The Human Realm
Tammy squinted at the cookbook in front of her. Her eyes have gone bad years ago. Even with her heavy glasses, she could barely see. It must be the cataract. Most of her vision was cloudy now but she was determined to finish this recipe. Her grandson was visiting next week. He promised to be home for Christmas. If she could get this stew right, she can recreate it from memory and serve it to him.
The cookbook she held was strange. It was thin and had only one recipe that was full of gibberish ingredients. She based on the pictures what she could. At least there were illustrations to base it from. The book was severely worn and was hand-written. Whoever wrote it, didn't have a very legible hand-writing.
Now aged eighty-six, Tammy was proud to keep her faculties and her memory. Sadly, her body was giving out. It was a miracle it lasted this long. Most of her friends have long since passed. Even her son died early. She only had one friend in the village and one grandson who lived in the city. Said grandson rarely visits. But she wanted to make sure Tucker would keep coming back.
Tucker, her twenty-four-year-old grandson, made a living in the city. He visited three times a year and that was it. He often left things in her house, claiming his apartment in the city had no space. Tammy didn't complain. If it kept him coming back, she would love to hold things for him.
He left this odd cookbook in her bookshelf. She knew from the texture of the book that it was not one of hers. But if she could recreate this stew, he might be pleased.
She tried her hardest to prepare all that was needed like clay, apples, spring water and some herbs. There was like a poem but the texts were hard to read.
"Uocare tribus
Eas mihi
Circum ad
Sua fata fata mea
Fatum quod Fatum meum suum
Et nunc congregate,
Adreen, Baledin, Caellum."
Then the picture showed a woman cutting what looked like carrots but if she had humor, it looked like she was cutting her fingers. In her musings, her hand slipped and sliced her fingers just like in the book. Drops fell into the stew and it began to boil.
Tammy gasped and looked for a clean rug to staunch the bleeding. She'll have to clean up later. The stew was now a mess.
Fog enveloped the house. Strange, she thought. It was thick and heavy fog. She closed the shutters and drew the curtains. The fog persisted. It didn't seem to come from the outside. Perhaps she should light some candles. When she turned to the stove, three naked men were standing in front of it, sampling her stew. First, she thought she might be seeing things but as she neared the three, she felt warmth.
"That stew is not fit for eating!" Well it was a mess, she thought. "Who are you three? Are you friends of Tucker?"
"Um, is he the keeper of the Book of Summoning?" The boy with the skin of dark charcoal lifted Tucker's spell book.
"Yes, that's my grandson's cookbook. When is he arriving?" She tried to squint and see the boys carefully. They were huge, not lanky like his grandson.
"We do not know or do we care," the boy with the long gold hair and stouter muscles said. He was a hothead, she surmised.
"Boys and your no-care attitude! Do they traipse around with no clothes either?" She had her hands in her hips.
"Ahem! Dems, we should be decent towards our host. She is our summoner," the boy with skin whiter than anything she had ever seen said. She concluded this boy was their voice of reason.
"Did my grandson just tell you to come over and wait for him here?"
The white-haired boy thought for a moment then nodded. "Um, yes, mistress, we are here at your service in the meantime," he said. The way he said service was a bit suggestive.
"Well if you'll be so kind as to get rid of that stew. I'm afraid it's now ruined. I'll just get myself cleaned up." Tammy hurried to her room to try to bandage her bleeding fingers. A moment later, the white-haired boy knocked on her door. "Yes?"
"Mistress, would you like us to cook supper?"
She smiled. "Oh, you lovely boy, that's not necessary. Tucker was never good in the kitchen so I did most of the cooking."
"It's not a bother. We live but to serve you," he said. Then he noticed her hand wrapped in a cloth. "Oh, you are still bleeding! Allow me."
He unwrapped the cloth, blew on her hands then bandaged her properly. "That feels nice, young man." When he blew on her fingers, it felt tingly. In fact, she felt the tingle go through her whole body.
She looked up at his eyes. Even in her hazed eyes, she could see that they were gradient silver and very hypnotizing. It was strange. Did anyone have silver eyes or was he wearing contact lenses? Perhaps her eyes were really going bad.
"Come, mistress, we should introduce ourselves properly." He put her hand on his arms and guided her gently back to her living room.
When she came out, the living room was transformed. Furniture were pushed back and rearranged. Candles were lit around the mantle and the dining room. She smelled something savory from the kitchen. There seemed to be new stew cooking in the stove pot.
"That smells wonderful, boys." She couldn't help but to approach the stove and inhale the stew. It was some sore of mutton stew. Although, she couldn't recall having bought mutton. Did they bring it in when they came in?
"I am Adreen," the dark boy said. His hair was black but silky straight and long. The style was called mohawk. The rest of his head was exposed and smooth. He gave a flourishing bow and led Tammy to the dining chairs. "May I call you deliciae? You smell like sandal wood and something yummy."
"Cheeky boy," she kissed him on the cheek.
"I am Baledin the Brave! Point me to your enemies and I will smite them!" He too made an ostentatious bow.
"Don't break the furniture, dear," Tammy warned when he was close to bumping a vase. The vase was just a Ming recreation but it was one of few decorations in the house.
Baledin, was pure gold. His skin was glowing gold as well as his hair. She could have sworn his fingernails were all gold as well. His hair was also long but was unruly unlike the other two. It reminded her of lion's mane.
"And I am Caellum," the white-haired boys said. He kissed Tammy's hand. "At your service, mistress." His long hair was tamed in a braid at the side of his head but there was nothing feminine about it. Caellum was every bit as buff as his two companions.
"Call me Granny Tammy. Now let's sit for dinner. If you are staying, I have some requests for you to follow."
The stewpot was put in the dining table and soup bowls were passed around. Stew was ladled to her bowl and she smiled at the boys. They were more courteous than Tucker. "At your service, love," Baledin winked at her.
"House rules, no drugs, don't be breaking anything and no fighting in the house." She didn't want her home destroyed. With her little retirement money, she purchased the little home with a large unruly backyard. She treasured it and made it her permanent home.
"We promise." All three said.
The stew was palatable. It needed less salt and spice but that may be just preference. The boys were lovely company. They smiled often and kept looking at her. "I wonder when that grandson of mine is coming. He said he'd be here for Christmas. That's next week."
"Don't worry about him, love." The one called Baledin said.
"But I miss him dearly," Tammy protested. "Last year, he dropped by but only stayed a few days. He left just before we could celebrate Christmas. I think he's a salesman. He said he had customers waiting for him who wanted their stuff before the holiday hype." It was clear she was lonely. "We never have fun anymore."
"Let's have fun." The dark boy balanced a spoon on his nose and was goofing off.
"With an old granny?" She laughed at his antics.
"Age is but perception. Let me show you!" He balanced the spoon on his tongue. Baledin threw a piece of carrot in his open mouth and he began to choke. Caellum elbowed his chest and Adreen spat the carrot out. In retaliation, he threw the carrot at Baledin.
Caellum tsk-ed. "Don't mind them, Tammy. Adreen is a big baby while Baledin is more lover than fighter."
The one called Baledin smiled. "I am. Just test me!"
Tammy laughed. "You boys are a riot!"
They boys continued to goof-off as dinner progressed. They were a colorful company but since she felt lonely, she welcomed them with open arms. Nobody would be visiting her anytime soon so she was glad they came.
"You don't mind sharing the guestroom?" She showed them her only extra room. It was spacious but it only had one bed.
"Dibs on the bed!" Adreen ran inside and jumped on the bed.
"I'll take the ceiling and you can take the bathroom." Baledin nudged at Caellum.
Strangely, the boys didn't bring any sort of bags. They didn't bring any type of clothing either. Adreen wore some sort of leggings as black as his skin. Only a thick leather belts hid his modesty. Baledin was wearing a leather kilt. She didn't approve of the large weapon on his hips but didn't say anything. Caellum, on the other hand, was wearing a see-through Arabian pants. It was a good thing she was nearly blind because she could have sworn, he was commando underneath. Was this how the younger people dressed nowadays?
Tammy left the boys to go to her own room. She was tired. All the excitement was well and good but she wanted an early start tomorrow so she could cook breakfast for four.
The Guestroom
When Tammy left the demons, they started to plan their assault. A thing that made them deadly was their planning. Most demons were impulsive, especially the lower level ones. When the three of them vowed never to be prey, they started to put their heads together. For centuries, they were a force to be reckoned with.
"What now? I don't mind old as long as she is willing," Baledin said. "And I need some willing flesh now!" His rod was stiff and wanting some action.
"Calm yourself, brother. Did you forget now that we are in the Human Realm, we can enter dreams?" Caellum was always the voice of reason. Baledin was often the hothead and Adreen loved to goad him. It was Caellum who pulled the two back down.
The two looked at him and smiled. They liked his suggestion. Playing in the dream world wasn't the same as playing in the Human Realm but it would slake their lust for now. Also, it would tempt and tease Tammy until she was ready to accept them fully.
Adreen spread himself on the bed. "Let's get some sleep!"