Nocturnal Part 11

"Abyss is the place you call h.e.l.l. It's home to demonkind. The cat that was attacking you? The poor creature had been possessed by a demon, hence the rows of teeth, the glowing red eyes, and the long talons instead of typical cat's claws. When I tapped the cat with my sword, the demon spirit was forced out. Demons are difficult to kill, but crystal works."

He reached over his shoulder and smoothly withdrew that amazing sword once again. Mari leaned close and stared at the blade, which made a lot more sense than trying to understand all that garbage about a demon possessing a stray tomcat. "It looks like it's made of diamond. What is it?"

"A form of diamond, actually. I am one of only four Lemurian guards who carry crystal." He shook his head and smiled at the blade as if it were his best friend. Mari's thought of men and their toys men and their toys disappeared when he added, "And while it has not yet found its voice, I fully expect my sword to finally speak to me before the war against demonkind has ended." disappeared when he added, "And while it has not yet found its voice, I fully expect my sword to finally speak to me before the war against demonkind has ended."

Mari opened her mouth. Nothing came out. She tried again. "Did you say Lemurian? Like from Lemuria?" She glanced at the book sitting on the shelf just over his shoulder-the one with the words "Lemuria" and "Mythological" in the t.i.tle. "A place that isn't real?"

He smiled. "I did. And Lemuria is quite real, actually. At least to those of us who call it home."

Okay. So she was sitting here alone in her mother's store after dark in an empty downtown with a certifiable nutcase. An absolutely gorgeous nutcase, but just the same...Mari plastered a smile on her face. "Lemuria's a myth. A fable. A legend like Atlantis. It's not real."

"Actually, you're right."

Thank goodness!

"Lemuria is very much like Atlantis. Both our continents slipped beneath the sea at about the same time, when the earth was undergoing a period of great geologic upheaval. Atlanteans chose to protect their world with a force field that allows them to live in total obscurity beneath the sea. Lemurians simply switched dimension and location. Our home now is inside the dormant volcano you call Mount Shasta, in a separate dimension sharing the volcano's s.p.a.ce."

He said it all so matter-of-factly, like it was no big deal that he couldn't possibly exist and there was no such thing as moving a whole civilization from one dimension to another. Mari blinked owlishly. How could he look so sane, so absolutely gorgeous, sitting there smiling at her as if she were some kind of idiot?

Then he raised his head and focused beyond her, toward the front of the shop. His smile slipped. He put a finger to his lips for silence and slowly withdrew his sword. The blade glowed with a soft blue aura.

Mari stared at the sword and then spun in her seat to look in the same direction as Darius. At first, everything seemed perfectly normal. Then she noticed the crack in the gla.s.s on the front door. A shadow hovered midway along the crack, a dark, oily-looking substance that slowly spilled through the crack, flowed to the floor, and formed into a solid black cloud.

It looked exactly like the thing that had burst out of the stray cat, only larger. Much larger, and getting bigger by the second. Another black shadow slipped through the cracked gla.s.s, followed by another. They joined the first and formed into a single thick, black cloud of oily-looking mist.

"Stay here," Darius whispered close to her ear. Then he slowly moved through the cluttered shop, slipping easily between the shelves and display racks with more grace than she'd expect a man his size would have.

He reached the roiling cloud of mist and swung his sword through the center. The thing burst into sparks with an earsplitting shriek. Mari covered her ears and cowered down into the cushions on the couch.

Darius struck the next wave of black mist, and then the next. He spun carefully as he wielded his sword with obvious skill, easily avoiding the cluttered shelves and display cases. Inhuman shrieks and earsplitting wails echoed off the walls, and the air reeked with the stench of sulfur as more of the silent wraiths oozed through the crack in the gla.s.s, directly into the deadly path of Darius's flashing blade.

Mari clutched the geode in one hand and a pillow to her chest with the other. She stared at the battle taking place in her mother's little shop and wondered just what in the h.e.l.l she'd gotten herself into now.

Darius stepped back from the door after destroying the last of the wraiths. No more seeped through the crack in the gla.s.s. He turned to Mari just as she stood up from the couch. She was obviously trembling, but in spite of her fear, she came closer.

Sniffing the air she tilted her head and looked up at him. He felt as if he were falling into the deep sapphire pools of her eyes.

"What is that horrible smell?" she asked. Her voice shook. "What were those things?"

She still clutched that odd stone in her hand as if it were a weapon of some sort. Darius thought it merely looked like a geode. They were common in Lemuria when crystals formed within cavities in volcanic rock, though he'd never seen one filled with rubies before. Never seen anything held by such a breathtakingly beautiful woman.

Blinking, he caught himself. Time to end such an unprofessional perusal of the one he'd just sworn to protect. Darius straightened and then nodded toward the door. "Those were demons, still in their mist form."

She shook her head. Taking a defensive stance, she folded her arms across her chest. "Demons? I don't think so. They don't exist. They're like fairy tales, aren't they?"

He c.o.c.ked one eyebrow. "Like Lemuria and Atlantis? Demons are every bit as real as I am."

She looked at him as though she still wasn't sure she believed he was real, either. How could he possibly convince her she might be in danger?

"Mari, demons have reopened the portal-a gateway-from Abyss to Earth. I didn't know how to close it but I contacted my sergeant before I left my post. Hopefully he's sealed it by now, but dozens of the creatures-maybe even hundreds-had already slipped through. More might have followed me. From what I know, demonkind can only exist as mist in Earth's dimension, unless they take on an avatar. That's usually something of the earth-ceramic or stone statues, carvings, that sort of thing."

Her head jerked up and her eyes went wide. "There was a rash of vandalism here a little over a week ago. All the little stone statues in front of the stores were destroyed." She shook her head. "No, it can't be."

"It can and it is, and it's getting worse. We've had reports of demons taking over animals in a place called Arizona. There's been quite a problem down there in the town of Sedona. Also north of here, in Oregon. And now your cat."

Shaking her head, she laughed. "You know what's really weird? I'm starting to believe you."

"Good. You need to, for your own safety. Now I want to try and repair that crack in the gla.s.s. I didn't think it was wide enough for demons to get through, but obviously I was wrong." He raised his sword and hoped like the nine h.e.l.ls he was doing this right. Roland had tried to explain how to call on the power within the blade. Darius had been afraid to try it on the portal to Abyss, but there was no one else he could ask to repair Mari's broken window. Nine h.e.l.ls, but he hoped this worked!

He concentrated on the blade and imagined it as a conduit for pure energy. The blade started glowing, exactly as he'd hoped. Slowly he ran the tip along the crack in the gla.s.s. Blinding light shot from the crystal-light and power. The gla.s.s melted and flowed until the edges sealed together. Darius carefully ran the sword from one end to the other, leaving a smooth, unmarked window behind.

Silently, he thanked the blade. It wasn't sentient yet so he didn't expect an answer, but he hoped the spirit within realized how much he appreciated the power of crystal.

Mari stared at the once broken gla.s.s. Then she looked up, shaking her head in obvious disbelief. "If I hadn't just seen that with my own eyes..."

He grinned. He couldn't help himself. He hadn't once thought of using the sword's power to impress a woman, but it was certainly an added benefit. "Then you finally believe me?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. This is way too weird for me." Then she looked at him and laughed. "Not for my mother and father. You're right up their alley, but I don't usually..."

Her voice trailed off and she blinked warily. "What now?"

Good question. He gazed around the store. "I would like to walk you to your home. I don't think it's going to be safe for you to go out alone right now. For some reason, the demons are drawn to either you or your shop. Until we know for sure what's happening, I don't think you should go out by yourself." He gazed around the store. "I would like to walk you to your home. I don't think it's going to be safe for you to go out alone right now. For some reason, the demons are drawn to either you or your shop. Until we know for sure what's happening, I don't think you should go out by yourself."

"But I live here, at least for now. Above the shop. And there's absolutely no way in h.e.l.l I'm going to stay at my parents' house." Her laugh sounded nervous. "My sanity's at stake here. I think I'll take demons anytime over a night with Mom and Dad."

Perfect. He nodded in agreement. "Then I will stay here with you. You have my protection for as long as you need it." He nodded in agreement. "Then I will stay here with you. You have my protection for as long as you need it."

Wide-eyed, she stared at him. "You? Here? But...where?"

He shrugged. "Wherever you go."

"I don't think that's really necessary, do you?"

He felt his sword pulse within his grasp and quickly turned. A black wraith hovered against the gla.s.s, just outside the door. It appeared to be testing the area he'd just repaired. Now how would it know there'd been a crack in the gla.s.s?

Unless the demons were somehow communicating.

Mari's voice had a decided quaver to it. "Is that another of those things?"

Darius nodded. "It is. Stand back." He opened the door and slashed his blade through the mist. It burst into sparks and the disgusting stench drifted into the shop before he had time to shut the door.

He couldn't help the small flare of satisfaction he felt when he sheathed his sword and smiled at Mari. "Okay. What now?"

She stood as if sh.e.l.l-shocked for a moment, staring at the closed door. Then she shook her head, a short, sharp jerk. "I need to close out the register and make the deposit. It'll only take a minute, but I have to walk to the bank. It's at the end of the block." She stared at the closed door, as if finally accepting the existence of the evil that waited outside.

"I'll go with you. You'll be safe." He crossed his arms and leaned against the door, guarding it. Protecting her.

Mari nodded her head and spun around. She set her geode on the counter, opened the cash register, and counted out the money. She pushed a few b.u.t.tons, printed out a strip of paper, compared her numbers, and shoved everything inside a small pouch.

Next she slipped the register drawer into a closet behind the counter and locked the door, picked up her geode, a leather bag, and the small pouch, and raised her chin. "Okay. I really would appreciate it if you went with me."

"I would not even consider allowing you to go alone." He opened the door and stepped aside.

Mari walked out, waited until he closed the door, and then locked it. The key stuck in the lock. She jiggled it for a moment, before finally pulling it free. Her soft yet very unladylike curse made him smile.

"This way." She started out at a brisk pace toward a lighted parking lot at the end of the block.

"You walk this alone at night? With currency?" Darius glanced from side to side, looking for danger. There were lights along the street, but the shadows were dark and the night very still.

"Evergreen's such a small town. We all know each other. I've always felt pretty safe here." She glanced over her shoulder and gave Darius a halfhearted shrug and a small, uncomfortable smile. "At least I have in the past."

Darius nodded. He'd always felt safe in Lemuria. Before. Now, though, things were changing, and not in a good way. Just as they were changing here in Evergreen.

Chapter 4.

Mari hated to admit how comforting it was to walk the short block to the bank with a big man like Darius following close behind. Her mother always made the deposit from the safety of her car on the drive home. Mari had been making this walk every night since she'd arrived in Evergreen, and while she hadn't been particularly afraid, she hadn't felt all that comfortable carrying money alone on a dark street, either.

With a bodyguard the size of Darius, she actually enjoyed the chance to stretch her legs. The night was fairly mild for October, and she'd not bothered with a jacket. Her plaid flannel shirt tucked into jeans was enough. She glanced at the big man beside her and wondered how he fared in his robe and sandals.

Any other man would look ridiculous in an outfit like his. Somehow, even though it looked like something a monk would wear, it was just right on Darius.

There was certainly nothing at all monkish about the man.

When they reached the bank, Darius stood off to one side with his powerful arms folded across that broad chest, carefully watching the parking lot and all the area around. Mari slipped the bag into the overnight deposit slot. "That's it," she said. "We can go back now."

Darius nodded, but again he scanned the surrounding area. When they headed down the street toward Crystal Dreams, he walked close beside her. His sword and scabbard were hidden once again, but there was no disguising an almost seven-foot-tall man in a flowing blue robe. She doubted anyone was out tonight who might notice him, but if he was going to hang around, she'd have to find something else for him to wear.

Her feet suddenly lost connection with her brain and Mari stumbled. Darius's strong hand wrapped around her arm as he steadied her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, pausing to catch both her breath and her balance. Well, c.r.a.p Well, c.r.a.p. He wasn't a figment of her imagination. He really was staying. Not only was he staying, she obviously wanted him to stay or she wouldn't be wondering how to find clothes big enough to fit him.

Her mind was still spinning when they reached the front of the shop. Mari dug the key out of her purse and stuck it in the lock. She jiggled the key, searching for the sweet spot. After a couple of aborted attempts to unlock the door, she flashed an apologetic grin at Darius. "One of these days, my mother really needs to get this fixed," she said, bending to the task again.

An eerie screech, a blast of ice-cold air, and the sense that she'd better duck fast had Mari hitting the deck as Darius spun around with his sword already in his hand.

Demons! From her crouch on the ground, Mari grabbed the geode out of her bag and swung it at the black wraith streaking through the air toward her. Her makeshift club pa.s.sed right through the mist, but for just a split second, she thought she saw an actual demon. The mist seemed to take on the appearance of something hideous, with a gaping mouth, too many teeth, and long, sharp talons, as it wrapped around the geode for a mere heartbeat during the course of Mari's swing.

Shrieking, the wraith shot straight up, hovered overhead, and then zeroed in on Mari again as she lunged to her feet. Her fingers slipped on the key. A blast of icy air streaked by and she raised the club to protect her face. The demon evaded Darius's swing and headed straight at Mari again. She spun out of the way, but it howled in defiance and left a burning slash along her forearm.

Thick, swirling black mist surrounded Darius, but the darkness was alight with flashes of sparks and bursts of blue flame. The stench of sulfur made Mari's eyes water, but she finally got the key turned and the door unlocked.

"Darius. It's open. Get inside! Hurry!" She slipped through the doorway and Darius followed close behind. Only a couple of demons made it through before Mari slammed the door shut.

Darius took care of them with a few quick slashes of his crystal blade, until all that remained was the eye-watering stench of dead demon. Blowing hard, he turned and leaned against the door, holding it closed against the threat outside.

"I thought you said they were just mist. That they needed an avatar to function." Mari set the geode down on a rack near the door and tilted her left arm up to the light. The long sleeve of her flannel shirt was shredded. Blood dripped from a nasty slash that ran from her wrist to her elbow.

Darius gaped at the wound. "Where did that come from?"

She shrugged and walked across the shop to the register, reached under the counter, and found a roll of paper towels. "From one of the demons. The d.a.m.ned thing came right at my face. When I raised my arm to protect my eyes, it felt like he slashed me with a razor."

Darius shook his head and gently steadied her arm by holding her hand and elbow. "This should not happen. They can't take corporeal form in this dimension. They are mist. Merely mist."

"Well, it was mist with really sharp claws, if you ask me." Mari dabbed at the cut with the towel. It wasn't deep but it hurt like the blazes.

"This is impossible." Darius kept shaking his head.

If her arm hadn't hurt so badly, Mari might have laughed. Nothing quite like a big guy in complete denial.

"Never," he said. "This can't be. My sergeant needs to know about this."

"How do you intend to tell him?" Mari wiped at the blood that continued to flow sluggishly down her arm.

"Telepathy, but first he has to be outside the portal. We can't cross dimensions with our thoughts. I've kept my mind open to him, but so far I haven't felt him."

She wasn't sure if it was the pain from the slash on her arm or just the evening in general, but a lot of what Darius said made absolutely no sense at all. "What, exactly, is this portal you're talking about? Where is it?"

"They're the gateways between your world and mine, between all worlds and Abyss. There's one that leads into Mount Shasta, powered by the energy vortex that..."

Oh s.h.i.t. Mari pressed the towel to her arm and raised her head. He looked at her with such guileless honesty, there was no disbelieving him. "You're saying the vortex is real, too?" Mari pressed the towel to her arm and raised her head. He looked at her with such guileless honesty, there was no disbelieving him. "You're saying the vortex is real, too?"

He frowned. "Is that a problem?"

For a brief moment, she wondered if he'd totally freak out if she started laughing hysterically. Instead, she slowly shook her head. "No. Not a problem. Not at all, if confirming every tall tale told by every nutcase in the area is actually true isn't a problem."

Darius grinned at her. "Maybe they're not such nutcases after all?"

"I'm not ready for this, Darius. I feel like I'm getting a major info overload here. Too much, too fast." Mari grabbed her geode, her purse, and the book she'd been reading earlier. "C'mon. I need to clean this cut and see how deep it is." She reached for the door to the stairs leading to her apartment.

"And then," she muttered, "I may have to call my mother and father and apologize."

Darius followed Mari up the dark, narrow staircase to her small apartment above the shop. He was sorry there were so few stairs and not very much light, as he quickly discovered there was something quite pleasant about following a woman with such a beautiful body.

She glanced over her shoulder, opened the door at the top of the stairs, and stepped into the dark room.