Page 24 of The Misfit Mage and His Darling Demon

“But they possess a glimmer of potential.” Novus wiggled his fingers; the rings rattled, casting ripples of color matching sound waves of their contact. That was the clink I’d heard, had to be. “Like the Fae, they are the only other creatures in existence to master dimensional travel. To a degree. Demons, being base in nature and skill, can merely pass through barriers of any type, which is quite a feat considering the dimensional wavelengths can be excruciating on the body. Even the portals and pocket worlds the Fae have bestowed onto the Collective and Mythic Council are so diluted they may as well be two-dimensional. It is with Diabolic essence from demons that I’ve attained a higher form of travel than any others in the Fae Court. It has allowed me to venture further than any before.”

“So you’re kidnapping Diabolics to travel between dimensions, something the Fae can already do?” I studied the shelves as he spoke, rambling—no wonder Bez tuned me out. Did I always drone on and on like this?

“You speak on it as if you understand it.”

I rolled my eyes, landing them back on the purplish-green harpy feathers.

“The Fae Court controls all travel, dictating who can travel where and when and how long.” He waved a hand, disgruntled, while I did my best to tune him out and plan. “With the demons I’ve acquired, I’ve created my own separate dimensional wavelength, unique as it’s mixed with Fae and Diabolic magics, each working in tandem to tear fabrics dividing worlds asunder. I will create my own form of transport for all those willing to pay.”

The harpy feathers seemed like the best option for escape. They were arranged on a metallic stand, displayed as delicate, but quite the opposite since those quills could hack through their stand, the bookshelf, and just about everything on the shelves. Or in this room, including the bars.

I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palms. Not sure I had enough Diabolic essence to wield telekinesis long enough to direct the feathers to shred these bars to pieces. Plus, I didn’t know the defensive measure of the incantations on the bars. For all I knew, they’d been placed to block Diabolic abilities, but I wouldn’t know until I tried.

I could try to impale Novus with the feathers. Oh, Bez would have a huge laugh if I went that route. All my scolding on murder and where did my mind go? I’d probably miss, given how Novus dodged Bez with ease.

“Thanks to you, Walter Alden, I shall obtain Beelzebub’s essence. Devils, that is where the real power comes from. They can rip through the most potent veils of reality and illusion—no rituals, no loss in strength, no permission necessary. With it, I should be able to create a truly unique traveling port—one that ceases to decompose from the infinite friction of dimensions cutting off paths deemed dangerous. I’ll be triumphant, capable of reigning higher than anyone in the Court.”

Boy, would he be furious to learn Bez had only a tiny fraction of Diabolic devil essence coursing through him, not nearlyenough to pave a path to his future, let alone tear through the walls of any Hell realm. I wouldn’t let him learn his plot for some dimensional traveling monopoly was bound to fail because I’d get out of here before he harmed the demon bound to me.

The petrified goblin egg sat on the center shelf; its rigid bumps accentuated its off-white color and contrasted with the smooth, golden stand displaying it. These fossilized eggs were resilient and wouldn’t break if I accidentally knocked it off the shelf when channeling telekinesis, which was good since the insides contained an acidic smog that’d melt someone’s lungs with their first inhale.

Or! Or, or, or that acid mist could melt through the bars entirely. Also, probably me. A bad idea for sure, but the only one I had.

I’d have to hope I had enough essence to enact the plan and survive it. I trembled.

Screw it.

Reeling the essence from deep in my gut, I sent the energy to my hands and waved them at the harpy feathers. My fingertips tingled from the strain of Diabolic wisps oozing out of my pores, knocking things off the shelves. I didn’t have much to waste but needed to throw enough around to hide my actual target.

The petrified egg rolled off the bookshelf and hit the clay floor with a loud thud. It didn’t crack, not that I expected it to. Maybe the floor, though.

“Boorish behavior.” Novus fumed, the lines in his furrowed brow deepened. “Such a juvenile attempt to thwart a trap. Though, it is good to see Diabolic essence coursing through you so strongly. All this would be for naught if you lacked a leash for your devil. After all, I’ll need enough intact once I’ve extracted what’s attached itself to you.”

Extraction. The essence flowed through every part of my body. Attached to arteries, weaved through my muscular system,moving with blood flow, stitched throughout organs, and basically latched onto my nervous system. He couldn’t seriously believe he had what it took to remove it, did he?

Harpy feathers fluttered, twirling in their descent. One by one, they stabbed the floor around the egg. I grimaced. All I needed was one to strike the egg. Just one. The tip of the quill landed atop the stone egg, sliding into the rocky shell like cutting through butter.

A hiss released from the egg, followed by a putrid yellow smoke, which immediately disintegrated the harpy feather allowing for a bigger airway of escape. The smog melted the bookshelves, ate away at the floor, and soon reached the bars.

I moved away to the corner of the cage, back pressed against the cold steel bars. I had to wait until enough of the bars in front of me had rotted away to slip between. Looked like the smog ate away the clay flooring a lot faster. I steadied my shaky legs, channeling essence and preparing to create a gust that’d hopefully be strong enough to carry me through the smog unscathed, past Novus, and out of the door leading beyond this dungeon.

Novus clapped, creating a cluster of gleaming lights which obeyed the rhythm of his applause. The glowing orbs moved into the yellow smog, absorbing it instead of disintegrating. As a shiny light swallowed the toxic air, the color dimmed and turned a dark gray before crumbling to ashes.

Dammit. He’d removed nearly all the smog in seconds, which meant there was no buffer to distract him with. He’d definitely catch me if I tried to move past him, and the bars still hadn’t melted all the way through—not like the huge hole in the floor creeping closer to me each second.

A dark hole leading deeper into this dungeon wouldn’t offer an escape from the villa.

Novus continued removing the smog.

Fuck it. I didn’t have any other options, so it looked like I was improvising—more.

I conjured a black gust, knocking what remained of the smog, spinning and knotting it in windy waves around Novus. His flawless snow-white face bubbled and burned. He shouted, furious and pained, but I didn’t stick around, jumping through the hole in the floor.

I landed in a dark corridor, hitting the stone floor hard. Glitter illuminated the rocks beneath me, but they followed the flow of my moving hands. Once I stood, the only sparkle came from the pressure of where my bare feet were planted. I wiggled my toes on the warm stone, then ran forward, searching for an end.

After several twists and turns through long stretches of doorless hallways, I paused to catch my breath.

Diabolic essence continued funneling through me, but I still couldn’t feel Bez. However, I did feel the restoration of my mana. I muttered an incantation for illumination, lighting my path through these seemingly infinite hallways.

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