A Weapon’s Serenade

Focalor’s meeting with professor Broysc was mostly a waste of time. There was some posturing about who is in charge here, uneducated whining about how no one even knew what the demons were doing here and some vague threats about the guardian. In the end, everyone went back to their ships, captain Harriman was informed of the news and everyone just kept doing nothing. Sirens passed by the guardian, who simply observed their voyages, the humans pointed guns at everyone without doing anything else, and the demons just sat back and studied the situation and every piece of paper available. And when they eventually ran out, Focalor, Nemesis and Umbria got to scouring the internet for interesting things.

Weeks went by, supply ships came and went, sirens moved to Hell and life continued. Until it was nearly time for the girls to return to their next semester of university lectures. Just as Anne’s, Kuria’s and Melody’s parents made sure their daughters had everything they needed, so seemed Serena’s mum. Seemed.

“And you are sure you have everything sorted? Signed up for all the courses?”

“Yes mum.”

“And we should get you another appointment with the doctor. Can’t be too careful when even your professors don’t want you to go on trips. We need to make sure you are fine after spending all those weekends with your new friends.”

“Actually, mum, I made an appointment with a new doctor. She is part of a study for a new medication and since there was no way of things getting any better with the current stuff, why not try something else? You know, maybe hope for betterment?” That was mostly true, just that Malice didn’t need a study to know that her methods worked. They were already improving Serena’s heart condition and other physical ailments.

Her mother was not amused. “Excuse me? Why didn’t you talk to me about that before you decided anything? You aren’t the only one suffering here!”

“But I am. This is my body and the way things are going with the usual medication, I am dead before sixty. I will take any chance to get a better life and maybe a longer one.”

“I am not having my daughter go to some quack who feeds you who knows what. You will go back to the doctor I HAND PICKED FOR YOU!”

“Mum, please. This is a highly renowned doctor who can genuinely help me. Just give her a chance. If it doesn’t work, I just go back to doctor Parker and that’s it.”

“You will go back to doctor Parker NOW!”

“I won’t and you can’t make me. This is my life, my body, my future.”

“You never talked back to me like that, how dare you?! Show some respect for your mother.” She reached out for a slap, but Serena stopped her.

“How dare you attempt to harm my vessel.”

“What?! Let me go!”

“You make such demands for someone so very mortal. Sit down.”

“Who do you think you are? Let go, Serena.” Her mother tried to pull away and failed.

Serena’s body forced her mother backwards and onto the chair behind her. “I told you to sit down. You need to learn to respect your betters and to comply when you are asked to act.”

“I am your mother, I am your better. What the fuck is this?”

“You are not my mother.” Serena’s body finally let go of her mother’s wrist as Kuria tore herself out of the young human. The demon towered over Serena’s mother with a hungry glint in her eyes. “Do not attempt to harm my vessel. We have a pact and I intend to keep my end of it.”

“Wh-what are you?” Her screaming had turned into a whimper.

Kuria rolled her eyes. “Are you blind or stupid? By the looks of it, you are both. I am a demon. To pre-empt your imbecilic prattling, the terms of our pact are that your daughter receives a life free of harm, free of pain, slowly healed from her afflictions. A life worth living. In return, she is ours. In time, when she becomes weary of her human life, of the toiling in the world of mortals, of all the failures of mortal kind, she will ascend to become one of us. Her soul twisted and changed, her body freed from the chains of mortality. If she wants to be free from you…” The demon dragged her knife-sharp nails along the mother’s jaw.

“I… uh… don’t think she wants to… right, Serena, darling?”

Serena leaned to the side to peer out from behind Kuria’s towering frame. “One condition. No, actually many conditions. One, you behave. No more shouting, no more forcing to do whatever you demand, no more judging every tiny detail, you will respect me as my own person with my own rights just the way I am. Two, you find whoever my father is and tell him I exist. Three, you keep supporting me through university until I am done here. Four, you give back grandma’s amulet. I know you have it and it wasn’t lost. Five… well, if I think of a five I will let you know.”

“Five, you will not speak to anyone of this. One word and we will share you for lunch. I would have suggested breakfast but to use your own words from a mere hour ago: you got a little… rotund.”

Serena had gained a little weight, that much was true, but she had merely gone from mildly underweight to being solidly healthy. Something her mother obviously had to comment on.

Right now, there would be no comment. Serena’s mother just stared in a silence for several minutes. Kuria turned to raise an eyebrow at her friend who simply returned a shrug. Eventually, the mother spoke again, much to everyone’s surprise. “Okay, you win. Fine. Just tell me one thing, okay?”

Serena took the time to pretend to ponder her options. “Why not.”

“How did you know? About my mother’s amulet.”

“I remember more than you know, mum. You had always told me how pretty you thought it was and how grandma didn’t wear it enough and when I was nine, you had an envelope in your luggage when we returned from a weekend at grandma’s. Next time, she lamented that she must have lost it shortly before we were there the time before. Only a few words from you. ‘How sad.’ And nothing else. No words about the amulet ever again. I don’t think you ever wore it. You just couldn’t stand that she had it. A better piece of jewellery than yours. Same with the dress I wore for aunt Justine’s wedding. Must have gotten lost in the laundry. It’s in the attic. The cardboard box far in the back in the east gable. That’s also where the amulet is. And Justine’s pen, the neighbour’s windchime, the boardgame collection grandpa gifted me. All the things that were lost over the years. You stole them all because you were jealous.”

“And you never said anything…”

“How could I? I was reliant on you for money, a home, my education. You deliberately kept my father from contacting me. I don’t even know if he knows I exist. All to control me. The only thing I ever got to pick was what I study here. You didn’t care as long as I went to university because no one else in the family did. You needed me to be better than them to feel superior yourself. My infernal friend her is right, I am free now. You drop me? I can rely on them. You hurt me? They tear you apart. Oh, and obviously the new doctor is one of them. Make things right, mum. It is demonic law that whoever violates the rights of another is forced to repair the damage they did. You did so much damage, you can never repair it all. But I am no demon just yet. I am a merciful little human and I will let you have your chance at redemption. Make things right, be better.”

“I… I will try.”

“Don’t try. Do it. I will come by next Saturday to pick up my stuff. I better not find anything missing.”

“Okay.”

“Now, get out. Go home. You have a lot to do.”

Serena’s mother got up and shuffled towards the door of her daughter’s apartment. “I love you…”

“I want to believe that. Maybe I can find out in a week. Maybe I can return those words and not lie one day.”

After Serena’s mother had left, Kuria pulled her friend into a tight hug. “I am so sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s alright. And thank you for doing this, I don’t think I could have done this on my own.”

“Always happy to help a friend.”

“She was really going to hit me…” Serena let herself fall onto one of the chairs. “I never thought she would. She always screeched about how she wanted to but she was a good mother and never would.”

“She never will. Not after today.”

“I hope so.”

“How about we go somewhere to cheer you up? With Melody and Anne busy today, would you like to head out to Dis for some dinner later? We can join the orator and the other freshly turned sirens on their city tour too.”

“That sounds lovely, let’s go.”