Dásos and Keshiema landed just a short walk away from the campus gates. “Why didn’t we just port to the desert to begin with?” she asked. “And why didn’t we port back onto the campus?”

  “What fun would it be if you knew all my secrets? By the way, keep the bracelet. If you want to disguise yourself again you only have to press here.” He pinched the sparrow charm, and it glowed brightly before she returned to normal. “And don’t worry. I removed the binding spell.”

  "My stars, I still can't believe how much I freaked out of a glamor spell!" She laughed, full of genuine amusement. "I'll take your word on the binding." she kept smiling as she turned around.

  Keshiema.” He took her hand as she started to walk away.

  “Yeah?”

  “I need you to take this back.” He held out his hand, and one of the vials of her blood appeared in his palm. It radiated with her aura.

  “Are you taking back your side of this?” she asked. She had not read the book he had given her.

  “No. You can keep the magic."

  She took the vial from his hand. "Ok, if you're sure." She crushed it, letting the shards cut her palm. As she healed the wound, it absorbed both the fresh blood and the blood from the vile. “Is that it?” She asked, brushing her hand on her uniform.

  “I haven't exactly been honest with you.” He made the second vial appear. It glowed just as vibrantly as the first. “Don’t ever give your blood away, Keshiema.” He said before taking the stopper from the vial and drinking her blood. The storm of aura that surrounded him was fierce. She knew his aura was green, but she could now see other colors. Black, silver, turquoise, and red swirled around him, intertwining with his own. Her vibrant purple aura appeared inside the vortex. She took half a step back as he reached towards her. “If you give someone your blood, you are giving them immense power over you.”

  “And what will you do it?” she asked, truly concerned.

  “I’m going to know where you are whenever I want, no matter what kind of tricks Ayperos teaches you. This also gives me insight to your emotions.” His words shocked her. The damage he could do with this was tremendous. Falling to her knees, she lamented her mistake. She had made a devastating error.

  He kneeled down beside her as the auras around him faded, all except for two. Her aura swirled within his, just barely visible. “I want to give you something.”

  “At what cost?” she asked, not looking up at him.

  “No cost. This will be a gift, I give you my word, for whatever it's worth."

  “And what if I don't accept it?”

  “The choice is yours, I will not hold it against you.” He held out his hand, and another vial appeared; only half full with deep, dark red blood and surrounded by black aura.

  “Whose is this?” she asked, knowing she had sensed the aura before.

  “His name is Nergal.”

  “I know him. He was a mentor here when I first arrived. And he helped with the shape shifting classes.”

  “Do you remember him well? What he looked like? What his presence felt like when he was in his true form?”

  “Kind of a hard one to forget,” she remembered his sinister aura and how his presence demanded a sickening fear.

  “Good. I want you to drink this.”

  “Why?” she looked into his eyes. Searching for any sign of deception.

  “If you drink his blood, you can choose to know who he is, no matter what disguise he is wearing.”

  “How does this help me?”

  “He is the one who asked for your blood. I don't know for what purpose, but he is losing patience.”

  “No strings attached?”

  “Not even a thread.”

  Keshiema took the vial from Dásos and removed the the stopper. Her mouth watered from the sweet scent of blood; a first for her.

  “Think of him. Remember everything you can. No detail is too small. Keep that in your mind’s eye and think about what you want the blood to do for you. When you’re sure you’ve got it, drink up.”

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  Picturing the blonde red eyes demon with a vicious grin, she downed the blood. It tasted like pomegranate seeds with the consistency of heavy cream. Her teeth tingled, and she wished for more.

  Her aura surrounded her and a warmth filled her stomach. The warmth grew hotter as it traveled through her veins, turning into a searing heat. Hotter, hotter, hotter. Almost, but quite painful. A flurry of black aura exploded around her before bursting into swirls, finding a place within her own.

  “His aura will fade soon. Just as the heat will. But you will be left with a certain knowledge you weren't aware of before.” Her own aura had already begun to fade away from Dásos.

  “So how angry should I be that you deceived me?”

  “How angry are you?”

  “I’m not sure. You misled me, but I let it happen. You could have handed my blood over to Nergal, and I’d have been none the wiser to it.”

  “I wish I could tell you his plans.” He stood and helped her to her feet. "And I have tried asking, but he is not exactly forthcoming. He came to check on me yesterday but I could not bring myself to give him your blood."

  “I guess I should be thanking you, then. I'm better off now than I was. At least if you don’t abuse your new powers.”

  “I promise I will never intentionally hurt you, Keshiema. I'm not perfect, but I will do the best I can to keep you safe.”

  She was unsure what to feel. He had already fooled her once. But the gift he had just given her could prove life-saving. He had also just given her the best night she had ever had. “You get one chance, Dásos. If you deceive me again, you’ll pay the price.”

  She finally used his true name, marking the trust she was showing him. The name had never sounded so sweet, making a small part of him wish to taste her lips one more time. “I give you my word.”

  They walked together in silence. The sun had risen on them more than an hour ago. She had wanted to get back to her dorm before sunrise, but time had a way of its own.

  “It seems quiet, shouldn’t we be hearing the morning classes right now?” Keshiema asked.

  “You’re the one with the crazy-good ears.” He shrugged.

  “That’s the problem. You should be able to hear it by now too. So if I can’t…”

  “Classes were canceled?”

  “Why though? I’m going up to get a better look.”

  They climbed a nearby redwood until she was high enough to see the campus. She almost fell, and Dásos grabbed her collar to keep her steady. When he looked up to see what shocked her, he became angry. The murky fog that covered the campus was thick with a familiar, sickening aura. “Nergal.” Dásos frowned. “It looks like a poisonous cloud; A spell from the Mist Daemons.”

  “So he’s going to kill everyone?”

  “If the elders were warned in time, anyone indoors is going to be safe. Any demon outside will get sick and pass out shortly. The mist would take a while to actually kill them. We’re better off staying put until the spell dissipates.”

  “Who do you think he’s after? If it was me, would he have bothered asking you to get my blood?”

  "I'm sure he has a number of spies within the school. If any one of them disappointed him, he would surely have them punished."

  “I'm going in to find anyone who needs help. Who knows how long this will last.”

  “Its not a good idea, I can't go in with you.”

  She wanted to ask him why, but now was not the time. “How long would I have before I pass out?”

  “If you go in there now, you’ll be completely alone!” he was practically begging her not to go.

  “How long?” she demanded.

  “You'd have a bit more time than most, given what you are. Ten, maybe fifteen minutes before you’re drained of aura. You’ll pass out quickly after that.” She started to jump down from the tree, but Dásos tugged at her collar. “Wear your mask.”

  She took her mask out of her cargo pocket and slipped it over her face. She gave him a tight hug before leaping from the branch and heading towards the campus. She wondered how being half-human gave her an advantage.

  Two guards were at their stations at the entry gate, but they had passed out and fallen to the ground. Holding her breath, Keshiema dragged them out of the mist and leaned them against a nearby tree. With a running start, she nimbly scaled the twenty-foot-tall fence. As she entered the fog, she was essentially blinded. She listened carefully, making her way through the quad based on memory. She would have felt more comfortable moving slower, but time was of the essence. As she centered herself, she could feel the heartbeats of those around her. Most of them were tucked deep inside the dorms and classrooms. She could feel the Elder’s aura within the Great Temple. Save for one. Eurynome was not among them. She searched the campus and found him wandering through underground passages. As she continued searching, she looked for auras that were alone or fading. She could feel herself weakening, and it had only been a few minutes since she had entered the mist. She struggled to keep herself centered.

  She had made it to the center of the campus and scanned all the areas she could think the early risers would have been. ‘The pool… empty. The racetrack… empty. The arena… empty. The flying course…emp- no… someone's there…’ Keshiema ran as fast as she could. She could feel the heartbeat weakening. She sensed consciousness, but could not reach out to it. As she reached the obstacle course, she slowed. Her head was starting to spin. 'Focus!' She reached out with all of her power to pinpoint the exact location. 'There.' She ran to the presence she could barely feel. As she approached, she realized who it was. Ipos lay bloody on the sand. His wings twitched as she brushed his hair away from his face. “I have to get you out of here.” He was twice her size, so moving him proved a challenge. “Damien? Are you awake?”

  “Keshiema? Get out of here, what are you doing?” He tried to get up and collapsed back to the ground.

  “I’m here to help. Can you stand if I help you?”

  Knowing her level of stubbornness, he let her help him to his feet. Slowly, they made their way to the edge of the campus. 'Please, Dásos. Please have a way out for me.' She prayed. The fog ended at the fence. She could see the outline of trees as they got closer.

  The figure standing by the fence gave her pause, but she could not afford to stop. Too weak to call out and find out who it was, she only hoped he was friendly. The distinct, sharp sound of metal against metal made her flinch, but the large hole appearing in the iron fence gave her hope.

  Just as she stepped through the makeshift threshold her legs gave way. Someone caught her as she fell, and let Ipos drop to the hard ground. But she could still hear his shallow breathing, giving her a semblance of reassurance. “He’ll be okay?” she mustered up the strength to ask.

  “He’ll be fine.” Stolas whispered as he cradled her. “Now rest, little sister.”