I slowly fell back into sleep. Tequila was a bitch, and I had to find the strength to fight off the craving. I woke up an hour later and started watching some trashy morning shows. I kept thinking about my night with Arthur and about other ways that I could track down Nameless Thief. In the end I decided to have a shower and not waste any time going over stuff that didn’t matter. As I washed away Arthur’s scent, tears welled in my eyes. We never had a chance to patch things up between us. It was only when his brother went missing. That was our first opportunity to see each other after my long absence. Now I was fighting to get my hands on the letter that was in someone else’s possession, the letter that could change my life and his forever.
Ricky had been right all along. I should have signed myself into a rehab programme, played along and try to start over again. He couldn’t understand that this whole thing wasn’t as simple as that. We both had to deal with our own inner demons.
After I put some clean clothes on and sorted out my stinking laundry, I headed out, knowing that I needed to get in touch with Zach. His sister was alive and was somehow connected to Nameless Thief; on top of that, Alexis was stepping on my toes, searching for information about me and my past. I bet that she wanted a confirmation, something that could lead her straight to the one thing that I intended to protect with my life.
Outside the sky was cloudy, but it was relatively warm. I took some human painkillers that I found in the cupboard, hoping that my head would eventually stop hurting. Yesterday the Keres nearly drained me of my blood and if it wasn’t for elixirs I didn’t think I could function properly today. And Arthur had injected me with his human energy. That man was very determined to be in my life again. I was surprised that I didn’t see any paps around my house anymore. Maybe my position in the palace wasn’t as important as I thought. His entourage would definitely bring up a lot of attention on the street. I had a feeling that this wasn’t the last time that I would hear from him.
Someone grabbed my elbow when I was walking through the quiet alley, pushing me to the empty corner at the back. Moments later, torn away from my own thoughts I found myself face-to-face with Ronan. I didn’t know why he kept dragging me into these strange places just to talk to me. I really could have done without the smell of Chinese take-away food today, especially after the explosive night with Arthur.
“Hey, watch out. The last person that tried to manhandle me like that ended up with a black eye,” I said, pulling away from his grip. I was in a bad mood, and I needed to remember that Ronan had helped me out when I was desperate, and right now Ronan was only trying to be discreet. My old friend looked tired today. He had large dark circles under his eyes. Maybe he didn’t get much sleep last night either.
“You had a visitor last night, Maxine,” he said, looking at me with those clever brown eyes. I started chewing my lip, wondering if he had read my thoughts. Ronan wasn’t judgmental, but he knew that I was risking a lot attempting to rekindle my old love affair with Arthur. Last night wasn’t planned, but it was my fault. I shouldn’t have touched tequila.
“I was drunk and I let him in, yes,” I muttered, feeling embarrassed with the fact that I was dependent on magic. “This won’t happen again. There is no future for us anyway.”
Ronan frowned, looking around. He was vigilant and wanted to make sure that no one was listening in.
“My son left me a message,” he said unexpectedly. “He asked me not to look for him, said that he is going to trade the letters for his freedom.”
A heavy brick dropped in my stomach. I exhaled sharply, thinking about the worst. That bastard most likely knew what he had in his hands and he was ready to play with my life.
“A message?”
“It was delivered through someone, a dark-skinned girl. She didn’t say anything else,” Ronan explained, looking worried. The girl was probably Zach’s sister. I couldn’t be sure, but no one else was that close to Nameless.
“This is a disaster. One of the people that were connected to your son mentioned that he escaped to Gjöll, to the silent part of the underworld,” I hissed, knowing that there wasn’t any legitimate entrance that could allow me to follow him. I was running out of time, and I needed a solid lead, or a way in to Gjöll. If my options on earth were limited, I was ready to risk my life and walk through the gates of hell in order to track Nameless down.
“Gjöll?” Ronan repeated. “He can’t be protected there.”
“Well, maybe we aren’t the only people that are looking for him. He abandoned his people, his post. Something must have happened or else he pissed off someone important in hell.”
Ronan nodded, and smiled. It was an odd sort of smile, like suddenly he remembered something from the past. It amazed me that he had this ability of blocking concerning thoughts. That was the main difference between me and other demons. I couldn’t make the right decision. I loved the man that wasn’t right for me, the man that was unreachable, and I kept pushing the other one away.
“You remind me a lot of your mother. She was always so determined,” he said unexpectedly. I widened my eyes at him, taking a few steps back.
“Hold on a minute. You never told me you knew my mother,” I said, panicking slightly. We spent a couple of months together and Ronan never said anything about my childhood. My mother was a human woman, and there was no way that Ronan would’ve ever had anything to do with her.
“You never asked, Maxine. Besides, I didn’t know her very well. I met her briefly” he responded vaguely. I dragged my hand through my hair with a slight frustration. Ronan didn’t talk if it wasn’t necessary. I was stunned that he asked for my help in the first place. Over the years I learnt that he liked working on his own. “She worked on a few catering events that involved the royal family.”
I was shocked more than he realised, because I never thought that my mother would be connected in any way to my previous life in the royal court. There wasn’t anyone from her past that I could have asked about her life before she had me. That odd bitter, nostalgic feeling poured into my gut. I should have made more of an effort and looked for her family or friends. After leaving the royal court Ronan lived in isolation and this kind of revelation was unexpected.
From that moment I knew that I had to tell Ronan about my encounter with the Keres in the tunnels. I mentioned the memory that she had implanted in my head and the fact that someone had searched through my files in the old monastery where I grew up as a child. I needed to know if he ever had heard about the demon called Morpheus. A man that could have been my father.
Ronan listened, scratching his head, like he had his own theory about my complicated past. I needed to speak to Ricky, because this whole thing was slowly freaking me out. On top of that my brother from another mother (Ricky) didn’t know that Alexis knew about that one thing that I was hiding from the world.
“The Keres showed you a real memory. That’s why their abilities are so unique, Maxine. They can dive into your subconscious and release something that you wouldn’t normally remember,” he said. “And before you ask, no is the answer. I have never heard of Morpheus or about a demon that could have taken a body of another human. I never thought this was even possible.”
“Well, I think he could have been my father,” I told him, thinking about the man that had given me my demonic DNA.
“Your father was a very powerful demon. I’m certain that he must have been part of Lucifer’s faction,” Ronan said, scratching his chin. “You’re more than just an ordinary mongrel, Maxine. Your energy is very powerful.”
“Well, special or not I need to get on with the task of finding Nameless. We are running out of time,” I said, not wanting to dwell on this subject. I didn’t mention the stranger that told me to look into my mother’s death. Suddenly my life was a mystery. Random people were popping out of nowhere telling me that my past wasn’t as straightforward as I expected. For now I was still only a mongrel, doing her own thing and trying to stay away from demonic faction business. �
�I’m heading down to the office. Is there anything else you wanted?”
“No, I just wanted to pass on that message,” he said, still looking at me like there was something else he wanted to say.
“Fine, but I’ll take care of it. There are other ways to find a demon. Just leave it to me.”
“I do trust you, Maxine, I really do, but time isn’t on our side and your prince is getting impatient.”
I rubbed my forehead, not surprised that Ronan was worried about what was about to happen. We said our goodbyes and I headed out towards the tube station. Ronan only showed up if he needed something; otherwise he stayed away from London, hidden in a small village up north. He was scarred after working for royals all his life. His demonic soul was still young, but the human soul was slowly dying.
Ricky phoned when I was getting out of the tube. Emma was sick at home with the flu and she asked to get some files delivered to her, so she could work from home. This girl really amazed me; her work ethic was excellent. I arrived at the office earlier than planned. Ricky volunteered to take all the paperwork to her house. He was thinking about the redheaded human when he left an hour earlier, so I wasn’t worried that he would hook up with Emma. I couldn’t think about losing her.
I locked myself in the office after eating a sandwich. Work was a good distraction. Thoughts about Arthur were floating in my head and I couldn’t stop thinking about everything he said.
“I just had a tip-off from one of the Astaroth’s men,” Ricky said, entering my room when he returned. “You need to head over to Camden market. A few demons organised a poker event. Someone there knows about the illegal entrance to Gjöll and I wouldn’t be surprised if they would trade money for it.” He had been out most of the afternoon and I felt a little guilty that Ricky was doing my job for me. I lifted my head. Okay, so yeah, I fell asleep on my desk for like half an hour. Pathetic, I know.
“Are you sure that your info is legit?” I asked, yawning.
“Yes. Demons at the market are playing a poker game to earn significant amounts of money, trading certain sensitive information, and pretending that they have authorisation from Lucifer. No mongrels are allowed in, only pure-blooded demons,” Ricky explained. “Besides, you really need to think about that letter. You have to get it back before Nameless decides to make it public.”
“Yes, I’m aware of it,” I muttered, annoyed that he thought I wasn’t taking this case seriously. “But Gjöll is part of the underworld, maybe without Lucifer’s influence, but it’s still down below.”
Ricky was wondering what was wrong with me today. I never questioned my own abilities, my ways of getting to the bottom of a case. He didn’t like that I was taking all the risks, but he also didn’t want me to end up in hell. He knew that I had to do anything to stop Nameless Thief from releasing that damn letter.
“Maybe this time I should go with you?” he suggested, looking at me with concern.
“No, no offence, but you’re not ready for a combat mission like that,” I said, knowing that Ricky had his own powerful demonic energy, but he wasn’t cut out to be in the field. He used to be a lawyer and I needed his brain more than him risking his life out on the streets.
“Fine, do whatever you think is right, but be careful. It’s a restricted party, for demons only. I don’t know what might happen if they catch you, so take certain elixirs with you,” he reminded me, suddenly looking uncertain about this whole thing. My head was banging now. I wanted to forget about the fact that I slept with Arthur behind Zach’s back and the fact that Alexis was a serious threat. Two months ago I was supposed to be done with royals, done with being exploited.
“I’ll be careful, don’t worry. Everything will be fine,” I said, knowing that Zach had to stay out of it tonight. After that incident in the cemetery and yesterday in the underground I knew I was putting his life at risk. I stood up and started packing my bag, wondering why all of a sudden my life was so complicated.
Chapter 17
“Love, that exempts no one beloved from loving, seized me with pleasure of this man so strongly, that, as thou seest, it doth not yet desert me.” Dante Alighieri
I took the tube to the Camden Market thinking about Gjöll and hell in general. I always liked keeping myself to myself; however right now I had to forget about all the risks and concentrate on getting back the letters. During my ride I put together a plan, just in case something went wrong tonight. The station was very busy. Normally I struggled being in the crowd for too long, but today I felt completely suffocated and overwhelmed by humans. I had to escape to the bathroom just so I could catch my breath. Earlier on Ricky had given me the elixir that was supposed to cover the fact that part of my genetic DNA was human. Deep down I told myself that I needed to stay positive.
I drank the elixir in the lou at the station. My T-shirt was drenched and my pulse was pounding loudly in my ears, which could only mean that the elixir started working. It slowly turned me into a full-blooded demon. The answer was at the market. I hoped that Ricky was right and I would be able to gamble money for information down there. Sometimes demons that left hell were looking to earn money selling a faction’s deepest secrets. That way they had more chances surviving on earth and creating a new life for themselves amongst humans
The demonic community around Camden Market was densely populated. I could only hope that everything was fine and the elixir had worked, because I was passing demons right, left, and centre. Deep down all the demons were alerted if there was a complete stranger hanging around their district. That’s why they were staring when I was passing by. I also spotted a few Watchers patrolling the streets, and that automatically made me feel uncomfortable.
Ricky had told me about a secret entrance somewhere in the Camden market meant to lead me down to the other place where demons traded whatever they could get their hands on. I never really hung around that part of London. Mongrels weren’t welcomed on the market and I liked sticking to places that I knew. Right now I was willing to do anything to track down Nameless Thief. On top of that I kept thinking about Zach’s missing sister. She was alive and well, somehow working with a demon that took her away from her family. Maybe this wasn’t my business, but Zara needed to be reminded that she had a life elsewhere. She was human after all. At least I hoped that this was still the case.
I kept walking through the streets, passing the bars, restaurants, tattoo studios, small stores filled with all sort of human crap. I could feel other demons reach out, hoping to break through my wards. It was unnerving and nerve wracking. The elixir must have been doing its job, because none dared to stop me. There were some small side effects. I kept getting cramps in my left leg and slightly blurry vision.
I used the entrance by the canals and headed inside the market filled with small stores, and even more humans. No one had followed me there. I kept looking behind me, having this odd tickling at the back of my neck. Maybe it was my paranoia or maybe the fact that I didn’t get much sleep last night.
After walking for about ten minutes, I found the tiny store with the jewellery situated all the way at the back that Ricky had described to me earlier on. The owner was a demon. He had a long silver beard and green tunic that was made from snake skin and feathers. I walked around, pretending that I was interested in his collection. He seemed immersed in an article in The Times. A sudden wind nearly tripped me off my feet. It was terribly powerful, robbing my lungs of the ability to draw in a breath. He was only marking his territory with his demonic power. Some of the stores were slowly closing down, it was the end of the day. It was time to get on with the real task.
“Do you have a password?” he asked, barely opening his mouth. I saw something moving inside his long beard and suddenly backed away. This was freaky and his magic was filled with darkness. I made a mental note in my head to avoid this place in the future.
“Blue laguna,” I said, remembering that Ricky had to pay a bit of money to get me inside the market. Sometimes his efficiency surpris
ed me, but we were a team after all. The weird demon nodded, gave me a creepy smile and opened the door to a large wardrobe filled with clothes. Several seconds passed, and then the clothes were pushed aside and I saw an open space to the other side. A cold shiver rolled over my spine as the strong energy beamed inside the shop.
“Just hurry up, I’m losing business, girl,” he barked at me, when I hesitated to go through. Fear of the unknown gripped me for a second, and I wasn’t sure what was wrong. A moment later I pushed myself to climb through the wardrobe, caressed by a thick and colourful collection of vintage dresses.
The entrance opened up to a dark alley. The old wardrobe and the shop had vanished when I turned around. Several steps in I found myself in the busy market street filled with pure-blooded demons. Many of them were from different factions. As I suspected, there was a sign set up in the middle of the road that stated No mongrels or humans allowed.
I clenched my fists, trying to gain control of my anger, remembering that I came here for a reason. Mongrels had always been treated like trash and the sign only confirmed that nothing had changed. My hair was crimson red now, and my human DNA wouldn’t get me into trouble as long as I stayed calm. Demons were aware that sometimes other creatures slipped through the cracks of the underworld. That’s why I hated the faction system and the way Lucifer encouraged the prejudice towards half demons.
I started walking through the stores, seeing all sorts of weird and wonderful shit. Someone on the right-hand side was selling old chewing gum, vivid dreams, live alligators and chickens. I was amazed with what demons could get in this part of the city. The market was in the underground, probably close to the tube tunnels as now and again I could hear the train somewhere close. The whole ground shook and vibrated. The energies mixed.
Doomed Cases Series (1-3) Demonic Triangle Diabolical Quest Infernal Initiation Page 36
