above the ground, totally invisible to the human inhabitants of planet Earth, she recognised the figure as her new acquaintance, Hunter. He was dressed differently, his clothes were more normal and his hair was combed in a different style – in fact it was shorter too. He had had a haircut before coming to see her! How sweet.
Dusty smiled and wondered if she should go back down to her body and greet her guest but even as she pondered the question, Hunter looked up, right into her eyes and smiled. Dusty was a little bothered by the fact that he could see her until she remembered that he was half-demon too and she could also sometimes see what humans referred to as ‘spirits’ on the Astral Plane. Dusty waved to him and he lifted his arm in a return of the greeting. In his fist he held something that shone with an ethereal glow and she knew that he had brought her the promised rope made from Unicorn hair.
Laughing, she waved again and soared off up into the wide blue yonder, knowing that her grandparents would take the rope and perform the proper cleansing rituals on it and keep it for her for when she returned.
They could have passed it into her circle of protection but they would never do that. Even though they knew what they were doing with regards to the necessary rituals, it still carried an amount of danger and nothing anyone could say or do would persuade or force them to place her in any danger.
Still, on this mission, Dusty wouldn’t need the rope.
Dusty soared and swooped, her energy returned and she felt refreshed and revitalised.
Then Dusty brought her mind back to the matter in hand and she changed direction and turned for the Demon-side.
The air grew warmer but not in the way that a tropical country felt warmer than England, it was a hot, heavy and oppressive heat, worse even than in the hottest desert. The air felt dirty and grubby. It reeked of rotting offal and worse, of sewage and everything sordid. The air itself stank of sin.
Dusty was again thankful for her half-demon lungs as she landed gently on the ash road, not too far from the large rock that Impundulu lived in.
She wanted to know that the Incubus was still sulking in its lair and that it had not been putting on an act for Hunter.
Dusty saw the Incubus a few feet from the rock and she approached with a great deal of caution. She knew that it had beaten her earlier, even if it could not remember.
Dusty drew her dagger and continued forward.
Impundulu saw her and straightened up. It altered its form to that of a handsome man, similar in appearance to Hunter. ‘Hmm, this one is very good. It’s already scanned my preferences,’ she thought with a smile. The Incubus took the smile as an invitation and Dusty allowed it to get closer but then held up her hand. The Incubus dressed in ‘Gorgeous’ stopped, tilted its head and smiled at her. She didn’t instruct it to change to its original form, she preferred to talk to it in the appearance it had chosen.
“Impundulu?” She asked though she knew the answer.
The man frowned, which did nothing to make his features less attractive. He studied her for a moment and asked “What do you want of Impundulu?”
“Only to ask a few questions.”
“Then ask. I shall give your message to Impundulu.”
“Yeah, that’s not quite going to work, you see, I know Impundulu and I know that you are the one I seek.”
“What do you want?” Impundulu’s shoulders sagged a little and to Dusty’s disappointment, he changed to his usual form.
“I need to know if you know who I am.”
She saw the expression on his face alter. It became sly and cunning and she could just tell that he was about to tell her what he thought she wanted to hear.
“Why yes, I do remember you, my sweet. What is it that you want me to do for you?”
Dusty smiled and his smile broadened in response to hers. He thought that he had done well. Dusty crouched down and sprang upwards to leave.
She could hear him shouting after her as she departed. “What did I do? Wait, wait! What’s your name, sweet one?” And then he gave up and began swearing and cursing.
Dusty giggled to herself all the way back to the Astral Plane where she relaxed again and even dressed herself in pastel shades rather than her usual blacker than black.
It was very late when Dusty returned to her earth-bound body and she was exceptionally rested. It was always the same when she had an extended visit to the pure Astral Plane rather than the Demon-side or the Angel-side. Her limbs were revitalised and her eyes felt as though they sparkled.
When she went down to the kitchen where her grandparents usually passed most of their time, she was pleased to see them both there, chatting like old friends – which if Dusty thought about it, they were.
They said that someone had been but they did not see who. All they knew of the visit was the beautiful rope that had been left for her on the porch railing. There was no note but they could see from her smile that Dusty knew who her benefactor was.
“That’s made from Unicorn hair, isn’t it?” Dusty’s grandfather asked, though it was obvious that he knew the answer. “Did Hunter leave it for you?”
“Ben, stop fishing.” Dusty’s grandmother chided him. “You know it was. Dusty told us he’d be calling soon.”
“Yes but he must be really smitten with you if he went to the trouble of bringing it to you so quickly.” Ben winked at his granddaughter and gave her arm a little nudge with his elbow.
“Stop teasing, Grandad, you’re making me blush.” He was too.
Whilst Dusty went outside to practice with her new rope, her grandmother made her supper and her grandad stood on the kitchen step to watch the luminescent rope shining as Dusty looped it over various targets.
Life – and her aim - was good.
About the author
D Michelle Gent
Michelle was born in Wirksworth, Derbyshire at the beginning of December 1964. As the first-born of three children, and the fifth living generation in a local mining family she hit the news early, appearing in the Derbyshire Times for her mother’s efforts.
In recent times a more stable lifestyle has allowed her to follow jobs better in line with her character. She spent a number of years working as a Door Supervisor at public houses and night clubs, trying out different ways of keeping fit – such as kick boxing and gym work - she likes to do things girls don’t normally do and she loves a challenge.
In the last few years she has been writing down ideas for this and other books and after a nine-month spell working at a school decided to take a year off work to finally produce her first book ‘Deadlier... than the Male’.
A number of years later, a few rejection slips under her belt and as much determination as ever, ‘Deadlier...’ and ‘Cruel... and Unusual’ is about to be joined by ‘Blood...on the Moon’ in the Werewolf series.
Dusty the Demon Hunter will be back in her next adventure soon.
Michelle lives in the heart of Sherwood Forest.
Links
Blog
https://deadlier-than-the-male.blogspot.com/2010/05/welcome.html
website
www.gingernutbooks.co.uk/authors/dmichellegent
Facebook Michelle Gent
Twitter Shell Gent
Email [email protected]
Other books in the Dusty series
Flights of Fantasy
Trouble x 3
Dusty meets Santa (only available from www.gingernutbooks.co.uk)
Doppelganger
Six Tasks
Dream Lover (Dusty the Demon Hunter) Page 5