Demon Singer Read Free

 Their leader replied. All eyes turned to him.   "There are ways to sever the tie, difficult and dangerous yes, but it is possible."
    The silence that followed was palpable.
    "How would you know that?" Lomong asked quietly.
    “ Why would you know that?”  Fishne added.
    "Let it suffice that I do." He met each pair of eyes around the table and they dropped from his with the exception of Lomong, who seemed surlier than usual.   The High Master sighed.   His second in command was invaluable and a powerful Singer in his own right.    He trusted him implicitly, but had discovered long ago that the man occasionally required a delicate touch.   "Lomong, you know the boy best, is his corruption a concern?”
    “Of course it is!  How could it not be?  Any of us in that position would be in danger of corruption.  However, I’ve never met a boy like Lyric.  What kind of power must his Song hold that it can cast all the way through the Verge into Hell itself and tie a demon ?  Unprecedented? Had the idea ever been brought up I’d have called it impossible.  Do we want to destroy a talent like that without trying everything we can to save it?”
    “Besides,” the throaty alto voice of their youngest member, Allison Holt, spoke up.  “With the events unfolding in the west, can we afford to lose even one Singer?”  She turned to look at the leader of the Soul Singers Guild.  “We haven’t heard your report yet, sir, but everyone is aware of the rumors.  It is being said the woman Melody is a serious threat to Markhato and the entire supernatural community.  Should we be concerned?”
    The man considered his words carefully.
    “We should be faithful, Ms. Holt.”  He said firmly.  “Everything will play out according to the way the Composer has written it.  It would seem that Melody has a significant theme in the Score, but as I’ve listened closely over the last few weeks, something is out of tune with the whole situation.  I can’t help but wonder at what power might allow this woman to appear out of nowhere and have the influence and resources she has already.  Conflicting reports identify her as everything from a harmless rabble-rouser to a deadly force bent on the destruction of the world as we know it. There is no trustworthy information.  
    "I’ve brought home the Singers stationed in Markhato.  Their time in the City of Light has made them soft, and dulled their ears to the Song.”  His eyes turned to Johnson Chab.  “Mr. Chab, I will be sending you to Markhato to lend your protection and experience to the Kings while I select three replacement Singers.  Mr. Fishne, I’d like you to accompany him.  Between the two of you, you should be able to keep the Kings well advised.”
    “So we’re not concerned?”  Allison pressed.   Her leader smiled at her tenacity, one of the reasons he promoted her early.  She was careful, thoughtful and relentless, excellent qualities for those responsible for training the Defenders of the Score.
    “Sometimes the Song is quiet, the Voice mysterious and the Composer unfathomable.  We will be vigilant and faithful to our duties.   As for the issue that brought us to this table,” the Master Singer tented his fingers and leaned back in his chair.  “The history of this young singer is thick with impossible situations that he has handled with integrity, skill and what appears to be almost constant blessing from the Composer.  It has been a long time since we’ve trained a Writer in this guild.  With everything the boy has shown us thus far, perhaps it’s time we focused his undeniable abilities.  The situation he is in now will naturally provide much of the tension we might have otherwise had to seek out or manufacture.  I suggest we send Lyric out with instructions to find a way to sever this tie. Keep a close eye on him, but don't interfere.  Let him choose his path.  He has demonstrated more than once his faithfulness to this Guild.