The Demon's Revenge (The Fay Morgan Chronicles Book 4) (3 page)

“Perhaps,” I reminded her sternly. “I still have no idea what she is.”

She nodded quickly and looked up at the clock. She told me, giving me all the details she knew, what Lila was.

I swore out loud and swiftly. I told her that I could not help her, not now, not ever. I checked the impenetrable barrier around us. It still held, thankfully, for even saying the name of what Lila was would draw powerful forces toward me. It made sense that Lila’s mother had been so thoroughly spelled to forget everything, for she would have to be to stay hidden. Even just thinking about them for more than half a minute would draw attention… there were spells laid out across the world, to search for those kinds of thoughts, and to follow them. Big magic meant big money and power. Same as it ever was. “I too have never heard of a young one,” I said. “But perhaps because she is only half his, she won’t change.”

The woman shook her head. “Do you truly believe their blood would be tempered by a human’s? Lila will change. I do not know when, but she is eighteen this year. Sometime soon.”

“I am sorry for your predicament. But as I said, I cannot help,” I said.

“Would you rather she emerge untrained and completely vulnerable to any and all who would use her?” the woman asked. Steel entered her gaze. “Would you rather she change and see what havoc she will bring upon your city?”

“That sounds like a threat,” I said quietly.

“The truth can be threatening.”

I said nothing. I wanted none of the responsibilities of watching over a child, and yet… this Lila did need someone to protect her. And it would be interesting, perhaps, to see if I could help her toward a different destiny than the rest of her kind. Reluctantly I agreed to Lila’s mother’s request, despite my own instincts to not get tangled up in this child’s dark destiny.

She quickly gave me the contact information for Lila as the last moments of her counter spell ticked down. My barrier was going to break down soon as well, so I cast a spell upon myself that I would be able to think about Lila’s nature for only a minute at a time. Not enough to draw the attentions of the world to any such thoughts, but I would not enter this tutelage without my own protections.

A few minutes later, the mother left confused and flustered. Apologetic and deeply uneasy, with no idea as to the why of it.

Soon thereafter, I posted a spelled ad on Craigslist that would draw Lila’s eyes, and only Lila’s eyes, for the position of my shop girl.

Lila applied, of course, and I hired her and paid her a good wage so that she would keep the job and come to my store daily, where I could keep watch of her, wait, and train her in the ways of magic that she would soon be flooded with. That had been seven years ago, and somewhere along the way I’d come to cherish her and take her in as one of my own, despite what I knew, in the brief instances my thoughts allowed, of what she would become. And then, I had to admit, somewhere in the last two months, I’d lost the will to look out for Lila. To do anything. Right when this girl needed me the most.

I glanced at Lila as she walked beside me, humming and watching the world. I had long wanted to discuss her true nature with her. To prepare her, as much as anyone could, for what was coming. I could have placed her into an impenetrable barrier long ago and told her the truth, and then put a thought control spell on her. But such a spell would only last if she didn’t pick at it. If her mind didn’t try to dwell on it every day. There was no way a person who hadn’t spent years disciplining her own mind could achieve such a feat. And so Lila stayed ignorant, for her own protection.

I cleared my throat and cast away all of my complicated thoughts.

“The witch’s road can also be useful for clearing one’s mind and creating clear patterns and repetitions in your thoughts for making a tricky spell. It can also aid in increasing one’s cleverness. Last, things have a way of finding you on the witch’s road. It is the best place to start, when you don’t know where to start.” I stopped talking. I realized I wanted to keep talking and try to cram any and every useful tidbit into today. If I had not taught her well enough in the last seven years, then there was no way today would change anything.

“Okay, I guess,” Lila said. “But doesn’t it seem like we should be doing more than this? Like making a spell or something?”

“We don’t know what is out there, so any spell would contain too much guesswork to be effective,” I said.

We walked side by side, step for step, for a half dozen blocks. The smaller houses turned bigger and bigger as we moved through north Capitol Hill. Many of the houses came with plaques, dates, and titles designed to flaunt wealth rather than offer an historical education. I would not miss the competition for power and status that thread so deeply throughout human life. I would not miss the lords and their modern-day imitators.

I breathed in deeply and let myself enjoy the sunlight on my face. So strange to be out of bed and in the day. To be happy and not waiting, ever waiting, for this day to finally come.

“Do you have any theories?” Lila asked after a while. “About why the unders are going dark?”

“A few.” Even if I didn’t care overmuch for this mystery, it was still the path of the day. “You said a ghost, some witches, and the bridge troll have been acting up.”

“Yep, and that’s not even everything. Jenny the chupacabra attacked an organic farm on Vashon and slayed all of their livestock. And there are rumors that some of the Pike’s Place vampires have been luring tourists into their lair, pretending to be long lost members of the Cullen family, and
—
”

“Normal humans actually fall for that?” I asked and shook my head. “So all of these unders, what do they have in common with each other?”

Lila chewed on her lip as we turned down Fifteenth and passed a couple of bearded and muscled young men who gave us lingering looks.

“Well, they are from Seattle? And they, um, aren’t totally human? But that’s so basic. I don’t know what else.”

“You are exactly right,” I said. “They are unders from Seattle, and other than that they do not share the same lineage or neighborhood or have anything in common, really. The lack of what they share most likely means that whatever is changing them is dispersed throughout the city and is interested in all forms of unders. Since I am an under, perhaps whatever found them and changed them will find me. Particularly if we cover a lot of ground and make ourselves seen.”

“Smart. Do you have some kind of theory about what is changing them?”

I shook my head. “If it was someone seeking a certain kind of power, they would focus on the powers of a particular set of unders. If our mysterious villain was seeking to use and dominate unders, they would not set them free to wreak havoc. We will think about it as we walk,” I said. We walked by artisanal restaurants, bakeries, and cafes. “Victrola?” I asked Lila.

“Yum,” she said.

We stepped into the Victrola cafe where Edith Piaf was singing about regretting nothing. The air was thick with the bitter and wonderful scent of roasted beans. “My treat. You order for the both of us,” I told Lila. I closed my eye and tasted the air. This was a spot that some less reputable unders sometimes occasioned, but there was no recent magic here.

We left with ridiculously large cups full of whipped cream and many shots of coffee, and a stack of vegan donuts. We headed downhill, toward the newly re-made Cal Anderson Park that sat at many crossroads of this city. Crossroads drew magic of all kinds. The park had well-mowed playfields and a bright playground, lovely fountains and nice park benches. It all sat on top of so much history. If there was one thing I’d learned in my life, everywhere was blood-soaked, if you looked back far enough. I scanned the field full of high school boys playing soccer, and the half-dozen homeless people sitting on a blanket near the grass. There were no sprites near the fountain nor lycans sleeping on the hill. Strange that the park was so empty of unders.

Then I spotted one. He leaned against a tall oak tree near the empty wading pool, and looked similar to the other young adults who traipsed through this park: nattily dressed, half-bearded, and bored. He wore mirrored sunglasses that hid his eyes.

“What do you see?” I asked Lila. She stood beside me, scratching her cheek.

She frowned and concentrated. “There?” she pointed to a French bulldog and his tall owner. “Or there?” she pointed at the man I had spotted.

“Yes. Excellent.”

We crossed the park toward him. He watched us without looking away. As we neared, instinctual goosebumps rose up across my skin. I marched on. Lila slowed and stepped behind me, staying close.

I inhaled the mingled magical scents of the air around the man when we came within a few feet of him. He smelled like burnt toffee.

“Hello, lovelies. How can I help the two of you?” His words were warm and flirtatious. The constrained hiss and coiled rage beneath the words were not. “Whatever you want, I can get for you. For a price,” he added and opened his hands wide. I glimpsed a depthless darkness in him. A void.

“What have you been doing to the unders of my city?” I asked casually and leaned toward him even though every one of my atoms screamed at me not to. His kind loved fear.

Lila stood tense and vigilant, behind me.

“What am I doing?” He shrugged. “Following orders from the boss.”

“So it’s the King who is targeting the under folk of Seattle?” I asked.

He shook his head and laughed, a wicked and cruel sound. “Haven’t you heard, witch? There’s a new Queen in Hell.”

“Then demon, it is time for you take us to your Queen.”

He pulled off his sunglasses and stared at me with eyes that were pits, that were nothing but black holes that went down and down and never ended. “I was hoping you’d ask. I think she’s going to like both of you. Especially the young one.” He licked his lips. “Your aura tastes almost ripe, girl.”

4

Super Creepy

“Demons and Hell Queens in Seattle?” Lila whispered as we walked a couple of steps behind the demon. He moved with long, predatory strides across the grassy fields of the park. People either gave him hungry looks or moved away from him. Though the sun shone bright, it felt like we moved through shadows.

“I’m afraid so,” I answered.

“I’m not just any demon, but a crossroad demon,” he said in front of us and turned to give Lila a sly smile. “Which means, girl, that I have the power to grant any of your wishes. I can make them come true for the low, low cost of your soul. You look like a sensible and modern girl. You know there is no such thing as a soul, don’t you? So tell me, what is it you most desire?”

“Creepy,” Lila said. “You are super creepy, demon dude.”

He grinned. “Ever at your service. Call me Azurez. Perhaps you are looking for true love? Or a new physique? Long life? A new nose.”

“Super creepy,” Lila mumbled. “And my nose is great, thank you very much.

The demon stopped in front of a sleek Tesla model S and looked pleased with himself.

“We’re getting into a demon’s car?” Lila asked quietly. “Is that a good idea? That seems like a terrible idea.”

“I’m driving,” I announced.

Demons were legendarily incautious, and I might have no will to live, but I didn’t want to die in a car accident today.

Azurez haggled with me for a while, offering to let me drive in exchange for my soul, before eventually handing me the car keys.

“Shouldn’t witches be a little more adventurous?” he asked.

“Shouldn’t demons be more submissive?” I said. “Seatbelt,” I ordered Lila.

“I’m twenty-five,” she said.

As though that marked her as anything but a child.

I drove, and the demon gave me bored directions from the backseat, mere moments before I needed to turn right or change lanes.

“Tell me about this new Queen,” I said.

The demon made a show of yawning and showing off his sharp teeth. “The king is dead. Long live the queen. You know how many times I’ve seen new royalty prance around, sure they’ll be the new Lucifer? And I’m only three hundred years old.”

“Even in Hell, the royals imagine themselves as better than all others and divine,” I said. “Same as it ever was. Sometimes I think they should make a new Hell, full of only royalty and see how they like dealing with each other.”

“Wicked,” the demon said. When he spoke again, there was less hiss and anger to his voice. “The new Queen is young. Not more than six hundred years old, and she used to be one of you.”

“She used to be human?” I asked sharply.

He nodded.

“I didn’t know a former human ever ruled Hell.”

“There’s a first time for everything. But she’s been in Hell long enough that she might as well be demon spawn,” he said. “She’s just as soul-hungry as the rest of us.”

“What’s up with the soul thing, anyway?” Lila asked.

“A soul is nothing,” Azurez purred. “Promise me yours and I’ll give you anything you want. A vacation around the world? A room full of money that you can swim around in?”

“Keep asking her for her soul and I’ll end you,” I said, not taking my eyes from the road.