Minor Magics: The Demon Code

by Sara C. Roethle

  “Oh Sam.” Chase bent forward to retrieve one of the spheres. He stood, lifting the sphere in between us. It was roughly the size of a golf ball, with an iridescent surface, like oil. “These are transporters,” he explained. “One-time-use traveling devices created for the Demon Council, and only the Demon Council. They use them to reach other realms without the use of traveling or portals.”

  I took the sphere from him to observe it closer. The surface was smooth and cold. “And why does Sam have an entire crate of them?”

  Chase took the sphere from me and placed it back into the crate, then placed the lid on top. “Don’t ask me. I didn’t know about this place, remember?”

  I pursed my lips in thought, then froze as a low growl sounded from the corner of the room. I hurried over to where Alexius was sniffing underneath a heavy, sheet-covered chair with his black and white spotted rump sticking up in the air. I glanced at Chase as he approached, nodded, then we both braced the overstuffed chair and pushed it aside.

  I had to grab Alexius’ collar before he could lunge forward. As he tugged against my grip, we looked down at a large buck knife with streaks of congealed blood on its blade.

  “Didn’t you say the knife that killed Sam was found in your kitchen?” I questioned.

  Chase stared down at the bloody blade. “Uh huh.”

  I took a step back, still holding on to Alexius, then crouched. “Okay, let’s think. Why would a bloody knife be in here? There are no signs that someone was killed here.”

  “They could have cleaned it up,” Chase suggested.

  “Then why leave the knife? If someone was going to take the time to clean up the scene, you’d think they’d have the clarity of mind to not leave the murder weapon behind. Unless they wanted someone to find it.”

  “Or,” Chase began thoughtfully, “this knife has nothing to do with my brother’s murder. The Council already found the murder weapon.”

  “A murder weapon that couldn’t possibly be the real murder weapon. Maybe this is the real one.” I gestured with my free hand toward the knife.

  “Hey!” Dorrie hissed from outside the window. “Someone’s coming!”

  “Crap.” I turned to Chase. “Get Alexius out the window. I’ll be right behind you.”

  Chase hesitated, then nodded. He lifted Alexius like he weighed nothing and carted him toward the window.

  Knowing I might be making a mistake, I tugged the corner of the ragged sheet off the chair and tore off a strip, then wrapped it around the hilt of the knife, being careful to not wipe off the congealing blood. I hurried toward the window just as Chase finished moving a crate to stand on. Alexius was already outside.

  Chase waited while I vaulted out the window, careful to not stab myself with the knife as my feet touched down loudly on the gravel outside. Dorrie was at the front corner of the building, her back to me. She glanced over her shoulder with a finger to her lips as Chase landed beside me.

  “What was that?” a male voice asked.

  “It was nothing,” another replied.

  Alexius let out a nervous yip.

  “That was definitely something,” a third male voice said.

  Crap, there were at least three of them, and we didn’t know what sort of powers they might possess. They might even be the real murderers. Jason’s warning flashed through my mind. Anyone who could have killed Sam would be powerful.

  “Run!” I hissed.

  I turned on my heel and ran toward the back of the building, trusting that everyone would follow. My feet pounded across the gravel as shouts erupted behind us.

  Soon Dorrie and Chase caught up to run near me, while Alexius bounded ahead, glancing back playfully to make sure he was going in the same direction we were.

  “There!” one of the men shouted.

  I stole a glance over my shoulder as we rounded the back side of an adjacent building and took off back toward the city. I didn’t recognize any of the three men. None of them looked outwardly demon, which meant they were either half-demons like me, or pure bloods. Either usually looked mostly human, not like the lesser demonic races.

  We kept running, weaving between buildings, and soon lost the sounds of pursuit. As we reached the residential streets at the border of the city, I finally slowed my pace. My heart thundered in my ears, and my palms were slick with sweat. Realizing I was still clutching a bloody knife with a piece of dingy white sheet wrapped around the handle, I quickly concealed it in the folds of my coat.

  “Why did you take that?” Chase whispered, having seen the knife.

  We all started walking. “Well I couldn’t let someone else come along to steal it, now could I?”

  I glanced at him, noticing the heavy rise and fall of his chest, and the sheen of sweat on his brow beneath his slightly wavy black hair, then quickly looked away.

  “But what if someone wanted us to find it?” he questioned, keeping his gaze forward. “What if this is all a set up by Nix?”

  “Hush,” Dorrie chided from my other side. “Do you want the help of Minor Magics Detective Agency, or not?”

  “Yeah.” I smirked. “You hired us, remember? Let the professionals work.”

  Sighing, he shook his head. “You two are just as incorrigible as ever.”

  “Why thank you.”

  Soon we left the residences behind, entering the more busy part of the city. Suddenly I was extremely nervous to have a bloody blade, perhaps a murder weapon, concealed loosely within the folds of my coat. It was my job to get Chase off the hook for murder, not to replace him on said hook.

  “So what do we do now, Miss Detective?” Chase asked, absentmindedly lowering his hand to pet Alexius as he bumped against his leg.

  It was a good question. I’d been pondering it as I walked, but had only been able to come up with one answer. I didn’t have the type of magic needed to track who owned the knife, nor to verify whose blood was on the blade. I didn’t know any Sanguis Demons, so there was really only one option.

  “We need a witch,” I admitted.

  Chase glanced at me. “But aren’t the witches pretty anti-demon right now?”

  “Yes, but I know a certain witch who’s always looking for a bit of adventure.”

  “Not Cynthia?” Chase questioned, referring to a powerful witch who was never terribly pleased with me, though I’d saved her life a time or two.

  I shook my head. “No, I’m thinking her daughter, Rose. She’s the only witch I can think of who isn’t terrified of demons.”

  “Ah, Rose,” Chase seemed to recall. “She’d have to be what now, about nineteen? At least we’ll be able to talk to her now without her mother around.”

  I nodded, though it would be easier said than done. “Last I heard, she was the new leader of the local coven in Shelby.”

  Chase stopped walking. “The witches have chosen the side of the vampires against the werewolves and demons, and you, both a demon and former werewolf pack master, intend to ask their leader for a favor?”

  I forced a smile. Truth was, I didn’t know if she’d actually talk to me. It had been years since we’d seen each other. My only hope was that Rose still held on to a piece of the mischievous teenager she’d once been. A teenager who’d had no problems with summoning demons and running around with wolves.

  Chapter Six

  The four of us made it back to the house without incident. Once we were all inside the entry room, safe behind a locked door, I withdrew the knife from my coat. Dorrie took one look at it, then disappeared further into the house with Alexius.

  Standing across from me, Chase stared down at the blade, a sick expression on his face.

  “It’s probably not the knife that actually killed him,” I consoled. “It might even be a knife that Sam used on someone else.”

  He raised his eyes to glare at me. “Sam may have been a criminal, but he wasn’t violent.”

  I cringed at my own lack of tact. I’d never been good at the whole comforting lies thing. I preferred blunt tr
uths.

  “If you say so,” I muttered, turning away to walk into the kitchen.

  I held the knife in one hand while I opened one of the cabinets with the other, then pulled a fresh gallon sized plastic bag out of its box. The bag would be a little big for the knife, but it would suffice to keep it from getting contaminated further.

  I heard footsteps on the kitchen tiles a moment before Chase reached my side.

  “I’m sorry,” he breathed. “You have every right to hate Sam. After what happened with your father—”

  I held up my free hand, the knife now securely in its bag in the other. “Don’t. I’m sorry, but you no longer have the right to talk about my dad with me. He trusted you too.”

  He winced. “Ouch.”

  I felt my expression soften, but I would not apologize. “Are you coming above ground with me to see Rose, or not?”

  “But the Code. Didn’t you already use your once a week pass?”

  “I don’t care,” I said honestly. “I want to get this over with, and I’m not hiding a bloody knife in my house for a week until we can go talk to Rose.”

  “But won’t you get in trouble?” he asked, his gray eyes sincere.

  I sighed, truth was, I might, but I had been provided with a nice loophole. “The Council asked Devin to hire me. They can’t get mad at me for doing the job they want me to do.”

  He raised a dark eyebrow at me. “But you’re not doing the job they want you to do, unless they hired you to investigate Sam’s murder.”

  “But they don’t know that.”

  He took a step away. “If you’re going, then I’m going, but I really don’t want you to get in trouble on account of me.”

  I cleared my throat, then called out, “Dorrie! We’re leaving!”

  A moment later, she came barreling into the kitchen, long shimmering hair streaming behind her. “Sorry, Pumpkin! I didn’t want to miss the new episode of Happy Days. Where are you going?”

  Chase leaned near my shoulder. “Does she not realize that show has been off the air for more than thirty years?”

  I nudged him in the ribs with my elbow. “Shhh, she looks forward to the episodes.”

  “What are you whispering about?” Dorrie asked, coming closer.

  “Nothing,” I said with an overzealous smile. “We’re going to go talk to Rose about the knife. I’m not waiting an entire week to continue the case.”

  “But you can’t!” she exclaimed. “The Demon Code!”

  “It will be fine,” I assured. I hoped it would be fine. The Demon council did want me working as their liaison, right?

  Her expression was skeptical, but she nodded. “Okay, but be careful.”

  “Always am.” I took Chase’s hand. I tried to ignore how familiar it still felt in my own. How right. It wasn’t right. Not anymore.

  I thought of Devin’s place, since that would likely be our best jumping off point. We could borrow a car, then drive around Shelby until we found Rose. Dorrie watched us as we were enveloped in red smoke. I closed my eyes, then we appeared in Devin’s snow covered driveway.

  I let out a sigh of relief. Jason wasn’t watching the front door this time, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t inside. I didn’t know why I was still nervous to see him. I had no reason to be . . . except maybe the demon whose hand I was still holding.

  Realizing that, I pulled my hand away, then started toward the door.

  “So this is Devin’s new place?” he asked as we walked.

  “Yep. Nice and remote for all the little werewolves running around.”

  Reaching the door, I knocked, then waited.

  Then waited some more.

  “Maybe no one’s home,” Chase concluded. “Maybe the Demon Council wouldn’t mind you traveling a few more times up here, since you’re already breaking the rules?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t really want to push my luck.”

  He exhaled a huff of foggy breath. “Probably wise.” He spun in a slow circle, peering out at our desolate surroundings. “So do we walk, or do we wait?”

  I pursed my lips, then knocked again, hard enough to sting my knuckles.

  A car crunched up on the gravel driveway behind us, drawing my attention away from the door. I turned, then had to hide my disappointment. It was Jason. Of course it was Jason.

  He parked, then stepped out of his charcoal gray car, shutting the door behind him. “I thought you couldn’t come up again until next week!” His smile was genuine, and didn’t even falter at the sight of Chase.

  He approached the front door, turning his full attention to Chase. “I was sorry to hear about your brother.”

  From anyone else, speaking to the guy who basically stole his girlfriend, the words likely wouldn’t be sincere, but from Jason, they were. Of course, he was also old enough to know girlfriends can't be stolen unless they already want to go.

  Chase shrugged. “Yeah, it still doesn’t seem real.”

  “Except for the murder charges against you,” I said, then bit my tongue. Just hanging out around Dorrie all the time, I’d gotten out of practice at filtering my words.

  Jason glanced between the two of us. “So what are you doing up here? Won’t you get in trouble?”

  I shrugged. “Probably.”

  Chase eyed me sharply. “I thought you said it should be fine since the Demon Council asked the wolves to hire you.”

  “Yeah, it should be,” I clarified, “but who knows if it actually will.”

  Chase frowned.

  Ready to change the subject, I turned to Jason. “I don’t suppose you know where Rose hangs out these days? I need to speak with her.”

  Jason’s eyes widened. “You can’t just drop in on the local coven. You do recall we’re on the brink of war, right?”

  I nodded. “Yes, but last time I saw her, we were still friends . . . sort of. I don’t think she’d mind a visit.”

  “Though her coven might,” Chase added.

  I shot him a quick glare, then turned back to Jason. “Pretty please? It’s important.”

  He sighed. “Fine. I’ll take you by her house, but if there are other witches there, we’re leaving.”

  “Deal,” I said before he could take it back.

  Jason turned around and led the way back toward his car.

  Chase leaned near my shoulder. “You guys been hanging out?” he asked quietly, though if Jason was paying attention, his vampire ears would easily pick up the words.

  I shrugged. “Just once, not that it’s any of your business.”

  He was silent after that. We all piled into Jason’s car with me in the passenger’s seat and Chase in the back. The three of us hanging out just like old times . . . or not.

  Twenty minutes later Jason pulled the car into a circular gravel driveway in front of what I could only call a mansion. I rolled down the window and stared up at the white pillars on either side of the front double doors.

  “Um, I think we’re in the wrong place.”

  “This is where Rose lives now,” Jason explained.

  I turned to him, then looked back at Chase, who shrugged.

  “How the hell does a twenty year-old afford a place like this?” I gestured out the window behind me.

  Jason shrugged. “I’ve only been in town long enough to drive by once. I haven’t done much digging.”

  I stared at the house. “Devin has you watching the local witches?”

  “Of course,” he replied. “They live within pack territory. If they make allegiances with any vampires, we need to know, especially since they won’t return our calls.”

  The back car door opened and shut before I could tell Chase to wait. I fumbled with my seatbelt, then exited the car, jogging forward to catch up to his side before he could reach the door.

  I grabbed his arm, halting his progress. “It’s a bad idea for demons to charge into the homes of witches.”

  “Just as it’s a bad idea for us to stay up here any longer than necessary,” he count
ered. “I don’t want to give the Council any reason to take issue with you.”

  I blinked at him, surprised by his sudden shift in mood, then Jason reached us and I realized it had just been Dorrie and me for too long. My boy behavior sensors were rusty. Driving around with both my exes was perhaps not my most well-thought out plan.

  Shrugging off the tension, I dropped my hand from Chase’s arm, then walked toward the door ahead of him.

  It swung inward before I could reach it, revealing a petite blond woman in sweats and a baggy teeshirt. “What do you want?”

  I held up my hands. “Wo-ah, do you always answer your door like that?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I do when demons come knocking.”

  “Well I didn’t actually knock.” I lowered my hands. I was stupid for not considering witches would have demon wards, but I didn’t feel any of the normal discomfort said wards tended to cause.

  “You’re Alexondra,” she accused, maintaining a death grip on the partially open door.

  I wrinkled my nose at my elongated name. “Do I know you?”

  “Everyone knows the wolves’ pet demon. What do you want?”

  I was finally getting angry. “Where’s Rose?”

  “Why?”

  Don’t throw a fireball at the witch. Don’t throw a fireball at the witch. “We’re old friends. Can you tell her I’m here?”

  If looks could kill, I’d be dead right about then. “Who are they?” She nodded toward Jason and Chase, waiting silently behind me.

  “Also old friends.”

  She started at me for several seconds. “Fine,” she decided. “Wait here.”

  The door slammed in my face.

  I looked back to the boys. “Is it just me, or are witch/demon relations even worse nowadays?”

  “They’ve always been bad,” Jason replied. “The big reveal just made things a little worse. The Demon Council is not above threats to keep their existence secret.”

  My brows raised in surprise, but really, I should have known better. Demons had been threatening witches for centuries. There were always a few bad witches who would still try summoning us. Things rarely ended well for them.