by Terry Spear
“Great.” Alana closed the portal. “Terrific. He just opened another.”
“Where?”
But Alana had already vanished. Jared concealed himself and ran in a circle, looking to see if he could spy any spin of the portal lights.
He ran one way and then another, unable to locate any sign of them.
“You’re a warlock!” Alana screamed from the direction of the giraffe enclosure, and Jared knew she was trying to warn him where the summoner was.
He ran in that direction and saw the guy, a mop of blond curly hair and clear blue eyes, wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt with a scary demon-like winged creature on it. Jared wondered if the dude looked anything like the dead summoner.
“You’re a witch! I thought Al had crossed some sort of other world with his portal device,” the blond guy said, sounding angered. “But all he got was some meddling witch. So his devices didn’t work after all, and you’ve just messed with our minds, right? Then what? You had your boyfriend kill him? Or did you do the job yourself? So that you can create a national sensation, making people believe that demons live among us? Or, I should say aliens, since that’s what the paranormal gurus are saying.”
“What was he trying to do?” Alana asked, totally calm.
“Summon demons, of course.” He acted like she was an idiot for even asking the question. “Once he summoned them, we would control them.”
“What if you could actually summon one? You think some jock warlock is going to control a powerful, evil demon?”
Jared was standing in invisible silence, waiting for Alana to give him a clue as to what she wanted him to do. He knew in her astral body, she couldn’t use her powers to fight the warlock. Nor could he hurt her.
Then a wet cold mist brushed against him. Samson was in place, too. He wasn’t sure how much he could help while in his misty form, but Jared was glad he was here, just in case.
“Where is the portal device?” she asked, as if he’d just reveal it to her when Jared was pretty sure the warlock had no intention of letting her live. Well, maybe he would let her see it for that reason.
The guy smiled in a smug way. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Sure. Why not let me see it? Maybe we can be a team.”
“Ha! You’re on the national news, witch. I wouldn’t want my name to be associated with yours.”
“You lied about being the summoner’s brother.”
“Yeah. But we went way back.” He frowned. “I don’t remember you being in our school.”
“Home schooled.”
“Not usually done, but all right. Though I heard you were at the local high school. No witch or warlock would attend a regular school. Why have they connected you with that place?”
“Got me mixed up with someone else, I imagine. So where’s that portal device?”
He motioned in the direction of the gorilla cages. “Too bad we couldn’t work together. But you’re bad news.”
“You’re not?”
A glint of malice appeared in his eyes. “Maybe you could come with me, and you can tell me how you managed the disappearing act.”
“I entered the demon world. Would you like to see it? Just open a portal.”
He smiled, the look as demonic as any demon could make. “Oh, sure, as long as you come with me as my guide.”
He pressed a button on a transmitter that looked like a cell phone. A portal appeared brighter than Jared had ever seen. Alana waved. “Go right ahead.”
“You first.”
“Together,” she said.
Jared remembered what had happened to some of the demons that had tried to enter the portal into Earth world. They had died.
When the warlock grabbed her wrist and jerked her toward the portal, Jared slugged the man in the face. He lost his grip on Alana, staring in the direction Jared stood. Jared was posed invisibly to strike him again, but the man fell backward into the portal, yelling in surprise.
That’s when Jared saw the misty form of a body crouched behind the warlock, which had tripped up the creep.
Just as the portal began to dim and collapse, a stream of shimmering golden energy shot toward Alana and as if it could grab her, dragged her into the vortex.
The portal vanished.
“Damn it to Hades and back!” Jared yelled. Then he stared at where the opening had been and frowned. Her astral self couldn’t have been pulled into the portal. Could it have?
He felt frozen in place, unsure what to do. Alana had to be back with her physical form. He wanted to look for the device, but he couldn’t, not without knowing if Alana was safely with Hunter in the taxi. But he couldn’t open a portal to bring her astral form here to ensure she was safe. Even if he could, he would risk allowing the warlock to return to the zoo.
Samson appeared in his human form and said, “I’ll return to the taxi and see if she’s in one piece or not. You look for the device.”
Jared shook his head. “I run faster than you move in your mist form.”
“Well, go then! What are you waiting for?”
“I’m off.” At that, Jared ran as if the demons from hell were after him and when he reached the taxi, gasping for breath, he didn’t see any sign of either Hunter or Alana. He cursed under his breath and ran back to where he’d left Samson.
To his surprise when he returned, he saw Samson, visible, speaking with Alana.
“What happened to you? I thought you’d been dragged into the portal,” Jared said to Alana, highly irritated with her, unable to hide his anger or concern. “If you’d gone through that portal, you could have died.” And Hunter would have killed Jared for not saving her.
“I’m not really here, Jared. Remember? Astral self? Besides, I superimposed a portal over his. Mine worked. His might not have. When he fell into the demon world, his portal collapsed, but he would have arrived safe and sound through my portal.”
“No, wait,” Jared said. “You were sucked into the portal. You were gone. Vanished. Disappeared. Not here.” He grabbed her arm and his hand went right through her.
She stared at it, mouth agape.
“You were solid before when you astral surfed.” He looked up from her arm to her face. “Alana, what’s happened?”
“You know how things keep changing with me.” She motioned to where the portal had been and said, “If it’s storming as bad as when we were there last, the warlock’s soaking wet, chilled to the bone, and scared witless for all his bravado. And he isn’t getting out of there unless someone opens a portal to let him back in here.” She gave Jared a wicked smile.
He was reminded that she wasn’t all Kubiteron demon that were known to be beautiful inside and out. She had a wickedly witchy side to her also, and he hated to admit just how much that side of her appealed to him also. Especially since Hunter was so fascinated with her, and Jared knew he didn’t stand a chance.
“Or he knows how to summon a portal in the normal way other than through a mechanical device. But also, that remote controller might operate the device from the demon world,” Jared said.
“Highly doubtful. He’d be back here pronto, don’t you think? Not only that, but I doubt that the transmitter would work that far away. The portals only opened in the zoo somewhere close to where the device is.” She looked in the direction of the gorilla exhibit. “Let’s look for that device.”
If anyone had told Jared he would have been attempting to break into the cages where the gorillas were housed, he would have told them he or she was insane. But here he was, using his lock picks to try and get into the cage housing a bunch of man-sized monkeys.
“I ran to the taxi, but neither you nor Hunter was there,” he said. When she didn’t answer, he looked back at her, but her form was fading in and out as if she couldn’t hold it together. “What’s wrong with you, Alana?”
“Go,” she said. “We need to find that device.”
As soon as the door creaked open, he moved into the cage, his heart pounding against his
ribs. He was invisible, but it was if they could see him, or smell him maybe, and they began to raise a ruckus.
Some of the apes were pounding on their chests, standing upright to show off their height and bulk, attempting to look imposing and vicious. And succeeding.
Oh, sure, Jared knew that gorillas were not normally aggressive toward humans, but shy and retiring. But these were afraid of him, of something they couldn’t see. Of something that might not have even smelled all human. Several of the male gorillas roared at him. Some screamed. Others huddled together away from the perceived threat.
He was supposed to be looking for a device. Had the warlock lied about it being here? Hoping they’d look for it and not find it? Jared’s attention was focused on the angry apes. He couldn’t concentrate on searching for the device when the gorillas were concentrating on him.
If the summoner had managed to hide the device in here, how would he have gotten past the apes?
Then Alana moved into the cage. Instantly, Jared didn’t like it. Even though he knew they couldn’t hurt her, he couldn’t help feeling like they could.
“Alana, stay out.”
She stared at where his voice was coming from and frowned. “You haven’t moved but a foot into the cage. How are you supposed to find the device if you don’t search for it?”
“They sense me. Smell me. They’re highly agitated. And they can hurt me if I get close, even if they can’t see me.”
“Okay. I forget that when you’re invisible, you’re still physically very much here. I’ll go.”
“No.”
“They can’t hurt me, Jared. I’ll be fine. If I locate the device, I’ll let you know and then you can retrieve it.”
She began to move around the outskirts of the enclosure and though he wanted to stay beside her, he knew that if they attacked, they couldn’t hurt her astral version. It didn’t make him any less leery of the process. He began to move away from her and though they concentrated mostly on her because they could see her, several glanced in his direction because they could still smell him.
He moved quickly now, trying to locate the device so Alana and he didn’t have to disturb the gorillas too much. One of the males protecting his family moved toward Alana and Jared couldn’t help himself. He hurried to intervene.
Instead of getting in Alana’s way, he grabbed hold of her arm, felt its solid form, to his relief, and yanked her out of the gorilla’s path. She shrieked. “Jared!”
“Yeah, yeah, you can thank me later.” Jared headed for the gorilla and that’s when he saw the device sitting inside a tunnel to the indoor exhibit.
“Thanking you wasn’t what I had in mind,” she retorted.
“If you beat on me,” he said, “Hunter will think you have the hots for me, and then where will you be?”
“Where are you going?” she asked as he ran for the tunnel.
“The device is right…” He grabbed it up and held it high. “…here.”
Without warning, the big male gorilla swung around and lunged at Jared. He dropped the device and dodged the beast. Since the ape couldn’t see him, Jared feinted left and the beast dove right.
Then a mist appeared near the gorilla and the animal lifted its nose and smelled the air, getting a whiff of Samson, Jared figured. Jared seized the device and ran for the door to the exhibit.
“Come on, Samson, Alana!” Jared hollered, running out of the exhibit.
Alana hadn’t followed him and instead shouted, “Samson!”
Jared turned, saw the gorilla bite Samson as he threw his arms up in self-defense in his fully visible form. Blood dripped from his arm and then he turned into mist again and melted away.
Jared stared at the place where he’d been. Alana didn’t move.
“Alana, come on!” Jared called out. “I’ll help him. Just get out of there.”
He tossed the device out of the enclosure and heard someone shout, “The voices were coming from the gorilla enclosure.”
Jared cursed under his breath.
That’s when he saw blood dripping on the ground and the blood trail exited the enclosure. “He’s out,” Jared said to Alana. “Go. Let Hunter know we’re on our way.”
He wished Alana could take the device and leave with it so he could help Samson.
That’s when he saw Hunter running toward them with the physical Alana in tow. “Something’s wrong with Alana,” Hunter said, his voice hot with concern.
Jared glanced back at her astral version just as it dissolved into thin air. “The portal,” Jared said. “A warlock dragged her astral form into the demon world.”
But people, police or zoo staff, were growing closer to Jared’s location.
Hunter swore. “All right, you and Samson return to the taxi since no one can see you. Alana and I will go to the demon world.” Hunter opened a portal, dragged the unresponsive Alana with him into the glowing lights, but Jared wasn’t about to be left behind and jumped in with him, bumping into a thick mist and smiled.
Samson was with them also.
Chapter 10
Debris flew into the hotel room through the open doorway and window after the Matusa sent the fireball crashing into the patrol car. Heat seared the air as Celeste struggled to her feet after being knocked unconscious for precious seconds. Blood dripped from her right arm and sharp pain sliced through the nerve endings. Dizzy and nauseated, she collapsed on the mattress and looked for the Matusa, fearing his next move. Thorst was lying on his back on the floor, a glass shard penetrating his chest, blood pooling around the site, soaking his shirt, dripping on the carpeted floor. He looked worn out and unable to retaliate further, which totally shocked her.
“What kind of demon are you?” he rasped, his face pale, eyes narrowed.
He thought she had injured him? He was the one who had made the police cruiser explode, which sent the metal flying into the glass and broke it into a million jagged knives.
“I’m a Camaran demon, a seeker of danger,” she said, lifting her chin, relating what Jared had said her demon type was notorious for, although she still hadn’t really thought she was that much of a daredevil. She revealed her demon aura.
“Camaran,” he said, staring at her for a second, then closing his eyes, he reached for the shard of glass. He didn’t remove it, and instead, let his hand fall back to the floor.
She expected him to jerk the glass out of his heart and toss the remnant aside. Then he’d rise and glower at her before he incinerated her. He’d heal himself quickly, then kill the policemen and countless others gathering in the parking lot for daring to cause him trouble.
But he wasn’t moving. Wasn’t removing the glass weapon. Wasn’t healing as she watched the blood collect around the wound.
Seeing her puzzled expression, he smiled in a purely maniacal way. “You have gravely wounded me, Camaran. Your blood is toxic to mine.”
In disbelief, she stared at him. She had no combative abilities that she knew of. No defensive ones either. Certainly nothing to use to fight a great Matusa demon.
“Is it only lethal to Matusa demons?” she asked.
“In the beginning,” he rasped, “a Matusa and a Camaran loved one another, but when he threw her away for a Kubiteron, the Camaran sought revenge. She begged the god of vengeance to give her a way to destroy any Matusa who might ever desire a Camaran demon.”
“No,” she said, not believing in some old demon mythology.
“Any Camaran demon so wronged would only have to shed their blood on a Matusa’s open wound and that would kill the Matusa.”
“You did the damage,” she said, feeling even more lightheaded as she grasped her own bloody wound. She needed to get to the bathroom to grab a towel to apply against the wound, but she couldn’t gather the strength to head in that direction. Not only that, but the demon was sprawled across the pathway to the bathroom, and she was sure he’d grab her leg if she tried to get past him.
She had to leave. She could do nothing for the demon. S
he had to get away from here before the police took her into custody.
That’s when she felt the air chill several degrees and shivered. She was losing way too much blood. No, her breath was frosting in the air as a white mist. Indigo.
Car doors slammed outside, and she heard running footfalls. Her heart slammed into her ribs. More police. They were coming for her now.
She looked back at the Matusa. He was staring up at the ceiling as if not truly seeing.
“You killed the man at the zoo, using snake poison, didn’t you?” she asked, hoping that she might get a confession of sorts from the demon in case the police could hear them speaking. She saw shadows near the doorway and thought a policeman or two were listening. If they questioned the demon before he died, she was certain he wouldn’t tell them anything. But maybe she could help Alana and herself out of this mess if he would answer her question.
The demon snorted. “He deserved it. No one summons one of my kind without paying for his or her actions.”
“So you killed the man in the reptile house. Did he beg for mercy, Thorst?”
“He was stupid and fearful. How he thought he could use our kind and…” The Matusa gasped for breath. “He deserved to die.”
“You threatened Alana. Tried to grab her and take her with you.” Celeste had to give a reason why Alana had tried to hide from the police and this dangerous man.
“She would… have been mine.” Thorst coughed up blood.
“She’s safe,” Celeste said, frowning at him. “Safe from the likes of you.”
The Matusa smiled bitterly. “She would have been safe from anyone had she returned with me.” He closed his eyes and shuddered, then took his last breath.
She watched him for what seemed like forever until she was sure he had died. Then she lay back on the mattress and closed her own eyes. So tired. If only she could escape to the demon world.
Running footsteps headed for the door. Men shouted orders. Sirens blared while the fire outside still raged.
The slice in her arm hurt so bad, she was certain somehow the Matusa had poisoned her also.