Prologue

797 Words
Salix     “You are close to finding the innocent, dryad. Our business together is almost complete.” The demon’s voice boomed through the truck stop as he spoke. Though Salix was certain he was alone, he peered through the darkness, afraid of being discovered by a human. A few tractor trailers were parked in the side lot; their passengers surely snoring in their cabs. The acrid smell of exhaust from the highway permeated the thick trees alongside the road noise. It was distracting to be reminded of the complete infiltration that the humans have managed in their years on this planet. Salix shook his head; his long hair tickled his neck as it followed the motion and he returned his focus to the Rakshasa he’d summoned. The demon’s coal-black eyes never left Salix’s face.     “What updates do you have, Quasim?” Salix craned his head upward to meet the Rakshasa’s eyes. As Salix was far from short himself, the motion felt strange to him. Quasim stood two heads taller than he. His terracotta skin glowed in the moonlight and he wore only white linen pants, his feet were obscured by the semi-translucent violet fog filling the summoning circle. As the moon rose higher in the sky, Quasim grew in girth and presence, his form pressing against the outline of the salt circle.     The Rakshasa laughed, revealing two rows of sharp fangs in his mouth. “Her power grows daily, this blood mage. I can feel her enchantments even in my realm. My people speak of her in whispers, fearful of her potential. I need her before it’s too late.”     “Yes, I understand that you need her. We’ve been through this more than a few times.” Salix paced around the circle, staying always an arm’s-length away—no closer. Even though Quasim was trapped in the salt circle, Salix remembered what he was capable of outside the circle, even in his incomplete form. The cautionary measures were well-deserved.     “I don’t understand why it’s been two hundred years and you’ve yet to find a suitable blood mage,” Salix huffed.     “Don’t push me, dryad. Ending you would be as easy as snapping a twig.” Salix flinched at the imagery but remained determined to not allow Quasim to see a reaction to his threats. The demon relished making Salix uncomfortable at their meetings.     “You can’t kill me yet. Who else will find your precious, innocent blood mage?”     “I can punish you in more ways than death. While I may be entrapped in your little salt circle, do not forget who is in control here. It’d be a pity for me to end our arrangement when you are so close to fulfilling your end of the bargain, no?”     Quasim brought his hand to a golden chain around his neck and held the attached trinket in his clawed hand. It was a gold and glass locket. Inside, a tiny willow tree.     Salix shifted his weight from one foot to the other, watching as the Rakshasa held his very life in his claws. Quasim opened the locket. The tree grew to the size of a small shrubbery, revealing a black willow tree which boasted numerous tendrils of healthy green leaves. It floated in the air above Quasim’s hand, turning slowly. Its mass of roots dangled in the air above the bottom of the locket. The demon locked eyes with the dryad as he used a clawed finger to carve a deep groove in the trunk.     Stifling a scream, Salix sank to his knees in the grass and clutched his flank. Hot blood poured between his fingers, spilling onto the grass. He never took his eyes off Quasim even as pinpricks of darkness overtook his field of vision. He heard a deep, throaty chuckle and his vision returned to normal.     Quasim had closed the locket and returned the tree to its eternal state. Salix tried to stand but was unable to gather the strength in his legs. He’d stopped bleeding but the blood loss remained. After a few deep breaths and he was able to get back into a standing position.     “How easily you forget, dryad. I hold your life in my hands—don’t f**k with me.” Quasim smirked. “Her enchantments seem to be coming from the Southern United States, but she’s gotten better at hiding her magic—unlike the others.” He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a ruby ring. “This should prove helpful in finding her. Take it.”
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