Angelus Mortis: A Darkling Tale Chapter 1 Three billion people live on our planet; humans of all kinds, shape, and sizes. They work their jobs and don’t think twice about who they are working next to. In our world there are more than just the humans here, there are others as well. Others such as vampires and weres; shape shifters and witches. For every 10 humans that walk the planet there is one supernatural or preternatural being that walks with them. There are other creatures that watch over the ones that are bound to earth. The Death reapers are one such group. They are creatures that collect the souls of the humans and supernaturals when they pass on. But the ones to truly worry about are those that hide in the shadows.
Creatures of such evil that even the death reapers will not come near them. The demons live a world that is below our own. Hell, purgatory, hades, Dante’s inferno…whatever you want to call it. It is all the same…it is the Demon’s realm and they are itching to leave it. There are humans and witches that can summon them to the surface, bringing with them the evil that will begin to seep into the very souls of those that do so. What is the true price for releasing such creatures, what is the true strength of a bound demon? None who live can tell for they are bound through spells to never tell a soul. If a summoner should ever break this covenant then they forfeit their souls to the one they have summoned.
The demons have sought out those that can release them, but even the demons have an honor system if one can call it that. They punish those that disobey the laws of the clans, binding them to earth without their true power. This tends to anger them, and so that brings us back to the truth of the matter, there are places in every city where the demons and others gather. A world below the world, a hidden city of black magick and dark dealings. But though it is there, humans are blind to such places. Others have yet to come out of the proverbial broom closet, and it does not look like it will be happening any time soon. The humans are not ready for the world they do not understand. And when this peace is threatened because someone has decided that they want power and to release all the big bad uglies from the underworld, I am drawn into it.
I am Emily de la Muerte, a simple darkling…a mix of death reaper and elemental witch and well this is my story…
~~~~~~~~~~~ October 17 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I moved through the halls of my small three bedroom house. I was trying to get ready for a dinner date with a few of my friends. They were visiting before they had to head back to their every day jobs. I was lucky enough to be self-employed, though it was a pain at times when I didn’t get the clientele that I needed to make the bills on my office and home. I slipped into my bedroom and pulled open the closet, standing there debating on what I should wear or not wear. My clothing was seriously lacking the sophistication that most of my friends’ have, but I was happy. I grabbed out a dress that was decent enough, I think I had bought it for a date that well fell through when the guy found out that I was a witch and not one of the fae clan. Or maybe it was because my half-brother decided to drop in at that moment and scare the poor guy nearly to death.
You see I am not like your normal witches that can work with ley lines or the elements. No my mother couldn’t marry a normal witch or a human…she had to fall in love with a death reaper. Oh and did I mention that my daddy-dearest is also the leader of said reapers? Well he is so that inadvertently made me related to Death. And that comes to the annoyance that is my half-brother and his habit of dropping in unannounced when I am dating. No guy wants to find out that he is dating someone with relations to one of the reaper clans. It kinda puts a major damper on all things romantic. So yup… the dress was put to absolutely no use that night. Might as well get some use from it by going out with my girlfriends. I tossed it on the bed and hunted further back in the closet for the shoes that matched the dress, frowning a bit as I didn’t find them.
“What did I do with those blasted shoes?” I asked myself out loud.
I nearly jumped when a voice answered, “Threw them at my head if I remember correctly”
I growled as I moved to my feet and glared at my brother, “And missed too” I said with my hands on my hips, “What the hell are you doing in my house? I placed seals up to keep you out of here!”
I was ticked off; not just because he was there, but because he was…oh who was I kidding it was all because he was there. I stalked past him, sending a glare at him as I did so. I slipped into the bathroom and turned the shower on, causing the bathroom to steam up near instantly. I moved back into the bedroom and growled as he held up the shoes in question. I did not want to know where he found them; instead I just stormed over to him and snatched them out of his hand before pushing him towards the door and locking him outside of my bedroom. I let out a breath and headed to the shower and hopping in. I knew he would not leave until he wanted to, but hopefully he would stay out of my most private of sanctuaries until I was completely dressed. The shower took only a few minutes, and as I was drying off my hair I could hear him in my room messing with my personal belongings.
I shouted through the door, “Get out of my stuff before I curse you to the underworlds and never release you!”
“Little sister relax” he said with a chuckle, “I am here merely to pass on a message from father is all.”
“I don’t care… “I said not wanting to hear anything from the man I did not consider my father. He was merely a sperm donor in my eyes.
Death let out a breath, “No choice… he was quite adamant that I deliver this message to you” he responded.
I stalked out of the bathroom, my robe on over my damp body, “I told you… I don’t care” I told him again as I pushed him off my dress that he had sat on when he sat on the foot of my bed.
I walked back into the bathroom to get dressed, knowing he wouldn’t budge, “Besides that man is not my father. He is nothing more than a sperm donor that knocked my mother up”
Death winced and sighed, “Why can’t you understand?” he asked me as I poked my head back out of the bathroom.
“Understand what exactly? That he left my mother when I was barely a babe? That he hasn’t bothered to even reconnect with her except a few times out of the year?” I demanded after sticking my head back into the bathroom and finished putting the dress on.
I moved back out into the bedroom and over to where my jewelry box sat on my dresser, opening it up and looking at my half-brother’s face in the tiny mirror as he spoke, “He is the leader of my kind. He cannot just up and leave when he feels like it. Chaos would ensue” he said with a heavy sigh.
I furrowed my brow as I turned to face him, seeing a heavy wariness there, “Okay what is wrong? You are never this serious. You are either trying to annoy me or scaring off my potential boyfriends” I said.
“That…is what the message is about… well part of it anyways” he told me, “Something is not right in Darkfalls City. The souls are restless and father does not like it. He feels that you might be in danger for what you are…after all you are the most powerful of your kind…of the Darklings.”
I sat on the bed next to him to put my shoes on, but also to offer my support, “What is he feeling?”
“Just…darkness, an unsettling feeling here” he answered and moved to stand up and pace, “I can’t explain it, but I feel it as well and …” he let out another sigh before running his fingers through his dark hair, “…I cannot help but feel that…that I will be collecting your soul soon”
I watched him do a few circuits around my small bedroom as I put on my shoes, frowning further, “Death look at me” I said suddenly, hoping he would stop pacing, “I am not planning on kicking the bucket any time soon. Especially since my business just got off the ground.”
Death paused and turned to look at me, “Constanza, please I know you don’t hold much faith in our father for what he did. But please take his words to heart. I could never collect your soul, but if it came down to it I would no matter how much it would break me”
I saw the seriousness in his eyes and moved slowly to stand in front of him. I was afraid if I moved too quickly he would run and I would not see him for a long time. He may annoy me, but he was still the only part of my family that I tolerated. I pulled him into my arms, feeling him wrapping his own strong arms around my back and holding me as if I was about to run or disappear. It was then that I realized that he was crying out of fear of me losing my life and soul. I held him gently, soothing his hair down with my hand before moving to push him back just slightly so I could look into his eyes. It was a curse and a gift to be as tall as I was, but still compared to my brother I was short so I had to look up to him.
“I am not planning on dying,” I told him, placing confidence into my words, “I will take Xavier’s words into consideration, but I will not hide in fear of the unknown. Not now, not ever.”
Death released me and stepped back, pulling out a box and handing it to me from his pocket, “I know sis. Wear this, it should offer some protection…at least from anyone using any kind of scrying to find you. But without knowing what is hunting you I cannot help any further”
I took the box and opened it. Inside was a clear crystal and incased within the crystal was tiny bud of some kind of flower, “Brother? What is inside?” I asked, curious now.
“Something from the realm of the reapers.” Was all he told me before stepping forward and kissing my forehead gently, “Be safe little sister” he then vanished, leaving me alone in my bedroom.
I held the crystal in my hand for a few moments longer then sighed as I put it on around my neck. This night just got stranger, not to mention now because of my dear brother I was about to be late for my date with my girlfriends. I rushed to grab my handbag, tossing inside it my phone, keys, money and other items including a can of mace and another of a specialized mixture I came up with to fend off the big bad uglies. I left my bedroom and headed to the living room, pausing to grab my leather coat and then out the door. I debated on the jeep or my little passenger car that my mother got me for my birthday years ago. I felt the chilled wind creep up my back and decided on the jeep. At least the heater worked in it and if there was any slick roads to contend with I would be safer in it than my little car.
After getting into the car and leaving the house I headed down Eustice Street using a well known route that would lead to the bar where I usually meet up with my girlfriends to talk and just enjoy their company. After about twenty minutes of driving over the posted limit I finally reached the bar, Haunted Memories. I parked and got out of the jeep taking in the different vehicles already there and finally spotting two that I recognized. Well at least two of my girlfriends were there, though that didn’t mean that more didn’t show up either by foot, cab, or one of our other friends. I headed for the door, slipping inside and past the bouncer. I recognized him as someone new, he gave me the once over and must of realized I wasn’t going to be trouble. Though what he didn’t know wouldn’t kill him… only hurt him a lot.
I pasted a smile on my face as I headed for the table near the back by the stage that was occupied by not only three of my girlfriends, but also our gay male friend as well. Well how they got him away from his lover and job I would never know, but it would be interesting to see what they would tell me. As I moved through the main dance area to get to the table I noticed that the mix of humans and others were thick tonight. The bar catered to both kinds, but the specialty menus and services were handled in the VIP area that only a few humans would ever get to see. After all if you were invited back it was either for sex, blood, or other services that are best not mentioned.
I moved around a pair of succubae that were dancing far too close to be normal, making a face at the pheromones that they were putting out. I finally made it to the table and smiled at the group seated there. I tossed my purse next to me on the booth as I slipped in.
“Sorry I am late” I told the group, “My half-brother decided to show up at the last minute to talk.”
My only human friend Ner spoke up first, “Wait…you are telling us that your hunk of a death reaper half-brother paid you a visit and you didn’t bring him with?” she asked with a pout.
She was a beauty in her own rights and if I didn’t know she was a full-blooded human I would have thought she hailed from the fae clans. Her long white-blond hair and brilliant blue eyes definitely drew many males to her side, granted she usually slept with them one night then tossed them aside. I don’t think she ever had a steady male in her entire life, not even through college when we were growing up.
“No I did not bring him with” I told her with a shake of my head, “besides he was only there delivering a message from Xavier”
“Xavier? What did he wish to convey upon you this time?” another softer voice asked.
I saw Rayna there and smirked, “What else than the usual doom and gloom, but hey not that I care he is not part of my life”
“you should not be so hard on him love” came the British accent our honorary girlfriend, “He is trying you know this”
Berial was…well odd in a sense. He was an Incubi that was mated to a Werewolf lover, the pair of them also recently adopted one of his mate’s pack pups. Today he was toned down in his looks, having only half his head dyed a deep purple color to match his eyes. We can never guess what his hair would be from day to day. He was also dressed down somewhat as well, seems he probably was meeting with his lover’s pack again and wanted to not give them an excuse to revoke the permission to continue seeing a member of their pack. I glanced around the table and saw that Bethany was there as well as Tsume. Both of them were of the fae clans, one water the other earth.
“I do not care ‘Ri.” I told him, “He left me and my mother and I cannot forgive him for that. And when he does show up and then leaves again he takes another part of my mother with him. He’s going to kill her one of these days. I keep telling her to forget about him but she is so infatuate and in love with him that she won’t listen” I was complaining I knew this, but having great friends around you opens you up to do so.
Bethany smirked as she moved to pull our resident incubi into a headlock suddenly, “Yeah ‘Ri… leave her alone. After all we all have something to complain about now and again” she said, her voice gruff from a childhood injury she refuses to talk about.
Berial frowned as he moved to try and remove her arm from around his neck, “Bethany puhlease” he said, “remove your arm from my person. You know Thomas will become jealous if he even scents the slightest hint of another female or male upon my person”
I rolled my eyes at this, “Tell him it was only Bethany…he will only give her a minor beating” I said with a laugh. When the waitress came around I ordered a mojito to drink before turning my attention back on my friends, “So why the early meet-up guys?” I asked.
Rayna was the first to speak up, “I am heading back home in a few days and wanted to spend it with everyone” she said softly, her heritage coming through in her words.
“What? For how long?” I asked surprised by this but knew by the looks on everyone’s faces it would be for a long time.
“At least a year,” she said her voice apologetic, “Mother is ill and I want to spend her remaining days with her.”
Tsume was the silent one of our bunch and when she spoke it was usually profound, “Then may the winds ride at her back and may the Angels take her within their arms as she returns to the earth”
Yup that was our Tsume. We all raised our glasses to this, each offering up our own little prayer to Rayna’s mother before we continued on with our pleasant evening. The band that came out on to the stage was a new one that I haven’t heard there before. I looked over and blinked as I saw the lead guitarist and singer working on tuning his guitar. He was quite a specimen to look at and for a moment I thought I saw a brief flash of wings but they vanished just as quickly as they appeared. The band was the Death Avengers at least according to the base drum it was. Berial was sighing dreamily across from me and Ner was making her usually commentary on hair, eyes, and asses. I tuned them out for the time being as I watched the lead singer. The male in question suddenly looked up and I gave a quick intake of breath at the sight of those soul searing forest green eyes. And coupled with the light skin tone, the cute freckles that dusted his nose and cheeks and the hair that was both light brown and auburn at the same time, well I was officially ready to jump his bones.
But in a blink of an eye he pulled his eyes away to talk to his band and I felt a poke in the side and looked over seeing Rayna there with a light smirk on her face. I looked around the table and blushed, “what?” I asked.
It was Ner who spoke first, “Okay you were just two moans shy of an orgasm cher” she said with a grin, “So go over and talk to him”
“Huh…no way. And I was not about to orgasm..that is just crude” I told her with a frown that was painting my face now, “Besides I am sure that those groupies of his are taking care of him already.”
“I doubt that, and besides he very well may be gay,” Berial said with a smile of his own.
“hey I am gonna tell your mate you are lusting over another guy” Bethany said, “And then where will you be?”
“I cannot help my hormones,” he said as he huffed a bit, “It is who I am.” He then checked his watch and yelped, “Oh bloody hell. I have to get home” he said tossing down some bills for his drink, “My hubby will be home and wanting to enjoy some bed aerobics”
“oh yuck ‘Ri” I said, “T.M.F.I. I don’t want to know what goes on behind your bedroom doors”
“Hey who said it was just the bedroom doors you have to worry about. After all we have the kitchen, livingroom, entertainment…”
“Ewwww,” Rayna said, “I am not attending another dinner at your house until you disinfect everything”
Berial laughed as he waved to us, “see you later girlfriends” he then left smirking as he cast one last glance at the singer before slipping out the door.
I shook my head and laughed, “Well at least we know his sex life is healthy” I said as the others all laughed as well.
We settled back with our drinks and began watching the band as they started their first song of the evening. I was watching the lead singer more and more, noticing his movements were precise yet graceful. I noticed that Ner had drug Bethany and Tsume out onto the dance floor, the trio drawing men and woman to them like flies to honey. It was funny because Bethany and Tsume were more interested in one another than in the men that were drawn to them. Perhaps there was more to their friendship than I originally realized. Rayna was still at the table, watching the others dancing as well as the band. I let my eyes wander to who she was watching and saw it was the one female bass guitarist. I was about to say something when my cell phone rang, vibrating my purse as the theme from one of my favorite anime began playing. I blushed as I reached into the purse to pull out the offending device. I was about to send it to voice mail when I noticed that the caller ID was Detective Grayson.
“I have to take this” I leaned over to tell Rayna before grabbing my purse and heading for a quieter area of the bar to answer the call, “de la Muerte” I answered.
“Get your arse down here now. I have a dead kid,” was all that was said at first, I could hear voices in the background, “I am at 95
th and Stanton. I need your advice on this one. It looks to be… well you have to see it.”
Grayson was never one to get excited in the way he was, so for him to be as such now I knew something bad was going down. And a child case was never easy to handle in the best of circumstances, “Alright. Let me grab my things and I will be right over” I said before hanging up.
I moved back to the table and put on my best apologetic smile, “I am so sorry to have to run. It’s a bad one” I told Rayna, “Let the others know what’s going on?”
Rayna smiled gently, “I will do so. Be careful out there. The earth sings of death and pain and I fear it might come for you next” she said cryptically.
“You know me,” I said.
“That is exactly why you need to be careful” she said then hugged me.
I returned the hug, “Let’s try to get together for lunch before you leave alright?” I asked and she smiled and nodded, “See you later”
I tossed a few bills on the table before heading for the door, my purse under my arm and my keys in my hand. Whatever I was heading for was probably bad and I hated that I would be arriving as I was in my dress, but it couldn’t be helped this time around. I got into my jeep after unlocking the door, turning on the radio to see if there were any news reports on what was happening so far. And as I pulled out of the bar parking lot the first of the reports came in.
“Tonight there was a brutal murder of a young child. The police are saying that it appeared to be an animal attack. No other reports of animal attacks have been brought forth and from what we understand the name of the child is being withheld until the parents or guardians are notified. Stay tuned with us to get the latest update in this horrific death of a child…” the reported said over the radio.
I was being called in for an animal attack? That would mean it was either related to a shifter or a werewolf and if that was the case then I was the only person they could go to. After all the supernatural community did not have their own police force because we technically did not exist. Grayson was usually the one to call me if he needed me for my abilities and knowledge of the supernatural community. Sasha Dawson is another that knew what I was and would call when Grayson was unable to do so. I turned onto Stanton Boulevard after driving for about 13 minutes. I pulled off to the side of the road, blocking an alley but not caring as I got out of the jeep. I could see the circus of bystanders and media already and I wasn’t even there yet. I fixed my dress and pulled on my coat before heading for the crime scene. This was a nightmare already and I wasn’t even all the way up there yet.
Pushing through the crowd I finally made my way to the front of the bystanders and media hodgepodge. I waved to one of the officers that was trying to keep the hordes of media personnel back. He waved me through and I ducked under the tape to head for the scene. Right away I could tell that this was messy, the scent of blood spilled hours before were assaulting my senses and sending my stomach into a tailspin towards full blown nausea. The alcohol I had consumed earlier was not sitting well and threatened to make a secondary appearance. I paused to swallow a few times and settle my stomach before heading towards the main crime scene area. I saw flash bulbs going off as the forensics team began documenting the scene. I headed for where Detective Grayson was standing just out of sight of the main crime scene.
“de la Muerte,” came his deep base voice that sounded like melted dark chocolate, “Get over here.”
I rolled my eyes at the command, “Sorry to keep you waiting” I said, the dark ebony skinned detective waved it off, “So what happened? The news reports are saying animal attack.”
“Yeah well that is what it looked like at first, but not sure” he said, not really telling me anything.
I was about to ask if it was related to my world when another male came walking towards us, his gait was that of someone who was very to the point and arrogant. His dark suit was definitely not something one of the local police department detective’s would wear. This guy yelled government so loud I would not be surprised if every illegal activity in three miles of this scene hadn’t just suddenly closed up shop for the next year. I watched his approach, taking in his appearance. He was definitely not a local, not with that sandy blond hair and blue eyes… not to mention the tan that looked like he stayed outside for hours on end. I frowned when he stopped before myself and Detective Grayson.
“Agent Fuentes is here to assist with this case,” Grayson said as if the mere idea of it was giving him heartburn and leaving him with a bad taste in his mouth, “I was not aware of his involvement until after I had contacted you”
I frowned as I realized that I very well may be sent packing by the normal federal bureaucratic crap, “Agent Fuentes, I am Constanza de la Muerte. I work on occasion with the department as a consult into cases that are a bit more extraordinary.” I told him, offering my hand to him then put it down when he did not take it.
“Miss de la Muerte I appreciate you taking your time to come down here to assist, but that will not be necessary this time” he said as he watched me, “My team will be taking over the scene and I assure you we will not need a psychic to find the killer.”
Grayson was trying hard to not roll his eyes I could tell, so I decided to speak up, “Agent Fuentes I am not just a mere psychic. I am also a profiler that is used called in to consult on occasion.”
“We have our own profilers that will work the case. I apologize for taking you from your evening, but Detective Grayson was not authorized to call you for consultation on this case” he said, arrogance in his tone of voice.
I looked to the agent and plastered on a sickly sweet smile, “Well Agent Fuentes I hope that when you realize you are in over your head and you wish to bring in my help you will call me” I said pulling out a business card and handing it to him then I smiled to Grayson, “it was nice seeing you again. Call me and we’ll get together some time”
Grayson was on the verge of strangling the other man, so I decided to intervene before another homicide happened, “Detective will you walk me to my vehicle?”
“Ah… yes I will” he said as he turned his back to the federal agent that was just watching me as I moved to leave.
As we walked towards the mouth of the alley the officers handling the media circus were suddenly swamped as a tidal wave of reporters suddenly rushed towards us. I shuddered at the idea of even speaking to one reporter let alone more than 10 of them that were there shouting questions out to see if anyone would slip up and speak to them. Grayson just pushed through them as if they were nothing more than paper dolls in his way. I laughed softly to myself as I witnessed this, and the fact that a few of the reporters actually stepped back to give him space out of respect. To have that kind of presence is nothing short of a miracle now-a-days. I moved behind him as he parted the reporter sea until we were finally free and clear of those pesky annoyances of media fodder.
I let out a sigh of relief when I could finally breath and not have to worry about my living being reported on the evening news. I wondered if I would still end up on the news because of my being out there at the scene and then leaving not even 20 minutes later. It was an odd occurance I was sure, but hopefully they will push it aside as merely a coincidence. Grayson paused at the front of my jeep, leaning against it as he looked me over. Apparently he was far too annoyed at the FBI’s presence that he didn’t get a chance to really look over my attire from my dinner date with my friends. I rose a single brow at his questioning look, taking in his tense appearance as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Sorry I was out with my friends enjoying a dinner and a few drinks,” I told him, though I wasn’t able to get to the dinner part before he had called me, “So what’s up with this case exactly?”
Grayson sighed and moved to run a hand over his shaved head, “It’s a fucking mess is what it is” he said, not curbing his tongue in his anger, “This is the third scene like this Em. The first two were more or less dump jobs and looked like a dog mauling, but this one is different. It’s as if the killer was either becoming bolder or was rushed. The girl looked to be about 14 and…” he let out a sigh and reached into his pocket for a cigarillo that I had seen him smoke only on a rare occasion. They were a special blend done by a witch associate of mine, “This one can’t be human or animal. That’s why I figured I’d bring you in, but someone in the upper echelon of the department decided that they would call in the feds and that is how agent asshole back there got involved.”
I leaned against the door of my jeep looking over at him for a moment as he smoked the small cigar, “So you are telling me that a possible animal mauling was enough to bring in the feds? How can they even constitute a need for them just by that?” I asked, “Or is there more that you haven’t mentioned yet.”
“There’s more,” he said, “We found the primary scenes of the original two victims. It looked like something out of a horror film. I am not sure what to make of it to tell the truth. I wanted to bring you in after the first one, but someone is out to stop your consulting Em. I don’t know who, but someone with more power than mine is working against me and my division.”
I didn’t like the sound of that and I gave voice to it, “Why would someone not want me to help out? Unless these victims are part of something larger?”
“Not sure, but even talking to you in this way could get me suspended and ripped from the case. And what I am about to do could get me fired and blacklisted from every department … even as a mall cop” he told me, then pulled out a flashdrive and handed it to me, “password to gain access is witches”
I took it and nodded, “I won’t let this out of my sight. I will get in touch with you when I look it over and hopefully you can get me information on this case if the agent with the stick up is arse will let you that is”
“I will try and see what I can do” he said then moved to push off my jeep after putting out the cigarillo, “Be careful heading home. And I’ll let Jackie know that you are up for dinner at the house again” Grayson said then moved to hug me briefly before walking back towards the crime scene and media circus.
I watched him walk away, noticing that he seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. No one should have that much riding on his shoulders, but he did and these cases were not helping him at all I could tell. I moved to open my jeep door and hop into the driver seat and blinked as I noticed an envelope lying on the passenger seat. I looked around for the one who put it there, but I could tell that it was done earlier. Probably when I got out, heading for the scene. I thought I had locked my doors, but apparently not. I picked it up and noticed that it was quite thick. Who would be leaving me envelopes of papers anyways, it wasn’t as if I was someone that would normally just work as a spy or anything. I was a private detective and a consultant to the police department that was it.
I set it back down on the passenger seat, then set my purse on top of it. I would open it when I got home no sooner. I started the jeep up and turned on the heater to warm up the chilly interior and then pulled out to head home, making a illegal turn in the middle of the street to head back the way I came. Less than an hour later I arrived at home and pulled into the driveway, shutting off the jeep and gathering up everything that I had been given before heading inside. Once inside I locked up and set everything on the kitchen island and booted up my laptop that sat on the same island. I headed for my bedroom and stripped down, letting out a sigh of relief as the footkillers were removed.
After changing into something a bit more comfortable, sweats and an oversized t-shirt, I headed back into the kitchen. I saw my laptop still loading up and moved to make a cup of tea and some leftovers. As the laptop finished booting up and grabbed the envelope and opened it up and blinked at what was inside. It was newspaper clippings of unsolved animal mauling cases and vandalism cases. I set them aside and pulled out a few other things, including what appeared to be photos taken by an amateur trying to perform surveillance of some kind. I didn’t know what to make of it or how it was connected to what I was asked to look into. But I knew some how it was related.
I set the papers back onto the island counter as the kettle began whistling signaling the water was ready. I poured the water over the tea bag of lavender, orange blossom green tea. I let it seep for the few minutes it would take me to grab out the re-warmed general tso’s chicken that I had thrown into the microwave. Armed with food and drink I headed for the island and sat down before my computer. I grabbed up the flash drive and plugged it into my computer and began pulling up the files that were there after typing in the password that I was given. I swallowed at the graphic photos and crime scene reports.
“Ah hell this is not good,” I said to the air.
The scenes were violent without the bodies and just imagining the bodies of the girls that were probably there before being dumped made the grisly images all the more grisly. These were demon summoning circles, and not the college student out to impress their girlfriend or boyfriend variety either. No this was someone that knew what they were doing, or at least thought they knew what they were doing. What ever they had summoned had not been happy to be confined and the circle was some how broken and for all I know I had a few demons on the loose from their realm and not the earthbound ones either. How was going to explain this one to Grayson. He had only seen the failed attempts by kids not the ones done by the dark practitioners that these apparently spoke of.
I closed down the windows and took out the flash drive as I began thinking over the conversation that I had with Grayson before I headed home. Someone out there was not happy with his calling me in for certain types of cases, so this must mean they either are familiar with what this means and they want to try and sweep it under the rug, or they are involved and I am a liability to their work that needs to be kept out of the loop. This brought me back to who the victims were and if they were humans or if they were one of the others. Dealing with kids alone was risky, but magickal ones was just about insane. Kids magicks were strong yes but also unpredictable.
I looked at the food I had warmed and the tea and sighed as I lost my appetite. I would call Grayson in the morning and see if I can get access to the bodies or at least a blood sample. And I would have to get in touch with Lady Giselle as well. I slapped a hand to my forehead and sighed, I was supposed to visit my mother at the hospital as well. Well there went my next few days. Maybe if I called her she would forgive me for not visiting, but not sure. I moved from the table and tossed the leftovers into the trash and then dumped the tea before logging off and locking my computer. I gathered up the papers and headed for the safe that was in the wall behind a portrait of my grandparents. I locked them inside and then headed for my bed. Sleep would do me a world of wonders and hopefully refresh me enough to deal with all this in the morning. After all demons being summoned to our realm was bad enough, but if it was for an ulterior motive then it could mean the end of the world I was positive. I climbed into bed and soon fell into a deep sleep nearly the moment my head hit the pillow.
