Devdan Manor

By Auden Johnson

What haunts demons?

Expelled from his birthplace for a power he couldn't control, Cyl Antun searches for a real home with his two siblings and longtime friend. Darkness falls. Vicious nocturnal demons close in on them. A mansion appears. They rush inside to escape the night terrors. Strange markings cover the walls. A black void now surrounds this house. They’re trapped. The mansion is empty. Yet, they are not alone. What's happening in this house could change their world forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Auden Johnson
• Release date: Oct 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9780996226028

Auden Johnson

As a kid, Auden created her own books by folding several construction papers in half and stapling them down the middle, adding her own illustrations. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get away from writing. She holds a B.A. in English, an M.S. in Library and Information Science, an M.S. in Publishing Digital and Print and she studied Creative Writing in England. She is an Author and Social Media Consultant for Aubey LLC and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. She’s written several short stories and novellas as well as two novels in her Merging Worlds Series. Look out for Book 3 of the Merging Worlds series coming soon. She’s also written a world building guide. Find her books at aubeyllc.com

Book preview

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Maybe he could hang everyone by their ankles. Cyl Antun would sit back and enjoy the fear and anger crossing their faces as the blood rushed to their heads. Then, they would know how he felt to be at the mercy of demons who despised him. He would string them up in the forest outside the gate and leave them overnight. Let the nocturnal demons have their way with them

His power slipped out of his body. Damn. Cyl took several deep breaths. His power sucked all the fun out of being angry. He stepped away from his anger. He couldn’t destroy Otav House. Could he?

No. Nuall Otav would hate him. Best not to turn his only friend into an enemy, especially not that friend.

The brilliant purple and silver trimmed walls of the Otav’s estate spoke of subtle elegance. It paired perfectly with the black glassy floor. The Otav family crest sat above each door. Small enough to avoid being ostentatious but in the right position to be noticed by those who walked by. The halls and rooms were adorned with items one couldn’t find by walking into a store. Yet, Otav House was ugly. It had taken into it the hearts of its residence. Everything seemed alive. All the time, Cyl felt eyes burning into his skin, probing him. This house knew his soul. This place didn’t like him.

He had lived here for half a year. What did that say about him?

Even Nuall Otav’s strong aura couldn’t remove the centuries of disgraceful acts all in the name of order and purity. Not that she tried. Nuall had a presence that demanded attention. She controlled rooms before she entered them. She should’ve been able to purge the house of the filth. But it was beyond saving.

Nuall rested her narrow hips against her ornate wooden desk. She didn’t have the Otav features. No one in the household had her short silver hair and bright gold eyes.

Cyl was safe here with her. He could relax.

Will you be coming back? She asked.

He could feign innocence. Come back from where? She’d asked that many times before. He always avoided it. He was leaving tomorrow. He could no longer avoid it.

More than likely. I don’t know how long I’ll be away. It could be years.

Her rising anger soiled her power. It seeped out and poisoned the air. It burned his throat.

They will not do this.

Nuall was an only child with no other friends. If he left, she’d be alone.

She bounced off the desk. It jumped back, knocking a hole in the wall.

She headed for the door. Cyl grabbed her arm.

That’s enough, Nuall.

The anger in her power tried to eat through his flesh. It could never reach far inside him. He knew her too well.

She snatched her arm from his grip.

Are you giving up? This is your life. They cannot make you do anything you don’t want to do.

You forget, I don’t have the freedom you have. My family still controls my life. If they want me to leave, I have to leave.

She pulled the door open, ripping it from the wall. She screamed down the hall for her family to meet her in the living room. Cyl wouldn’t allow himself to hope. Nuall would talk. Her family would humor her. In the end, he’d leave for Caster tomorrow.

Everyone told him he was being sent away to train under Master Jorain. Cyl had been listening too hard. He knew better. They were sending him away. They didn’t care whether or not he made it to Caster as long as he was no longer fouling up Mortaus. He was a burden. He was leaving so his family could go back to being happy.

The Antun family were weak demons. At least, they were in the past. Children born to his family only held skills to be servants for wealthier, more powerful beings. He, on the other hand, had been born with more power than his body knew what to do with. The Antuns was ashamed of this power.

Cyl wanted to go for a drive to clear his head. He’d have to pass through the house to reach Nuall’s vehicle. He didn’t want to run into anyone, least of all Nuall.

Mortaus was the most advanced land in their world. Researchers and engineers visited the human world to examine their technology and adapt it for demon use. They even discovered medical remedies for diseases spells couldn’t cure. Of course, they never shared this technology with anyone outside the land’s walls.

He walked to her window. The Otav family mansion stood four stories. Nuall’s room was on the top floor. Could he jump without destroying the ground? Probably not. Besides, sneaking out the window was the coward’s way out. He walked past Nuall’s broken door. He’d get blamed for it.

Mortaus. The Crystal Land. Paradise. Lies demons on the inside told the rest of the world. Not entirely. The buildings were made of immortal clear crystals. Researches spent centuries studying the crystals. They still didn’t know how to emulate it. Mortaus boasted the best of everything. The best schools, library, way of life. The residents were happy here. Any map of the demon world would show Mortaus at the center with everything else shrinking in its presence.

Demons would sell their children to live here. Demons betrayed their families just to be allowed to work as a street cleaner. The outside didn’t know. Everything and everyone here had a place. They weren’t supposed to wish for things above them. They weren’t supposed to have more power than the demons here thought they deserved. Demons glared at Cyl as though he had murdered their prodigy.

The walls of Otav House whispered. Like thousands of voices cursing him. He couldn’t understand the words. He felt malice behind the hissing.

A shadow moved in his side vision. Cyl didn’t turn. He wouldn’t be fooled this time. The furniture felt like they were possessed by something ugly. Nuall said it wasn’t true. The furniture could not move. The mansion didn’t have any servants spying on him whenever he left Nuall’s room.

Excuse me Antun.

The butler always said his name as though spitting it out. Cyl decided to ignore him. They were kicking him out anyway. Why did he need to be polite anymore? Why did he need to pretend he liked living with this snobbish family?

Lady Nuall wants to see you.

Cyl stopped. Nuall never sent for him. If she wanted to talk with him, she either shouted his name across the building or searched him out. She didn’t even like having her meals cooked.

The best thing to do was leave. He walked on.

The Lady will be disappointed in you.

Cyl’s pace slowed. What if Nuall had called for him? She’d be angry he ignored her.

He quickened his pace. He knew Nuall more than her family. She would never send the butler after him. He didn’t like the scent coming from the older male. He usually bled dislike whenever he was around him. Dislike had been replaced with glee. Cyl would not run. The door was in sight. The butler was following him.

How sad. I knew your kind was filth. I just didn’t know you were this bad. The one person who actually cares about your putrid existence is asking for you and you’re running away.

Don’t listen. It