Vengeance of the Demon: Demon Novels, Book Seven (Kara Gillian 7) (44 page)

Detective Marcel Boudreaux:
(early 30s) Often antagonistic toward Kara. Small and wiry. Chain smoker. Pellini’s work partner.

Detective Marco Knight:
(mid 30s) NOPD. Clairvoyant or similarly gifted. Loner. Chain smoker.

Officer Tim Daniels:
(mid 20s) Open, friendly, and helpful. Found a stray cat that Eilahn adopted as Fuzzykins.

Dr. Jonathan Lanza (Doc):
(mid 40s) St. Long Parish pathologist. Easy-going manner.

Catherine McDunn:
(early 50s) Head trainer for Farouche’s thoroughbreds. Wife of Angus McDunn and mother of Detective Marcel Boudreaux.

Lenny Brewster:
(late 60s) Hale, sharp-minded, and soft-spoken. Lanky black man. Barn manager for Farouche’s thoroughbred farm.

The Rest of the World:
Blissfully oblivious to Kara’s dabblings in the arcane.

Demon Types—Summonable

Demons named in the books are in italics.

Faas
(faahz) 6th Level. Resembles a six-legged furry lizard with a body approximately three feet long and a sinuous tail at least twice that length. Bright blue jewel-colored iridescent fur, brilliant golden eyes slitted like a reptile’s.
Jekki, Faruk, Zhergalet, Rega.

Graa
(grah-ah) 8th Level. Spider-like with wings like roaches and heads like crabs. Can have anywhere from four to eight multi-jointed legs that end in strange hands that consist of a thumb and two fingers, each tipped with curved claws.

Ilius
(ILL-ee-us) 3rd Level. A coil of smoke and teeth and shifting colors. Feeds on animal essence.
Tata, Wuki, Dakdak, Krum.

Kehza
(KAY-za) 7th Level. Human-sized, winged, face like a Chinese dragon, skin of iridescent red and purple, and plenty of sharp teeth and claws. Can tell if a human has the ability to be a summoner.
Juke
.

Luhrek
(LURE-eck) 4th Level. Resembling a cross between a goat and a dog with the hindquarters of a lion. Often a good source for unusual or esoteric information.
Rhysel
.

Mehnta
(MEN-tah) 9th Level. Appearing like a human female with long flowing hair, segmented wings like a beetles, clawed hands and feet, and dozens of snake-like strands coming out of their mouths.
Lazul
.

Nyssor
(NIGH-sore) 5th Level. Looks almost exactly like a human child, often beautiful with angelic faces. Features a little
too
perfect, and eyes a little too large and having sideways-slit pupils. Hundreds of sharp teeth. Many humans find them creepy as fuck.
Votevha.

Reyza
(RAY-za) 12th Level. Three meters tall, leathery wings, long sinuous tail, skin the color of burnished copper, horns, clawed hands, bestial face, and curved fangs.
Kehlirik, Gestamar, Juntihr, Pyrenth, Safar, Sehkeril.

Savik
(SAH-vick) 2nd Level. Immature savik: two foot long dog-lizard kind of thing with six legs. Mature savik: Over seven feet tall, reptilian with dark and smooth bellies, and translucent glittery scales elsewhere. Head like a cross between and wolf and a crocodile.
Turek.

Syraza
(sih-RAH-za) 11th Level. Slender, almost birdlike, long and graceful limbs. Pearlescent white skin, hairless. Large and slanted violet eyes in a delicate, almost human, face. Wings that look as fragile as tissue paper but most assuredly are not. Shapeshifter.
Eilahn, Steeev, Olihr, Marr.

Zhurn
(zurn) 10th Level. Black, oily, shifting darkness. Winged. Burning red eyes. Voice like a blast furnace. Sharp claws.
Skalz.

Zrila
(ZRIL-uh) 1st Level. About the size of a bobcat, looks like a six-legged newt with skin that shifts in hues of red and blue. Head like a hairless koala. Brilliant artisans who make the majority of the clothing and textiles in the demon realm.
Anak.

Demon Types—Not Summonable

Demahnk
(de-MAHNK) Unknown if summonable. Look like large syraza with ridges on the torso and skull. Sometimes called “Elder syraza.”

Hriss
(h’RIS, huh-RIS) Pixie-like essence eaters. “Mosquitos from hell.”

Kzak
(k’ZAK, kuh-ZAK) Vicious, black, and dog-like. Rows of teeth and sinuous movement.
Kuktok
.

Luhnk
(lunk) Mammoth-like. Six-legged. Huge females. German shepherd-sized males.

Nehkil
(neh-KILL) Akin to a flying basking shark or living dirigible. Feeds on stray potency in the form of “ethereal spores.”

Skarl
(SCAR-ul) Hyena-like in form, but friendly as a socialized house cat. Musky. Gives off a comforting vibe when sleeping in a pack.

Named Demons

and associated demonic lord (if revealed)

Anak
zrila
:
Mzatal. Textile artisan. Made one of Mzatal’s neckties.

Dakdak
ilius
: Mzatal. Never far from Mzatal in his palace. Dubbed as a “Mzatal Early Warning System” by Idris because he often arrives in a room shortly before the lord.

Eilahn
syraza
: Rhyzkahl. Multiethnic beautiful in human form. Assigned by Rhyzkahl as bodyguard for Kara. Takes her job seriously. Adores holiday decorations and her cat, Fuzzykins.

Faruk
faas
: Mzatal. Jekki’s mate. Delights in styling hair. Maintains Mzatal’s intricate braid.

Gestamar
reyza
: Mzatal (essence bound). One of the oldest reyza. Sense of humor and scary all at the same time.

Helori
demahnk
: Kadir (ptarl, estranged). Supported Kara after Rhyzkahl’s torture. Spurned by Kadir. Prefers human form. Is a nudist at heart.

Ilana
demahnk
: Mzatal (ptarl). Quietly influential.

Jekki
faas
: Mzatal. Spry and energetic personal attendant of Mzatal. Loves to cook. Faruk’s mate.

Juke
kehza
: Mzatal. Summoned by Kara to assess a human for summoning ability. Loves pistachios.

Kehlirik
reyza
: Rhyzkahl. Often summoned by Kara. Skilled with wards. Loves popcorn and human books.

Krum
ilius
: Mzatal. Sometimes mistaken for Wuki.

Lannist
demahnk
: Seretis. Wise and creative. Has a thing for unicorns.

Lazul
mehnta
: Mzatal. Keeper of Mzatal’s grove.

Marr
reyza
: First syraza Kara ever summoned.

Olihr
syraza
: Rhyzkahl. Struck down by an anomaly in Szerain’s realm. Saved by Safar and Ilana.

Pyrenth
reyza
: Rhyzkahl. Killed by Kara using an essence blade.

Rhyzel
luhrek
: The demon Kara was trying to summon when Rhyzkahl came through instead.

Rega
faas
: Rhyzkahl. One of Rhyzkahl’s personal attendants.

Safar
reyza
: Mzatal. Escorted Kara in Szerain’s realm when she first arrived. Crashed into the grove while carrying her.

Sehkeril
reyza
: Kadir. A lanky demon with a cruel streak. Eviscerated Kara during the Symbol Man’s final ritual.

Skalz
zhurn
: unknown. Prefers to communicate telepathically.

Steeev
syraza
: Mzatal. Recruited by Kara as a bodyguard for the very pregnant Jill.

Tata
ilius
: Mzatal. That other ilius.

Turek
savik
: Szerain (essence bound). Ancient demon. Has known Szerain for thousands of years.

Votevha
nyssor
: unknown. Summoned by Kara to assess a human for summoning ability. Likes bacon. Creepy.

Wuki
ilius
: Mzatal. Sometimes mistaken for Krum.

Xharbek
demahnk
: Szerain (ptarl—missing/dead) Whereabouts and circumstances unknown. Helori implied that he is not dead.

Zakaar
demahnk
: Recently broke ptarl bond with Rhyzkahl. Currently lives as FBI Agent Zack Garner on Earth. Guard and guardian of Ryan/Szerain.

Zhergalet
faas
: Expert with wards.

Demon Words

Chak
(like chalk without the L) Hot beverage without an Earth equivalent.

Chekkunden
(cheh-KUN-din) Derogatory. Rough translation:
honorless scum
.

Chikdah
(CHICK-daa) Derogatory. Rough translation:
cunt

Dahn
(dahn) No

Ekiri
(ih-KEER-ee) Per Kehlirik: Race that lived amongst the demons long ago, but departed for a new realm thousands of years past. Taught the demons mastery of the arcane. Built stone pavilions the demons call “gateways.”

Iliok
(ILL-ee-ock) The three essence blades created by Mzatal.
Khatur
(Mzatal),
Xhan
(Rhyzkahl),
Vsuhl
(Szerain)

Jhivral
(j’HIV-rall) A true plea. Not the casually polite usage of “please” in English.

Jontari
(zjon-TAR-ee, jon-TAR-ee) Demons who do not associate directly with the demonic lords. The vast majority of the demon population. Cities and enclaves are far from the palaces of the lords.

Kiraknikahl
(keh-RAK-nee-call) Oathbreaker

Kri
(kree) Yes

Ptarl
(puhTAR-ul) Demahnk advisor and counselor to a qaztahl. Bound by ancient oaths.

Pygah
(PIE-gah) An arcane sigil used for calm, focus, and centering. A foundational teaching for summoners (though Kara was not taught it until she met Mzatal). Most effective when traced as a floating sigil, but may be done mentally.

Qazlek
: Demons who closely associate with the lords.

Qaztahl
(KAHZ-tall) A demonic lord or the demonic lords as a group.

Rakkuhr
(rah-KOOR) A disruptive red potency alien to the demon realm. Rhyzkahl, Jesral, and Szerain are known to use it.

Saarn
(sarn) A human or other creature who feeds on essence. Does not apply to species like the ilius or hriss whose natural food is essence.

Shik-natahr
(SHICK-nahTAR) Rough translation:
born of the eleven
. An honoring designation. Spoken to Kara by Kadir.

Shikvihr
(SHICK-veer) Rough translation:
potency of the eleven.
An eleven-circle ritual that offers a power base to other rituals and enhances a summoner or lord’s abilities. Completion of all eleven circles/rings gives a summoner the ability to trace floating sigils on Earth.

Syraza
(sih-RAH-za) Shapechanger.

Tah sesekur dih lahn
(tah seh-seh-KUR dee lon) Rough translation:
I understand and feel for/with you.

Yaghir tahn
(YAH-gear tahn) Forgive me.

Zharkat
(ZAR-cat) Beloved.

Other

Amber Palatino Gavin:
Ritually raped, tortured, and murdered by Asher, Katashi, and Steiner as a control measure for her brother Idris, and to set a trap for Kara. Body left in an eighteen wheeler in Beaulac.

Aria Farouche:
Amicably divorced J.M. Farouche after their five-year-old daughter Madelaine was abducted and Farouche became obsessed with finding her.

Bloodbath Summoning
: An attempt over thirty years ago by Peter Cerise and five other summoners to summon Szerain.

Elinor:
17th century summoner. Trained in the demon realm with Mzatal, Rhyzkahl, and Szerain. Killed by Szerain during a ritual that precipitated the Cataclysm. A part of her essence is said to be tacked onto Kara’s. Possibly involved with Giovanni.

Fuzzykins:
Eilahn’s calico manx cat. Kittens: Bumper, Squig, Granger, Fillion, Dire, Cake.

Giovanni Racchelli:
17th century associate and art student of Szerain. Named by Gestamar as one of Szerain’s favorite humans. Possibly involved with Elinor. Died young.

Jade:
Rasha’s granddaughter. Abandoned Rasha to be with Aaron Asher.