I had a thought about where I could discover more about Marie and maybe how she’d escaped, but I needed some information first. I pulled out the card Oizys had given me, then looked at her forgotten package. She’d know the answer to my question, but I didn’t trust her. She might even offer to help me, but not without first trying to extract another favor from me—something I wanted to avoid.
But her assistant Blaire—the one who’d forgotten to pick up the box—I was pretty sure he’d be a lot more willing to tell me what I needed to know.
Chapter 26
THE RAIN BEAT DOWN as I pulled into the parking lot for the Broadlands Nature Center—home to the infamous homeowners association. I’d never heard of an HOA before, but from what Sybil told me, it was the closest thing most suburbanites would ever come to experiencing Hell on Earth.
Seen through my goggles, Ashburn’s trees and its walking paths glowed like fireworks. But even amongst the din of supernatural energy, the Nature Center stood out. The building pulsed with angry dark red magic, and ancient runes floated in the air above it, written in fire that was normally hidden to the eyes of humans.
After checking to make sure the pink VW Beetle that belonged to Oizys was nowhere to be seen, I parked and told Shadow to wait. Then I got out of the car and ran through the rain to the overhang in front of the entrance. I wasn’t surprised at all when Shadow was waiting for me at the door. Unlike me, he was completely dry.
I wiped water from my goggles and craned my neck so I could see the fiery sigils floating above. They looked ominous up close as the rain passed through them, and I could only guess what type of magic they were invoking to protect Oizys and her HOA lair.
The wind shifted, lashing Shadow and me with rain, and prompting me to get inside. I opened the door, and we both stepped into the unnaturally cold, air-conditioned climate of the Nature Center.
The lobby was decorated with plants and a few small trees in an attempt to create the illusion of the outdoors. Adding the educational element, a children’s reading room was set off to one side. Cheesy displays and kiosks were scattered everywhere, telling visitors about the local wildlife that used to thrive in Ashburn before Ashburn had become Ashburn.
From behind the front desk, a thin man with perfectly quaffed black hair, wearing a bespoke blue suit with shiny brown shoes, stepped into the lobby. He approached me with a clenched smile and a gait that was a little off, as he tilted slightly to the right with each step.
My goggles told me he was a human.
So much for Ahriman’s third commandment, I thought, as I remembered Marco and his gang also knowing about Ashburn’s supernatural community. Either the boss demon allowed some exceptions to his rules or he somehow didn’t know about Oizys’s helper and the Olmecs. Either way, it meant his commandments weren’t as insurmountable as they seemed, which gave me hope.
I removed my goggles and accepted his hand when he reached out to shake.
“How may I assist you today, John?” he said. “And before you respond, you know very well that Mistress Oizys does not allow dogs inside the Nature Center. That especially includes hellhounds.”
“Feel free to make him leave, if you want,” I said with a shrug. “Maybe he’ll listen to you more than he does to me.”
I wasn’t one hundred percent certain, but my guess was I was talking to the infamous Blaire. Before he could say anything else, I pulled out the small box meant for Oizys and held it out to him.
Blaire tried to hide his surprise. He wasn’t successful.
“I believe this belongs to your boss,” I said. “It seems someone failed to pick it up this morning. I stopped by to give it to her in person—if she’s in.”
His eyes opened wide and his face flushed pink with embarrassment.
“Perhaps you should come with me,” he said, clearing his throat and motioning for me to follow him.
Remembering Sybil’s advice to be more of an asshole, I stayed where I was.
Blaire turned around when he noticed I wasn’t coming along.
“Forgive my manners,” he said. “Would you please come with me? It would be best if we did not have this conversation where others could hear us. It is safer if we speak in one of the offices.”
I still didn’t move.
“Safer for whom?” I said. “I feel fine right here, so we can either chat now or I can come back later and tell Oizys how not helpful you were.”
“Oh,” he said, looking around as if by speaking her name, I might have summoned her. “That will not be necessary.”
“Does this or does this not belong to her?” I said, holding the box up again.
He nodded and stared at the floor.
“And is she in?”
“She is not,” he said.
“And are you her assistant?” I said.
He raised his head at my question, and I cursed myself for being so loose with my words again. I’d just asked something John would have already known. Instead of fumbling for an excuse, I doubled down.
“I asked you a question,” I said. “Are you her assistant or not?”
“You know very well that I am,” he said, still looking wary.
“Then why didn’t you show up today and do your job?”
“It will not happen again,” he said. “Something—came up—that precluded me from procuring her package. Is there any way we could keep this between the two of us? I would be, of course, in your debt.”
It felt good to hear someone else say that for once, so I smiled and handed him the box.
He held onto it in much the same way Raz had clutched his black-market soul. Even though I wanted to know why Oizys would order something as sweet and innocent as a Hummel figurine, that wasn’t why I was there.
“I believe payment for the package is due,” I said.
His body shook and a micro tremor ran across his face. But even with my demonic senses, I couldn’t tell whether he was excited, scared to death, or both.
“As I said, the mistress is not here at present,” he said as his upper lip twitched. “As such, I am unable to—”
“Then I’ll have to tell her you screwed up twice.”
As soon as he heard my renewed threat, he squirmed and discreetly adjusted the front of his pants.
I didn’t know much about magic or things supernatural, but as a once-famous musician, I’d been around plenty of kink, and I recognized the signs at once.
“What’s the real reason you didn’t pick up the package this morning?” I said, with a grin. “You knew it would make Oizys angry—that it would make me mad.”
Blaire nodded and bent slightly forward at the waist.
“I am very sorry if I have angered you,” he said.
“Why’d you do it then?” I repeated, using my deep, demonic voice that rattled the air in the room.
“She—punishes me when I make a mistake,” he said, avoiding my eyes.
I nodded and stifled a laugh. He was a textbook masochist—the perfect administrative assistant for a demon who thrived on the suffering of others.
“Whatever gets you through the night,” I said. “It’s all right with me. But I still need to be paid.”
He nodded.
“I was told that the agreed upon price was that Mistress Oizys would answer a single question—any question—at some point in the future, in exchange for her order.”
“That’s right, but the bad news is that I have more than one question,” I said. “The good news is that I think I’d be willing to let you answer them for me. And if you do a good job, I’ll still tell Oizys how bad you’ve been. How does that sound?”
I watched as a wave of ecstasy crossed the poor guy’s face.
“Whatever you think is best, sir,” he finally said in a faint voice. “What is it you wish to know?”
“I want to know how Oizys knows Marie Lacroix escaped Ashburn? You were watching her house. Did you see her leave?”
“She didn’t come home last night,” he said, wrinkling his
brow, stressed. “But I did not see her physically leave the boundaries of Ashburn. As far as I know, none of your kind are able to do so, other than you, of course—if one were to believe the stories.”
I wanted to press him further, but I could tell he was telling the truth, or at least he thought he was.
“Next question. Where does Marco and his gang hang out? And yes, I know I already know the answer, but I want you to tell me anyway.”
“Of course,” he said. “I will be happy to write down the address for you. Do you have any more questions? I can also tell you about a spectacular party coming up, if you’d like.”
“No thanks,” I said. “There’s only one last thing I want to know—for now. Where would I go in Ashburn if I wanted to buy a few live chickens?”
Chapter 27
I WASN’T SURPRISED Blair knew where to find Marco, but his knowledge about purchasing live chickens was impressive.
Taking his advice and his directions, I decided to visit a place known simply as The Farm—an actual working farm at the western edge of Ashburn. It wasn’t a lot to go on, but if Marie really was trapped in the suburbs like the rest of us, either someone gave her the chickens she’d sacrificed or she’d found some place nearby to buy them.
As I moved farther away from the McMansions and the stacked rows of townhouses, the side of the road filled in with colorful wildflowers and trees that were vivid green in the sunshine of the post-rain afternoon. Even though I would have traded all the nature around me for a busy city block and a few screaming cab drivers, I couldn’t deny the stunning beauty of the scenery.
After ten minutes of ever-increasing wilderness, a sign pointing to The Farm directed me to turn left. When I did, I was surprised-not-surprised, to find myself entering a hidden development filled with—you guessed it—more houses that all looked the same.
I shook my head and glanced over at Shadow, who was too busy smearing the window with his nose to notice me.
As I slowed down and scanned the neighborhood, I wondered if Blaire had given me the wrong address. For a moment, I pictured him and Oizys having a good laugh at my expense back at the HOA offices.
I drove past a small outdoor store on my right but still didn’t see a farm anywhere. When I came to the end of the road, I made a frustrated U-turn and doubled back.
On my way out, I pulled over near the roadside store, hoping someone could tell me where to find the mythical farm I was looking for. I opened the trunk and checked on Gus to make sure the guitar neck was still there, but I decided to leave it in the car. Shadow and I crossed the neighborhood street and walked over to the store. As soon as we passed under a decorative arch that led to the store, I saw that the field in front of it was filled with rows of berries, flowers, lettuce, and other small crops I hadn’t been able to see from the road.
If this little place with its vanity crops was the farm Blair had told me about, I was screwed, because I didn’t see a single chicken anywhere.
I stepped under the store’s awning and checked out the contents of its outdoor refrigerators and then the produce that was artfully arranged on its tables.
“Something I can help you with?” a sweet voice said from behind me.
I turned around and saw a stunning woman dressed in overalls and a sodden white tee-shirt with sleeves rolled up to her shoulders. She looked at me from under the brim of her tan baseball cap.
“Is there a real farm somewhere around here?” I said in the nicest voice I could muster.
She smiled at me through squinted eyes.
“I don’t know about a real farm, but there’s a trail on either side of the store. They both lead out back to the place with all the dirt. That’s where we found all of this stuff we’re selling. You’re free to go check it out. I won’t tell on you.”
“I appreciate that,” I said. “I’m—John.”
“Sue,” she said, shaking my hand.
“Strange question for you, but I don’t suppose you sell live chickens, do you?”
She cocked her head and grinned.
“We have some of those on the farm, but we need all the ones we have. Hope your dog there doesn’t like to eat them, by the way. We try to give our animals a good, safe home.”
“Before you kill and sell them?”
“That was totally uncalled for,” she said with a laugh. “But, yeah.”
“Don’t worry. Shadow loves other animals,” I said as I tussled the fur on top of his head. “Isn’t that right, boy?”
Shadow snorted and licked his lips.
“In that case, have a good time,” she said with a smile that was brilliant white against the canvas of her dirt-smudged cheeks.
As I backed away, I put my goggles on to take a quick look at her.
For some reason, I was happy to find out she was a human with no magic anywhere near her.
I took the trail to the right of the store and followed its steep downhill grade for an eighth of a mile before I came to a small bridge that spanned a narrow stream.
The wooden planks creaked as I walked across them. Once I was on the other side, I turned around and looked back up the hill, but I couldn’t see a single house or hear a car anywhere. It was as if I’d suddenly been transported to the country. I walked along with Shadow at my heels as the dirt trail turned uphill. Soon, I passed through an opened metal gate and found myself at the outskirts of what had to be The Farm.
There were several fields on my right that looked more like what I’d expected at a farm. Even so, there was something that seemed off about them. To my left stood two wooden farmhouses and a four-wheel ATV with mud-caked wheels.
I stepped up to the edge of one of the fields to take a closer look, and my stomach turned at the stench that reached up and invaded my nostrils. The plants—row after row of them—were black, and the field smelled of sewage.
I coughed as I slipped the goggles from my face. Without them on, the field looked like it was filled with bright green plants, flourishing in the sunlight. Even the rank smell was gone.
I cursed under my breath and wondered if anything in Ashburn was as it really seemed.
Gravel crunched beneath my feet as I walked over to what looked to be the main barn. I knew that Sue had said they didn’t sell their chickens, but I had to check to make sure. The door was locked, so I looked around the side of the building, but saw no one.
When I turned to see if Shadow was sensing anything, he was gone. I looked out across the farm and saw him sitting outside the metal gate, his ears high and at attention.
Suddenly, I felt uneasy and exposed.
“Come here, boy,” I said, using the same friendly voice I used to call Rocky with when he was afraid of something.
Shadow didn’t move.
Then I tried my demon voice.
My command for him to come to me reverberated across the expanse between us, but he still didn’t come.
I hated to do it, but I decided to use the secret weapon that had always worked with Rocky.
“Do you want a treat?” I shouted.
Like a shot, Shadow was at my feet, searching to my left and my right for his savory snack. Unfortunately for him, I didn’t have one.
“The treat’s inside,” I said, feeling only a little guilty.
I seated the goggles back on my face, and as usual, everything around me changed. I walked over and stood in front of the barn’s large wooden double doors. A thin stream of thick, black magical energy seeped from under them and formed a dark gray fog that snaked its way to the fields.
“That explains the color of the crops,” I said in a whisper to myself.
Almost as if he were responding, Shadow whined and let out a single, piercing bark before switching to a deep growl.
I’d watched enough horror movies to know better, but I decided to enter the creepy barn anyway.
I pulled open the doors just enough to look inside. The odor that hit my face was powerful, like wet fur and death rolled into one. I froze
where I was because I’d smelled something that foul only once before—the first time Ahriman had appeared to me at the foot of my bed.
The only good thing about the stench was that it gave me hope I was on the right track to learn more about what had become of Marie. Using all of my will power, I forced myself forward to step into the barn. Shadow followed me, his growl turning to an intermittent whine.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness and my nose to the smell, I saw and heard a cow chewing on straw in the middle of the floor. To the right of the cow, a horse beat one of its hoofs into the floor of its stable. Further back in the barn, three goats stood on the open floor, chewing hay and staring at me. I took a deep breath and walked toward the cow, ready for anything.
What I didn’t expect was Sue sitting on a short stool with a metal bucket in front of her, milking the cow.
“You surprised me,” she said with a laugh. “I almost ripped poor Jessie’s teat right off.”
I lowered my goggles and looked at her with suspicion. Her face wasn’t stressed or worried about anything, but something wasn’t right.
“How’d you get here ahead of me?” I said.
“I took the ATV down the other trail,” she said. “Figured I’d get a start milking Jessie. Did you find those chickens, yet?”
“Not yet.”
“I can show you where they are when I finish here if you wanna wait.”
“I don’t need to see them,” I said, letting my voice reveal just a touch of my true demonic nature. “I really wanted to know if you sold any of them recently—to an individual.”
Sue wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and looked up at the barn’s ceiling, like she was trying to remember something.
“That’s an odd question, but my answer’s even weirder,” she said, getting up from her milking stool and walking toward me. Shadow let out a short bark and tensed up, but Sue reached down and patted him on the top of his head. Within seconds, my blood-thirsty hound from Hell was making contented gurgles and wagging his tail.
“I’ve been here a while, and like I said, as a rule, we don’t sell our animals.”
“What about in special cases?” I said.
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