but Astaroth doesn't fear anything.”

Rhia guessed he remembered the confrontation pretty well. It must have been frightening for a young boy to witness his father's death.

“Setting a protection spell over the town and gaining humanity cost him. Love and redemption weren't enough.” Bitterness sparked in Wystan's eyes. “He knew it, and part of his last effort to keep Astaroth in once he dragged Father to Hell was asking how he could prevent Astaroth from returning.”

“A simple answer for the crown prince,” Eban cut in. “Form a barrier across the Pit with seven ancient seals to close it. With the right words, even a lesser demon like Father could do it. No virgin sacrifices needed. It looks delicate on the surface, but from the other side, it's divine fire. No higher demon can touch it.”

“Divine fire?” Either her Bible lessons had been sorely lacking or this was something humans didn't possess knowledge of.

“Similar to the burning bush Moses saw in the desert. A demon couldn't have gone near it.” Eban frowned. “At least it doesn't have much effect on the barghests and changesteeds. Tell waits for the more human-like demons because it leaves them weakened. They're still fierce and the longer they remain on Earth the stronger they get.”

“So the three of you protect this town from demons and a prince from Hell?” Rhia looked between the two. They both nodded. Until arriving in Berner, her biggest concerns were Beryl's declining health and how she would feed Sylvie. On top of those troubles, now she had to think about fending off demons as well. If she hadn't shot the changesteed with her own rifle, she would've thought them both mad. “What happens if you fail?”

“Astaroth raises Hell and the world gets consumed. It won't be pretty. He likes innocent souls the best, but he's not opposed to the others,” Wystan said.

Eban's face was grim. “Especially us. Our father defied him. He's had years to think of a way to wipe out our family.”

“Last night, you said your mother was killed by the other humans here.” She hated to ask and from the set of Wystan's jaw and his powerful, naked shoulders, he wasn't happy recounting the tale.

“The humans figured out what was going on pretty quickly once the lesser-demon bodies started piling up. They'd known Ma her whole life, but they were appalled that she'd taken up with a man like our father. One who had taken advantage of them at every turn in the beginning. When Astaroth took Father, they came in the night, dragged her from bed, never mind that she had children to look after, and tied her to a stake. Do I need to elaborate on what happened after that?” Wystan swept his hand through his hair. The corded muscles in his neck bulged with anger.

Rhia shook her head. “But what about the three of you?”

“Four.” Eban stared at the floor. “We had a sister.”

She didn't ask what had happened to their sister. She didn't think she could stand hearing so much tragedy in one afternoon. The anger in Wystan's eyes faded into sorrow so deep his indigo blue eyes looked shattered. Rhia leaned forward and touched his bare arm. A shock sizzled through her fingertips. Wystan jerked back, suspicion in his gaze.

“Sorry,” she murmured, rubbing her thumb against her fingers. Almost like static, but different. Pleasant, somehow.

“You can't tell us that you want to stay here. It isn't safe.” Wystan straightened, a fierce and proud warrior prepared for another fight, despite his bandaged shoulder. “We could lend you money and get the three of you on your way.”

Rhia bit back a humorless laugh. “Take money from a half demon. Exactly how much soul would that require in return for a favor?”

“We're not like that.” Eban looked hurt by the accusation. “We don't want anything from you.”

“Good, because I could have let that changesteed eat Wystan.” Let them think about that.

Wystan laughed. “It was as good as dead without any help from you. And since we're counting favors, I already saved you from a barghest. The changesteed barely makes us even.”

Gone were the sorrowful looks from a moment ago. Eban smiled and Wystan grew haughtier. Rhia wrinkled her nose. “That's unfair, because I wasn't aware of the situation before. Had I known the barghest was there, I could have dispatched it myself.”

Their grins widened.

Wystan elbowed his brother in the ribs. “Schoolteacher thinks she can take on a barghest singlehanded. I'd pay to see that.”

“Maybe not killed it, but avoided it.” She didn't like being teased. “I did keep the changesteed from hurting you worse. You'll do well to remember it.”

“You'll have to forgive us, Rhia.” Eban struggled to contain his laughter. “It's not every day we come across a woman with your grit. Even the female demons who decide to make their homes here aren't as brave as you. They're formidable in their own ways, but none would dare take on a full-grown barghest.”

Rhia almost felt proud—would have if the reality of what she'd done wasn't beginning to sink in. “Then I'll remind you that I'm not a force to be taken lightly. Perhaps now is a good time to discuss the kind of wage I'd like for teaching.”

“On the weekends, she can accompany Tell on outings. He'll appreciate an extra gun. She shot it right through the eye, or may I be struck down for lying.”

Wystan's posture changed as he spoke of her shot. The smile she'd suspected he was capable of came out, brighter than a ray of sunlight. Her heart, formerly in residence in her throat, slid back down where it belonged and thumped inside her rib cage.

How could a man as handsome as Wystan Heckmaster be the son of a brutal demon? He looked angelic with the sun beaming through the window on him.

“What's the matter, Dead-Eye?” He squinted at her as though she'd sprouted horns.

Rhia realized she was staring. “That's not funny. In fact, it's terrible that I had to kill a demon. My biggest concern yesterday was that there wouldn't be any desks in the schoolhouse.”

“Maybe you can teach the students about defending against demons.” Clearly, he wasn't finished teasing.

She sighed, remembering all too well how adolescent boys liked to tease. “How am I supposed to explain this to Sylvie? She's bound to be frightened. And Beryl has the right to decide if she wants to stay. I know she's still very sick, but maybe she doesn't want to room with…”