Leaving the alchemy section, I checked the signs hanging above the entrance to each aisle. I walked past Arcana – Language Studies, Arcana – Spells & Casting, Arcana – Artifacts & Artifact Engineering, and Arcana – History. That last section occupied three aisles on its own.
Elementaria came next. I skipped over Psychica, then turned down a Spiritalis aisle. I couldn’t help but pause to read a few titles, including A Young Witch's Guide to Familiars, Power Corrupts: A Case Study of Darkfae Subversion, and Is Druidry an Aberration? A Dissertation by the North American Partnership of Covens. I shook my head at the third one. The fervent loathing between witches and druids was legendary among mythics.
I emerged into another corridor, the butt ends of the shelving units marching on either side like wooden soldiers. Deeper into the library, I found the sign I was looking for: Demonica.
Was it my imagination, or did a cool shadow fall across me when I stepped into the aisle?
I squinted back the way I’d come. Ah, a privacy wall around a study area blocked the windows at the library’s front end. I had walked into shadow. Had the librarians deliberately picked this dim corner for the section on hellish fiends and soul-binding contracts?
Nudging my glasses up my nose, I skimmed titles. The first shelf held a row of identical, and familiar, copies of Legal Demonica: The Summoner’s Handbook. Useful, but not what I needed. I continued scanning. Contractor Control – Advanced Demon Wielding, The Ultimate Weapon: Demonica Guilds in Modern Society, A History of Summoning, The Casual Contractor’s Guide to Self-Defense.
A book for casual contractors? What person would casually give up their soul to a demon? I slid it off the shelf and examined the glossy, modern cover with bold red typography and a cartoon demon on the front. Eyebrows climbing higher, I flipped the cover open and read the introduction. As promised, it was a how-to book for contractors who wanted to learn the bare basics and nothing more.
I turned the page. Chapter One, “Getting Started.” Large, jaunty text with colorful headings in a sans serif font filled the page beside another cartoon demon, this one making a ghoulish “boo” face.
Congratulations! You’re a contractor!
You now belong to the small community of mythics who command demons. Never fear for your safety again. Never take second place to a flashy mage or cocky combat sorcerer. You’re a member of the most powerful class now!
But first, you need to learn the basics of controlling your demon.
Wondering where to start? Let’s begin with calling out your demon.
All contractors have an “infernus”—the artifact that holds your demon’s power. Don’t lose it! Without it, you can’t control your demon. Wear it around your neck on a chain, keep it in your pocket or purse, or leave it in an easy-to-access spot at home. The farther the infernus is from you, the weaker the connection to your demon.
I blinked bemusedly. The way this book was written, you’d think literally anyone could pick up an infernus at the local Demon Mart. I didn’t know how much demon contracts cost, but I was pretty sure they started at six figures. Most people didn’t drop that kind of cash, then learn control techniques from a gimmicky book.
Now let’s practice the first step in wielding your demon. There are only two magical command words tied to your infernus, and you’ll need to memorize both.
RISE calls your demon out of the infernus
Command: Δαῖμον, ἀναστῆθι
Daimon, anastethi! (DHEH-mon, ah-nah-STEE-thee)
REST returns your demon to the infernus
Command: Δαῖμον, ἡσύχαζε
Daimon, hesychaze! (DHEH-mon, ee-SEE-cha-zeh)
Practice saying both commands. When you’re ready, hold your infernus and concentrate on where you want your demon to manifest—not too close to you! Now speak the Rise command. Did your demon appear? Perfect!
Remember, focus is important. Repeat the Rise and Rest commands as needed. Once you’re comfortable with the process, you can transition to thinking the commands silently.
(Commands not working? Turn to pg. 12 for troubleshooting help.)
I snorted at the thought of a “troubleshooting” page, imagining their suggestions. Demon won’t boot properly? Try turning your infernus off and on again.
Under normal circumstances, a contractor controlled their demon like a puppet, manipulating its every movement through a telepathic connection. I didn’t have to worry about that. In fact, I had zero control over my demon.
Which, all in all, was a terrifying problem to have.
I tapped the page. “‘There are only two magical command words tied to your infernus.’ Hmm.”
Command words tied to the infernus. That could mean they were built into the contract or built into the magic of the infernus. Since I didn’t have a real contract, I suspected the commands wouldn’t work, but only one way to know for sure.
Balancing the book on one hand, I tugged my infernus from under my jacket and tilted it toward the light, the chain jingling. I examined the palm-sized silver pendant. Perfectly round, flat, and thin, with a spiky emblem etched in the center. Arcane runes marked the outer edge.
Focusing on the empty aisle a yard away, I muttered dubiously, “Daimon, anastethi.”
Red light flared across the infernus and I almost dropped it. Arcing out of the pendant, the bright blaze hit the dusty tiles and pooled upward, as though filling an invisible mold. At almost six feet, the light solidified into the familiar shape of my demon.
My extremely displeased demon.
Crimson eyes stared down at me, their eerie glow obscuring dark pupils that had contracted to slits against the overhead fluorescent lights. Four small horns, two above each temple, hid in his tangled black hair, and a mixture of dark fabric, sturdy leather, and gleaming metal armor partially covered smooth skin the color of toffee with a burgundy undertone.
His dusky lips pulled back from his teeth, revealing pointed canines. “What did you do, payilas?”
Demons inspired panic in everyone and I was no exception—but my sharp alarm was for a different reason. I frantically checked if anyone had noticed that flare of light.
When no one started screaming about the demon in the library, I glanced from the book to Zylas. I had … I had called him out of the infernus?
“Payilas,” he growled.
“Um.” I hesitantly lifted the book. “I found the commands for the infernus?”
Those lava-like eyes narrowed, then swept away from me to take in our surroundings. His nostrils flared with a silent inhalation and his nose wrinkled in distaste.
“What is this place?” he asked, an alien accent swirling through his husky voice.
“It’s a library … part of the Arcana Historia guild. Which, uh, means you should go back into the infernus before someone sees you.”
His long, thin tail swished, the two curved barbs on the end just missing a shelf of invaluable texts. He canted his head as though listening.
“There is no one close.” He waved a hand around us. “What you need, is it here?”
“I don’t know. I only just started looking. Will you get back in the infernus now?”
His upper lip curled, flashing his canines again.
Nerves tightened my stomach. My demon was standing in the middle of a mythic library. If anyone saw him, at best, I would get kicked out. At worst, I would be discovered as an illegal contractor and put to death.
Time to test the “rest” command. I concentrated on my infernus. Daimon, hechaze!
Nothing happened. Crap. Was I messing up the Ancient Greek? I was better at Latin. I looked down at the open book.
It vanished from my grasp. Zylas held the book up as though debating whether to burn it to ash on the spot. Turning, he stretched onto his toes, reached for the highest shelf, and shoved the book into the back.
He dropped onto his heels and faced me. Barely topping five feet, I had no chance of reaching the book without a ladder. Which he knew. Jaw clenched,
I turned my back on him and glowered at the nearest shelf. What was that command? Hecheze … hesachaze … hesychaza …
Warm breath brushed across the top of my head, stirring my hair.
I shot a glare over my shoulder at Zylas, who was standing obnoxiously close. “Back up. I can’t concentrate.”
“Concentrate on what? You are not doing anything.”
I gritted my teeth. The only thing worse than a disobedient demon was a grumpy disobedient demon.
“You have not done anything for weeks,” he complained. “Days and days of nothing but sleep and lounge and sleep—”
“I wasn’t sleeping because I’m lazy,” I snapped. “I was sick. I had the flu.”
“You promised to search for a way I can return home.”
“And I am. Right now. Or I would be if you’d stop bothering me.” I grabbed a book at random. “The more you distract me, the longer this will take.”
He finally stepped back, taking the scent of hickory and leather with him, and drifted away in moody silence. I unclenched my jaw, resisting the urge to order him back into the infernus. The harder I pushed, the more he would resist.
I briefly closed my eyes. If I’d learned anything in the five weeks since we’d been bound together in a contract, it was that Zylas was infuriatingly stubborn. And deliberately contrary. Defiant. Ornery. Contentious to the point of—
“Should I describe you, payilas?”
His hiss floated back to me and I flushed. Thanks to that telepathic connection that was supposed to allow me to control him, he could hear my thoughts. Not always—it depended on how forcefully I was thinking them—but often enough that it was completely unfair.
Pretending I hadn’t been insulting him in my head, I opened the book and blinked at the title page. Demon Psychology: Monsters Born or Made?
Hmm. I flipped the page and scanned the introduction.
The debate of nature versus nurture has dominated discussions on psychology for centuries. Are humans inherently good or is morality a learned behavior?
In the coming pages, we will examine how this concept applies to the preternatural creatures known as demons. Though psychology is, in theory and in practice, applicable only to humans, we now apply our well-practiced diagnostic methods to the demon psyche.
The symptoms most often displayed by demonkind (aggression, violence, lack of empathy, lack of remorse, inability to form emotional bonds, narcissism, manipulativeness) would earn most humans a swift diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, more commonly known as psychopathy.
However, the question remains: Is demonic violence a product of the demons’ mysterious home environment, or, as long believed to be the case, are they born monsters?
I peeked over the top of the book. At the end of the aisle, Zylas was crouched low as he peered around the corner. His tail lashed.
Aggressive, violent, manipulative—check, check, and check. Unempathetic, remorseless, selfish—three more checkmarks. My brow wrinkled as I turned the page and skimmed the table of contents to see if there was a nice, neat “Conclusions” chapter I could read. Biting my lip, I glanced up again.
The aisle was empty.
With a horrified gasp, I shoved the book onto the nearest shelf and sprinted to the end of the aisle. It opened into a wider path with tables lined up against the wall. Halfway along, my demon, in all his horned, tailed, leather-and-armor glory, was prowling through the library.
And I had no way to stop him.
Coming November 1, 2019
- Pre-order now on Amazon -
THE GUILD CODEX: SPELLBOUND
Sassy urban fantasy by Annette Marie
Welcome to the Crow and Hammer.
Meet Tori. She’s feisty. She’s broke. She has a bit of an issue with running her mouth off. And she just landed a job at the local magic guild.
Problem is, she’s also 100% human. Oops.
- See the Guild Codex: Spellbound on Amazon -
THE ALCHEMIST AND AN AMARETTO
The Guild Codex: Spellbound / Five
As a guild bartender, I can handle pretty much anything—mages, sorcerers, witches, the occasional demon. But show me anything family-related and I’d rather run for the hills. It doesn’t even have to be my family.
So I have no idea why I thought spending the holidays with Aaron’s mom and pop was a good idea.
Meeting his famous parents is already terrifying enough, but I’ve got a bigger problem. Students of his family’s renowned mage academy are being attacked on the grounds—and somehow no one has seen a single assailant? Unexplained tracks litter the nearby woods, rumors of forbidden alchemy are circulating the campus … and Ezra has been acting strangely since we arrived.
Something deadly is brewing in the shadow of Sinclair Academy, and the longer we take to uncover it, the more dangerous it becomes. But no matter the risk, we’ll protect the students.
And Aaron’s parents too, I suppose. If we have to.
Coming October 11, 2019
- Pre-order now on Amazon -
THE STEEL & STONE SERIES
YA urban fantasy by Annette Marie
When everyone wants you dead, good help is really hard to find …
Piper knows the first rule for an apprentice Consul is don’t trust daemons. But when she’s framed for the theft of the deadly Sahar Stone, she ends up with two troublesome daemons as her only allies: Lyre, a hotter-than-hell incubus who isn’t as harmless as he seems, and Ash, a draconian mercenary with a seriously bad reputation. Trusting them might be her biggest mistake yet.
- See the Steel & Stone Series on Amazon -
The Spell Weaver Trilogy
Urban fantasy by Annette Marie
The only thing more dangerous than the denizens of the Underworld ... is stealing from them.
Living in exile among humans, Clio has picked up all sorts of interesting skills. But pilfering magic from the Underworld’s deadliest spell weavers? Not so much.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what she has to do to earn a ticket back home.
Conning her way into the Underworld may have gone pretty well, but now she’s got a new problem. His name is Lyre, and he’s a sinfully alluring incubus and gifted spell weaver—and her biggest obstacle to getting her hands on some forbidden magic.
- See the Spell Weaver Trilogy on Amazon -
THE RED WINTER TRILOGY
YA romantic fantasy by Annette Marie
A destiny written by the gods.
A fate forged by lies.
If Emi is sure of anything, it’s that kami—the gods—are good, and yokai—the earth spirits—are evil. But when she saves the life of a fox shapeshifter, the truths of her world start to crumble. And the treachery of the gods runs deep.
This stunning trilogy features 30 full-page illustrations.
- See the Red Winter Trilogy on Amazon -
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Erich Merkel for sharing your exceptional expertise in Latin and Ancient Greek. Any errors are mine.
About the Author
Annette Marie is the author of Amazon best-selling YA urban fantasy series Steel & Stone, its prequel trilogy Spell Weaver, romantic fantasy trilogy Red Winter, and sassy UF series The Guild Codex. Her first love is fantasy, but fast-paced action, bold heroines, and tantalizing forbidden romances are her guilty pleasures. She proudly admits she has a thing for dragons, and her editor has politely inquired as to whether she intends to include them in every book.
Annette lives in the frozen wasteland of Alberta, Canada (okay, it’s not quite that bad) and shares her life with her husband and their furry minion of darkness—sorry, cat—Caesar. When not writing, she can be found elbow-deep in one art project or another while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.
* * *
Find out more about Annette and her books here:
Website: www.annettemarie.ca
Amazon author page: amzn.to/2b8ZHlh
Facebook: ww
w.facebook.com/AuthorAnnetteMarie
Facebook Reader Group: www.facebook.com/groups/annettemarie/
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/8546572.Annette_Marie
Instagram: instagram.com/annettemarie.author/
* * *
Thank you for reading Taming Demons for Beginners and joining Robin on her journey. Will you take a moment to leave a review? Word of mouth plays a big role in a book’s success and you can help with just a sentence or two.
- Review on Amazon -
Thanks so much!
Annette Marie
* * *
Taming Demons for Beginners: The Guild Codex: Demonized / One Page 25