Journee's POV
He is infuriating! Does he think I am some damsel in distress waiting to be saved?
"Let's get two things straight right now, Ma'oz." I snapped. "I am still furious with you for not telling me about the repercussions while trying to manipulate me into making my 3rd wish."
I am suddenly out of breath. At a time when I truly need to state my point, I find myself having difficulty getting the words out.
"And the second?" Ma'oz raised his eyebrow at me, his lips stretched into a lazy smile.
I mustn't come across as weak. Clearing my throat, I widened my stance and placed my hands on my hips. "I…" my voice came out funny. It is way too high pitched.
"I will NOT be making anymore wishes." I firmly stated my resolve. I will not be sucked down this path again.
Ma'oz's only response is a smile.
"I propose we hunt down every bookstore and find every reference we can. Someone must have written it somewhere." I voiced my idea to the three in my room.
"I will help too! I'll contact the mystics and fortune tellers." Dorthy added in. I'm glad she is helping out. I would be at a loss if she isn't with me. For that I am grateful.
"Mystics? Do you mean witch doctors? What would they know if the most powerful demon in history doesn't?" Damon turned his attention to my petite best friend.
"Are you saying that your all-powerful king is also omnipotent? I'm sure we will find a thing or two to string the pieces together." Dorthy challenged. I don't know where she is getting her sassy attitude from, but I like this new side of Dorthy.
"Right on. Journee will be searching the bookstores in the human realm, miss best friend consults questionable sources." But if eyes could kill, Damon would be dead now. Red is the only colour I can use to describe Dorthy right now. Her tanned bronze complexion is now red with fury. Even her ears are deep crimson.
It has no effect on Damon as he continued on as if everyone agreed with his plan. "I will head back to the Demon Kingdom to find out what I can."
As quickly as he appeared, Damon swished off.
"Jo…" Dorthy reaches for her phone with a shaky hand. Her eyes are slightly wild. The red tinge in its corners make it look a little savage. "Please tell me I am dreaming."
"N…" Dorthy's hand came up in my face before I can tell her that it really happened.
"Did you see all that too?" She paced my room. "No wait…I must be going crazy. Or maybe I already am! This is all your fault, Jo. YOUR FAULT! If you didn't tell me all those weird stories, I wouldn't have had these…"
"DOE!" I yelled to get her attention.
"WHAT!?"
"This is all real. You aren't imagining things. It is the truth!" I shook her by her shoulders. "Don't you get it? Parallel world. Spirits, Ghosts, Demons, you name it exist!"
Realisation dawns upon her. I can see it in her eyes. Now she believes everything I have told her but is still hesitant to fully accept it.
"I'll see you later, Jo. Uhm… I have to research mystics." Dorthy grabbed her things and rushes towards the door, almost tripping over the jacket I had left on the floor.
"Are you okay? Maybe you should stay until you feel better." Dorthy has always been a nervous sort, panicky and suspicious of everything. I really hope this won't be her breaking point.
"No. Nope. Nada. I need to sleep in my bed and have a couple of hours to myself to process everything."
Dorthy left.
I hear my father asking her to stay for dinner, but she declines and scurries off.
I wish to be alone too. But Ma'oz is standing in the middle of my room, as still as a statue. "Shall we head to the libraries?"
"Ma'oz, it's 7pm. All the libraries are closed. Besides, now we have the internet." I pointed to my phone.
"Internet? What's that?" His eyes hold a thousand questions in them for the first time. With that uncertain expression and his hands jammed into the pockets of his trousers, I find my heart going out to him.
Why am I attracted to puppy eyes and strong men who have moments of weakness? I shouldn't. Not this one anyway. I don't want to have anything to do with him. Neither does he want to be around me any longer than necessary.
Taking my phone off the nightstand, Ma'oz starts flipping through my apps. "Hey! Stop that. Don't you know that it is rude to go through other people's personal things?"
I try to grab my phone back, but Ma'oz just holds his hand up in the air. "Give. It. Back!" I jump into the air and try to reach.
"Tsk!" A flash of annoyance is the last thing I see.
It's all dark now. A single thought was all it took for Ma'oz to make my physical body pass out. Completely limp in his arms, I look like a rag doll that will easily crumble into a pile if he were to toss me carelessly.
"Come" a gentle voice called out to me. Pulled by its call, my consciousness floats towards it. Completely out of my control, I find myself heading further and further away.
The air turns. The foul petroleum stretch is so retched that my eyes are tear from the burning sensation. Where am I? The trees are bare. Not a single leaf is in sight. Its trunks leak a sticky substance that bubbles out like pus as it corrodes surfaces it comes in contact with.
Further ahead, a grand palace made of black marble stands imposingly against the red sky. It seems to me that the sky was made just for this building, to complement its dark tones. I drew near and saw hundreds of demons of varying shapes, form and colour hanging around the main entrance.
"Is it true? I heard our king has been bound to a human." A tall female form whispered. If not for the bluish hue in her skin and the lion's tail peaking out from her skirt, I would have thought her a beautiful woman with the most unique almond eyes I have ever seen.
"If that is so, we must dethrone him! It is a disgrace for a human to hold sway over our kind." Another demoness answered. Her hands are covered with white markings like tattoos while a heavy veil covers her face. All I can see is her unbelievably long black hair that flows for a few meters behind her.
"True! They are a cruel sort. Who knows what terror she will unleash?" A third demoness joined the conversation. Shorter than the other two, I marvelled at how different she is in comparison to the first demoness. Plump with a round button nose, her round eyes with slit-like iris reminds me of a snake.
They are talking about me! "I'm not cruel! That's an unfair generalisation of the human race!" I shouted but they can't hear me. They continue their whispers of discontentment.
"DOWN WITH THE KING!" A shout came from somewhere in the crowd.
"SAVE THE DEMONS! CAST AWAY THE WEAK!" A few chanted.
Afraid of what they would do should I be discovered, I tried to hide behind a rock.
However, as dreams sometimes do, I am unable to control my actions. Fighting against this invisible force that draws me closer to the palace, I feel it gnawing into my flesh. Still, I will not give up.
I hold on to the rock with all my might. Muffling my screams as not to attract any attention.
"They cannot see or hear you." The same voice boomed into my ears.
"OH! It's a dream!" I laugh in relief. Allowing myself to be pulled into the palace, I found my breath taken away.
The elegance of my surroundings captivates the attention. The façade spelled masculine dominance, great power, and dark tones. Within, the romance of tasteful colours manifests as luminous surfaces that provides tactile experiences. Every one of my senses is enthralled with a soothing calm.
"Damn it!" I hear Damon's voice from beyond the great hall. Pushing the door open, I see him buried in mountainous piles of books and scrolls.
I watch him hold up a piece of parchment, comparing it to another material. It is foreign. Something I have not handled in real life. Taking a closer look, I recognise it from my history textbooks.
Papyrus! OMG! They have ancient Egyptian texts here?!
Excitement shot through my veins as my hands trembled with desire. Briefly, I allowed my fingers to trace the outline of the hieroglyphics.
Never in my 19 years did I ever imagine having this opportunity to be up close, and personal with high-grade papyrus. One of this condition too! It looks like it was written on just a few hours ago. But judging from Damon's behaviour, it is not so.
"Damn the old demons! Could they not leave history in one piece?" He grumbled. "Secrecy and kings!"
I decided to leave Damon to his own devices and explore the immense library. There are bookshelves floating in the air and on the ceilings. Gravity doesn't make sense here. It holds everything in its place with the only axis point being the books, parchment, or papyrus themselves.
I stretch my neck and raise myself on tiptoes to take a closer look at the titles. There are many in languages I do not recognise. Yet there are some in Old English, Germanic, Latin and even the modern languages.
"AH Hahahahahaha!" Damon's laughter roared throughout the library. "My lord is going to be so happy with me!" Damon danced a jig as he read a scroll.
Finally! Now we can break the bond. Everything will go back to normal now. I feel a little sad to leave all these glorious knowledge here. To never know what the ancients wrote. The truth will be hidden here in this palace. "I guess it is for the best. Here, they will be appreciated and treasured. There might even be some magic in place that keep the pages from decaying."
I headed towards Damon to see what is written.
Upon storm clouds I weathered,
Towards brick, mortar, and sand;
Oh mortal, I am tethered,
Fare thee well, to hell, my land;
Red - your hair brightened with blood,
Red – these strings tie me to thee;
Red – my eyes cast to the dirt,
Tis' my fate, the one to be;
Our hearts sang and swelled with pride,
Our love unrivalled by the heavens, earth, and sea;
Together we will be, one in this tide,
Bound, my heart I give to thee;
Kilbrittain, Kilbrittain, hide,
Our truth, our promise, our lives;
Kilbrittain, we must abide,
To the Pole Star, bow in fives;
To the Rising Dragon, hide,
Treasure I
The corner is torn off! I move to the back to see if there is any other writing on the other side of the scroll.
There is none.
Someone didn't want the treasure to be found. The last clue, the direction of which the answer resides is lost. "Would Ma'oz know if he read this?"
Damon rushes past me and leaves the palace in a hurry. Outside, I hear the commotion growing louder and louder. It is almost deafening.
How do I return? Will I be stuck here forever? Surely, I will wake up.
Slapping myself several times, I closed my eyes and pinched my arms. "WAKE UP!!" I try to force myself.
I open one eye to check if I am back in my room. "SHIT!"