Lisa Shearin: The Trouble With Demons

I hadn’t seen any demons on the way here. Aside from a lot of heavily armed men, daily life and classes seemed to be business as usual. Word had to be getting around about the demon in the Quad, but as of yet, there was no terror in the streets. Then again, on an island full of magic users, seeing a demon might not be all that unusual. If we were lucky, people thought that a demonology grad student’s class project had escaped or something. The last thing the authorities on Mid needed right now were panicked citizens.

The possibility of an impending demon invasion did deflect some uncomfortable questions. Vegard told the chief watcher that I didn’t murder that elven mage. It was Vegard’s word and the word of his Guardians versus the groundless accusations of citizens with an overdeveloped mob mentality. My accusers had come out of hiding only after the fight was over; what they had seen was me confirming that the dead elven mage was indeed dead. It wasn’t my fault they mistook confirmation for carnage.

My being wrongly accused of murder wasn’t anyone’s biggest concern right now, and fortunately, neither was the other thing that I’d done.

I’d just taken out a demon in front of hundreds of people using a magical skill that obviously wasn’t mine. My enemies would think I’d used the Saghred. Actually, having them think that was better than what I’d really done. I was linked in some way with a goblin dark mage. To certain powerful and influential people on Mid, that was an even worse offense. It wouldn’t matter to them that I’d saved student lives. I’d be declared elven public enemy number one within the hour, if not sooner.

The purple demon was imprisoned in the wine bottle like an evil genie. The bottle was sitting in the middle of the floor in a jail cell so heavily warded it crackled. I wholeheartedly approved of the city watch’s security precautions; I didn’t think they were in the least bit excessive. I just hoped they held.

And I thought shopping and an attempt on my life would be the worst that could happen to me today. Though I shouldn’t complain, I wasn’t the one who’d had my throat ripped out. That dead mage was downstairs on a slab in the morgue. Some of the students were in the infirmary-a few had broken bones, but none had been killed. Katelyn Valerian was one of those in the infirmary. Considering that a demon had her neck in his claws, she was doing surprisingly well, though we’d almost had to drag Piaras from her side to come here.

We were sitting outside the corner office of Chief Watcher Sedge Rinker. Piaras sat on one side of me, Talon on the other.

The room was one big office area filled with the usual: desks, chairs, file cabinets, watchers, accused perpetrators, and plenty of noise. Cells lined one wall. Some had bars, some had wards, and some had both. If the city watch had gone to the trouble to apprehend someone on an island full of magic users, I guess they wanted to make sure they stayed put. One cell held a couple of students who looked as if they’d done something last night that’d sounded like a good idea after a few rounds. A few hours behind bars and killer hangovers were giving them second thoughts. The Guardians had captured four of the blue demons that had attacked that mage and then us. They were in a warded cell. The wards were thick, but not thick enough for me. The demons hadn’t taken their beady, yellow eyes off of the three of us since we’d arrived. With Piaras and Talon, I couldn’t tell what their interest was, but having demons interested in the boys was bad enough. I didn’t know anything about demonic facial expressions, but from what I could see, I think they were either afraid or in awe of me. I’d take either one, even though I knew it wasn’t me they were terrified or intimidated by. When I’d taken on their purple leader, they’d gotten a good whiff of the Saghred. I didn’t blame them one bit for being afraid-that damned rock scared me, too. But what Tam and I had done had scared me more.

I glanced at Piaras. Being escorted to headquarters by watchers and Guardians was yet another first for Piaras that was a direct result of knowing me. Most of the trouble I’d gotten into, Piaras had been sucked into right along with me.

Phaelan was still in Sedge Rinker’s office with Vegard. I had given my statement, then the boys had come in and told Sedge their part of the story. While they did, I’d stayed with them. For all intents and purposes, I was the closest thing Piaras had to family on the island. He was the grandson of my landlady back in Mermeia. I had lived in the apartment above her apothecary shop. Piaras was like the little brother I never had. And since Tam was the closest thing I had to a man in my life, I felt compelled to keep an eye out for Talon’s rights, too.

Not that Sedge Rinker was going to violate anyone’s rights. Sedge wasn’t just Mid’s chief watcher; he was also good people. He didn’t get to be chief by sitting behind a desk all day. He was a consummate professional, knew his business, and cared about the safety of his citizens. Sedge did tell me that before the elven mage’s fatal run-in with the demons, he had been the chairman of the college’s demonology department. I hoped one of those steps the department faculty was taking right now was finding themselves a leader who stood a better chance of survival than their recently deceased predecessor.

I sighed and slouched in my chair, crossing my legs at the ankles. I think even my bones were tired.

I glanced sidelong at Piaras. He’d been running a nervous hand through his dark curls, making them even more tousled than normal. Though if he stayed around me for much longer, he’d probably get some white hairs to go with the dark. Piaras was tall and lanky, and he didn’t quite know what to do with his height, so he had a tendency to slouch, which was about the only comfortable position in these torture devices that passed for chairs. I guess watchers didn’t care if accused criminals were comfortable or not.

“Sorry, sweetie,” I told him.

Piaras still looked straight ahead, but one corner of his lips curled upward, trying for a smile. “We’re making this a habit, aren’t we?”

He tried to sound casual, but I wasn’t buying. The kid had a death grip on the arms of the wooden chair he was sitting in. I didn’t think he even realized it. Probably his first time in a watcher station, along with being his first time latching on to a demon.

“No, I’m making this a habit,” I told him. “ You just keep coming along for the ride.”

His lips twitched again and his grip lightened. A little. “You’d think I’d know better by now.”

“Hey, at least this time we weren’t kidnapped, tied up, and blindfolded. The watchers asked us nicely and there were no handcuffs involved. And we’re not in a cell.”

Piaras almost grinned. “That is an improvement, isn’t it?”

“Damn right, it is.”

“So, how many times have you been arrested?” Talon piped up, his aqua eyes sparkling.

We both just looked at him. Piaras was normally the nonviolent sort, but was clearly entertaining thoughts about his new friend and spellsinging classmate.

“I’ve never been arrested,” I told him. I didn’t mention that the Benares family had the best lawyers in the seven kingdoms on retainer. That little benefit alone had kept my bacon out of the clink at least twice. Not that I had been guilty of anything; well, not exactly, but other people had thought otherwise. Kind of like today, my inner pessimist reminded me.

I told my inner pessimist to shut up. “You’re looking quite at home here,” I told Talon.

The goblin shrugged. “I’ve had a few unfortunate misunderstandings with watchers in my time.”