Kim Harrison - The Witch with No Name

Sure enough, the surface demon was there among the sparse grass and sunbaked dirt that existed this far out from the city center. It howled soundlessly at the sun, clearly not happy to have been forced back. Hissing, it turned to Al and myself, and I dropped my second sight to become invisible to it. “Holy crap on Velveeta toast,” I whispered, shaken as I imagined this happening everywhere as the sun slowly crept across the surface of the world.

“Just so,” Al said, a hint of what might be sympathy in his voice. Shaking, I felt my way around the table to settle in the second wire chair. There were going to be lots of unhappy vampires. I had a feeling that I wasn’t going to get to muck out the church with Jenks and Ivy today. This was bad. If the vampires had been ticked at me before, they’d be doubly so now, blaming me for the elven failure since Landon had set me up to take it.

“That is what happens when you try to tweak a well-crafted curse,” Al said, flipping his hat. “It’s always better to start from scratch than mend flaws created by a modification.”

“What about the vampires who found their souls last night?” I asked.

“They are soulless again,” he said, attention distant as he flipped his hat to land squarely on his head. “The long undead will be most unhappy that their headlong rush to their demise has been interrupted. I predict that by noon, the elves will be spelling to bring their souls back again. They want the old undead gone, and this is the easiest way to do it.” He set his hat on the table between us. “But you already knew that,” he said, voice low. “Killing them with a kindness. Perhaps elves are more like us than they wish to admit . . .”

I rubbed my forehead. The sun was barely up and I was tired already. I needed to call Ivy. “This isn’t my problem.”

“Of course not.” Al stood and brushed at his coat, watching the way the sun hit the fibers. “There’s a way to save them, the undead I mean.”

I looked up, hesitating when I realized some of the threads in his suit sparkled. “How?”

He twirled his hat, running it down his arm, across his back, and down to his free hand where he caught it and jauntily placed it on his head. “If you break the path between the two worlds—”

“I’m not going to destroy the ever-after. It will be the end of all magic,” I interrupted.

“Why not?” He eyed me speculatively. “You’ve seen Cincinnati without her undead. You can end it all right here. Break the lines and no one goes in or out. You might learn to like living without magic. It may be the only way to survive us coming home.”

He meant the demons, and my arm dropped, chilled against the cold metal. “Why are you concerned about Cincinnati or the vampires?”

“I’m not. I simply don’t want to go back.” He turned to me. “Ever.”

If he was proposing an end to magic, it was a good bet he had a way to fix it. “Then maybe you should try playing by our rules.”

“Maybe we already are,” he shot back.

“Right.” Mistrusting this, I leaned back in my chair, tugging my robe closed when it threatened to fall open. “So I break the lines to keep surface demons out and you here. Everyone is mad at me.” I hesitated as he beamed at me. “Except the demons, who set themselves up as king.”

“That’s about it.”

“You do it. I don’t have time to learn a new life skill,” I said, and he put a hand atop the table, leaning over me with his breath smelling of Brimstone.

“You are the only one with mystics in her.” He took a breath. “Rachel.”

I put a finger on his chest and backed him up. “So now mystics are a good thing?”

“Does it feel like a good thing?”

The birds were getting noisy, and I shook my head. It didn’t feel good. Not at all. “I didn’t ask for this,” I said, and Al looked toward the house.

“Be careful what you wish for,” he said, and I watched as a sheet of ever-after fell over him, clothing him back in his usual green crushed-velvet coat and top hat. His shoulders broadened, and his middle became thicker, more muscular.

“Because you might get it,” I finished, wondering why he’d changed until Ellasbeth’s voice rose in distress. Great, they were coming out here, and I tugged my robe closer. “Be nice,” I warned Al, and he gave me an innocent look.

Oh God, it wasn’t just Trent, but Ellasbeth and the girls, too. Lucy made a shrill demand when she spotted Al, thumping her fists into the door to be let out.

“Rachel didn’t charm you,” Trent said as the door opened and Lucy darted out before he saw Al and me waiting. “You simply fell asleep.”

“Trenton!” Ellasbeth shrieked, panicking as Lucy ran to Al.

“Allie, Allie, Allie!” the little girl cried, flinging herself at the demon’s knees. Al winced, hastily covering his crotch as she flung her doll around. Ray was no less captivated, watching Al from Trent’s hip, her evaluating eyes never looking away.

“Get her away from him!” Ellasbeth demanded, frozen at the door as she wanted to both fly at him and run back in the house.

“Good morning, Ellasbeth,” I said, and she looked at me, horrified and hyperventilating as I calmly sat at the table.

“Ellasbeth,” Al purred, delighting in the fear he’d instilled as he sat down and took Lucy onto his lap. “How nice to see you.”

“Trent! Get her!” she screamed again, and Trent sighed, waving Quen and Jon back from the window. “Get him out of here!”

I stood, uncomfortable in my robe all of a sudden. “He wanted to show me what happened to unbound souls when the sun came up.”

Trent’s eyes lit up. “And?” he prompted. Ray was beginning to wiggle to get down and get a closer look at the pink and purple flying horses that Al was making, each one coming from his cupped hands to Lucy’s delight.

I couldn’t stop my grimace. “We’re both going to have a very busy day.”

Ellasbeth was clinging to Trent’s elbow, her face red and her fear obvious. “Surprise!” Lucy shouted as Al opened his hands and another horse neighed and leapt into the air. Giving me a tired look, Trent set Ray down, and the little girl toddled forward. I gentled her to me so Ellasbeth wouldn’t pass out, and Ray leaned against my legs, watching Al and her sister.

“Get them away from him!” Ellasbeth demanded, and Trent took her elbow.

“The girls are safe. It’s you I can’t vouch for,” he said, and Ellasbeth jerked her eyes from the children, her face red.

Al straightened as he let three horses go and Lucy ran after them, giggling. “I no longer steal people,” he said as if insulted. “Haven’t you heard?”

“Seriously?” I said, and he raised his hand, tilting it back and forth to say more or less.

Ellasbeth glared at Trent, refusing to go in even as his hand on her back began to look forceful. “You aren’t believing this, are you?” she said.

I was having a hard time believing it, too, but I wasn’t worried when Ray stood wobbling before Al, captivated by the horse charm. Her little hand went to his knee for balance, and Al froze, emotion cascading through him so fast I couldn’t recognize anything but its depth.

“Why are you even here?” Ellasbeth exclaimed.

“Many reasons.” Al was staring at Ray’s hand, and I held my breath as he wiggled a finger under her palm and she gripped it, smiling up at him with her one-toothed smile.

Emotion hit me as Ray’s carefully given but ultimate trust smacked Al like a ton of bricks. That fast it happened, and I knew he’d move heaven and earth for her now. Ray may have saved us all.

Lump in my throat, I turned. I didn’t want him to know I’d seen, and if I stayed, I’d start to cry. “Ah, I’m sorry,” I said, looking around as if my purse and coat were out here. “I have to go take a shower. Al, thank you for the information.”