by P. S. Power
Richard saw a fire going at least. He didn’t want to stick his hand in it to check, but the flames looked real and Hally wasn’t shivering, nor did her breath show in the air. The fat man laughed, a deep, bass thing that could be felt from halfway across the room. He didn’t get out a single word before there was a commotion and the sound of little feet charging from down the hallway, where Maci came from faster than seemed practical for a little girl that still squinted against the bright lights in the room.
“Santa! You’re alive!” There was a hug that would have taken a real adult off their feet, coming at about knee height, but the spirit of Christmas was used to such things it seemed. He weathered it well and returned the gesture with only a little stooping on his part.
“There’s the girl! Our friends here rescued me. You did very well Maci. Very well!” He seemed to be happy enough about it, but Hally looked a little sad for some reason.
Richard grinned though, wondering if he already knew the answer as to why however.
“Feeling a bit down for getting yourself on the naughty list?” He tried to sound sympathetic about it, but getting out alive was the best present ever. The only one any of them should need that year.
Hally looked at him and then at Santa and shook her head slowly, “No, it really isn’t that. I’ll tell you all later?” There was a careful look at Maci then, which got Richard thinking.
If Ma’at had her, then she’d either been taken from her home suddenly, or… it might have lasted much longer than that. Greater Demons were known to be insanely cruel at times, weren’t they? It had been fairly relaxed for him that night, compared to what he’d feared, but that didn’t mean good things had happened to the child. Or her family.
He sighed, “That sounds like a plan. What do we do now?”
Richard was ready to go home himself, or at least back to work. He’d been burning energy that night, which was taxing to the people he was connected to by blood. It would be a good thing if he drank from some other sources. It was hard on the animals too, but they probably wouldn’t miss work over it. Keeley though, had a different plan altogether, and The Technician seemed to agree with it fully.
“We’re going to have to set a trap for Ma’at. She made it clear that she wants Santa’s key and since he’s the only being that can really use it, presenting it to her in a working fashion will mean giving him to her as well. If she was less selfish and not planning to unleash a horrible evil on the world we’d probably be able to work something out. I for one don’t wish to lose the whole holiday season because she’s hidden Santa Claus away again. It’s bad for business.”
There was a thoughtful look from Claus, who absently patted Mortimer on the head.
“We shouldn’t risk these others however, even if I must be bait in this trap. Mortimer, Hally and Maci need to be gotten to safety. Or… is it safe here?” He didn’t sound certain that would be the case at all, but Keeley shook her head.
“I don’t think so. We can put the girls at my other house, with my servant Sheri. I don’t think anyone would look for them there. Then we can work out a plan. We need to act fast. The Puzzler is good at thinking several steps ahead of her opponents. The rules she plays by don’t apply to other Greater Demons however.”
They moved quickly then, taking an older model Volkswagen van several miles away to a small single level house. The other place had been much larger, but this, Keeley assured him, was the place she lived.
“Because you know, I’m humble and not ostentatious at all. It helps me to hide who I really am. I even call Sheri ‘mom’. Isn’t that cute?”
Hally was holding Maci’s hand and had the entire time, Santa looking very out of place for some reason. It was probably riding in a car. It just didn’t look right. Even to Richard the being seemed like he should be in a sleigh or something. There was no snow on the ground, so that wouldn’t have worked. Honestly he wasn’t exactly certain where he was. Some southern state perhaps, and inside the U.S. he thought, but other than that he didn’t have a clue and really didn’t want to ask. After all The Mistress of Souls might not want him to actually know how to find her houses again.
He was good with that, if it was the case.
They all went in, Maci still sleepy and being carried by Hally, and the others looking like they were about to put on a Christmas pageant. The door opened in front of them and a very attractive woman with shoulder length hair, the same deep brown of the Mistress of Souls, walked out, looking slightly confused. She smiled though, her face seeming too young to be the mother of a sixteen year old, even if that was the story. She did match Keeley in coloration though, and even in the basic shape of the face. Greater Demons could look like whoever they wanted, so that was hardly a surprise.
“Hello.” The woman, most likely Sheri, said brightly. “Um, would anyone like breakfast?”
Richard did, but he didn’t mention anything, since snacking on the woman would probably be a no-no. Instead he got ready to tell her no and then leave with the Demons. Balthias hadn’t ridden with them, but he was sitting on the floor of the living room when they all walked in quickly.
“Mom,” Keeley gestured to him first. “This is Richard Swerlin. Newly elected House of Representatives member from Maine. Also a Vampire. I think Darla mentioned him to you?”
The woman, instead of recoiling or looking scared… smiled again. Of course, she was used to dealing with Greater Demons after all. She probably didn’t intimidate easily.
“Oh? How wonderful to meet you! I have some blood in the fridge. Let me get you some. You too Rebekah?” The words were easy and she held out her hand to shake easily.
Keeley didn’t stop talking to let him answer however.
“These other two are Santa Claus and one of his elves, Mortimer.”
That got a more goofy grin, but the woman shook hands with them too. It would be easy enough to think that Claus was a regular man in costume, but there was no way to mistake Mortimer for anything other than what he was. He was too small and thin, and while ageless looking, just didn’t seem like a child at all.
Hally got that the woman might not believe anyway and reemphasized it all.
“The real Santa. This is Maci. Can she stay here with you and Mortimer for a while? The rest of us have to go and deal with someone… naughty.” There was a cute fierceness to the words, but Richard found himself shaking his head slowly.
“Hally, you should stay too. Go to school or what not. We shouldn’t risk you in a thing like this.” He felt awkward being the only one mentioning it, but Balthias agreed with him, nodding emphatically.
“Aye. Let’s leave her here. She’s been most brave, even doing battle with the Greater Demon Xenses, but that is perhaps enough to ask of her, is it not?” He seemed pensive about the whole thing though, for some reason.
Keeley squeaked. It had to be fake, but she looked really concerned.
“What? Xenses?”
Hally shrugged, “Barb. I had to fight her, or a thing that looked like her, to the death. It… she wasn’t a Demon though. It’s where the bruises came from, one of those puzzles we had to solve to find Maci.”
That caused a stir with the other Demoness, at least until they understood the human girl was holding up fairly well under the events of the night before. She was a lot stronger than she looked like she would be. Richard appreciated it. A person that was selfless, good and strong was a rare thing indeed.
Sheri had food going no more than ten minutes later, and did have two glasses of chilled blood ready for the Vampires when everyone sat at the table. It was something unusual, but had a pleasant coppery flavor to it as he sipped. The anti-coagulant wasn’t wonderful, but he did feel at least a half dozen new links forming. When he enquired about it Sheri shrugged, not really knowing where it came from, but The Technician curled a smile at him.
“Alpaca. Keeley bought a small farm for them outside of town. A clever idea, isn’t it? We can harvest a bit of blood without hurting th
e animals for the Vampires here, and also use the fiber from them. Easier to manage than goats, but Clara isn’t used to dealing with them yet, so she doesn’t have them over at the other house yet. You really should see to that though. Goats are much less pleasant.” This got addressed to the other Demoness who just nodded as she stuffed food into her mouth hungrily.
Hally just sat slowly munching on a single egg and one piece of sausage, looking at the other plates of food with envy, then covertly looking down at her elf costume, checking to see if each bite had made her fat yet. Santa ate as much as the Demons did, more than Balthias, and little Mortimer went through six donuts from a store bought box easily. It seemed a little mean to the human women, who hardly ate at all, but no one complained.
Maci sat with two fingers through the center of a sticky looking donut, her matted black hair still pressed to her head in places. She didn’t talk, appreciating the food it seemed.
When everyone was about halfway done Sheri smiled at the little girl and spoke with a bit of forced energy.
“So, Maci, do you go to school yet?” It was a nice enough sounding topic, but the little girl didn’t answer for a bit. When she did her words were subdued and sad.
“Ma’at said that I couldn’t, because I didn’t have parents no more. She killed them and then… She ate my mommy.” The girl didn’t cry, but no one else, other than Sheri, looked shocked by the idea. Not even Santa or Mort.
The elf had tears in his eyes though.
The dark skinned girl shifted uncomfortably then, fidgeting uncomfortably. “She said she’d eat me too, when she was ready. That she’d cook me and eat me up and that no one would care, because I was a bad girl.”
That got a hard look from Santa that took Richard by surprise. If he didn’t know better he’d have sworn the being looked ready to fight. Even Mort managed a look that didn’t seem timid after a few seconds, taking his cue from the man in red.
“That won’t happen and I have it on good authority that you’re on the nice list this year. That Demon isn’t someone to listen to, she’s never been on the nice list at all. Too old for one thing.” He spoke directly to the little girl, but she didn’t smile about it, just nodding absently.
Sheri sat with wide eyes for a few moments, clearly not knowing what to do, but Rebekah offered to stay with her, which got everyone to relax a bit, even as they stood to leave. Oddly, even though he and Balthias had spoken against it, Hally got up too, and very carefully walked over to Keeley, holding out her hand.
“I have to finish this.” It had steel in it, wrapped in the middle of teen elf girl, which didn’t exactly fit correctly.
Before he could suggest otherwise, Balthias was behind him, holding on to his arm with the right hand and Santa’s with the left.
“Where?” It was the only word that was spoken then, a single deep intonation that had no hint of worry or concern at all.
Keeley shrugged, but The Technician looked at Santa and then Hally, her face blank.
“Let’s set up at Ma’at’s cabin. Back to the other place first, please.”
That was the other house, the one already decorated, done a bit more each time they came into the place. It was nearly magical in a way. Clearly the people from the kitchen were doing the work, and they hadn’t slept at all either, but it was fascinating to watch, the room moving from a plain brown wood interior to a festive natural green, brilliant red and gold combination. It was both tasteful and loud at the same time. Just shy of overpowering the place now that it was nearly finished. At least he hoped it was. The whole thing was covered in decorations.
After a few seconds Keeley clapped, her face looking stern and dark.
“Santa, Richard, you two put the chain in the magical sack, will you? When Ma’at comes try to get that out fast and try to wrap her up in it. Hally… stay out of the way. I know you want to be here for this, but I really don’t want you getting hurt. You’re one of my best friends.” The last bit was softer than the rest, warmer.
It took a few seconds for the sack to be loaded, Claus holding it over his shoulder then, as they set out to try and capture a Greater Demon. Everyone else seemed fine about it, except for him and Balthias, who made a wry face and coughed into a vast hand. The movement looked real, but he’d had thousands of years to practice it. There was a strong sense of dry annoyance in it.
“So, this is a wonderful plan. Let’s face an insane being in her own lair. Maybe we should try to distract her with a plate of cookies too?” It was meant as a joke, but Hally ran to the kitchen, coming out five minutes later with a nice wicker basket stuffed with treats.
That got a laugh from The Technician, “why not?”
The trip back to the now familiar large cabin was less interesting this time. The door was closed and tried to bar their way, which got a single powerful kick from Keeley, which ripped the thing from its hinges. There were wooden splinters all over the nice looking living room just inside the door.
“Shoddy work there.” She said, not explaining whether she meant her kick and the resulting mess, or the attempt to keep them out.
They had to wait then, after checking the house. No one went to the basement, but just as he was about to mention it, Balthias wrinkled his nose.
“Brimstone. She’s coming.”
It had to be a psychic ability to scent things, because Richard couldn’t smell anything other than the room and the people in it. Not at first. When the Greater Demon Ma’at walked in through the front door, a glowing set of rings in her hand, which was about the size of a hard bound book, he could smell it. Sulfur indeed. It hadn’t been on her earlier.
Luckily, this time, he didn’t have to try and grab the Demoness himself. The Technician pulled a gun of some strange manufacture, one that cast a beam of golden light that missed the other being completely. Keeley for her part picked up a side table and threw it hard, which was a mistake it seemed, since Ma’at was headed straight toward Santa, who was desperately fighting to get his magical sack open. He kept doing it even when he was picked up by the throat and hurled into the far wall, next to the fireplace.
Ma’at laughed, her voice harsh, even as her lovely face scowled.
“Fools! Did you think that you two were any match for me? I’ve lived for millennia! Before humans had left the caves and savannahs I was there, teaching them to worship me!” She moved in and kicked The Technician hard enough that her gun went flying, even though she’d been hit in the middle. Keeley moved in then, fists flying so fast that even Ma’at seemed confused by it. At first. Then, with one blow the dark haired girl was thrown back as well.
To their credit, the two Greater Demons on his side didn’t rest long, moving back in for more as Balthias stood back and threw things at Ma’at, keeping her back, but just enough for it all to be a draw. Santa… had the chain in his hands and was moving forward, his face hard under the white beard as he moved in.
“No! Santa! She only needs to touch the silver rings to your key! Don’t let her close with you!” It was, strangely, Hally that called this out. It made instant sense to everyone, including Ma’at, who lunged at the fat man moving with the glowing prison in her hand held out. It was a small thing to hold five Greater Demons, but magic could be like that at times. It was a strange thought, Richard decided, as Santa moved back fast, the chain flying from his own hands and hitting the floor. It wasn’t enough though.
Ma’at’s face held a look of triumph as she forced the device closer to the key, rushing head long at the spirit of the holiday. Only to be blocked suddenly.
By Hally.
The girl smiled sweetly, her body relaxed, even as she was hit by the lovely Demoness. There was a sickening crack as they collided, blood flying from the brave girl as she absorbed the impact. Her body rolled, stopping only when she hit the wall. Even Ma’at stopped then. Staring.
Not at the damage done, but by the fact that Hally, almost instantly, stood back up.
“Tell you what, Ma’at. Why don�
��t you and I make a deal? You’ll be my slave and I’ll have you do whatever I want? Just let me know by doing… anything.” The red haired girl waited for a second, then Ma’at laughed, as if it were a joke.
Hally, it seemed, hadn’t been kidding at all. There was a stiffening of bodies, during which Richard picked up the chain from the floor where it had been dropped and made a loop of it, then, carefully, he wrapped it around the middle of the evil Greater Demon, not understanding what was going on at all.
It seemed to stop the struggling though.
Hally smiled at him, “thanks Richard! That really helped. I think I had her, but best not to take chances.”
Then she walked closer to the now bound Demoness, the others righting themselves and closing in a loose circle, a few of them looking baffled. Those being Balthias and Santa. Richard probably did too, but he tried to school his face quickly.
No need for him to look clueless after all. Even if he was.
It was the fat man that spoke, his face holding a smile now, even as The Technician pried the magical Demon trap from the steely fingers. Or tried to. It didn’t work until Hally spoke.
“Ma’at, no struggling, fighting or thinking about anything at all right now, except following my commands. Let go of the rings.”
It was instant then, the hand loosening without any more struggle.
That got a small head shake from The Technician, her blond, slightly curly hair bobbing a little, her bruised face healing already.
“Good work Keels. You too Richard. Let me just…” There was a motion that was too hard to see or describe above the glowing rings in the delicate hand, and then The Technician pressed the whole thing to Ma’at’s face. It seemed to work, because a moment later there was nothing left but a pile of silver links on the floor.
