A Darker Shade of Sorcery - - (leveled readers .txt) 📗

for more demons. Tristan and Arianna were on edge too, as if expecting another attack. Blake and Nena were looking into their own rooms, perhaps thinking there’d be demons lurking for them. Everyone appeared badly spooked by the night’s events.

“I can’t believe this. You should stay in my room tonight Brooke,” Elijah proposed, grabbing her arm.

“The demon climbed into Evan’s room, not mine,” Brooke said.

“Back to your rooms all of you,” Gettelung commanded. This time the Venators complied, although Elijah looked reluctant.

Elijah looked at Brooke for a long moment. “Well, if you’re sure you’re okay?”

She nodded, putting on a brave face.

“Well done mate.” Jed smiled as he left, but it didn’t quite touch his eyes. Evan suspected Jed was as scared as the others, but he was keeping up his cheerful façade to make Evan feel better.

As Evan reached his room, he turned back to Brooke, “Thanks again, for, well you know.” He smiled shakily.

“Yeah, you too.” She smiled back.

As Evan entered his room he was shocked to see it looked exactly the same as it did before the demon attacked.

“I thought I'd tidy things up for you,” Gettelung explained as he followed him.

“Now don’t worry, all of us are on guard. I assure you this won’t happen again.” The whiskered Master was the most serious Evan had seen him.

He nodded silently before closing the door and climbing back into bed.

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Even the deliciously comfortable, cockatrice-feather bed couldn’t relax him. He’d taken to leaving his window ajar at night. He liked to listen to the array of Fortress sounds as he drifted to sleep. He could often hear Sniglog yelling comically in his kitchen, the ridiculous chatter of the gargoyles, or the whirr of mechanical insects as they buzzed around gas lamps. Other times he heard the tinkling laughter of fairies flying under his window, the gossip between Realmers, or the clatter of swords when Venators chose to train into the night. He realised with a terrible awfulness that leaving his window open must’ve been how the demon got in.

He ran to the window and slammed it shut.

Evan didn’t sleep. He couldn’t help thinking a dirty great demon would come if he closed his eyes.

*

Tarensen was correct. Evan felt weak as a newborn babe that morning, but he forced himself to the Archives. He stood on one of the bridges which connected rows upon rows of books above, below and all around him. The Archives stretched so high that many bookcases had stairs built round the side, with bridges at the top to reach the highest shelves.

He looked desperately for books about demons, particularly for one named Kurrlan. It was a name he remembered Sellatur mentioning. Evan remembered every detail of Sellatur’s attack, considering he’d thought it was his last moments alive.

He soon realised it’d been a terrible plan. He wasn't sure if Kurrlan was a demon anyway. Even if he was, the Archives had over a million tomes on its shelves.

Evan walked past a couple of Apprentices, who were watching a holographic comic

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about a trio of orc heroes. The characters stood atop the pages in miniature form, the images changing whenever the Apprentices turned a page.

He had to try something. Whoever had sent Sellatur had now sent another minion, and if that someone was named Kurrlan, Evan had to find out anything he could.

Since sunrise he'd searched, browsing through book sections varying from books about magically whitening your teeth to how to magic yourself thin.

At one point, he must’ve put a book back in the wrong category because it ruffled its pages furiously at him before gliding back to its correct perch.

The Archives were busy as ever, but Evan had now managed to find himself a quieter area. Apart from an unnaturally pale man with faded pink eyes and an elderly orc engrossed in a poetry book, he was alone.

He bent down to heave another tome off its shelf, this one was very old, but the title looked promising.

The Hierarchy of Demons: From Gods to Minions.

He opened it up and scanned the pages, stopping to look closer when he came across the passage:

The famed and terrible demon god raised his most loyal Dread Lords, known as the Demon Disciples, to demi-gods with his power.

Akirandon is the most notable Demon Disciple today and the location, or existence, of the other disciples are now unknown. Seven demi-gods were raised in total, such as Adena, who was believed to be Akirandon's fiercest rival. The two of them reportedly competed to be the god's favourite demon for millennia.

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Evan tore his gaze away from the page, jumping as someone shouted,

“There you are!”

He looked up to see Brooke appear around a bookcase and run across the bridge,

“Oh, hey.”

Although they’d saved each other's lives last night, Evan didn't know how to act around her. Were they friends now? He hoped so, but at the same time he'd never had a female friend before. Actually, he'd never had any friend’s before Jed.

As if conjured by Evan's thoughts, Jed too appeared from behind a bookcase, gasping for air.

“Crickey, you're faster than you look,” he said to Brooke as she grinned.

“What're you two doing here?” Evan asked.

“We've been looking all over for you,” Brooke said. “Have you been in here all day?”

“Yeah.” Evan shrugged. “I love books.”

He felt bad about lying to them, but he wasn't sure how they’d react if he confessed there might be a horrific monster hell-bent on capturing him. He hadn't found out much anyway.

“Huh, I never got on well with books,” said Brooke, “probably why I was failing half my classes at school. Either that or the fact I’d rather play video games than do homework.”

“Me too. Except I was failing classes because I'd skip them to hang out with Lana Lacey, man she was hot,” Jed reminisced. “I did love poetry books though.”

Brooke exclaimed disbelievingly, “You, like poetry?”

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“Hey, I can have hidden depths.” Jed chuckled. “I’d have never thought you would be a gamer.”

“Definitely,” said Brooke, “shooting zombies is a lot better than Maths.”

“Here, here,” Evan agreed.

“Anyway, Elijah's arranged a 'meeting'.” Brooke used her hands for air quotes.

“And he wants us three there.”

Jed just shrugged when Evan frowned at him.

Brooke led them from the Archives and out onto the purple field beyond. Groups of Venators were spread all around, lazing in the afternoon suns. The Fortress was buzzing about last night’s events and the three of them earned stares and whispers as they walked past. A large group of Chinese girls stopped talking abruptly as Evan passed, probably gossiping about him seconds before. The same thing happened as they passed a troupe of European Apprentices.

Elijah and his companions sat underneath a tree-sized blue mushroom, on a hill that overlooked Veneseron River. Atop the hill was a picnic table long enough to seat two-dozen Venators.

“Aha, you've arrived.” Elijah jumped to his feet.

“What's this about then?” Jed asked.

“I thought after the horrific assault last night that a thank you was in order. Also, it’s high time my closest friends and I welcomed you three with open arms.”

Evan, Jed and Brooke all glanced at each other in confusion.

“C'mon,” Elijah continued, “meet the gang. Well, I know you've already seen them around, but I think it's time we got to know each other officially.”

He introduced each Venator around him with a flourish.

“This is Xavier, he's the dorky one.”

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“You know we're not all defined by one characteristic, you injudicious fool,”

Xavier replied.

Elijah smiled, ignoring him. “This is Emillia, she's the stupid one.”

“Glarq off, you Glarqing Glarger.” Emillia scowled.

“One too many Glarq’s there dear,” said Xavier.

“Then there's Zeke, he's the strong, silent one.”

Izekiel just nodded at them.

“Yeah, we've met them all before, Elijah.” Brooke chuckled.

Elijah however, appeared to enjoy being the group’s spokesperson.

“Oh and then there's me.” Elijah grinned. “I'm the dashingly handsome, perfect in every way one.”

“You wish,” Emillia sniggered.

“If you're dashing, then Emi is Einstein,” said Xavier.

“Shut up, you geeky dork,” Emillia rounded on him.

“That's just two words that mean the same thing.” Xavier shook his head.

“Welcome to our circle of friendship.” Elijah beckoned them to sit.

“Yippee, going from a group of five to eight,” Xavier said, “we'll be the popular gang around Veneseron by next year.”

“Five?” Brooke asked.

“We're a girl down at the moment,” said Elijah. “Joelle, our resident Mid-Realmer, is on a mission, she should be back in a month or so.”

“Yeah, it was annoying being the only girl around.” Emillia smiled at Brooke.

“None of this lot want to go clothes shopping with me.”

“Hey, I've been known to don a dress or two from time to time,” Xavier chipped in.

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Evan felt overwhelmed as he sat between Izekiel and Jed. Being amongst so many people his own age who didn't pick on him, or downright ignore him felt strange. But it also felt good, really good.

“Oh, wow, so we have the privilege of joining your esteemed gang?” Brooke asked Elijah sarcastically.

“For now.” Elijah puffed out his chest importantly. “I have a feeling I'm too cool to hang out with the likes of you though.” He chortled as Brooke threw a clump of grass at him.

“So, are you guys okay after last night?” Emillia asked.

“Yeah, just a bit shaken up,” Evan said.

“Rueda, I'd be well scared if that happened to me,” said Xavier.

Jed shook his head in confusion. “Uh, his name's Evan not Rueda.”

“No.” Xavier laughed. “Rueda was the first-ever Realmer. He's like a deity to us.

Well, at least we take his name in vain a lot.”

“For Rueda's sake, there's so much to learn in this realm.” Jed chuckled.

For an age it seemed they talked, laughing and joking as they chatted about training and other Venators.

“I wish your skin was golden like the female Yurod aliens,” Xavier remarked to Izekiel at one point. “Grey is so blah.”

Zeke muttered something in the Yurod-ie language.

“Did you just insult me or…” Xavier cut off as Zeke grinned.

Evan was glad to get the chance to talk in depth with Brooke too. After comparing notes on how weak they’d felt this morning, due to the sorcery of last night, they discussed Veneseron and realised they had arrived on the same day.

Evan was intrigued when talk turned to their holidays.

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“Veneseron has a one month break per year, where the Fortress is practically shut down,” Elijah said. “There are specialised Realmer resorts for those who have no families or don't want to visit them.”

“Awesome, like what?” asked Brooke.

“There's a mansion lodge in the Himalayas,” Xavier said, “a hotel for magic-users in Vegas and a resort in the Carpathians, to name a few.”

“Of course, we can stay here if we find accommodation in the city inns and hotels,” Elijah added. “Oh, and Captain Rugadolf allows Venators aboard his