The Demon Trappers: Foretold

by Jana Oliver

  ‘OK, people, let’s dig into the homework,’ Mrs Haggerty called out.

  Riley pulled out her sheet of maths questions and then smiled to herself as Beck’s last kiss danced into her mind. When the teacher called her name to answer question number seven, she reluctantly returned to the real world.

  After class, Riley and Mrs Haggerty worked on a maths problem she couldn’t get. By the time they left the building, the rest of the students had split.

  ‘Did you enjoy the prom?’ the teacher asked as she locked the doors behind them.

  ‘Defnitely. It was great.’

  ‘I saw the young man you were with. Very handsome. Is he a trapper too?’

  Riley nodded. ‘Yeah, he used to trap with my dad.’

  ‘I’m glad you found someone. After Paul died, I was worried. I’m less worried now. You be careful, OK?’

  ‘I will. Goodnight, Mrs Haggerty.’

  Riley had just unlocked her car door when her cellphone lit up.

  ‘Hey there, Princess. How’s it goin’?’

  It was her fave guy. ‘It’s good. I just got out of class. What’s the plan for tonight?’

  ‘I thought maybe we could have some supper together. Mama Z’s barbecue?’

  ‘That works.’

  They coordinated the time and the call ended along with his promise to make up for being late the night before. As Riley began to calculate how many kisses would equal a proper apology, a noise came from behind her. Then the crunch of footsteps on gravel. She turned just in time to see Alan marching towards her.

  Before she could react, he caught her arm and swung her away from the car. The door slammed shut as he placed himself between her and the vehicle.

  ‘You blew me off,’ he said. ‘You didn’t answer my calls and now you’re all over that hick. I saw you making out with him at the dance. Why are you doing this to me?’

  ‘Because you hit me, remember? You socked me in the jaw because I wouldn’t steal a computer for you and you’re surprised I want nothing to do with you?’

  ‘You’re making a big deal out of nothing. I know what you’re doing – you’re dating that hick just to get back at me,’ he said, his voice rising. Both hands were clasped into fists now.

  Beck would expect her at the restaurant in a few minutes. If she showed up with bruises . . .

  ‘This is all your fault,’ Alan continued. ‘I didn’t want to hit you, but you made me mad. If you’d just done what I told you—’

  Riley’s fury soared. ‘It was never my fault. You. Hit. Me.’

  ‘You’re making me look like a fool in front of everyone. I bet your hick would dump you if he thought you were cheating on him. Or if you weren’t pretty any more.’

  Her blood chilled at the threat, knowing what damage his fists could do. She set the backpack on the ground and slid the steel pipe free.

  ‘You’re never hurting me again. Don’t even try.’

  ‘You need to learn some respect,’ Alan said, his eyes afire and his jaw clenched. ‘Then maybe you’ll know what it feels like to be me.’

  As she braced herself, trying to figure out how to escape, Alan went slack, unmoving, like a statue.

  Riley felt the angel’s presence. She shifted positions so she could see them both.

  ‘You can strike this one, but he won’t understand pain,’ Ori said. ‘He’s had too much of it for one life.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ she asked, her heart pounding hard.

  ‘Where do you think he learned to use his fists? His father beats him and his mother. He is only doing what he has been taught.’

  Riley had never even considered that. She gestured at the ex. ‘So what now? You can’t leave him like this forever.’

  ‘I could kill him for you,’ the Fallen offered. ‘End his misery.’

  She jolted at the suggestion. ‘No! I mean, he’s bad and all that, but . . .’

  A nod returned as if she’d passed some test.

  ‘Perhaps he needs to see his future a bit more clearly,’ Ori replied. He snapped his fingers and her abuser came to life.

  ‘What the hell is going on?’ Alan demanded, his eyes riveted on Ori now.

  ‘Well, if you really want to know . . .’

  The pair vanished in a single flash of white light.

  Riley blinked her eyes to clear them. Fortunately the parking lot was empty. She’d just jammed the pipe in her backpack when they returned. This time Alan was no longer full of rage, but on his knees sobbing hysterically, his clothes smelling suspiciously of sulphur.

  ‘You didn’t—’ she began.

  ‘Take him to Hell? Of course I did. If this worthless mortal wishes to continue on this path, he should know where he’s headed. I’m surprised his soul is still his own he’s so ripe for the picking.’

  Riley swallowed, hard. She was headed to the same address when she died, but Ori had never given her the tour.

  ‘Your day will come,’ her demi-lord replied.

  Alan finally raised his head and when he saw the angel, he flailed backwards, crying out in abject terror.

  ‘You understand now?’ Ori asked, his wings arching outward, making himself even more threatening.

  A panicked nod returned as torrents of tears ran down her ex’s ruddy cheeks.

  ‘Then cease your evil ways, Alan Benjamin Blazek. You are not your father. Be better than that despicable piece of clay!’ He pointed into the distance. ‘Depart!’

  Alan stumbled to his feet, then staggered away, still crying. After a short distance, he shot a panicked glance over his shoulder and picked up speed.

  ‘Is he going to be OK?’ Riley asked as she watched the retreating figure.

  Ori gave her a sidelong glance. ‘You’re concerned about your abuser?’

  ‘Yeah. He’s a mean jerk, but . . . he was scared out of his mind.’

  ‘That you would ask such a question is exactly why you don’t deserve to be in Hell,’ Ori replied. With another flash the Fallen angel was gone.

  Even if she didn’t deserve eternal damnation, it was hers. Nothing was going to change that.

  Each night Riley crawled into her bed, she uttered a simple prayer: do not let the angel take me away tonight and each time that prayer was ignored. Despite Ori’s earlier appearance at the school, tonight was no different.

  This time she found herself in one of Demon Central’s back alleys, minus the angel. That was new. He was usually there to critique her performance as they dispatched Lucifer’s enemies.

  The scene gradually came into focus: There were three people in the alley, a young man in jeans and a sweatshirt and two women. The shorter of the two females wore a miniskirt and a black bustier and appeared younger than Riley. The other one was taller, with numerous body piercings and an obsession with black leather, her pure white hair cropped short.

  What am I doing here?

  Look closer, Ori said in her mind.

  It was then Riley began to notice the smaller details, like how the guy wasn’t on this planet, his expression blank and his jaw slack. Then came more revelations: the two ‘women’ were Mezmers, Grade Four Hypno-Fiends, and the dude their victim. If left in their clutches, he’d be minus his soul very soon, along with his life.

  The more powerful one nearly claimed Beck’s soul, Ori explained.

  So that was why Riley was here. This was payback.

  She stepped closer and that attracted the shorter demon’s attention.

  ‘Blackthorne’s daughter,’ the Mezmer growled.

  The taller demon turned towards her now, sniffing the air in disgust.

  ‘Where is your demi-lord, foul child? Why is the Divine not here to protect you? Have you displeased him? Has he sent you to your death?’

  Those were all very good questions.

  When Riley didn’t reply, the fiend broke contact with her victim. ‘I shall rend your flesh,’ it rasped. ‘If the Prince’s lap dog comes to spare you, I shall destroy him.’

  These two
must be part of Sartael’s crew.

  ‘Not on Lucifer’s team, huh?’ Riley chided.

  The younger demon cried out at the use of its master’s name. The older demon only winced, which meant it was more powerful than Riley had first imagined. But then it would have to be if it had nearly claimed Beck’s soul.

  She watched with fascinated horror as the elder demon’s disguise melted away, revealing the grotesque Hellspawn beneath. It stood a head taller than Riley, with beige skin and an impressive set of horns. Its blazing eyes fired crimson in the night. Curiously, wing folds had begun to form between its body and arms.

  This thing’s almost an Archfiend.

  Which is why it must die, Ori replied. Kill it.

  There are TWO of them.

  So?

  The young man remained oblivious to the fact that one of the ‘ladies’ now looked like someone’s idea of a budget horror movie.

  Riley felt a prickle of discomfort in the palm of her right hand as the fire extended down her fingers, joint by joint and then flamed out of the end of them as the ethereal sword took shape. The younger demon hissed in fear and reverted to its nature form.

  ‘Ah, crap.’ The cat was definitely out of the bag.

  ‘What is this?’ the older abomination demanded. ‘How is it that you wield the Divine Fire?’

  ‘Just lucky, I guess.’

  Kill the stronger one first.

  ‘You think?’ Riley muttered.

  She and the elder demon squared off, working in a wide circle around each other, Riley’s nerves at the breaking point. Ori was throwing her to the wolves. Or the demons, in this case.

  Fortunately, the other Mezmer stayed out of the fight, nervously chewing on one of its claws.

  Do not trust it, Ori cautioned. Do not show it your back.

  Riley was fed up with the running commentary in her head. Why are you making me do this?

  Time for you to carry your own weight. Either you kill it or you die tonight.

  ‘No way,’ Riley said, more to herself than the voice in her mind. She had too much to live for and she refused to give up now that she and Beck had finally got their hearts in sync.

  The elder demon gestured at the clueless guy. ‘Kill it and feed on its corpse.’

  The younger fiend moved to fulfil its superior’s orders.

  ‘No! Stop!’ Riley knew it was a trap, but she had no choice. When she broke formation to intercept the lesser demon, its companion struck. The first swipe of its claw cut a line of pain across Riley left shoulder and her arm immediately went numb.

  Move! Ori shouted.

  Riley ducked another broad slash and retaliated with one of her own. It sliced deep into the elder demon’s muscled chest, but not deep enough to slow it.

  The Four wore a cunning smile now. ‘I know of a mortal who cares for you. The trapper I nearly possessed. I saw you in his mind.’

  ‘Goody for you,’ Riley said, still circling. How do I stop this thing?

  There was no reply from the angel. She was truly on her own.

  ‘After I kill you, I shall seek and destroy the trapper,’ the fiend taunted. ‘I shall feast on his body and his soul shall be mine.’

  Riley’s composure fled and she charged forward. The demon responded instantly, leaping towards her with teeth and claws bared.

  Riley raised the sword to repel its attack and the creature tried to redirect its lunge, but it was moving too fast and the sword impaled it before its talons could reach her. An ear-splitting shriek filled the air as they hung for a second, frozen in battle. Then the demon exploded into a seething cloud of boiling flames, followed by a choking cloud of black ash.

  Riley clamped her mouth shut to avoid getting a lungful of the stuff.

  Behind you!

  She whirled and countered the smaller demon’s halfhearted attack, wounding it. It fell on its knees, wailing in Hellspeak, begging for mercy, offering its allegiance for eternity if she would spare its life.

  Ori materialized near her.

  ‘Now you show up,’ she said, bent over, trying to catch her breath.

  ‘You did the job as required,’ he said. ‘Though that was sloppy.’

  He never gave her any praise. Not once.

  With a gesture, Ori restored the young man to his senses. ‘Go, mortal. Tonight is not your night to die.’

  The man bolted down the alley and never looked back.

  The smaller demon continued to whine, bowing its head to the ground in abject obeisance.

  ‘If you do not kill it, it will be yours to command,’ Ori explained. ‘Is that what you want? Do you wish to become a mistress of demons?’

  ‘What? No!’ Riley exclaimed. ‘Let it go!’

  ‘That is not possible now.’

  A second later the lesser demon was no more.

  Riley’s stomach felt as if it was about to empty, the adrenalin rush history.

  ‘I want to go home,’ she said wearily. ‘I don’t want to kill any more.’

  The angel shook his head. ‘There are more Hellspawn in this world that have need of your sword.’

  Riley turned on him, no longer fearing his wrath. ‘I am not some heartless executioner like you. I can’t keep doing this.’

  ‘In that you are wrong,’ he said patiently. ‘The moment you gave me your soul, you lost your choice in the matter.’

  The night’s sleep trashed by recurring nightmares of murderous Mezmers, Riley knew she had to talk to someone or lose it entirely. She didn’t dare tell Beck about what she and the angel were up to, at least not yet, and confiding to the masters would lead to repercussions with Rome for both her and Stewart.

  That left her friend Ayden: The witch had always given her sound advice and Riley desperately needed more of the same.

  It took time to score a parking spot near Centennial Park as she’d never have Peter’s talent in that regard. She docked her car in the lot across from the ruins of the Tabernacle and surveyed the scene. It had changed since the last time she’d been in the area. Giant monoliths sat at irregular intervals, testimony to a bulldozer’s industrious efforts. It seemed sacrilegious to clear away the building, but the land was probably worth something to somebody.

  They better not build anything dumb.

  Once she’d locked the car and hefted her backpack on her shoulders, she was drawn across the street into the ruins. The ground was uneven, so she moved carefully. Trying to find landmarks in the rubble was impossible, so she wandered around aimlessly, recalling the night, the demons and the men who’d died. Someone had laid flowers at the base of one of the brick mounds, a shrine of sorts. She knelt and touched the bouquet. A card attached said it was for Ethan, one of the apprentices who’d been lost in the fire and it was signed Love, Janine. Probably his fancée.

  Nearly overwhelmed by the enormity of the loss, Riley rose, eager to get away from this place. As she turned away, the toe of her tennis shoe caught on a piece of wood, shifting some of the debris. Riley stared at a piece of leather cord that snaked from underneath the rubble. She knew what it was even before she unearthed it and though scorched, Simon’s initials were still visible on the back of his cross. Somehow the symbol of his faith had survived the disaster.

  Riley dusted it off, her hand coming away black with soot. If she returned it to him now, he might not take it, still shaken by all he’d endured. Instead, she tucked it into her pack for safekeeping, hopeful that someday Simon Adler would find solace in his faith again and he’d welcome the cross’s return.

  The Bell, Book and Broomstick bustled with customers checking out the ample supplies of incense, crystals and various potions. Ayden was assisting a woman who kept insisting she wanted a love charm. The witch patiently cautioned her how such magic often had unintended consequences, but the customer wasn’t listening.

  ‘I don’t see why this is a problem,’ the woman said. ‘I just want him to fall in love with me.’

  ‘And then what?’ Ayden asked, an eyebrow ra
ised in irritation. ‘What happens when you decide you don’t love him any more? You’ve bound his will to yours.’

  ‘I’ll tell him it’s over. No big deal.’

  Fortunately, the woman took off a short time later, minus anything resembling a love potion. She’d claimed she knew somewhere else she could buy one.

  ‘That one’s about to learn a nasty lesson,’ the witch replied. Her curly auburn hair was up in a loose bun, displaying her neck and the chest tattoo that extended into her bodice. Before it’d been a line of solemn fairies marching into battle but now it had reverted to the full dragon tattoo.

  ‘Do you change your tattoo or does it do itself?’ Riley asked, intrigued.

  ‘Once I set the magic it alters as it sees fit. Usually it picks up what’s going on around it.’ She glanced down. ‘Hmm . . . I wonder what that means.’

  ‘Nothing good.’ Riley gave a quick look around. ‘I need to talk. Any way you can get free?’

  ‘Sure. I need a break anyway. Let me get my cloak.’

  As they walked to the tent that served hot cider, Ayden brought her up to speed on the witch/necromancer politics and what Riley had missed when she’d been in South Georgia.

  ‘We have a truce in place. Ozymandias laid down the law to a few of the hot-headed necros, and they backed down.’

  ‘Ozy? The Dark Lord himself? Why is he involved?’

  ‘Mort thinks the guy’s trying to atone for the disaster he unleashed upon us. Ozymandias has let it be known that he will personally toast any summoner who calls up demons.’

  ‘That’s harsh.’

  ‘It did the trick,’ the witch admitted. ‘It took my people longer to cool down, but right now everybody’s playing nice. I’m hoping it will last.’

  Her friend led her to the same tent they’d visited a while back and bought two mugs of steaming cider. They settled at the back on oversized pillows.

  ‘I saw the news reports about what happened in the swamp,’ Ayden said. ‘That had to be rough going.’

  ‘Pretty much. But not everything sucks. Beck and I went to the prom the other night and it was totally awesome.’

  ‘That’s news I can live with,’ the witch replied, smiling.

  Riley adjusted the cup in her fingers. ‘I made a mistake with Ori, you know . . . sleeping with him. If Den and I . . . What if it’s all wrong?’