The Seventh Crow

by Tamara Geraeds

  We watch until Taylar notices. A blush creeps up from his neck, and he takes a step away from Kess.

  I raise my hands in a ‘don’t mind us’ gesture, and Vicky averts her head with a chuckle. She clears her throat. “Okay, time to focus.”

  I agree. The loss of the last soul is like a huge weight on my shoulders, that I manage to ignore most of the time, thankfully. But I’m not about to hand Satan another win.

  “What about that guy?” Vicky nods in the direction of a tall, but slender, thirtyish man with more hair than bare skin.

  “Is that a werewolf?” I ask, lowering my voice in case he can hear me.

  “No, I saw one once. It looked much more vicious. It had long fangs and pointy ears. I’m not sure what this is.”

  Charlie and Gisella move closer to us.

  “I don’t think it’s the person we’re looking for,” Gisella says.

  I take a swig from my beer when the hairy man turns his head in our direction.

  “Why not?” I ask.

  She tilts her head in thought. “He’s too… in control. I think gluttony is an out of control craving. We’ll recognize it when we see it.”

  “But…” I rub my forehead and struggle to recover the thought that just hit me.

  “But what?” Vicky asks.

  I push my fingers against my temples. Come on. Don’t run away. This is important.

  The thought drifts by, and I grab it forcefully. I say it out loud before it disappears again. “The Devil needs people who have no tendency toward the sins, right? It makes the sins stronger, that’s why the souls can be used to open the circles.”

  Nobody even blinks.

  “Right?” I ask uncertainly.

  Vicky’s head goes up and down fast. “Yes, you’re right. I can’t believe we forgot about that.”

  Gisella takes in the crowd around us. “So, we’re looking for someone who has perfect self-restraint now, but will give in for whatever reason later?”

  I down the rest of my beer. “Well, the demons will try to make them commit this sin. But maybe they will fail this time.” I shoot my friends a hopeful look. “I mean, this sounds like a hard one. How do you make someone with perfect self-restraint eat like a pig?”

  Maël’s voice behind me makes me jump. “We have met someone who has the power to make that happen with one look.”

  My heart sinks when I realize who she’s talking about.

  The Black Horseman of Famine.

  CHAPTER 6

  I turn back to our table and beckon the others. When everyone is leaning toward me, I fill them in on our suspicions.

  “We should go home to think of a way to beat the Horsemen,” I conclude.

  “But what if they take the soul while we’re gone?” Kess says.

  Taylar straightens up. “What if some of us stay here, to keep an eye on things?”

  I shake my head. “We’ll need all of our powers to defeat the Horsemen. Tricking them won’t work anymore, which means our only option is to fight them. And we need a plan to survive that.”

  Charlie raises his empty glass. “Can’t we make a plan here? I thought we were having dinner?”

  I bite my lip and scan the faces at the other tables. “To be honest, I don’t trust anyone except you guys. I can’t discuss something like this here.”

  “What about in the parking lot? Or across the street?” Gisella suggests. “We can watch the bar from there and jump into action if needed.” She throws Charlie a sympathetic look. “You’ll have to wait for dinner. I’m sure Vicky has some chocolate or a couple of cookies stuffed away in her pocket for you.”

  Without a word, Vicky digs into her endless pocket and slides a packet of chocolate cookies in Charlie’s direction.

  His eyes start to glow, and he rips the packet open. “I think I can wait for another hour. After all, it’s still early.”

  Meanwhile, I’m still mulling over what Gisella said. I don’t like the idea of starting a fight with a Horseman without a proper plan, but it’s better than letting them take another soul.

  “Okay. Let’s do that.” I put my glass down on the table and start to make my way back to the entrance.

  “Wait!” Vicky suddenly hisses behind me.

  I instantly freeze. “What?”

  “Panda demon at two o’clock.”

  My gaze swerves left, and I step back without thinking. The thing is horrendous. When Vicky told us about a panda demon, I pictured a fluffy black and white creature with long teeth and blood dripping down its fur. Like a rabid dog, but bigger. This is something else entirely. Something far worse too. Sure, it’s black and white, but its skin is slick like a snake’s, and its head is small compared to its overweight body. It has black spots around its eyes, just like a panda, but these eyes are bulky. There are no ears on the white head, and instead of soft paws, it has claws that remind me of Wolverine. Just when I wonder what rain and black snow have to do with this monster, the whole skin is suddenly covered in dark mush. A long white tongue shoots out of the small mouth under the protruding nose and licks the snow from every part of the body.

  Even after fighting so many demons and other monsters, the sight of this demon makes my skin crawl. My instincts tell me to run. Normally I override those, but this time, getting out of its way might be the best thing to do.

  I slap myself in the head─hopefully not too theatrically─and make a quarter turn. “I forgot to pay.”

  While we make our way to the bar, sweat forms on my back. I suppress the urge to look over my shoulder.

  There are about six people waiting to order a drink, which gives us some time to think of a strategy.

  “We can’t attack a demon in here. It’s too risky,” I say.

  Jeep nods. “Too many evil creatures around.”

  Charlie peers over his shoulder. “But it probably knows what we look like. If it sees us…”

  “You think it will attack?” Gisella asks incredulously. “One demon against all of us?”

  He licks his lips. “Maybe not. But they’ll speed up their plan if they spot us here.”

  “It is lingering near the door,” Maël says. “We cannot leave.”

  My hands ball into fists. “Not through there, but I know another way out.”

  Charlie grins. “My secret passage in the bathroom.”

  He turns to walk to the back of the bar, but Gisella stops him.

  “We can’t let that demon leave with the soul.”

  Charlie swats away her objections. “It’s probably just watching, you know.”

  She crosses her arms over her chest. “What if it’s not?”

  He looks at her for a couple of seconds and sighs. “You’re right. We can’t leave.”

  “Don’t look so defeated,” she answers cheerily. “This is our opportunity to find out who the soul is.”

  Without further ado, I take the lead back to our tables against the far wall. One of the waiters, a waist-high girl with yellow eyes, is collecting the empty glasses. She smiles up at us. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Do you have something that gives us more energy?” I ask.

  “Sure. We’ve got rum with a drop of dragon saliva. That will give you a nice boost.”

  My lip curls up in disgust before I can stop it. I quickly turn it into a smile. “Sounds lovely. We’ll take six glasses.” I search for my wallet. “How much is that?”

  “Put it on my tab,” Charlie calls out from the other side of the table.

  The girl nods and walks away without asking his name.

  I frown at my best friend. “You’ve got a tab here?”

  “Sure, I used to come here a lot, before… you know.” Before our lives started to spin out of control? Right.

  “It’s usually a really nice place,” Gisella adds.

  I snort. “You mean, when there are no demons among the customers.”

  “Actually, even when th
ere are, although demons don’t make a habit out of visiting bars.” She throws her red locks over her shoulder. “The Winged Centaur is a place where everyone can have fun. Fights are rare here.”

  My cheeks heat up when I remember the last time I was here. I cast a spell meant for Simon, and it affected all the evil creatures inside. It was a mess. I’m glad the owner didn’t recognize me when I came in. “I guess that panda demon is not likely to start a fight in here.”

  “Not at all,” Charlie and Gisella say at the same time.

  “But it probably has some friends waiting for it outside,” Jeep says.

  “Unless this is the head demon of the third circle.” I turn carefully and take in the demon again. It is quite large, especially when it stands up on its hind legs and stretches its neck, like it does now.

  “Watch out,” I warn the others while I turn away.

  I’m grateful when the waiter comes back with our drinks. It gives us something to do, something that looks natural. I can only hope the demon won’t recognize us from behind, if it can recognize us at all.

  When I raise my glass, Kessley changes into a gray-skinned girl without hair, so she can spy on the demon without being recognized. She thanks the waitress, who doesn’t seem surprised or bothered by her sudden metamorphoses. She just smiles and walks to the next table.

  “What is it doing?” I inquire.

  “Don’t worry, it hasn’t seen us,” creepy Kess answers. The skin around her mouth makes ripping sounds with every word she utters. “I think it has found the soul.”

  I turn my glass around in my hands nervously. “Who is it?”

  “It’s a slender girl. She’s sitting at the third table from the door, near the wall, chatting with a friend.”

  I move my hand over the strangely soft metallic tabletop to give it something to do. “Can you tell what she is?”

  Kess shakes her head. “I’m afraid I don’t know every magical creature yet.”

  “Describe her to us,” Jeep says.

  She nods her bald head, averts her eyes for a moment and then looks at us again. “I haven’t seen anything like her before. She looks…” she searches for words, “… frozen. Her skin is blue, as if she’s hypothermic, but she has no shirt on and no shoes, just a ragged pair of dirty pants. She’s all skin and bones. If she didn’t look so scary, I’d offer her dinner. Still, she does have a nice smile. Her friend looks almost normal. Slender, lots of freckles on a kind face, but she does have moving hair.”

  I look at Jeep for an explanation. When I see his frown, I turn to Vicky, but her face is blank.

  Eventually, it’s Maël who gives us the answer. “I do not know what her friend is, but the blue girl you described is a Mahaha.”

  “Sounds like some sort of clown,” Charlie jokes.

  “It is a phantom of cold and hunger. A person that starved to death and then froze. It can be brought back from the dead by a warlock, to work as a slave. It is neither good nor bad and eager to follow orders of those who offer it shelter.”

  “Or food.” I take a swig from my glass and immediately energy courses through me. Without thinking, I gulp down the rest of the mixture.

  “No, not food,” Maël says. “The will to eat has left them.”

  I bring my glass back to my lips only to realize it’s empty. Disappointed, I put it down again. “Then it can’t be the soul the demons are after.”

  I eye Maël’s drink, and she pushes it toward me. “There is a way to awaken the hunger of a Mahaha.”

  Charlie grabs her glass before I can take it and lets the contents slide down his throat.

  I groan but focus on Maël again. “How?”

  “By making it relive its final hours.”

  Charlie puts down the empty glass. “Wait, does that mean the Devil doesn’t need the Black Horseman to make the Mahaha so hungry she’ll commit the sin of gluttony?”

  Maël’s face lights up. “I think it does.”

  I hold up my hands. “Let’s not get too excited yet. We pissed off all of the Horsemen, so I’m pretty sure we’ll run into them again. We should be prepared for any kind of attack, by creepy pandas, Horsemen or both.”

  “She’s leaving,” Kessley informs us casually. “And…” She purses her lips. “Yes, the demon is following her.”

  With my hand on the athame behind my waistband, I turn. “Then we’re leaving too.”

  Kessley slips around the table. “Let me go first. That thing won’t recognize me.”

  I let her pass, and once again, we make our way through the crowd.

  Halfway to the door, Kessley turns around and grows two inches. “I think I forgot my purse.”

  We all come to a halt, and I peer past her. The demon is on its hind legs again, scanning the room. Its pale tongue slips from its mouth and licks its knees. I lower my head and scratch my cheek to hide my face.

  The panda demon drops back on all fours and hurries to the front door.

  I give Kess a gentle push. “Okay, we’re good to go.”

  At the door, Kessley stops again, and I bump into her. I touch her bare, gray arm and pull back in disgust. The skin feels dry and dead.

  “Couldn’t you have turned into something less gross?” I whisper.

  She grins at me over her shoulder. “This was the first thing that came to mind. Sorry.”

  She pushes the door open and peers outside. “The coast is clear.”

  The door creaks when Jeep closes it behind us, and we freeze, our eyes locked onto the demon that’s making its way down the street after the Mahaha and her friend. It doesn’t seem to notice, focused as it is on its prey.

  We all scan the street carefully before setting off after them. There’s no sign of other demons, and, thank goodness, also no Horseman waiting for us.

  I bend over to Vicky, who’s walking next to me. “This must be some sort of scout, sent to follow the girl home, or prepare something.”

  Vicky wipes invisible dust from her black leather sleeves over and over. “Maybe. I have a bad feeling about this.”

  Charlie catches up with us. “A ‘this is a trap’ kind of feeling?”

  With a sigh, she lowers her arms. “I’m not sure. But something isn’t right.”

  I tell the others to be on guard, and we speed up as the demon rounds the corner. Soon, we reach it too, and Vicky makes herself invisible before peering around it.

  She beckons us immediately, and when we follow, we see the panda demon sneaking up to a small house. I've never seen it before, so it must be one of the magical houses, invisible to non-magicals and those whose veil hasn’t lifted yet. It looks more like a small storeroom than a house. It’s high and square, like a wooden box. Paint peels off everywhere, and thick curtains block the windows. The front door looks as solid as that of a vault, and there’s a wired fence around the small garden. I get the feeling that this girl does not lead a quiet life.

  A light goes on behind the curtains, and the demon moves toward it.

  “We should take that thing out,” I say, conjuring a lightning bolt in the palm of my hand. “Kill it before it can do whatever it’s planning.”

  Vicky takes her sword from her boot. “I like that plan.”

  CHAPTER 7

  I look at the others behind us. “Let’s approach it quietly. Take it by surprise.”

  We move forward as one. The demon left the gates open, giving us an easy way in. Charlie and I lead the way, our hands raised, the lightning and grease ready.

  We’ve almost reached the demon when the gates slam shut behind us. Charlie whirls around in a reflex, but I won’t be fooled. Without hesitation, I aim my lightning bolt at the demon and release it.

  There’s a lot of cursing behind me, but I’m not turning around until this demon is down.

  Another lightning bolt comes to life in my hand, and I bring my arm back to throw it.

  Then I freeze.

  I blink several time
s.

  This can’t be real.

  The monstrous panda flickers like a broken television and disappears.

  “Well, that was easier than I thought,” a familiar voice booms.

  I turn on my heels and throw my bolt at the sound.

  The Black Horseman steps aside with a lazy grin. “You fell for that way too easily, Dante. Looks like we overestimated you.”

  “Don’t count on it,” I say through gritted teeth.

  He takes a step forward, and my friends move away in unison.

  The Black Horseman raises his hands. “No horse this time. Just you and me.”

  Carefully, I reach for my Morningstar in my pocket.

  “Not even your brother. I’m impressed,” I mock. “We must have messed with your brain more than we thought.”

  It may not be wise to provoke him, but I can’t help myself. Anger rages through my veins and makes me clench my fists over and over.

  The skinny legs of the Horseman don’t look like they are able to support his weight as he takes another two steps toward me.

  My friends gather around me to form a cordon of protection.

  The grin of the Black Horseman widens, and his sunken eyes narrow when he chuckles. “How cute and predictable.”

  Predictable? What does he mean?

  Before I can figure it out and respond, the Horseman slams his hands down on the ground. The earth beneath us starts to tremble. I try to step away from the moving ground, but I’m stuck.

  I fire several lightning balls at the cracked garden tiles around me, but it doesn’t help one bit.

  Maël clutches her staff and mumbles her spell to slow down time.

  The booming laughter of the Horseman vibrates through my body.

  “Don’t bother,” he says. “Your powers won’t work against my trap. Farewell.”

  Panic rises to my throat when he disappears.

  “Don’t listen to him,” I say, my voice hoarse with worry. “Use everything you’ve got to get out of here.”

  A millisecond after I utter my last word, the ground goes from vibrating to shaking. Cracks appear under our feet, and we stumble to stay upright.