“My fault?”
“You wanted extra pumpkins. If you hadn’t—”
A bell rang, announcing the opening of the guild door. The bell was a new addition, installed a few weeks ago. I didn’t know the whole story, but something about a drunk human wandering in while Clara was upstairs. The ward on the door repelled humans by triggering a sudden wave of fear, but it didn’t work so well on the inebriated—or on the stubborn, like me.
So now we had a bell.
I glanced over, expecting to see patrons on their way home for the night—half the pub had emptied in the last half hour—but instead, two people stepped inside.
The man was average in height but above average in muscle, with dark hair buzzed close to his head and a beard only slightly longer. His tawny skin and leather jacket glistened with raindrops, and a fat, ugly silver pendant rested against his chest.
The tall, willowy woman walked like she was floating, her long black hair fluttering behind her and her russet complexion flushed pink from the cold rain. Her fitted leather coat was stylish, dark blue jeans fashionably tight, and black-leather boots knee high. Hanging from her belt were two narrow-bladed daggers with odd S-shaped hilts.
Neither was a member of the Crow and Hammer.
Chapter Two
The newcomers hesitated inside the doors, unsure of their welcome. When they started toward the bar, their every movement screamed guardedness. Yeah, they definitely lacked confidence in their entry—an impression backed up by the sudden silence in the room.
“Who’s that guy?” Aaron muttered. “Gotta be from Odin’s Eye.”
I snapped to attention. In the five and a half months I’d worked here, I’d never seen a member of another guild enter our headquarters. On top of that, Odin’s Eye had a rough reputation. They were bounty specialists—hunters of rogues, criminals, and beastly bad things.
Suffice it to say, Odin’s Eye and the Crow and Hammer did not get along.
Kai pushed off his stool and strode toward the approaching pair. The woman’s gaze slashed across him—then a broad smile erased the cool appraisal from her face.
She took two quick steps ahead of her companion and threw her arms around Kai. My mouth fell open.
Then Kai wrapped his arms around her and my jaw hit the bar top.
I dragged my stare off them to see what Kai’s best friends thought of this unexpected turn. Aaron was smirking, and Ezra was … uh … where was Ezra?
His spot was empty. Where had he disappeared to?
Kai pulled back from the mystery woman and murmured something, then drew her toward the bar with a hand on the small of her back. I eyed the placement. Gentlemanly politeness or a bit too familiar to be good manners?
He nudged his stool out for her. “Tori, a martini for Izzah, please—dry with two olives. Put it on my tab.”
“You don’t have to-lah, Kai,” she exclaimed in a throaty voice tinged with an accent I didn’t recognize.
“It’s my pleasure.” He sat on the stool beside her. “Izzah, you remember Aaron Sinclair?”
“Hey Izzah.” Aaron offered his hand. “Long time no see.”
Izzah’s smile returned, dimples appearing in her cheeks. “Good to see you again, Aaron.”
Kai tilted his head toward me. “Izzah, this is Tori. Tori, Izzah Ramesh.”
As Izzah and I said hello, conversation resumed around the room. Completely forgotten, Izzah’s companion slunk up to the bar and perched on the stool on her other side. She introduced him as Mario and another round of polite greetings ensued.
Aaron’s curious gaze jumped from Izzah to Kai and back again. “What brings you here from Odin’s Eye, Izzah?”
Oh, of course, Aaron was straight to business. I should’ve gotten out a question first—something like, “Kai, how do you know this lovely lady?” or even better, “What is the exact nature of your relationship?”
Okay, maybe Aaron had the right idea about noninvasive questions.
Izzah pushed her thick hair, damp from the rain, off her shoulders and cast the pyromage a playful look. “Wah, not even going to try small talk first?”
“We don’t do small talk very well,” Kai said, a subtle teasing note in his voice. Kai … teasing?
“That you don’t, leng chai,” she replied with a laugh.
Musing about the very specific drink order—how did he know exactly how she liked her martini?—I dropped two olives in the cocktail glass and slid it to her, then asked Mario, “Can I get you anything?”
“I’m fine,” he muttered. I felt a spark of sympathy. He’d become an instant third wheel.
“To be fair, though,” Kai continued, his gaze locked on Izzah, “you only show up when there’s trouble.”
Oh, so this girl had a habit of recurring visits? I made another mental note. Was I snoopy? Oh, hell yes. Kai’s reputation as a playboy was surpassed only by the complete mystery surrounding the women he dated. I’d never met a single one. Could this raven-haired beauty be one of them? Was she the current short-term lady in his life? Did she know she was a short-term lady?
“Trouble konon?” she repeated, amusement in her smoldering brown eyes. “What a thing to say.”
“It is trouble, isn’t it?”
“Of course. But nothing as bad as … you know-lah.”
Aaron and Kai exchanged looks like they were remembering their last visit to the local torturer.
“Better not be,” Aaron groaned. “How many hearings did we have to sit through?”
“I lost count.” Izzah sighed as though the thought alone exhausted her. “How many hearings can you fit in six months?”
Kai rolled his eyes up in thought. “Is that how long it took?”
“Well, it was kind of a big deal,” Izzah pointed out. “MagiPol interrogated us for breaking and entering, fraud, theft, damage to international treasures—”
“I didn’t mean to destroy those artifacts—” Kai interrupted.
“—millions in insurance claims, people panicking in the streets—”
“That wasn’t my fault,” he muttered. “It was just a power outage.”
“—and it made international news, so there was a major cover-up—”
“All right,” he burst out. “Stop reminding me. That whole thing was a nightmare.”
As he glowered, Izzah’s face lit up in a triumphant grin. Oh man. She was needling him on purpose. She knew how to push cool, collected, unflappable Kai’s buttons.
I liked her already.
“So, what kind of trouble are we looking at this time?” Aaron asked.
I silently cursed him for derailing the cute moment.
Izzah’s good humor faded. “Have you heard anything about the Keys of Solomon?”
The what now?
“Nothing recently,” Kai replied.
She nervously tapped her fingernail on the stem of her martini glass. “They’re in town.”
“That’s never good news,” he murmured, his expression darkening. “How many are we talking?
“Most of the guild is what I heard. Four or five teams.”
Kai swore under his breath. “Any idea why?”
“Why else?” She lifted her martini and took a long sip. “Demons.”
Oh goody. Demons, i.e. Demonica, i.e. the magic class only ever mentioned in tones of grudging respect, repulsion, and fear.
Not knowing what to ask first, I muttered to Aaron, “What are the Keys of Solomon?”
His lip curled in disgust. “They’re a nomadic guild that specializes in demon hunting. It’s all they do. They travel around, following rumors of demons and contractors they can kill.”
My mouth made a gulping motion like a fish out of water. “I’m sorry, did you say kill? They go looking for people to kill?”
“Har, what else?” Izzah asked, confused by my reaction.
“Tori is new,” Kai told her. “Very recently discovered.”
She offered me an apologetic smile. “Sorry-lah. Welcome
to the fold.”
Though I’d been “discovered” as a witch two months ago, it was all a big fat lie. But despite being entirely human, I was now registered in the MPD database as a bona-fide witch. My phone number was in the mythic phonebook and there was no hiding it.
“Are they a rogue guild?” I asked as I pulled out two rocks glasses, unable to believe the Keys of Solomon guild was allowed to run around killing people.
“In everything but name.” Izzah took another sip of her martini. “Officially, they’re a legal guild, though they trample the line whenever it suits them. They only choose targets with DOD bounties.”
“Dead or Deceased,” Aaron explained. “As opposed to Dead or Alive.”
I pulled a face. Mythics. They had the weirdest sense of humor.
“An untethered demon is automatically ‘kill on sight,’” Izzah explained. “And contractors who screw up badly enough to get tagged with a bounty … well, those are always DOD bounties, because how else do you stop their demon?”
“It’s a game to them,” Mario rumbled unexpectedly.
Surprised, I turned to the second Odin’s Eye mythic, a bottle of rum in my hand. I’d forgotten he was there. For such a beefy guy, he did an excellent impression of a stone statue.
“They collect kill points as much as bounty payouts,” he continued. “It’s all about ego and battle lust. There are stories about the Keys provoking a contractor into a fight, killing them, then claiming the contractor attacked first.”
“Mario is a contractor,” Izzah informed us. “Contractors keep close tabs on the Keys. They have to, when the Keys are so dangerous.”
I stared at the dude, my ears buzzing. He was a contractor. A Demonica mythic. I’d never met one before, and I squinted suspiciously as though he might morph into a demon at any moment. Not that I had any idea how Demonica magic worked.
“Why would the Keys come here?” Kai asked. “Aside from the Grand Grimoire, the city has few contractors and none of them have bounties.”
Izzah leaned closer to him and lowered her voice. “There are rumors of an underground summoning operation, right here in the downtown area.”
“Why haven’t we heard about this?” Aaron asked tersely.
She shrugged. “Your guild has no Demonica mythics, so the rumors pass you by. Now you know-lah.”
“Thank you for sharing the information,” Kai murmured. “I appreciate it.”
Her dimples reappeared. I passed him a rum and coke, then slid the second one several spots down the counter. “Hey, Aaron, I want your opinion on a costume.”
“Huh? Oh, okay.” He joined me down the bar. “Change your mind about dressing up?”
I passed him his drink and whispered, “Of course not. I want to give Kai and Izzah some space to see what they do.”
They sat side by side, deep in murmured conversation and completely ignoring Mario a seat away. Were Kai and Izzah sitting closer than platonic acquaintances would?
“Look how focused he is on her,” I added in amazement. “Who is she?”
Aaron snickered at my reaction. “She’s an Odin’s Eye hydromage. I don’t know her well, but she’s smart and tough.”
“Is she his ex? She seems to like him too much for him to have dumped her.”
Aaron shrugged.
“Where did Ezra vanish to?” I asked, changing the subject. Guys sucked at gossiping about their friends.
“He went upstairs. Bathroom, maybe?” Another shrug.
Hmm, well, I’d have to investigate his disappearance later. For now, I braced my arms on the bar top. “Tell me more about this Keys of Solomon guild.”
Aaron grimaced. “Them showing up is always bad news. First, it means there’s illegal Demonica activity nearby. And second, it means shit is about to get ugly. The Keys don’t let ethics or discretion get in the way of a kill.”
“They’re gladiators,” Mario said, walking over to join us, “who only care about winning. Can I get a water?”
“Sure.” I scooped ice into a glass and filled it. “Are they morally opposed to demon summoning or something? Is that why they’re so bloodthirsty?”
“Half the Keys are contractors.” Mario perched on a stool beside Aaron. He probably didn’t want to watch Izzah and Kai flirt. “It takes a demon to kill a demon.”
“And it takes even more to kill an untethered demon,” Aaron added. “Though the Keys claim they’re good enough to do it with a three-man team.”
I frowned. “Untethered demon? What does that mean?”
“A contracted demon is under the contractor’s complete control.” Mario rubbed his fingers across his knuckles. “An untethered demon is one that escaped its summoning circle without a contract. It’s stronger, faster, and has full command of its magic. Demon magic is the stuff of literal hell.”
“Unbound demons do only one thing.” Aaron tossed half his drink back in one gulp. “They slaughter every living creature that crosses their path. They kill nonstop until they’re killed. It’s the biggest reason summoning is so heavily regulated.”
A shiver of fear ran through me. “Why doesn’t MagiPol ban it?”
“Because some people will do it anyway. By making it legal but regulating it, MagiPol ensures most summonings are done under their supervision. Illegal summoning is rare nowadays.”
Mario glanced impatiently at Izzah, but she and Kai were still talking. “The laws are strict. A summoner caught performing without permits can face the death penalty. A contractor without proper registration is always put to death.”
I swallowed. “That’s harsh.”
“It has to be. Once a demon is bound in a contract, killing the contractor is the safest way to eliminate the demon. Summoners are punished almost as harshly because illegal summoning is how you end up with untethered demons, and every one of those results in a body count.”
Aaron noticed my disquiet. “Don’t freak, Tori. Unbound demons are so rare you don’t need to worry about it. MagiPol tightened a few laws ten years ago, and I haven’t heard of a demon on the loose in about—”
The clamor of twenty phones chiming at the same moment interrupted him.
I froze, my wide eyes flicking between Aaron and Mario. Everyone in the guild had gone still, surprise and unease written on every face. In perfect unison, we all reached for our phones. Screens lit up across the pub.
On my phone’s screen, a message glowed brightly.
MPD Emergency Alert: --CODE BLACK-- Suspected unbound demon active in your area. All CM assemble at GHQ ASAP. NCM take shelter. PROCEED WITH UTMOST CAUTION.
The words glared mockingly. This was a joke, right? Because we’d just been talking about how rare and horrific unbound demons were? It was a joke message … sent to every mythic cell phone in the pub.
Aaron looked up from his phone, his face white. “Guess I spoke too soon.”
Chapter Three
I was still sharing a look of dread with Aaron when footsteps thudded rapidly down the stairs.
Darius jumped the last step, Clara right behind him, followed by the guild’s second and third officers, Tabitha and Felix. The latter carried a white tub with a laptop balanced on the lid.
As the guild master strode into the pub, his voice rang out like a whip crack. “Combat mythics—if you’re sober, gear up and report to Tabitha. If you’re not sober, down to the basement. Venus, dose them with cleansing drafts, then tally our stock of potions and make more if you’re short. Non-combat mythics, report to Felix. He’ll divvy out assignments.”
The mythics at the tables went from shocked stillness to scrambling action in two seconds flat. Mario was already making a beeline to the door, and Izzah called a hurried farewell to Kai. The two mythics disappeared outside, presumably rushing back to their guild.
All CM assemble at GHQ ASAP. Translation: All combat mythics assemble at guild headquarters as soon as possible.
“Tori.” Darius’s commanding voice made me flinch. “No more alcohol until the
MPD lifts the alert. Everyone needs their wits about them tonight.”
“Yes, sir,” I said quickly.
Aaron and Kai joined the five mythics heading into the basement, leaving me alone at the bar. Darius stood in the center of a swirl of activity, giving orders.
“Felix, organize the non-combats into teams and have them contact every member who isn’t present. Prioritize combats first. All healers and alchemists to the guild immediately. Apprentices can wait on standby. Anyone who isn’t combat trained needs to take shelter, no exceptions. Ensure they don’t travel alone.
“Clara, choose two assistants and set up the main floor as our command center and emergency intake. Tabitha, while you wait for the combat members to gear up, collect extra laptops from upstairs. Felix, do you have enough communication gear to equip five or six team leads?”
He pulled a tablet out of his tub. “I’ll check my spreadsheet.”
Clara waved me over. “Tori, help me. Ramsey, you too.”
Ramsey, who came out of the kitchen following the alert, turned to the guild master. “Darius, I request to join the combat teams. I’m only a few months from completing my apprenticeship.”
“Granted.”
Nodding, he jogged toward the basement stairs.
Clara looked around, but the remaining mythics were getting assignments from Felix. “You and me, Tori. Let’s go.”
I raced around the bar to join her. “Just tell me what to do.”
Together, we cleared an open space in the middle of the pub, then set up three separate areas: a group of tables for Felix’s helpers, a healers’ corner with two tables and a line of chairs to keep people out, and a “command center” of four tables pushed into a row, on which Tabitha had set three laptops.
“Once Darius submits our team numbers,” Clara explained breathlessly as we stacked spare chairs in a corner, “MPD will assign our grid. We’ll use the computers to track the teams’ movements and progress.”
I nodded as though I understood. The corner for Felix’s helpers was already filled with bustling noise—six mythics on their phones, papers spread in front of them as they methodically contacted every guild member. About twenty people were in the building, leaving another thirty to call. Presumably, they’d all received the text alert, but Darius wasn’t relying on that.
Demon Magic and a Martini: The Guild Codex: Spellbound / Four Page 2