Demon in the Snow by Heather Fledderus (cat reading book .TXT) 📖

careful of the company you keep,” his mentor said in her usual half-sarcastic but deadly voice, her black eyes staring down at him.

“Now you tell me.”

They both turned as Cain emerged from the wreckage, his eyes blazing with power. Nate's power.

“You little shit. So that's what you were hiding. I knew there was something wrong with you.”

“Oh really? What was your first clue?” Nate pretended to be enthralled in what Cain would say next.

“You shit!”

“What happened to you, Cain? Brothers don't betray each other. That's what we were, not that long ago. Brothers. What the hell happened?”

“Don't you dare talk about brothers that way, as if you would know anything, you demon!”

“Yeah? I'm not the one who didn't go to his funeral. I'm not the one who killed him in a heartbeat because he was going to interfere with that fight with the fire demon three years ago. And neither did Hannah.”

“Shut up!” he screamed. His hands blazed, filling with pure white energy. Nate knew that if it hit him, he wouldn't even feel it. He'd be dead that fast.

Nate didn't flinch, though, when the energy was released, shooting towards him faster than any human eye could follow. The energy blasted at the bars- and bounced right back, sending Cain all the way back down the hall.

Nate smirked when he heard the solid, meaty smack as flesh hit steel. The door scraped open, voices echoed down the passageway, and he could tell that they had dragged Cain's body through before the door was shut.

The moron. How could he not have known that the stupid Killers knew what they were doing when they designed these holding cells? Nothing could get out, per se, but nothing could get in either.

So he was still touchy about Abel? It had been a while, and Cain had never been one to brood over accidents. He was acting more like the time the two of them had been ordered to destroy a village that was said to be infested with demonic energy, an order that had come straight from the top of the Crimson Dragons- Lord Himanachi had passed the order to them himself.

That had been a little over a year ago now. Cain had brooded for months after it.

“Do you want to live?”

Nate's head jerked up as he looked at her, Heiwa still looking down the tunnel. “Of course.”

“Then why are you just sitting there?”

“What else can I do?”

“Do you know what they do to half-breeds like you? They set them up against impossible odds, Summoners sending out all their Caches at once. They used the grounds for that too.”

“But they don't do that anymore.”

She chuckled. “You're right there. Now they do something called Sterilization. They tear you apart, do invasive surgeries, and all sorts of other things, to find out what exactly makes you... tick.”

Nate was suddenly bombarded with images of lying on a cold table, metal rods sticking out at awkward angles, unable to do anything except scream in agony as they took samples and drugged him with with various substances. Being placed underwater for long periods of time. Placed in a fire shortly afterward.

“Now that he's gone...” She didn't need to say more.

“Yes. Now.”

“You're very close.”

“Close isn't good enough if we want to make it home.”

She came closer, turning so that they were facing each other. Without another word, she started to dematerialize, fading into a white mist as Nate closed his eyes and resumed training.

27. Hannah Cries

Nate seemed a lot calmer as he was marched back into the court room, Hannah noted as she watched his movements. Every step he took, every breath, every flick of his eyelashes, all of it seemed to emit a calm feeling, as if he knew that everything was going to be alright.

She wished that were true.

She had been hearing rumors all day about the court's coming decision. Sora had found her after their post-briefing, his eyes wild as he pulled her off to an excluded alcove. Chad had soon joined them, saying Cain was being treated for injuries sustained somewhere. Sora had even gone to the point of casting a 10-point illusion about him, one that only he could sense. No one came close to her little brother when it came to prodigious illusionry.

Sora had rapidly explained to them all what he had seen. He had gone down to the holding cell to see Nathan using his illusionary portals, in spite of Father's order to not be involved any more than they already were. He hadn't even gotten close enough to talk to Nathan. What he had seen had caused him to turn tail and run.

Sora had seen Nathan talking with a Triple A-class demon.

And not just any Triple A-class demon.

A White Demon.

Hannah suppressed a shiver as she watched him walk calmly to the prisoner's block, a red circle tiled into the plain floor mosaic where he would face the judges. His white hair and pale blue eyes. She had thought he was some sort of half-snow demon. His profile began swimming before her eyes, and Hannah forced herself to focus her concentration elsewhere.

She couldn't believe that she hadn't realized before. White demons were the opposite of Blacks, they absorbed other demon's attacks and amplified them. Any demon near them became ten times stronger.

Her eyes roved the stands, taking in how many demon-slayers had shown up. The place was packed, the common area filled to the point where no one could sit without being stepped on. The parts blocked off for nobles weren't as crowded, but for the first time in history every seat of every booth was filled. Except for the seat beside her.

Sora hadn't wanted to come. He had shut himself into his room, right after the rest of the team had decided to take this new evidence to the Council. The kid still had faith in Nathan, despite what he himself had seen. He of all people knew that it couldn't be an illusion. Not only was he one of the Dispeller families and a blood relative of the Dispelling Popes, but everyone on their team knew that Nathan couldn't master demonic or white magic for the life of him.

28. The Missing Link

Nate glanced around the room. There were even more Killers here than when he had been arrested, and that was saying something. Cain was sitting next to Lord Himanachi himself, dressed in the orange and yellow of that House. Cain was just full of secrets. Judging by the energy now radiating from his being, Cain was actually a Caster, and probably the next Head of the Himanachi House, seeing the way he was allowed to be so close to Himanachi when even that creepy attendant guy had more distance placed between.

Seems like his parents weren't dead after-all.

Seeing him there, wearing Nate's power like a cape that only Nate could see, made his blood boil. He had to steel himself, taking a few deep breaths, to keep up the calm charade.

Killing that village of innocents was nothing in comparison with what Cain had done.

29. The Trial 1- Demon

The metallic strum of the Straarts caused what little chatter there was in the room to cease as the nine elders entered the room and took their respective seats at the Arch. Seven males and  two females, not that gender mattered much. These people were chosen for their prowess, their ability to see the larger picture. They had been chosen by the elders preceding them. They alone held the power to determine Nathan's fate.

No matter the outcome, Hannah had steeled herself to not regret her actions. Nathan had crossed a line. She had warned him. He now had to face the consequences of what he had done, subjugating the demons to his will without even touching them, as dozens of 'Slayers had seen when they arrived. The way he had done it had made it seem so easy, so simple, like he was born to control demons.

Like a White Demon. 

Hannah shivered, unable to help herself this time, as the Head Elder spoke.

“We have deliberated the case before us. Chancellor, remove the web from the demon.”

Demon. That wasn't good. The Elders were distancing themselves and everyone else as far away from Nathan as possible, just by using that reference. The word automatically would stir up feelings of hatred in every 'Slayer present. Hannah swallowed.

Her father, standing beside Nathan, removed the web he had cast, and stepped off to one side, leaving Nathan alone, not only within the red circle, but also on the ground floor. It was hard, but Hannah managed to control her emotions by the time her father looked her way. She clenched her fist, knowing that he wouldn't see the action. Why was this so hard? He was what the Elders had called him, a demon. Then why was she still torn about her decision, even now?

“With consideration of the evidence, and new testimony recently come to light as to your actions in the human world-” Hannah cringed, her attention focused on Nathan's stoic expression. They hadn't told the council about his talking with a white demon, but they had told them about his Mark.    “-we have reached our decision in the case of the part-demon, Nathan Hitagasi.”

Hannah, watching Nathan's face, gave a slight gasp, not at the elder's words, but at the thin smile that spread across Nathan's lips as the Elder said his name.