Part IV: The House of Demon
As the sun peeked its head from above the skyline of the city, its rays slowly began to fall upon the streets of Hatlynshire. They spread far and wide as they slowly enveloped the city in warmth.
Lucian felt that warmth as the rays reached his window and fell onto his face, the intensity of the morning sun forcing his eyes open. He tried to resist, but for all his power, even he couldn’t refuse the sun. Reluctantly unravelling his sheets, he got up from his bed. Just as he did, he heard a sound coming from outside his room.
“Lu! Wake up! Please!” the muffled voice yelled.
Lucian yawned, smiling. He knew exactly where that was coming from. He quickly put on his house shoes before turning his attention to the mahogany wardrobe he kept on the other side of the maroon colored room with trimmed walls and a hardwood floor. Lucian flicked his wrist, and the wardrobe’s doors flew open. From within came a brown coat, which floated its way into Lucian’s hand. Lucian quickly threw it on, yawning again before swiftly making his way out of the room.
“I’m awake!” he shouted so that the voice might shut up. Instead, it was replaced by a faint sound of joy.
Outside his room was a hallway with white walls and black flowers painted onto them. All the hallways in the house were wide enough to fit five adults shoulder to shoulder, with pillars jutting out of the walls on either side whilst being illuminated by candle-lit chandeliers in the ceiling. He made his way down until it opened up into a lobby area with a large staircase that went both up and down. Lucian would have gone down the staircase regularly, but the morning had him feeling quite energetic. Instead, he found it faster and funner if he stood on the banister and jumped. However, instead of falling, the moment he took his foot off the top of the banister, they went and stuck to the side of the handrail. Lucian had found walking horizontally quite difficult. In fact, in the beginning, he couldn’t do it for more than a few steps without feeling dizzy. However, since he’d done it so often, he’d become quite good at it. Its only drawback, which he found both fair and disappointing, was that he could only do it on the wooden stairs, lest he wished to have footprints and torn wallpaper on the various colorful, well-kept, and ancient walls of the house.
“It’s good practice!” he’d always said when someone questioned why he did it, and he wasn’t wrong.
Lucian took one more step and then jumped when he encountered the gap between the levels. He then landed, took another step, and then jumped again. It took two jumps to get from his floor to the ground floor, from which he extended his leg to the ground, and gently stepped onto the floor.
Once he did arrive through his unusual method, the first thing he heard was a faint clanging coming from the kitchen down the hall. He suspected his mother, Janice, was making breakfast. He walked through another hallway decorated with portraits of his ancestors before reaching the living room.
“I just couldn’t resist the alluring sound of that sweet voice, so here I a— AH!”
As he turned the corner into the lavishly decorated room, he was confronted by something large and black silently waiting for him as he entered.
The raven on the desk tilted its head and let out a loud and annoying screech. Lucian glanced at it in confusion while it stared blankly back at him. Bewildered, he then turned and faced the rest of the room. The living room had sand-green walls and a polished wooden floor with various pieces of furniture scattered throughout. A large fireplace sat at the front. One wall had more portraits, while another was completely taken by a bookcase full of both books and other trinkets. In the room were two people. One was Lucian’s younger sister Lily, who sat in the corner reading a storybook in her peach colored dress. The other was Lucian’s younger brother, a dashing nine year old who went by the name of Lidian. Lidian stood in the middle of the room, watching Lucian with a cheerful smile. Combined with his green eyes, it made him look absolutely adorable, in Lucian’s opinion.
“YES! You made it! I told you he can hear me!” Lidian exclaimed, turning to Lily who grinned with amusement whilst she read her book.
“He wanted to wake you up so he can tell you about the raven. I told him it would be better if he just shouted you awake. He’s been trying for the past half an hour. It’s been driving Mother insane.” she chuckled. “I actually thought he might faint before you decided to get your lazy rear out of bed. You’d think someone who’s about to be initiated into the grand ranks of the Circle would wake up earlier.”
“Well perhaps I’m not a judgmental posh twit who doesn’t know how to live,” Lucian thought to himself, angered by his sister’s condescending tone.
“I would rather if you had woken me up the regular way,” Lucian muttered, straightening himself after recovering from his initial shock, “because I would very much like to know why there’s a random RAVEN in the house! Does Father know about this?”
Lily put down her book and looked at Lucian with apparent annoyance. “Yes, father indeed knows about the random raven in the house. He left for some business and told us not to hurt it or let it out until he returns. I suggest you don’t complain unless you want to endure Mother’s wrath. Besides, do you not recognize it?”
Lucian turned to the raven. He didn’t know why, but they’d always unnerved him. It was something about their still, beady eyes and sharp talons. He tended to avoid going near them as much as possible. He certainly didn’t find it comforting that one was standing freely in the living room.
“No, I do not see anything familiar about this… vermin” he said while giving the raven a disgusted look. Lily sighed in disappointment, before Lidian chimed in with his exuberantly high pitched voice.
“Don’t you see? It’s one of the Bernstein ravens!” he said enthusiastically. Lucian glanced at Lily to see her amused smile and side-eye. The action made him even less amused, but the name ‘Bernstein’ did make him look back at the raven. Its behavior had been peculiar, as it’d barely moved from where it had stood before Lucian had entered the room. It hadn’t flown around or attacked him, yet also didn’t seem frightened or intimidated by his presence. Looking even closer, the raven was also large and healthy, with little to no sign of injury. Its feathers were well kept and, most telling of all, Lucian noticed a small golden strap on its right leg. However, even knowing where the raven came from still didn’t make Lucian detest it any less.
“Why is it here? Don’t they usually carry messages and whatnot?” he asked. Lily raised one of her eyebrows, making it clear that she wasn’t at all impressed that Lucian had stated the obvious. Lidian then chimed in once more.
“It did have a message! It’s right there!” He pointed to a nearby table with a lamp on it. Besides the lamp was a piece of paper that was slightly torn around the edges.
“It’s a letter to Father. Lily said I shouldn’t read it, and that I should stop Lucy from reading it too,” Lidian said in a gloomier tone. Lucian looked at Lily, but she didn’t look up from her book. Lucian then glanced at Lidian who, erratic and simple-minded in his young age, was still undoubtedly obedient to the whims of his older siblings. Lucian attributed his behaviour to all the stories their mother had told him about the Hunters, the massacre of Avarier Theater, and why even Great Houses aren’t safe. Lucian himself tended to enjoy his little brother’s obedience and respect, even though he knew it might fade as he got older.
“Well, ‘seems to me that I can read it.” Lucian took the paper, smiling at Lidian while once more glancing briefly at Lily. The raven let out an infuriated screech as Lucian took the paper into his hand. Lucian ignored the vermin and read the paper:
To Baron Henry Demon, from Baron Leonard Bernstein. Issued on the 161th Day of the year 634 AF and protected under decree of Great House Confidentiality in accordance with the Circulion Code of Law.
Dear Henry,
I hope dearly that my raven finds you in good health. Knowing what we prepare for. I write this note to announce my family’s arrival in Demonum Borough to attend your son’s Initiation Ceremony, in accordance with our pre-arranged plans. I suspect other Houses may also be in attendance, as it’s a very special occasion for your family. I would also like to bid you my utmost congratulations on our son’s incorporation into your fine ranks. If everything goes as planned, then I expect that we’ll have a very joyous celebration to look forward to. I thank you once more and I sincerely hope to see you soon.
-Leonard
Lucian placed the letter back on the desk while Lidian looked at him blankly. “Well what does it say? Can I see?”
Lucian paused for a moment as a few words caught his attention. I write this note to announce my family’s arrival in Demonum Borough…
They’re coming here.
While he was pondering, Lidian continued to pester him.“Well? Can I see, Lu?”
Lucian snapped out of his state of thought and looked at Lidian who gazed at him restlessly. Waiting for an answer. Lucian managed a smile.
“Why don’t you go play with your sister?” he asked softly.
“But—” before Lucian could say anything, Lily put down her book and walked up to Lidian, grabbing his shoulder.
“Now that’s enough of you, little man,” she said playfully. “Like Lu said, go find your sister. I saw Lucy in hall planning decorations. Why don’t you go help her? And more importantly, keep her there. Lu and I have something to talk about. Privately.”
Lidian opened his mouth to object, but Lily’s commanding stare forced the ever-loyal Lidian to relent. He nodded and left the room, exiting into the hall. Lily then closed the door and turned to Lucian.
“You seem nervous,” she said. Lucian stared at her as though she had insulted him. Lily had told Lidian to leave because she didn’t want him to hear discussion of one of things Lucian feared most. His upcoming Initiation Ceremony. Even Lucian understood that, because he knew that Lidian worried too much about the people around him whom he respected.
“Yes, I am nervous. That letter says that all the Bernsteins, and possibly more houses, will be attending my Initiation Ceremony!”
“So? It’s not as though it makes you any less of a coward about it.”
“Father promised it was only going to be our family attending. Just you, the twins, Uncle David, and his family.”
“Well, you can say that all the other Great Houses are our family. At least, in a technical sense,” Lily argued.
“But…” Lucian muttered. He didn’t usually whine about many things. He was fifteen, after all. However, this was different. Both he and Lily knew that. Lily let out an amused snigger, as though her brother’s pleas were just a joke. Lucian frowned.
“Well I would tell you not to worry. But that would be futile. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone so worried about a mere initiation.”
“It is not a mere initiation. They call it a ‘Trial by Blood’ for a reason! It’s the biggest test I could ever take!”
“Well, if you’re so scared of little bleeding, then perhaps you’re not ready to become a High Circulion Statesman!”
Just then, the raven on the desk decided to let out a high-pitched screech that made both Lucian and Lily react in annoyance. Lucian had completely forgotten the raven was there due to its strange silence. The reminder made him jolt and hold his arms out, as though evading an enemy. Noticing, Lily gave him a sardonic glare.
“Yes, quite the statesman you are.”
Lucian was about to respond when the living room door opened to reveal Lucy, Lidian’s twin sister, followed shortly by Lidian himself.
“Are both of you finished with your petty arguments yet? Because I have to feed the bird!”
Lucian looked at Lidian, who gave a defeated expression as he scratched the back of his head in shame. “I tried to stop her from getting in, but she insisted on feeding the raven.”
Lucian gave him a sympathetic look, for he knew exactly how Lucy was different from her brother. While Lidian was excitable and loyal, Lucy was excitable and less loyal. It was a trait which Lucian both appreciated and found annoying at the same time. He watched Lucy as she held the raven’s head, feeding it something from her hand. Lucian didn’t know what she fed it, but whatever it was, the raven ate it joyfully. After she was done, Lucian realized that he was tired of having to look at that raven, a bird that he partially blamed for all the bad things that had happened to him today. He looked around for something he could use, finding an ornately decorated wooden box which laid unused in the bookcase. Lucian walked over and grabbed the box, bringing it over to the table where the raven was.
“I feel like our guest needs a proper place to stay,” he said in a cheerful voice. Lily realized what he was about to do. She did not approve.
“No! Father said not to hurt it!” she protested, but Lucian ignored her. He took the box and placed it on the table. He then took his hand and waved it in the air above the box.
“I’m not hurting it, just confining it,” he said. The box then began to move. The wood started to chip and tear itself apart. Within seconds, the box had turned into nothing more than a mass of swirling wooden shards. Lucian then brought his hand down onto the swirling mass and, with his hand movements and concentration, made the mass rearrange itself. The wood behaved as though it was water as it straightened itself and put itself back together in any shape Lucian desired. In this case, within minutes, the box had turned itself into a fully intact bird cage.
The raven stood still alongside the twins, who looked on in amazement. The raven then started to move when it saw the shape of a birdcage appear. Lucian could tell it would try and fly away, so he extended his other hand and made it freeze in place. Once the cage was finished, Lucian moved his hand, and with it, so did the raven. The raven struggled as it gently glided above the surface of the desk, directly into the cage without lifting a wing. Once it was in, Lucian let it go and closed the door before it could get out. Lucy tried to stop in a swift motion, but stopped midway when she realized she couldn’t. Lucian locked the cage and looked at the now-trapped raven with satisfaction.
“You’re finally trapped, you feathered pest!”
Lucian then looked at his three siblings. Lily was frowning, Lucy was assessing whether the raven was fine, and Lidian was looking at Lucian in amazement.
“Oh Lu, you have to teach me how you do that!” he exclaimed. Lucian merely smiled and patted him on the head. “All in good time.”
“The bird doesn’t like being put in a cage!” Lucy protested. “Look at it!” she said as the raven tried to move the heavy cage while giving desperate screeches.
"And Mother won’t be very happy once she sees that you've turned one of the living room ornaments into a makeshift prison," Lily added.
“We’ll release it when it’s time for it to leave, and I’ll revert the cage to its original form. I swear,” Lucian said. Lily didn't seem at all confident in his promises, but Lucian didn't care. He cared more about calming down Lucy. She was giving him a saddened expression that Lucian always hated to see. He realized he needed a way to put this whole affair behind him. Getting a wonderful idea, he smiled at both Lidian and Lucy.
“Why don’t we all go frolic outside, hm? I’ve heard the first winds of autumn are going to arrive soon. I suggest we make the best of these last summer days.”
Lidian nodded immediately. Lucy, while still sad about the raven, also nodded. Lucian then led them both towards the front door before he headed back to the living room where Lily was still waiting with her arms crossed.
“I’ll be along shortly!” he shouted to the twins as he turned to Lily.
“So, are you coming as well?”
Lily smiled. She flicked her wrist and the wooden cage shook loudly next to Lucian. The action made him recoil in shock, which only made Lily’s smile widen.
“You know, if you wish to be the next head of the illustrious Demon family, then I suggest you first remove your fear of little birds.”
Lucian straightened himself again. He was annoyed, but also knew Lily was right, no matter how much he didn’t want her to know that. “Well, until then, I’ll be happy to see these foul beasts in cages,” he said while avoiding her gaze. “Besides, unlike you, I don’t dream of being a public figure.”
“How bold of you to assume what I dream,” Lily sniped. Lucian knew that Lily, unlike him, was more adept with social life. Even though they rarely left the house for safety reasons. Lucian only ever felt comfortable around his family, and Lily knew that. Even though they often argued, Lucian knew that both Lily and the twins would always be there for him. Lucian then smiled at Lily while still avoiding her gaze.
“Well, as of now you have two options, dear sister. Either you accompany me outside to sunny bliss, or you go to the library and give Grandfather Wren some company. I suspect Luin is already there.”
Lucian saw Lily contemplate his words. He knew she found the first option better than spending time with their bookish cousin and their ancient grandfather. Both shared the same interest of staying in the library on the second floor in utter silence. Lily then smiled, and he already knew her response.
“Well then, I suggest you wait for me while I get my hat.” she said. Lucian smiled back before she swiftly turned around, leaving for her room. Returning to the front door, he stepped outside No 13, Allison Street and embraced the sunny bliss of morning. From the outside it looked like a regular three story house packed together with the rest of the neighborhood, with its brown walls and quaint arched windows. He watched as Lucy and Luin played with little sticks on the sidewalk from up on the stoop. He was nervous about many things, particularly his Initiation and why his father wanted other houses to come considering it was considered risky and unsafe. But at that moment, he tried to forget and just enjoy the warmth of a sweet summer morning before he had to go back inside for breakfast, for he knew soon autumn, and then winter, would come.
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