Page 87 of Shadow & Stars
“And with a young witch boy, no less,” the button-eyed demon added, sending a shiver through me. “Tell me, witch boy. Why do you keep the company of demons?”
Roman blurted out, “What time is this?”
An eyebrow cocked from behind the left button. “The time? Isn’t that a watch on your wrist?”
Roman’s throat bobbed. “Erm, I meant…” He shook his head. “Shit.”
The demon came closer, ignoring the hissing threats from Tanith. “What did you mean?”
I didn’t like this situation one bit. “Come along, Roman. We’re leaving.”
The demon’s button eyes landed on me. I felt them boring into mine as if they held a dark, penetrating power. “But he didn’t finish his answer. I’m curious. I smell something wrong.”
“Enough of this!” Tanith snarled, lunging at our button-eyed visitor.
His hand moved fast, sticking her in the neck with a dagger before she could grab him. Black blood leaked from Tanith’s mouth. She released a gargling sound, clawing at the demon’s arms.
He drew a second dagger, driving it into her belly. “I smell the snake on you. I really hate snakes.” He cut upward, spilling gore, her weak screams barely audible. “Too wriggly.” He proceeded to butcher her, stabbing her repeatedly until she fell over.
Roman hid his face in his hands. I directed him away from the horror, positioning us beneath the pool. It brought us here, it would take us back. Clearly, it’d taken us to a different, future time where this unsettling demon did whatever he did.
Time really was in a confused mess.
The button-eyed demon wasn’t done. He jumped on Tanith’s twitching body, stabbing her some more without a word or a sound other than the fleshy squelching of his strikes.
“Is she dead?” Roman asked with a shaky voice.
“No. Her recovery will be long, though.”
“Stupid snake,” the button-eyed demon muttered. “So rude. So rude. So rude.”
He wasn’t incorrect.
I part-shifted, immediately firing silk into the pool, a series of demon towers bursting to life. The strand hit something on the other side.
Tugging the silk taut, I grabbed Roman, clutching him to me. “Hold on.”
He wrapped his arms around me, asking no questions, clearly terrified at my change in appearance.
“The red lights again,” the button-eyed demon grumbled. “Always the red lights. Always so much light like the bright one. He shines so brightly.”
We were done listening to this. I climbed the silk at full speed, leaving no trace of it behind for him to follow.
“Goodbye,” he called after us. “I’ll look after the snake.”
I heard him stab Tanith again the moment before the golden light swallowed us again.
We arrived on the other side, my silk glued to a lamppost.
“Thank God for that,” Roman said.
Time and memories filled me in a mighty rush. I swayed under the impact, any confusion of myself and my purpose chased away. I straightened, throwing my head back, reveling in the sensation.
I became Xavier again, the one from the future. The correct me.
“What’s wrong?” Teenage Roman asked.
“Xavier!” his adult version cried.
