Demon Bait (Keeley Thomson) Read online

  He waited, since it was within her rights to insist he call her by her title. Even if she was way down the list of important Greater Demons so far, and he was right near the top. Still, he wasn't trying to kill her, and that had to count for something.

  "Sure. Keels will work too, if we're going to be friends. I can call you Tarsus?" That was a bit of rope for him to hang himself with. If he were going to be a jerk about it, he could request she call him The Librarian or some other title. To her surprise he actually went with that one, after a fashion. It was a strange one however. "Well, that, or you could call me grandpa?"

  There was no blinking for a moment and she didn't ask what he meant by that. It was, after all, a simple enough thing. Greater Demons didn't count the Humans in their lineage, not having any other kind of child than their own. Only the men could produce kids and only with Human women. That meant, since her father was Finias, that Tarsus was claiming to be his dad. Given the small numbers of their population, it was probably even true. If he wasn't that, he'd have been her second cousin or great uncle twice removed, no doubt. They were all related, and had to be.

  Which was why they didn't go in for family names too much.

  "That works. I'll probably stick with Tarsus however, since I don't want all the other Demons to make fun of me. So, my good spirit and easily manipulated ways made you think you could use me for some other project?" She was being a bit grumpy seeming about it, so smiled, knowing that it was probably a lot closer to what he was really thinking than not.

  "About that sort of thing. Not nearly as negative however. The good, they do not often live long, among our kind. Indeed, I doubt that you will make it much past a thousand years, unless you endeavor to change greatly. That... Isn't the only mark of worth, however." He winked at her, but it was playful and a little teasing, not smarmy. She would have figured him as botching that kind of thing, but there it was, clean and direct. "This is where I manipulate you... Or would have. Instead, I'll do what you asked and just give you the truth."

  Then he took a breath and looked around the very old place they stood in.

  "This used to be my home. About seven thousand years ago. It was just about the time that I introduced writing to Mesopotamia. I hadn't really thought humanity would be capable of learning it, you know. They can be surprising, at times."

  It was clear that he wanted to stall, for some reason, which meant, given everything, that she didn't really want that to happen, since there weren't a lot of reasons for that kind of thing and the fact of the matter was, a being as far above her as this one doing that probably meant something rather bad for her was in the works. He didn't shift or move, and no magic seemed to be activated either, but there were other ways to influence, or harm, a person.

  He spoke again, just as she was about to mention all that.

  "Really, we're back in time, in this frozen sliver of the world, at this moment. It was a more... Gentle time, I think, than the modern world, in many ways. Less so as well. In this time, where we stand, you and I, Keeley, we are not Greater Demons, but gods. It might seem a minor distinction, especially to the people around us outside that window, but trust me, it's one that went to the head of many, even if we should have all known better. If it ever comes up, remember that. Our kind, even the sane, can become drawn into the idea of our own powers and abilities. It never works well for us to be considered that way."

  She nodded. "I'll try to remember that, if it comes up. Not to be a pain, but you were just about to tell me your horrible idea, in which you pretend to need my help, but it turns out to be a trap or trick that will probably get me killed?"

  The other Grater Demon just smiled at her.

  "That does cut out most of the middle ground, if you put it that way. So, yes. The point is that I'm very old and over the last several thousand years, I've worked out a way to hold those four, The Rage, The Void, Helmsman and The Chaotic, in a space that I do not think even they will be able to escape from. No one could. The difficulty there is that, if I try to introduce them to this space myself, they may kill me, suspecting something. You however, may be able to grab each of them and enslave them, forcing them into place by their own hands. As you recently learned, you are not perfect at doing that and need to refine your skills. However, working together, I think we can manage this. If you do not do this... Well, I'll find some other way. Perhaps one less certain of success. Safer for you, however. If something isn't done however, given the current state of this world, and the rapid technological alterations made by the Humans, I do not think any of us will survive much longer. Perhaps a few hundred years? We need to remove these four from reality, if we're going to save it."

  She thought about that for a while, and just stood there, accessing the data she had about it all. They did seem to be legitimate threats, so this wasn't just Tarsus trying to use her to get at personal enemies or anything like that. Or, it really could be, since he was the one that had put those memories in place, but if so, it had been the plan the whole time. Which was, given who she was dealing with, possible.

  "You have a device or magic that will work for this?"

  The man smiled and looked around, trying not to give too much away, it seemed.

  "There are four books. Portals to a different scheme of things. One in which magic does not work. It simply doesn't function in the spot of the greater world. If they go there, they will be locked in place, made nearly Human, unable to come back, no matter how clever they are about it. They need to read the works, but the sense of power around them and my own handiwork, is too clearly marked on each page for any of them to be fooled that way. Trust me, if I could have just sent the things parcel post, it would already be done. So, will you aid me in this? I won't lie, you really will likely die. On the good side, knowing all of this you stand some small chance that you probably wouldn't have if you didn't. For instance, you don't have to nearly kill yourself failing at the Second Crucible."

  She shrugged. "So, you're going to be shocked when I pass that?"

  Tarsus, the Greater Demon and clearly a jerk, sighed.

  "I truly would be Keeley. Still, I'll give you a few tips, even if it's outside of the rules. The first one is to give most of the others what they want, so they won't feel a need to distrust you too much, while you angle into place with the others. You need to take The Rage first, for best results. The others will think that simply means you're strong, which might even help you be taken seriously."

  She could see that, given everything.

  "All right. Let's go into what I want then, in return."

  Tarsus faked a cough, but was polite about it, putting his arm over his mouth.

  "I think I already know that one. I... Have a fifth book. One for Xenses? I know it isn't death, but it makes so much more sense to do it this way. By taking them out of play yet alive, we don't have to worry over the return of their descendent."

  It was a bit of a shock to hear, since it wasn't the horrible fate she wanted him to have, but it was clear that the old Demon in front of her was correct. It really did make more sense. At least based on what she knew about the general idea.

  "Let's see about this then? Where do we start?"

  Tarsus, being who and what he was, actually had a plan.

  Chapter four

  Not, Keeley reflected as she was leaving, about ten minutes later, walking through the minefield of magic in the front yard, that she was going to live through that plan. It was, at best, a ten percent chance of survival. The thing there was almost funny however. That part, the fact that she wasn't nearly old enough or intimidating to anyone, was the main part of why it could, possibly, work.

  It was, she understood, why she'd been given the First Crucible years earlier than anyone else ever had been. Decades, in fact. That normally took place at about seventy to a hundred years old. That counting started from when the Baby Demon woke up, into their power too, not birth. She was, by that accounting, not even a year old, herself. So a true infant,
handed the mantle of being a full adult for some unknown reason.

  Yes, she'd still passed the test, and as far as she could tell it had been fair enough as to how it was done. Really, if anything Tarsus and the others had piled more crap on top of her than would be normal. That was to prove to everyone that she'd really earned it. Not that it made perfect sense. The insane ones wouldn't care and the good Greater Demons would believe it, as long as it had been done correctly the first time.

  Which meant what? After a few seconds, walking out of the front gate without looking back, Keels thought she understood. It had been, not about the others, but herself. They were forcing her to understand that, as unlikely as it had been and still was... As much as she needed to still learn and figure out about the world, Keeley actually and honestly was, within a limited scope, ready to face it. A bit of extra time to get ready wouldn't have hurt her feelings, but she had the basic skills down that she needed for life. She could walk the lines, shape change and work magic. Make deals and even keep herself fed. That she still needed to get a lot better in most of those areas, perhaps all of them, wasn't lost on her. Tarsus had said as much, hadn't he? She'd pretty much lived the last six months relying on her ability to make deals to protect her from the others, but if the four she was supposed to deal with were as powerful and insane as all that, just walking up to them and making a grab would be silly.

  Trying to trick them into a bargain or deal wasn't going to work either. That would leave them too much time to figure out how to get around what she was doing. Probably by killing her before she could act. So she needed to basically ambush them all, and do it so fast that they couldn't take her out. Also with enough protections on her that she could last through whatever their tricks were, when the time came. That meant doing a lot of preparation.

  While trying to handle the Second Crucible. Tarsus had let her in on what that was going to be, for her at least. Darla was going to be off in Europe, trying to do the same thing, only, as The Librarian had assured her, for real. It seemed that The Technician actually had a real shot at becoming one of their leaders, someday. Keeley did too, or she wouldn't have been given the chance she was. After all, while it wasn't likely, there was a tiny chance that she'd pass. If that happened, she'd be one of the ruling council. Of course, most of the Greater Demons failed to get it done, when their turn came. Older, wiser beings with a lot more real world experience. So, she wasn't going to bother to really try. That was the key, she guessed. On the good side, she'd probably get another chance in a few thousand years.

  The Second Crucible was a simple enough idea. There was a problem between a group of Greater Demons, and the person being tested simply had to go in and fix it. They could use anything they wanted to get that done. Bribes, tricks, threats, even stealing everyone's will and making them into slaves. If this had been real, that would have been her best chance, except that in this case, the three that were coming would all know that, and be looking out for it. That meant trying to just give them all what they wanted, while keeping them from trashing the town.

  Her town. Sparks.

  She stood still, the night sky an even and deep blue-black above her, twilight claiming it as she watched, the first stars just starting to show. A group of boys across the street called out to her in Greek, which after a second she understood. The language wasn't unknown to her, or at least was in the information she had.

  "We're heading to the bar, want to come?" It was bold, familiar, and the boy, who was a bit older than she was, seemed to understand that Keeley was an unknown to him. Just pretty enough to get his attention, was all.

  "I can't today... Maybe next time?" It never hurt to be polite, and the boy smiled and waved, as he and his friends moved along. It was strange being approached like that on the street, but they were doing it right, not making her feel trapped or cornered. Just asking if she wanted to come play with them. It probably worked on occasion, more often than wolf whistles at any rate. She fixed the boy's face in her memory, knowing that she wasn't likely to see him again. He lived in Tarsus's territory, and she wasn't planning to come back and hang out very often.

  Coming up with a payment to Tarsus for the boy was a bit much, considering they didn't even know each other.

  It took a moment to step onto the line from there, since there was interference from the wall and the shield that it formed, behind her. Not enough to truly mess her up, but the silver lands were empty when she looked in, and she was able to get back to the states a lot faster, knowing the way. She landed in the front room of her old house. Mainly because all her things were there, and she didn't have any place else to be off to for the evening.

  The house felt silent and a bit dusty, so she wiped everything down, in case her mother popped in to visit. Sherry had OCD and would feel a strong desire to clean the whole house if there was even a speck of dirt anywhere. Or, to be more honest, she'd feel a need to do it even if it sparkled, but could fight it if the place was kept up well enough. If Zack was smart he'd have her over to his place a few times a week for a "visit". That, of course probably was the case, since the Line Walker had flat out told her he was going to try and get Sherry into bed. That part was creepy, but she shut the thought down, because like it or not, her mother wasn't hers to worry over for the time being and a bit of consensual sex was far from the worst thing for her.

  If it happened, it would be that at least. Zack was a lot of things, but he refused to take slaves or force anyone to have sex. No, he'd work things around so you owed him things, which got him what he wanted for the most part, and he was charming, or at least cute enough to get women to like him. So there wasn't a lot of force involved in his life. Not directed from him toward others. Because of Xenses.

  The monster that was his father. Her brother, so Keeley could sort of understand what Zack was feeling there. Not that he owed the man anything, but that he wanted to survive, and didn't think he could do that by fighting with The Defiler head to head. That was probably even true. Still, putting him in a magical world through a book? That probably wouldn't hurt her nephew's feelings. Darla's either, if she explained it correctly. That part would be hard, however.

  Her sister wasn't out of control, but had been tortured by Xenses, raped, beaten and... Honestly, Keeley didn't know exactly what all The Defiler had done to her, but it was bad enough that hundreds of years later The Technician still wanted to kill him. Having seen from Zack what had been done to him as a child in the fourteen months or so that Xenses had him, it made sense that neither one of them would be all that thrilled about her new plan to simply remove him from their world. It was safer, and had a better chance of working, if Tarsus could be trusted, but...

  Could she do that? Trust a Greater Demon that she didn't know that well? It was pretty clear to her that someone had been getting the insane Greater Demons to play by some rules for a while, making things harder for her and her friends.

  Yes, that could be Helmsman, which was what she was supposed to be thinking, given that guidance and making people listen to her was that Demon's main ability. It was the kind of thought that made so much sense that it was simply correct, unless she was being fooled on purpose. Really, it came down to the idea that everything Helmsman said just seemed very reasonable. The problem there was, as with the rest of them, insanity. If she decided that stripping naked and rolling in the snow would be fun, everyone around her would love the idea. It wasn't slavery, since you could resist, but it was hard to do, and most of the time beings didn't know to even try.

  That gave her a lot of power in the world. Armies would march on her command and never realize it wasn't their own idea. Whole technological paradigms had been skipped over or ignored, simply because she didn't care for the way they looked.

  By all rights she should have been in control of them all, but Greater Demons, once they'd got the idea what was going on, had figured out tricks to get around her ability. It took work, but Keeley started on her own defenses, just sitting on the so
fa in the living room, which meant she was right there when a knock came from the front door.

  She could feel that it was Darla, now that she wasn't lost in thought. Someone pretending to be her, at the very least. The feeling was right, but she'd been fooled before often enough that she was planning to be careful. The meant opening the door however, which wasn't nearly as cautious as all that. Not doing it would be paranoid however. Unless it really wasn't her, in which case it was just good strategy.

  The very good looking blonde girl stood there dressed in a nice dark blue skirt and a white button up the front blouse that had short sleeves. It fit the temperature of the day. It was warm out, having gotten to about eighty. It was going to be more intense in a few weeks, but in early June things weren't that bad to tell the truth. It was warm enough to enjoy, without the humidity that would have made it uncomfortable for most people.

  "Keels. I thought that I'd pop in and make sure that you're eating? Have clean clothes and all that?" Darla seemed to be serious about it all, which got Keeley to shrug.

  "I need to go shopping for food soon. Tonight, probably. Other than that, I'm good. I... Um... I'm planning to move soon."

  That got her sister to come in, not waiting for more information, and shut the door behind her. That was probably due to the uncertainty in her voice, which was, she realized, not needed. She cut the emotion behind it, barely using a touch of power to get it done. Over time she was getting a little better about that sort of thing. It was clear that a lot of the older members of her family didn't waste nearly as much power on things as she did, day to day. That meant they didn't need to eat nearly as much, though she was, she realized, starving.