Chrystalis sniffed. �I�m her daughter. Mother prefers to call me Chrystalis, but I was born Tara. Papa loved that name.� The final sentence was barely audible.
�Hush child!� Sparrow rebuked.
Nalani twirled a strand of hair. �Life 300 years ago as a farmer�s wife was not glamorous. I wanted something more adventurous. The Master cornered me one evening when I left to fetch water from the town well. He promised me power, freedom, and immortality.
The decision didn�t require thought. I allowed the Master to convert me. Ah, how drunken I became on the glorious feeling of invincibility!�
JC searched for the faintest signs of guilt or remorse for the selfish sacrifice she�d made. None.
�Of course, dealing with my family seemed to be obstacles blocking my reign of power. Yet, I actually wanted to keep my worthless daughter.
Oh, the ruse was easy. In the dead of night while Kaden was sleeping, the eve before Tara and I �died�, I grabbed her and returned to this very house. The Master posed 2 Lost Souls as us, and sent them to be Kaden�s wife and daughter.�
She huffed, rolling her eyes. �Much to our shock, my husband defeated the Master and drove him out of Celtic River. Afterwards, Whispers was possessed. You�ve heard the rest of the tale.�
JC didn�t believe his ears. This was more than his exhausted brain could handle.
Tara�s chin quivered. �I want my papa.�
A maroon robed minion snorted. �Don�t ask me what gave Nalani reason to think she could convert you. It has been 300 years, and you still refuse to cooperate!�
Sparrow smirked. �JC, care to learn how this assembly works?�
He wearily shrugged.
�The 4 seated Lost Souls are the best warriors. Their powers superior and their hunting skills excellent, which is why they�re recognized over the rest.
Nalani, Devon, Gandor, and myself are the �generals� of the group. Just as the Master is the Keeper of Fear, we also possess powers over negative human emotions.
I�m the assistant Keeper of Fear. Nalani is the Keeper of Hate. Gandor is the Keeper of Sadness. Devon is the Keeper of Jealousy.� The short stocky one raised his hand. �I�m Gandor.�
So the tall, brooding must be Devon.
JC felt sick. The Master was enough to deal with. Now 4 more, less-powerful demons?!
�You think we�re the tip of the iceberg?� Nalani commented dryly, �Ha! See the 9th empty chair next to the throne? Well, that is where the Master sits.�
His muscles tensed. If the Master isn�t seated at the throne, (panic), who, or what, is?!
Devon folded his arms. �So all this time you figured the Master was the big boss? His is the one who possessed Whispers, so he does own the town. But�he is the 2nd best demon. There is one higher to him, one you don�t wanna cross paths with.�
Gandor explained, �We keep that secret from innocents until they�re converted.�
Nalani sighed. �The demon who sits there, the spirit who is the Master�s boss, is the spirit you have not met. He is called Kujaur.�
Kujaur. The Dark Lord. The Devil�s right hand. Kujaur.
�We all bow down to Kujaur. Any organism with half a brain does.�
JC broke down into stifled sobs. The dam he�d built to push away his fear and anguish burst with the force of 100 men. NO! IT CAN�T BE TRUE! OUR LUCK CAN�T GET WORSE!
Devon glanced up. �Kujaur promises to deal with you and your friends.� Nalani waved her hand in the air. The duct tape peeled off JC�s mouth. He allowed his body to relax from defeat.
�Where�s Kujaur?� He asked shakily.
�Following 2 of your friends,� Nalani snickered, �In disguise.�