Tricks and Treats

by J. C. Diem

  “We’ll see about that,” Crowmon said with a smirk. He tried to snatch the staff from me, but Wrath vanished, then reappeared so it looked like his hand passed through the handle as if it was made of smoke. “Now, that’s a neat trick,” he said in grudging admiration.

  His surprised expression was enough to make me snort out a laugh. “I told you,” I said gloatingly. “You’re in Nox now, which means you have to obey our laws.”

  “What exactly are these laws?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. From the way his mouth was turned down, he wasn’t happy about the circumstances he found himself in.

  “You’re not allowed to harm or kill the uncursed,” I informed him. “I personally frown on anyone hurting the Night Cursed,” I added when he cut his eyes towards a pair of uncursed wizards who were sitting beside us. The crowd were ignoring us as if we didn’t exist. “Stealing isn’t tolerated either,” I said.

  “What is allowed?” he asked petulantly. “What is a trickster deity like me supposed to do if I’m not allowed to use my talents?”

  “You seem like a smart guy. I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”

  His lower lip pooched out in a pout. “Can I at least bamboozle uncursed women into having sex with me?”

  “No!” I snapped. “That falls under harming them and don’t even think of using compulsion on Night Cursed women,” I said, holding my fist in front of his face threateningly.

  Crowmon made a noise of disgust. “I’d sooner sleep with a gorgon than with any of your kind. No offense,” he added hastily when I glowered at him. “I like women who have at least a modicum of intelligence,” he explained.

  “Are you saying you think I’m stupid?” I asked, leaning in to glare into his eyes.

  “Well, not you, obviously,” he said, backing away a couple of steps and casting a wary glance at Wrath when his gray mist reached out for him. “You’re different from the others.”

  I could tell he was just saying that to placate me, which was just as well. It was bad enough that Raum knew I was different. I had to remain under the radar. It was best to let the uncursed beings think I was as witless as they believed all of my kind were. “So, will you obey our laws, or do I need to inform the Immortal Triumvirate that you’re a rogue entity?” I asked.

  “Well, I am a rogue,” the deity said without a hint of modesty, “but you can tell them that I’ll follow their rules.” With a wave of his hand, he returned the stolen goods to their owners, then snapped his fingers. The enchantment that he’d placed on the audience began to wear off. He vanished as the crowd came back to their senses.

  “Excuse me, Ms. Evora, but you’re standing in the way,” one of the Night Cursed wizards I was standing in front of said peevishly.

  “Sorry,” I replied and made my way back to the exit. Glares for interrupting the show followed me, but I ignored them. I paused at the canvas door to see the acrobats hadn’t noticed the mood shift in their audience. They were no longer quite so mesmerized and were chatting quietly as the performance continued.

  Several hundred people were watching the show and Crowmon had managed to bamboozle them all with ease. It made me wonder just how powerful the jester was and exactly what he was capable of.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  A CARRIAGE CARRIED me back to the City Square. I disembarked and strode past the fountain. The stone figures seemed to be watching me as I circled around it. Their eyes bored into my back as I climbed the stairs to the Triumvirate’s headquarters. The fountain changed periodically. This week, there were a mixture of shapeshifters. A werewolf was fighting a rival and had his jaws clamped around the throat of the weaker shifter. Other werebeasts watched on with expressions of fear. The resemblance that the dominant werewolf had with Lord Graham was noticeable. It was an unsubtle threat of what the alpha would do to any shapeshifter who dared to oppose him.

  I was given permission by the CIA and FBI agents to climb up to the second floor and one of the guards opened the door for me. My stride was smooth and my expression was neutral as I approached the trio of desks.

  “Back so soon, Ms. Evora?” Lord Dallinar asked in surprise.

  “Did you find the clown?” Lord Kreaton asked.

  “I found him, my lords,” I confirmed.

  “Who and what is he?” Lord Graham demanded.

  “He says his name is Crowmon and he’s a trickster deity,” I reported.

  Breaths were sucked in from the crowd and mutters broke out. Lord Dallinar blanched slightly and exchange a worried look with the master vampire.

  “A trickster deity?” the alpha werewolf repeated as if he’d never heard of one before.

  “He said he’s a minor god,” I explained further.

  “I thought they’d all died,” someone said from a few rows back in the crowd.

  “The trickster gods lost their power when their worshippers all died off,” Lord Dallinar said, raising his voice to drown out the crowd. “I was under the impression that they’d withered away to nothing.”

  “Crowmon told me he’s immortal, my lord,” I said.

  “That is no longer the case now that he resides in Nox,” Lord Kreaton said and pointed at Wrath. “Did you inform him of what your weapon is capable of?”

  “Yes, Lord Kreaton,” I confirmed. “Crowmon is now aware of your laws and he’s agreed to abide by them.”

  “Trickster gods can’t be trusted,” someone called out. “They lie as easily as they breathe!”

  It was interesting to see a mutual unease that a minor deity had come to reside in the City of Night. It seemed Crowmon’s kind were universally disliked. After seeing him in action, I could understand why. He was able to bamboozle a large crowd without any trouble. The fae were probably more immune to him than most, but even they seemed uneasy. Nox boosted the power of all beings who had the ability to use magic. It seemed that the jester was no exception.

  “We will keep our eye on this clown,” Lord Kreaton said to the uneasy crowd. “If he breaks the laws again, Ms. Evora will punish him accordingly.”

  Stealing wasn’t a big enough offense for me to kill Crowmon, but if he continued to break the rules, I would introduce him to my silver sword. It probably wouldn’t kill him, but even a god could bleed. “As you command, my lord,” I said and bowed obediently.

  All three of the Immortal Triumvirate members smiled at my show of subservience. They loved having their own personal executioner. The crowd murmured uneasily, knowing I could be turned against them if they ever did something wrong. If Wrath could kill a god, no one would be safe from his ire.

  “Continue with your patrol, Ms. Evora,” Lord Dallinar ordered me with a dismissive wave of his delicate hand. “Your presence is no longer required.”

  I bowed again, making sure to keep my face blank so I didn’t give away how much his snotty tone annoyed me. Once I was outside, I glanced around casually to make sure no one was tailing me. I’d noticed that I was no longer being followed by the African vampire a couple of nights ago. Lord Kreaton had called him off now that he was convinced I didn’t remember what he’d done to me. Sometimes, it paid to be Night Cursed. The uncursed believed we were all brainless idiots. Sadly, they were mostly right about that.

  A carriage ferried me across the bridge back to the Vampire District. We stopped a few blocks away from the small park where I’d saved Jardine from being murdered by Nandon and his friends. Speaking of the devil, I spotted the master vamp with a bunch of uncursed leeches heading past the park. Curious about what they were up to, I followed them a few blocks to a house that was devoid of the living and the undead.

  Chesi’s cold face suddenly pressed against mine and I almost let out a squeak of surprise. She made a sound of amusement, then settled around my shoulders. “Hey, girl,” I whispered in greeting, then gestured at the mob of vampires as the door closed behind them. “Can you let me hear what they’re saying without them knowing about it?” I asked as I crept over to peer through a window.


  The dragon nodded, then her paws began to move. She drew the conversation to us through a crack in the window frame, then created an air bubble around us to keep the noise in. Jardine’s voice came through clearly, but the leeches wouldn’t be able to hear their conversation being repeated.

  “Lord Kreaton has his men watching me,” Jardine was saying. She had to be whispering, but Chesi’s elemental magic boosted her voice. “It wasn’t easy to sneak out of my mansion without being seen.”

  “Isn’t it dangerous for us to be seen together?” a male asked. They were all wearing hoods to hide their faces.

  “We are all masters,” another female said. “Lord Kreaton wouldn’t dare move against us. We supported him when he made his bid to become a member of the Vampire Council. He owes us for taking turns sheltering him after Sebastian destroyed his kiss.”

  I had no idea what they were talking about, but I filed the information away.

  “After falling so low, Lord Kreaton now has power again,” Jardine said. “He made an alliance with the fairy and the alpha werewolf. Somehow, they’ve become bound by fae magic. I don’t know how they created the Night Cursed and Nox. It should have been beyond their capabilities.”

  “Well, they have created their moronic slaves and this City of Night,” another leech said in a heavy European accent. “We were lured here under the pretext that it would be a safe place for our kind. Instead, we’re being hunted down like dogs!”

  “Too many of our lesser vampires have disappeared and we could be next!” someone else exclaimed.

  “The reason why I called you all here is because I heard an artifact was smuggled into the city,” Jardine said. “I don’t know what it is, or who has it, but Lord Kreaton is eager to get his hands on it.”

  “Then we should make sure he never finds it,” one of her allies suggested. “The last thing the Immortal Triumvirate needs is more power.” Her tone was bitter.

  “We need to discover who brought this artifact into Nox,” someone said. “If we can wrest it from them, we will have leverage against our leaders.”

  Jardine shook her head in warning. “It would be a death sentence if any of us were to try to steal the artifact.”

  “Why did you bring us here, then?”

  “To advise you that the Immortal Triumvirate are not all-powerful after all. I’ve heard rumors that they have weaknesses. Eventually, someone will exploit their vulnerabilities and war will break out.”

  “Where will you stand in this war, Jardine?” someone asked shrewdly.

  “Our kind has survived for eons, but we’ve always hidden in the shadows,” she replied. “In Nox, we don’t have to hide who and what we are. Lord Kreaton has proven himself to be treacherous. He’s turned on his own people out of fear of this mysterious artifact. He even had his minions try to kill me. If it hadn’t been for that Night Cursed huntress they call the Guardian of Nox, they would have succeeded.”

  Mutters broke out at that news. “Xiara Evora is most unsettling,” one of the vamps said. “I fear she would kill us all if the Triumvirate were to allow it.”

  Chesi let out a snicker at that truth. I was holding Wrath down low so his holy light didn’t shine through the window. He was smart enough not to pulse in agreement and give us away.

  “I believe it would be to our mutual benefit if we ally ourselves with whomever will be attempting to overthrow our leaders,” Jardine proposed.

  “If we prove ourselves to be invaluable to them, we will rise in power and prestige,” someone mused.

  “Lord Kreaton doesn’t deserve our loyalty,” another bloodsucker added. “He has betrayed us and he must pay for his treachery.”

  “He will,” Jardine said. “For now, we will keep our eyes open and listen for whispers of discontent. Eventually, rebellion will stir and we will rise with the new leaders of Nox.”

  Their meeting broke up and the masters dispersed. Chesi dispelled the spells she’d created and I returned to my patrol with my mind whirling in overdrive.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  IT WAS GAMES NIGHT when I got up the following evening. Food would be on offer downstairs, so I didn’t bother to make myself dinner. Only one person was missing when I reached the entertaining area on the first floor. Quilla and Marigold sat on a couch, gossiping about something and Steve and Jasper were playing pool. Gip was perched on the gigantic TV. His head swiveled nervously as he searched for Chesi. The air elemental crept up behind him and yanked on his tailfeathers. The parrot let out a loud squawk of rage and the dragon flew away with a snicker.

  Travis arrived before I could plonk down onto my chair. He had permission to enter from all of us and he didn’t need to knock. He strode inside and grinned when he saw me. “Hey, babe,” he said in greeting, then gave me a scorching hot kiss.

  “Get a room, you two,” Quilla joked.

  “I heard Sir Francis will be facing an ogre in battle tomorrow night,” Lady Marigold said to the gypsy. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from excitement. I looked over at Jasper in time to see him roll his eyes in mock exasperation. I figured this wasn’t the first time his ladylove had mentioned the knight.

  “We should head to Tournament Town and watch them fight,” my bestie said, obviously just as excited.

  “Are you going to be joining us tonight, Xiara?” Steve asked, then sank one of his balls. Jasper muttered something beneath his breath.

  “Yeah. I ran into someone new to town and I wanted to ask Quilla a few questions about him,” I replied. Travis and I sat down on the other couch and we began grazing on the snack food.

  Instantly intrigued, I had the gypsy’s full attention. “What sort of creature is he?” she asked.

  “His name is Crowmon and he says he’s a trickster deity.”

  Quilla’s mouth dropped open and a piece of cookie that she’d just stuffed into it fell out.

  “There she is, folks,” Steve said with a grin. “The love of my life is a lady through and through.”

  Quilla shot him a glare, then flicked the half-chewed cookie off her lap. It landed on the floor, then vanished a few seconds later. “I thought all the trickster gods were dead,” she explained. “They faded away when their followers stopped worshipping them. Without prayers, they have no power.”

  “Well, Crowmon managed to survive somehow,” I informed her. “Now that he’s in Nox, his magic has been boosted.” I gave them a quick rundown of both encounters I’d had with the jester.

  “What exactly is a trickster deity?” Lady Marigold asked. She ate far more daintily than the rest of us and dabbed her mouth with a napkin after each bite.

  “They’re supposed to be immortal, as long as they have worshipers,” Quilla said as if plucking the knowledge from a library that was stored in her head. “They grant boons to their followers in exchange for trinkets. They also play pranks on people that they don’t like, or on anyone who offends them.”

  “It sounds like they invented trick or treating,” Travis mused.

  “It wouldn’t surprise me,” Quilla said. “Trickster deities were always feared and revered, but they were few in number. Now that Crowmon is here, he’ll be able to tap into the power source that runs Nox.” By that, she meant us and our kind.

  “How?” I asked in confusion. “We’re tied to the Immortal Triumvirate. They created us and we’re their batteries.”

  “He’s a god,” my bestie said with a shrug. “Gods aren’t like the other supernatural beings. Especially real ones rather than Night Cursed ones.”

  We had a few Night Cursed deities, but they didn’t have much power. There was a mixture of Greek, Egyptian, Roman, Norse and other types of gods. They all lived to the north of the Fae District in their own territories. A war between gods wouldn’t be a good thing even if it only lasted for one night. Uncursed beings stayed away from them, so there wasn’t much chance that they would become casualties if war broke out.

  “How powerful could this Crowmon fellow become?” Captain Shortbea
rd asked. He sank one of the balls and Steve cursed beneath his breath this time.

  “From the sounds of it, his powers are fairly minor so far,” Quilla replied. “If he starts gathering followers, his power will grow. I can see why the Triumvirate are nervous about having a trickster god in the city. If he gains enough worshipers, he could eventually rival them in strength.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me if they come up with an excuse for Xiara to kill him,” Travis said.

  “Crowmon knows Wrath can kill him and that he isn’t immortal now that he’s trapped here,” I said. “I doubt he’ll do anything to bring the unholy trinity’s attention to him. He seems like a smart guy.”

  “Maybe so, but he’s a god,” Marigold pointed out. “Now that his power is back, do you really think he’ll be able to control his impulses?”

  She had a good point. “Probably not,” I said and blew out a sigh. “If Crowmon has spent the past few centuries or so being weak and pathetic, it could go to his head that he can use magic and bamboozle people again.”

  “Did he really steal trinkets from the uncursed beings?” Quilla asked, then snickered. “I bet that went over well.” None of us particularly liked the uncursed civilians, mostly because they treated us like idiots. All three of our boyfriends were handsome and were hit on constantly by horny women. Quilla and Marigold had to fend off the advances of uncursed men as well. I was the only one the opposite sex avoided. As the Guardian of Nox, few wanted to tangle with me, with or without clothes.

  “It was pretty funny,” I said, then snickered. “Crowmon had the entire crowd bamboozled. He even managed to control me for a few seconds before it wore off.”

  Travis didn’t find anything funny about that. “You should stay away from him if you can,” he suggested. “The last thing you need is for a god to be able to control your actions.”

  I hadn’t thought of that and an icy finger ran down my spine. The Immortal Triumvirate owned me, but not even they could make me kill someone who didn’t deserve it. Crowmon had overridden my immunity to magic for a short time. It was possible that he might be able to use me as his pawn if his power grew strong enough. The demons couldn’t possess me due to the cross I wore at all times, but holy symbols wouldn’t stop the jester. While I hadn’t sensed any evil in the little man, there had been plenty of mischief. He could very well turn out to be as dangerous as Raum.