First Plane

by Patti Larsen

  “Seriously?” I nudged him. “Go home, squirt.”

  He scowled at me though his gaze never left my sister. “Hathenemeira,” he said, “I am Jarismorthistal, Knight of the Nineteenth Plane and I challenge you for status.”

  ***

  Chapter Twenty

  Meria was so fast I barely followed her. Within thirty seconds of her first attack, the young demon she fought lay prone on the floor, groaning, while she grinned at me, amber eyes flaring with new power, as if this whole thing was really funny.

  I wished I could agree with her.

  My heart clenched as she absently strode over her fallen attacker as though he wasn’t worth further notice, an arrogant tilt to her head, shoulders back so far I thought she’d crack in half.

  “This is too easy,” Sassy muttered as we followed her. “You’re winning far too quickly for a pair of amateurs.”

  Meira turned and glared at him, just outside my door. “I kicked his ass!”

  My demon agreed with her one hundred percent, but Sassy just swatted at her on the way by, muttering to himself.

  I spent the rest of the night in and out of sleep, tossing and restless, waking from dreams of my sister attacking me while she laughed. Unsettled and twitchy, I met Meira and Sassafras for breakfast, grunting at Dad as I flopped into a chair across from him.

  He very intelligently ignored my attitude as he sipped his coffee. Or what passed for coffee on Demonicon. It smelled the same with a dose of cinnamon and some kind of fresh flower thrown in for good measure. “Theridialis wants to see us in the lab,” he said. “Up for a road trip?”

  It felt like I’d been trapped on the mountain forever. “Absolutely.” Funny how the idea of a change of scenery perked me up. Until I remembered our arrival. “Please, no parades.”

  Dad chuckled, handsome face kind. “No parades,” he said. “We’ll take the train from the fiftieth level.”

  “No veil riding?” I sighed in disappointment. “We could be there now.”

  “You know it’s against the rules,” Sassy snapped, head lifting from a bowl of white creamy stuff mixed with chunks of meat.

  Rules. He didn’t want to hear just how sick I was of rules.

  At least I didn’t have Pagomaris around to dress me in some ridiculous outfit. Obviously, she considered her job done, having delivered us to Grandmother. Aside from our nocturnal journeys to visit Ruler, the anxious and overly smiley aide was nowhere to be found.

  Which meant I dressed myself. Three quarters of the outfits in my closet were what I would term so outrageous they weren’t really clothes and I had no sweet clue what to do with them even if I did want to try them out. In thirds, the remainder were: Halloween Material, Wouldn’t be Caught Dead and I Can Live With It If I Have To.

  From the final category I chose a pair of black—I was so sick of black I wanted to scream—pants so tight they squeezed my butt and made it look sexy, actually. Hmm. A sweater thing with gauze, some kind of feathers I could wrench into a shape suiting me and—would wonders never cease—a pair of flattish shoes only two inches platformed, and not bad.

  Would do me.

  As I emerged into the hall I had to grasp my chest with both hands as I gasped and almost fell back. A whole phalanx of guards—like I knew what a phalanx was, but this had to be it—waited for me, filling the hallway with very large, very intimidating bodies.

  I spotted Dad in their midst flanked by Meira and the very annoyed looking Sassafras and moved to join them, keeping my distance from the muscle-bound men and women who stared straight ahead and looked dangerous.

  “Um,” I said. “What gives?”

  Dad rolled his eyes before bending to kiss my cheek. “Escort,” he said like he was as irritated as the cat at my feet before turning and pushing his way through them. Well, it looked like he’d have to. But the moment Dad began his motion the guards shifted, making a perfect column of protection around us.

  Felt like being guarded by a football team. If said team’s members were all about seven feet tall and moved like programmed robots.

  The very crowded elevator deposited us at a large station while I tried not to hyperventilate, certain all that weight was going to be too much for the platform to support. I’d not noticed the rail line running from the mountain into the city, probably because I’d done everything I possibly could to not look down. But now I hovered near the edge, a glowing amber shield between me and the long, long drop to the rock below, waiting for the train and wishing I could just ride the damned veil already.

  Our transportation came humming along the line toward us from deeper in the city, a long, thin platform, this one contained and with seating ever present. I chose to perch on one of the rather comfortable chairs built into the wall and keep my eyes locked on my feet in an effort not to throw up.

  I really had to do something about this phobia when I got home.

  The train slowed after a short journey, the only indication we were coming to a halt Sassafras’s impatient tail swish. I looked up in surprise to find we’d arrived at another station and had to disembark. Finally on more solid ground on the elevated platform, I recognized Theridialis’s tower only a short distance away.

  A platform rose and we were herded onto it, before one of the guards activated the console standing at the back and we whipped through the air toward the tower without even a whisper of air passing through the protective shield. I wanted to feel better, knowing the wards were there to keep me from falling, but irrationality won.

  Cold sweat sucks.

  The platform deposited us on the top level, the same as the lab.

  “Wait here,” Dad ordered the guards before striding off into the tower. I didn’t bother to check and see if the automatons obeyed, but followed him quickly, breathing a sigh of relief when stone closed around me.

  “Chicken,” Sassy said with a soft clucking sound.

  You betcha.

  It was clear from the look on Theridialis’s face when we strode into the lab his news wasn’t good.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, perched on the edge of his stool, thick hands folded over the round paunch of his middle. “I’ve tried everything.”

  “So the girls are trapped.” Dad slumped a little.

  “That’s the thing,” Theridialis said, voice testy. “They shouldn’t be.”

  “Sorry?” My dashed hopes gave way to confusion.

  “As far as I can tell,” Sassy’s father said, “there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to go home. You energy is in tune with your home plane. Your power is sufficient to break the barrier between. But for some reason I can’t uncover, the veil simply won’t part for your physical forms to pass.”

  “Physical.” Dad hesitated. “How about spirits?”

  Theridialis looked sad. “Yes, indeed,” he said. “That should be possible.”

  Was he suggesting we cross over and tell my mother goodbye?

  “Miriam will want to speak with you,” Dad said, confirming my fears. “I can be the catalyst for your crossing at least.” He held out his hands to us. Numb, I took his right while Meira took his left. I felt Dad reach for the veil as Sassafras came to perch on Dad’s feet.

  We crossed over together before I could collect myself, before I could come up with something to say. Too late, my heart in my throat, I felt my spirit leave and slide through the veil, tied to Dad. It was the weirdest sensation, being disembodied, and for a moment I worried I’d lose myself.

  The basement looked different, an amber haze over everything. Even Mom seemed softer, more mortal to my view. She paced the pentagram, coming to a sudden halt as we crossed over, a low cry emerging from her throat as she rushed toward us.

  Stopped. One hand rose to cover her open mouth, eyes full of tears.

  “Harry,” she whispered. “What’s happening?”

  Someone howled, feet thudding on the wooden stairs as Charlotte hurtled herself at me, barreling through me like I wasn’t there.

 
Which I guess I really wasn’t. Clinched it for me.

  She snarled and tried again, lovely face twisted, wolf in her eyes. She shook all over, hands clawing to reach me.

  “Charlotte,” I said. “It’s okay, Charlotte.”

  A second pair of feet raced down the stairs, Gram’s fluffy striped socks distinctive before I even caught sight of the rest of her. She approached the weregirl with a frown on her face, though I could see the concern in her eyes when her gaze met mine for a moment.

  “Didn’t work out the way you expected, did it, Harry?” Gram’s arms went around Charlotte.

  Dad’s grim scowl deepened. “No, Ethpeal,” he said. “It didn’t.”

  Mom drew a breath, visibly pulling herself under control, though her hands fisted around large chunks of her velvet skirt as though she needed the contact to keep herself steady. “What’s being done to correct this?” All Council Leader, my mother. Not that I blamed her.

  Coping mechanisms came in all shapes and sizes.

  “We’re doing everything we can,” Dad said.

  “We’re okay, Mom.” Meira beamed at her. “It’s kind of fun. And Grandmother is really nice.”

  Mom’s lips trembled as she smiled at Meira. “That’s wonderful, honey,” she said.

  “You’re in danger.” Charlotte shook like a leaf, still trying to reach me, madness in her eyes. “All the time, you’re in danger.”

  “I know,” I said. “I’m sorry, Charlotte. But I swear I’m winning.”

  She bobbed her head, swallowed hard. “Come home,” she whined, the whimper of a kicked puppy.

  Working on that.

  “We don’t have much time.” Dad glanced sideways at me. “But we won’t stop until this is over and the girls are home safe. Remember, we thought it was impossible for me to return to my own plane and a way was made.”

  “Hopefully this time I won’t have to die.” Sassy’s dry wit broke the thin veneer of control Mom held. Her hands covered her face and she sobbed.

  I couldn’t stand it and was grateful when Dad released his hold on his effigy. The crossing back to Demonicon was almost cleansing, though I struggled with the memory of my mother so distraught, my bodywere being slowly driven to madness.

  But the worst was my last vision, the fear in Gram’s eyes as if she never expected to see me again.

  ***

  Chapter Twenty One

  We were a pretty gloomy bunch when we returned to the lab. Theridialis just shook his head slowly, jowls jiggling a little. Dad slumped into a nearby chair while Sassafras circled the room, tail straight up like a flag waving as he made his agitated circuit.

  “There has to be a way.” Dad stood suddenly, brow low over his eyes. “What haven’t we considered?”

  “There are more tests I can run.” Theridialis didn’t seem all that positive, but my need for hope latched onto his words like a lifeline.

  Sassafras leaped up on the table, daintily weaving his way through the beakers and jars until he stood across from his father.

  “Make me a demon again.” He sounded a little out of breath and, to be honest, so was I with that request fresh from his cat mouth.

  Theridialis met his son’s amber eyes. “What good could that serve?”

  “I could fight for the girls.” His tail thrashed, knocking over several fragile-looking instruments which I barely caught with my magic. No one else seemed to care or notice so I gently set them on the floor, my power coiling away as Sassy went on. “I know how these things work. If I had a mortal body, I could challenge the cousins myself and keep the girls safe.”

  Was that desperation in his voice? My confidence plummeted as I realized he didn’t think we stood a chance after all, no matter what success we had.

  Way to make a girl feel useful.

  Theridialis reached out very gently and stroked Sassy’s face. The Persian leaned into his father’s fingers, a soft purr emerging though his tail didn’t quiet.

  “My son,” the portly scientist said, “if I were able, I would have by now.”

  Sassafras hissed and pulled away. “Fine,” he snapped, turning on us. “Then we have work to do.”

  Yeah, like I really wanted to put the effort in now I knew what he really thought.

  Dad perked, gaze far away for a moment before he shook his head and stood.

  “I have to go,” he said. “I’m needed at the Seat.” Dad hesitated a moment before making a visible decision. “You two stay here and let Theridialis run his tests. I’ll leave the guards to bring you back if I don’t return myself.”

  “Harry,” Sassy said, “you need your own protection.”

  Dad turned without arguing with him. “If I’m not back my guards will watch over you.”

  And he was gone.

  “Thought mental communication was frowned on?” I met Sassy’s eyes. The cat didn’t blink, tail swishing still.

  “It is,” he growled. “I don’t like it one bit.”

  “Maybe we should just go with Dad.” Even Meira, who had been rather upbeat despite the news we were trapped, seemed concerned.

  I shrugged and took his stool, trying not to let the sense of defeat win. “Let’s just do the tests,” I said.

  Most of what Theridialis did seemed futile, though I recalled the last batch of testing he’d run me through and none of it made sense either. Meira found the whole process fascinating, asking a ton of questions in an excited chatter while I just did as I was told, lost in my private storm cloud.

  “Thank you both.” Theridialis examined a set of equations he’d written in the air with amber fire, face creased in a frown of concentration. “I’ll examine my findings and perhaps we’ll try the crossing again tomorrow.”

  “Good then.” I hopped down from my stool, needing to move all of a sudden, to shake my melancholia. “Back to the Seat it is.”

  Meira made a face, but followed me after giving the distracted Theridialis a quick hug. He smiled at her and patted her head like she was very small before muttering to himself, wandering around the lab with his equations floating after him.

  Sassafras snorted and led the way to the exit, tip of his tail sagging into a question mark as we approached the elevator and found it empty.

  Hmm. Hadn’t Dad said he’d leave his guards? No floating vehicle waited. Maybe they were at the bottom.

  Sassy hissed. “On our own,” he said. “Something isn’t right.”

  I paused, felt around me. I’m not sure what I sought, but at least I didn’t come across any obvious threats.

  “Well, we can’t stay here forever,” I said. “Let’s go.”

  Sassy swatted my leg. “We wait for Harry.”

  I’m not sure where my sudden surge of stubbornness came from. Maybe I was tired of being afraid, or maybe I was just sick of feeling cooped up in the mountain palace. But whatever the case, I slipped around my guardian feline and onto the platform. Meira grinned and joined me, leaving Sassafras to stare at us while we waited for him to come aboard.

  “We’ll leave without you,” I said, not really sure if I meant it.

  He must have believed me because, grumbling and muttering, he came on board just as the elevator began to drop.

  It deposited us on the street, out in the open. I’d been here before, guided to a platform surrounded by guards and dressed in a ghastly outfit. This time there was no cordon, no gathered crowd. Just normal demons going about their normal business on the cobbled streets of their city.

  Fear spiked for a moment until I realized for the first time we were totally anonymous. No one knew we were here or who we were. I didn’t know how likely it was any cousins would be in the area, but I hoped not. This could finally be an opportunity to have a look around.

  “The train,” Sassy said. “Is that way.” He motioned with his head. “Don’t get any ideas.”

  Meira giggled and scooped him up. “We’ll get to the train,” she said, winking at me, “when we’ve done a little snooping.”

&nbs
p; Sassy’s grumbling was lost in her laughter as she turned and headed down the street in the opposite direction.

  Now, I totally understood his concern. We were strangers in this place, with what amounted to a bounty on our heads if any of our cousins caught up with us. And yet, for the first time since we arrived, I felt like a normal person again. Okay, demon. But the point is, as I strolled behind my sister and the arguing silver Persian in her arms to the end of the street and into what turned out to be a giant open-air market, I found myself smiling and actually enjoying myself.

  Considering where we’d just come from and the reality of what might be our future, I’d take a few minutes distraction in a crowd where no one knew well enough to challenge me for status.

  That whole thing was going to get old fast if I had to put up with it for long.

  Meira squealed in delight over some hand-made jewelry and what looked like clothing knit with metal while I let her have her fun, keeping an eye out just in case, though Sassafras seemed to have the guardian market cornered, his paws over her shoulder, cat eyes everywhere at once.

  It wasn’t until my sister backed away with a sad look on her face I realized we didn’t have any money.

  “Sorry, Meems,” I said. “We’ll get some cash from Dad and come back, okay?”

  She beamed up at me, looking more girlish than she had since I noticed she was growing up on me. “Really?” She hugged me, squashing Sass between us while he squeaked a protest.

  Hand in hand, we wandered for a little while, smiling and waving at eager merchants who beckoned us closer, clearly seeing our clothing and noting us for nobility of some kind though I hoped we’d both dressed down enough we wouldn’t be recognized.

  “My love!” I spun, startled as someone grasped my hand. I gazed up into a pair of amber eyes, glowing with amusement, and a handsome demon face reminding me of Quaid.