Chapter 405: Hunting
I woke the next morning in a foul mood. As I stood in my closet, looking at the hideous clothing Pagomaris stocked for me, the full-length mirror throwing back the image of a very pissed off demon girl, I made a decision.
I dressed aggressively in spiked boots and a pair of skin-tight pants in some kind of black leather with studs all over them. The shirt was also tight, a heavy jacket with matching spikes and a few skulls with horns decorating the shoulders and cuffs finishing my attire while a collar jutted out an array of spines I had to be careful of so I didn't stab myself by accident.
My hair I bundled up in a mess of angry curls, tied off with a chain and several blades. When I checked out the mirror again, I smiled. Yeah, badass.
Time to take out the trash.
Meira's eyes went wide when she saw me before she grinned like the devil she was at heart and ran for her own wardrobe. By the time I'd finished breakfast, Sassafras glaring at me from his place on the table, thick silver tail thudding up and down as his ears sat flat, Meria emerged from her room dressed like me.
"They want a piece of the Hayle sisters?" She snapped her fingers, cocking one hip to the side, feet planted wide like some pint-sized action heroine. "Big mistake."
I laughed. And agreed with her.
No more Miss Nice Syd.
I went hunting, my sister at my side, angry demon cat trailing us, hissing and spitting his upset. Not like I cared. That morning alone I started and finished a dozen fights, Meira cutting her own swath through the ruling elite of Demonicon's Seat until the lower status ran from us like rabbits.
Sassafras finally decided to help after he got over his snit, filling us in mentally on the different cousins we called out, letting us know their weaknesses and flaws. So we wouldn't get ourselves killed, he said. But with each fight, despite his former concern, I sensed a growing, if grudging, admiration for us, and by the time he was fully behind our campaign of doom, there was real enthusiasm behind his notes.
She fights with her left side only, favors her right.
His shields are strong from the outside but he never reinforces the inside.
He favors bashing. Use finesse.
She can't get past her own cleverness. Just whack her.
After a nice lunch where Meira and I grinned at each other like loons, partly because we couldn't believe we were actually still on a roll, we continued our task, swelling with power and driving the cousins before us like cattle.
Couldn't fight, huh?
By the time the main sun was setting, I felt able to take on Grandmother herself, demon power crackling inside me. It was getting harder and harder to find anyone to fight, so we'd descended into the city, searching for prey. I refused to fight anyone who wasn't family and Meira followed my lead. A few had fled into the lower planes and were easy enough to track down and defeat.
I found myself, at last, standing over one of my dear cousins, a girl with a scar on one cheek, her red skin white in a line down the side of her face. She'd been an easy defeat, almost crying when I cornered her and drove her to her knees, muffling her power with mine. She cowered there, begging me not to hurt her, offering up her magic as my demon hummed her satisfaction. It was odd at that moment, to notice Shaylee and my vampire were missing, the sense of disgust they'd left behind as they walled themselves off making me feel a little nauseated. Still, this was what I had to do if I was going to be a demon, live in their society.
I reached for the girl's power and felt it-the entirety of it. She was offering it all to me, not just the selection I'd grown accustomed to. The deliciousness of her fear and the surging magic she held out to me was so tempting, I reached for it.
Syd! Sassy's mind cut across mine like a whip. No!
I pulled back, feeling my demon grumble and retreat, now fully sick to my stomach. I waved the girl away, turned from her, finding myself in a back alley in some part of the city I didn't even remember reaching, squat buildings crouched around me, streets empty and very quiet as though the local populace knew exactly what was going on and refused to bear witness. My target scrammed, but not before I caught the relief and gratitude in her eyes even as I sank back against the stone wall of one of the buildings and caught my breath.
"Syd." Sassy came to me, Meira with him, paws on my leg. "You need to stop."
I nodded, bending to pick him up, the anger gone, my demon rumbling her contentment even as Shaylee and my vampire emerged and settled into their places.
"I almost did what you did," I said, the sick feeling subsiding slowly. "I almost took her power."
He hesitated before nodding. "There's someone you need to meet."
Sassy hopped down and led us out into the street, a few brave souls risking a venture out, only to scramble for safety when they saw us. The sight made me feel even worse, like I had become the monster my grandmother wanted me to be. I kept my head down as we crossed two streets and ended up at a ground level train station. This time I didn't worry about being alone, despite the fact this station was much plainer, without the gilt and creative decoration of the higher levels. Somehow the serviceability felt homey, more relaxed, though I didn't for a moment let my guard down. At least the few passengers waiting for the train didn't seem to care who we were, just as happy to mind their own business, though I figured the way I was dressed wasn't helping my reputation on the lower planes any.
I shrugged out of my jacket, stuffing it into a waste receptacle, hearing the hiss of magic as it was destroyed. The spiked collar went with it, though I salvaged the blades from my hair, sliding them into my boots just as the train hummed to a halt, wards dropping to allow us to enter. Not that I'd need a knife or anything, but I wasn't taking any chances.
As I stood, the shields snapping into place as the train began to move, my body swaying slightly, I found myself scowling. The veil was right there, the edge of it as welcoming as it had always been. We could just ride it again, instead of being good little demons, but I held my peace. When I really needed access to the veil, if we were attacked, for instance, it was comforting to know I could take my sister and Sassafras and leave.
Maybe. After I kicked the bad guys' asses and cleaned the floor with them.
Okay, so not all of my aggressiveness was gone just yet. But I could live with that.
The train ride was longer than I expected. We'd ended up somewhere in the Fourth Plane region, but Sassafras had somewhere much more remote in mind. He refused to answer any of my questions, sitting alone on one of the chairs, huddled in a silver ball. I finally gave up and looked out the window, lost in thought.
The ride gave me time to think about the veil and my sister. Despite her attempts at home, and mine to teach her, Meira had never been able to access it, to ride it the way I did. Neither of us could figure out why. Dad didn't seem to have a problem, nor Grandmother. Maybe it had to do with Meira's being more human than demon.
Another thing for her to resent me for.
Glum, I disembarked at the last station behind Sassy and my sister, where the shadow of the mountain barely reached us, two suns still up though the sky was darkening, several moons chasing them. The streets here were clean, but plain, the buildings less ornate. But there was still a sense of nobility about it and I wondered where Sass was taking us.
He paused at the door of a small house, neat and tidy, a pert little garden out front, before going to the door and using his power to ring the bell. It chimed softly from somewhere inside and, before I could ask him any more questions, the door flew open and a pretty young female demon smiled at us.
When she looked down and her eyes focused on Sassafras, they flew open very wide. With a cry, she bent to her knees, bowing to him.
"My lord," she said. "Please, be welcome."
Sassy looked uncomfortable, tail flickering side to side, ears flat sideways, whiskers low.
"Mistress Sophelara," he said. "We're here to see him."
She stood at once, bowing again. "Of course. Please, come inside."
Bemused, exchanging a curious look with Meira, I followed Sassafras into the house. A demon man stood waiting, his eyes as wide as the woman's as he bowed too.
"Lord Sassafras," he said. "We are honored you've chosen to come to our home."
Why did my demon cat look so unhappy with such a nice welcome? The nicest we'd had since we arrived. I was actually feeling pretty comfortable in their lovely little house, but his reaction immediately squashed my ease.
"Knight Deerinalon," Sassy said. "How has he been?"
"The same, my Lord," Deerinalon said, gesturing for us to follow down the hall and to the last door on the right. "How kind of you to visit. This way."
The moment we entered the small room, I knew, understood. And my heart broke.
Sassafras padded his slow way forward through a cluster of toys, across the cluttered floor, to the side of the young demon who played with two wooden blocks by smashing them together with terrible timing. With the grin of a small child, he dropped both and reached for my demon cat.
"Momma!" His voice shrieked, almost tearing my eardrums. "You got me a kitty!" He focused on Sass, a thin line of drool running from the corner of his slack mouth as he grinned at my demon cat. "Kitty," the boy said quite seriously, "would you like to play with me?"
Sassafras sat down, tail covering his front paws as if he needed it to defend himself from the disabled demon before him.
"Hello, Raneen," Sassy said. "You don't remember me."
I glanced sideways at his parents, saw them gazing at Sass with adoration. I expected fury. After all, this had to be the boy Sassy stripped of power, the cause of his banishment. From the crippled look of him, the child-like way he lived, Sassy's attack had left their son permanently damaged.
Why weren't they furious?
"Lord Sassafras is so kind," Sophelara said to me as she caught me staring. "He made certain our Raneen was taken care of. He even had us raised in status." She smiled in wonder. "I used to be 138th Plane. Now we're twenty-fifth. If it weren't for Lord Sassafras, we would never have advanced so high, nor had the ability to care for Raneen."
I gaped at her in shock while her husband slid his arm around her shoulders.
"We'll never want for anything again," Deerinalon said. "And neither will Raneen."
Raneen reached for Sassafras, pulled him into his lap. My friend lay limp, allowing the boy to stroke his fur, sing a silly song to him about kitties and soft fur. But it wasn't long before Sassafras sat up and bolted, running between my feet and down the hall toward the door.
I went after him, murmuring thanks to the couple, Meira already ahead of me.
"Is his Lordship displeased with us?" Sophelara looked so afraid I stopped and took her hand.
"Not at all," I said, watching relief come over her face. "We just need to go. Thank you for having us."
She and her husband waved goodbye as I chased Meira and Sassafras.
I didn't have far to go. My sister crouched in a nearby alley, stroking his fur while he turned his back to her, body shaking. I bent and scooped him into my arms, cuddling him against me. Sassafras twisted to the side, paws around my neck as he cried on my shoulder.
Meira's hands pressed to his back as I gently held him until he was done.
Sassafras finally pulled away, his fur wet, eyes flat and lifeless.
"Now you know," he whispered. "Both of you. Please, be careful."
We both immediately agreed and I knew, no matter how far I was pushed, I'd never go so far again.
***
