Free Demon Hunters by JKMelby74

into the tent. As I
did, all the noise and heat of outside seemed to disappear.
    “Hello.” A voice called out.
    “Hi.”
    “Sit.”
    “Okay.” I suddenly fell back and landed on
something large and soft. A faint light appeared. I saw an old man
sitting at a table lighting a candle. He looked good for his age.
Not too wrinkled and he seemed to have most of his hair. It had all
turned gray, but he still had it. I looked down and saw that I was
butt deep in an orange beanbag chair.
    “Jake Corba.”
    “You’re The One?”
    “That is one name I have been known by. You
may call me Jonathan.”
    “Jonathan? Doesn’t sound very holy to
me.”
    “It’s just a name, Mr. Corba.”
    “Fine. Whatever. I need...”
    “I know what you need. I’ve already known. I
just wanted to speak with you. You don’t seem to have much interest
in your family.”
    “Not really. No. Not that there’s much to
know. My parents are dead. I’ve been stuck with a demon in my soul.
Would you want to know any more about a family like that?”
    “Perhaps not, but it’s difficult to go
through life not knowing who you are.”
    “I know who I am!”
    “How could that be? You don’t know anything
about the family from which you come. If you don’t know where you
came from, how can you be certain where you are going?”
    “I don’t have a family! I have me! That’s
all I need. I don’t need to know about my first cousin’s father to
know how to lead my life.”
    “That’s not quite what I meant.”
    “I know.”
    “Your family is what some refer to as a
special case. Special even among special cases.”
    “Yeah. Cursed.”
    “But with that curse, comes a gift.”
    “Look, I didn’t come here for a lesson in my
family tree. I just came here to get this damn demon off my ass! I
don’t care about my family line. I don’t want to know anything
about it. What little I already know tells me I shouldn’t dig any
deeper.” I felt rage rising in me. Jonathan looked at me
thoughtfully. He got up from his seat and walked around the room. I
just then noticed all the strange items he had displayed. Some
golden orbs and shining metal trophies. I could make out a few
daggers and knives with bizarre and overly ornate handles. He
picked up a large glass orb and held it up in his hands and stared
into it intensely.
    “Your resistance is troubling. The Corba
family has a long tradition of demon hunting and has been quite
crucial in some very decisive battles over the years. Perhaps in
our complacence, we have come to rely on them too much.”
    “We?”
    “Not your concern. I sense great things in
you, Jake Corba. I see a powerful light in your soul as well as a
great darkness.”
    “Can you help me or not?” Jonathan set down
his glass orb and calmly took his seat again.
    “I would speak with Ivar now.”
    “What?”
    “I would like to speak with Ivar. Please.”
His tone told me there was no point in arguing, so I felt my way
back to the entrance. I stepped out and was surprised to see the
sky was dark and the air had grown cold. Torches were lit and
burning all around the camps. I saw Jinx and Ivar standing
nearby.
    “Jake!”
    “How long was I in there?”
    “Several hours. What did he tell you?”
    “He wants to speak with you.” Ivar seemed to
be shocked by the news, but I saw a look of pride come over him. He
walked past me and marched into the tent.
    “How’d it go in there?” Jinx asked.
    “Fine. I guess. You ever talk to this
guy?”
    “No.”
    “I see,” I looked over in the distance and
saw a large fire with several people dancing around it wildly. I
noticed many of them were women and many of them were topless.
“This place is crazy.”
    “It’s just a place where people can release
their inner passions, free of judgment. It’s healthy to blow off
steam once in a while. It can be cathartic for some.”
    “Maybe, but for my money it’s crazy.”
    Ivar emerged from the tent and walked over
to me.
    “We