Demon Heart

by Rhys Lawless

  “But that’s just a myth,” Caleb muttered. “Right?”

  I sat down by the fire pit and looked into the flames.

  “They didn’t look like a myth to me,” I said.

  “You’re right. If they’re here, they’re real,” she said.

  “How do we stop them?” Caleb asked, taking a few steps back so he was at equal lengths between Mother Red Cap and me.

  “You can’t. They’re gods,” I said.

  “Even gods can die,” Caleb said.

  I admired his confidence and relentlessness. But I’d hoped Mother Red Cap would tell us they were some deranged witches or ghouls possessing Christian’s and Hew’s bodies, and all we needed was a good exorcism. Not confirm they were the creators of witches. How could we even go up against that?

  “We are the second coming,” I said, remembering what those witches in the alley had said before I’d accidentally murdered them.

  “What?” Caleb asked.

  “That’s what they said, the witches I chased.”

  “What witches?” Mother Red asked, so I told her what happened back at Westminster when I went after that gang.

  Caleb nodded. “I just realized. Graham’s spell didn’t work, did it?”

  “I’m doomed,” I sighed.

  “You’re not doomed,” Mother Red Cap said.

  “Sure I am. Do you know how many spells I’ve used over the years? Hundreds. If I can’t stop them and I have to ride it out like you suggested, I’ll be putting everyone in danger.”

  It was so frustrating that I was still dealing with the same issue when we had much bigger fish to fry.

  “Like it or not, those spells saved your life,” Caleb said. “We’ll just have to find a way to help you control them.”

  “He doesn’t have to,” she said from her hunched position over her chair. “These…outbursts are his body’s way of accepting his new self. When it has, and he has, the outbursts will stop.”

  “Accepting what new self?” I asked.

  “I second that question,” Caleb added.

  Mother Red Cap took a big breath as if she needed it to deal with our idiocy and got off her chair.

  “Don’t you think it’s a little strange that all this started happening since the surge? The surge that ignited all the witches across London?” she said.

  “We know that. That’s what we’ve been saying. That this ley line surge has caused my body to go haywire and those spells to activate,” I said.

  “Are you saying he’s a…” Caleb said. “No. Graham would have sensed it.”

  “Sensed what?” I asked.

  “I don’t know how your high priest’s powers work,” Mother Red said, “but would you be surprised if he wasn’t entirely attuned to hearing out your witch-hunter friend? Sometimes we don’t want to see what’s right in front of us, no matter how much it slaps us in the face.”

  I was starting to get frustrated with them. Why did they not say outright what they wanted to say?

  “I’m a what?” I asked.

  Both Caleb and Mother Red turned to me at the same time.

  “A witch,” they said, and the room stilled.

  What were they talking about? I couldn’t be a witch. Since when? My outbursts were driving them to the wrong conclusion, and I didn’t know what to say or how to feel.

  “I’m not a witch. The spells I used are just going awry.”

  “He’s right,” Caleb said and looked back at Mother Red Cap.

  She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

  “It’s like I’m talking to Dumb and Dumber all of a sudden. My darlings, do you see any of my spells going…haywire?” she asked and pointed around the room. “If the ley lines were causing spells to go off, whether inhaled or stored, wouldn’t we all be having problems?”

  “Oh,” Caleb said. “I didn’t think of that.”

  “You’re wrong. I’m not a witch. It’s just my body reacting to the dust and the surge. That’s what it is. Don’t make this weirder than it is. You’re wrong.”

  “Fine,” Mother Red Cap said and stretched her hands to the side to show her surrender. “But don’t come back to me crying if I’m not.”

  Me? A witch? No fucking way.

  Thirteen

  Caleb

  Was it possible Wade was a witch? He’d never known his father, so there was a chance there was a truth in that.

  But if he was a witch, so was Winston, right? And I hadn’t heard Hew talk about Winston showing any signs of natural powers.

  “Any luck?” I asked as Mother Red Cap browsed her bookcase, looking for any books that could tell us more about the demons that had taken up Christian’s and Hew’s bodies.

  She flopped on her chair in a dramatic manner and shook her head.

  “Everything leads to a dead end. It’s been hundreds of years since their legend was alive. I’m not surprised nothing’s been written about them in the last few centuries, but I really thought I had something.”

  “But there must be something, otherwise how would Danielle know about them and how to awaken them,” I said.

  Her scheming finally made sense. All this time we were made to believe that she had sided with Christian to take revenge for her girlfriend’s death, punishing the people that had assigned her the mission to kill Christian, but all this time she’d not only meant to tap into the ley lines but also release the demons that would bring about the witch apocalypse.

  Did she really want the high council on her side? Probably not. There was little she could do now that the demons were out of their cage and called the shots. She might have been the mastermind behind Christian’s demise, but she was definitely no longer in control.

  And she was still bitter about Hew taking on Rhafnet’s spirit. Maybe we could find a way to use that to our advantage.

  “I have no idea,” Mother Red Cap said and sighed, but then, the next moment, she flew out of her chair and opened her drawers like a maniac. She retrieved a flyer.

  “Everything okay?” I asked as her eyes glazed over and the smugness returned to her face.

  “I knew I’d seen it somewhere,” she said and tapped the flyer with her finger. “There’s a section in the British Library. An exhibition on ancient gods.”

  Wade stood up and came to stand by my side.

  “That’s it? An exhibition at the British Library? And you guys are wondering how Danielle found out about them?” He shook his head.

  “It’s not a normal exhibition,” she said. “It’s an ancient collection they retrieved from a newly discovered archaeological site on the Isle of Wight. They’ve been trying to preserve it since they found it, and they’re hoping to put it on show within the next few months, but they keep pushing the date because the artifacts are proving…temperamental.”

  “If they’re not on display yet, how did Danielle find out—“ I said, but then I remembered the file Graham had handed me a few days after Christian’s demise on that rooftop. “She works there. She’s a curator of new content or something.”

  “And she probably inspected the preservation process. Maybe something caught her attention and she found the information she needed,” Mother Red Cap said.

  “If that’s the case,” Wade said, “and you were Ealistair and Rhafnet, would you let those artifacts survive?”

  “They might not know how she found out,” I said.

  Mother Red Cap clapped her hands together once in such an unprecedented manner that I thought for a moment she, too, had been possessed.

  “She probably hasn’t told them so she can keep an ace up her sleeve. In case things go…awry.”

  I nodded. That was entirely possible. And clever of her. Of course, it would have been cleverer if she’d never awakened those demons in the first place.

  “I guess we’re going on a trip to the British Library,” Wade said, and I winked at him.

  “See? I told you we can kill a god.”

  He laughed.

  “I
f there was ever anyone who could do it, that’d be you, babe,” he replied and hope mixed with want flared in my stomach.

  We could still put an end to this.

  We left the den and came out in Camden where Wade proceeded to call Winston and update him.

  “Don’t mention where we’re headed,” I whispered to him.

  “Yeah, we might have a way to stop them. I’ll let you know… I don’t know. I’m sure he’ll be fine… Of course, we’ll do everything to get him back,” he said and hung up.

  “Worried about Hew?” I said, and he nodded.

  “Why didn’t you want me to say anything about the British Library?”

  I shrugged.

  “We don’t know what these assholes are capable of. Let the wrong thing slip to the wrong person at the wrong time and we could be ruining our chances of putting an end to this.”

  “Makes sense. Are you ready for this? Breaking into the British Library won’t be easy.”

  I hailed a cab and one screeched to a stop in front of us. I opened the door and settled next to him.

  “Look at you!” I said. “A month ago, you didn’t want to break the law, and now, you don’t give a damn.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. Even with an army of witches and witch hunters on our back, he’d been reluctant to break into Ash’s home and steal the ingredients necessary for the transference spell.

  “Well, if it’s to stop a genocide, I’ll do anything,” he said.

  I pursed my lips in an attempt at a smile. As much light as I was making of the situation, this was serious. If we failed, we wouldn’t just be losing our lives. But millions of people would die or be enslaved to a ruthless couple of gods.

  “I’ve got more than enough spells to keep luck on our side,” I said and pulled my sleeves up to reveal my latest upgrade. I’d ordered the gauntlets a few days ago and worn them for the first time today.

  While my old spellbooks had the capacity for ten small spells in total, my new gauntlets could hold up to sixteen on each hand. I’d spent the whole morning organizing the spells so I was prepared for the worst. I was super excited with the result. The best part was they provided extra warmth on my hands with the wool coating inside.

  “Those are awesome,” Wade said. “Why didn’t you show me earlier?”

  “Didn’t get a chance, did I? Anyway, after everything that’s happened in the last few weeks, I didn’t want to be caught defenseless ever again. You like the gauntlets? Wait ’til you see the spells they’re carrying.” I pulled my sleeves back down again.

  “I need to arm myself again. I’ve told Winston to get me a sword. I hope you don’t mind.”

  I scooted up closer to him and put my hand around his thigh.

  “Why would I mind? We need all the help we can get.”

  “He said Graham has managed to create magic repellent spells on the swords.”

  “Of course he did. He’s good at what he does,” I said, but I didn’t feel good saying it.

  If there was ever a person who was more in the gray than Graham, I would love to meet them. What made his situation more upsetting was the fact he thought he was white, pure good, when his actions had been made of something evil.

  “That will be fifteen quid,” the driver said, bringing us both out of our stupor.

  I looked outside and saw the red-bricked buildings that made up the British Library.

  I tapped my card on the card reader, and we both got out of the cab. It was late and the streets were quiet, despite the few travelers lugging their suitcases to Kings Cross and St. Pancras.

  We walked across the street, towards the courtyard in the front entrance, but once we turned the corner, Wade grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

  “What?” I asked.

  He glanced at the front door, and I turned to peek around the wall we were hiding behind to see what he’d spotted.

  And thank goodness for his preparedness and hardcore training because a few more steps and they would have seen us.

  Men in black clothes holding batons that doubled as spellbooks were pacing and keeping watch of the entryway. A little further investigation revealed the rest of the guards on the rooftops and around the perimeter.

  “You think Danielle told them about the exhibit?” Wade whispered.

  I shrugged. I didn’t know why she would be that stupid to tell them. Or maybe she wasn’t and she had hired her own muscle to protect the artifacts. Who knew?

  “We’ll need backup,” I said.

  “On the way,” Wade replied and shook his phone.

  We gathered on the street around the corner, away from all the attention the library was getting with all the security detail.

  It was the most bizarre thing to see a place full of books under so much protection. The bookworm in Annabel would have loved to see that. The worried witch in me, though, was concerned how we’d get through all these people.

  And once we were inside? What did we do once we were in?

  Focus, Caleb. One thing at a time.

  “Right, is everyone clear what they need to do?” I asked and looked at everyone.

  Winston and Ash were standing next to each other. Graham was standing next to me and didn’t look any happier working with hunters. Lloyd was behind Winston in a little circle with a couple of hunters. Wade even farther away, next to the other high council members. In the front, the rest of the witch hunters, about twenty men or so and a handful of women, testing their new, enhanced swords.

  Everyone nodded, and I felt like I was back in the army. Only in the army, I hadn’t been a general, and that’s what I felt like now with so many faces looking to me for commands.

  “Wade, Ash, and the rest of the high council, you’re with me. Lloyd and his team, you’re our backup. Winston, you are on the outside taking those bitches down.”

  Okay, it was wildly different than the army. If anyone had said that back then, there’d have been a snigger or a chuckle. These people remained unaffected.

  “Actually,” Ash said. “Win and I were talking, and I think I’d be better suited for your backup.”

  Win? Since when was Winston ‘Win?’

  “Ash, you’re not trained for battle—“ I started to rationalize with him.

  “Don’t you worry. I know how to use my power for war.” He grinned.

  I didn’t know how a pheromone-inducing power could be used for battle, but I’d love to see what he had in mind.

  “Fine. Ash, you’re our backup. The rest stays as is,” I said, and Ash winked at me.

  I turned around and walked down the road while everyone behind me took their positions.

  We crossed the street and waited behind a tree, not caring much for cover, waiting for Winston to get into place.

  Only moments later, he walked up to the guards with his hands stretched out and shouting from the top of his lungs.

  “I wanna see my mamma,” he slurred. “Where is my mamma? Get her now.”

  I stifled the laughter I had bubbling up, but not the smile when the guards tried to push him away.

  From his right hand, a blade stretched out in a flash, and before the two guards in front of him knew what was happening, they dropped to the ground.

  “All I wanted was my mamma. I didn’t even get to ask about my daddy,” he shouted, and he now had the attention of all the guards on site.

  “Your brother makes an excellent drunk,” I told Wade, and he chuckled.

  “Yeah, can’t say he hasn’t had experience with the role.”

  Within seconds, Winston was surrounded by guards with spells in their hands. One of them cast their spell, but Winston cut at it with his sword, making the dust and smoke disappear before it had the chance to manifest.

  Before anyone else could cast a spell to hurt him, the witch hunters came out from the shadows with their swords raised and ready to attack. The guards had surrounded Winston and the hunters surrounded the guards.

  What followed wasn’t particularly plea
sant, but it did the job and kept the security detail in the front busy.

  “How is that better than what Ealistair and Rhafnet are planning to do?” Graham asked, his disapproval obvious.

  “What was it you’d said? We sacrifice the few to save the many?” I said, and I could tell he didn’t like my answer. “We’re at war, Graham. They picked their side, we picked ours. Now we fight.”

  I watched as one of the hunters picked up a walkie-talkie from one of the fallen guards and spoke into it. Soon, the guards from the back of the building joined the fight.

  “That’s our cue,” Wade said, and we ran.

  We got to one of the back entrances that had been guarded not too long ago, and Graham pressed a spell on the door, muttering “unlock” under his breath, and the door clicked open.

  Lloyd, Ash, and the rest of the team entered first to scope out, and once they gave us the all clear, Wade, Graham, and I followed behind.

  We entered a dark corridor and climbed the steps. The door at the top of the staircase was open and our backup team had their swords out at the ready, with their backs to us, making a circle as we came out.

  “What is it?” I whispered.

  “We heard something,” Ash answered.

  Wade extended the blade of his sword and looked around him. I couldn’t see anything, and I couldn’t help, so I let them do their job.

  “Graham, did you bring it?” I asked.

  He nodded, and we stepped back out onto the staircase to look at the schematics he’d retrieved before he got here. I used my phone’s screen as a torch to read the floor plans.

  “The restoration department is right here, at the back, on level -3 of section C. That’s where the manuscripts will be. But I hope you know there will be spells around them. The guards will not be the only protection,” Graham said.

  “Well, that’s exactly what your job is. To deactivate them. Did you make the shielding spells I asked you to?”