• The Other Chapters:
    Chapter 1
    Chapter 2
    Chapter 3
    Chapter 5

    Chapter 4

    Jard poked his head around the door. He knew she had class down this hallway and he wanted to catch her when she finished. Everything was silent. He stepped back inside and sighed. He settled himself into a chair. A slamming and then loud chatter told him that there was a least one class done. He swung his head out again and caught sight of her jet-black hair. She was coming his way. As she passed by, he reached out and hooked her arm. He tugged her into the room and pulled the door shut. Slowly he turned, hoping she hadn’t overreacted. She seemed calm enough, but he didn’t want to push it. Softly he spoke. “Hey Ri. How’re you? Um…do you have a few minutes?” He waited in tense silence for her to speak. “Oookaayy. Look. I think you should know how I feel. Since I first met you—” he trailed off as she put her hand in the air.
    “Jard. Stop. You have no idea how many times I have heard this exact same speech.” His heart fell. He had known this was what would happen. “I hate repetition. You, of all people, should know that. So I think I’ll try something different.” She smiled a sweet smile. Hope began to rise in his chest. “And you’re definitely the sweetest guy to have ever tried that speech on me. How about a date? Just to try it?” Her smiled widened as he nodded his agreement. “Good. Was that all you wanted? I’m behind on my homework.” He hesitated but decided that since things were going so well, he took the plunge.
    “Um…I want to talk about Haily. She’s really a very nice girl and I don’t know why she’s so unwilling to be your friend. Could you maybe try—” He stumbled to a stop as he watched her face grow redder and darker with each word he said. Abruptly she spun on her heel and stormed out. He stared after her for several seconds, shocked. He shook himself and raced out the door. He searched up and down the hall, hoping for even a glimpse of her. Eventually he gave up, leaned his head against the wall and slammed his fist into it over and over again.
    “Damn it! She’s not going to be friendly, no matter how hard I try. She definitely hates me now.”
    “You make it sound like her hating you is the end of the world,” a light voice said jokingly.
    “What? No magic?” Jard filled his voice with sarcasm as he looked towards Haily.
    “Huh. You know I can’t see into the future all the time. Most of the time I’m your friend. Or, at least I was.” She muttered the last bit to herself. She addressed Jard again. “It’s my job to get you out of these really ugly problems. Hmm. You say she hates you, but how do you feel about her?”
    “What are you doing here?”
    “Me? Hello? I just got out of class. You didn’t answer my question.”
    “How much did you hear?”
    “Everything.” She rolled her eyes, saying she didn’t actually hear anything.
    Jard was oblivious to her sarcasm. “Haily. You have to forget everything you heard. It’s private.”
    “I see. So you’re closer to Ri now than you are to me.” Haily closed her eyes to stop the tears. “I’m going to leave now so you can think about Ri. See you Ja—” She stumbled. Jard caught her but missed the woman who had run into her. She was sandy blonde, with brilliant blue eyes that were clouded now. Haily gasped. “It’s Jalene! But, what’s wrong with her?” Jalene leaned against the wall and gasped. Her mouth gaped and her alto voice came out with an unearthly echo.


    At the time of the half moon
    The sun shall go dark
    With the call of the loon
    Come the Lords of the Mark.


    Jalene gasped and crumpled to the floor. Jard managed to catch her head before it crashed into solid stone. “Jalene? Jalene?!” Haily knelt and pleaded with the unresponsive form, begging it to breathe. “Please Jalene! You can’t do this! Please Jalene! I need you!” Her voice cracked and tears spilled down her cheeks.
    “Haily! Calm down! Haily!” Jard made placating motions towards Haily. “We have to be calm if we’re going to get her help.” He reached out a hand to grab a passing ankle. “Hey!” a voice yelped. “Call an ambulance! Quick!” Jard told the ankle. Suddenly there was a young, intelligent face surrounded by tousled blonde hair near Haily’s face. She blinked, soaking in the calm radiating from Gary.
    “Wait. You guys take care of her. I’m no good in emergencies. Let me call.” She sat on the floor and whipped out her cell phone. Quickly she dialed and explained the situation the best she could, leaving out everything she had heard in the classroom. While she talked, the men did what they could for Jalene. Haily snapped her phone shut and asked if she could do anything to help. Jard glanced at Gary, who nodded and turned to Haily. He gently gripped her shoulders and looked her directly in the eye. “Haily? Are you listening?” She blinked back tears and nodded for him to continue. “Look. We’re not experts at this, but,” here he paused and waved his hand towards Jalene. “She doesn’t look too good. Wait wait wait. Before you have a melt down, I want you to know, I believe there is always a chance for a miracle, ok? And she probably deserves a miracle. Based on the way you reacted, you’re her friend?”
    Haily gulped back tears and nodded. “Yeah, she’s my roommate. And my study buddy.”
    “Mhm. Thought so. She’s going to be fine. I promise. Will you trust me and stay as calm as possible. We don’t want pandemonium when the ambulance finally gets here. Ok? All right.” Gary’s voice was soothing, like a gentle stream in spring. Softly she fell into a restful slumber. The last thing she remembered was being caught for a second time in one day by Jard.

    “It seems I have a helpful demon among my ranks.” Ri spun slowly in a small circle in the center of her workroom. She spoke sweetly, dripping fire into her words. “Which of you took the initiative to send a prophecy to” she looked at the paper in her hands “ ‘one Jalene’? Oh come now! Don’t worry. I won’t do anything too dramatic.” She looked each of them in the eye as she spun. All save one, which refused to look in her eyes. “Ah. The little beast that conducted the interview.” She clasped her hands behind her back and strode over to stand in front of him. “So. What prompted you to do such a rash action? Hmm?”
    The lizard-man was quaking. “I wanted to make up for my earlier mistake Mistress. Please. I did this for you.”
    “For me? I’m flattered.” As she spoke her body morphed. The young woman named Ri melted away to become the Demon Queen Jacaia. Her voice deepened and attained a dissonant ring. “Now. For your intuition, you get a special seat of honor. Follow me.” She spun on her heel and led the way to the wall. “I think an extra large one would be most suitable. This one should do.” The chair she stopped in front of was twelve feet tall with countless wires attached. She looked at it for a moment before turning and beckoning. “Come. Everyone wishes to see your moment of triumph.” The lizard-man gulped and took the steps up to the chair. Carefully he sat, wincing away from the chair. He glanced up in surprise. He had expected some sort of shock. Jacaia waited long enough for the surprise to fade before flicking her fingers. The lizard-man watched as her fingers seemed to move in slow motion. As they reached full extension, he jerked. For several agonizing seconds, his body was thrown back and forth as electricity coursed through him. When his movements stilled she turned away and singled out one of the lesser demons standing along the side. “Have this cleared away. That was a lesson for all of you,” she said facing those who stood stock still. “Now. Back to work. We have more Lords to find. And a world to conquer.”