Not What It Seems
Chapter 7

My awareness came back as I heard voices. The last thing I remembered was picking up Vudu’s mirror at the center of the magic circle, and then abrupt pain. My head hurt and I had a hard time opening my eyes. But one thing I could tell, I was not in my study anymore. I was in my bed. Did my Master move me there? What happened with the spell and Vudu?

After enough effort, I managed to open my eyes, and I saw my Master and the local doctor standing next to my bed talking. My Master held a face of concern, but the doctor seemed calm as he reassured my Master.

“Whatever that spell did, it gave her a minor magical concussion. Otherwise,” the doctor explained. “She is physically fine. Make sure she get’s plenty of rest. She’ll be fighting some fatigue for a few days.”

“Alright,” my Master stated. “Thank you, doctor. I’ll make sure she’s taken care of.”

The doctor nodded and left the room. My Master watched as he left then turned to me, finally seeing I had woken up. A small smile came to his lips as he stepped over to me and bent down.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

“My head hurts.”

“After that type of magical burst,” he explained as he pulled a chair over and sat down next to my bed. “I wouldn’t expect much less. I don’t know what happened with the spell, but something connected to you caused it to explode.”

I pushed myself up, so I was sitting with my back against the headboard. “What happened to Vudu and the mirror?”

My Master’s eyebrows shifted up as he looked down at the ground. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t fully believe that this Vudu character existed. But after what happened, I believe you now. Once the spell was completed, he stood right in front of you. I was shocked. I’d never seen a demon before.”

“The spell worked? He’s free?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yes, and for a while you wouldn’t let go of his hands. You had a death grip on him, until you passed out.”

My eyes went to my covers. I didn’t remember any of this.

“Once you fell to the side, Vudu caught you. He told me to go get the doctor.” He explained. “Once I returned, I saw no sight of Vudu, and you were in your bed. I guess he left.”

I had expected him to leave once he had been freed. But I was slightly disappointed. I did at least want to talk to him once more before he left. Though I didn’t agree with his ideals dealing with anyone that wasn’t a demon. I did somewhat consider him a friend.

“Well,” Master continued. “I’m not going to restrict you to your bed, but you have to take a few days to just rest.”

I nodded. Reaching over, my Master placed his hand on my shoulder in comfort and then stood up. I remained in my bed until I heard the front door close. Taking my time, I stood up and made my way to my study. I figured I needed to clean up any mess the spell had made.

Opening the door, I looked at the ground and saw the shattered glass and wood of the mirror. The chalk lines of the circle were smudged and ruined. A few papers were scattered across the ground, and there were a few magical ingredients lying around. I let out a sigh and entered the room and began to pick things up.

I turned at one point and noticed a form that was unfamiliar to the room, but he was to me. Vudu sat on the ground, leaning against the wall and slept. I didn’t know that demons needed sleep. Maybe it was an exception due to being weakened by the mirror.

Placing the papers on my desk, I kept my eyes on the demon. I walked over and crouched down next to him. I could see him better without the glare of the glass. His hair was black like coal. The black smoke like markings on his skin moved constantly. His cloak was long, but had no sleeves, exposing his muscled arms. He had on gloves that each were tipped with long sharp metal claws. Did all demons look like this?

Without thinking, I reached up and made my way to touch his face. Before I connected though, his eyes snapped open. In a flash, I felt cold against the skin of my neck and I was forced to the ground. Vudu’s eyes were red with rage, pupils dilated, and his hand was holding a magic I had never seen before. It looked like black flames. His breaths came out in heavy pants.

We sat there for a second, and he quickly recognized me. He gasped and jumped back, releasing me. He retreated towards the wall until he couldn’t move any further. My hand went to my neck as I pushed myself back up into a sitting position.

“You’re scared.” He stated.

I let out a shaky breath. “What gave it away? The trembling, the increased heartrate, my facial expression? I thought you had left.”

“Your eyes changed color again.” He said. “They are practically yellow.”

I stared at him.

“I didn’t leave, because I was curious about you.” He continued. “I’m going to stay around for a while. See what this place has to offer.”

“Please just leave.” I said while standing back up.

Vudu watched me. “Brown, now you’re angry or annoyed with me. I think they tie together.”

“You keep saying my eyes are changing color.” I turned to him in anger. “My eyes don’t change color. I’ve never seen it, and no one else has ever told me about it.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Maybe only demons can see it. But your eyes change color according to your emotions.”

I let out a grumble. “Please, just leave. I got you out of the mirror. You have no reason to stay here any longer.”

“Yes, I do.” He said while standing back up. “I’m curious about you. I want to learn more.”

“Don’t.”

“You can’t change my mind, Zeriah.” Vudu stated while walking out of the room. “You’re stuck with me for now. I’ll have to hide here for a bit until I have my strength back. Once I can fully conceal myself, you don’t want people to see a demon wondering around.”

I glared at him, but he continued as if my opinion didn’t matter. Which to him, it didn’t. He was going to do his own thing with or without my approval. And it infuriated me. I had to keep looking for that spell that would banish him from this world.

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