Duality by Rowan Erlking (best books for 8th graders .TXT) 📖

chance for restitution, and this is it.”

Rolling his eyes, though the gesture was also in Jonis’s head and shoulders, the fake wizard marched in then pivoted on his heel with the same haughty gesturing of ‘oh, very well’, though Jonis did not say a thing.

The butler led them both to the merchant’s study where he left them in the charge of the thuggish guards on duty. The guards hardly looked at Bernum when he crossed the floor and dropped into the nearest chair, though their eyes narrowed on Jonis. Jonis strolled in using the wizard’s gait, his eyes taking in the entire room with vain flourish—up until he passed the desk and his eyes rested on the back of the cabinet with the locks.

He drew in a breath then emitted a sigh. Jonis’s proud shoulders relaxed back into the boyish demon he was. He walked right up to the cabinet, patting the wood side as if finding an old friend.

“What are you doing?” One of the guards stepped from the door, drawing his pistol.

Jonis turned, ignoring him as he looked to Bernum. “You kept your part of the bargain. I’ll take it from here.”

Nodding, Bernum rose. He looked to the door, thinking of what he had to do next.

The guard’s pistol cocked. “I asked you a question!”

Jonis pulled off the ‘package’ from his back, nodding to himself. He lifted his two hands in front of him as if to show the guard he was not armed, though his palms looked as white as death. But then Jonis set his thumb tips and forefinger tips together and said, “North, South, East, West. Ward encircle and protect from hate. Shield.”

There was a burst. It rushed invisibly over Bernum like a faint breeze, yet a boom resounded after it—the thunder of two crashing bodies against furniture and the far wall.

Bernum turned.

Behind him, both down, the guards lay sprawled—as if smacked down by an enormous hand. Looking back to Jonis, Bernum saw the demon smile.

Jonis lowered his hands as stepped up to the young man. “I’m glad to see you don’t hate me. Now, go on. Do what you came here to do.”

Bernum started towards the door again.

“And what did you come here to do?” Omoni stormed in the open doorway, followed by another set of guards that rushed to the aid of the fallen.

The muscles in Bernum’s back and neck stiffened. Bad timing. Bad phrasing. He had to salvage the situation quickly, especially with how Omoni’s face flushed dark upon the sight of his men so incapacitated.

Then Omoni’s eyes flickered to Jonis. He staggered back, pointing. “It’s the demon! Magician! You brought the demon in here!”

Jonis and Bernum shared a quick look. Then with a slight shove from Jonis, Bernum leapt from the demon in the wizard’s attire with all pretense of surprise. And though the truth bell was still on the wall, it did not ring at all when Bernum screeched out, “That’s not the wizard?”

A question wasn’t a statement after all.

“You idiot!” Omoni shoved Bernum into the hall to get him entirely out of his way. He then pointed to the guards to open fire.

As Bernum staggered backward, watching the guards lift their weapons to kill the foreign demon, he also saw Jonis swipe around with his wrapped sword against the carpet, reciting an effective hate ward spell in less the time it took to shoot at him.

Bernum took another step backward. He only hoped the hail of bullets that were now cracking with smoke which would wake the house would not puncture the ward and end all hope right there.

The gunfire stopped for a brief second.

Jonis was still standing. His grin remained broad, even as he removed his dark glasses so that he could see better. His shining blue eyes winked at Omoni with a cackling grin.

“I’ll get help!” Bernum cried, springing farther from the room.

Omoni ran out also, screaming to the guards. “Kill it! It can’t be invulnerable! Kill it!”

The last thing Bernum saw before staggering farther into the hallway to look for Malkia was Jonis tearing the wrappings off that enormous sword of his. The demon heaved it up with one arm then took it in two for a powerful swing.

The household was in uproar—or maybe it was panic. More likely panic. Bernum didn’t know for certain except that everyone he ran across asked him the same thing: what was going on? There was little else to do but say the demon that was haunting the city had broken into the house and was now on the rampage in the study. He only hoped Jonis would be able to take each new person on—or at least hold out until he got to Malkia and freed her.  

Bernum found the stairs.

They were broad at the end of the hall, tiled with mahogany railing. Servants in night dresses with candles rushed up and down them, their eyes full of questions, though Bernum gave them the same answers as he jogged to the second floor. He only hoped Malkia was close by.

The nursemaids holding back children in their doorways called out to him. “What is going on?”

Bernum rushed close, whispering. “Keep them inside. There’s an intruder and—”

An older boy broke loose, rushing to the stairs in his bare feet. In his hand was a toy sword.

“Stop him!” a nursemaid screamed, scrambling after the boy only as far as the child she was holding.

Bernum ran after him, taking up the child in one sweep.

“Let go!” the boy screamed, kicking the banister.

“Not on your life.” Bernum heaved him back to the nursemaid. The boy bit him on the arm, his own hate ward immeiately jolting the child away from his chest. Back on his feet, the child was scrambling to the stairs again. Emitting one groan, Bernum clutched his wrist where the skin had broken and stomped after him. “You’re gonna get killed if you go down there!”

The child skidded with a grin at his pursuers.

“It’s a demon down there!” Bernum called, going more quickly.

The nurses and other children screamed.

The child was already on the steps. Bernum grabbed him and turned him around. “It will suck you dry.”

But the kid just kicked Bernum in the shins. Then he stomped on Bernum’s foot. When he saw it had no effect, the child reached for another bite with his mouth.

Whipping the child around in his arms, cramming him in the crook at his side, Bernum had him off his feet, carried all the way back to the nursery where the other children were now crying. Stuffing the boy into the open arms of the nursemaids waiting, Bernum said though his teeth, “Don’t lose him again.”

The kid kicked Bernum in the shins once more, calling him a dirty word.

Halting, as he was about to go, Bernum then crouched in front of the child with his finger pointed right at him. “Never talk that way to an adult.”

The boy said another dirty word, looking smug with the knowledge that no one crossed his father the merchant.

“I have no time for this,” Bernum murmured, rising. He started to walk away, his eyes looking for Malkia once more.

“Coward!” the boy called after him.

Stopping once more, Bernum turned with his eyes narrowing on Omoni’s son. Bernum walked back, his finger lifted.

The child snapped at it with his teeth.

Setting one hand to the child’s forehead while the nursemaid just stared, Bernum poked the boy on the nose and said, “Flies from the north fields, midges from the west marshes, mosquitoes from the south jungles, wasps from the west wild. Torment this child until he behaves. Here.”

The nursemaid jerked the boy away from Bernum, but it was too late. Already the windows were rustling, the bedcovers were stirring, and in from the cracks of the walls came out insects of all kinds, going straight for the boy.

“Aaah! He’s a witch!” the boy screamed, springing from the nursemaid and swiping at every insect that ran after him.

The other children screamed, scattering. The nursemaids ran about trying to keep up with them, but it was no use. In hysteria, the children were all over, just like the rest of the household.

Bernum turned, starting once again after Malkia.

“Take that spell off!” a nursemaid screamed at him.

Another grabbed his arm.

Bernum barely looked back at them as he pulled to go forward. “Do you want me to curse you too?”

They let go.

Looking around—the chaos increasing as the boy was chased about by the bugs, a spell that would wear off as soon as he apologized (if he knew)—Bernum started once more on his way. He crossed to the other doors, peering in with all haste then going out again. There was no sign of Malkia.

Omoni’s wife rushed up to him. In her eyes were tears. She grabbed his arms, not to hold him but to beg him.

“Please. I apologize for him. Save my boy,” she said.

“I’m trying to,” Bernum said, pulling back. Yet when he recognized her he said, “Help me find Malkia, and I’ll end the curse.”

She stiffened. “I was right. You are her lover.”

“No.” Bernum started on his way again. He didn’t expect her to help him anyway.

Pulling at his arm, Omoni’s wife fell into tears. “Please! We’ve had enough plagues! We’ve had enough with witches!”

“I’m not a witch,” he said, peering down the hall to the end. There didn’t seem to be any sign of Malkia on that floor. There were more stairs leading up, so he turned back that way, his eyes only on his mission. “I’m a magister.”

Omoni’s wife followed him. “I would have released her if I could!”

“I know,” he said, still going.

Pulling harder as he passed the first two steps up, Omoni’s wife clutched tight on his wrist cuff, wetting it with all her crying. “Please! Save my son! Stop the curse!”

His arms hanging, Bernum looked dryly at her. “Teach your son to behave himself and the pests will stop.”

He shook her off, going higher up the stairs.

“Why won’t you end it?” She remained on that floor, looking piteous there in her fancy robes.

“He has to earn it,” Bernum said, then rounded the banister.

He practically jogged up the rest of stairs, stopping at the top floor. There was a short hallway with three doors. Bernum tried each one, using a lock-turning spell when necessary. It was necessary at the second door.

Malkia flew out at him with a punch. Luckily, Bernum dodged.

“You foul molester! I will not be locked up like some animal!” She stumbled into the hallway. Turning around in a stare at her brother then throwing herself at him again, she wrapped her arms around him. “I knew it! I knew it was you!”

“It’s not just me,” Bernum said, gesturing with the hand that wasn’t embracing her that they ought to go downstairs while the commotion was still high. “That demon you summoned is below, doing your dirty work.”

“You met him?” Malkia’s eyes brightened, her grin taking the rest of the strain out of her face. “Then you know it wasn’t just some demon I called. You understand now why we had to wait, right?”

Nodding then peering over the banister at the chaos still going on the second floor, Bernum said, “I sure do. Though he is a freaky sort.”

“I thought you admired him?” Malkia said, her brows knitting together with confusion. She followed him down the steps has hastily as he went. “You are the one who told me about amazing he was. I just did my research to find out exactly how amazing.”

With a shrug, his stomach still uneasy as he rushed them around the second floor banister, Bernum said, “It was only passing on a rumor.”

Malkia chuckled, going even quicker. Her feet could not move fast enough to suit her. She would have leapt down the steps if she could.

“He’s not a wizard, or anything,” Bernum said. He then looked around, wondering where that wizard was. The shining collar on Malkia’s neck was starting to constrict. And though she was pretending not to notice he could