Futures Unseen (Chasing Titania #2)

Death's Door

A man was strolling up the gates to Delta Ace. He shoved the door open like he knew the place. He sauntered around like he knew where he was going. He was tall, with long black hair pulled behind his head in a loose ponytail. He wore a nice dress shirt and vest beneath an open trench coat. He had black gloves on his hands. I knew that beneath his trenchcoat, there rested a tattoo of a skull with roses.

The students looked upon him and thought he was Arn. He wasn't Arn. He was an entirely different demon altogether.

He ascended the stairs. He was coming for me. I sat back from my crystal ball, anticipating. There came the knock.

"Come in," I set my hands on my lap.

"Good evening, Mistress Nigh," he stood in the doorway for a moment. His deep voice instilled a raw terror in me, but I had no reason to be afraid.

"It has been a long time, Domascus," I nodded.

"Indeed."

"What brings you to my office?"

"I have business with you and the future seer on behalf of my son," he stood so formally straight.

"Arn?"

"Orpheus," Domascus shifted.

"He has yet to ascend. Are you telling me...?"

"I'm afraid so."

I moved stuff off the top of my desk with a spell that gathered it in an organized way, unlike the first time I had used this.

"This side of my desk," I motioned to him.

With Domascus by my side, I opened the lid of my desk. We fell down the hole into Ezra's room. Domascus grabbed my arm, landing softly on the floor.

Ezra and Argus were sharing a bed. They seemed unaware of our presence. Domascus lifted his cane, knocking on the door.

"Don't answer it," Argus whispered. "It's not important."

"It is important," Domascus sighed. "We're already in here."

"We're trying to rest," Argus sat up. "And there may be a lack of- oh hello, Miss."

"He's not responding," I kept my eyes on Ezra.

"That's fine," Domascus knelt beside him. "Ezra, dear, I know you can hear me."

He opened his eyes. They were the exact colors of the Newartic moons. He didn't move, didn't respond.

"When will my son ascend?" Domascus asked.

"Soon. Very soon. Thirty more days," Ezra said, but his voice didn't feel like his own. It was stiff.

Ezra coughed, shifting and sitting himself up. He seemed very tired, but at least he was himself now.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Things were going so well; now it's just going to get worse," Argus grumbled.

"Now, now," Domascus waved him off. "Ezra, I have a proposition for you. Mistress Nigh, what have you seen?"

"Nox was telling me how Orpheus is to bring healing to the Grund. Actually, I was doing a sight-reading for his children," I was nervous in front of these gods. "And I saw Orpheus can heal Ezra too."