Page 40 of Demons Treasure Warlocks

“Fuck I don’t know where to begin.” Darius pulled on his hair, his fingers tangling in the strands. The pressure to have all the answers had been paralyzing. And with Trey and Adam looking to him for solutions and Bale seeing only a man needing rescue, it was all too much, but Hakko? He was different from all of them, and Darius was safe. Darius could unload and not feel like he was letting everyone down. “It’s my fault all this started happening. If I hadn’t messed around with magic or decided to go in for a pound, maybe…maybe we wouldn’t have evil demons roaming the streets, or maybe I’d be happily doing shit in my backyard. But since that didn’t happen and people are getting fucking hurt, I gotta clean this up, and I honestly am lost. I’m so fucking lost. Can you help, or are you gonna kick me out?”

Hakko tipped his head consideringly and narrowed his wise and kind eyes at Darius. “You’re not a terrible person. You’re not fucking up. You’re overwhelmed, so don’t take it all on. I will help. I’m on your side, Darius. You are a good man.”

“I—I—I didn’t mean. Fuck, thank you.” The tension melted from Darius’s body, and he could breathe once more without his chest hurting. “What happened? And do you think it has anything to do with what I felt?”

“Very likely. Poe, my friend, bit Elijah’s finger clean off, right past the knuckle. It did something to Elijah—I’m not sure what—and we were just going to clean it up.” Hakko rolled his shoulders and groaned. He noticed Caden hovering behind Darius. “Caden?”

“Didn’t mean to interrupt. But the spirits were so restless they sought me out. It was awkward.”

Darius arched an eyebrow at his friend, who only shook his head.

“Well, come on then.” Hakko led them through a warren of tunnels and rooms until they were on a ramp heading downward. Caden paused at every archway to gather black stones. Every time he did, his expression became dimmer and unhappier.

At one such juncture, he stopped dead. “You had your fight in there, didn’t you?”

Hakko gazed steadily at him, not reacting. An oppressive and dangerous sensation wormed its way into Darius’s head, whispering words of darkness and threats.

“The spirits won’t go in there. It’s been tainted.” Hakko clapped Caden on the shoulder before continuing onward.

Darius was drawn to the room. He had to see it. This was where the thing he felt happened. Hastur hadn't expected it, and Darius could feel that dismayed anger.

“What are you doing?” Hakko’s disturbed tone didn’t bother Darius. He understood. This was his home, but Darius needed to understand more.

“Threats to my life, Bale. You know, usual problems. Just, I have to see.” Darius smiled wanly. The throbbing in his head grew worse the closer he got to the room. Hastur’s anger was threatening to overwhelm him. But Darius had to see. He paused at the doorway to what looked like a regular storeroom. Racks of shelves were organized on one side of the room while a table was placed off-centre. Bloodstains were splattered across the beige walls in one area, and they were stark against the blandness.

“Sawyer and Elijah trapped Poe here. They wanted him to join their ranks.” Unrestrained anger coloured Hakko’s voice, and it was almost inhuman. Darius wasn’t sure who Poe was, but he was very important to Hakko.

“I’ve stopped questioning His Majesty’s motives. If he wants something, he’ll do anything to get it.” A wave of powerful darkness pressed down on Darius, making him dizzy and almost sick to his stomach. “Fuck, I don’t think…I’ll never fix this.”

Hakko pushed him to sit in an office chair and squatted beside Darius. “Breathe. You don’t have to do this alone, Darius. Don’t put that on yourself.”

“I was alone, you know. My parents died, and I was just so fucking lost. I found a magic book, and it made sense? It offered solace and a chance to speak to someone who understood. And I thought why not? But he showed up. And I didn’t notice anything weird or off about him. Hell, I was likely so blinded by my burgeoning powers and his easy acceptance that I didn’t notice anything lacking, like his face or the tentacles. I just… followed him.” Darius blinked rapidly and came back to the present, embarrassed at his lack of self-control. “Anyway, what did your friend do to banish him?”

“Banish him?”

“Yeah, he sent him flying back to the other place. It’s done enough to stop him for the moment.”

“Just bit off his knuckle and yelled at him.” Hakko eyed the stain unhappily. Darius shivered as the blood bubbled menacingly. “He swallowed some, and it reacted within. I’m scared of what that’ll do.”

“I can’t answer that. Sawyer was the first vampire any of us encountered. But as for what Poe did? I think he broke the seal surrounding Elijah, and Hastur’s essence couldn’t be contained anymore. Elijah wasn’t a continuous human, like Hastur needed to remain here.” Darius shivered as he imagined the sheer anger Hastur must be feeling. He had to put that away and focus on the current issues. A man biting a finger off was hardcore. “Like chewed it clear off? Really?”

“It might still be in here. I didn’t think Poe had it in him. But he must have had enough, and when Hastur stuck a finger in his face…” Hakko shrugged. Darius blanked at how easy it was for Hakko to use Hastur’s name.

“That’s disgusting. And Poe? You said that His Majesty’s blood disagreed with him?” Darius thought this was a clue, a puzzle piece that didn’t quite have a spot yet but was still very important. “Is he okay? Has he been looked after?”

Hakko gazed at him steadily, and Darius flushed. “Of course, you have. Apologies. Christ, I need to get out more. I used to understand this shit.”

“Caden? Is the museum safe?” Hakko asked, deliberately changing the subject. He had skills in maneuvering delicate topics, and Darius was grateful for the shift. “We’ll have people wanting to visit, and I don’t want them scared.”

“It’s mostly good. The spirits here decided to have Poe’s back. That shift in attitude gave me whiplash,” Caden called from his spot in the hallway. He hadn’t moved since Darius and Hakko first stepped into the room. “If there’s any danger to your patrons, the spirits would guide them to a better location. They’ve decided that you, the kappa, and the vampire are allowed in this area.”

Hakko led them away from the staff-only part of the museum and left Darius to his own devices while he dealt with Ethan and other patron questions.

Darius had a lot to think about, and he was almost drowning in it. How could he solve this? More and more people were getting hurt, and he didn’t want that. He had hoped that the mess would have been contained to him and his friends, as unfortunate as that would be. But innocent bystanders were getting involved.

This had to be stopped soon. He had to vanquish Hastur once and for all so his town could be free from the chaos that followed Hastur.

Darius peered into the main exhibition room and grew curious at the letters being displayed. It was beautiful how everything was laid out. Hakko and Ethan had done a splendid job creating a homey and still educational exhibit.

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