The Mystery of Lotus View Part 2

This is Part 2 of the Mystery of Lotus View that I finally decided to write!! Yep, yep, it's a miracle. Please, please, keep the applause and cheering down. Thank you. And now before a freak storm happens, I explode, or evil monkeys kidnap me, here is the story. Also, this one is mostly a filler. I’m still trying to decide what I’m going to do next.

"Boys." The librarian hushed the two boys who were sitting in a corner, nearly hidden behind stacks of questionable books.

"Simon, shut up!" David hissed. He glanced around, but no one seemed to be listening in onto their conversation about demon grandfathers and ways to kill them.

"How can I when you are being completely unreasonable?" Simon wailed, but he made sure to be a little quieter.

David rolled his eyes. "I only said Dad wasn't sending you a message in your mac and cheese this morning!" The brief thought of punching his little brother in the face flitted through his mind but he had no intention of being kicked out of the library. Lucky for Simon, then.

"It had a J in it!" Simon whisper-yelled. Sure, his hunches told him it was nothing special, but Simon had always been superstitious. What if it actually something and they missed it, and they never saw Dad ever again?

"It was nothing," David said sharply. "Dad probably doesn't remember who we are, much less be able to send a message to us. That's the whole magic of Lotus View, remember? Now I think I found something." It was not like he didn't want to believe it was their dad, but unlike his brother who studied myths, he was more of  a facts person himself. Like he had told his brother, it was impossible for Dad to have sent a message, much less in Simon's mac and cheese. "Listen to this." He leaned forward and showed the book he had been reading towards Simon, titled Armedon: Sovereign of Snares. "It is nearly impossible to kill a demon, though only a rare material will disable a demon to put them in Limbo for a very long time. This rare material, called Tilaliathia, only found deep within rare caves, can only be accessed by a few select sorcerers.”

“Never mind then,” Simon said, disappointed. “Where are we going to find a sorcerer who can find us this rare material? At this rate, we’ll never find Dad.”

David laid a hand on Simon’s shoulder. “If there is one thing I like about you, it’s your determination. I know I was absent from your life for a year or so, but I’ve tried my best to be a good brother. I know that you will stop at nothing to make things right. We are going to find Dad, and we are going to kill Armedon. He killed Mom, remember? And he has enslaved innocent people, including Dad. He deserves to die.” David normally was not a violent person, but the thought of someone-or something-hurting innocent people made his blood boil.

Simon heaved a sigh and smiled gratefully at his brother. “Thank you. I just wish we had more to go off of. I want to kill Armedon just as much as you do, but right now I don’t see how.”

A moment of silence passed between the two brothers. Then a shadow loomed over them.

Sorceress Tabitha Jones had been quietly observing the two boys at table surrounded by all the demonology books. She recognized them boh because they looked so much like their parents. She knew their mother; Marie Wyles had been one of her friends before Armedon killed her. Yes, she knew the story. Or at least part of the story. From what James told her before they lost touch, Marie had a speciality for killing demons, and she had been obsessed with killing the second most powerful demon, Armedon. But before she had a chance to, Armedon killed her himself.  And now her sons were here in Kansas for whatever reason. She considered texting James, but for some reason, she suspected the boys were here without their father’s permission. So, she decided to approach them and catch the scoop. 

David and Simon looked up to see a young woman in a sweater in a skirt standing there, looking questioningly at the books they were reading. “Hello, may we help you?” David asked. He looked at his brother and saw him nod. She was trustworthy, at least for now.

“My name is Tabitha Jones. I was just curious about why you are looking so much into Armedon.” She tried to sound friendly and not too curious. Nothing to scare them away.

Simon looked at his brother. “Uh,” he stuttered. “It’s just, uh, a  school project?” He never was good at lying.

“In June?”

“I-um, getting a pHd. On Armedon.” Simon could sense his brother rolling his eyes. Ths, he had to admit, had to be the stupidest lie yet.

“Oh, really?” Tabitha brightened. “Armedon has always been an interesting subject to me. Do you mind if I slide in and help you research?”

“Uh..”

“Great!” Tabitha plopped down in a chair and picked up the nearest book, “How to Defeat Armedon.” She continued to smile blithely at the boys. She suspected that the younger one was not being entirely truthful. Why do they need to lie? She wondered. What mess had they gotten themselves in now?

David gave this Tabitha character a few suspicious looks. Though his brother had given the OK, this woman seemed all too interested. But then any person could have detected the awful lie his brother gave. He snorted inwardly. A pHd. Honestly. 

It was all nice and quiet until Tabitha shut the book and leaned towards them. “I know what this is really about.” She didn’t, but she had to be confident enough so the boys would tell her all about it. 

Simon exchanged a stricken look with his brother. She knew what was going on?

David tried to assume an innocent expression. “What is it really about? My brother is getting a pHd. What else is there to know?”

“I believe that you two boys ran away from home and are now caught up in something dangerous. Something that includes a Prince of Hell, Armedon himself.”

“We don’t know what you are talking about,” Simon said. “We are from here, and I’m trying to do my research, thank you very much.”

Tabitha suddenly stopped smiling. She raised a hand, and all around them, time froze. People stopped moving and the only people who could move were the Wyles brothers and Tabitha.

David gasped. “What was that? Who are you? What are you?”

“You’re a witch,” Simon said.

Tabitha was smiling again. “A sorceress, actually.”

“What do you want with us?” Simon asked. “We aren’t doing anything wrong.”

“I know you two are the sons of James and Marie Wyles. And you two are actually from Cincinnati. And you ran away. The only question is why? Is something wrong with James?”

Simon and David looked at each other.

Should we tell her?” David asked. He and his brother could always communicate with their eyes. 

She knows Mom and Dad-knew Mom, Simon said. And she’s a sorceress. Maybe she knows what tilaliathia is, lr where she is. And maybe she’s one of those sorcerers who can help us get it.

Okay, but tread carefully. I don't trust her fully. At least not yet, David said.

“Can we trust you?” Simon asked. Tabitha. He wanted to believe she was an ally of their father.  

“I knew your mother before her death,” Tabitha said gently. “I know she would want me looking out for her sons.”

“Then you should know our father has gone missing,” David said. 

Tabitha reacted immediately. Her hand flew to her mouth and she gasped. “And you think Armedon has something to do with this,” she said grimly. 

“We know he has something to do with this. Have you heard of some place called Lotus View?”

The brothers briefed Tabitha on all they learned.

“And Caleb told us we need to summon Armedon and force him to release Lotus View,” David finished.

“Woah, woah, woah.” Tabitha held up a hand. “Whose Caleb?”

“A friend of our fathers,” Simon said. “He was the who told us how to get Dad back.”

“I don’t recall James ever being friends with someone named Caleb.” Well maybe if you kept in touch with James, you would know, Tabitha scolded herself but she pushed the thought aside. 

“Dad and Caleb’s father were friends.” David said.

“I see,” Tabitha said, but she didn’t. She said, “And you think tialiathia will kill Armedon.”

Simon looked at his brother. “Why, you know how to get it? Can you get it for us? Please?” He asked eagerly. 

Tabitha frowned. “Of course I can get it. I’m one of the few who can. But it is extremely dangerous, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“But if we don’t have it, then we will never get our father back,” said David. He looked at her pleadingly. “We have to get Dad back. We don’t know what we will ever do without him.”

Tabitha looked at the two for a long moment. Their faces were filled with nothing but determination. She sighed and relented. “Fine. But only because James is in trouble. But if something goes wrong, and you get hurt, it’s not my fault.”

“Thank you” Simon and David chorused. They looked at each other and smiled. 

Tabitha held up her hand. “You told me Caleb equipped you with weapons. But you need rest and food. You look like you have been travelling for days. Come back to my place and get rested. Stay the night. Then, tomorrow, we can save your dad.”

“We?” David asked. “Are you coming with us?”

Tabitha smiled conspiratorially. “Of course. Summoning a demon works better when you have a sorceress with you. And besides, Marie would have killed me if I let you two go alone.”

“Fine, I guess,” David said. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Tabitha lifted her hand and the library resumed its normal activity. No one gave any sign that time had frozen. She smiled to herself. Ordinary people had no idea magic existed. It made them so much more adorable. “I’ll take you to my place. I have ice cream that I probably shouldn’t eat by myself. “And more candy. My dentist told me that I shouldn’t be eating a lot of junk food. But I am a sorceress. I can eat whatever I want, can’t I?”

“Uh, sure,” Simon replied. He was beginning to think this lady was kinda crazy. But for some reason, he found it endearing, cute even. Wait, what? Where did that come from? Tabitha was about his age, sure, but he just met her!! She was a sorceress. She could be a hundred years old for all he knew! He shook his head. He shouldn’t be pursuing a relationship. AT least not now. Maybe after… No, shut up, he told himself fiercely. 

“Great.” It only took one look at his brother, and David knew his brother was starstruck. Tabitha was good looking, and her personality was nice, but now was not the time. They had a demon to kill. David stood up. “Can you tell us your address? I have a car.”

“It’s five minutes away and I walked,” Tabitha said. “Drive me home?” She smiled at Simon.

“Of course!!” Simon nearly killed himself getting up. “I mean, uh sure.” He tried to sound nonchalant.

Tabitha hid a smile. “Thank you.”

They got in the car and Tabitha gave David her address. As he drove, David felt more confident. Tabitha seemed helpful and with her and Caleb’s help, they could find their dad!

Simon was elated. With the beautiful Tabitha’s help, they could now find their dad and kill Armedon once and for all.

Tabitha was glad she could help. She liked Marie and James and eager to help their sons. 

The three were on their way to solve a great evil. Things were looking up.

To be Continued....