by Devon Monk
She took a drink of beer, waiting for me to ask her what I really wanted to know.
“Do you think Delaney’s soul has been damaged?”
“Yes.” Quick. Without hesitation.
“Permanently?”
“I don’t know. Reeds aren’t exactly like other humans when it comes to power and powerful things. Your bloodline is bendy. But that doesn’t make you invulnerable.”
“She’s the bridge for god power to cross into Ordinary and be stowed away.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “Will a damaged soul change that?”
“Will it change her ability to do her job?” she asked.
I nodded.
“I can’t speak for all the deities in creation, but for those of us who have been here? We’re pretty comfortable with humans being flawed. That’s part of what makes you all so interesting. And lovable.”
She grinned, and I rolled my eyes at her. “I was trying to be serious.”
“I know, Myra.” She lifted her beer to encourage me to do the same with my iced tea. “You are always serious.”
“It’s my strong point,” I grumbled as I took a swig of tea. It was something Chris was offering now. Non-alcoholic beverages including this tea with just a hint of bergamot and raspberry. I loved it.
“It might be one strong point, but it’s not your real strength.”
“Oh? What’s my real strength?”
“Balance.”
I frowned. I had no idea what she meant, but didn’t spend another second worrying about it. I was standing up, the tug in my chest telling me to move, to be on my feet, to be ready.
It wasn’t hot or painful, just a nudge, so I didn’t think wherever I was about to be was going to be dangerous.
Delaney shot up to her feet, handed Ryder her iced coffee, and took off walking down the beach. Toward a lone figure who waited.
A god.
I couldn’t tell which god it was from here. But I wasn’t going to let Delaney face whoever it was alone. I stopped by Jean, tapped her on the shoulder, and pointed at Delaney. She squinted against the light, then nodded.
“Let me know if you need me,” she said.
“I will.” I bent and dug a cold beer out of the cooler, then, on a whim, picked up a bag of chips. I started after Delaney, the shifting sand warm and dry beneath my bare feet, making every step a little slower and harder. That wouldn’t stop me. Come to think of it, nothing would stop me from having my sister’s back.
That included the demon I felt more than saw extract himself from the group of men around the barbecue and start up the beach behind me.
Chapter 8
Delaney waited for me to catch up to her. Neither of us waited for Bathin, who strolled behind as if he were just out for a walk and we happened to be in front of him.
“Who is it?” I asked as soon as I reached her.
“Raven.”
Raven, or Crow as we called him when he vacationed here in town, was a trickster god.
“You going to let him back in?”
“If he can follow the rules this time. Why? Do you know something I don’t know?”
“I doubt it.”
We were close enough Crow could probably hear us over the waves. He leaned against one of the huge rocks that the tides had uncovered so that it stuck up out of the sand like a two-story haystack of black stone and bone-gray barnacles.
“Good evening, Raven,” Delaney called out.
“De-laney! My baby girl. C’mere and give Uncle Crow a hug.” He held his arms wide and made grabby motions with his cupped fingers.
I couldn’t help but grin. Neither could Delaney.
She walked right up to him, stopped just long enough to look him over in the way that made her sort of glow if you looked at her from the corner of your eyes.
It was the bridge power she carried. Here, with a god in full possession of his power standing on the shore of Ordinary, she became more. Not just a woman with a bendy bloodline that stretched back and back, she was the earth of this place, the stone, the roots, the soul. Here, she was Ordinary, that remarkable place favored by gods and loved by the lucky.
Strong as the world. Strong enough to stand against the gods. Even this one whom we knew so well.
To me, Raven looked identical to how he looked when he was last in town as Crow. He was medium height, black hair cut in a messy style that only enhanced the handsome features given to him by his full-blood Siletz lineage. His eyes twinkled and his smile was warm and welcoming.
This trickster god had a swagger and love of mischief that turned both male and female heads wherever he went.
He flicked his gaze from Delaney, winked at me, then turned his attention back to her, his arms still wide and waiting.
“Well?” he asked. “You still love me, don’t you, boo-boo?”
Delaney wrapped him in a hug, her head on his shoulder. He dropped his arms around her so he could pat her between her shoulder blades.
“It’s good to see you,” she said.
“It’s good to see you too, little bit.” He gave her one more gentle pat then released her. “Now, how formal is this going to be?”
“There are rules, Raven.”
“Oh, do call me Crow.”
“I will. When you put your power down. Until then, I will call you by the name that recognizes which god you are.”
“The best god?”
“Raven.”
“The god you love?”
“Raven.”
“The god you trust and missed and would do anything for? Why, thank you, Delaney. I know I’m amazing. You’re too kind.”
“No,” she said, the strength of Ordinary in that word, the stone of Ordinary, the power. “You are a trickster god, Raven. Of course, I love you. But I’m not letting you back into town until you agree to the rules.”
“All right.” He stuck his hands in his back pockets. “Shoot.”
“You will follow all of Ordinary’s rules while you are within Ordinary, especially the rules involving picking up or putting down your power.”
It wasn’t something that usually had to be told to a god once they had signed the contract upon their first entry into town. But Raven had broken that rule specifically.
“As if I’d ever do anything to break Ordinary’s rules.”
She held up one finger. “Stop. In case you forgot, I don’t have to let you into Ordinary, Raven. You vacation here at the blessing of one person in the universe. And you’re looking at her.”
He gave her a hard look. “The demon has your soul, but you’re still you, aren’t you? Gotta love that Reed blood.”
“That isn’t a promise to follow the rules,” she said. “Give me your word, Raven, that you will follow the laws of Ordinary.”
Raven slapped his palm against his chest. “I, Raven, do solemnly swear to obey the laws of Ordinary, including that pesky power rule I broke last time I was here.”
Delaney waited for a heartbeat, for two. Finally, she nodded. “See that you do.” Then she took one big step backward.
Nothing changed.
Except somehow, everything changed. The day looked brighter, the air sweeter, the sounds of ocean and, in the distance, laughter and music, closer.
The barrier between gods and Ordinary was lifted, and Raven took three steps forward into Ordinary proper.
“Welcome back, Crow,” Delaney said.
“Why, thank you, my sweet Myra. How about a hug for Uncle Crow?” He did that wide-armed “gimme” motion again.
I shook my head but came forward anyway, wrapping my arms around him. He was one of my favorite uncles growing up. Always willing to answer my endless questions, though not always with the direct truth. He was teasing and full of stories and puzzles. I’d always loved him for that.
“How’s that demon thing going?”
“Fine.”
He released me and his gaze zeroed in on Bathin. I didn’t know what he saw in him, but he and the demon had some kind of hist
ory.
Crow had given Delaney her dragon. A dragon that preferred to look like a tiny pig and had the ability to find demons and move them.
“How’s the dragon?” he asked, still focused on Bathin.
“Eating our house and home,” Delaney said.
“Eating you out of house and home?”
“Nope. It’s eating the house. We’ve lost a carpet, a side table, a loveseat, and the dishwasher. So thanks a lot for that. You owe us a household appliance.”
Crow laughed. It was a glorious sound, wild and loud. Mixed with the crash of waves, the rumble of voices down the beach, and the sharp call of seagulls, it sounded like home.
“I’d apologize, but you know.” He shrugged and draped his arm over her shoulders.
“You never apologize?” Delaney asked.
“No. Well, yes. But I think the dragon’s usefulness beats losing a couple pieces of furniture.”
“That dishwasher cost eight hundred dollars,” she muttered.
“Serves Ryder right for installing something that expensive. I might be willing to replace it with something gently used in the four-hundred-dollar range. Now can we be friends?”
“We’ve always been friends,” she said with a smile. “Let’s get your power stored, and then you can join the party.”
He opened his free arm for me, and I tucked under it, just as comfortable there as when I was a kid. I handed him the bottle of beer.
“You missed me didn’t you?” he asked me.
“Nope.”
“Better work on that lie, Myra. I can see right through you.”
Yeah, then, he had always been able to do that.
We strolled toward the bonfire, Bathin walking ahead and to the side, as if he hadn’t just been trying to follow us around. Delaney flagged Frigg out of the ball-and-racket game she was winning. Frigg took one look at Raven, gave him a chin tip, and then jogged up the beach to meet us.
“Hey, Bird. How’s it shaking?” Frigg was tall and blonde, and had a set of strong shoulders and biceps courtesy of her very physical job owning the tow truck service in town. Her T-shirt advertised Frigg’s Rigs and so did the baseball cap she had on backward.
Raven unhooked his arms from around us and shook her hand. “Not bad. Better now I’m here. You holding the goods?”
“Yep. My turn for a year.” She swiped sweat and lose tendrils of hair off her face with the bend of her arm. “You want to ride with the girls or me?”
“He’ll ride with you,” Delaney said. “Myra and I will follow.”
Crow raised one eyebrow. “I forgot how bossy you are.”
“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet,” she said sweetly. “I’ve had a full year of no gods in town. A full year. It’s been eye-opening.”
“You mean boring?” he said. “I know, poor thing. That’s why I’ve returned. To put a little spice back into your life.”
She stuck her hands in her back pockets. “You want a chance at getting some food and more beer before it’s gone, you need to start flapping your wings instead of your mouth.”
He waggled one finger at her, then turned and jogged a bit to catch up to Frigg who had already climbed up the rise of the shore to her truck parked nearby.
“So why do you want to drive there with me?” I asked Delaney as we trudged up through loose sand and rocks to the stairs to the parking area.
“I need to talk to you.”
“About?”
She shook her head and pointed at the cruiser. I opened it up so we could get in. By the time we were settled, Frigg had already pointed her big diesel out onto the road, her blinker on.
I pulled up behind her.
“She’s storing the powers out on her property,” Delaney said. “Back in the wetlands.”
“Hollow log?”
“No. She made a place for them. An altar of sorts. It’s actually really pretty.”
“Pretty enough to draw attention?”
“No, you have to know what you’re looking for. It’s secure.”
“Sounds interesting. So talk. What’s up?”
“About this morning. The whole vortex to Hell thing.”
“What about it?”
“Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You agreed to host a unicorn, and I know how much you like your privacy. Also, Bathin kissed you.” She glanced over.
“Nope. I kissed him. Smack on the cheek.”
“Is that enough to seal the vortex?”
“It was a demon kiss. Why wouldn’t that be enough to seal the vortex? Besides, he said a demon kiss was part of the ritual, but he’s half a bag of bullshit and a half a sack of lies. Why? Did he say something?”
“No, but he’s been…different.”
Bathin liked to tell me he was connected to my sister and could feel her through that connection. Delaney was connected to him too, so I knew she had a good read on him.
“How different?”
She pressed her fingers to her eyes and talked through her palms. “I don’t know. He just…he keeps looking at me funny when he doesn’t think I notice. And he’s been asking me questions.”
“Keep going. Give me more details.”
“He asked if he can stay in Ordinary. Permanently.”
“No.”
“Myra, that’s not for you to decide.”
“Like hell it isn’t. He broke the rules to get here. He took our dad’s soul, and now he’s taken yours. He won’t sign the contract to follow the rules…”
“We don’t actually have a contract for demons.”
“Because they’ve never agreed to sign anything! You know he’d find a way to wriggle out of the contract if we had one.”
“No. I don’t think that’s true,” she said.
“Who can write a contract that a demon can’t break?”
“Ryder.”
That was…well, it wasn’t a bad idea. Since Ryder had pledged himself to Mithra, the god of contracts, and Mithra had made him a Warden over Ordinary, it did give Ryder some fire power.
“You think Mithra’s going to have our best interests in mind?” I asked. “You think he would do something decent like allow Ryder to draw up a demon contract? That god hates us.”
“We don’t need Mithra’s permission. We’d just need Ryder. He sees things differently now that he’s chosen. He can build a watertight contract.”
“Okay, so we get Bathin to sign a contract vowing to be a good citizen of Ordinary who follows the laws, and gets a job—which, I can’t even imagine what he would be good at—and then what? He still has your soul.”
“I think, maybe we can use it as a bargaining chip. He gets to stay in Ordinary, I get my soul back.”
“Have you floated this idea to him?”
She slumped in the seat a bit.
“You did, didn’t you? And he told you no, didn’t he?”
“He didn’t say no. He said there would be conditions I wouldn’t like.”
“What conditions?”
“He didn’t have a chance to tell me. Things got a little busy.”
I mulled it over for a few minutes as Frigg took us out away from the main roads of town and into the forested areas with a lot of wetlands. Her house was tucked quite a ways off the bay. The road was a one-lane deal here, full of hairpin turns and snake-like curves.
“One other thing,” Delaney said. “I’m starting to…I don’t know. Maybe this is dumb.”
“You can tell me,” I said. “I’ll just listen.”
She picked at the door handle, then seemed to make a decision. “I think having my soul possessed is, um…sort of getting to me.”
“How so?”
“I’m forgetting little things. My attention wanders. I don’t think it’s happened at work, and not often when I’m not working, but I just feel…drifty sometimes? Not lost, but…well. Lost.”
“Is it worse when you’re near Bathin?”
“No. He’s…he’s rea
lly not that bad of a guy, Myra.”
I pulled back my shoulders. “He really is. He took a part of you and won’t give it back. That is not something a good guy does.”
“I gave it to him fair and square. You keep forgetting that. I offered it in exchange for letting Dad’s soul free. I’d offer it again.”
“I know. It was a stupid thing to do, but I understand your motivation. But it’s been a year—more than. He needs to give your soul back, no strings attached, exactly as it was before he took it.”
“Maybe if I gave—”
“No. You’ve done enough, given enough. If he wants to be a part of Ordinary, if he wants to follow the rules of doing no harm, he needs to step it up. Because he’s doing harm right now. Has been doing harm since he got here.”
She nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I think he might be able to understand that now.”
“He’s a demon, Delaney.”
“Yeah. But we’re no angels, Myra.”
I couldn’t argue with that. We turned off the twisty paved road to a just-as-twisty dirt road. Almost there.
“Do you really think demons can live in Ordinary?” I asked.
She thought on that for a bit. It was one of the things I loved about her. She made snap decisions all the time, but she was just as capable of looking at a problem from all angles.
“I think Ordinary is supposed to be a safe place for everyone,” she said. “All those beings who don’t fit the mold, all those who do. We’re inclusive, even though we’re only a tiny patch of dirt that the gods decided they liked way back in the beginning of things.
I parked the car and killed the engine. Frigg and Raven were already out of her truck, laughing like a couple of drunken friends heading home after a bender. Frigg stopped walking long enough to check on us. I waved her forward, and she gave me the thumbs up, knowing we would be right behind them.
And we would be. But I wanted, no, I needed to hear what Delaney thought about the demon who held her soul.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“Do I think he can live here? I asked you first.”
“I know,” she said. “I think…I think Bathin hasn’t belonged anywhere for a long time. Maybe this is the place and the time to change that.”
