Rich Boy: Growing Pains - 3. Chapter 3

Worthington stood on the balcony that ran the outside length of the castle and watched the work going on below him. He'd wondered how the dwarves had gotten all the materials here for the buildings, and he could see the answer below as a series of large eighteen wheel trucks waited to be unloaded by a team of dwarves using levitation spells. There was a mix of everything on those trucks, from stone to marble, to hot water heaters, electrical wiring, plumbing and everything in between including kitchen sinks.

Each load of materials was stacked in different areas throughout the village, where more dwarves appeared to put the material into instant use. It was Sunday morning, and Worthington had to wonder how much they were paying the truck drivers to work over the weekends. After the trucks were unloaded, the dwarves cast spells on the drivers before they left, obviously some sort of memory modification.

Lokar had shared many things with them last night, and it had been a night of very little sleep for Worthington. His bed was very comfortable, and Brandon's presence in it was comforting, even if they didn't have sex. Still, he'd woken up from a dream about a childhood vacation to Las Vegas, and watching the Medieval jousting in one casino and laughing with his brother.

Worthington Michael Sinclair the Fifth had never been to Las Vegas, and he had not known he had a brother until he came to Phoenix nearly a year ago. Those memories were Jamie's, and the joining-born consciousness that called itself Sinclair had struck in his sleep, rejoining some more memories of Jamie's with his, trying to bring them closer together. He'd spent the waning hours of the night until the sun rose ripping those memories apart from his and tracing down their roots so that he knew they were Jamie's and not his. His brother was doing much the same thing, but they worked on their problems alone, as they had to if they were going to stay who they were.

"Breakfast is ready," Brandon called from the doorway to his room, and Worthington sighed before leaving the balcony to head inside. This morning's meal was being served in the private dining room just outside their rooms, and everyone else was already there. Jamie looked as tired as he did, while Carl was nearly bouncing in his seat with excitement to go exploring.

He and Jamie were both wearing more shirts and pants that were gifts from the dwarf king. Today, Worthington's shirt was a dark russet color while Jamie's was beige. The clothing was comfortable, for all that it offered as much protection as soldiers got from bulletproof vests, and Lokar promised that it would stay cool in the heat of summer, and warm in winter.

"Mr. Wilson should be arriving later this morning, with Housemaster Jones, Colin, and a few others." Brandon reminded him as they began to eat the breakfast that Sapha had sent up to them. Before they'd gone to bed the night before she had produced four more dwarves for them to 'interview' and after a few minutes of talking to them, he had set the necessary blocks and other protective spells in them that would keep them from revealing anything they learned while working for him.

"We should work some more on the wards before they arrive." Jamie offered while Rob grunted his displeasure at the task. His wards the night before had been adequate, if not anything spectacular, but he'd been happy when he saw the room that was to be his and the wardrobe. It seemed the dwarves knew who each of his companions was, their favorite colors, and their sizes. This morning Rob was wearing a skin-tight light blue shirt and dark jeans that he had not brought with him.

"I think you're right," Worthington said to his brother. "How about you take the practice room downstairs and I'll work on the wards we'll want for this floor? Rob, could you help Jamie with the wards for the practice rooms downstairs."

"Sure," Rob grunted.

With the ability to draw all the power he needed from Brandon, it wasn't much work to set the wards he wanted on their residence floor. The first wards were privacy wards, to keep people from scrying into his bedroom, or listening to their conversations. Following those were other wards to warn of people approaching the floor when one of the mage-gifted people who belonged up here was on the floor. Then there were more wards to make sure that anything magical carried in with a person was not left behind, either a trap spell or a mage-powered listening device. There were more spells after that, and he knew that as time went by they would layer more and more spells on top of the basis that was created today. The dwarven spells that were in place he left there, albeit only after testing them carefully to make sure they were innocuous. He determined they were harmless: the spell to lower the television in the sitting room, another spell that would allow sunlight through the windows without altering the temperature inside, and similar little housekeeping spells.

When he finished, he left Brandon to 'do some work' as the guy said, and went to the balcony again. It faced south; towards the entrance beyond the stone walls that he could still see clearly. Another set of trucks was just leaving the entrance area, and the dwarves appeared to be busy at work. They appeared to be finishing the roofs of two buildings, covering them with slate of different colors and he thought about how the dwarves wanted to reintroduce themselves into society.

Part of him wanted to reject the idea out of hand. Magic and the modern world did not could not mix. That was what all mages learned from the earliest age that they could begin casting magic. To let the mundanes know they existed was to invite disaster.

Yet Lokar had argued intelligently about how different the modern world was from the world of old. Doctors were revered for their ability to cure things that had once been incurable and were looked up to as though they could do things no one else could do. Computer geeks that ushered in the new age of technology were honored for their achievements. Homosexuals were not just tolerated by many but were openly accepted.

Lokar believed they could slowly introduce the concepts of magic and magical beings to the outside world, and that the newer, more liberal and accepting world would grow to accept them. It was in the struggle for civil rights, first for blacks, and then for Latinos and women, as well as for homosexuals that Lokar saw the greatest possibility for magical beings to be accepted. Mundanes believed people had rights, and Lokar believed they would see magical beings as having rights as well, and would eventually accept them.

It was the eventually part that worried Worthington, as well as some of the things he had learned about the dwarven halls. They had been taking in refugees, humans made homeless or persecuted by other humans for decades now. In fact, in their crowded halls, nearly three hundred humans lived arm-in-arm with dwarves. It was from these humans that Sapha planned to recruit more servants to staff this house, and it was from these humans that Lokar and his King believed that they could really emerge into the modern world and be accepted.

At least the dwarves understood they could not make a unilateral decision that would affect all beings associated with magic. Elves, humans, and others would have to be involved in this decision. Worthington did not look forward to those discussions with the Mage's Council of the Valley of the Sun. In fact, he'd refused to even consider it until he'd met the dwarf king and discussed things directly with him.

This village was to be their test case, their trial run. It would appear, in a few months or a year, as a tourist trap. One of those destinations tourists go to in order to be entertained. Clairville would be a sort of Lords of the Rings-style village where people could go to see warriors, elves, dwarves, and magic. Most would not believe it was more than showmanship and special effects, but some would believe, and from there the dwarves and others would be able to gauge their success or failure.

Worthington's attention was drawn back to the gate as he watched several vehicles pull inside and begin to wind their way through the streets. He recognized the first one as being the red SUV of Matt Wilson, the mage-teacher he'd hired a few months ago. Behind him were the black rented SUVs commonly used by Byron Jones when he visited, and there were three of them today, which meant he'd brought a few people along with him.

Behind them in pairs was a line of motorcycles, headed by the familiar bike of Barry's at the lead. Worthington smiled at the display of MRs behind the vehicles, an obvious escort on the mages within them. He wondered if the Mage's Council had caught this little performance, which was very possible with the wards they had been setting over areas like the airports and all the freeway entrances to the valley. It would have done well for them to see the MRs riding escort on strange mages passing through town.

A quick flick of thought informed Jamie that their next set of guests had arrived. His brother was still in the basement and was putting the finishing touches on several new wards covering the area that would be their largest training facility. Wilson would want to add to it later, of course, and there were all those rooms in the tower to divide up still.

Brandon fell in behind him with a quick smile as he headed out of his suite of rooms and began the descent to the ground level. By the time he reached the first floor, Jamie was standing there already, looking like he'd just taken a few minutes to wipe the sweat from his face and straighten his hair. Both of them had been letting their hair grow out since school ended a little bit ago, and would continue to let it grow all summer. That was also part of the tradition of their motorcycle gang.

"So, you ready?" Jamie asked, and Worthington nodded, not trusting his voice. He wanted to say how Jamie wouldn't have to ask if they lowered the stupid barrier between them. Instead, he strengthened it, not trusting it to stay up if he was distracted by their visitors overly much.

"Welcome to Clairville Keep, gentlemen." The voice of Daga declared as he opened the main door. He was one of the dwarven 'helpers' hired the night before. Byron Jones and Matt Wilson walked in together, followed by a rather large group of people. Wilson was a man in his mid-thirties, with brown hair, black eyes, and an average build. His stomach was growing just a little pudgy as he neared middle age, and his skin was slightly tanned already from the Phoenix sun. Behind and to his left, fifteen-year-old red-haired Colin Davenport strode confidently.

Colin had denounced the Light path, and his parents last year, claiming Sanctuary. Jamie had granted him that sanctuary and now looked after the younger teen's interests, including paying Wilson a hefty salary to teach him. The former Light mage was powerful, and would one day become an Adept once his skill caught up to his power, although he would come into that skill later in life than either Worthington or Jamie had.

"Mister Wilson, thank you for bringing Colin," Jamie said with a smile as the red-haired teenager left the group of men filtering into the entrance hall and went to stand behind Jamie, next to Carl.

"A pleasure, Mister Bradwell," Wilson said with a very slight bow of his head as he moved to stand between Jamie, Worthington, and Byron Jones. He wasn't exactly between, but off to the side in the space that was left between the Housemaster of Worthington's old boarding school and the gaggle of students, and former students he had brought with him this week. Worthington recognized several of them. Barry and the other MRs had entered behind the group and were standing around in a half-circle, unconsciously playing the role of guards to this gathering of mages.

"You have received quite an impressive set of gifts from the dwarves." Byron Jones said with a raised eyebrow. "What is it they intend with this place?"

"That is none of your concern, for now." Worthington snapped more irritably than he had intended. Both he and Jamie were unnerved in the man's presence these days. Who had he told about them and what they were going through? How far could they trust him to help them?

"Allow me to introduce two of my former students to you," Jones said in a calm voice as he motioned two young men forward. They stopped on his right, and Worthington looked them over. Both were around 5'11", and no more than 190 lbs although the one with black eyes seemed a little heavier than the one with brown eyes. They weren't terribly handsome, but neither were they ugly or plain. Both of them were mages, and while no stronger than Rob, they had the carefully radiating feel of controlled power. That meant they were probably well-trained, and if they were Jones's former students, that would indicate they were much better trained than Rob would ever achieve. "The young man with the brown hair is Nick Wooten, and this young man with the slightly hooked nose is his homosexual lover, Dakota Ungashick. They have recently been disowned from their families for refusing to marry and spouting off of their undying love for each other."

"I am sorry to hear your family has rejected you, gentlemen," Worthington said with a slight nod at the two guys who winced at Byron Jones's rather direct statement. "Housemaster Jones, why do you bring them to my attention?"

"We went to him asking if he could help us find work." Nick Wooten said in a melodic voice. While his features bordered on plain, his voice was beautiful. "Our families cut us off, and it's hard to find work right now. I just finished my degree in Economics, and Dakota has a degree in Accounting. None of the major companies will hire us both though, and we don't like the idea of living in different cities. We're well-trained mages as well, and if you give us a place together, well we'll be mighty grateful."

"They say they are well-trained, but they've forgotten some of the precepts of the Dark." Jones frowned. "That made me think of you, and so I brought them here. We cannot use them at the school, and I will not have them teaching Dark students when they do not follow the Dark the way they should."

"Brandon, show the two gentlemen around the house," Worthington said after a moment of consideration. This was damn convenient, and he didn't fully trust Byron Jones. Still, he knew he could use full adults who were loyal to him, and who were mages on his side. These two might be that, or they might be a trap. Only time and a lot of magic would tell.

"Gladly." Brandon smiled as he stepped forward, and he took the two men off through one of the other doors. That left eight more young mages around Byron Jones.

"Eight days ago, a horde of demons attacked a small town in rural Nevada." Byron Jones said in a voice that nearly rang with outrage. "Sixteen mundanes and four mages were killed in the attack. Adept Kullinane who lives near the area was able to keep mundane authorities out of the problem and has kept it quiet. Adept Showalter found that a small group of mages living in a commune near his home in Kansas were slaughtered nearly two weeks ago by demons. He did regular business with them, and went searching for them when they missed a deadline on a project for him."

"That is none of my concern," Worthington said with a shrug. "When the mages of Phoenix called for help, both of those men turned their backs. Showalter wouldn't even return my calls or answer the phone. They made it clear demons here are my concern, and I say demons there are their concern."

"No one expects you to do anything about them, Worthington." David Heart said snidely as he stepped forward. "Hell, I wouldn't lift a finger to help those two deadbeats if they asked. I'm worried about my family though. We live on the outskirts of a town and have an estate a lot like your old one. It'd be a ripe target for demons, and we couldn't depend on anyone's help reaching us in time, or anyone even answering."

"Then what do you want?" Worthington demanded archly.

"I thought you beat them," David replied. "Didn't you make a deal with them to leave mages alone? How come they're breaking it?"

"I made a deal with Zaroc to leave the mages of Phoenix and its surrounding areas alone." Worthington laughed. "I remember telling him that our deal did not include anywhere, or anyone else."

"So you're fine with letting them attack anyone else?" David spat.

"I didn't see you coming here to help us defend this area when they attacked us." Worthington shrugged.

"How did you fight them?" David asked in a rush. "Can you show us what you did to fight and beat them?"

"You wouldn't be able to summon the spell I used at the end." Worthington scoffed lightly, although he was feeling a bit of sympathy for his former schoolmate. "It was a spell of the Light."

"But you used other magic, right?" Terrence Wright, a tall, thin guy with sandy blonde hair who was a year older than Worthington asked. He must have just graduated from the boarding school this last year. "I mean, you used Dark spells too, right?"

"We did," Jamie said cautiously. "I am certain you know most of them already."

"You can train us though, show us what you did." David insisted. "I heard you used mundanes too as a warning system."

"We did," Worthington admitted. "You see them behind you now."

"Show us what you did." Terrence insisted. "Fine, we didn't help you when you were under attack, but that doesn't mean we deserve to die at the hands of demons. They'll only get stronger and eventually come after you again."

"I seem to remember using that argument and it having no effect." Worthington countered, but their obvious fear was having an effect on him. Jones was watching him silently, showing no emotion through all this.

"You won't even help us prepare to fight them?" David asked with real fear causing his voice to shake. "What if we moved here? Huh? What if we lived here? Would you make us abandon the Dark like you've done?"

"There are Dark mages living in Phoenix now," Worthington replied calmly. "If you or any other mage choose to reside here, you will be welcome so long as you do not seek to harm other mages."

"What about this Mage's Council you've formed?" Terrence argued. "We have to swear fealty or something to them or you or that other guy behind you?"

"Of course not." Jamie snorted. "There's no fealty involved. The Council provides for the common defense of all, and you might be asked to help with that, but it does not rule the everyday lives of our people."

"So you'll let people move here if they want?" David asked again suspiciously.

"Yes," Worthington answered. "They could even move here, to this village the dwarves are building, if they can buy a home from the dwarves. A warning though: this place was not included in the deal with the Demon Lord. He may choose to attack it. If an attack happens while I am here, I will, of course, fight them, but I will not seek them out."

"They'd be fools to do that." Lokar's voice came from the doorway, surprising Worthington. He'd not felt the dwarf arrive, but then he'd been distracted. Two of the MRs moved aside, and Lokar strode around the group of Dark mages, eyeing them as he went to stand near Worthington. "Forgive me for interrupting, Adept, but so many strange mages arriving in our village, of course, attracted my attention. Would you introduce us?"

"Naturally, Governor," Worthington said with a slight bow of his head. "Here are Matt Wilson, a mage in my employ, Byron Jones, a sometimes instructor of mine, David Heart and Terrence Wright, both students at a school I formerly attended. With them are other students from that school. Gentlemen, this is Governor Lokar, who was appointed as representative of King Odras and governs the town of Clairville in which you now stand."

"It is a pleasure, gentlemen," Lokar said with a broad smile as he turned to face the men and Worthington watched him calmly. As the dwarf continued speaking, Worthington noticed Brandon appear with the two men in their mid-twenties. "I couldna help but hear you have more problems with demons. They know better than to bother dwarves, I assure you. It was towards the end of the Demon Wars we found a metal alloy strong enough to cut their skins open, and while they killed many of us before that, there at the end they ran from the field of battle against our warriors. Since then no demon has ever bothered a dwarf."

"You have weapons that work against the demons?" David asked with a shrewd look on his face. "I suppose it is all swords and axes and the like."

"We have those, yes." The dwarf nodded. "We also have guns. Dwarves are not stuck in the old ways. We understand guns and the wonderful damage they do, and we have made bullets that work the same as our swords and axes against demon skins. Only a fool would think they were gone forever. Hungry they are, always, and ever trying to find a way to their favorite foods. Since that be us, the beings that live in this world, we know to always be ready for them."

"We can pay for what you can provide," David said firmly. "We are not poor."

"Lad, you will be when you pay what we charge." The dwarf laughed. "The making of the alloy takes years, and we only keep a small supply ready at any time. With demons about, we will keep most for ourselves, but there is some available for sale now, and there will be more later. Our seer warned us she saw demons ahead and we began making more of the stuff years ago. It will be expensive though because it requires much work and much time and dwarf magic."

"We'll pay it," Terrence promised vehemently. "At least someone is willing to help us out."

"Aye, we'll help, for a good price and with the consent of the Sinclair," Lokar said with a glance at Worthington. "This is his land, and our bargain with him gives him a percentage of all sales made here."

"Does he control who you do business with?" David sneered.

"He does not control, but we extend this as a courtesy to him." The Governor said haughtily with a frown at David Heart. "Boy, you would do well to guard your tone. You do not speak to your inferiors here."

"I believe many mages would be interested in the things you might eventually have for sale here." Byron Jones spoke up for the first time in a while. "Will they all have to be approved by young Sinclair?"

"No, but he will have to give his consent to what goods we do sell here," Lokar admitted with a slight frown. "His aide did require that in our Bargain, the smart lad."

"Thanks," Brandon muttered while his cheeks blushed. Worthington gave him a nod of approval.

"Mr. Meyers was always one of our better scholarship students," Jones said in a dig at Carl, who missed the point entirely. He had a bored look on his face like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"I will show you the magic that worked best with the demons, and share with you what I have learned of their strategies," Worthington said after a rather long moment of silence while people looked at him. "I have no objections to the dwarves selling you weapons that will work against demons either. Whatever you might think, I am not a demon lover. There will be a price for my help, though."

"How much do you want?" David asked in a calm voice. "We're not as rich as you, but we do have money, and a lot of families will pool their resources together for this."

"Standard teaching fees will suffice for the monetary part of the payment," Worthington said calmly and saw several eyes sharpen on him. Standard mage teaching fees were not insignificant, but they were a drop in the bucket for most people in the room. Matt Wilson would be a millionaire by the time his first year in Worthington's employ was over.

"What about the rest?" Terrence asked.

"Your families will consider the Sinclair family as having rendered a service to them equivalent of saving the life of their heir," Worthington said in a firm voice and didn't smile even though he wanted to at their looks of surprise. The price was a high one and would form lasting obligations of their family towards his. For one thing, it would prevent any of them from doing anything to help his Uncle.

"You'll want this in writing of course," David said flatly.

"Sealed with magic by the current head of each family," Worthington added.

"What about those of us who don't come from old families?" One of the younger students in the group asked. He had dark red hair, was the shortest in the group, and looked to be a year younger than Worthington. Nor could Worthington quite place his name, even though he'd seen the kid at school.

Tony Longview, from my class. Brandon supplied the answer mentally.

"Then I will take your word on the matter, Mr. Longview," Worthington said firmly, but he smiled softly. "If you are the first mage your family has produced, then that will be enough for me."

"Fine, I'll agree right now," Tony said. "I don't want the rest of my family being threatened by demons, and my little brother will start school with me next year. My parents aren't exactly poor, but we're not rolling in money either."

"We'll see what arrangements can be made," Worthington said with a hint of kindness in his voice. "If you can't meet the fees for the lessons there will be other options. That goes for any other family as well."

"I will have to discuss this with my parents," David said in a neutral tone.

"You can take all the time you need," Worthington said. "Your cell phones should work out here, and we have plenty of room for you to find some privacy to hold those discussions, or you can leave and return later if your family agrees."

"Show me where I can call them," David said.

"If you'll follow me, I'll show you where you can make your calls," Brandon said, and most of the students followed him up the stairs to the second floor.

Tony Longview remained where he was looking nervous until Worthington motioned him to come over. The younger guy walked over with an air of false bravado, almost as if expecting to be eaten alive. Lokar gave him a wide grin and grumbled something under his breath that Worthington couldn't quite catch.

"I don't think my family can afford to pay the money part of this," Tony said nervously.

"You understand why I can't just waive it," Worthington stated, and Tony nodded.

"So you won't teach me these things?" Tony asked fearfully.

"I didn't say that," Worthington said carefully. "You will have to pay, in some way."

"You want to fuck me?" The boy asked with surprise, and Worthington almost laughed. Yes, he could see how what he said might make the guy believe that.

"How old are you?" Worthington asked.

"Fifteen." He said nervously, and there was a tinge of a blush on his cheeks. "I mean, people said you liked to jump around from bed to bed a lot, but if that's what you want, well I'm no virgin. Keeping my little brother safe is worth that at least."

"No, you will not have to sell me your body for the training," Worthington said with a laugh and noticed the slight sagging of his shoulders with relief. Jamie was frowning at him but nodded curtly before going over to talk to Barry.

"What do you want then?" Tony asked.

"After you're done with school, and that includes college, you'll come work for me," Worthington said after a moment of thought. "Three years ought to do the trick. You'll receive half the salary for doing whatever you're hired to do, room and board. That is how you will pay the cost of your instruction."

"I can agree to that." Tony laughed. "You should have asked what I'm studying to do."

"What are you studying to do?" Worthington asked with a grin of his own.

"I'm going to study microbiology." He replied. "You're going to be hard-pressed to find something for me to do."

"We'll see." Worthington laughed.

"So, it's covered, right?" Tony asked nervously.

"Yes, you're covered," Worthington assured him, and the boy seemed relieved.

"Thanks." He said seriously. "I know we're not supposed to care about people that much, but my little bro, he means a lot to me."

"You said he's going to school next year," Worthington said. "Has he started doing magic yet?"

"Yeah, but Housemaster Jones put him under a block until he gets to school and can be taught right." Tony frowned.

"You will need to stay here a few days for me to teach you and any of the others who agree," Worthington said with a growl. The thought of another boy under a mage block had him upset.

"We're on a 'school summer field trip' that's supposed to last for two weeks," Tony explained quickly as several people began to return to the room. "If we don't stay here that long, Housemaster Jones says we'll go somewhere else and continue practicing whatever we learn here."

"I see," Worthington said with a sharp look at the man who just returned the look without any sign of what he was thinking.

"My father wants to know something before he agrees." David Heart said as he walked back down the stairs at a quick pace. There were several other students behind him, all watching patiently. Apparently, they must have all discussed this briefly as well.

"What?" Worthington asked calmly.

"If they want to send any other members of the family here for teaching, what will be required of them?" David asked. "My sister, she's nearly nineteen now, and her gift has been active for two years. She wants training on how to fight demons too."

"If one member of the family has already been accepted, then the only further price will be the financial costs," Worthington said, and he looked back at Tony for a moment. "If a family is unable to afford the expense, other arrangements are possible for recouping the expense."

"That is acceptable," David said immediately, and there were murmurs of agreement from those still on the stairs behind him. "When do we begin?"

"It is nearly lunch time." Worthington stalled for time as he reached out mentally to Jamie. It felt like he was calling his brother on a phone when they were in the same room instead of just talking, but he refused to soften the barrier between them. Jamie's assent came back immediately. "I will begin with a basic lesson on demons, their social structures and some other bits of information that have proven useful in the past. Then we will break for lunch, after which you will be shown the rooms that are being prepared for you."

Jamie was going to do the room preparation with the help of Sapha right now. He would cast basic wards on the rooms, preventing them from doing any nasty spellwork without tripping an alarm, but would not interfere with whatever wards they might set to protect their own rooms. Worthington remembered the wards they all set on their rooms at the school and had shared that with Jamie, who more than likely also remembered even as Worthington remembered things from Jamie's past.

"Do you want payment before we begin?" Terrence asked.

"No, but if anyone's family is not able to afford the financial aspects, we will have to discuss option," Worthington said. "I will expect the signed papers from your parents by tomorrow. Brandon can provide you with the address to have them shipped by overnight courier."

"That is acceptable," David said and lifted his cell phone to make another call. All the others did the same, and when they had put their phones away, Worthington nodded. While he led them into the large basement, Jamie and Carl went upstairs. Worthington stopped in the middle of the room, and all of them, including Wilson and Jones, stood in a half-circle watching him.

"First, if any of you think you might be able to take down a Demon Lord with ease, think about this," Worthington said as he pulled as much power as he could through Brandon and held it, ready for casting so they could sense what he held. There were several wide eyes in the group. "This is how much power I can hold, and one on one against a Demon Lord it would be enough to defeat him. With even one demon in his company, I might fail and lose instead. In the final battle, I had nearly sixty Light mages, and several Dark mages fighting with me. We lost several people, and the demons suffered greater losses only because we fought with the element of surprise. In most cases, you will not have that, nor will you have the Light spell that I used to force Zaroc into the deal we made. If I had not had that, he would have escaped, weakened, but able to strike back."

"So you're saying it's hopeless to fight them?" David sneered. "Is that what we're paying you for?"

"No, it is not hopeless to fight them," Worthington said as he let most of the power go and began to cast illusions. There were gasps as three demons appeared behind him, an orange-skinned common demon, one of the Oska green-skins, and the image of Zaroc, the Demon Lord he'd faced down. "I am just saying that if you face Zaroc, the large one behind me, your best bet is to run, to flee with your family. As for the others, well let's talk about them, what they are, and what they can and cannot do."

He had their attention, and he settled down in a lecturing tone, starting first with the differences between the demons and their abilities. It was pleasing to see he had their rapt attention, and that when they did ask questions, they were thoughtful. Maybe, just maybe after he was done with them, they might survive an encounter with a demon.

If they didn't, it wouldn't be his fault.