Discord Jones: Black Magic Shadows Part 26

Closing my eyes, I concentrated on focusing on the recent memory of where the bowl containing my "pieces" was located. I had to use memory, since I couldn't see the table through the snarl of demons, gargoyles, and shifters.

A scream opened my eyes, and struck a temporary lull in the battle. "Oops, I went a little overboard."

Smoke was pouring from the bowl, my intended target. Flames were devouring the blonde's scarlet robes as she writhed. "Guess she's not flame r.e.t.a.r.dant."

With my "pieces" destroyed, it felt like the time had come to leave. "Tell your mom..."

"She already knows," Tase said. "She's going to collect the mirror."

Oh, yeah. We probably shouldn't leave that behind. I shrieked as a demon broke from the melee, heading straight for us.

It was the same son-of-a-b.i.t.c.h who'd murdered and eaten Carole. The one who'd seen me during the vision I'd had of her "sacrifice".

My insides turned to water and I forgot I had the use of my abilities as it charged, knocking Logan aside with its tail when he followed.

"Holy c.r.a.p."

Logan flew through the air, twisted, and hit the wall feet first. He rebounded, landing on the floor in a roll, and was on his feet.

But he wasn't going to reach us in time to do anything.

Tase whimpered.

Right, I had to do something, and the lingering taste of rotten meat reminded me that I could.

I went for my electrokinesis, which responded by surging out. Blue-white lightning crawled down my arms, and I raised them, aiming my palms at the oncoming demon. Thick, flickering ropes of electricity shot from my hands, and my hair rose, crackling.

All that blue-white power struck the big demon dead center, and next thing I knew, I was on my a.s.s in the tunnel, watching a rain of charred demon bits falling inside the room.

"Wow." Tase crawled down my chest. His mane was standing on end, full of static. "You blew it up."

"Uh huh." My hair wasn't in any better shape. I tried to smooth it down, but it only clung to my hands.

Tase leaped to sit on my knee. "I hope that's all you blew up."

Me too. "I still hear some fighting."

"Cordi?" Logan appeared in the tunnel's opening, covered in lightly fried demon gore. "You okay?"

"Think so. Headache building."

Dane appeared next, and he was laughing. "Boom!" was the only word I made out.

"Glad I was able to entertain you." I scooped Tase off my knee and climbed to my feet. "Did we win?"

"The gargoyles are finishing off the last few demons," Logan said.

"Good. I'm ready to leave." I spat. "Ugh, can't get rid of the taste."

"How'd you do that?"

"Sal told me I could use my abilities down here if I ingested some demon blood. He was correct." I spat again. "Demon blood tastes friggin' horrible, if you ever wondered."

"I already know, and, fair warning: It'll be days before you quit tasting it."

My groan set Dane to laughing again.

"Mom says to come back." Tase climbed to my shoulder.

"Okay." We left the tunnel, re-entering the room, and paused to survey the carnage. Pieces of twitching demons were strewn about, lying in pools of blood. My stomach heaved, and I couldn't keep from reacting. Tase lunged free as I bent down and threw up a b.l.o.o.d.y mess of my own.

Demon blood didn't taste better on the return trip.

Finished, I wiped my mouth on my jacket sleeve and straightened, wishing I had some dignity left to gather. "Can we go now?"

"Yes." Petra brandished the spirit's new home in one huge paw. "This is yours."

The spirit took one look at me and faded from sight. I grinned. "Yeah, hiding's a good idea, jacka.s.s."

The gargoyles took us to the office's parking lot, immediately disappearing once we dismounted. I was not happy to discover our client was still present when we went inside.

"You recovered my property. I'm shocked." Celadine attempted to s.n.a.t.c.h the mirror from me.

I smacked her hand away. "No, you don't."

"It's mine." Her beautiful face turned feral. Teeth bared, she made another grab.

I gave her a telekinetic shove. "According to the queen of the gargoyles, it's not yours. It's mine, and I'm going to keep it."

Celadine whirled to face Mr. Whitehaven. "Order her to return my property."

"If Queen Petra stated the spirit belongs to Discordia, I am not going to believe otherwise."

"Of all the," Celadine turned back. "You have no right."

I sighed, and made a face as the gust of my breath caused a renewal of the rotten meat taste. "I'm really tired of elves trying to tell me what to do. You should stop before you p.i.s.s me off."

"Really should. G.o.ds and demons tend to go boom when Cordi's p.i.s.sed." Dane grinned. "And I do mean Boom."

The elf sniffed. "She wouldn't dare."

"Yeah, I would. I mean, you're just an elf. I, however, am descended from G.o.ds. A lot of them, from what I've learned, including Cernunnos." I leaned forward, staring into her eyes. "So get the h.e.l.l out of my face."

To my surprise, Celadine paled and disappeared. "Wow. That worked."

"You were quite menacing." Mr. Whitehaven smiled. "Are any of you injured?"

"b.u.mps and bruises. I have a headache."

"And we all need showers," Logan said.

"Excellent work." The Boss inclined his head. "What of your personal issue?"

"Taken care of, and believe me, I'll be a lot more careful about bleeding, and haircuts, in the future."

"Good plan." Dane patted my shoulder. "Mind giving us a lift home?"

"My work is never done."

TWENTY-FOUR.

The next morning, I skipped jogging in favor of scrubbing my mouth several times. It didn't help. I could still taste rotten meat, but not as strongly.

Downstairs, I made coffee and took the dogs outside, before deciding I'd put off the mirror problem long enough. Having left it shiny side down on the dinette table the night before, I sat down with a fresh cup of coffee and turned it over.

All I saw was my own reflection. "Hey."

No response.

"Look, dude, I'm really not in the mood for your c.r.a.p. Show yourself right now, or I'll hand you over to Cernunnos."

Green blazed, and the spirit glared at me. "That's not a nice thing to say."

"Newsflash, I'm not interested in being nice to someone who tried to sell me out to demons."

His face scrunched. "They were in possession of me. I have to obey the one who possesses me."

"Uh huh." I glared back. "You're a freaking grimoire."

"Well, yes. It's not as though I had a choice. I've had a long line of owners, all of whom chose to share their magical knowledge with me. I am what Cernunnos made me."

Ouch. I had the feeling that meant we probably had some common ground, if what Petra believed was true, about my being a product of G.o.dly tampering. "Okay, I'm going to suggest we call a truce."

"A truce." The spirit's eyes narrowed. "All right, what's the catch?"

"No catch."

"Well, I must say, that's a first. There's always been a catch before, in my dealings with previous owners."

"Okay, one catch. Don't call me 'babe' ever again."

A deep laugh rolled out of the mirror. "Agreed."

"Thanks." I touched the metal frame of the mirror. "Is it crowded in there? This is like an efficiency apartment, compared to your old digs."

He laughed again. "I have all the s.p.a.ce I need, but it's nice you're concerned."

"You're welcome. I have to decide what to do with you. I can't keep you here. Celadine will probably come hunting for you."

"Possession does equal access to all my secrets." He paused. "Eventually, of course. This is a boring afterlife. I have to entertain myself somehow."

I nodded. "I have possession now. Does that mean you'll tell me all your secrets?"

All the laughter drained from his greenish face, leaving it a solemn oblong. "If you wish."

"Could you tell me who Sal really is?"

"That's not my secret to tell. I will tell you he's been known as the Nameless G.o.d for centuries. Furthermore, I'll say to hold me as a warning against meddling in the plans of G.o.ds."

A shiver rolled down my spine, even though I already knew how he'd gotten into the mirror. There were probably worse fates, but being disembodied and trapped in an inanimate object had to be in the Top Twenty Ways I Didn't Want to Die, Yet Live Forever. "I could destroy the mirror. What would happen to you if I did that?"

"As I told you last night, no one knows. Perhaps I'd finally, truly die. Perhaps not." He blinked. "The uncertainty is unpleasant."

"Well, I can't keep you. I'm human. Temptation usually becomes a problem for us in the right circ.u.mstances."

"For someone as young as you are, you do have moments of extreme wisdom."

"I trust Mr. Whitehaven, but someone could find out I gave you to him. I don't want to cause any trouble for him."

"You could present me to the Nameless G.o.d," he suggested.

"Uh uh. He's got enough power."

"Your coven of witch friends?"

"Once they know you're a grimoire, they'll destroy you."

"Prince Thorandryll?"

"Get real."

He laughed again. "You could hide me away in your clan territory."

"Nope, that puts them in danger." I sighed. "Running out of possibilities. Oh, wait. The gargoyles?"

"They're stone half the time. Anyone could steal me while they sleep, and one willing to risk their wrath isn't someone you want possessing me."

Good point. I wished everything didn't have to be so d.a.m.ned hard. That's when an idea flew into my head. "The dragon."

"Hm." He considered the idea before giving a slow nod. "Yes. That's a good solution."