Curse of Shadows and Light

by Penelope King

  I snatch the paper from his hand and study it. “How are we supposed to get there? I’m too tired to run that far, and I’m not getting back in that horrific automobile for another second. That was the worst, most unpleasant –”

  “Don’t worry, don’t worry,” he laughs. “I got us another form of transport. I know it’s not your favorite, but it’ll have to do for now.”

  “Wait, not another motorcycle.”

  He nods. “But don’t worry; this one fits two perfectly. You can sit behind me on an actual seat and hold on to my waist. It’ll be very comfortable, I assure you. Nothing like last time.”

  I cringe remembering the time I rode with him on his bike after he helped rescue me from the Altrumina Demons. It was a horrible experience all around.

  I miss my Diablo.

  ********

  Close to thirty minutes later I’m feeling halfway decent for the first time in days. Apparently Liora went shopping and had totally stocked our bathroom, so I was able to take a shower, wash my hair, and put on some makeup. I was impressed that she’d actually hung up all my dresses and outfits neatly on one side of the massive walk-in closet. It was funny, though, how she’d put her own things on the far side, as if she was afraid her clothes would get cooties or something.

  I slide on my black leather pants and matching boots, and for the first time in a long while I’m starting to feel normal again. Like me. Tatiana’s face flashes in my mind, and I give a bittersweet smile. I miss seeing her first thing when I wake up, and I miss our nightly ritual of planning my evening. It feels so odd to be entirely on my own, with no one to guide me or help me. Not that I need help… but I didn’t always hate it.

  I open the door and step out into the living room area. Suddenly I hear a gasp, followed by a loud crash. I turn to see a broken plate on the floor, and Corrine staring at me, wide-eyed.

  I groan. “Are you capable of making a facial expression that doesn’t involve your eyeballs popping out of their sockets and your mouth hanging wide open?” I snap.

  “Wow… oh, wow… it’s just…”

  “What?!”

  She pulls her hand to her mouth, then drops it and shakes her head. “I’m sorry, I dunno, but you just look so different. Sexy. Like a supermodel superhero or something.”

  I’m almost tempted to laugh at the silly Sapie girl, but I don’t want to give her the satisfaction. True, she’s only known about me for a few nights, and she’s never seen me in anything other than Liora’s old rags. So maybe it makes sense that she’s acting like she’s seeing me for the very first time. In a way she is.

  “Where’s Kieron?” I arch an eyebrow as she continues to gawk.

  “I’m here,” he says, coming around the corner of the hallway. I’m still irked that he chose his own room on the opposite side of the house from me, but right now he looks so damn sexy in his loose-fitting jeans, snug black tee shirt and black leather jacket, I don’t give a damn where he hangs his clothes, as long as I’m the one taking them off later.

  “Looking hot, Luck.” He slides his arm around my waist to give me a quick kiss.

  “You too,” I whisper, as a small tingle moves through me. Now this is more like it.

  “God, you guys look so badass!” Corrine gushes.

  I give her a withering look, and she quickly bends over to pick up some pieces of broken plate from the floor. “Okay, yeah, so uh, you guys have a blast tonight. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine here. Go out and raise hell or whatever it is you do.” She chuckles at her own joke and tosses the glass shards in the trash.

  I roll my eyes and turn to Kieron. “Get me away from this place now.”

  He takes my arm and leads me to the door.

  “Goodnight, Corrine.”

  “I won’t wait up!”

  ********

  Well, Kieron was right about one thing—this motorcycle ride is much better than the last one. I’d almost go so far as to say I’m enjoying it. With my arms wrapped around him as he speeds down the winding road, in a way it reminds me of being atop Diablo as we’d race as one through Dryndara’s forests.

  Except instead of the magical triple moons of Illyria guiding our way in the dark, now it’s the headlights of passing cars. Instead of weaving our way past golden and silver trees, volcanoes of ice and rivers of flowing fire, now it’s housing tracts, schools, shopping centers, and several business complexes.

  This is hell.

  We’d gone through the portal on the beach below Anastasia’s house, and a few minutes later had emerged from a tunnel in West Hollywood, over sixty miles away. According to the map the Demon Bar was close, but we still had to drive through a bit more Sapie world to get there.

  The Sunset Strip is lined with flashing neon lights and colorful characters who look like rejects from a freak show, and I can’t help but wonder if we aren’t being set up for some sort of trap after all. Or maybe this is just Anastasia’s idea of a joke.

  Before long, Kieron turns down a narrow side street. This road is far less glitzy but still lively enough, with flashing signs and Sapies everywhere, dressed as punks, goths, whores, rock stars, gangsters, hipsters, nerds, and everything in between.

  “Why are you stopping?” I yell in Kieron’s ear over the sound of the motorcycle’s wicked roar.

  He motions to a sign and slowly backs up to the curb. “We’re here.” He kicks down the stand.

  I turn to see what he’s looking at and almost fall off the bike.

  “You cannot be serious! This isn’t where we need to be! This is a joke… and not a very funny one!”

  Kieron grins and swings his leg over the seat. He holds out his hand. “You coming?”

  “Really? You really think I’m going in there? Are you mental?”

  “I guess they do things a bit different here. But according to Anastasia, this is the place we want to be.”

  I stare at the façade of the building. It’s definitely older, but it’s decorated in a way that makes it look like a gothic castle. The whole top of the roof is painted with realistic looking flames, and pictures of skulls and crossbones line the base.

  But despite the tacky clichés and terrible location of this place, the worst part is the name, painted to look like fresh, dripping blood:

  Club Hades.

  Chapter 9. Lucky

  I fume inwardly as I release my hair from my ponytail and give it a quick shake. If that bitchy witch sent us here as some sort of sick joke or a setup, I swear to Satan, I won’t give a rat’s ass who her sister is. She will feel my wrath. Even if I have to wait months… years. She has to leave her enchanted property at some point. And when she does—

  “C’mon, this way. There’s the entrance.”

  Kieron grabs my hand, and we saunter past a long line of Sapies waiting like pathetic little eager beavers to be allowed inside the cool kids’ club. We approach the doorman, a big burly mass of a fellow holding a clipboard, and with a face carved of stone. He looks like he’s never laughed or even smiled in his life.

  He quickly sizes us up, then turns his head and says something inaudible into his jacket collar. A moment later he steps aside and unclips the velvet rope, permitting our passage. We ignore the protests of the jealous wannabes waiting in line and walk through the enormous oak door.

  Almost immediately our ears are assaulted by pounding house music that is quite literally shaking the place to its core. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the smoky room filled with hordes of bodies, twisting and shaking beneath pulsating neon lights.

  But then, gradually, I notice there are no discernable walls or partitions… just vast, open space with glowing, transcendent landscaping. And the ceiling is so high it has become like the night sky. It’s as if we suddenly stepped into the middle of some strange, magical, alternate world. I’ve been to my fair share of Sapie nightclubs in my day, but this place is unlike any I’ve ever seen. Yet, it’s hauntingly familiar.

  “Look!” I yell in Kieron’s ea
r, pointing to the ceiling. Against the pitch night sky, nestled amongst blinking stars, are three perfectly round discs reminiscent of the moons of Illyria. “And look!” I point over to a river of flowing lava… or what looks like it… surrounding a smaller island. In fact, every place I look seems to be heavily influenced by, if not downright copied from, the land of Thiberoux. If I didn’t know better, I might think we were there right now. Minus the blasting techno music and the hordes of partying Sapies, of course.

  “This is insane!” Kieron yells back. I look around in awe. Obviously the place is under some serious enchantment. No way is this massive club fitting in the building we just entered… it would easily take up several blocks.

  But as we walk around, we notice that despite the club’s ridiculous size, most of the patrons are sticking mostly to a huge clearing beneath a raised stage. That area appears to be made of earth, but everything else, from the sparkling silver rocks and shiny emerald and bronze trees, to the glistening bright-aqua stream meandering through the diamond encrusted snow banks, all glows ethereally in the smoky darkness. I have to admit the visuals are pretty spectacular.

  I turn to Kieron in disbelief. “This is our Demon Bar?!”

  He smiles and nods. “Welcome to L.A., huh?”

  “But what’s with all the Sapies—”

  “Hello!”

  We both turn around and find a beautiful young woman smiling at us. Even in the dark I clearly see how her unnaturally brilliant green eyes match perfectly with the emerald tips of her white, shoulder-length hair.

  “Uh, hi?”

  “You must be the new VIPs. I’m Jade, your hostess. Sorry I was late in greeting you. Some unexpected visitors arrived the same time you did, but they came in through the back door, if you know what I mean.” She gives us a wink and holds out her hand, whose nails naturally are sporting bright-green tips.

  I look at her and raise an eyebrow. “No, I don’t know what you mean,” I mutter. Kieron reaches out to take Jade’s hand, but when he does, she grasps his even tighter, and for a few seconds her eyes take on a bright glow. Before I have time to react, Kieron pulls away.

  Jade gives us a pleasant smile. “Thank you. That’s all I needed to know. Please come with me.”

  She turns and beckons us to follow. I glance at Kieron. “Damn psychics,” he whispers with a grimace. “Never give you any warning before they go digging around in there.”

  We trail close behind as Jade leads us along a golden stone pathway toward the center of the action. Then we turn a corner, and suddenly we can see a whole other part of the club that was previously hidden. Thousands more patrons are dancing to the thumping music. Half-naked bodies writhe seductively in cages suspended in the air. And on the huge, raised stage a DJ dressed in a devil costume is gesturing wildly and pumping up the swelling crowd, while several beautiful, scantily-clad girls dressed as angels dance seductively around him.

  “Way to live the cliché,” I say in Kieron’s ear. Apparently Jade hears me because she turns around with a smile.

  “The humans love it.”

  I give her a nod and a fake smile as I survey the scene. Demon Bar back home is about the size of a small, intimate restaurant, with low ceilings, dirty floors, and stone chairs. I don’t think there was a color in there that wasn’t black, grey, or brown. Here, I don’t think there is a color that isn’t electric and glowing, as if the place itself is totally alive.

  Jade leads us past the DJ stage and over a bridge. The churning river of fire below reminds me of entering the inner sanctum of Dryndara. “Here you go, through these curtains,” she says. She holds open the long velvet drapes whose tops seem to extend indefinitely to the night sky.

  As soon as we pass through, I feel an immediate and drastic change in the atmosphere. The music dulls to a muted beat. The lighting is dimmer, more natural, less vibrant. The air is cooler. Still smoky, but familiar.

  “Now we’re talking,” Kieron says with a relieved laugh.

  “This is our VIP lounge for our special guests,” Jade says with a wink. “From now on you’ll use the back entrance to come directly in here. But we always have first-timers come in through the front to get a lay of the land.”

  “You have humans and demons mingling in the same place? How is that even possible?” I’m still stunned.

  Jade waves her hand dismissively. “The humans only see what they want to see. Most of them think that they are the center of the universe and that the world revolves around only them. People like that are the blindest of all and are the most easily deceived. It’s the ones who have their eyes wide open we need to worry about. Fortunately, not too many of those find their way in here. But we need the humans, just as they need us. It’s a symbiotic relationship, and one that works.”

  Kieron and I exchange looks. We’d always done everything in our powers to remain a secret from the humans. And here these guys are partying with them.

  “The worlds of man and of demonia are not as separate and distinct as you might think,” Jade continues, motioning for us to sit at a table. “This club was built around the largest collection of portals to the demon realm in the entire mortal world. There are one hundred and eighty-seven separate entry points here connecting to portals all throughout Thiberoux. And there are close to a thousand more connecting to various other places on Man’s Earth. From almost the earliest period of civilization this place has served as a transitory stop for messengers passing between our worlds, and it’s a very important link between humans and demonia.”

  “So this place is sort of like the Grand Central Station of Demonworld portals?” I ask.

  Jade smiles. “I suppose one could look at it that way. And while we do have a great many passers through, especially these days, we also serve another important function. We’re an embassy of sorts. Among a great many other things, we help those demons who’ve been lost or cast out.”

  Kieron and I exchange glances again. “Like us.”

  Jade turns and motions to the room behind her. “You are welcome here. And you are safe. Violence and fighting is prohibited and punishable by instant death. The bar is always open, and we have everything you might possibly need. My sister Ruby is the best bartender in the game. She’ll take great care of you. Go get a couple of drinks and make yourselves at home. I’ll be back shortly.”

  She flashes us both a cute smile and gives Kieron’s shoulder a quick squeeze before heading off. An entirely unnecessary gesture.

  “C’mon.” Kieron grins and brushes his hair from his face, and together we head towards the other side of the room. The long, clear glass bar looks like it’s made of ice, with an eerie, cool-blue tint. As soon as Kieron and I sit down, a carbon copy of Jade appears, only this one has flaming red tips on the ends of her bright-white hair that perfectly match her crimson eyes and lips. Despite the Hollywood stereotype, red eyes on demons are actually pretty rare, and on Ruby the effect is nothing short of stunning.

  “Welcome,” she says with a wide smile as she taps her long scarlet nails against the bar. “I heard we had some new arrivals. I’m Ruby. It’s very nice to meet you both. I’ll be taking care of you.” She doesn’t hold out her hand for us to shake. Which is good, ‘cause we probably wouldn’t take it if she did.

  My mind flashes back to the last time I sat at Demon Bar and ordered drinks. It feels like a lifetime ago. Gyan had served me and insisted on going on the rescue mission to save Kieron. He’d betrayed us all, and it ultimately led to Bones’s death. So I’m not planning on becoming buddy-buddy with any demonic bartenders anytime soon.

  “I’ll have a—”

  She holds up her hand. “No need to tell me. I can tell exactly what each patron needs just by looking.” She smiles at me, and for a split second her eyes flash bright red. I think I see a faint glimmer of surprise cross her face, but she doesn’t say anything. Then she looks at Kieron and again does the quick eye-flashy thing.

  “Got it, coming right up!”

  Kie
ron and I exchange yet another silent glance, then turn to survey our surroundings. Despite the obvious difference in décor, in a weird way this place does sort of remind me of Demon Bar back home. Several small groups of demons and demions cluster around booths and tables talking amongst themselves while enjoying their drinks. Most look completely human, save for a few obvious vampires, and something that looks like a cross between a dog and a fat woman. The energy is contained, but powerful. As if we are all in tune with the same unseen and unspoken forces.

  “Some place, huh?” Kieron asks and puts his hand on my knee.

  All of a sudden, I really miss Bones. I wish he was sitting here with me now. I wish he could see this place and all its over-the-top insanity. I wish I could hear his laugh and see his smile. I wish I could see that devilish twinkle he always got in his eyes when he was teasing me, or that serious look he got when he wasn’t…

  “Here ya go, darlings. Cheers!” We turn back to see Ruby smiling at us again. I frown… My drink looks suspiciously like what Bones used to have. As a demon, he always took his Energy pure. But my human body needs it diluted with alcohol for it to metabolize properly. I can tell just from looking at the bright green drink that it is as straight-up as it comes.

  “Um, I’m not so sure I should have this—”

  “Yes, you absolutely should. Trust me.” Ruby’s eyes flash again, and I look away. Maybe drinks are different out here. Hell, everything else is.

  Kieron and I clink our glasses together, and I take an apprehensive sip. Immediately, a powerful rush jolts through my body and I almost jump out of my chair.

  Kieron looks at me, startled. “Lucky, you okay?”

  My eyes wide with pleasure, I nod and eagerly gulp some more. Ruby smiles knowingly at me as she wipes down some glasses. I feel like I’d been dying of thirst, and my body is eagerly absorbing every last molecule of Energy like a sponge and putting it to the best use. Before Kieron has taken even three sips of his drink, I’ve chugged the whole thing.