by Sam Cheever
By contrast, the sidewalks were filled with people trying to do business and complete errands. I thought of about a thousand errands I needed to run and wished Emo were there to help.
I missed him. I wondered if he missed me too.
Shaking my head in disgust at myself, I stepped away from the window and went to the televisual.
PC Cheets swam into view after two connection bleeps. She smiled at me, looking eminently weary. “Hey, Astra. How’s things?”
PC Cheets had been DD Raoul’s second in command when I’d first met her. She had since moved up a rank and switched over to the paranormal cops from the death detective squad. It had been considered by her fellow cops to be a great move for her career. It was considered by me to be a wonderful thing since it gave me a strong ally in the PC, something that had proven invaluable more than once.
“Hey Cheets! You look like a summer vacation in Hades. Rough week?”
She laughed. At five feet four inches tall with a sturdy, muscular build, PC Cheets was way under the height requirement for the force. But equal rights laws had enabled her to bully her way not only onto the force but up the ladder as well and, at least in her case, that was a good thing.
She was a good cop and a strong proponent for those she had pledged to protect. She packed a lot of heart and good old fashioned belligerence into that small, sturdy package.
And, of course, she had that little woman thing going on too. ’Tude can be a powerful weapon when all else fails you.
As a fellow little woman, I should know.
Cheets pushed a stray lock of frizzy brown hair out of her pale, tired looking face and blew air through heavy, sensual lips. “I’ve been pulling double shifts trying to figure out where those damned hostages disappeared to and keep it off the front page of the cyber news.”
I cocked my head at her in question. “You got newsies sniffing around this already?”
She nodded. “Unfortunately the guy knows way too much. I’m starting to think he works for either the royals or the demons. I’ve only just been able to hold him back by threatening to incarcerate him for impeding my investigation if he spills. But he’s like a hungry gargoyle in a room full of placid cattle. He’s a heartbeat away from spilling his guts and nothing I say is gonna stop him once he starts rolling. I suspect he’s being threatened by somebody. Or...” She smiled at me, “should I say something?”
I nodded, frowning in thought. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Alcott has a reporter on the payroll. King Dialle would have nothing at all to gain from this leaking out.”
Cheets nodded, agreeing with my assessment.
“Have you read Raoul’s report on the victim at Saint Edwards?”
She sighed, “It wasn’t up to his usual standards. He seems, I don’t know, off somehow.”
I knew exactly what she meant but couldn’t really let on that I did without giving away Raoul’s extracurricular activities. So I said, “Really? What do you mean”
She shrugged, scrubbing at beautiful, golden-brown eyes with long, thick lashes. “He seems to be coming to all the wrong conclusions on the murder. I mean, we all know what’s going on right? But he documented his findings implicating the royals.”
I decided to meet her halfway. “Did he mention that he’d consulted with me at the site?”
She narrowed her eyes. “He didn’t mention that in his report.”
I sighed. Figures. “Well, he did and I told him the same thing you’re saying.”
“What did he say?”
“He blew off my theory and accused me of being too close to the royals for objectivity.”
Cheets frowned. “Why would he say that?”
I so did not want to get into the whole Dialle thing with PC Cheets, so I did the only thing I could, I ratted out my partner. I shrugged, “It’s Emo. Turns out he’s been under a curse from King Nerul and when Nerul was extinguished Emo returned to his previous form.”
Cheets raised slightly bushy eyebrows in surprise. “Are you telling me Emo is a royal?”
I shook my head. “No, not a royal. He’s still a halfling but he looks...well...amazing actually. He is half royal and he definitely looks like one.”
Cheets leered at me. “You lucky stiff!”
I couldn’t help grinning back. “You know he’s like a brother to me right?”
Her grin went lopsided, “Uh-huh.”
I laughed. “Get your mind out of the gutter Cheets. Anyway, not to change the subject but...”
“Uh-huh.”
I stuck my tongue out at her and she laughed. “Okay, what horrific, career ending favor can I do for you, my friend?”
“Actually I called to do you a favor. I just interviewed a new client and I think he might be living down the street from demon chattel.”
Her lovely brown eyes lost their weariness just like that and gained a spark of interest. “Really?” She leaned sideways away from the televisual as if she were reaching for something and then straightened back up all business. “Give me the name and location.”
I filled her in as best I could with my client’s story. She was as appalled as I had been by the man’s stupidity in sending his wife in as demon bait.
“Astra, I know I’m a member of the human race but sometimes I wonder if we have a subspecies we haven’t isolated yet. Some people are so stupid.”
Not being human myself I didn’t say anything. It’s one thing to criticize your own race but quite another to criticize someone else’s.
“You say you think it’s a superdemon?”
I nodded. “That’s what the man said.”
She frowned slightly and chewed on the end of her laser pen. “Don’t hear about those very often. I’d like to see him myself.”
I grinned. “Good, ’cause that’s the other reason I called. I need to go try and get the woman back and vanquish this demon. I want you along so my actions aren’t misconstrued by the PC.”
I’d been vanquishing demons for years and rarely had trouble with the PC or the DD but there’s a difference between killing a demon that looks like a demon and killing something that looks human. It shouldn’t matter right? Evil is evil. But human nature is also human nature. If the press catches sight of a good looking victim it generally sides with the victim. Despite the facts.
I wanted Cheets along to make sure my vanquish was legit.
She grinned, “You got it. When do you want to go?”
I knew my day was only going to get longer and more regret-filled if I stayed in my office so I made a quick decision. “How about right now?”
“Sounds great. If I have to complete one more report I might kill somebody.”
“I’ll pick you up in seven minutes,” I said.
~SC~
I dropped the Viper into hover in front of one of the largest demon clubs in the city. The club stood six stories high and was built to look like an ancient castle, with turrets and everything. The door into the club was big enough for a horse and carriage to go through without scrunching and was fronted by a moat and drawbridge.
The area of town it occupied was desolate in the extreme. The crumbled shells of countless buildings lay across the land like the husks of brick and stone volcanoes that had spewed their innards into the street and been left as reminders of the destruction the human race had brought upon itself. It was an area that had been devastated in the great war and had never been rebuilt.
Nothing but chemical addicts and derelicts inhabited the place. The pretty people only came out of curiosity and a desire to create drama in their safe, boring lives. They came to touch the skirts of evil and dance away. Leaving a permanent stain on their lives that they misconstrued as excitement.
The demon club had risen from the waste of the area like a phoenix from the ashes.
Still safe in the confines of the Viper, my eyes turned upwards and found what I had been afraid I’d see. Dark, malevolent eyes glared down at me from atop the turrets.
Gargoyles.
I shook my head and swore under my breath. They’d better stay up there or they were gonna have to waltz with me later. My dance card was filling up fast.
Cheets turned to me and frowned. “We should have brought my cop issue like I wanted. Your fine vehicle sticks out like a sore thumb in this part of town. You’ll be lucky if it’s in one piece when we get back.”
“Exiting.” I said.
The Viper’s doors swung up out of the way and Cheets and I climbed out.
“Close, climb and secure.”
The Viper pulled itself back into a streamlined bullet shape and rose into the air high above our heads. I watched for a moment to make sure my new security system kicked in. After a moment I heard a low-range hum and the Viper bathed itself in a soft blue light.
Cheets grinned, “Sweet!”
“Nothing short of a laser blast will pierce that security system.” My eyes slid upward again. “Even gargoyle claws can’t touch it.”
Castle Gregg had been squatting in the devastated area of Angel City for a little over five years. In that time it had gained a rep with carefree clubbers for being the hottest nightclub in town. It had also gained a rep with the Strange Deaths Department of the police for being the most dangerous place to go after dark. Which, of course, was when everybody went there.
I led the way to the front door, feeling the gaze of dozens of malevolent eyes on my back as I reached the huge door and knocked.
Since the nightclub was closed during daylight hours I wasn’t sure if my knock would be answered. With one of Angel City’s finest peering expectantly at me, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to break in. Lucky for me we soon heard the light tread of footsteps on the other side of the door. After a couple of minutes, the door creaked open just wide enough to frame a pale, human face. The young girl who answered the door was obviously demon chattel.
Her skin was so pale that deep circles stood out under light colored, vacant eyes. Her wispy blonde hair was flat and dirty and lay against her head as if it hadn’t been washed for days. The face she showed us was expressionless.
“Hello.” Cheets said with a smile. “We’re from the police. We need to come in right now.” Having had much experience with the unfortunate victims of demon allure, the PC knew they had to speak in clear, direct terms to demon chattel because they were so out of it from a combination of chemicals, malnutrition and mistreatment that they became very slow.
The girl stared blankly at us for a few beats and then blinked. Finally she disappeared from the door but left it open. Apparently we were expected to show ourselves in.
Not a problem for me.
I shouldered my way in front of Cheets, earning myself a glare. It didn’t matter. I had no intention of letting her be the first one through the door just in case there was something mean and ugly on the other side of it.
The room we entered was huge. Its ceiling rose several stories and was adorned with carved stone beams that arched upward and met in the center above an enormous chandelier.
The walls appeared to be made of stone and were covered with large tapestries that had depictions of the celestial army interspersed with representations of Hades and its inhabitants. It was a disturbing juxtaposition of good versus evil that seemed heavily weighted in the direction of evil.
Not my favorite weighting.
The girl who’d met us at the door stood in the center of the dimly lit space. Her head was bowed and her hands were crossed neatly in front of her body. She seemed to be waiting.
I walked up to her, casting my power around me as I went to make sure nothing was going to sneak up on us. As I got closer, I noticed the bite marks all up and down her arms. She probably had matching marks all over her emaciated body. She was wearing a long peasant type skirt and short leather boots so I couldn’t see her legs.
I knew from experience that chattel could call their masters with a thought. I figured this one already had and was waiting for him to appear. I decided to try to question her while we waited. A totally worthless effort but hey, I get bored easily if I have to wait around for very long.
“What’s your name?”
The girl didn’t move.
I tried again. “You must have a name.”
She trembled slightly but didn’t look up.
“I’m Astra.”
The girl looked up slowly. Her gaze flicked to mine for less than a beat and then dropped again.
Names meant something to demons. The gift of a name was something to be treasured. That I had given her mine was important. Apparently she wasn’t too far gone to recognize that.
“I’m looking for a pretty young woman like yourself. Her name is Margaret. Have you met her?”
The girl didn’t look up but she made a sound and I leaned closer.
She was singing something, just out of hearing. It sounded like marmarmarmar. I took a chance. “Yes. Mar Mar.” She’s my friend and I’d like to see her. Can you tell me where she is?”
The girl shook her head in two quick jerks. Her pale eyes were filled with terror.
“She will not speak with you, demon slayer. Unless I allow it.”
The voice was deep and husky, with just the barest twinge of a razor-like demon quality. I knew when I turned I would see an uncommonly beautiful demon. I was not prepared though, for the creature’s sheer size.
He stood about seven feet tall, with finely honed arms that were as big as my thighs. He wore a black leather vest with nothing under it and black arm bands on both biceps that only accentuated the massive girth of his arms. His legs were long and densely muscled in their tight leather pants. His hair was a thick red-gold mane that hung wavy and long down his back. He wore a leather band around his forehead.
The face under the band had strong, high cheekbones over a lush, full mouth. His chin was solid and square, with a thumb sized dimple in the center. His eyes were deep-set and wide with thick golden-red lashes. The eyes were the deepest green color I’d ever seen.
He was, in short, the perfect male specimen.
I must have gulped audibly because I heard Cheets mutter from just behind my left shoulder, “Amen sister.”
I knew I was damned to Hades. How was I going to vanquish that?
CHAPTER TWELVE
Against All Odds
The demon had a pretty face, his form a work of art,
But our young miss saw through this mask and sent him to the medi-mart.
“Mx. Phelps?”
His deep, husky voice jarred me out of my thought-filled haze. My mind had been churning trying to get a bead on a plan of action.
Cheets finally took it out of my hands. She stepped forward, holding her PC badge up for him to see. “I’m Detective Cheets of the Paranormal Cops. What do they call you?”
The gorgeous demon stood with his arms crossed, legs spread wide, like a comic book character. His beautiful sea-green eyes settled on Cheets but he said nothing.
Cheets smiled and dropped the badge. “I can bring the PC into your club in force if you’d like. It should repress your income nicely for quite a while I would think.”
He continued to watch her for a couple of beats and then turned to me. “Demon Slayer, why do you enter Castle Gregg?”
This guy was either very confident in his powers or a really good actor. He didn’t seem at all frightened by Cheets’ threat. I stepped toward his chattel and he frowned, just the tiniest little bit. “I want the woman named Margaret.”
He laughed. Expecting a rich, skin pebbling sound, I was taken aback by the screechlike tenor of his laughter. I fought the urge to cover my ears.
Cheets lost. With a grimace she clapped her small palms over her ears and scowled. He simply laughed again at her discomfort.
“Don’t show him he’s hurting you, Cheets.” I murmured, praying his hearing wasn’t as sharp as the royals’.
She forced her hands down to her sides and stood stiffly beside me. I was afraid to look at her face but I strongly suspected
it looked like somebody had just made her eat a bug.
When he finally wound down I cocked a hip and examined one of my nails. Hmmm, turned out I needed a manicure. “If you’re done playing your little games, I’ll take Margaret now.”
His smile showcased blunt, white demon teeth, with overlarge canines. “I think not, slayer. You may leave my presence.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Oh may I?”
I turned to his little slave, standing next to us with her head bowed, her spindly, mangled arms hanging straight down at her sides. I reached out and grabbed one of her hands, pulling her into my body and under my arm.
She jerked and shivered but kept her eyes downcast.
Cheets got the picture and quickly moved to stand close to the girl on the other side, grasping a bony wrist.
My eyes slid meaningfully toward the demon. He hadn’t moved, his expression hadn’t changed but his whole aura was different. He stood in a blazing, pulsating aura of orange and red, his body was completely still and his hair blew away from his face as if in a non-existent breeze. His eyes, as I stared into them, started to glow purple.
“Stand back Cheets.”
Cheets turned to me, looking perplexed because the demon’s aura changes were not visible to her as a human. On some level though she must have been aware because she kept rubbing at her forearm, where I noticed the hair had risen with the change to the air around us.
“I’ll distract him while you search for the woman.”
Cheets narrowed her eyes as if she wanted to argue but then seemed to think better of it and simply gave me a slight nod.
I turned to the formidable demon in front of me. “I see you want to play, demon.”
He didn’t respond for a beat, letting the full effect of his melodrama play itself out around us. Small items had started to rise up off of counter and table tops and hang, swaying frantically in the air. Pieces of paper swirled madly in the air above our heads.
I smiled. “So. Now I know you can beat up paper. But I’m still waiting for you to take me up on my offer to play. I guess a real slayer is too much for you huh?” Cocking my head, I realized that Emo would probably shake his head and accuse me of pissing off the bogyman just to see what he would do. He would be right as usual. “Shall I turn myself into paper then to give you a sporting chance?”
