“Never! Fuck you, Dad.” Jasper’s tone dripped with repudiation, his elbow slamming into the demon’s chest. “Get out of my way.”
A finger pushed between Jaspers eyebrows as pain rocketed through his mind. His blood-curdling shriek echoed through the bar before cutting off as he collapsed.
With a crash, the bathroom door blew open, Jasper’s body falling halfway out as the demon strode through the shocked room and into the night.
A couple of heartbeats later, a troll, after shaking his head to clear it, rose and placed a finger on Jasper’s neck. “Not dead. Call Theo. Taloot, too.”
Seated on her front porch, Melia watched the moon rise, the tiny sliver shaved from one side proclaiming the wane. Profound darkness walks the desert. I suspect Jasper’s father crossed to this plane. My heart fears for my love. Within her core the ancients stirred.
Beloved, you can do what is right and nothing more. You are not the first Muse to lose love to the hands of evil. It is the truest of balances, to give away love to restore.
My heart trembles. Despair covers me.
Dread not what must occur, but choose resiliency, nimbleness, and mercy. Light sets the path. Gird for the battle and be strong, Muse. It is your purpose.
Melia gazed at the moon, feeling the demon marauding, killing the animals, and the frenzy within the balance, but not the call to act. Silent, she bowed her head as the ancients lamented in her blood.
Her heart exploded with light. So many? How? Lifting off her porch, she sped through the night air, called to balance.
Eyes glowing red despite his unconscious state, Jasper tossed and turned on the little cot in the jail. Topper and Lacey watched in silence.
“I vanished the mirror in the men’s bathroom. Now the entire bath is a mirror?”
“When I repaired the bar, I did not touch the bathrooms. I didn’t go in them either, so I don’t know if the fix was in place before or after I left.”
They exchanged glances.
“Is there a rogue witch among us?”
Topper rubbed her hands along denim clad thighs. “It looks that way. And, I suspect the intention was to incriminate you. Clever, to drive a wedge between the witches, keep us off balance, and impact our interactions to protect him.” Her eyes returned to Jasper, thrashing in pain on the cot. “However, I know you too well. You are not the compromised witch.”
“My guess is none of our witches are. We are dealing with a hidden newcomer.”
“Possible, but until we determine and are certain, be careful and alert. This is not the usual interference. I sense the work of old magic. The air tastes of deviltry and necromancy.” Topper wrinkled her nose. “I hate that smell.”
Jasper screamed in pain and flopped off the cot, bouncing on the floor. Topper waved her hand and suspended him in the center of the cell. “Better. At least he can’t hurt himself.”
“At this point, we watch and see what he is when he comes out of it. I’m surprised you haven’t asked Melia to come sit with us.”
Topper shot her a side-eye. “If he wakes up blown apart, she’ll be here regardless, and he’s lost. If he awakens any other way, we’ll evaluate. This is new ground. Elthera took over my library, looking for answers. For now, we wait, and hope we get the chance to try.”
Chapter 10
“Kokopelli’s is closed until we contain the situation,” Theo muttered in greeting, swinging past the coffee pot en route to his desk. Setting cup and boots on it, he stared at the witches.
Topper’s hair faded to black. “How many?”
“Taloot said forty demons got through before they smashed all the mirrors. Several remain trapped in the shards. Melia showed up as I left and she’s handling it.” I thought Taloot was going to crap his pants.
“Forty!”
“He must be valuable,” Theo jerked his head at the cell. “Any chance he’s close to waking up?”
Topper and Lacey shook their heads.
“Melia will be here as soon as she handles the situation at Kokopelli’s. She’s the only deterrent strong enough to repel forty demons. No offense.”
“No argument, Theo. Any sign of Daddy?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, but Melia feels him, and thinks he’s marshalling his forces. He’s formidable. Her words.”
From the cell, Jasper muttered, “Romer?”
“Our other two guests are being difficult,” Theo said. “They insist on being here and I doubt they get or care how dangerous it is.”
“I’ve never seen High John burn to hearts like that,” Topper mused. “Wellie knows his stuff. It’s so odd I misread that signature when they first showed up. He’s no emerging magical entity, not by any stretch.”
The sharp scrape of Theo’s chair made Topper jump.
“What?”
“The mothers! Their moms are all in on it. Each of these men received protection, not just Jasper. It’s why we couldn’t sense them.” Dammit, I know I’m right. We need to talk to them.
Topper’s eyes flew wide. “Theo! That’s the missing piece. No wonder everything didn’t add up.”
Laptop flipped open, Theo pulled from the database. He grabbed his spare phone, tapped in the number, and put it on speaker.
“Mrs. Williams? This is Sheriff Theo Bravian from Magic, New Mexico. Your son Wellington is visiting here.”
“You may call me Alma, Sheriff. How far along is everything?”
“Well,” Theo blinked.
“I expected to hear from you before now. How bad is it?”
“It’s not good, Ma’am.” Are we the only ones who don’t have a clue? I swear, early retirement sounds damn sweet.
“Has Jasper’s dad showed up?”
“With forty friends.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake. Didn’t anyone remove the mirrors?”
“We did, but we think a rogue witch replaced them.”
“Hmmm. That’s messy.”
Theo blew out air. “Yes Ma’am, and it’s getting messier.”
“Wellington and Romeo can help you. Aren’t they there?”
“We thought it’d be safer…”
A snort came through the speaker. Theo rubbed his forehead as the witches exchanged a glance.
“I’d advise accepting their offer. You will need every hand you can get.”
“Are they under protective spells, too?”
A low laugh flowed from the phone’s speaker. “Not for long. Romeo’s mother, Lyra, will assist if you need her. Have a witch pop her over if you do. She’s a strong complement to your Muse.”
Theo eyed Topper, and she nodded. “We can use the help.”
In the Williams’ kitchen, Lyra put her teacup down. “I wouldn’t want to break up your tea set,” she smiled, and vanished with a pop.
“Such a thoughtful woman.” Speaking into the phone again, Alma added, “Good luck, Sheriff. Appears you’ll need it. Such disorganization. Not the Magic I remember from years ago.”
Theo’s mouth tightened as he disconnected. She has a point. Never got in front of this and now it’s swinging us by the tail.
“I hope they prevail.” With a sigh, Alma rose, rinsed the cups, and placed them on the drainboard. She hummed the old tune as she opened the parlor door and pulled out a bolt of black cloth from the many colors stored there. Forty, plus a Big Daddy, I’ll be making these all day. She lay out the fabric and picking up her scissors, she cut out the first doll, the chant filling the room.
At Topper’s, a coin materialized and dropped onto the counter. Romer picked it up.
Get your butts down to the jail
“It’s on, Wellie. We’re in.”
“High John, we fight today and need your skills to trick a demon. Help us win.”
Romer looked around the kitchen. Huh. I sense the change. It feels like Mom. What’s going on?
Melia’s glow faded and Taloot peeked over the bar top, squinting.
“You are a delectable badass, darling. How m
any did you pull from the shards?”
Melia sat on a stool and drank the water he offered. “Twenty-three. I’m shocked. They must have been pouring through.”
“I had three hanging on my back when I was busting up the bathroom.” Taloot shivered. “Horrid stench. I hit the mirror, then whacked one off my tail, hit the glass again and banged another head. I won’t lie, dearest. It scared this old troll.”
“I am sorry they caught you in the deluge,” Melia reached over, squeezed his hand, and Taloot’s edges smoothed out.
“You have a remarkable way about you.” He rubbed the tingles where she’d touched him. “You arrived in the nick of time. I don’t think I’ll sleep for a week with their death shrieks bouncing in my head.”
“Try not to let it trouble you. They knew the risk and came, despite it. I was merciful in their dispatch.”
“Folks who heard the noise would never believe it.”
“Demons are drama queens. It’s all they know,” Melia said with a shrug. “I must go tend to Jasper.”
Taloot stared at her sad eyes and nodded. “You carry a burden. I wish I could help you.”
“It is my birthright, dear Taloot. I accept my fate.”
She slipped out as he picked up the broom and dustpan, sweeping the emptied slivers of glass with a heavy heart. I liked that kid. He pulled a shitty straw.
Romer’s gaze traveled from one face to the next. Everyone of them believes Melia will take Jasper out. It’s clear. He’s stuck in that cell and helpless. He has no protection. I won’t allow that to happen.
He let his eyes rest in his mother’s, in the way they always communicated, and moved to a corner of the room. Lyra finished her conversation with Topper and edged toward him.
“These people gave up, Mom; they’ve accepted that Jasper’s going down. I refuse to let that happen. I won’t abandon my best friend. None of this is his fault.”
She nodded, laying her palm on his arm; his heart rate slowed. “It doesn’t have to end here, but it’s tricky. I don’t know this Muse, and despite your ardor, Son, this is her show.”
“Then I hope she’s too busy with forty demons to focus on him. If this is my stand, Mom, I’m taking it.”
Their eyes held, and a tear ran down Lyra’s cheek. She wiped it away with a sad smile. “Your heart is true, Son. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Put us in there,” Wellie’s eyes narrowed at Theo, whose dragon yellow eyes glinted back for a moment before returning to their normal ice-blue.
You are not in charge here, Kid. Chill out or I’ll show you real dragonale.
Wellie swallowed but held the stare.
I think Mama pulled the spell off. I’m reading this kid five-by-five. “That’s a dangerous place to be, Wellie.”
“We are his protection. Deal with the demons. We are here for Jasper alone,” Romer walked to the cell door and raised an eyebrow at Theo. “This is the only way to salvage this situation. Open the door.”
Topper’s side eye came with a slight nod, and Theo opened the cell.
“Lock it up.”
“Once inside, you’re trapped.”
“That’s the entire point, Sheriff.”
Theo clicked the lock. Wellie and Romer stood flanking Jasper, murmuring to High John, and waited.
Melia paused in the empty square, staring at the tall demon blocking her route. The light filled her.
“You cannot vanquish me, Muse. I am greater than your trifling.”
“I am the balance. You are not of this world.”
“That is your error,” He moved, heavy, in a curving path toward her. “I have always been here, from the time of the ancients. I dwell in all worlds, move within all magic.”
Melia shot a thick silver line of light, wrapping around the demon, lifting and squeezing. There is no wailing, no pain emanating. Why is that?
“You cannot hurt me, I am as Hades, and you a mere Halfing. Begone and live. Remain and die. I care not. My son heads toward his destiny. This will not change.”
I am as Hades? Is that possible? Focused, she channeled all her light into the binding, Melia yanked the tightening noose. He’s not lessening. There is no effect.
With a chuckle, the demon tapped the silver line, turning it black. The crumbling cinders fell from him, forming a pentagram around his feet. His laugh scratched at her spine as he faded from view.
The shards of black trembled on the ground before flowing towards Melia, climbing her legs, spreading across her body and sticking to her skin. Her shriek cut off, sealed into silence. She stilled, a statue of death.
A low, malevolent laugh skittered into the emptiness.
Suspended in the air, Jasper jerked into consciousness. Melia! She’s dying. As he struggled to get his feet under him, Topper waved her hand, and he dropped from the suspension, falling onto one knee before rising between Romer and Wellie.
“Why are we in jail? What did we do?”
“Your dad came to the party, Jasp. We’re holding your line.”
“What? Oh, shit.” Gut clenching, Jasper shook.
Romer laid a hand on Jasper’s arm, smoothing out the nausea. “To the end. Mom is here, too.”
“I feel Melia. She’s in big trouble.”
Theo kicked his boots, yanking his shirt over his head, then dropping his jeans to the floor, initiating his shift as he sprinted. He cleared the door before his hindquarters emerged, tail shooting back into the room and knocking Lacey and her chair sideways. A great whomping noise filled the air as the giant dragon took wing.
Sharp eyes picking out the blackened Muse, Theo dove, skimming the town square before drenching it and Melia in dragon fire.
The black shell etched in tiny lines but held. Theo circled once more, gliding in behind, blasting fire. His great body cast Melia in shadow as the black casing exploded, tiny death shards flying against Theo’s underbelly before falling away, unable to penetrate. Theo beat his wings, scattering the bits of black before landing.
“Get on! Now!”
Melia gripped the wing joint, too weak to pull herself up. Theo rammed his snout behind her knees and jerked it up, tossing her across his back. The black bits raced towards Melia. In two massive downbeats, Theo lifted off the ground.
From the door of the jail, Lacey and Topper corralled the scattered shrapnel, forcing it into a container mirrored on the inside.
“Temporary.”
“If Melia survives, she will send it to hell,” Topper answered, her face grim.
Lyra joined them, placing her hands along the sides of the chamber which shrieked at her touch. “I cannot remove them, only a Muse can do that, but I will make them weak. As a protector, disabling a negative force in within my purview.”
Topper and Lacey stepped back, covering their ears.
“It is demonic?” Lacey’s forehead wrinkled from the unearthly din.
“No,” Lyra replied, her face peaceful as she held the quieting box. “This is a form of magic. Your demon is more that you think he is; his power far outstrips ours. We are in an unholy and unequal battle for this boy’s soul.”
Theo landed with a thud behind the jail and Melia slid down his side onto unsteady legs.
“We have little time. Help me get to Jasper.”
Chapter 11
Theo pulled up his jeans and turned to face Topper’s amused glance. Topper sure appreciates when I shred my boxer briefs and end up commando. Happy to oblige, Ma’am. He gave her a wink and yanked his shirt over his head.
The air in the jail was snapping with magic. Melia stood outside the cell, locked in a stare with a red-eyed Jasper. How can this be? I was so sure.
“Don’t do it, Melia. We will protect him,” Romer’s set face, covered in light, stared back.
He accepts death today. Both of them. Of anyone here, including me, they know his heart best and they have chosen.
He is dark, Muse. Align to your duty.
Ancients, there is m
ore than darkness, I sense it as do you. Why are we torn? This should not be in question. We preserve the light.
Muse, you are against a larger force than this spawn. If we prevent this reunion, it preserves the light. Our duty is clear.
No. I cannot choose destruction of light. I require greater understanding.
The battle within unseen by the group, Melia stood on shaky legs. “I must talk to Jasper alone. Open the door, Theo.”
The air cracked with the command. Theo swallowed in silence. She could take him out from where she stands. What is she trying to do? He rose, feeling her power pressing outward against each of them, and opened the cell.
Melia looked at Wellie and Romer. “I need to learn more. Move aside. It is his only hope.”
Romer fell into Lyra’s gaze and she nodded.
“I think she wants to save him, Wellie. Step out.”
“Bon Ami, your choice is unwise.”
“Trust, Wellie.”
High John in his hand, Wellie whispered and stepped out of the cell. Romer followed, eyes holding Melia’s in a level gaze, unaffected by her power.
He is a true daimon. Hidden before, he is now complete. I can use him and the other. Perhaps we will prevail. Thank you, Ancients, for sending the guardians.
They are not our doing, Muse. They came from the spawn.
His name is Jasper.
With an internal eye roll, Melia walked into the cell and moved to him.
To the watching group it appeared to be a long embrace. Jasper pulled her into his arms and the world spun two degrees. He opened his eyes, smelling the salt. They stood on a low cliff; the sea crashing below, spray rising to their faces.
“Where are we? Melia, what did you do?”
Broke In Magic Page 6
