Your dear aunt requests the pleasure of your company at the fountain in the rear gardens at two thirty.

Vallaena had arrived.

Chapter 24

I followed a route recommended by the handy-dandy university app to the rear gardens. It took me through winding halls, past a huge gymnasium where students played what looked like basketball on flying carpets, and out the east side of the castle where a stone path led toward one of the exquisitely manicured gardens I'd noticed from the bluff where the shuttles landed.

Flowers of all colors and sizes bloomed from shrubs grown to resemble giant mushrooms, candy canes, and more, like a scene straight from Candy Land. As I walked across a rubbery licorice bridge and gazed at the bubbling brook of chocolate beneath, I wondered if it would actually be safe to eat anything here. If so, I imagined an obesity epidemic rampaging through school.

A wide, stone path between the garden and the castle complex led to the huge stadium I'd seen earlier. In the distance, I heard rumbling, like the low thunder of an earthquake. Checking the time, I saw I still had fifteen minutes to meet Vallaena, so I detoured toward the stadium. The walkway, lined by flags imprinted with the names of champions from years prior, bordered the stadium. A portcullis guarded an entrance designed to admit giants at the front of the structure. The metal grate hung several feet off the ground, so I walked beneath it just as the ground shook beneath my feet. I followed a cavernous tunnel toward a grassy field.

My jaw dropped the moment I emerged. Two gargantuan creatures lumbered up and down the field, each one something out of my wildest nerd fantasies. One of the three-story creatures looked cobbled together from stone. The other looked like animated earth, comprised of mud, twigs, and other natural debris. Even though their forms bore a humanoid resemblance, they had no faces. Two Arcanes whooped from the sidelines, high-fiving each other as the golems raced up and down the field, churning up earth with their massive feet.

The mud golem made another turn, and ran back toward the Arcanes, every lumbering step sending a shockwave through the earth. It suddenly froze in mid-stride, one of its thick legs crumbling. The creature slammed against the ground, sending mud and bits of debris flying everywhere. The shrapnel bounced harmlessly off a shield around the inner perimeter of the track.

"No!" shouted the two men.

One of them waved a staff toward the stone golem, and it stopped in place, towering over everything like a humanoid mountain. If these were the kinds of golems they used for the Grand Melee, there was no way in the world I wanted to miss it.

I could have stared at the spectacle all day, but duty called. I jogged back to the candy gardens and found Vallaena sitting on a stone bench. Behind her, the statue of a female arcane held aloft a staff fountaining red liquid. My aunt wore a dark blue dress, knee-length, with matching flats. The plain ensemble did nothing to detract from her classic beauty, her straight narrow nose, full lips, the graceful curves of her body. In fact, the demure look only seemed to highlight just how hot she was.

Gross, dude, she's your aunt!

I felt a flush creep up my neck.

"Hello, Justinius," Vallaena said, smiling sweetly as a gentle breeze picked at her blonde locks.

Resolving to be as nice as possible despite the lack of trust I felt toward this woman, I put on a smile of my own. "Hello, Vallaena." I sat next to her. "What's up?"

Her blue eyes looked me up and down. "You've grown since I last saw you."

"Puberty," I said.

She shook her head. "No, it's something more than that." She peered into my eyes with uncomfortable intensity. "You are no longer the confused boy I first met, but a young man. A leader. Your father would be proud."

I stiffened at the mention of my dad and looked away.

"Though I see you aren't yet ready to accept some realities." Vallaena touched the top of my hand. "Duty weighs heavily on your father, Justinius. Do not hate him for the choices he must make."

"Call me Justin," I said, trying not to acknowledge her statement or allow it to make me feel guilty. "What do I need to learn first?"

"Protocol. It is extremely important to Daemos." She stood, brushing a lock of blonde hair from her face as a breeze ruffled it. "Once I feel you are adequately versed, you will learn summoning."

"Like hellhounds and demons?" I asked, still sitting on the bench.

She nodded. "Yes, but it goes deeper." She held out a hand. "Take my hand."

I regarded the fair skin of her hand with suspicion before taking it, wondering if Daemos protocol meant I had to kiss her knuckles or something. A surprised yelp escaped my throat when she yanked me to my feet like I weighed nothing. It was easy to underestimate someone's strength when they looked like Vallaena.

An amused smile crossed her face.

I suppressed a snarky comment.

Still holding my hand, she led me through the gardens, past pools of bubbling fudge, chocolate-brown bunny rabbits nibbling on green licorice grass, and all sorts of candy-themed plants, trees, and animals. I touched a flower on one of the trees. It felt like normal vegetation.

"None of this is candy," Vallaena said, as if reading my thoughts. "The animals are real, though they wear illusions to make them appear edible."

"They're still edible," I said.

She laughed. "True, though the gardeners would likely be very unhappy with you."

We passed out of the garden, took the walkway past the stadium, and cut across the wide green field between the school and the dark forest where my new best buddy, the tragon, lived.

"Why are we coming out here?" I asked, gazing at her with narrowed eyes.

"I know you don't trust me," Vallaena said. "Please believe I only have your best interests at heart."

"More like your best interests," I said.

"What is good for you is good for all our people," she said. "I am here to teach you, nothing more."

I stopped and said, "Before we get into all that protocol stuff, I want you to tell me more about manifesting."

She raised an eyebrow. "Manifesting is related to summoning and banishment."

My forehead scrunched. "Huh?"

"We summon a part of ourselves when we manifest, and banish it again to return to normal," Vallaena replied.

Her explanation made sense. It certainly felt as if I were summoning a demon when I manifested, though lately the vampling curse made it feel like the demon was banishing me instead. "I've been having issues," I said, after a moment's hesitation. Despite my misgivings, I knew she was the only one who could probably help me in this area. I told her about my issues, the curse, and how I'd nearly lost control during the battle with Zagg.

Her eyes went wide at the mention of the vampling curse, and for the first time, worry clouded her face. She put a hand to her chin as she thought. "This is not good." She paced for a moment. "We do not possess immunity to Seraphim curses."

My stomach went cold. "Is there a cure?"

Vallaena stopped, gave me a look which bordered on sorrow. "I am unsure."

I waved off the subject. "It doesn't matter." Meghan's potion gave me time, and I had to hope I could unlock my Seraphim side and heal myself. "I need to know how to control the manifestation, especially with the curse trying to take over."

She gave me a sad look. "I can explain part of your problems. Spontaneous manifestation is a problem young Daemos males face during puberty. Females can control the urge, but males cannot help themselves."

I groaned. "Gee, that sounds familiar."

"Indeed." A smile flashed across her face. "The vampling curse may be a trigger, but even without it, your hormonal urges would also trigger manifestation, especially under stressful situations."

"The curse is definitely stressing me out." I ran a hand through my hair. "What can I do to stop it?"

"I can teach you how to properly summon your demon form."

"I'm listening," I said.

Vallaena continued. "We are not morphs—not in the way lycans and other shifters are."

"Or like Flarks?"

Alarm showed in her eyes. "There are Flarks in the game now?"

Apocalyptic problems were hardly a game, but I didn't feel like bringing that up with her. "There's one. Do you know about them?"

Her upper lip curled with distaste. "In my studies, I learned Flarks are creatures from the Seraphim world. They are the devoted servants of the angels."

I remembered what Mr. Bigglesworth had said. If I knew anything about Flarks, then I'd know why he was helping Daelissa. "Devoted servants," I said. "Their loyalty lies foremost to the angels."

"Naturally," Vallaena said with a shrug.

In other words, Bigglesworth was only helping the Conroys because Daelissa wanted him to. Maybe he felt loyalty toward Ivy because she was part angel. Maybe he regarded her as an abomination. With Daelissa holding his reins, he was a danger to my sister. As for the Conroys—they weren't even relatives, just power-hungry Arcanes who'd kidnapped my sister and had now imprisoned my mother. Bigglesworth could eat them, for all I cared.

"You are not telling me something," Vallaena said.

I quirked an eyebrow. "Are you kidding me? There's a lot I'm not telling you."

A nod. "Very well. Perhaps I will earn your trust. I am here to help, after all."

"Great, you can start by helping me control my spontaneous manifestation issue first." I sighed. "It's really embarrassing."

She smiled. "I understand." Her eyes scanned me up and down. "I think you should strip before we begin." She slid the strap of her dress off one shoulder, and reached for the other.

I grabbed her arm. "Whoa, whoa, wait! I'm not getting naked with you. What are you doing?"

Her forehead wrinkled in surprise, as if I'd just asked her why grass didn't scream when you walked on it. "Your clothes will be ruined if you leave them on. I can, of course, control my manifestation, but I also wished to show you my full form. I just purchased this dress on sale, and am not about to ruin it."