Druid Vices and a Vodka: The Guild Codex: Spellbound / Six

by Marie, Annette

  Looking up at my greeting, Robin smiled weakly. She seemed pale. Or was she always pale? I didn’t know.

  Pursing my lips, I scanned her from head to toe, then grinned. “Nice jacket.”

  She tugged anxiously at a black sleeve. The leather hugged her petite body, the aggressive cut to the collar paired with bold silver buttons and a heavy zipper. She looked ready to jump on a motorcycle and tear off into the night.

  Blushing, she nudged her glasses up her nose—the fussy gesture ruining her badass biker chick look entirely. “Do I look completely ridiculous? Zora said leather is better.”

  “Better for combat?” I slapped a hand against my leather-clad hip. “Yup, sure is. Not that I’m an expert. I only started training a couple months ago.”

  “You’re new at this too?”

  “Yeah, I’m a newb. Ready to go? Where are we going, by the way?”

  Hopping to her feet and pushing her chair in—winning an extra point from me—she headed for the door. “It’s not too far, but it’ll be half an hour whether we bus or walk. Which do you prefer?”

  “Walk,” I decided as we walked out into the chilly evening breeze. “I hate standing around.”

  She navigated east to Main Street, checked her phone, then headed south. I matched her short stride, chafing at the pace. She wasn’t exactly speedy.

  “So,” I began as we passed Victorian-style buildings in muted colors. Barren trees, interspersed with red lampposts, bordered the sidewalk. “Tell me about this infernus maker.”

  “I don’t know much about him, to be honest. He was an accomplished summoner until he retired fifteen years ago. Now he makes infernus artifacts, but he’s supposed to be well connected in the Demonica community.”

  We stopped at a crosswalk and waited for the light to change. The streetlamps glowed cheerily, relegating the darkness to alleyways.

  “According to a rumor,” Robin continued, lowering her voice as more pedestrians joined us to wait for the light, “he was … cutting edge … when he was a summoner, and he’s still very interested in new summoning practices and unusual Demonica knowledge.”

  That sounded promising. I almost asked Robin what unusual knowledge she was hoping to gain, but then she’d ask me the same thing and that’d be awkward. Tucking my folder against my side, I asked instead, “If this guy doesn’t pan out, who else might have useful information?”

  “Um, well, Demonica isn’t a common class to begin with, and summoners are even rarer. It requires a lot of study, and summoning demons is quite tedious … and dangerous.”

  “Tedious and dangerous? Those two don’t usually go together.”

  “It’s dangerous when it goes wrong, and tedious when it goes right. Just setting up a summoning circle can take weeks, and you often have to wait weeks more for the demon to accept a contract.”

  “How did you become a contractor?” I asked curiously.

  “I … fell into it, I guess. Most of my family are Demonica mythics.”

  Her family? Demonica wasn’t hereditary—you couldn’t inherit a demon, as far as I knew—but if summoners preferred to pass their knowledge directly to an apprentice, like Zak had said, it made sense to turn it into a family business.

  We continued down Main Street, the stores gradually morphing into the colorful shops of Chinatown. I glanced down the road where I’d once ordered sushi with Sin before Red Rum rogues attacked us and I sicced a sea fae on them. Fun times.

  “We’re halfway back to my place,” I said dryly. “I should’ve asked where we were headed before meeting at the guild.”

  “Oh.” Robin flushed. “I’m sorry. I thought this would be easier.”

  She led me across the street and away from the friendly shops. Blocky commercial buildings took over, and raised SkyTrain tracks on thick concrete pillars ran down the center of the wide road. Traffic diminished noticeably.

  “Um, so …” Robin’s blue eyes flicked across my face. “How long have you been friends with Aaron and Kai and Ezra?”

  “Since my first day at the guild, pretty much.” I studied the self-conscious way her shoulders had hunched and smirked. “Aaron is single.”

  Her head jerked up. “What?”

  “I know he’s giving you the cold shoulder, but he’s actually a really great guy.”

  She bristled like an angry cat. “I’m not interested. Why does everyone assume I want to date them? Just because they’re good looking? Ridiculous.”

  Who was everyone? Had someone else tried to set her up with Aaron?

  She continued for half a block in moody silence, then puffed out a breath. “I was wondering … about Ezra.”

  Now it was my turn to bristle. “What about him?”

  “He seems nice.”

  “He is nice.”

  “He’s an aeromage?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is he strong?”

  I worked to keep my tone casual. “Not as strong as Aaron and Kai, but pretty tough.”

  “Hmm.” She slowed as we came to an intersection and pulled out her phone to check the directions on the screen, then turned onto a narrow side street. “What happened to his eye?”

  “Skiing accident. Ran into an unexpectedly aggressive pine tree.”

  Frowning, she let the subject drop.

  At the end of the block, a wide set of train tracks behind a chain-link fence forced us to turn again. We headed farther east—and farther from the main road. I glanced uneasily from the fenced-off tracks to the dark, very closed car dealership opposite. No sign of life or movement disturbed the quiet rumble of traffic from busier streets I could no longer see, and the sparse light of the streetlamps offered little comfort.

  “Hey,” I muttered. “You sure this is the right way?”

  She nodded. “Yes, very sure.”

  “Maybe we should’ve taken a cab,” I grumbled.

  “Oh, don’t worry.” She smiled with unexpected confidence. “We’re safe.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “I could probably take on one mugger, but—”

  “We don’t have to take on any muggers. My demon can protect us.”

  Huh. When she put it that way …

  We passed several blank-faced warehouses, a dirt yard with shipping containers and empty flatbeds, abandoned parking lots waiting for Monday morning’s workers, and a recycling depot with semi-truck trailers docked at the loading bays.

  “Here,” she said breathlessly, her cheeks pink from the cold. “This is it.”

  At the very end of the street was a two-story building with a garish blue roof. Thick blinds covered the windows, but light shone through the frosted glass door. Looked like someone was working late tonight.

  We passed a handful of cars in the small parking lot and approached the door. A symbol composed of three interlocking triangles with a stylized eye in the center was stamped across the glass in black, and underneath was the business’s name.

  ODIN’S EYE

  Private Security Services

  I stopped dead. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Is this Odin’s Eye? As in the guild?”

  Robin looked over her shoulder, already reaching for the door. “Didn’t I say that?”

  “No.”

  “I thought I told you that the infernus maker is an Odin’s Eye member? And his main role is Demonica consultation?”

  “You did not mention that. At all.”

  “Oh. I … um … sorry.”

  I shook my head. “Well, we’re here now. Let’s do this.”

  We entered a warm lobby. Four plush leather chairs waited on either side of the door, guiding visitors toward a long reception desk with two monitors and a comfy-looking manager’s chair, currently empty. A pair of doors led off each side of the room.

  A white sign on the desk directed new arrivals to ring the bell. Robin minced up to the desk, peered at the button like it might bite her, then tapped it. Somewhere deeper in the building, an annoying buzzer sounded.

  I glanced around, kind of impre
ssed. The MPD required guilds to masquerade as legitimate businesses so the comings and goings of their members wouldn’t draw suspicion, but I suspected Odin’s Eye entertained actual clients here—mythic ones. Unlike the Crow and Hammer, which only dabbled in bounty hunting, Odin’s Eye was a fully bounty-focused guild. No slackers allowed.

  “Is anyone coming?” Robin mumbled, wringing her hands.

  “Are they expecting us?”

  “Well … no.” Her small nose wrinkled. “I was worried that any advance warning would make it easier for him to avoid us.”

  “Fair point. Let’s find out who’s home, shall we?”

  Grinning, I hammered on the button. The buzzer blared in short, ear-assaulting bursts. Six buzzes later, the door to my left flew open and a stocky man with short black hair and tawny skin stormed through, glaring furiously.

  “Who the hell—” He broke off with a blink. “Tori?”

  “Hey Mario. What’s up?”

  A grin replaced his scowl. “What brings you out here? I can’t remember the last time a Hammer came ’round to our guild.”

  “Because my guild has a charming pub and the world’s best bartender,” I teased in a lofty tone. “What’ve you got?”

  “Hey, we’ve got our own perks. You here to see Izzah? Their meeting already started, but I can take you back there.”

  “Uh, no, I’m actually here to see …” I trailed off with a significant look at Robin.

  She was gazing between me and Mario with her mouth hanging open. At my look, she snapped to attention. “Is Naim Ashraf in?”

  “Naim? Yeah, he’s here.” Eyebrows high with curiosity, Mario waved at us to follow him. “Come on.”

  Robin rushed to my side as I started after him through the door and into a hallway.

  “You know people here?” she whispered in amazement.

  “Yeah, they’ve been at the guild half a dozen times in the last few weeks.” I nudged her with my elbow. “Hang out with us more and you’ll get to meet people too.”

  Her shoulders drooped sadly—and I remembered Aaron’s and Kai’s cold glares when she’d tried to talk to me earlier this week. Maybe she didn’t feel welcome enough to hang out at the guild. And maybe I should do something about that.

  I’d add it to my to-do list for the week. Investigate guild bullying, save Ezra from his demon, end Kai’s unwanted betrothal, defeat an evil sorceress before she destroyed the city while also recovering Zak’s stolen grimoire, and order more limes because the last batch had gone off.

  No problem at all.

  The main level of Odin’s Eye was set up like a typical small business, with a mixture of offices and a large central room with desks. Mario led us to the stairwell, and we headed up to the second floor.

  “Oooh,” I murmured as we walked through the door. “Nice.”

  Mario grinned.

  Where the Crow and Hammer’s second floor was all work and no play, Odin’s Eye had combined the two. A huge wood-burning fireplace dominated a stone wall, and grouped around it were comfy leather chairs and low tables. Other clusters of furniture dotted the space—padded wooden chairs, stools, plush sofas, and lightweight worktables. A section of bookshelves and what looked like a self-serve bar and mini kitchen filled the back wall. One glass-fronted fridge held snacks and goodies with labels from several delicious Gastown cafes and bakeries, and a second one was stacked with every form of bottled or canned drink I could think of.

  Two guild members were lounging by the fireplace, while three sat at a table, scrutinizing some papers. A sixth man was slouched in a recliner near the kitchen, a lamp glowing beside him and his nose buried in a leather-bound book thick enough to sink a boat. An air of “disreputable old man” hung around him like a cloud.

  Of course, that was the guy Mario headed for.

  Robin trailed after me as we swooped down on Naim Ashraf. His shaggy hair and frizzy beard were snowy white, a sharp contrast to his dark chestnut skin. Fine wrinkles around his eyes deepened as he glanced up from his book.

  “Naim, you’ve got visitors.” Mario clapped me on the shoulder. “Grab me when you’re done and I’ll make you a Caesar—my own recipe.”

  “Uh-oh. Not sure I like the sound of that.”

  Chuckling, he joined the three mythics at the table with all the papers and bent over their work.

  “Who’re you two?” Naim demanded in a sharp, vaguely nasal voice.

  Wow, we had a polite one here.

  “Can we ask you a few Demonica questions?” I inquired in my most professional voice. “We’ll keep it quick.”

  He grunted. “Dunno what Mario told you, but I don’t consult outside my guild.”

  “It won’t take long.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” He lifted a rocks glass off the table beside his recliner and sipped the amber liquid filling the bottom third. “Go ask the Grand Grimoire if you need help.”

  “The Grand Grimoire has contractors.” Robin’s soft alto surprised me as she inched closer. “But MagiPol arrested their guild master and they don’t have any other summoners—especially not ones with your experience and reputation for rare knowledge.”

  Ooh, the flattery approach. Nicely done, Robin. I’d been about to tell him he was an intractable buffoon who’d die alone.

  Unfortunately, Naim didn’t take the bait. “I’m not wasting my time explaining the basics of Demonica to little girls. My scotch is older than you two, now leave me to drink it in peace.”

  As he returned his attention to his monstrous book—which appeared to be written in Latin—I gritted my teeth. Cantankerous old geezer.

  Robin slipped past me. Too short to tower over him—even though he was seated and she was standing—she got aggressively close. Liking this approach, I shifted closer as well.

  “I don’t need help with the basics.” Tugging the zipper of her jacket down, she pulled out her infernus and settled it on her chest. “And if you’re half the summoner I think you are, I shouldn’t need to explain more than this.”

  Naim’s jaw dropped. Gaze locked on her infernus, he shoved the super-tome onto the table, almost knocking his scotch off, and reached for her infernus. She stepped backward just before his fingers touched the silver disc.

  I glanced curiously at her infernus. Runes edged the pendant, and in the center was a spiky, asymmetrical symbol. A vague sense of familiarity pinged in my head.

  Sudden suspicion twitched Naim’s beard. “It’s a fake. No way a girl like you—”

  Robin tapped her infernus. Deep red magic swirled across it, twisting over and around her fingers.

  “Real?” he gasped. “Then you must be Robin Page! I heard rumors that a new House had finally appeared after all these years, but I couldn’t believe it. Your demon can only be the lost First House. Unless—” Lustful hope burned in his face. “Unless it’s the fabled Twelfth House?”

  She sat on the coffee table in front of his recliner. “We can discuss my demon after Tori and I ask a few questions, if that’s okay.”

  I blinked again. Her tone said all too clearly that he’d better be okay with it, because that was the only option. Damn. Aaron and Kai had been right. This girl wasn’t the pushover I’d assumed.

  Naim clasped his hands together, still greedily eyeing her infernus. “What would you like to know?”

  Clutching my folder, I sat beside Robin. She glanced at me questioningly, and I nodded that she could go first. This was her party more than mine—but I was getting answers too.

  “I’m researching an artifact.” She slid a folded paper out of her pocket. “I believe it’s an ancient infernus, and since you’re an infernus maker …”

  He nodded, looking intrigued.

  She unfolded the crisp white paper and carefully smoothed it, revealing a precise drawing of a round medallion. Runes formed a ring around the outer edge, similar to her infernus, but these ones were spiky and twisted. A second ring of larger shapes encircled a center symbol.

  At the s
ight of that drawing, the floor dropped out from under me. My lungs locked, muscles going rigid, every atom of my being freezing in place so I didn’t react.

  Two things about that drawing had just blown my composure out of the water. First, the symbol in the center—it was the same as the one on Robin’s infernus. That’s why it had seemed familiar. Second, and the big reason I suddenly couldn’t breathe: I’d seen that medallion before.

  It was the demonic amulet.

  The one I’d stolen from the winged demon’s corpse after Robin’s demon had killed it. The one I’d used to free Burke’s demon from its contract. The one Eterran desperately wanted.

  She was holding a drawing of the mysterious amulet I was currently attempting to research so I could use it to save Ezra’s life and soul.

  Chapter Twenty

  Oh shit.

  Those two words spun around and around in my head, and it was all I could do to sit still. A good half of my brain wanted me to leap to my feet with a shocked screech while pointing dramatically at her drawing.

  Which, of course, I didn’t do. But damn.

  Robin was searching for the amulet I’d stolen. Her demon had killed the winged one who’d been carrying it. Was that why she’d shown up in the park? Had she been hunting that demon just to get the amulet? Did she know its power?

  Were the answers I needed this close?

  Oblivious to my internal freak-out, Naim frowned at the drawing. “These sigils”—he pointed to the middle ring—“are House emblems. I recognize most of them.” His lips moved as he counted. “Eleven sigils … with a twelfth in the center. This represents all twelve demon Houses.”

  He snatched at the drawing but Robin lifted it out of reach. “Have you ever seen or heard of an infernus like this?”

  “Is it an infernus?” he breathed, gaze darting between the drawing and her silver pendant. “Where did you learn about this? Where did you get your demon? Your demon must be the first House. The same sigil is in the center of the design.”

  “You haven’t answered my question,” she replied coolly.