covencraft 04 - dry spells (11 page)

Thinking about contacting Seth, Jade recalled a passage in Sakkara’s grimoires. A passage about how to talk to demons when you didn’t want to make a deal. It seemed there was a sort of protocol, or etiquette. Seth had told Jade if she wanted to call him, all she had to do was say his name, with intent, and he would arrive. However, reading through demon magic spells, Jade learned demons were very precise - much more so than their human counterparts. She’d feared it couldn’t be that simple and she’d been right. Reading over Sakkara’s intricately scripted handwriting, Jade had never been so glad for not only her memory, but her general distrust of…well, everything.

Tucking the book under her arm, Jade made her way to the kitchen and pulled out two wine glasses and set them down in front of the pantry. She kept her spell ingredients in a combination of places, one of them being in a fishing tackle box she’d found at Home Depot. Paris had rolled his eyes at her when he’d seen it, indicating they could go to the magic shop and get her proper storage: a wooden box of some kind, usually with protection runes engraved. She could pick anything she liked, he claimed. But he couldn’t argue when he’d seen how well organized her tackle box was: multi-tiered shelves, small compartments with lids, all her things nicely split apart. The herbs and spices she used regularly for cooking were out and about in her kitchen, but the ones she used only for spell work were tucked away in her tackle box.

She took out a plain white candle and a pinch of barley, placing both the candle and the small bubbles of barley on the floor. She took a small bit of bergamot as well and then grabbed the basil from her countertop. Three items, all starting with the same letter, should be good protection. She grabbed the half open bottle of red wine from the counter, frowning when she saw how close to empty it was. Jeez, she really should have just polished that off. Jade shrugged. Oh well, it would have to do. She poured the contents into one of the wine glasses, leaving the other empty.

Taking a deep breath, she sat down in front of the pantry and opened the door. It felt pretty anticlimactic to only be faced with the darkened shelves inside: some boxes of cereal and crackers, an opened box of macaroni and a jar of sauce. So innocuous. No doubt anything in there had been irrevocably tainted by the nature of her pantry being a demon portal, or so she guessed. It wasn’t like Jade was going to find out. She rotated her neck, hearing it crack gratifyingly and then squared her shoulders.

“Seth,” she called. She kept her voice low, figuring there was no need to shout. She was right. The air immediately shimmered in the strange, heat wave way it did when Seth was about to arrive. She blinked, feeling like she couldn’t see properly, the items on the shelves going wavy and blurry. Suddenly, Seth was standing there. Jade had to look up to see him.

“Possum. How good of you to call.”

Jade thought her hands would shake, but they remained relatively calm as she wordlessly held up the half-full glass of wine in front of Seth. He raised one eyebrow at her, intrigued. She held up the second, empty glass, and then poured half the contents of the first into the second, setting the second down on the ground, just barely on her side of the pantry. With a deep breath, she placed her fingers on the base of the glass and pushed it, slipping onto Seth’s side. She felt the moment her fingers crossed the portal, a slightly painful tingling sensation spreading across the surface area of her skin. She held Seth’s eyes, removing her fingers slowly and then sitting back up. She held her own glass up and tipped it toward him before taking a sip, and then pouring the rest of it on the ground in front of her. Seth sat down, mirroring her cross-legged position and wordlessly took the glass she offered, also taking a sip. He grimaced slightly, but remained silent, tipping his glass up and spilling the rest out.

Ritual almost complete.

“Just a friendly chat? No deals today?”

“Just a friendly chat. No deals today,” she repeated, echoing his words. The ritual wasn’t complete until they’d had one exchange of words, with her repeating exactly what he said.

He smiled, his dark eyes glittering. “Well done, Possum, well done!” he exclaimed. “Although…” Her shoulders tensed, waiting for his next words. “If you paid more than seven dollars for that wine, I’ll eat the glass it came in.”

She laughed. She hadn’t expected to and they were both surprised by it. Seth’s eyebrows went high against his forehead.

“If it’s wet and it’s red, I’ll drink it.”

“Shocking. Next time, perhaps a merlot would be better. Your Grenache is a bit plebeian.” Seth clapped his hands, the sound loud and shocking in the quiet, dark kitchen. “Oh, Possum. I’d hoped you would contact me and I must say, I was torn as to whether or not you’d do it correctly. I don’t know if I’m pleased or disappointed.”

Jade wished she had more wine. She felt in need of liquid courage. She stared forlornly at the amount she’d poured out on the ground. Minuscule, but maybe it would have calmed her nerves.

“Sakkara,” Jade said, getting to the heart of matter.

“Ah yes, Mommy Dearest. What a surprise. For you at least.”

“You knew?” In the past, Jade had been very careful as to what she asked, said or demanded of Seth. Even before she’d known of dealing with demons, her innate sense of self-preservation kept her wary and circumspect. But tonight, having successfully completed the appropriate ritual, she hoped she could ask what she wanted from Seth without fear of recompense. Ironically, she’d read the details from Sakkara’s grimoires. The ritual she and Seth had just gone through was to protect Jade from committing to any kind of demon deal without her knowledge or consent and also bound Seth to be honest and forthcoming. To a point.

Seth held up his hand and wavered in a so-so motion. “Knowing is such a loaded word. I had… a notion you’d be seeing her.”

Jade tapped a finger against her knee. “When I was dreaming of Lily, you said you couldn’t tell me who was pushing me, pushing my brain, because it involved a demon deal. And you’re not allowed to talk about demon deals that aren’t your own. Correct?”

“Yes and yes.”

“And it ended up being Sakkara pushing me. Pushing me to remember Lily. Pushing me to split from Lily. Because she needs the both of us.”

“Hmm.” Seth didn’t move, only making the low sound from his throat. It made Jade’s ears hurt.

“So, then, Sakkara must have a deal involving me. Or you’d have been able to tell me more about it.”

“You know I can’t tell you about other deals,” Seth replied, almost too carefully.

“That’s a yes, then,” Jade replied. “Because if there was no deal involved, you’d be able to tell me.”

“Is that proof by contradiction? When you suppose something is true and find a paradox so it must be false? If Sakkara didn’t have a demon deal involving you, I would tell you no. Since I don’t, she must have one?”

Jade paused, running over what Seth said in her head. She thought it was what she meant. “Yes?” she asked, her voice rising at the end like a question.

Seth smiled, small dimples appearing on either side of the corner of his lips. She’d never been so close to him before. She’d always been across the kitchen, standing away from the pantry. Now, here she was, sitting inches from him, only the barrier of the portal between them. Her immediate thought upon seeing him for the first time was that he was beautiful. He still was. Horribly beautiful.

“I’ll give you this one. You are correct, dear Possum. Sakkara has a demon deal. Involving you.”

“Are you able to discuss defunct demon deals?” Jade asked.

Again, Seth made a so-so motion with his hand. “Depends on the deal. However.” He leaned in a bit closer, looking at her intently. “If the object of the deal, or intent of the deal is still active, then no.”

“Sakkara’s deal is still active, then.”

“I could not, or rather, can not say, either way,” Seth said pointedly, examining his fingertips as though he were in need of a manicure.

“I’m guessing she doesn’t want me dead,” Jade said, musing out loud. “Because then I’d be useless.”

“It’s difficult to get chores and favors done by the dead,” Seth agreed. He grinned at her. “Difficult, but not impossible. Necromancy can be very ugly.”

“But, somehow, she’s still got fingers in my pie,” Jade replied and then wrinkled her nose at her own description.

Seth tossed his head back and laughed. “Oh my, Possum, you do say the most wonderful things. Yes. Sakkara’s fingers are all over your pie, although not entirely in a way I’d wish to watch.”

Jade made a vomiting sound, leaning over and pretending to gag. Seth laughed again and then made a come hither gesture with his fingertips. “Come on, what else have you got for questions?”

“Sakkara’s errand. Getting something from Medusa.” Jade winced. “Some piece of somebody dead. Do you know what piece it is?”

“Yes.”

Jade waited for Seth to elaborate. He didn’t. “Well? What is it?”

“I could tell you, but it’s so much more fun watching your brain try to noodle out exactly what part it is.” His eyebrows waggled.

“Ew.” She shook her hands slightly, as though ridding them of a wet, slimy substance. “It’s totally something dirty, isn’t it?”

“I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

“Ugh, I hate you.”

“You do, but in a sort of ‘he’s so lovable way,’ I think.”

Jade rolled her eyes. “Moving on. How hard is this errand going to be?”

“Are you considering it?” Seth ran his finger over the rim of his wine goblet, the friction making the glass ring.

Jade shrugged one shoulder. “I might. I don’t know. Maybe there could be something in it for me.”

“Like what?”

“Like maybe Sakkara would teach me some demon magic.”

“Dear Possum, if you want lessons, all you have to do is ask.”

Jade leveled him with a look. “And sell my soul along with them, I’m sure.”

“Arrangements could be made. I’d make them for you.”

“I’m sure the terms would be very favorable toward you.”

“You think Sakkara’s won’t?” Seth countered. “Do you think she’s any more trustworthy than I am? A woman who made a demon deal, pretended to be dead and then came back, only to split your brain in two and ask a favor?”

Well, when he put it like that! “Going back to the original question. How hard do you think this errand is?”

“It depends on a few things.”

“Like?” Jade prompted, rolling her hand in a ‘go on’ motion.

“Like how do you even find where Medusa is in the first place?”

Jade frowned. “I… well, I kind of thought Sakkara must know.”

Seth shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. Last I heard, Medusa was over here, on this side.” Seth made a pointing motion to the ground on which he sat. The demon dimension. Of which Jade knew precisely squat. Sakkara’s books were heavy on the demon magic and demon dealings, but Jade had read zilch on the actual homeland of demons.

“She implies I can learn things over there.”

“A deer can learn not to be shot by an arrow, but it usually involves said deer being shot first. This side is a dangerous teacher.”

Jade swallowed. “Do you think I can survive over there?” Jade asked. Jesus, was she really considering this? She didn’t know. She did know she wanted more information. More information was always better.

“Surviving is probably exactly the right word for it.”

“What do you mean?”

“If we’re going to have this long of a conversation, I’m going to need more wine. Even if it’s your plebeian Grenache.”

Jade sighed in annoyance. She was actually getting somewhere with Seth. The thought both thrilled and terrified her. Thrilled her because he must know so much. He would know all kinds of spells and hexes. He could teach her things, things she could use to make sure no one ever hurt her again. But it terrified her because he was probably reeling her in like a fish on a long, long line. He dangled knowledge and information as a lure like bright, shiny pieces of tin, and she couldn’t wait to chomp her teeth around them. She scooted backward on her butt to one of the cupboards near the sink. Without taking her eyes off Seth, she reached in and grabbed another bottle of wine and then butt-scooched back to where she was, cracking it open.

“Oh, Possum. Screw top?” Seth gave her a pitying look. “I weep for you.”

“Weep even more when I tell you I got it because it was buy six and get ten percent off.”

Seth clutched at his chest like he was having a heart attack. “You couldn’t possibly have gotten that from a sommelier.”

“Nope,” Jade said, removing the cap and pouring herself a full glass of red wine. “Grocery store chain.”

It was Seth’s turn to make a fake gagging sound and his eyes sharpened as Jade leaned forward, placing the bottle just shy of the barrier. With her pointer finger, she nudged it over the boundary, making the bottle wobble with the force of her push. Seth waited until she snatched her hand back before reaching out and taking the bottle. Looking at the label, he winced, sighed and then poured himself a glass. He pushed it back over to her side and she flinched. She hadn’t expected it back.

“Next one’s on me, pinkie swear,” Seth said, holding up his little finger. It had a long, curved black claw at the end, the tip of which glimmered in the dim light. He waggled his little finger, waiting for her to raise her own, she supposed. When she didn’t, he put his down with a sigh. “So. Survival on this side. What’s it mean to you?” He took a sip of his wine and grimaced. “Perhaps this one should have been on me.” He shuddered. “You have the worst taste in wine. But I digress. The laws of physics are not the same on my side.”

Jade narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”

Seth shrugged. “I’m hardly a physicist. I can’t tell you exactly what laws don’t function over here, only that most of them are different. Time is different. Space is different. Biology is different.”

“Is time longer?” Jade asked, latching onto the first thing he said. Maybe she could break down what he said, piece by piece.

He shrugged. “Longer, shorter, not the same. It’s all wibbly wobbly.”

“If I go over there and spend three days, how long is that here? Or there? Or either?”