Of Fire and Storm

by D. G. Swank

  “Hypnosis? Brain washing? Drugs?”

  He shook his head as he found a spot on the side of the road to pull over. “It doesn’t work that way. You can’t change someone’s entire personality overnight. Not by using normal methods.”

  “But with supernatural…?” I asked, the pasta suddenly not sitting well.

  He turned off the engine and turned to face me. “I suppose just about anything’s possible if you add the supernatural.”

  That’s what I was afraid of. I put the lid back on my aluminum to-go container and set it on the floorboard of the backseat. “Pop the trunk. The button’s on the left.”

  He gave me an odd look, but I heard the trunk pop as I opened the door. When I reached the back of the car, I grabbed my bag and looped it over my head, then pulled out my daggers.

  “Expecting trouble?” he asked.

  “There’s a portal to hell up there. Do you want to go near it without weapons?”

  “You look like you’re going into battle, Piper,” Jack said. “Maybe we should rethink this.”

  “No,” I said as I closed the trunk lid. “I’ve put this off long enough. Abel told Helen I’d come visit her when he couldn’t, but I haven’t seen her since the night I killed the demons.” Although to be fair, Helen had threatened me. She made it clear she’d stop me if I tried to kill Abel…although I was guessing there was no way to renege on a blood oath. What lengths would she go to? Would she kill me before I had the chance to kill him?

  “Possible issue,” I said as I started up the road that led to the bridge. “Helen might give me some trouble, so you should probably hang back until I make sure it’s safe.”

  “Helen is a poltergeist?” he asked in alarm, keeping pace beside me. “She can physically cause you harm?”

  “No. But she issued me a warning when we parted last time. I think we’ll be fine, but it’s better to be prepared.”

  “Why? What exactly did she say?”

  I still wasn’t ready to tell Jack about it. If I found a way out of it, I wouldn’t have to tell anyone.

  “Nothing important,” I said, lying through my teeth—and barely out of breath as I climbed the hill. All those workouts really had boosted my endurance.

  “Piper!”

  I stopped and turned to look at him. “If things go badly, I’ll tell you when we head home, but for now, I need you to trust me. Can you do that, Jack?”

  I hadn’t meant to sound so snippy, but thankfully Jack took it in stride. He put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a soft smile. “You don’t have to do this all alone, Piper. You have friends. Let us help you. Let us in.”

  He was right, but for some bizarre reason my promise to Abel felt personal…intimate, which was ridiculous. Agreeing to murder someone was intimate? But then I thought about the way Abel had pressed my clenched fist to his chest as he explained that I’d use one of my daggers to kill him…it had been horrifying, but I realized, too…it had felt strangely sensual.

  I really needed my head examined.

  “Piper.”

  I realized I’d been lost in thought, lusting over Abel. “I’ll think about it. That’s the best I can do.”

  He gave me a slight nod and we started walking again.

  A car passed us, and it occurred to me that there had been no traffic the last two times I’d come up here. Was it a good sign that there was traffic now?

  The bridge came into view, an ancient-looking stone arch over a barely two-lane width road. Vegetation had partially grown over the paths, which was currently an unused carriage road. There were No Trespassing signs and a chain-link gate and fence to try to keep people out, but the unlocked gate did little to stop thrill seekers hoping to catch a glimpse of Helen.

  “Helen,” I called out as I approached. “It’s Piper.”

  She didn’t answer at first, but after about ten seconds, I heard a low moan that slowly grew into a mournful wail.

  “Do you hear that?” Jack asked in a whisper. He stood about three feet behind me and to my right.

  “Yes, but she hasn’t shown herself yet,” I whispered back. Then I turned to face the bridge head-on, steeling myself to encounter the ghost. “Helen, I’ve come to visit and I brought a new friend.”

  A pale figure appeared a few feet underneath the bridge—a woman in a flowing white nightgown swinging from a rope noose in the nonexistent breeze. I shuddered at the sight, even though I could barely make out her features. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to seeing her hang like that. Thankfully, none of my other ghosts had still borne the injuries from their cause of death. Helen was different, though. Abel had told me she was more powerful than most ghosts. He’d attributed it to her extreme grief over the death of her three-year-old daughter, Margaret. Maybe her power also extended in part from the knowledge that she was dead.

  “Good evening, Helen.”

  “Where’s Kieran?” she asked.

  “He’s traveling, but I hear he’s coming back tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll come see you soon.”

  “Why are you here now?”

  “I came to ask you if you’ve seen any new demons.”

  Helen made three complete swings, back and forth, her nightgown billowing, and then she completely vanished.

  I sucked in a breath, momentarily stunned. Was it something I said?

  “What’s going on?” Jack whispered.

  Helen suddenly reappeared just inches from Jack, tilting her head sideways as she examined him up close. “What is he to you?”

  “He’s my friend,” I said in a soft voice. “I can introduce you if you’d like.”

  She turned back to me with a sneer. “Why?”

  “He’s a very kind man, and I’m sure he’d love to talk to you.”

  “Fat lot of good that will do me. He can’t see or hear me.”

  “What if I could help you two communicate? Like I told you, he could be another friend.”

  She gave me a dubious look, so I shifted St. Michael to my right hand and extended my free hand to Jack, keeping Helen in my line of sight as I moved toward him.

  He took my hand, and the second I made contact, his gaze landed on her face. “Hello, Helen, I’m Jack. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

  Her mouth sagged open slightly. “He can see me.”

  “Yes,” he said with a warm smile. “I can. Thanks to Piper.”

  Her gaze dropped to our joined hands, then raised up to me. “What about Kieran?”

  Was she asking if we were together? That surprised me given what she knew about the blood oath. “Kieran and I are complicated.”

  Jack sensed my need for her to let it go. “I’m so sorry about your daughter, Helen.” Sincerity and compassion laced his words.

  She jerked her gaze back to him with a snap that looked humanly possible and stared at him. “Thank you. All these years, and you’re only the second person to tell me that. The others taunt and ridicule.”

  I strongly suspected Abel had been the first. I was slightly ashamed that I wasn’t on that short list.

  “How many new demons have you seen since Piper killed the other two?” Jack asked. “Piper killed a demon that had been lying in wait for her. It mentioned the Great One. We were hoping you might know something.”

  She stared at him for a second before nodding. “I will answer the question for you, Jack.”

  “But not for Piper?” he asked in surprise.

  “Kieran hasn’t been to see me since that night. She’s keeping him from me.”

  I shook my head. “No, Helen. I haven’t seen him either. He’s been ignoring us both.”

  “It’s true,” Jack said.

  A wrinkle in her brow smoothed at that, and she gave Jack a soft smile of her own. “Why are you with her when Kieran is so taken with her? He’ll let no man get in the way of what he wants.”

  Jack shot me a concerned look, and I gave him a slight head shake. This wasn’t the time to get into it. He turned his attention back to Helen. “
Piper and I have partnered to send the demons back to hell.”

  Confusion washed through Helen’s eyes. “But Kieran is her partner.”

  “No,” I said gently. “Not in ridding the world of demons. He only took an interest in the two I killed here because he said my victory would prove I was the one. But I haven’t seen him since that night, and Jack is helping me figure this out.”

  “Does Kieran know you are with this man?” she asked.

  “He’s not even in the country,” I said, starting to get pissed. “I hear he’s in Europe, and I need help from someone now.”

  “To make sure you don’t get killed.” Her brow furrowed as she pinned her gaze on Jack. “If she dies while she is under your care, Kieran will tear you from limb to limb.”

  My stomach dropped to my feet. I hadn’t thought about it, but I suspected Helen was right.

  Jack didn’t flinch. “If that should happen, then I hope he gets satisfaction tearing the limbs from my cold, dead body, because I will die myself before I let a demon harm her.”

  “You care about her,” Helen said, irritated.

  “I do, but I know she’s not the one for me. Kieran Abel is safe, but if I have my way, he won’t have her either.”

  I gaped at him, trying to pull my hand free. “Jack!”

  He turned to look at me. “It’s okay. We all have our part to play in this, and the voice has reminded me of mine. You’re important, and I want to watch over you. It’s hard to argue with something that feels so right.”

  “It’s very easy to argue when we’re talking about your possible death!”

  “I’m not planning on either one of us dying, but you have to know that I will protect you to the death.” I started to protest, and he held up his hand. “Would you stand back and watch a demon kill me?”

  Anger rushed through me. “Never.”

  “See?” he asked with a knowing smile. “Some things just feel right.”

  I nodded. But I had no intention of letting him get killed on my behalf.

  Helen watched us with interest. “Yes, four demons have emerged from the gate since that night.”

  “Where are they now?” I asked in alarm.

  She frowned. “They fed on me before they went down the mountain.”

  “Down the mountain to where?” Jack asked, his voice tight.

  “Two went toward the city. Two went into the true mountains to the north.”

  He glanced up at me with fear in his eyes.

  “How long ago was this?” I asked.

  “One surfaced a few days after you nearly died,” Helen said. “The other three emerged over the past five days.”

  “So their frequency is increasing,” Jack said.

  Helen shrugged. “I only watch them emerge and leave, but I suspect they aren’t very smart. They seemed more like animals than people.”

  I turned to Jack. “You said you’ve been paying attention to attacks and murders. Have you found any hint that these demons have attacked anyone?”

  “No, but it’s possible they’ve just been feeding on other sources. I haven’t been looking for attacks on animals. I’ll do some digging tomorrow.”

  “Okay.” I turned to Helen. “Can you show us the gate?”

  She gave me a wary glance and started to say something, but then headlights appeared on the other side of the bridge and she disappeared.

  “Do you think she’ll come back?” Jack asked as we moved to the side of the road to let the car pass.

  “I’m not sure. I got the impression she didn’t want to tell us, so she may use this as an excuse to stay away. Let’s wait until the car passes.”

  The car slowed so the driver and the woman in the passenger seat could gawk as they passed. They probably thought we were Helen seekers. They weren’t wrong…

  The car continued down the hill and Jack squeezed my hand. “No sign of her, huh?”

  “No,” I said with a yawn. “We’ll try again another time. Six thirty comes early.”

  He dropped my hand and grinned. “Come on, Cinderella. Let’s get you home before you turn into a pumpkin.”

  We started to walk back to my car, and then my hand began to tingle. My breath stuck in my throat.

  “There’s a demon nearby,” I whispered.

  Jack turned to me with wide eyes. “Can you tell where?”

  I resisted the urge to close my eyes and pushed energy out toward the source. “It’s on the other side of the bridge. The castle side.”

  Zealandia Castle had been built in the late nineteenth century by a family from New Zealand, and the carriage bridge Helen haunted had been added in 1909.

  “Can we get away?”

  Could we? While the higher-level demons I’d slain had complex thoughts and emotions, this creature barely emitted any emotion beyond hunger. It was starving. But it was also weak. “Yes,” I said, turning back around. “But we’re not going to.”

  “Piper, I think this is a bad idea.”

  “I know, but it’s weak. I think it just crossed. We need to stop it before it can feed on Helen or anyone else.”

  “What are you planning to do to it?” Jack asked, sounding worried.

  I transferred St. Michael to my left hand. “Get answers.”

  Chapter 7

  The demon was partway up the hill, closer to the top. It was still fifty feet away and weak—but I was worried it would hear us coming and attack us as we got closer. I’d rather be prepared.

  “Stay behind me, Jack.”

  He didn’t respond, but I glanced back and caught him digging a bottle of holy water out of his bag.

  When we were twenty feet away, I stopped and let my sight adjust to the dim moonlight filtering through the tree canopy. If I hadn’t sensed the demon’s location, I never would have seen it. It looked like nothing more than a small dark blob lying next to a tree.

  The mark on my left hand stung.

  The demon lifted its head, giving me a better view as I walked closer. It had a long skinny neck like a flamingo and a head like a dog. Its body was a fluffy oval, and it had short webbed feet like a duck. It looked like a joke on evolution, but I’d do best to remember it was likely deadly.

  It may have just emerged from the gate to hell, but I couldn’t see the entrance.

  I stopped about six feet away, trying to figure out what I could possibly say to a flamingo-dog-duck hybrid, but it spoke first.

  “What are you?”

  “I could ask you the same,” I said.

  It laughed. “I am Bevos, and I am here at the request of the Great One.”

  My stomach dropped. “The Great One?”

  “It does not concern you, human.” Its neck bobbed forward, its beady, bulging eyes appearing to squinch. “But you aren’t human, are you? You are the one I seek. Come closer and let me smell you.”

  I snorted. “I am just a human, but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid.”

  He shook his head. “No. You can see me. You are definitely not human.”

  “What is the Great One?” I asked. I wasn’t going to get any useful information if it kept harping on about me.

  “Your future master. It has taken a special interest in you. You will have an honored spot among its slaves.” The thing contorted its face into an expression I think was supposed to be a smile.

  “Thanks, but your demon buddy made me a similar offer a couple of weeks ago, and I gave him my regrets. I’m gonna have to turn down the Great One too. But just out of curiosity, what’s the Great One up to?”

  “The Great One wants to rule the world.”

  I shot a sideways glance at Jack as he moved up beside me and placed his hand on my shoulder. He released a nearly soundless gasp.

  “And how does the Great One intend to do that?” I asked.

  “It has already begun.”

  My heart was pounding, my mind trying to connect the dots. “Humans won’t give up this world so easily.”

  The demon laughed. “We’ve alrea
dy begun taking it from them. So clueless, so susceptible these humans. Such weak creatures make perfect vessels. So very easily controlled.”

  “Vessels?”

  “The Great One takes vessels to use as it sees fit. Its hosts are as disposable as outfits are to you humans.”

  “But it does take hosts?” I asked.

  The demon took a tentative step forward, cocking its head as it turned its attention to Jack. “He can see me. But he is human.”

  “One of those mysteries of the universe,” I said. “What if I wanted to meet the Great One? You know, to tell it how great it is.”

  The demon smiled, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. “I shall take you to it.”

  “Answer a few questions first. How many of you have come through this gate?”

  “Enough questions. I must feed before I take you to the Great One.” Before I realized what it was doing, it lunged for Jack.

  My training with Davis and Rupert kicked in. I jumped to the side to cover Jack as the demon flew forward, its giant, sharp-toothed mouth—which was four times larger than it should have been given how small it was—aiming now for my chest. With a flick of Ivy, I sliced through its neck and its head flopped to the ground, the body following behind it.

  “This won’t stop me,” the demon’s disembodied head said with a laugh, and its body began to wriggle toward the remaining two-inch stub of neck on its head. A tiny glow shone from its body.

  It had already fed on something.

  “What the hell?” Jack uttered in shock, then doused the demon’s head with holy water while still clutching my shoulder with his left hand.

  “I have to kill it.” I lunged at the squirming body and stabbed at the glowing orb. The instant the tip of the dagger made contact, it burst open and two tiny lights floated into the night sky as Bevos’s body turned to ash. A wisp of black smoke swirled up behind the souls.

  “I can’t believe that just happened,” Jack said, his fingers still digging into my shoulder.

  My hand tingled again, alerting me to the presence of two more otherworldly beings higher up the hill. I tensed.