Duality by Rowan Erlking (classic books for 13 year olds txt) 📕

“He’s good enough,” she said.

They hurried over the last steps, the ground floor hallway in sight with the door not far. Looking around at the servants going this way and that, the children already gathered back into their rooms with the doors shut, Bernum figured the wizard ought to have enough noise around them to give distraction so he could sneak in. At least, Bernum hoped it. The man had promised.

Taking Malkia’s hand, Bernum clasped it tight and he led her towards the front hall.

“And where are you going?” Omoni stepped right in front of the bottom stair step. Behind him, a wall of guards closed the rest of the space.  Clearly the demon hadn’t taken the merchant out as he had hoped, though gunfire even now continued on down the hallway from the study. Jonis was still alive at least.

Bernum placed himself between his sister and the men. “Let us pass.”

Omoni shook his head like a disappointed uncle, tsking with clicks of his tongue. “I knew something was going on between the two of you. I could tell from the first night I saw you. A boy who lies so well; he even deceives a truth bell. You are either my concubine’s consort or a conspiring admirer. Which is it?”

“Neither,” Bernum said within a growl. One particular loud shot cracked, making the windows rattle.

“Who are you really?” Omoni asked, leaning in closer, his lips set apart with his teeth bared as if he would bite Bernum’s neck out.

Squaring his shoulders, Bernum glanced once at Malkia who was staring daggers at the crooked merchant. Brother and sister together, yet there was no way past those men…except one. Bernum set his hands together to try it.

One of the guards seized his wrist. He pulled Bernum’s hands apart. Another guard grabbed the free one.

Wrestling to release them, Bernum kicked out. “No! Let me go!”

“Who are you?” Omoni shouted. “Did Head Magician Jimmit really send you?”

“Of course he did!” Bernum kicked one man in the shins. Gunfire continued behind them. The demon was still giving the merchant’s unholy horde of men trouble.

One of the guards swung a punch into Bernum’s gut. The force pulled both him and the ones holding him back, but did no harm to Bernum himself. However, his assailant clenched his own wrist with his teeth set. The man’s finger’s smoked.

Omoni gestured to the other guards.

Four more seized Bernum’s arms, grabbing what they could from his shoulder down. All that weight pressed on him, forcing him straight down to his knees, though Bernum fought with what he had to stay upright. Yet they kept forcing him down, even to a bow where one of the men at last grabbed hold of Bernum’s hair. They dragged him to Omoni’s feet.

Malkia had been screaming, jumping at the guards. “Bernum! Get up!”

They shoved her away.

“Who is he? Tell me,” Omoni said to her in a voice that exuded his usual smug confidence. Bernum wished to bite off his ankles—that was all he could see or reach anyway. His scalp was nearly pressed on the floor.

“I already told you.” She sobbed aloud. “He’s a magician.”

The gunfire behind Omoni died down. The hush of it sent shivers through those holding Bernum, their heads lifting then turned with hope.

The merchant lifted his head with triumph as he looked back.

Thin smoke clouds filled that end of the hall over the prone shapes. Bernum peered up when the grip on his head released, and he too looked. Striding from the gray mist, he recognized the rainbow trim of the colorful greatcoat then the white face of the demon whose blue eyes shone like sapphires, Jonis’s bloody two-handed sword heaved up on his shoulder as he advanced.

 “Kill it, for pity’s sake!” Omoni pushed Malkia up the steps, gesturing for the four holding Bernum to follow him as the merchant ran up after her. Malkia grabbed hold of the railing, clinging on with all her strength until Omoni ordered her to move or else.

She called out. “Jonis!”

“I’m coming!” Jonis heaved off his sword from his shoulder, charging ahead to meet them.

 The wall of guards turned around. Even as the ones holding Bernum heaved him onto his feet to follow their master with him, Bernum recognized the shudder of fear through their backs.

“I’ll be with you in a minute,” Jonis called out, his eye on Bernum.

The guards shot off their pistols, bracing along the base of the stairs. Some of them retreated up it as the merchant fled with his ‘property’.

But Bernum was unable to stop them from dragging him upward. Malkia’s screams made him go only more willingly. Soon they were back on the third floor.

Omoni shoved Malkia back into her room. Bernum joined them shortly after, once more thrust to his knees as soon as the door was locked. They made him bow down.

“What is he besides a magician?” Omoni screamed at Malkia, slapping her across the face.

“A man,” Malkia answered, though she stooped with her hand over the swelling. Her eyes watching Bernum as her tears flooded down her cheeks.

Omoni advanced hard over her, grabbing her thick hair in his hands. “I know he is a man. Tell me something about him that I don’t know.”

Lifting her chin, Malkia stretched up her neck as the necklace constricted, digging into her skin. With a painful gasp, she said, “He doesn’t like peaches.”

The necklace loosened.

The merchant groaned.

Turning away from Malkia, Omoni gestured to his guards again. The pressure on Bernum’s neck and shoulders had been bad enough before, but now their hands bent his neck so that his chin almost touched his chest. The grip on his hair practically pulled out at their roots. Omoni walked over, taking something from his inside vest pocket.

“No!” Malkia leapt at the merchant, her fingernails as claws.

One of the guards let go of Bernum’s wrist and slapped her back. Bernum grabbed the grip on his head with his free hand. He dug in with his nails.

“Let go of him!”

There was a scuffle.

Malkia fell down on her rump. Her eyes followed the merchant’s hands as he brought it to the part of Bernum’s exposed neck that was outside the hate ward on his belt. Omoni drew a chain under her brother’s chin then clasped at the back, uttering a phrase that both brother and sister recognized as a spell.

Bernum tried to leap up, but the thugs held his head down. His eyes were only able to see the floor and the tips of Omoni’s shoes.

“You can release him,” Omoni said.

They did.

Staggering, Bernum lurched forward first. The chain around his neck fought with the hate ward around his waist. Then it passed through, though unwillingly. Bernum righted himself with a whipped-up stare at the merchant. Omoni was grinning triumphantly again.

“Now tell me, Magician,” Omoni said in a calm voice. “Who is Malkia to you?”

Bernum looked to his sister, tears burning at the corners of his eyes. She gazed back with the same distress, defiance still in her stare. She took a step to his side, nodding to him. Bernum put his arm around her shoulders.

“She’s my sister.”

Omoni blinked then stared, peering at their faces. His eyes went from one to the other. “No…you have to be the same age. I’m sure of that.”

“She’s my twin,” Bernum said, though he glared at the merchant with all the fury that swelled within him. If he had a spell to curse the merchant with for that very moment, he would use it. Unfortunately he didn’t know the extent of the power of the necklace around his neck. Bernum gently pushed Malkia behind him instead. “And you have no right to her.”

Omoni broke into a laugh, one not so much as sinister as it was full of amusement. He continued to laugh, wiping one eye.

Both brother and sister bristled where they stood.

Yet, Omoni did not quit laughing until thoroughly satisfied that he had enjoyed what he considered to be a good joke. Then he said as bold as ever, “I have every right to her. You are just a brother. Her father didn’t come to—”

“Only because you poisoned him!” Bernum stomped forward. “That makes you a murderer.”

That only got Bernum a snort. Omoni walked towards the door. “Who is going to believe the words of a witch who consorts with demons?”

Tromping after him, Bernum said through his teeth, “Head Master Jimmit expects me back. If I don’t make it back with Malkia, he will come after you.”

Omoni cast Bernum a dry look as he opened the door. “Yes. About that, your headmaster is currently dealing with legal troubles. Some fraud fiasco about teaching witchcraft at his school, I think.”

Bernum stiffened, knowing if Jimmit had trouble it was Omoni’s doing. “He didn’t teach witchcraft.”

“He taught you,” Omoni said, his smug grin curling up more at the side.

“Malkia taught me the herbal arts,” Bernum said.

Pausing, Omoni looked to Malkia who had long learned to hold her tongue when dealing with the merchant. His eyes inspected her face. She glared back with complete loathing, as all the things she wanted to say to the man had already been said.

“You are to stay in this room, while I draft up a new contract,” Merchant Omoni announced with decision. “Then we will write a letter together to your school saying you intend to stay under my employ indefinitely.”

He continued on his way out. Omoni grinned wider as his mind was clearly going over the possibilities of owning fraternal twins, never mind their magic skills.

His guards exited first.

Bernum stomped to get out the door. “I will not—”

Immediately, the necklace started to cut into Bernum’s neck. Grasping it, he took a step back, breathing hard.

With a jump forward Malkia grabbed her brother’s arm and pulled him farther into the room. The necklace loosened right away. Bernum looked at his hands then wiped his neck, checking his palms again.

Red.

Malkia was already dabbing his throat, her eyes still glaring at Omoni.

“You can’t keep me here,” Bernum said, pulling even closer to his sister who was tugging his necklace down with a curse under her lips. “There is no law that justifies locking up an employee that has done no wrong—”

“No wrong?” Omoni snorted, peering back at the pair in the room. “You led a demon into my house. There is nothing more wrong than that.”

Malkia huffed, ready for a retort.

“If you try to keep me here, I’ll just destroy this house, one wall at a time,” Bernum said.

Malkia blinked up at him, wondering if he had a spell for that.

Omoni snorted. The guards shared wary looks though.

“I don’t think you are that powerful,” Omoni said, looking Bernum up then down.

Bernum walked to the far wall where there was a window. He hardly glanced at it, though. “I was reserving this spell for an emergency. I made a deal with Head Master Jimmit to keep the magic I did here rudimentary.” He looked to Malkia with a nod then stroked a seven pointed star shape on the stone with his finger, muttering under his breath. With the command word, “dust” the wall crumbled into fine powder. Hissing, it left a gaping hole in the space where the star had been.

The guards staggered away from him.

Omoni even took one step, but then stopped firm. A million angry thoughts coursed behind his eyes as he glared venomously at the tall pharmacist’s son.

Malkia hopped to her brother, hugging his back. “Oh, Bernum!”

“Let go of him,” Omoni ordered. “And step back.”

Cringing with bite, Malkia cast the merchant an acid look, but did as ordered.

Turning to Bernum, Omoni waved to the opening just made and said, “Jump out.”

Bernum glanced to the hole. He felt the necklace constrict as he peered with apprehension at the drop into the courtyard below. The necklace would behead him if he didn’t jump—but looking down at the hard stone at the bottom of the three-floor drop he knew that with luck he would only get a broken leg. Unlucky—a broken neck. Bernum hoped to be