by HR Moore
'Right you are. I'll bring samples with me tomorrow,' said Helen, heading for the back door.
Caspar and Amari watched her go.
'Wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of her,' whispered Amari.
'Me neither,' Caspar agreed, smiling conspiratorially. 'Right. Seeing as everyone else has done the hard work, let's cook dinner. We're sure to have company in a bit.'
As it turned out, Caspar was brilliant in the kitchen. He chopped, stirred, flavored, and even made mayonnaise, without breaking a sweat.
'Elliot loves it, so we let him do all the cooking,' said Caspar, when Amari remarked on his abilities, 'but most demons have had to learn at some point in their history. Almost all of us were born in a time before microwaves and convection ovens and convenience foods. We had to cook in brick ovens, or over open fires.'
'Well, I still think your knife skills are exemplary,' she said.
She rummaged in cupboards and drawers to find the newly cleaned cutlery and crockery, and set them on the newly repaired table.
Caspar made a big vat of chicken, mushroom, and pea risotto. Amari made a green salad to go on the side, along with some delicious-looking bread they'd bought.
'Ooh, something smells good,' said Talli as she marched into the kitchen, not bothering to knock. But then, seeing as the demons' finances were a community affair, Amari supposed the house must belong to her too, technically. She'd have to ask Caspar how it all worked.
'Risotto,' said Caspar, taking the huge pan to the table as Meredith and Christa entered the room. 'You're just in time.'
'Were you expecting an army?' asked Christa, looking at the mountain of food.
'I forgot it was just us,' said Caspar.
'Leftovers for lunch tomorrow,' said Talli. 'We can have deep-fried risotto balls. Oh yes, let's do that!'
Amari caught Christa's eye and smiled at Talli's perpetual enthusiasm: she was one of a kind.
Not long later, they sat back in their chairs, stuffed with the risotto they'd washed down with two bottles of wine.
'So, how does reincarnation work?' asked Amari, filling the comfortable silence. 'I mean, you two,' she indicated towards Talli and Christa, 'are roughly the same age in this life, as are Caspar and I. Does that always happen? What if one of you dies much earlier than the other? Are there usually gaps in time between reincarnations?'
'That got heavy quickly,' laughed Christa.
'Nobody knows how it works, exactly,' said Caspar.
'It is magic after all,' said Talli.
'Sometimes there are big gaps between incarnations, sometimes it's immediate,' said Caspar. 'It varies each time. So yes, sometimes there are big age gaps between demons who used to be the same age. I think our biggest was twenty years. You were older.'
'Surely that could get weird,' said Amari, 'when a ten-year-old is in love with a thirty-year-old.'
'Yes,' said Caspar, 'but that rarely happens.'
'Most demons, once they've reincarnated, take a decade or two to wake up in their new bodies. Those who wake up sooner—as children—usually stay with their biological families. It's just easier that way,' said Christa.
'I mean, would you have wanted to abandon your birth parents when you were ten, or twelve?' said Meredith.
The thought made Amari shudder. 'Absolutely not. Do I have to abandon them now?'
'Of course not,' said Talli, 'but you can't discuss your demon life with them.'
'And for those who wake up earlier,' said Christa, 'it depends on their nation. Pagans are strict about respecting the rules of society, including the age of consent, regardless of how many lives a demon has lived.'
'After that, it's up to the demons involved to do what they want,' said Meredith.
'We've had some interesting age gaps,' laughed Talli. 'Our biggest was thirty years!'
'We got some strange looks,' said Christa.
'That was a breeze in comparison to when you came back as a woman in the eighteenth century,' said Talli. 'Hiding same-sex relationships back then was so difficult—everyone in everyone else's business … no privacy.'
'Do all demons change sex sometimes?' asked Amari.
'Not everyone,' said Christa. 'But quite a few.'
'You never did,' said Caspar, preempting her next question.
'Shame,' said Amari. She'd love to know what it was like to be a man.
Talli and Christa eventually left for the night, and Meredith took the bedroom furthest from Amari and Caspar. Amari went into her room—the room that had been hers and Caspar's in previous lives. Caspar followed her in.
'Have you got everything you need?' he asked, casting around for a reason to linger.
'Yes, thanks,' she said, raising an eyebrow. 'Would you like to stay for a while?'
'You're not too tired?'
Amari climbed onto the bed, propped up the pillows, and leaned back against the wooden headboard, patting the space next to her.
The bed was less elaborate than the four-poster at Cloister Cottage, and Caspar liked it better. He sat next to her, leaning back, her summer scent washing over him, making his breath catch in his throat.
'What do you think of the house?' he asked.
'Aside from the fact you've let it crumble,' said Amari, sternly, 'it's awesome. The rooms are so welcoming, and there's so much personality and history.'
'You always loved it here.'
'Do you realize how many priceless artifacts there are, strewn all over the place? You know I had to stop Helen from throwing away a three-hundred-year-old vase earlier?'
'It was probably a piece of junk.'
'It's three hundred years old! It deserves more respect than to be thrown in the trash.'
'How sentimental you've become.'
'I dread to think the things you lot have destroyed, with no regard for those who might like to appreciate them.'
'What do you suggest? We could leave things outside museums, like you would with clothes at a charity shop?'
'Not overly subtle,' said Amari, 'and I'm guessing that would lead to some awkward questions.'
'Okay, well, work out the logistics, and let me know what you think is best.'
'Maybe I will.'
A comfortable silence settled over them, and Caspar slipped his hand into hers. She let him, but hesitated first. Caspar tensed.
The silence stretched, an edge of discomfort pervading the cozy space, a prickle of anxiety shooting up his spine. Whatever was going to happen next wouldn't be good; he could feel it in the air. It wound tauter with each passing second.
Amari retrieved her hand, wringing it with the other in her lap. 'What were we arguing about?' she asked. 'In our last lives? Why wouldn't I talk to you for an entire lifetime?'
Caspar's anxiety turned to nausea. He'd thought they were making progress … they were making progress, but this …
He took a deep breath. 'Amari, no good can come from talking about it.'
'Are you ever going to tell me what you did?'
Caspar went up on his knees, facing her. He almost reached for her, but knew she'd kick him out in a heartbeat if he did.
'Can't we leave that fight until you wake up?'
'How am I supposed to trust you when you're keeping things from me?'
'It would be impossible to tell you everything … for you to understand the context. And if I tell you my side, when you wake, you'll accuse me of trying to brainwash your subconscious. I can't win either way.'
'Is it bad? Did you kill somebody?'
Caspar laughed. He knew it was a bad idea, but he couldn't help it. 'Raina's killed enough people in her lives … that would barely make her blink. I made a choice she disagreed with. I was trying to protect her. It didn't play out as I'd hoped, and she blames me for the consequences.'
'Would you do it differently? If you could do it again?'
Caspar had asked himself that so many times.
'I'd like to say yes, but honestly, I don't know. I would do anything to protect
her … to protect you. Maybe if we'd worked it out together … we both acted from emotion …'
There was a long silence, the past haunting him.
'I'm tired,' said Amari, shutting him out.
They'd been getting somewhere. But now she was sending them right back to the start.
'Okay,' he said, lingering for a few moments—hoping she'd change her mind—before heading for the door. 'See you in the morning.'
'Caspar,' she said, stopping him. 'Thank you for today. I feel at home here, despite the chaos.'
'I'm glad to hear it,' he said, then forced himself to leave. Maybe all was not lost after all.
By the time Amari made it to breakfast the following morning, the kitchen was awash with people.
'Finally,' said Helen, who had the air of a ticking time bomb. She threw a dirty look at Caspar. 'May we go upstairs now?'
'Please, carry on,' said Caspar, his eyes glinting with amusement.
'Um … were they waiting for me to come down?' asked Amari.
'Prince Flipping Charming over here wouldn't even let us get started in the other rooms until you woke up. He didn't want you to be disturbed,' said Helen, storming past, her team in tow.
Amari's cheeks flushed. 'Oh, sorry.'
She rounded on Caspar once they were alone.
'Don't do that again. I don't want Helen to hate me.'
'Oh, don't worry about her. She loves to have something to complain about. Sleep well?'
'Yes actually, I did.'
'Raina always slept well in that room. She said it was something to do with the ley lines.'
'If you say so,' said Amari, putting the kettle on.
Caspar moved next to her, standing close, their arms almost touching. He leaned across her to put bread in the toaster, and Amari's senses heightened.
He placed a hand on her shoulder, twisting her to face him, looking into her eyes, only inches away.
'Are you cross with me?' His tone was flirtatious.
'Maybe,' she said, matching it.
'Are you going to make it hard for me to get back in your good graces?'
'Maybe,' she said, quieter this time, her body reacting to the heat radiating from him, the closeness.
She turned her head away, but his hand came up to her face, pulling it back to look at him. Her eyes flicked to his lips—she couldn't help it—and his eyes dilated.
He slowly leaned his head towards her, stopping only when their lips were so close she could feel his breath on her skin.
Her eyes fluttered closed, but still he waited. She stayed still, her mind racing, telling her to pull away. Her body refused to listen. It wanted to close the gap and never look back.
The back door slammed, and Amari jumped. She dropped her head, placed her hands on Caspar's chest, balled her fists in the fabric, then pushed herself away, turning just in time to see Elliot, Meredith, Jon, and Gemma enter the room.
'Hey,' said Elliot, hesitating for a split second as he took in the scene. 'We brought supplies!'
He held up two shopping bags crammed full of bread, croissants, eggs, bacon, and sausages.
'We're going to need sustenance before Talli gets her hands on us.'
'Sounds good to me,' said Amari.
She knew her enthusiasm sounded forced, but she was busy fighting her body's vigorous urging to pull Caspar into the nearest secluded space.
She found, when she turned back to the kettle, that Caspar hadn't moved a muscle. His eyes bored into hers, releasing an injection of happy chemicals into her blood.
'You make the tea, and I'll help Elliot,' she said.
Her fingers brushed against his as she moved away. He caught them, held them briefly, then released her.
After breakfast, they walked down the drive to the malt house, meeting Talli, Christa, and a team of other demons, most of whom Amari didn't recognize.
Talli didn't hesitate for a moment before putting them to work, building tents and gazebos, stringing up lights, building bars and stages, creating fire pits, placing hay bales around the place, making flower decorations and crowns, cleaning out the malt house, and erecting an enormous may pole. Everything was carefully positioned by Talli, and no one dared deviate from her carefully constructed plan.
Talli focused her attention on the stone circle where the rituals would take place, ensuring the flowers and ceremonial bowls were positioned correctly. She liberally smudged the area with herbs, using a knife to cut the air, and ringing bells to purify.
Nobody walked through the circle, knowing from years of experience that to do so would bring Talli's wrath down in full force. Amari almost committed the crime, but Christa caught her arm just in time.
By the end of the day, they'd made good progress, but there was still much to do. Talli gave out orders for the following morning as they sat around the kitchen table.
'Anyone heard from Rose?' asked Jon, sipping his after-dinner coffee.
The others shook their heads.
'Nothing,' said Christa.
'Is that unusual?' asked Amari.
'Not really,' said Caspar. 'She's at the Registerium. You're not allowed to take in communications devices.'
'She's probably locked in endless boring talks,' said Talli.
'They're probably burying their heads in the sand, hoping the problem will disappear,' added Meredith.
'Has she gone because of the attacks on me?' asked Amari.
'That, and the rising tensions with the Templars,' said Christa. 'They're reneging on deals, trespassing extensively, and threatening to cause upset in the non-demon world through trade tariffs, stock market manipulation … that kind of thing.'
'What do you think will happen?' asked Amari. 'I'm assuming there's still no evidence about who was trying to kill me?'
'No,' said Caspar. 'And the Registerium will stall.'
'But Rose has to raise the issue now, so if things go south, she's already warned them,' said Christa.
'The Registerium's the body that oversees all demon nations, right?' asked Amari.
'Yep,' said Christa, 'but the Registerium only has a limited number of its own followers. Most demons would rather be affiliated with one of the nations. It's exciting to be part of a nation, and there's more freedom.'
'But you said each nation always has a representative there?' asked Amari.
'Yes,' said Christa. 'Currently it's a guy called Malcolm for us. He's only been there for five years though, so I'm not sure how much help he'll be to Rose.'
'And the representatives make decisions collectively? Who's in charge?' asked Amari.
'The Registerium has an elected council, led by the Registrar,' said Caspar. 'They're elected by the Registerium's followers, from within their own ranks, and deal with all the administration that goes along with running the place.
'They keep our records, organize and chair meetings, and ultimately have the power to make decisions, if the representatives from other nations disagree.'
'Can anyone join the Registerium and become one of their followers?' asked Amari.
'Yes, in theory,' said Caspar, 'although they'd have to give up their allegiance to any other nation, and devote at least ten lifetimes to the Registerium.'
'Ten lifetimes?!' exclaimed Amari.
'Most of them are a bit weird,' said Jon.
'Often they're disillusioned with their nation and want a break,' said Christa.
'And the guy in charge is a total crackpot,' added Jon.
'He's not that bad,' said Caspar.
'Yes, he is,' said Jon. 'Remember the time one of our demons was murdered, with half a dozen demon witnesses to say it was the Aztecs, but he refused to do anything?'
'Because he didn't want to start a war,' said Meredith.
'What's the point in having rules if the Registerium doesn't enforce them?' said Jon.
'There's no rule that says we can't kill each other,' said Meredith, 'only that we can't draw attention from non-demons when we do.'
'Fat
lot of good that does anyone,' said Jon.
'We're free to go to war if we want to,' said Meredith.
'But it's suicide if the Registerium doesn't give the go ahead.'
The rest of them watched Meredith and Jon with interest.
'And if the Registerium doesn’t give the go ahead,' said Jon, 'everyone might side with the murdering bastards who started the dispute to begin with.'
'Life comes with risks,' Meredith said with a shrug.
'Maybe we need a new Registerium that has some balls,' said Jon.
The other demons laughed.
'Good luck with that,' said Talli. 'Have you got any idea how long it took, or how many people had to die, or how suspicious the non-demons had to get before we agreed to form the Registerium in the first place? All the big nations need to be on board for any change to happen.'
'And the Registerium would try to kill you,' said Christa.
'Not to mention, it would probably unite all the other demon nations against you,' said Meredith.
'But it's so broken,' said Jon.
The old demons laughed again.
'Every political system that's ever existed is broken,' said Meredith. 'You think you've got a better way?'
That night, Caspar didn't follow Amari into her room. She waited for him, wondering if there would be a knock on her door, hoping there would be, but it never came. Eventually, Amari decided she would go to him.
'Come in,' said Caspar's surprised voice.
Amari pushed the door open to find Caspar topless and in bed. She closed the door softly behind her, the house now fully occupied with the other four sharing the two spare rooms.
'I can't sleep,' she lied.
He shifted to make room for her. He didn't reach for a shirt.
'What's on your mind?'
You. 'Nothing in particular.'
'There's somewhere I want to take you tomorrow,' he said, pulling back the covers for her. She climbed in, laying the duvet, warm from Caspar's body, across her legs.
'You think Talli's going to let you get away with that?'
'We'll have to sneak away. We can pretend we're going to get supplies.'
