Infernal Father of Mine by John Corwin Page A

dark light. I will be with you at the
end."
    I am suddenly in a room with a
table. Bookshelves surround me. A man sits in a chair across from
me. He is muscular but otherwise looks quite ordinary.
    "Good day, Mr. Slade." A slow smile
spreads across his face. "You have passed the test. Your father is
released from the death sentence."
    "Underborn." Anger fills my voice.
"You threatened to kill my father just to see if I could pass a
stupid test?"
    I hear a roar and spin around.
Vadaemos Slade manifests into demon form and lunges for me. I dodge
a clawed swipe that would have removed my head. Before I can
manifest, he grips me by the neck and slams me to unforgiving
asphalt. A battle rages around me. Monstrous moggies—Stacey's
mutant cat friends—yowl as they trade blows with Vadaemos's
hellhounds. Templars fight hellhound claws and teeth with
swords.
    It doesn't matter. I am about to
die.
    I squeeze my eyes and wait for the
end.
    The pressure on my throat vanishes.
I feel cold metal along my bare back. When my eyes open, I see a
plain concrete ceiling. I try to move, but my arms, legs, and even
head are secured.
    "Mine at last," Maximus says. He
walks around me, inspecting me like a prized pig. "With your blood,
I will turn the world into my own vampire nation. I will be the one
in control, not Daelissa."
    "Let me go," I say, trying to keep
fear from my voice.
    He leans close. Blood-scented
breath reaches my nose. He whispers in my ear. "You are my little
mouse now, boy. You are mine forever." He lunges for my
neck.
    I scream. I struggle. All to no
avail. His fangs sink into my skin. Ecstasy and fear flood my
entire being. Maximus rears back, blood—my blood—running down his
face. He laughs, and I know I will never escape.
    Ivy looks up at me with big blue
eyes. "I love you, big brother."
    I stand in a stone-lined hallway at
Arcane University. Students flow around the two of us in the busy
corridor. "I love you too, sis." I lean down to hug her, but she
vanishes along with the world around me.
    A voice speaks in the void. "The
final choice must be made." Images of a burnt world, of a new
world, and of a world rotting like an apple flash before my
eyes.
    I blink my eyes open and look into
the blue eyes of my mother as she cradles me in her arms. I try to
speak, but only baby noises emerge.
    "Is he truly the one?" Mom
asks.
    Another face appears. "He will
serve, and he will die." My father places a hand on Mom's shoulder.
"Don't get too attached, Alysea."
    My father leaves. A tear trickles
down my mother's cheek. "I won't let you die, my son." She sings to
me. I recognize the tune but can't remember where I last heard it.
My eyes grow heavy. I cannot keep them open a second
longer.
    "Ah!" I shouted and looked wildly around. The
minders had moved beyond us. I saw my father lying on the ground
next to me. His face was absolutely white.
    Before I could ask him what he'd seen, he shook
his head. "What a ride."
    "A ride?" Those visions had replayed some of
the most emotionally traumatic parts of my life. But what David had
said to my mom about me hurt the worst of all. Had it been a dream,
or memory?
    He looked back the way we'd come from. "Looks
like the fog won't be an issue anymore."
    I followed his gaze and watched as the line of
minders erased the gray haze. "What the hell is going on?" I asked,
feeling even more perplexed than before.
    "I'd really like to know that myself." David
pushed himself off the ground and stood. "On the other hand,
without the fog we can find the Grotto a lot faster."
    "Yeah, but those men can find us more easily
too." I regarded him once more, unable to decide if I should ask
what he'd seen. My own father told Mom I would serve and die. He
told her not to get attached! The thought made me sick to my
stomach, and I lost all desire to question him. Had it truly been a
memory from my infancy, or just a minder-induced nightmare? I
looked north and pointed. "It's that way."
    "Let's go," he said, and