Holy Smokes
Page 5
“Have you ever wished you could hit a rewind button and start the day over?” I asked Paula as we trudged down the steps to the street, Uncle Damian having gone off to make sure the wedding planner people were simply storing the decorations and not throwing them out.
“Goodness, no! I don’t use those remote controls. They have so many confusing buttons. David knows how to use them. Don’t you, dear? How they expect people to remember what everything does is just beyond me. You shouldn’t have to be a rocket scientist to turn on Wheel of Fortune.”
I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, my heart lightening at the sight of the woman there. “Nora!”
Jim rushed to where my former mentor stood, her familiar warm brown eyes shining behind bright red glasses. I knew she didn’t want to have anything to do with me since I’d been proscribed, but I couldn’t keep from excusing myself and running over to her, enveloping the smaller woman in a big hug. “I’m so glad you came. I knew you said you weren’t able to, but…oh, Nora, I’m so glad to see you again. How are you? Pál said you found a new flat and were all settled in, but…well…”
“I shouldn’t be here,” she said softly, not meeting my eyes as she gently disengaged herself from my embrace. Jim, ordered to silence, rubbed its head on her leg. She patted the top of its furry head absently. “There would be all sorts of trouble if the Guild found out I’d come, but I thought I would just sit at the back. You look well.”
I bit my lip to keep the tears from forming again. Nora had been driven away from teaching me by the proscription, fearing a continued close association would lead to her powers being tainted by me. I’d known that couldn’t happen—the dark power was very clear it was me it wanted—but I respected her decision to leave, even though it had felt like I was losing my best friend.
“We’re OK. Did the Guild reinstate you?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” People streamed by us on the sidewalk, traffic doing likewise on the busy street. It was incredibly awkward standing there with her. I could tell by the way she wouldn’t meet my eyes that she was just as uncomfortable as I was. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, this is ridiculous. Paula, tell Rene I’ll be right there. I just want to have a word with my friend.”
I grabbed Nora’s arm to keep her from escaping and pulled her after me around to the side of the church, into a small yard area where the garbage cans were stored off the street. “Sorry, but there’s so much I want to say to you, so much that’s happened in the last month, but Drake told me not to stand around on the street in case Chuan Ren’s men were lurking about. Can we get together a little later? Maybe have a coffee or something? I’d really love to have a long talk with you.”
She took a step back, still looking at her hands. “I’m sorry, Aisling, that wouldn’t be prudent for either of us.”
I swallowed down a painful lump, nodding despite the fact that I wanted to yell and scream and generally have a good old-fashioned hissy fit. I was a professional, dammit. I might be proscribed, but I was a Guardian, and a wyvern’s mate, and a demon lord. And although it broke my heart to lose Nora as a friend, I’d do what it took to go on.
“I understand. It was nice seeing you. I miss talking to you.”
“As I do you.” She glanced up, meeting my gaze for a moment. I was shocked to see the sadness in her eyes. “I should be on my way. I just wanted to wish you well and offer my congrat—”
A wave of rust-colored bodies exploded from nowhere, most likely the alley that ran alongside the church, but wherever they came from, they had the element of surprise on their side.
“Good god, what the—Jim! Help!”
The small foxlike creatures leaped straight for me, knocking me back against the stone wall of the church. Jim, obeying my command, snarled silently and lunged at the nearest creature. “What the hell…what are these?” I yelled, frantically drawing a protection ward in front of me with one hand while trying to beat off the fox things with the other.
Nora didn’t hesitate, immediately going into full Guardian mode as she drew wards, her hands dancing in the air as she sent creature after creature back to Abaddon. “They are huli jing.”
Whatever they were, they had sharp little needle teeth that tore at the flesh of my hands as I flung them off me. My hands were slick with blood as Jim snatched as many as it could, shaking its head to snap their necks.
“Huli jing, huli jing. Let’s see, those are…” I dug through the information in my mind, trying to sort out the bit of information I needed. “Chinese fox spirits!”
“They are susceptible to fire,” Nora yelled as she waved a hand and chanted a quick spell that summoned up a fireball which wiped out a half dozen of the little spirits.
Automatically, I reached for Drake’s fire, but it wasn’t there.
Use me, the dark voice spoke into my head.
I ground my teeth and ignored it, flashing another binding ward on the nearest demon. The huli jing weren’t large, about the size of a large squirrel, but their bites hurt. “Dammit! Ow! Jim—thank you.”
Use me to end this.
“Over my dead body,” I swore under my breath.
Your death would serve no purpose. You must use your full powers, Aisling Grey. Show the world what you are capable of. Use me now.
Jim snarled and lunged as three huli jing went for my throat.
Inside me, the dark voice was teasing a response from me, an almost overwhelming need to use it. I knew how powerful it could be—just channeling it made me feel invincible, righteous, an instrument of justice.
You can do anything with me, Aisling Grey. You could rule Abaddon, rule the Otherworld. Your heart’s desire is within your grasp—all you need do is reach out and take it.
I grunted as a small herd of huli jing slammed into me, my hands flashing as I drew wards to protect myself. They glowed golden in the air for a moment before dissolving to nothing.
You could destroy them all with just a wave of your hand. Use me.
“Fire, Aisling, use the dragon fire,” Nora ordered, releasing another fireball as another wave of huli jing descended upon us.
“No!” I screamed, trying to shut the voice out of my mind, but it was useless. A person I could keep from my awareness, but not the dark voice, not while I was proscribed.
“Goodness, no! I don’t use those remote controls. They have so many confusing buttons. David knows how to use them. Don’t you, dear? How they expect people to remember what everything does is just beyond me. You shouldn’t have to be a rocket scientist to turn on Wheel of Fortune.”
I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, my heart lightening at the sight of the woman there. “Nora!”
Jim rushed to where my former mentor stood, her familiar warm brown eyes shining behind bright red glasses. I knew she didn’t want to have anything to do with me since I’d been proscribed, but I couldn’t keep from excusing myself and running over to her, enveloping the smaller woman in a big hug. “I’m so glad you came. I knew you said you weren’t able to, but…oh, Nora, I’m so glad to see you again. How are you? Pál said you found a new flat and were all settled in, but…well…”
“I shouldn’t be here,” she said softly, not meeting my eyes as she gently disengaged herself from my embrace. Jim, ordered to silence, rubbed its head on her leg. She patted the top of its furry head absently. “There would be all sorts of trouble if the Guild found out I’d come, but I thought I would just sit at the back. You look well.”
I bit my lip to keep the tears from forming again. Nora had been driven away from teaching me by the proscription, fearing a continued close association would lead to her powers being tainted by me. I’d known that couldn’t happen—the dark power was very clear it was me it wanted—but I respected her decision to leave, even though it had felt like I was losing my best friend.
“We’re OK. Did the Guild reinstate you?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” People streamed by us on the sidewalk, traffic doing likewise on the busy street. It was incredibly awkward standing there with her. I could tell by the way she wouldn’t meet my eyes that she was just as uncomfortable as I was. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, this is ridiculous. Paula, tell Rene I’ll be right there. I just want to have a word with my friend.”
I grabbed Nora’s arm to keep her from escaping and pulled her after me around to the side of the church, into a small yard area where the garbage cans were stored off the street. “Sorry, but there’s so much I want to say to you, so much that’s happened in the last month, but Drake told me not to stand around on the street in case Chuan Ren’s men were lurking about. Can we get together a little later? Maybe have a coffee or something? I’d really love to have a long talk with you.”
She took a step back, still looking at her hands. “I’m sorry, Aisling, that wouldn’t be prudent for either of us.”
I swallowed down a painful lump, nodding despite the fact that I wanted to yell and scream and generally have a good old-fashioned hissy fit. I was a professional, dammit. I might be proscribed, but I was a Guardian, and a wyvern’s mate, and a demon lord. And although it broke my heart to lose Nora as a friend, I’d do what it took to go on.
“I understand. It was nice seeing you. I miss talking to you.”
“As I do you.” She glanced up, meeting my gaze for a moment. I was shocked to see the sadness in her eyes. “I should be on my way. I just wanted to wish you well and offer my congrat—”
A wave of rust-colored bodies exploded from nowhere, most likely the alley that ran alongside the church, but wherever they came from, they had the element of surprise on their side.
“Good god, what the—Jim! Help!”
The small foxlike creatures leaped straight for me, knocking me back against the stone wall of the church. Jim, obeying my command, snarled silently and lunged at the nearest creature. “What the hell…what are these?” I yelled, frantically drawing a protection ward in front of me with one hand while trying to beat off the fox things with the other.
Nora didn’t hesitate, immediately going into full Guardian mode as she drew wards, her hands dancing in the air as she sent creature after creature back to Abaddon. “They are huli jing.”
Whatever they were, they had sharp little needle teeth that tore at the flesh of my hands as I flung them off me. My hands were slick with blood as Jim snatched as many as it could, shaking its head to snap their necks.
“Huli jing, huli jing. Let’s see, those are…” I dug through the information in my mind, trying to sort out the bit of information I needed. “Chinese fox spirits!”
“They are susceptible to fire,” Nora yelled as she waved a hand and chanted a quick spell that summoned up a fireball which wiped out a half dozen of the little spirits.
Automatically, I reached for Drake’s fire, but it wasn’t there.
Use me, the dark voice spoke into my head.
I ground my teeth and ignored it, flashing another binding ward on the nearest demon. The huli jing weren’t large, about the size of a large squirrel, but their bites hurt. “Dammit! Ow! Jim—thank you.”
Use me to end this.
“Over my dead body,” I swore under my breath.
Your death would serve no purpose. You must use your full powers, Aisling Grey. Show the world what you are capable of. Use me now.
Jim snarled and lunged as three huli jing went for my throat.
Inside me, the dark voice was teasing a response from me, an almost overwhelming need to use it. I knew how powerful it could be—just channeling it made me feel invincible, righteous, an instrument of justice.
You can do anything with me, Aisling Grey. You could rule Abaddon, rule the Otherworld. Your heart’s desire is within your grasp—all you need do is reach out and take it.
I grunted as a small herd of huli jing slammed into me, my hands flashing as I drew wards to protect myself. They glowed golden in the air for a moment before dissolving to nothing.
You could destroy them all with just a wave of your hand. Use me.
“Fire, Aisling, use the dragon fire,” Nora ordered, releasing another fireball as another wave of huli jing descended upon us.
“No!” I screamed, trying to shut the voice out of my mind, but it was useless. A person I could keep from my awareness, but not the dark voice, not while I was proscribed.
