by John Corwin
"Are you there?" Shelton shouted on the other end of the phone.
"There's no aether," I told him. "I can't see it even with my demon vision."
"Holy rabbit turds in ravioli." He went silent. "It's like someone took the magic out of the world."
"If that's the case, how can I still use my demon abilities?"
After a long pause, he posed a theory. "I think it's because those abilities are built into your physique, and they don't use aether. They use soul essence."
"It doesn't take a math genius to put two and two together about those meteors." I gazed out at the faint glow in the roiling ocean where the meteor had landed. "This was a deliberate attack. Whoever did it wants to destroy our ability to use magic."
"Argh! Didn't we just win a damned war?"
"Calm down, Harry," Bella said. "You're going to burst a blood vein."
"It's 'burst a blood vessel', woman." He huffed. "I suppose you want me to open a portal so you can come home. Give us twenty minutes to get down to the way station."
"That'd be great. We need to find a private spot. I'll send you a picture and call you back." I ended the call we gave Shelton the time he needed. Twenty-five minutes later, we headed toward the stairwell door.
Harley stopped us. "Where are you two going?"
"I'm just going to look in the stairwell to see if anyone else needs help," I said.
"I'm coming with you."
"I need to take care of some personal business as well." Elyssa smiled shyly.
Harley cleared his throat. "Ah, well, make sure you aim it down the center." He chuckled.
"That won't be a problem." Elyssa hooked her arm in mine and we went through the door. She removed chalk from her purse and drew a symbol on the wall.
"Why do you have chalk in your purse?" I asked.
"I started carrying it everywhere when you needed to draw circles all the time for magic." She tucked it back inside. "Good memories."
"Back then I could hardly light a candle." I tried to remember what it was like to be bad at magic. Faced with the possibility of no aether, it seemed like heaven. I took a picture of the drawing and sent it to Shelton. A moment later, the air rippled and slowly split vertically.
Elyssa and I looked at each other. Opening a portal was usually instantaneous.
Shelton appeared through the hazy gateway. Static and sparks made ominous zapping noises. "I should've known!" His voice sounded muffled. "This aether problem is affecting the omniarches too."
"How is it even operational?" I asked.
"Because we're right over major ley lines." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "None of the pocket dimensions got hit by meteors."
"Since the omniarch is in the Queens Gate control room, shouldn't it work?"
He pursed his lips and put a hand on his chin. "Let me check something." The portal flickered away. Moments later, it reopened just as slowly as before and with the snap, crackle, and pop of static discharge.
"Well?" I asked.
"Opening a portal here works fine. I asked the arch operator here, and the Obsidian Arch network seems mostly functional too." He held up what looked like a sandwich. "Watch out."
Elyssa and I backed away. Shelton tossed the sandwich. The moment it hit the portal, sparks flew and the sandwich burst into a fine mist that washed across our faces.
"Eww!" Elyssa wiped off her face. "What kind of sandwich was that?"
Shelton sighed. "Waste of a perfectly good chicken salad sandwich."
"God, no wonder I smell like eggs now." Elyssa made a face. "Thank you so much."
I didn't much like chicken salad, but I didn't let that stop me from making a conclusion. "We've got to hoof it to the nearest Obsidian Arch if we want to get home."
"Yup."
Bella appeared behind him. "Things have been so quiet around here without you two around."
"I guess the universe decided our vacation was over," Elyssa commented dryly. "Where's the nearest Obsidian Arch?"
"Where are you guys?" Shelton asked.
"An island off the coast of Thailand," I said.
"Looking it up." Shelton fiddled with his phone then held it out to show a map. "Bangkok."
"Are you able to use magic in the way station?" I asked.
He waggled his hand. "It works, but it's weaker than usual. I think the arches are still working fine because they use silver circles to trap all the ambient magical energy."
"Makes sense." I looked at Elyssa. "Maybe I'll need that chalk again after all."
"The reason the portal isn't working well on your end is because it doesn't have enough magical energy to fully materialize." Shelton put a hand on his chin. "Maybe drawing a circle to trap aether would work."
"I'll try it." I hesitated. "Deactivate the portal first. I don't want my head to end up like the chicken salad sandwich."
He chuckled. "You got it."
After the portal vanished, I drew a circle around the spot and willed it to close. Using my incubus vision, I saw clouds of aether slowly accumulating, but it was nowhere near the amount that usually gathered in a circle.
The portal reopened, but the results were only marginally better. Shelton's voice was a little clearer at first, but the portal slowly reverted to the hazy window of static as it consumed all the aether in the circle.
"Son of a dirt eater." Shelton slapped his leg. "Looks like you're walking."
"More like swimming," Elyssa said. "Since we're relying on the nom cell towers for reception, it's likely we'll lose contact until we hit the mainland."
"Maybe your dad could send a slider," he suggested.
"I wouldn't want to rely on magical transportation," Elyssa said. "The aether charge wouldn't last, and then it couldn't recharge."
Shelton threw up his hands. "Why do they have to make everything so difficult?"
"Commander Borathen called a meeting," Bella said. "He wants to speak with the heads of the Overworld Conclave factions about the magic outage."
I wrinkled my nose. "How many responded?"
"The vampires didn't, but most of the other factions will attend." She sighed. "I don't know if the vampires will ever willingly come back into the fold. I've heard rumors the ancients are once again trying to control them."
A shudder ran through my back. I'd met the ancients. Not only could they fly, but they were far more nimble and powerful than their more modern brethren. "Vampires are intrinsically strong like Daemos, lycans, and so forth. They rely on blood, not aether."
"Yeah, while Arcanes are left out in the cold." Shelton scowled. "That could really give the vamps a chance to shift the balance of power back into their favor."
"Hmm." Elyssa tapped a finger on her lips. "What about Serena? She's an Arcane, but she was also Daelissa's top person when it came to mad inventions. These crystals look like something she'd come up with."
"She escaped the last battle, too." Shelton looked as though he knew where she was going.
"You think some of the factions who fought for Daelissa are looking for revenge?" I asked.
Elyssa nodded. "It makes sense."
"I can tell you right now the battle mages and Arcanes on her side wouldn't go for a plan like this," Shelton said. "Not unless they had a way out."
Shelton held up a finger. "Remember those aether interdictors they used so we couldn't cast or channel spells when we were in their range? Their Arcanes had those tokens that allowed them to cast spells."
"Yeah, but those were highly localized," Elyssa replied. "And they didn't remove the aether, they simply rendered it unusable unless a token filtered it."
Shelton snapped his fingers and shaped them like a gun. "Bingo!"
"I don't know how a token would put more aether in the air," I said. "This seems a lot different."
"But troublingly similar." Bella scrunched her forehead. "I don't believe Serena would do this without a way to keep her own power intact."
"If she's found a way to do it, then we're in big tr
ouble." Shelton rubbed the back of his neck. "Basically, she just crippled more than two-thirds of the army that defeated Daelissa."
"The Seraphim will still have physical strength." I felt somewhat certain on that point even though I couldn't prove it right this moment. "But the Arcanes will be…"
"Yeah, go ahead and say it," Shelton grumbled. "We'll be useless."
"Well, you could play the battle flute," I suggested.
He snorted. "Anyway, we don't have many Seraphim left in these parts. Legiaros Ketiss took his army back to Seraphina." Shelton's forehead wrinkled. "The only Seraphim left in Eden are Justin, his mom, his sister, and Nightliss."
My heart grew heavy. "I don't know if Nightliss will show up to help."
Bella's eyes grew downcast. "The poor dear was really in a depression when she told me goodbye and left."
"Bah." Shelton rolled his eyes. "I don't get why she was so upset about Daelissa. That crazy bitch tried to kill her more times than I can remember."
Bella raised an eyebrow. "Yes, but family is family, Harry."
"There was more to it than that," I said.
"Isn't there always?" Shelton slashed the air with a hand. "All right, enough talk. You need to get your ass to Bangkok. I'll mention our wild theories to Thomas and see what he has to say about it."
I nodded. "We'll see you soon."
Bella blew us a kiss. "Please be careful." She sighed. "It's so frustrating you can't simply step through the portal."
"I just hope the Obsidian Arches aren't the same as this." I motioned to the barely functioning portal. "We'll talk soon."
Shelton sighed and nodded. "Good luck, man."
The gateway winked off.
Elyssa squeezed my hand. "We may have to wait out the flood before we can leave."
"It'll give me time to recover." I touched my ribs and gritted my teeth. "Maybe we can find a boat."
"Let's pray one survived." The look in her eyes didn't hold much hope.
No matter what, it was going to be a long journey home.
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Liked this book? Try the Overworld Underground series. Here's a sample from Demonicus, out now.
Demonicus Chapter 1
The last person I expected to see after a nice, relaxing vacation was George Walker.
I nearly dropped my purse at the sight of my enigmatic handler for the Custodians. "What's wrong?" My heart skipped a beat.
"Apologies for catching you so soon after your return, but we need your help, Miss Glass." He motioned toward a sleek black sedan. "If you don't mind, the situation is rather urgent."
Tyler wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "I don't know how you do business in the Custodians, George, but a text or a phone call would have been nice."
"I tried to reach her, but never received a response." George seemed to take no offense to Tyler's stern tone.
"It's okay." I took out my mobile and looked at it. "I put my phone on airplane mode and forgot to switch back to normal."
"What's the emergency?" Tyler asked.
George regarded him calmly. "That's for Miss Glass to know."
Tyler shrugged. "Then tell her. I promise I won't listen."
I held up my hands. "Let us put our luggage away and we'll come, George." I pointed toward his car. "Please go wait there, and I'll be down shortly."
George nodded and walked to the car.
On the way up the elevator, Tyler cornered me with a kiss. "We're not home ten seconds and you're already off on another adventure."
"Indeed." Despite all the intimate time we'd spent on holiday, I could hardly get enough of this lovely man. The thought of taking off on a Custodian mission without him left me feeling empty. "I want you to come."
"Moi?" A corner of his mouth lifted into a lopsided grin. "Whatever will your handler say?"
I pecked a kiss on his lips. "Absolutely nothing, if he knows what's good for him."
George raised an eyebrow when the two of us approached his car.
"We're both coming," I said.
George glanced at Tyler. "Mr. Rock isn't a Custodian."
A tall man emerged from the passenger side of the car and narrowed his eyes at Tyler. Mr. Sticks didn't say a word, but it was more than obvious how he felt about me bringing a playdate.
"Does he talk?" Tyler bobbed his head toward Sticks. I had, of course, told Tyler all about the people I'd met during my work with the Custodians, including the ever-silent Mr. Sticks.
George smiled pleasantly. "He communicates if that's what you're asking." He turned to me. "I suppose Mr. Rock may ride along. Are you ready, Miss Glass?"
I took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's go."
Tyler ran his eyes across the sedan. "What kind of car is this?"
"A custom model," George answered.
Mr. Sticks held open the rear door and motioned me inside. I slid across the seat so Tyler could climb in beside me. The smell of new leather pleased my nose. Once Tyler was seated, George climbed into the driver seat.
Tyler leaned forward. "Who makes your custom models?"
George touched a handle on the steering column. Soundlessly, the car accelerated toward the exit. "This is the latest out of Science Academy."
"Science Academy?"
Mr. Sticks glared over his shoulder at Tyler.
"You really must attend an orientation soon," George said. "It would answer many of your basic questions."
I pulled Tyler next to me. "Let the man drive." My stomach fluttered with anxiety. Since saving Tyler from the Exorcists nearly three months earlier, I hadn't been on any missions for the Custodians. Tyler and I had taken a long overseas vacation to make sure he was safe and to give my sanity a chance to recover.
He ran a hand across the leather and looked around the car, obviously wanting to talk more about it, but finally relaxed and slung an arm over my shoulders. "Sorry, Em. I've just never seen anything like this."
"Boys and their toys." I tried to give him a serious look, but couldn't stop from smiling at his enthusiasm. "I didn't realize demons were into automobiles."
He squeezed me tight. "I acquired the taste from one of my previous hosts."
This turned Sticks's glare toward us once more.
"Perhaps it's best if you don't discuss Mr. Rock's true nature right now," George said amicably. "Mr. Sticks is a stickler when it comes to the rules and is none too happy that I promised to let Mr. Rock be."
"He's really a very nice demon," I told Sticks. "Once you get to know him."
The man shook his head and faced forward.
George pulled into traffic, drove a couple of blocks, and turned into a blind alley I'd seen him use before. Excitement replaced the anxiety. Before I'd discovered the true nature of my work for the Custodians, George had always blindfolded me before we traveled anywhere. Considering how quickly we made it across town, I knew there must be something special about the cars they used.
I wasn't disappointed.
At the press of a button, the outside of the car blurred and faded until it matched our surroundings. George pulled a lever and the car lifted from the ground, rising quickly until we were above the city. I gasped.
Tyler's hand tightened on mine. "I think I'm in love," he said.
The early morning sun hovered behind the Atlanta skyline, dividing the city into shadows crisscrossed with corridors of light. My sense of wonderment fled, replaced with worry gnawing at my insides. I didn't know what prompted this abrupt shift in my emotions. I haven't been on a mission for a while. It's probably just nerves.
"How much do one of these cars cost?" Tyler asked.
George pressed the accelerator and steered the car until the brass compass in the dash pointed north. "They're for official use only, I'm afraid."
"Damn." Tyler braced his elbows on the front seats and peered out of
the window, much to the obvious chagrin of Mr. Sticks.
I contented myself to look out to the side as buildings flashed past beneath us. We soon reached a single story office building and circled overhead. A pattern of black lines across the flat roof caught my attention. They resembled burn marks, though they appeared too neat and precise to have been made by a fire. "George, what are we investigating?"
He brought the car in for a landing in a loading zone behind the building. "We received a tip that this place was being used as a cover for illegal vampire operations. We'll pose as customers and go inside while you use your special abilities to sense the truth."
A wave of heat washed across my skin from the direction of the building. I swallowed hard and nodded. "What if they catch on?"
"I have a team on standby." He looked back and smiled. "I don't anticipate any trouble. If you confirm there are vampires, we'll have to be sure they're up to illegal activities before we can raid them."
Tyler's arm tightened around my shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."
I melted into his reassuring embrace and just as quickly stiffened when I remembered there were others present. Don't act like a frightened ninny!
George drove the car to the front of the building and pulled into a parking space between two other cars. The warm sensation followed us the entire way, though nobody but me seemed to notice it.
Tyler slid out of the backseat. I followed and stood in the parking lot next to him. It was plain to see through the glass windows that the building lobby was empty. The sign above the door read, Tri-Cross Blood Donations.
Tyler chuckled. "Well, if this isn't the perfect place to run illegal vampire operations, I don't know what is."
"Technically, vampires running a blood bank isn't illegal," George said. "In fact, since vampires aren't supposed to feed directly on noms, something like this is a necessity."
I grimaced. "How awful. They're taking vital blood from normals who might need a transfusion someday."
Sticks didn't frown, which probably meant he agreed with me.
