That Old Black Magic

Theo had started his existence at almost exactly the same time as Darrak, created from hellfire by a very industrious Lucifer. Both had been incubi for centuries before their promotions to archdemon.

They’d scorched a path of destruction and good times across the human world in their day. Very few knew how to party as hard and as well as an archdemon with power to spare and the good looks of an ex-incubus. There were very few who could resist the pair of them.

Theo was tall, broad shouldered, with long dark hair that he kept held back with a leather strap. His almond- shaped eyes gave him an exotic appearance, like a prince from a faraway land or, possibly, a surfing instructor from Hawaii. It worked for him. The ladies loved it.

If there was one demon in the entire Netherworld that Darrak considered family, it was Theo.

This sentiment, however, was not something that demons tended to share with each other. Emotion, anything that might make them seem soft or too humanlike, was strictly avoided. But Darrak had always thought his friendship with Theo was more helpful than harmful. It was good to have one other being who you could turn to if you were in trouble and needed help.

So strange, though. A feeling was churning through his gut — one he didn’t recognize.

“What’s wrong?” Theo asked.

“Don’t know.” Darrak placed a hand on his abdomen. “I feel like I’ve lost something.”

“Too many shots of vodka, that’s all.”

“Where are we, anyway?” Darrak glanced around again at the vacant bar, empty apart from the two of them and the bartender. “I don’t feel like I’ve ever been here before.”

“Yeah, this place? It’s the best. Not tonight though. Dull night. Another night would be better. Entertainment, women, it’s a nonstop party.”

“Sounds great. So why are we here tonight?” Darrak narrowed his eyes at a couple of male fairies that walked through the door and cut an unfriendly glare in his direction. They weren’t quite as lovely as they were in the human world, where they hid their true natures with glamours. Here in the Netherworld they were regular fairies — fearsome dark-skinned creatures with sharp teeth and pointed ears and eyes that could burn a hole straight through your soul. Literally.

Luckily, Darrak didn’t have to worry about that.

He remembered a glimpse of his dream. Something about somebody’s soul.

Impossible. He didn’t dream.

Wow, he was seriously messed up. Time for a vacation, maybe. He’d been working hard for Lucifer for so long that he had forgotten to stop and smell the brimstone.

“Let’s go,” Theo said. “We have somewhere we need to be. May as well not put it off any longer.”

“Oh yeah? Sounds deliciously ominous.”

“You have no idea.”

He followed Theo to the exit and emerged onto the main street. It was dark outside, but it was always dark in the Netherworld.

“Can we phase?” Darrak asked, referring to the method demons used for easily transporting themselves from place to place.

“No, we’re walking today.” Theo smirked. “It’s not very far from here.”

Darrak frowned. “I feel like I’m forgetting something.”

“Yeah? Something important?”

“Seems that way. I don’t know.”

“Well, if it’s that important, it’ll come back to you. If it isn’t, then it won’t.”

Theo had a way of reducing most problems down to their base parts. “Good point.”

Darrak rubbed his temples. He didn’t feel the effects of whatever amount of booze he’d drunk tonight, but he still felt off. Kind of bruised and broken, as if he’d survived some sort of major stomping. It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling. Darrak didn’t always win the fights he got into — just most of them. And usually those he beat didn’t walk away feeling bruised and broken. They were sent to the… the…

Somewhere. Where were they sent?

Something that started with a V. It was on the tip of his tongue…

“Shit,” he mumbled. “I’m seriously messed up.”

“Just relax,” Theo said. “It’ll be easier that way.”

“Easier? What will be easier?”

“Everything.”

“You know, I’m trying to remember the last time I saw you.”

“Don’t try too hard. You might break yourself.”

Darrak snorted, then sobered. “Wait, I think I remember something.”

Theo stopped walking and turned to look at Darrak. “What’s that?”

“I was… summoned. By a witch. She summoned me to the human world and made me give her an extra serving of power. Then she tried to destroy me.”

“You remember that?”

“Yeah… it’s fuzzy, though. Has Lucifer been messing with my head again?”

“It’s possible. He can do that.”

“Hate that guy.” Lucifer hated him, too. Even though the Prince of Hell had created Darrak out of nothing, given him life, so to speak, and power and strength — then upgraded him to archdemon — he knew Lucifer still resented him. Darrak liked to believe it was because Lucifer feared him. A little. Now and then.

Yeah, right. What a laugh. Lucifer could smite him with a single thought. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. A couple of seconds later Darrak would be a handful of hellfire again, only lacking the good looks and charming personality he had now.

Something moved up ahead, something dark and formless.

Darrak tensed. “What was that?”

“What?”

“That thing — it looked like a wraith.”

He would have preferred not to say it out loud. Wraiths were not the kind of creatures you wanted to come across in the Netherworld. They were energy suckers. If one latched onto you they could drain you dry in a very short amount of time.

Not fun.

“What the hell are they doing here?” Darrak mumbled, feeling more annoyed than worried. “Who sent them?”

Wraiths weren’t just arbitrary beings that wandered wherever they liked. They were creatures with a job to do — to target someone specifically and get rid of them. Seeing a wraith was not a sign one’s day would be pleasant.

“Don’t know.” Theo didn’t sound too concerned.

“Let’s head to the human world,” Darrak suggested.

“Nah, let’s not.”

“If you want to stay here and give them the chance to creep up behind you and give you a nice wet kiss, feel free. As for me, I’m out of here.” Darrak concentrated on phasing somewhere else — anywhere else. However, nothing happened.

He frowned very deeply. “I can’t phase.”

“Oh no?” Theo cocked a dark eyebrow.

That weird feeling Darrak had gotten since he first woke up grew much larger. He now realized it was paranoia. “What’s going on, Theo?”

Theo shrugged. “Stuff.”

“Can you be any less helpful?”

“Probably. If I tried harder.”

Darrak scanned the street again. The wraiths were gone, which eased his mind some. Then he saw something else. It looked like a woman with long auburn hair who disappeared behind a corner up ahead.

He wasn’t sure why, but he started walking, quickly, after her.

“Where are you going?” Theo asked.