Playing With Fury

by Annabel Chase

  I pushed open the front door and nearly backtracked right out again. The place was pure chaos. Ryan was running around the house with a roll of toilet paper trailing behind him and Olivia was lecturing a family room full of pretend students. Stuffed animals covered every inch of the sofa and chairs, as well as the coffee table. Crayons and markers were scattered across the floor and I noticed Ryan’s chubby cheeks were streaked with purple and red marker.

  No one noticed my arrival. To be fair, I don’t think they would’ve noticed if winged monkeys invaded. I wandered into the kitchen where my brother and Verity were engaged in a heated debate.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Verity said. The red splotches on her cheeks suggested she was upset about Anton’s proposal.

  “We need the money,” Anton replied.

  “Yes, but it seems unethical somehow.”

  Unethical? What was my brother suggesting? As a vengeance demon, he didn’t always have the most honorable intentions, but he worked primarily in the advertising world because he didn’t want to follow in our father’s footsteps. He took the odd vengeance job here and there to pay for the home remodeling, but always outside of my territory. He and my father knew they couldn’t operate within my jurisdiction. Certain crimes resulted in banishment to Otherworld and I had no desire to send my family there.

  Okay, sometimes I had a strong desire to send my family there, but usually it had nothing to do with my job.

  “Someone’s here,” Olivia announced from the family room. She stared straight at me.

  “Can you see me?” I asked.

  “No,” Olivia said.

  Verity shrieked and clung to Anton.

  “Relax. It’s me,” I said. “Eden.”

  “Why would you frighten us like that?” Verity asked. She pressed a palm against her chest and struggled to return her breathing to normal.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare anyone. I’m having an issue and I thought you might be able to help.”

  “Well, now I’m having an issue,” Verity said.

  Anton waved a hand in front of me, trying to assess my location. “You’re not invisible on purpose?”

  “No. It seems I woke up this way. I thought Verity might be able to…examine me or something.”

  She snorted. “Well, I’ve never examined an invisible body before, but I’m certainly willing to help any way I can. Step into my office.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Can I come?” Olivia asked.

  “No, sweetie,” Verity said. “You keep working on your lesson.”

  “What’s the lesson?” I asked, as I followed Verity upstairs.

  “The pros and cons of having a soul,” Verity said.

  Yikes. I’d have to keep an eye on that one.

  We entered Olivia’s bedroom.

  “This is your home office?” I asked.

  “It is right now. Hers is the cleanest,” Verity said. “Your brother is supposed to clean our room today, but it doesn’t take a crystal ball to know I’ll be looking at the same pile of folded laundry next week.”

  “Don’t surrender,” I said. “If you do it for him, he’ll just keep leaving the piles and never put them away himself.”

  “Oh, trust me. I know how he operates. We once waged a silent battle over dusting that lasted until he couldn’t stop sneezing at bedtime and pulled a muscle.”

  I sat on Olivia’s bed and looked around at the decor. The walls were decorated with pastel sugar skulls. A line of voodoo dolls sat on a hot pink shelf. On the ceiling directly over the bed was a black spider at least six feet in circumference.

  “What’s the theme of her room? Morbid chic?”

  Verity offered a small smile. “Let’s just say there was a rather lively debate on the subject and I lost.”

  “Imagine when she’s a teenager,” I said.

  Verity closed her eyes. “I try not to.”

  “Maybe it’s a phase,” I said. Even as the statement passed my lips, I knew it was a lie. Olivia leaned toward our side of the family rather than Verity’s and seemed to embrace the macabre. Verity and I would have to work doubly hard to make sure she didn’t completely succumb to the dark side.

  Verity shrugged. “She’s my daughter and I love her. I’ll accept her no matter what.”

  I felt a surge of love for my sister-in-law. Anton had chosen well, not that I had any doubt. My mother wasn’t a fan, but no one would’ve been good enough—or in our case, ‘bad’ enough for her firstborn.

  “What do I need to do?” I asked.

  Verity straightened a few of the dolls on the shelf. “I’m going to start with a few routine questions.”

  I forged ahead with answers to the anticipated questions. “I exercise six day a week. I drink three units of alcohol per week on average and my blood pressure fluctuates depending on how recently I’ve spent time with my family.”

  Verity laughed lightly. “I can understand that. Any chance you might be pregnant?”

  I nearly fell off the bed. “Whoa. Who put you up to that?”

  Verity frowned at me. “I’m a doctor, Eden. It’s a standard question.”

  “Oh, really? You would ask Neville the same question.”

  Her face flashed with annoyance. “Obviously not.”

  “I rest my case.”

  Verity exhaled loudly. “It’s challenging enough to examine you when I can’t see you. Can you at least cooperate with what I can do?”

  I shifted uncomfortably. “It is highly unlikely that I’m pregnant.”

  Verity pursed her lips. “Highly unlikely but not impossible? I didn’t realize you were seeing someone.”

  “I’m not,” I lied.

  She waved a hand. “Never mind. It’s none of my business. It’s just that pregnancy could be a reason your fury powers have gone haywire. A unique supernatural body like yours could react strangely to a baby.”

  “Strangely how?” Although I was fairly confident I wasn’t pregnant now, I was curious how being a fury might impact a future pregnancy.

  “Your body might consider a baby an invader. Something to vanquish. That could trigger your defense mechanisms.”

  “You think I won’t be able to deliver a healthy baby?” The idea hadn’t occurred to me.

  “I honestly don’t know,” Verity said. “It’s only a theory.”

  “Did you have trouble?” I didn’t recall Verity having issues during her pregnancies, not that I was around at the time. Still, I would’ve gotten every excruciating detail from my mother if she had.

  “I’m only a druid, Eden, and my main power is healing. Pregnancy wouldn’t have the same effect on me.”

  “I really doubt I’m pregnant, so what else could cause my powers to glitch?” I asked.

  Verity perched on the edge of the bed. “An illness. Have you experienced any symptoms? A fever, nausea, chills, or body aches?”

  “No. I felt fine, other than hungover from mixing wine and hard liquor last night. I didn’t even realize I was invisible until I went to the main house for breakfast.”

  Verity crossed her arms, thinking. “What about new medications or vitamins?”

  I shook my head, not that she could see me. “Nothing,” I said.

  “Any pain of any kind?”

  “Only my head but that went away as soon as my mother stopped talking.”

  Verity smiled. “I don’t know what to tell you, Eden. Maybe it’ll work itself out in a day or so. If not, make an appointment with my office and we’ll dig deeper.”

  “Okay.”

  “I take it the housewarming party is cancelled,” she said.

  “It was a crushing blow.”

  She returned to a standing position, smirking. “I’ll bet.”

  Olivia appeared in the doorway, holding one of the toys from the family room. “Quasimodo wants to examine you. He’s training to be a doctor like Mommy.”

  “Does he have supernatural vision?” I asked.

  “No, but h
e does have a gods complex. Will that help?” She looked hopefully in my direction.

  “It’s a requirement.” I slid off the bed onto my feet and stretched. “Hey, Olivia. When I first came into the house, how did you know it was me?”

  She hugged the ugly doll to her chest. “I don’t know. I just knew, the way you know which song is starting on the radio from the first few notes.”

  Huh. “But you sure you can’t see me?” I waved a hand.

  “I’m sure.” Olivia thrust the doll toward me. “Can you see her, Dr. Quasimodo?” She held the doll’s face to her ear. “He says you’re very pretty.”

  “Tell him that’s an ethical violation,” I said. “No hitting on the patients.”

  “Do you want to play hide-and-seek?” Olivia asked.

  “I think Auntie Eden has a distinct advantage,” Verity said.

  Olivia tossed her toy onto the bed. “That’s okay. I need a challenge. Daddy always hides in the same place.”

  “Let me guess. On the sofa under a blanket,” I said.

  “How did you know?” Olivia asked in amazement.

  Verity glanced my way. “Would you mind one game?”

  “I consider it my sworn duty as the fun aunt,” I said. “Let’s limit the area to downstairs so Ryan can play, too.”

  I quickly regretted my decision. Ryan managed to not only find me hiding in plain sight, but he and Olivia wrapped me in toilet paper so that I looked like a mummy. Then they grabbed markers and began drawing on the toilet paper.

  “Not so invisible now,” Anton said, amused.

  I laughed. “I guess not.”

  Suddenly being invisible didn’t seem so bad after all.

  Chapter Five

  I left Anton’s house feeling calmer than when I arrived. It didn’t matter that Verity couldn’t diagnose me. Whatever was wrong, I could handle it. Invisibility wasn’t the end of the world, only a temporary setback and the gods knew I was familiar with setbacks. Might as well enjoy this one while it lasts.

  My phone buzzed with an incoming call from Clara. “Hey, how are you this morning?” I asked. I figured she’d be feeling a little down in light of Quinn’s departure.

  “You need to head over to the construction site on Havarti Road,” she blurted. “There’s a demon.”

  I groaned. “Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest.”

  “Tell that to the demon when you get there. I’m sure it’ll be very understanding.”

  “Where are you now?” I asked.

  “I’m hiding behind a dump truck so I can follow it if it tries to flee.”

  “Don’t do anything rash. I’ll be right there.” Clara’s only power was empathy. She was no match for a demon. “Just fyi, you won’t see me. I’m invisible.”

  “Is that the real reason you canceled your housewarming?” Clara asked. “Sassy was seriously bummed. She thinks you canceled because you didn’t have a theme.”

  “I’ll tell you more after I deal with this demon.”

  I spread my wings and launched myself into the air. It didn’t take long to reach the construction site where I spotted Clara cowering behind a dump truck. I circled the site from the air until I saw the demon. It was surprisingly small, maybe the size of a howler monkey. It seemed to be digging in the dirt behind the foundation of the building.

  I landed next to the creature and observed it silently for a moment, trying to figure out the type. Its body was covered in coarse brown hair and its nails and feet reminded me of a platypus. Its eyes were small and black. ‘Weird monkey-duck demon’ was the only term that came to mind and I finally gave up and pulled out my phone. I had the benefit of invisibility so I took advantage of it by opening the demon identification app. I snapped its photo and uploaded it. Neville could chastise me for cheating later.

  There was precious little information. The app identified the creature as a digger demon. A little on-the-nose but whatever. I guess the demon saw the mounds of earth at the construction site and figured it hit pay dirt. The demon also traveled as part of a pack. In that case, where were its buddies?

  “If you’re looking for buried treasure, you might want to try my backyard,” I said. “My hellhound loves to hide my mother’s jewelry.”

  The demon’s head jerked up and its beady eyes darted from left to right. When it failed to spot me, the demon stuck its claws in the ground and resumed digging.

  “You’re a conscientious thing, aren’t you?” I said.

  The demon snapped to attention again and made a squeaking sound. Poor little guy actually sounded scared. There was something to be said for the element of surprise.

  “Where are your friends? Did they leave you to do the dirty work?” I laughed at my own joke.

  The demon continued to dig.

  “Listen, fella. I can’t let you do that. You shouldn’t be here.” It wouldn’t be difficult to haul the small demon to my office and hold it there until agents arrived to escort it to Otherworld.

  “I think there might be a misunderstanding.” A friendly voice interrupted my thoughts and I turned to see the bearded wizard from the mayor’s party. Clara stood beside him, her cheeks aflame.

  “Otto?” I asked.

  “Sorry, Eden,” Clara said. “I probably shouldn’t have sounded the alarm.”

  Otto squinted. “By the gods, you were serious. She’s invisible.”

  “I certainly am,” I said.

  “Can you make yourself visible so we can talk?” the wizard asked. “It feels strange to explain the situation to thin air.”

  The demon seemed relieved to see Otto. It squawked a greeting and carried on digging.

  “I’m afraid I can’t right now,” I said. “I’m running a simulation as part of a training exercise and I have to stay invisible today.” The lie rolled straight off my tongue and I did a silent prayer to the gods for forgiveness.

  “The demon works for Otto,” Clara said.

  “I have a team,” the wizard added, “but this little guy is especially diligent.”

  “You have a team of digger demons working for you?” I queried. “That’s against regulations.”

  “I have special dispensation,” Otto said. “I can find the paperwork for you.”

  “Who would give you permission for this?” I asked. “It’s far too risky to have a group of demons crawling all over the place.”

  Otto scratched his beard. “Why? Humans without the Sight won’t be able to see them at work and the whole area is cordoned off with signs.” He inclined his head toward Clara. “As a matter of fact, you and your friend are technically trespassing, not that I have any intention of enforcing it against you. I’ve been dealing with a rash of trespassers at my other site, so I put the signs up here.”

  “What kind of trespassers?” I asked.

  “I think they’re teenagers looking for somewhere to party,” Otto said. “You know how they are.”

  “Why can’t they party in the woods like every other teenager in town?” I joked.

  “They haven’t done any damage to the building, but with a demon crew working at the site, I didn’t want any unnecessary risks,” Otto said.

  Speaking of unnecessary risks, I glanced at Clara. “Why were you out here anyway?”

  “After speaking with Otto at the party, I decided to write a more in-depth article on the increase in local construction. I wanted to take a look around on my own and take photos.”

  “You should’ve mentioned it to me,” Otto said. “I’d give you the grand tour. You’re welcome to chat with me whenever it suits you. I think I bored everyone else at the party talking about it, but my work is my passion.”

  “I get that,” Clara said. “Sometimes I forget there are other jobs. I only seem to talk about the news.”

  Otto smiled at her. “A young woman after my own heart.”

  I watched the demon continue to dig. “Why use demons instead of human crews?”

  “Well, for starters, it saves me a lot of money,” Ott
o said. “And these demons are disadvantaged. They’ve ended up in this realm and I happen to be in a position to provide for them.”

  “Why can’t they go back to Otherworld?” I asked. If they wanted to go, I had agents that could transport them free of charge.

  “As I’m sure you can imagine, there are many reasons a supernatural might not want to return to Otherworld,” Otto said. “It’s not my business to ask why, only to do what I can.”

  “It’s my business to know if they’re a threat to my territory,” I said. “If these demons are in trouble in Otherworld, I need to know why.”

  Otto wagged a finger in my general direction. “I’d heard you were diligent, which is exactly the reason I made sure to have my paperwork in order. Where’s your office? I’ll drop off copies of the information I have. The rest is up to you, I’m afraid.”

  “Thanks. Anything you can offer would be helpful.”

  “Aren’t you worried you’re exploiting them?” Clara asked.

  “Exploiting them?” Otto repeated. “In what way?”

  “If they can’t go home and they’re limited in what they can do in the human world, they’re sort of stuck relying on you,” Clara said.

  “I offer them honest work and a decent wage,” Otto said. “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Where do they live when they’re not working?” I asked.

  “Underground. They’re burrowers,” Otto said. “They don’t take up space and the potential for interaction with humans is limited. The arrangement has worked well for both of us.”

  “If you’re free today, I’d love that tour,” Clara said.