“Tsk, tsk. Can’t be sharing all my secrets. Tell dear daddy that I said ‘hi,’ when you see him next.”
“Why don’t we take this somewhere else?” I suggested. My magic was feeling testy and some of it was spilling out from my barrier.
“Worried about witnesses? I can easily take care of that.”
Leia was suddenly thrust against the wall. Her face turned red and panic filled her eyes. She kicked her feet and made gagging noises, but Varnoc kept her pinned against the wall with his magic.
“Let her down. She’s my client. You can’t go around killing my clients.”
“So true. It is not the best business practice to engage in.”
Leia’s eyes were filling with tears and her kicks were slowing down.
“Let her down.”
I raised my arm out and concentrated on my magic. If Varnoc didn’t let Leia go, then using my magic might be the only thing I could do to get him away from her and gone from here. At this rate, I didn’t care what got him out of here as long as he left and Leia was safe.
“Oh, are you going to use your magic on me? That will be lovely.”
Varnoc released Leia, who wheezed and held her throat. She’d have a ring of bruises around her neck tomorrow.
I faced off against Varnoc, loosening the hold on my magic. It roared forward, anxious and ready to be used. It was disgusting. It felt more and more like a living thing. And, I couldn’t help but worry if there’d reach a point, like Miles feared, where I couldn’t control it.
Varnoc smiled and it was a scary sight. Anything that made a demon happy was sure to be a very, very bad thing. My arm shook from the force of magic racing through it.
Suddenly, Varnoc slumped to the ground in an unconscious heap. Leia stood over him holding a baguette like a club and a gloating expression on her face.
“I don’t care how tough someone or something is. A stale baguette to the head will lay you out no matter who you are,” she said
I just stood there, mouth agape. She just knocked Varnoc out with bread.
“What? Just because I don’t look tough, doesn’t mean I’m defenseless. And, seeing how I just saved you, the least you can do is tell me your name.”
“Marty,” I said and extended my hand to shake hers.
She dropped the bread and gave my hand a decent squeeze. After this, I’d never look at bakery items in the same way.
I tightened my hold and forced my magic down, it fought me. I control you, not the other way around. It slunk behind my barrier, but why was it fighting me?
Muffin circled the downed demon and stopped suddenly. He leaned over the demon’s chest and started gagging. Before I could get to the dog to see if he was okay, he threw up what looked like a liquidy hair ball. Gross. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, he turned and peed on Varnoc’s leg. I’m starting to suspect that this is his signature move. I chuckled nervously. The demon wouldn’t be happy about this.
Quicker than I’d have liked, Varnoc roused. He blinked his eyes groggily and looked at me in confusion. Yeah, being assaulted by bread would do that to me as well. I hope he didn’t think I was the one who did that.
Without a single word or action, Varnoc disappeared just as suddenly as he appeared. It was so anti-climactic. I’m not foolish enough to think this is the last I’ll see of him. Maybe he was summoned? Whatever the case, I was just glad he was gone.
“Why aren’t we dead?” asked Leia.
“Luck and your heavy hand with bread.”
“Baguette, there’s a difference. Well, I did promise you a sandwich. Let me get that finished up for you. Wait, you’re still hungry, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
As she worked on my sandwich, a corporate man came. He wore a starched suit and walked stiffly toward Leia and me. He wrinkled his nose and sniffed the air.
“Did you burn something?” he asked. “It doesn’t smell normal in here.”
“Sorry about that. Can’t believe I did so much damage to some bread. That’s probably what you’re noticing,” said Leia.
The man smelled the air again and I tried really hard not to laugh. Brimstone has such a distinct scent and he was trying to rationalize away what his nose was trying to tell him.
“Still doing that promotion?”
“The business card one?” Leia asked.
He nodded.
“Yes we are. It’s for a dozen pastries. Each week, we pick a winner.”
“May The True One give me luck. My office would love it if I brought in a dozen pastries.”
“The True One is good and if he deems you worthy, then you shall win. Put your card in and I’ll get your standard order for you.”
“Much appreciated.”
To me she said, “Do you mind if I get his order and then finish your sandwich?”
“No problem at all.”
And it wasn’t. This was providing to be more helpful than I’d have imagined.
The man dropped in his card and even from several feet away, it was impossible to miss the logo of the Rare Herbs and Medicinals Company. It featured a halu, a crude depiction of a healing temple. The company believed that the herbs and medicinals they produced possessed unique healing properties. Seeing how it was a world-renowned company, there was some truth to that.
He took his order and left.
“What did you mean by ‘The True One’?” I asked.
“He is everything and nothing, while being everywhere and nowhere. He is a part of all of us, yet separate.”
“I’m not sure I understand. Is this a god?”
“Not in the sense that you think. He is all of us, a part of the collective. Through cleansing and purifying that we can bask in his glory. Only then can we truly understand our true self and our place in the universe.”
She glowed talking about her belief and was truly enamored with The True
