Legacy 210: Now You Seer Me
Part 6
Xxx
As the ball continued below them, Henry and Ivy followed the demon Forcas to his private balcony overlooking the dance floor. He invited them to sit down while signaling one of his servants to bring them fresh glasses of champagne. Henry accepted the glass and took sip. It was delicious and probably very expensive, just like everything else in the mansion. Forcas certainly liked living like royalty. He almost seemed human, however, he had also just turned a demon into stone for attempting to touch one of his toys.
"So what did you bring me today, Ivy?" Forcas asked. "You seem to know just what I like."
"Part of being a good dealer is knowing your clients." Ivy replied. "That's why I brought you these."
Ivy revealed a small wooden box and placed it on the table. Forcas took the box and opened it, revealing five small but precious-looking crystals inside. The demon smiled as he seemingly recognized them. Henry had no idea what they were supposed to be, but they looked like pretty paperweights.
"Aether crystals." Forcas noted. "I thought they had all been used up or destroyed."
"So did the rest of the world." Ivy replied. "I came across them by accident. An old sorcerer had them in his possession for centuries without knowing their true potential."
"What a fool." Forcas said. "Any true collector would know their worth."
"What do these things do, exactly?" Henry asked.
"According to legends, Aether was the very essence the gods breathed." Forcas replied. "It is also referred to as the fifth element. These crystals are pure magical power."
"So they're like magical batteries?" Henry asked with a frown.
"You could say that." Forcas replied with a laugh. "Your date has a sense of humor, Ivy."
"He has a lot of other appealing qualities as well." Ivy noted. "But let's talk business first."
"Certainly." Forcas said. "What's your price?"
"In all honesty, my client is not looking for money." Ivy replied. "I want to make a trade."
"I see." Forcas said as his mood instantly shifted to a more serious tone. "You've never asked this before, so what is it that you're after exactly?"
"The client I represent wants to trade the Aether crystals for the Moonstone Amulet." Ivy said. "You know these crystals are worth far more, so it's a generous offer."
"Worth is not just determined by money, dear." Forcas replied. "You of all people should know that."
"I know every piece in your collection has special meaning to you." Ivy noted. "I wouldn't ask this if my client wasn't very persistent."
"I understand you're just representing a client." Forcas replied casually as he stood up. "And I've always respected your professionalism, Ivy. That's why I'll pretend this never happened."
"But…" Ivy started.
"I'm afraid my mind is made up; my collection is not for sale." Forcas interrupted her. "Come back when your client is willing to accept a reasonable sum."
"Is there nothing we can do?" Henry asked as he got up. "I'm sure can come to some arrangement."
"I'm open to all kinds of arrangements, handsome." Forcas replied. "But the answer about the amulet stays the same."
The demon placed a hand on his shoulder and suggestively caressed his arm, after which he winked and left the balcony. The implication was obvious. Although Henry wasn't fundamentally against the idea of using that to get what they needed, he wasn't thrilled about it either. He also didn't want to end up in Forcas's bedroom as some petrified statue.
Henry sat back down next to Ivy, who looked defeated as she stared at the wooden box. She wasn't just angry at herself, she was scared. Whoever this client was, they had her terrified of failing them.
"You did the best you could." Henry said. "It was a fair offer."
"I know." Ivy admitted.
"We still have options." Henry replied. "We always knew this was a long shot."
"You're right." Ivy noted as she pulled herself together. "This doesn't change anything. We tried playing fair, but we're not playing by the rules any longer."
"What's the plan?" Henry asked.
"We need to sneak out without people becoming suspicious." Ivy replied.
"I might have an idea for that." Henry said.
Henry took her hand and picked up the wooden box, after which they left the balcony and returned to the dance floor. He grabbed Ivy by the waist and pulled her closer as they started dancing.
"This is your plan?" Ivy asked with a frown.
"Just the first part." Henry replied as he dipped her. "You need to act like I'm irresistible, like you can't keep your hands off me."
"I see." Ivy said as she seemed to catch on to his plan. "You've loving this, aren't you?"
"As if you're not." Henry replied.
Ivy rolled her eyes but played her part convincingly as they continued to dance. The temperature started to increase as their moves became more intimate. Just as he had hoped, their dancing started to gain attention. Henry pulled Ivy closer and kissed her passionately. Although both knew it was an act, the kiss felt real and admittedly very good. They smiled at each other as they left the dance floor. Henry pressed Ivy to a wall near the buffet and kissed her neck to further sell the act.
"Do think they're buying it?" Ivy whispered.
"I'm buying it." Henry admitted. "Now if we disappeared, they'll just think we went somewhere a little more private."
Ivy smirked as she grabbed his butt before sneaking to one of the doors. Henry followed while making sure at least some people noticed them leaving. Once they were behind closed doors, the act was over but Henry still felt its effects.
"You've been waiting to grab my butt." Henry noted.
"Well, I gave you those tight pants for a reason." Ivy replied smirking. "Let's get moving. We have a vault to find."
Henry nodded and followed Ivy down a long hallway, which ended in a staircase. They followed it down to the lower floor, where they briefly stopped to avoid a patrolling guard. Once he was gone, they continued on and peeked around the corner to find two more guards standing in front of a large wooden door.
"The vault has to be behind that door." Ivy said.
"So let's take a little detour." Henry replied.
Henry took her hand and shimmered through the wall, arriving in what looked like a wine cellar. They crossed the room and went through another wall, this time ending up in a garage filled with expensive luxury cars. It seemed Forcas collected more than just magical artifacts, as these cars were worth millions. His eyes landed on a gorgeous yellow Lamborghini that seemed to call his name.
"Don't get distracted." Ivy remarked.
"He has all this and still he won't give up a single stupid amulet?" Henry asked. "What's so important about that thing?"
"I told you; it can break curses." Ivy replied. "Come on, the vault should be right behind this wall."
"Why does your client need it?" Henry asked.
"You're really asking this question now?" Ivy replied in an annoyed tone. "We can talk about this once we're out of here. If we're caught, we're dead."
"Fine, you're right." Henry agreed. "Let's go."
Henry offered his hand and Ivy accepted it, after which he shimmered them through the final wall. They ended up in a vault the size of a football field, filled to the brim with artifacts and other riches. Ivy wasted to time and started looking for the Moonstone amulet, while all Henry could do was gawk at the wealth around him. A sudden growl snapped him out of it. He nervously turned around and saw two glowing red eyes floating behind him.
Xxx
The docks of Bodega Bay were just outside of the center of the small town. Penny followed Julian and they headed to the address Amber had given them. She was worried about her brother and the effect the potential doppelgänger was having on him. He had gone from angry and heartbroken to somehow trusting her, even promising to help her boyfriend. Penny wasn't quite to sure about her yet, as there were too many pieces of the puzzle missing. Hopefully DJ would have answers for them soon. She was also worried about Payton in the hands of the rat demons, though she knew her little sister was tougher than she appeared.
"Slow down a little." Penny said. "What's the plan?"
"Find Joshua, use him to find the rat demons, vanquish them and save Payton." Julian replied matter-of-factly.
"Well, when you put it like that, easy." Penny remarked. "And what happens after that?"
"What do you mean?" Julian asked.
"You're just going to let Amber and Joshua live happily ever after?" Penny replied.
"She's not Talia, I know that now." Julian replied. "She means nothing to me."
"Maybe not, but do you really think vanquishing the rat demons is the end of it?" Penny asked. "We still don't know who lured us here and why."
"Right, so all we can do is play along." Julian said. "The rat demons are the immediate threat."
"And if we're walking into a trap?" Penny asked.
"Then we'll deal with it." Julian replied. "Getting Payton back is all that matters now."
"Agreed." Penny said. "Alright, let's do this."
They reached the docks and soon found the office of the delivery service. There were several vans standing outside, but one of them was running. The back door was open and it looked like someone had thrown in all their belongings in a hurry. As they entered the office, they found Joshua frantically going through his desk, taking everything he could and stuffing it into a bag. It was clear what his plan was.
"Really?" Penny remarked. "You're just going to run away?"
Joshu was startled as he looked up. He grabbed the bag and attempted to escape, though Julia flung his arm and sent him flying against the wall. Penny looked at her brother with a frown, as that was a little more force than necessary. He was clearly angry about his attempt to leave Amber behind. Penny walked over to the delivery boy and helped him up. Luckily, he was unharmed.
"Alright, Joshua." Penny said as her voice echoed. "You're going to calm down and willingly tell us everything we want to know."
"I… alright." Joshua replied as the hypnosis kicked in.
"You know about the rat demons, don't you?" Julian asked.
"Yes, they came to me after the bank denied my loan." Joshua said. "They offered to fund my business. I was scared, but I needed the money. Things seemed fine at first, but then they started demanding their money back sooner than we agreed."
"How long has this been going on?" Penny asked.
"The threats started about a month ago." Joshua said. "I started seeing rats everywhere, they were always watching me. And then they started threatening Amber."
"What do you know about Amber?" Julian asked.
"Huh… I don't know what you mean." Joshua replied. "Amber is just… She's my girlfriend."
"How and when did you meet?" Julian asked.
"We started dating about six months ago." Joshua said. "She hired me to do deliveries for the Floral Heart. Eventually I asked her out and fell in love with her."
"And yet you were willing to run and leave her behind." Julian snarled as he moved closer and lighting appeared in his hand.
"Wow, calm down." Penny said quickly as she lowered his hand. "Joshua is cooperating."
"Admit it, you were going to leave her." Julian said.
"I… I don't know, honestly." Joshua said. "I just panicked. She has her entire life here; I didn't want to force her to leave it all behind."
"You were scared." Penny replied. "You got caught up in something terrible. The rat demons were never going go honor their deal."
"They just kept asking for more." Joshua admitted. "I already had to smuggle things from the docks for them. They turned me into a criminal."
"It's not your fault." Penny said.
"I don't want to run." Joshua admitted. "I don't want to lose Amber, I love her. But I don't even deserve her after what I've done."
"No, you don't." Julian said harshly.
"Julian!" Penny snapped at him. "Look, I know this is difficult, but you need to put your personal feelings aside. Whether we like it or not, Joshua is an innocent."
"Fine." Julian admitted with a sigh. "What can you tell us about the rat demons? Where is their lair?"
"They always came to me." Joshua said. "I know they're hiding somewhere in the old warehouse district, but I don't know where exactly."
"Anything else you can tell us?" Julian asked.
"I heard two of them talking recently." Joshua said. "They said something about a new boss coming to town. That was when they started demanding more money."
"Did they mention a name?" Penny asked.
"Cassius." Joshua replied.
"How is that helpful?" Julian asked.
"Just wait." Penny replied before turning her attention back to Joshua. "Alright, Joshua, you've done a good job. I want you to go to the Floral Heart and find someone named Noah. Tell him everything you told us and that you need protection."
"I will." Joshua said. "Thank you."
On her hypnotic command, Joshua left the office and went to the flower store. Hopefully he would be safe from the rat demons there until they could fix this mess.
"What now?" Julian asked.
"I have a plan." Penny replied. "But first we need to talk about that little outburst."
"He's fine." Julian noted as he rolled his eyes.
"He could have gotten hurt, Julian." Penny said. "You said you know Amber is not Talia, but do you really believe it? Because you're acting like a jealous ex to her boyfriend."
"He's a piece of shit that got her in danger." Julian snapped.
"He's an innocent that got in over his head." Penny replied. "We protect those, remember?"
"You're right." Julian admitted after a moment of reflection. "I think this whole situation is messing with me more than I realized."
"I know, but you need keep your emotions in check." Penny said. "Now let's go end this."
Penny left the office and Julian followed her. After his outburst against Joshua, she was even more worried about what this whole Amber thing was doing to him. If whoever lured them here wanted to mess with Julian, they were succeeding. She just hoped he wouldn't lose control entirely, as they had seen what happened last time.
"What are we doing?" Julian asked.
"You'll see." Penny replied.
Penny took a deep breath and focused her attention on their surroundings. Joshua had said the rat demons were constantly watching him, which meant they were likely here now. She picked up a faint telepathic signal from behind a dumpster. It was one of the rat demons. She entered its mind and was disgusted by what she saw and felt, but pushed through it, searching for Cassius. An image of a warehouse appeared in her mind right before the signal was severed. The rat demon had sensed her in its mind and ran away. Luckily, she had seen enough to see where it was going.
Xxx
Payton had never imagined that she could actually feel bored while being captured by a demon. Cassius seemed to ignore her as she wandered around the warehouse, though not entirely. The energy ring zapped her each time she went too far away from him. She couldn't escape as long as she had the ring, but she had enough time to think of a way to defeat him. She might not have any active powers that were useful in her predicament, but Payton was still a witch. She was working on a spell that would give Cassius exactly what he deserved for keeping her prisoner.
"What are you doing, little witch?" Cassius as he looked up from his phone.
"Thinking about a way to give you what you deserve." Payton admitted.
"Not quite so innocent as you appear, huh?" Cassius remarked. "Interesting. So tell me what I deserve."
"I'd rather it be a surprise." Payton replied.
"Oh, come on." Cassius remarked. "How are you going to defeat the big bad demon that kidnapped you?"
"I'd hate to burst your bubble, but you're not that big and bad." Payton noted.
"We could change that." Cassius replied as his eyes started to glow red. "I could make things a lot less comfortable for you."
To illustrate his point, a circle of fire appeared around Payton. She tried not to panic at his attempt to intimidate her, but she could feel the heat on her skin. Cassius smirked and put out the fire as he got up and walked over to her.
"I could do other things, you know." Cassius noted. "Perhaps you'd like to spend some time as a rat. I'm sure you'd make a really pretty one."
"You're not scaring me." Payton replied nervously.
"Sure, whatever you say." Cassius said. "Don't mistake my kindness for weakness again. Hurting you doesn't help me, but I will if I have to."
Payton flinched as Cassius ran his hand through her hair and sniffed it. He smirked at her obvious discomfort and returned to this throne. Before he could sit down, however, a rat shot across the floor and transformed into its human shape.
"Sir, the witches found the delivery guy." The demon said. "They sent him to the flower shop to be looked over by their Whitelighter."
"What about the witches?" Cassius asked. "Where are they?"
"I don't know, I sensed one of them trying to read my mind and ran straight here to warn you." The demon replied.
"You idiot." Cassius snapped at him. "You led them right here."
Cassius angrily clenched his fist and the other demon erupted in flames. He then snapped his fingers and five more demons appeared through a shimmer. Before Cassius could give them orders, the door of the warehouse burst open. Julian and Penny entered and the former threw a bolt of lightning as Cassius, though he quickly transformed into a rat to avoid it. He shot across the room and transformed back into a human next to Payton, grabbing her in the neck.
"Alright." Cassius said. "Let's all have a nice chat before anyone gets hurt."
Xxx