by Krista Walsh
When they’d met, she’d been walking down a path toward some very dark magic. Part of him worried about her intentions with Molly, but somehow he didn’t think healing was on the list of common black magic spells.
He released a breath and turned his attention to Molly. She had relaxed against his knee, and her grip on his fingers had eased. Some color had returned to her face and her breathing had slowed. Whatever Daphne was doing appeared to be helping.
After a few minutes, Daphne sat back on her heels. Sweat had dampened her shirt collar and her eyes were bright with exertion, but she didn’t appear to have been greatly affected by the power she’d expelled.
“That’s all I’m able to do for now without pushing myself,” she said, and rose to her feet. “At the very least, it should help your body heal a little faster.”
Molly rotated her injured shoulder and grimaced. “It’s a lot better than it was. Thank you.” She tilted her head to face the sorceress. “What are you doing here?”
Daphne brushed a loose lock of her short blond hair behind her ear, crossed her arms, and stared between Molly and Zach. “I’m following a story. What else would I be doing here? I won’t deny that I’m beyond surprised to find you two at the end of the trail. Small world, hm? Of course, there could be something more at play.” She seemed to have added the last bit for her own benefit, as she didn’t bother to explain what she meant. Instead, she focused her gaze on Zach. “Now, of course, I have to ask the same thing of you. Because all of this definitely has the potential to be story material.”
“You’re kidding,” Zach said flatly.
Daphne raised a shoulder. “I’d be a fool to pass up something so juicy. Sure, I’d have to leave the demons out, but there’s always wiggle room in the details.”
Zach said nothing as he helped Molly to her feet, but once she was steady, he crossed his arms and stared down at the sorceress. He expected her to blush or capitulate, but instead she snorted and rolled her eyes. “Of course I wouldn’t write about this. Do you think I’m an idiot? Unfortunately, that scraps my entire story. The reason I’m here is because of something that happened earlier this week. A few people in the area reported what sounded like a fight in a parking lot, and pools of what might have been blood were left behind. The blood tested positive for human…ish.” Her gaze jumped from Molly back to Zach. “I don’t suppose you two know anything about that?”
“They were ghouls,” Molly said, before Zach could tell Daphne to butt out. “I was walking through the parking lot and they attacked me.” She tugged Daphne’s jacket tighter around the back of her neck. “I was fighting them off when Zach got there and helped finish them.”
Daphne’s expression went slack as Molly told the story, her hands dropping to her sides. “Ghouls? On the surface? Unbelievable. What is going on in this town?”
Zach felt vindicated that he wasn’t the only one asking that question.
“What do you mean?” Molly asked, but Daphne didn’t answer, her gaze still clouded with thoughts. After a pause, Molly shifted on her feet and asked instead, “You really didn’t know we’d be here?”
This question succeeded in pulling the woman back to the present. “How could I have guessed?”
“You could be following me,” Zach said. The odds of having her appear as she had were too incredible to accept as coincidence.
And yet he sensed no hesitation when she said, “Why on earth would I do that? I haven’t given either of you a single thought since we parted ways.” Her gaze darted around and she forced out a breath. “All right, that’s a lie. I knew you were still in town, but that’s the extent of it. And it wasn’t because I wanted to know, but because…I don’t know. I almost…had to.” A crease formed between her eyebrows, but she shook it off. She looked down at the Kozkor demon’s body and then over Molly’s shoulder at the Colcex demon. “So what did you do to bring this jolly crew to your doorstep?”
Zach growled. He considered keeping his silence until she explained herself, but realized there was no point. While he hadn’t kept tabs on her like she’d obviously done with him, he understood what it was like not to be able to let go of what happened in Jermaine’s locked room. For reasons he didn’t understand, he found himself trusting her. “What do you know about Mayzell Industries?”
Her eyebrows rose as interest sparked in her green eyes. “The lab equipment company? Not a whole lot. It doesn’t exactly fall into my field of inquiry. Why?”
“A few weeks ago, a Topan demon named Karl asked me to come and work on some new project, claiming to be working with Mayzell. At the time, I didn’t believe him, but now I have reason to think he might have been telling the truth, and that it might have something to do with a file called Project Oracle. I told Karl to” — he glanced at Molly — “disappear. He sent these goons to watch me. Since then they’ve stayed close. Yesterday, I did a bit of online digging into why they might want my “help” and discovered they’re planning to open a new factory. Whatever they’re producing is some big secret until the great reveal. So I thought I’d head down to their main plant in town today and see what I could learn. Tonight, they attacked me.”
Molly’s mouth fell open. “Why didn’t you tell me about that? All you said was that this demon guy wanted you to work for him, and that you went to poke around. I don’t recall you mentioning any midday heist missions. And what is this Mayzell Industries? And Project Oracle? Are these the people that punched you today? Why did you only tell me half the story?”
Exhaustion and irritation tugged on Zach’s patience. “You might think you’re invincible, kid, but I wasn’t about to drag you into a situation I couldn’t prepare for.”
“Do you think I’m just a child who can’t hold her own?” she demanded. “Okay, maybe I can’t do everything by myself, but I can help.”
“Yeah? You think you could have done anything about the demon that showed up while I was there? He nearly threw the human plant manager through a window. All over a deadline that might have to be pushed back.”
“You could have at least bounced ideas around with me. You could have at least trusted me. Instead you share all this with Daphne, who just happens to join us out of the blue?”
“Maybe you’re right, kid. But I was watching out for you. Accept that as the truth or not.”
Molly pressed her lips together and said nothing, but Zach could almost make out the steam billowing from her ears.
Daphne’s expression had grown more engrossed over the course of the conversation. “You think they attacked you over a new factory? Did you learn anything else that might come in useful?”
“No way,” Molly said. “If she’s helping you out, then so am I. It doesn’t make sense not to take advantage of whatever resources you have.”
“I’m already on it,” Zach said, directing his answer to both of them. It was one thing for Molly to offer to help — he could deal with her simply by not keeping her in the loop — but Daphne would only get in his way. He stepped forward to crowd her, but the sorceress matched his step until there was only an inch between them.
“I get that you’re big and scary, daemelus, but I have connections you would need years to foster. Whatever Mayzell’s planning, if it has anything to do with what is going on in this city, I want to know, and I want to stop them. We’re on the same side with this, so just let me do what I’m good at.”
Her determination to help took Zach by surprise. He’d told her the truth to test her, not to get himself a sidekick. The Daphne he’d met in the locked room would have been more likely to accept Karl’s offer than go against him, but something had obviously changed in the sorceress.
And if she was willing to do some of the grunt work, he wasn’t about to turn her down.
“What are you talking about?” Molly demanded. “What do you mean about changes happening around the city? Is this something else you’ve neglected to tell me?” She snorted. “So much for honesty. Here I thought I was getting a clear
explanation of the world we live in, but it turns out you were just picking and choosing what you wanted to share with me. Just like all the other adults in my life.”
Zach released a breath, his frustration releasing its hold on him in the face of her disheartened expression. “It’s not like that. The fact is, it doesn’t matter how skilled you are with a bow, to me you’re still a human teenager who could get herself killed by mixing yourself up in our world.”
“I don’t know if it’s going to come down to the otherworld versus the mundane pretty soon,” Daphne said. “Not if the signs I’m seeing are pointing to what I think they are. If so, she should know.” A car drove by the main street, and Zach and Daphne instinctively dropped into a crouch. Daphne glanced at the ground around them. “And maybe while I explain, we should look at getting these bodies out of the way.”
Molly made to cross her arms, then flinched and dropped the arm on her injured side, clasping her shoulder with her other hand to keep it steady. The anger had vanished from the lines around her mouth. Obviously the anticipation of getting answers was enough to return her to a state of patient grace.
Kids, Zach thought. All about the instant gratification without a care of the consequences. It was the same regardless of the species.
Daphne puffed out a breath. “The energy in the city is changing,” she said. “More supernatural activity is popping up all over the place for reasons I can’t understand, suggesting some underlying cause.”
“You mean more of you are coming out of hiding?” Molly asked.
“Exactly,” said Daphne. “Demons showing up where they shouldn’t and getting brazen, ghosts appearing after centuries of silence. It all dates back to three months ago, but there’s nothing I can find that might have triggered it.”
“Could it have something to do with Mayzell?” Zach asked.
“Possibly. Or maybe this Karl guy is yet another effect of the unknown cause,” Daphne said. “Either way, it’s worth looking into.”
Molly’s brow furrowed as she took in what Daphne had told them, but for now she asked no other questions.
Zach reached for the Colcex demon’s arm and dragged the corpse closer. The grass underneath it had already died. With a grunt, he flipped the body over his shoulder like a hefty bag of garbage. “Any thoughts about what we should do with these guys?”
Daphne exhaled a breath. “I don’t even know. Why isn’t this something our parents teach us growing up, huh? It’s not like we can do an internet search of ‘Where’s the best place to dump a dead demon where people won’t freak out?’ Maybe I should call Hunter.”
She slipped her hand into her pocket, and Zach grabbed her arm with his free hand. “Who?”
“Hunter Avery. He’s a detective sergeant. And my boyfriend,” she added. The corners of her lips curled upward, as though she was still getting used to the word.
“Why would we want to bring in the cops? Didn’t you just point out that you don’t want people freaking out?” Molly asked. She bent down and guided her fingers along the ground until she found her bow lying in the grass, then she set to work running her fingers over the wood and fiberglass to make sure it hadn’t been damaged.
Daphne’s smile vanished. “Hunter knows about this world. He’s seen it, and he knows that everything isn’t black or white. If we give him a heads up about where we’re dumping bodies, he’ll be less likely to follow through on any tips if the corpses are found.”
“No,” Zach said. He ignored the tingle of white energy surging through him, urging him to lecture Daphne on the importance of keeping silent. What was she thinking, telling the police what she was?
The sorceress arched a brow. “No? Why not? It’s a perfectly logical next step when we have a bunch of dead demons lying at our feet. We have logistics to consider.”
“I didn’t go my entire life keeping out of sight just to have one of my kind turn me in to the cops,” Zach said. “The fewer people who know about this mess, the happier I’ll be.”
Daphne’s eyebrows rose higher. “I didn’t realize you were capable of being happy.” She held his gaze a moment longer, then released a sound of frustration and slid her hand out of her pocket. “Fine. For now I’ll leave Hunter out of the picture. What’s your idea, then?”
Zach jogged the demon on his shoulder. “Hospital incinerator?”
Daphne groaned and crossed her arms. “I know someone. I’ll make the call.”
For now, he dumped the body back onto the ground. He jerked the arrow out of its chest, then went over to the Kozkor demon to retrieve the arrow from its throat. As he did, the corpse jostled, and a wooden box tumbled out of the pouch it wore at his side.
“What’s that?” Daphne asked.
Molly stepped up beside her. “What are we looking at?”
“It’s some kind of box.”
Zach bent down to grab it. The box was simple rosewood, with a symbol engraved on top that he didn’t recognize. It looked like a rough scratching of a boat on water, a small shape sitting within. He set his thumb against the latch and made to open it, but Daphne stopped him with a sharp cry. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I thought I’d see what’s inside,” he said.
She stretched her arms wide. “You’re just going to open it with us standing right here? If you want to unleash some horrible power, be my guest, but at least wait until I’m out of range.”
Zach rolled his eyes and handed it to her. “What would you like to do with it?”
She accepted it carefully and wrinkled her nose. “I can at least check what kind of magic we’re dealing with.” A shiver ran through her. “Whatever it is, it’s powerful.” She ran her fingers over the symbol on top of the box and around the edges. Her brow furrowed. “It doesn’t feel negative. If anything, I’d say it’s neutral.”
“Neutral is good, right?” Molly asked. She rested her bow at her feet and shoved her hands deep into the pockets of Daphne’s jacket. Zach stepped closer to her to offer some protection against the sharp wind.
“It means whatever’s inside is unlikely to jump out and bite us, at least,” Daphne said. She arched a brow at Zach. “You want to do the honors?”
“By no means would I take it away from you,” he said.
She raised her shoulders in resignation and flipped open the lid of the box. Inside, nestled into a bed of rich black velvet, was a plain glass orb.
11
The only reaction to the open box was silence.
Molly waited for one of them to tell her what was inside, but all that continued was a big load of nothing.
She could tell by the quality of the silence that Daphne and Zach were either surprised or confused by what they’d found, and she didn’t think it was fair that they were leaving her out of the loop.
After waiting for a while for one of them to fill her in, she finally asked, “What is it?”
“It’s just…a glass sphere,” said Daphne.
“A magical glass sphere?” Molly asked.
“I mean…probably, but I can’t tell by looking at it what kind of magic it might be. It sort of looks like something you’d hang in front of your window so it catches the light and casts patterns across the room.”
“Maybe used for some kind of code?” Molly guessed. “That could be cool. Like maybe if you put it under the right light, words appear on the surface underneath it, giving directions to an underground treasure trove or a secret city, like Atlantis.”
“You obviously pay too much attention to movies,” Daphne said.
Molly crossed her arms and hmphed. She didn’t see a problem with making guesses about what it might be, especially if they had no better ideas. It was better than standing around staring at it. What were they waiting for it to do? Dance?
“Careful,” Zach said, and Molly guessed that Daphne had reached for it.
“Whoa,” Daphne breathed.
“What?” Molly demanded. Her chest tightened as her breathing grew quick,
and she had to refrain from stamping her foot.
Zach emitted a low growl. “It’s glowing.”
Molly hugged her arms around her chest, though she would never admit it was to hide her shaking fingers. “Are you saying we found a small glowing ball in a box? Please tell me if it sprouts wings and sends us on a merry chase through some tall hoops.”
“What does it feel like?” Zach asked Daphne.
“It tingles like magic, but I don’t — what the—”
The next thing Molly heard was the sound of someone retching, as though their insides were working very hard to escape.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
“I can’t — oh gods,” Daphne said, then she vomited again. “Of all the enchanted oak trees, what in the seven hells was that?”
Zach left Molly’s side, and she felt smaller as she stood on her own. Although she’d held up just fine against those demons — until they’d almost killed her, of course — tendrils of fear were now creeping up on her, winding their way around her calves and through her hair. She hated not knowing what was going on.
“My magic,” Daphne said, and her voice now came from lower down. By the change in pressure, Molly sensed that she was crouched or sitting in the grass. “It’s like it just…vanished. I’ve never felt so empty. Oh gods, or that sick. It’s coming back now, though. Slowly.” A low groan followed her words, but there wasn’t any more vomiting.
Molly moved closer, and her foot slipped as she stepped on something small and round. She caught her balance, then reached down until her fingers passed over the coolness of the glass.
“I wouldn’t do that, kid,” Zach said. “If it stole Daphne’s magic, we don’t know what it’d do to a human.”
