Hexed

by Michael Alan Nelson

  Silence filled the room. Lucifer looked around, taking stock of the situation. Buck was holding Gina in his arms so tightly she was worried the poor girl would suffocate. But from what Lucifer could see of her face, Gina didn’t much care. Ethan and Isis were next to Trish, all three appearing shell-shocked. Ethan gave Lucifer a nod and said, “Hey . . . sorry about, you know . . .”

  “Were you the one who threw the defibrillator to me?”

  “Yah, figured you’d need it,” he said.

  David put his hand on Lucifer’s shoulder and said, “When you didn’t follow me out, we knew you must have been in trouble. Ethan thought it had to be the witches using the filcher demon to stop you. So he tossed it in, thinking it could help.”

  “Uh, yeah, about that,” Trish said. “Am I ever going to get that back?”

  “I’ll buy you a new one,” Lucifer said. “So, everyone’s alive? No one’s possessed? No one’s missing? We’re all good?”

  Buck looked at Lucifer. “Yes,” he said, his broad face beaming through his tears.

  “We’re all good, Lucifer,” David said. “You did it.”

  At that moment, David’s smile was the most beautiful thing Lucifer had ever seen. But something about it was different. She couldn’t tell what it was, only that there was something . . . missing.

  Even so, she was overjoyed that it was the last thing she saw before she slipped into unconsciousness.

  CHAPTER 29

  “I’ll get it!” Gina shouted.

  Lucifer could hear Buck’s heavy footsteps heading toward the front door. He bellowed, “No you won’t! Stay put!”

  The cop opened the front door, looking odd and even more imposing in jeans and a T-shirt than his usual police uniform. Perhaps the oddest thing about him was his face. The tired scowl that he always wore had been replaced by a bright and cheerful smile. He was happy.

  “Lucifer!” he said, swallowing her up in a bear hug.

  When he finally let go, Lucifer said, “Not letting her answer the door?”

  “I’m not taking any chances.”

  Lucifer looked back at the stack of mirrors and the demolished vanity in the trash bin out on the street. “No mirrors either?”

  His scowl came back for the briefest of moments. “No. Chances.” He stepped out of the doorway and said, “Come in, come in. When did they release you?”

  Lucifer showed him the plastic hospital bracelet around her wrist. “A couple of hours ago. No frostbite, no brain damage. Just exhaustion and a little dehydration. Docs say I’m good as new. So I thought I’d stop by and say thanks for picking up the tab on that. Hospital says it was all taken care of.”

  Buck grinned. “Yeah, but not by me. Speaking of thanks . . .” He stepped into the other room then came back with a manila envelope thick with cash. When he handed it to her he said, “Thank you, Lucifer. I mean it. You gave my daughter back to me and I owe you for that. If there’s anything you ever need, you let me know and it’s done. No questions asked.”

  Lucifer couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, Buck.”

  “There’s more than just money in there. My friend, the one that told me about you. Her number is in there. I think she can help you.”

  “Help me with what?”

  “Well, getting you out of that rat-hole apartment you’ve been squatting in, for starters.”

  “But I like my rat-hole.”

  Buck put his hand on Lucifer’s shoulder. “Lucifer, this woman can help you, whether you think you need it or not. You’re not obligated to do anything, just give her a call. Talk with her. You’ve done so much to help me and Gina. Let someone help you for a change.”

  Lucifer tucked the envelope in her trick bag and said, “Fine, I’ll call her. But I’m keeping that apartment.”

  “Hey, the kids are in the other room. You want to say hi?”

  Lucifer peeked around the corner. A movie she didn’t recognize was playing on the widescreen. David sat in a recliner with Gina curled in his lap, while Ethan and Isis tickled each other on the couch. They were all laughing and smiling as if nothing had happened. Gina grabbed David’s face and kissed him. Lucifer’s heart sank into the pit of her stomach. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting. That David would come in, swoop her into his arms, and run off with her? It was foolish to think that he would just leave Gina behind, especially after everything that had happened. But Lucifer loved him. And he loved her? Didn’t he? That’s what the Harlot had said.

  Lucifer scratched at the mark on her shoulder. As much as she wanted to be a part of David’s world, she couldn’t. She belonged to another. Yes, part of her had hoped that David could help her find a way to live in his world, but now that Gina was back . . .

  “No,” Lucifer said. “They look like they’re having fun, and I’d just remind them of . . . unpleasant things.”

  “You sure?” Buck asked.

  “Yeah. Just tell them I stopped by.”

  Buck nodded and showed her out. “You call that number,” he insisted before closing the door.

  Lucifer had made it to the sidewalk when David and Gina came walking out. “Lucifer!” Gina called. “You weren’t going to say hi?”

  “Oh, you were in the middle of the movie and I didn’t want to interrupt.”

  “Oh, please,” David said. “We’ve seen that flick a hundred times.”

  Gina wrapped her arms around Lucifer in a bear hug that rivaled her father’s. “Thank you,” she said, her voice near breaking. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did.”

  Lucifer returned the embrace. “You’re welcome. Though in fairness, your dad paid me.”

  “Money well spent,” said Gina.

  Lucifer adjusted her trick bag on her shoulder. “You two know not to say anything about any of this, right? About magic, Witchdown, and all the rest?”

  “The sooner I forget it, the better,” Gina said. She reached down and grabbed David’s hand. There was a haunted look behind her eyes. Sadly, Lucifer knew that it was something Gina would never be able forget.

  David said, “Ethan and Isis won’t even talk about it. And since Mr. Pierce dropped the charges against Ethan’s dad, I doubt they’ll ever mention any of this again.”

  “What about Trish?” Lucifer asked.

  Gina said, “Dad arranged to have the clinic stocked with all new equipment. He even gave Trish a literal get-out-of-jail-free card. I don’t think she’ll say anything. Hey, you sure you don’t want to stay? We’re going to order pizza.”

  Lucifer wanted to stay more than anything, but she wouldn’t be able to handle seeing David with Gina. “I’d love to, but I’ve got some things to take care of. Rain check?”

  “Gina?” Buck called from inside the house. “Gina, where are you, kiddo?!”

  “I’m right here, Dad!” Gina shouted back. “I better go. He doesn’t like it when I’m out of sight for more than a few seconds.” Gina gave Lucifer another hug and a thank you before dashing back into the house.

  “She’s handling everything well,” Lucifer said.

  “She hasn’t slept since she got back and she won’t be alone in her room. It’s all an act.”

  Lucifer gently touched David’s fingers. “Is she the only one acting?”

  David squeezed her hand but then promptly let go. “Lucifer, I don’t want you to think I’m not grateful for everything you did. I truly am. But . . .”

  “But?”

  “It was wrong of me to lead you on like that. That night we kissed . . . I took advantage of you and I should not have done that. I’m ashamed of my behavior and I hope you can forgive me.” He spoke like he was reading a speech, something he’d rehearsed in front of the bathroom mirror. His every word came at Lucifer like a punch to her stomach.

  Lucifer ignored the tightness growing in the back of her throat and said, “No worries. We were just caught up in the moment. And don’t worry, no one ever has to know.”

  “Thank you, Lucifer,” he said. “For everythin
g.” David gave her one last crooked smile before heading inside.

  Numb, Lucifer turned and started walking home.

  Lucifer didn’t even bother closing her apartment door behind her. She stepped over the stacks of books and piles of clothes and went straight to her mirror. There was the familiar tingle, the shift in gravity, and she was once again in the Aether.

  The mirror room was still an unsightly mess, though the Harlot had at least taken the time to remove the witch-hound’s severed head. Broken glass and shattered wood crunched underfoot as Lucifer made her way to the Harlot’s sitting room. Lucifer found the Harlot standing next to her throne, pouring a cup of tea. When Lucifer sat on the couch, the Keeper of Secrets didn’t recline on her throne as Lucifer expected. Instead, she sat down on the couch beside her and placed the steaming cup of tea on the table in front of her. But Lucifer didn’t drink. She did something she hadn’t done since she was a very, very young girl.

  She cried.

  Lucifer buried her face in her hands and wept. She collapsed, her head falling into the Harlot’s lap, her wails muted in the folds of her black dress. The Keeper of Secrets stroked Lucifer’s hair and said, “The first boy that ever broke my heart had the most beautiful black eyes. Oh, how I did love him so.”

  “You told me David loved me,” Lucifer choked through her sobs.

  “He did, darling,” the Harlot said, her voice heavy with sympathy. “And if you remember, he also came looking for a secret. The price for that secret was his love for you.”

  It felt like a knife twisting in her chest. David had loved her, but the Harlot took that away. Lucifer realized that’s what was missing from his smile. The Harlot had plucked out that glint of affection that had always shone through whenever David looked at her.

  “You said you didn’t take his emotions.”

  “You asked if I had taken all of his emotions. I did not,” the Harlot said, brushing hair away from Lucifer’s tear-stained cheeks. “He wished to know the way to Witchdown, thinking he could spare you the trauma of going yourself. When I told him the price, he hesitated. Truth be told, he didn’t believe I had the power to take away his love for you, especially as strong as it was. Eventually he agreed, saying that if he truly loved you, he’d do anything to keep you safe.”

  The Harlot cupped Lucifer’s chin. “He indeed loved you. His ambivalence toward you now is the proof of that love.”

  Lucifer clutched at the Harlot’s dress, spitting through her sobs. “I hate you, Harlot.”

  “I know, darling.” The Harlot continued to lovingly stroke Lucifer’s hair. “I know.”

  Once Lucifer had cried herself out, the Harlot stood and waved her hand over Lucifer’s cold tea. Steam started rising from the stained porcelain. “You can’t spend your days wallowing in self-pity. Finish your tea and be on your way.” The Harlot smoothed her dress with the back of her hands. “My time as a single parent is about to come to an end. So, if you wouldn’t mind leaving,” the Harlot said, reclining in her throne, “you have a phone call to make.”

  Lucifer sat up and rubbed her eyes. She drank her tea in one swallow. “Thanks for the tea,” she said. Lucifer put the cup on the table and pointed to the mark on her shoulder. “But I’m tired of being your pawn. Don’t for a second think this means I’m going to stop trying to get this hex removed.”

  “I am the Keeper of Secrets, darling,” the Harlot cooed. “That, I know.”

  The café was crowded for a weekday afternoon. Lucifer sipped her coffee as she sat outside at one of the wrought-iron tables that lined the sidewalk. It had taken a week, but she finally got around to calling the number Buck had given her. The woman who answered sounded familiar, but Lucifer couldn’t place her. She wouldn’t give Lucifer her name either, only that she was willing to meet somewhere public.

  Normally, Lucifer would have waited nearby to see who this woman was before making further contact, but ever since her dunk in the ice tub, she had trouble staying warm and needed some coffee to fight off the ever-present chill. But she chose to sit outside in case she needed to exit quickly.

  Lucifer was letting the heat of her coffee seep into her fingers when the chair next to her slid away and a woman she recognized sat down beside her.

  “Hello, Lucifer.”

  “Ms. Brisendine.”

  “Val, please.” Val grinned at the barista who set down a small cappuccino in front of her. “Thanks for meeting with me.”

  Lucifer quickly scanned the area, looking for police, undercover or otherwise. “So Buck sold me out? And after what I did to help Gina.”

  Val took a small sip then said, “Don’t be ridiculous. Bucky wants to build a shrine to you.”

  “You call him Bucky?”

  In answer, Val’s eyebrows arched in a rather mischievous way. Then the woman said, “As for Night on 47th, you don’t worry about that. Insurance more than covered it. Trust me, I made out like a bandit on the deal. And I still had plenty left over after paying your medical bills.”

  “Oh. Well, thanks for that.” Lucifer turned her coffee cup in her hands. “So why am I here?”

  “I want you to come work for me.”

  Lucifer nodded. “I see.”

  “You don’t sound very happy about it.”

  She was still heartbroken over David. Lucifer didn’t think she could sound happy about anything. “Let me guess,” she said. “Since I stole your painting and you paid for my hospital stay, you feel I owe you now, is that it?”

  “Lucifer,” Val said, gently putting her hand on her arm. “I am not that kind of person. You don’t owe me anything.” The woman slid her cappuccino to the side and said, “You have no family, no friends. You work alone. I know you’re lost. But I can help you.”

  “Help how?”

  “I can give you a home. A place to belong so you aren’t wandering from job to job, hiding out from cops and truant officers.”

  Lucifer took a long sip of her coffee. “This isn’t some kind of come-on, is it?”

  “I’m old enough to be your grandmother. Don’t be gross. I’m offering you a job.”

  “I do all right by myself,” Lucifer said.

  “Yes, you do,” Val responded. “And I am honestly impressed by that. When I was your age I was too busy collecting nail polishes and hanging posters of boy bands on my wall.”

  Lucifer eyed Val from head to toe and back again. “Yeah, I don’t believe that for a second.”

  “Okay, that was a bit of a stretch. But my point still stands. You’re an incredibly smart, incredibly resourceful young woman who is doing all right. I can give you the resources to help you do a whole lot better.”

  “See, that’s what I don’t get. I’m a thief. I steal things.”

  Val leveled her gaze and locked eyes with Lucifer. “Yes, you do. You steal because you and I want the same things. To keep dangerous things out of the hands of dangerous people. And there are some very dangerous people out there, Lucifer. You were in Graeae Towers. You know what I’m talking about.”

  The idea of an entire office being run by people with their hands in the mystical was chilling. “The guy running the show up there, Isaac Haldis, is some bad news.”

  “That’s the thing,” Val said. “Isaac isn’t the one running the show. His boss is.”

  “Who’s his boss?”

  Val moved to speak but waited until a couple walking past moved out of earshot. When they were gone, she whispered, “Madame Cymbaline.”

  Lucifer could feel her own eyes growing in surprise. “Madame Cymbaline is a myth.”

  Val shook her head. “She’s real and she’s CEO of Graeae Industries. Could you imagine what someone like that would do if she got her hands on a W’ektet Totem? Or the Carasinth? That’s why I try to keep as many of those dangerous items locked away. But I have to get them first. You can steal those things. Unfortunately, I have to buy them. And bad people don’t always want to sell.”

  Lucifer gave Val a sidelong glance. “
What kind of dangerous things do you have?”

  Val sat back with a proud grin. “I have D’valin’s Spear, the Yellow Corset, three binding frames—empty, of course—a full set of Ember’s Encyclopedia Demonica, and a various assortment of other terrible and wonderful things.”

  “No one has a full set of Ember’s Demonica.” Lucifer was angry with herself for letting her excitement seep into her voice. As far as Lucifer knew, she had the collection with the most volumes. But if Val had a full set, then she was a serious player.

  “I do,” Val said. “Complete with the Forbidden Index. It cost me a Monet and a Rembrandt to get it.” The woman leaned close with a conspiratorial smile and said, “Take the job and I’ll show it to you. You want to see it?”

  Lucifer carefully placed her hands in front of her and said, “I do. But on one condition.”

  Val waved her hand and said, “Name it.”

  “You tell me how you know about me.”

  Val used her napkin to dab a drop of cappuccino from the edge of her cup. “When you were still in Brazil, a man named Walter found you. He took you off the streets. Walter was a colleague of mine.” Val reached into her tweed coat and pulled out a faded envelope. She placed it in front of Lucifer. “He didn’t trust e-mail, so he would write me letters. He talked of you often.”

  Lucifer pulled the folded letter from the envelope and read. It was true. Walter wrote of a little girl he had caught trying to pick his pocket. Lucifer the little thief, he had written. But rather than turn her in to the police, he had her translate mystical texts for him in exchange for food and shelter. That was how Lucifer learned of the world of magic.

  Lucifer handed the letter back to Val. “So you’ve been keeping tabs on me?”

  Val slipped the letter back into her pocket. “When Bucky came to me about his unique problem, I thought you could help him. Turns out I was right.” She raised her tiny cup to her lips. “As I often am.”