Angel of Chaos (Imp Book 6) (21 page)

“Sensory how? Do they pick up on energy signature the way demons do? Is there a scent, or type of sound?”

“I don’t think it’s visual or sensory in the way humans would detect something. Angels just don’t swing that way, and Nephilim can change forms anyway. I’m sure it has something to do with their energy signature. Something about their sprit–selves.”

I watched Gareth stand and tie the cedar twigs into a neat bundle. He put them on a shelf then leaned against the table, tapping his chin with a finger.

“So we need something to hide their energy signature, and their physical appearance. An elven net, perhaps?”

I doubted Jaq was going to consent to being hauled in a bag for forty miles. And even if she consented, that vampire friend of hers certainly wouldn’t approve. “What if it’s not energy, but it’s an aura they’re sensing or something? Angels have this weird thing about color and sound. Our spirit–beings have distinctive colors, although those can’t be perceived by the human eye.”

“I don’t think the elven nets are going to hide aura or the color of your spirit–self. If angels have that sort of ‘sight’, then there’s a good chance they’ll detect your Nephilim.”

I let out an exasperated puff of air. “What if we forget about the whole ‘non–detection’ thing and look into some kind of transportation option. If I can get her to and from my house lickity–split, then the angels won’t be able to find her.”

“Ah, like the inter–realm gates the elves use. That’s not something they ever teach us. I think it might be a skill that’s only available to elves. And angels.”

And me. If only I could use it reliably.

“But you guys do elf buttons and transportation scrolls. Would something like that work?”

The sorcerer’s finger increased tempo on his chin. “Two elf buttons, but they need to be pre–keyed, and I’ve only created them for a destination in Hel.”

“How about other mages?” I urged. “There was a human messenger from Cyelle last year that was transported to my house and used an elf button to return. So it must be possible.”

“Messengers use the elf gates, or the elves open a travel rift for them. The elf buttons are only for return to Hel or inter–Hel transportation.” His finger froze on his chin then extended out, pointing toward me. “But there is another way.”

“What?” I was desperate. This was my last hope to get Jaq safely to my house and back.

“Kirby’s marble.”

The words nudged at the back of my memory, but I just couldn’t place it. “Is that something to do with Occam’s razor?”

Gareth’s brows knitted in a bold line. “I’ve got no idea what an Occam’s razor is. Kirby’s marble is the name given to the transportation device invented by Freemage Kirby. It involves two devices that are linked and allow interdimensional travel between them. It used to be a one–way item, which meant you had to buy two in order to return, but he’s perfected two–way use. You buy it on license for a set number of uses, and he can recharge the items for a fee. The guy is raking it in.”

“Kirby!” I shouted. My old mage buddy from Cyelle. “I know him! That will be perfect.” I could order two sets — one for Jaq, and another for Harper to safely join the werewolves in West Virginia.

“I’ll have to see if he has any available,” Gareth warned. “He had a pretty big backlog last time I checked.”

“I’ll go see him myself.” There was a better chance I’d score one if I appealed in person. “Where is he working?”

“Libertytown.”

For a second, I thought he meant the Libertytown just up the road from me in Maryland. Then I realized he must mean the new human settlement.

“Thanks for your help.” I turned to leave, but he halted me with a quick hand on my sleeve.

“Wait. There’s something else you need to consider. What happens once you get the Nephilim to your house? Wouldn’t they be able to sense her? Do you have some sort of non–detect shield in place?”

“Uh, no.” I hadn’t considered that.

Sweat broke out on my skin, realizing that angels might also be able to sense Harper in my house. Gregory had said a Hunter would need to wander down the road to the house before he sensed her, and it seemed other angels needed to be closer. Still, a Hunter had known Harper was there. I’d just assumed if she stayed hidden from view she’d be safe — especially now that I dumped her shithead boyfriend this side of the gates. True, her baby was pretty small and probably didn’t have much of an energy signature, but given that a Hunter had managed to find her, it wasn’t a chance I wanted to take.

Gareth smiled. “Now
that
is something I can help you with.”

He turned from me and rummaged through a wooden box, pulling out what looked to be a set of feather–topped lawn darts. “Place these around your house, within the line of sight of each other. Will eight be enough? I’ve no idea the size of your home.”

I did a quick mental calculation. “Can I have ten? I’d like to enclose the pool area if I can.”

“Yes.” He added two more to the stack, and then opened a drawer full of scrolls. “These don’t restrict movement, so anyone can come and go through the perimeter of the spell without breaking it. They also don’t hide anyone from the five physical senses.”

Touch, smell, sight, sound, and taste — although I doubted anyone beyond a demon in reptile form would be ‘tasting’ for Nephilim. “That shouldn’t be a problem.” Angels weren’t committed to their physical form to the degree that those senses would do them any good.

“What it will do is hide all life–forms within the perimeter from magical detection. It will completely mask energy signatures. Mages, demons, angels, witches — all anyone will see is a big black hole.”

“Awesome!” I picked up the lawn darts and examined them with interest.

“Not all that awesome,” Gareth warned. “Big black hole is going to look like you’ve got something to hide. They’ll know something is going on or you wouldn’t have bothered with this kind of protection.”

“True, but I’m an imp and the Iblis: I’ve always got something to hide.”

Besides, with angels, it was all about proof. Even if they knew something was up, I wouldn’t get a Ruling Council smackdown unless they could prove it. I’d get an attack — possibly a sneaky, middle–of–the–night attack, but I wouldn’t be in any formal trouble. Angels like to follow the rules, and as far as I was concerned, I wasn’t breaking the rules if I didn’t get caught.

Gareth took the lawn darts from me and put them in a canvas drawstring bag. The scroll went into a protective case, and then into the bag with the darts.

“Here.” He handed it to me. “I’ll bill you.”

***

I revealed my wings and flew to the human settlement of Libertytown. During the elf wars, I’d forcefully negotiated a small section of elven lands for the freed humans. They’d been granted a piece of Cyelle — a peninsula of forest that jutted south into demon territory like a huge bulge of green. I saw the treeline on the horizon as I flew, but it wasn’t the lush forest I remembered. Red sands of Dis encroached on scorched grasses and brush. Stumps dotted the landscape, some dug up and piled to the side, making way for freshly plowed fields. Timber houses clustered together, mud sealing the gaps in the boards and golden thatch covering the roofs. It looked neat, but so obviously poor compared to the demon and elven cities. I couldn’t help but wince.

Kirby’s shop was easily found — the only stone building in the town. He must have found the money to pay dwarven builders. Costly, but important as handling flammable materials was a major part of a mage’s profession.

A string of tiny brass bells chimed as I swung open the door. Kirby looked up, and a smile creased his face. The mage’s work robe was smudged with charcoal and something that looked like old blood, but other than that, he seemed like the same Kirby I’d known from Taullian’s palace.

“Sam, or should I call you
Iblis
now? Either way, it’s good to see you.”

“I’m always Sam to you, Kirby.” I looked around at the shelves and boxes stacked full of supplies and finished magical goods. The building smelled pleasantly of sandlewood and burnt sage with a hint of licorice. I had no idea what he was working on, but the aroma was certainly more pleasant that the stench of sulfur at Gareth’s.

“Looks like things are going good for you. Who did your stonework? Bofor or Drumbach?”

“Drumbach. I’ve got a good trade going on. Lots of orders from both the elves and the demons.”

“You’d get more if you set up shop in a bigger city like Dis or Eresh.”

Kirby had enough skill as a mage to keep the riffraff out and make alliances for protection — important things if a human wanted to live surrounded by demons.

“True, but I can’t bring myself to leave the settlement. These people need me. They need the money that my shop brings to the town, and they need the little magical devices that I provide them with at reduced cost.”

I grimaced, looking out his front window. A woman walked by with a basket full of roots in her arms. “Are things truly that bad? It doesn’t look like the forest is doing well, but I saw tilled fields. And the houses look sturdy.”

“Climate control is an elven art. Without it, Libertytown is returning to its natural environment. We’re having to constantly change farming techniques to keep up. Crops aren’t exactly thriving.”

And the only thing of value they had in trade was the skill of their magic users.

“Some of the humans have moved back to serve the elves. They send money or supplies to their families here as they get paid.” Kirby wiped a hand across his forehead, leaving a streak of charcoal. “I’d hoped we could be relatively self–sustainable, that we could live here and trade the products of our labors. Instead, families are split. We’re not really sure what kind of future we’ll have.”

Dar was right. I did need to get my ass back to Hel and take care of things. Just as soon as I got Harper safely hidden away with the werewolves.

“Anyway.” Kirby waved a hand to change topics. “Gareth messaged me that you needed a two–way transport with two charges?”

“Kirby’s marble. How did you get so famous that a coveted magical device is named after you?” I teased. “How many fifth–level mages can boast of that?”

Red tinged his cheeks, and he grinned sheepishly. “Just me. It paid for my stonework within the first three months.”

Not bad. I looked around the building, admiring the work. Dwarves rocked, pun intended.

“Only problem is my success. I’m backed up thirty orders, and Gareth said you needed it right away.”

“Yeah. How long would it take you to get it to me?”

“Six or seven months.”

Crap. Harper would have a babe in arms by then, if the angels hadn’t pried the boy from her. “Any chance I could line jump?”

Kirby wiggled his eyebrows. “You’re an imp. Don’t you line jump all the time?”

I laughed. “I’d love to leave with something right now. Is there anything ready to go?”

“I’ve only got one completed right now, and it’s a rather unusual focus item.”

“Unusual how?” I envisioned giant dildos, or live piranha, although those probably wouldn’t be unusual for a demon.

“I’ll show you.” Kirby strode into the back room and reappeared a few moments later carrying a large box.

“Stand back.”

Right. Had he forgotten I was a demon? I walked up as close as I could get to the box and prepared to peer into it. The mage clicked a latch, and the box lid slid aside. Something shot out and bit my nose.

“Son of a bitch!”

Kirby launched forward and grabbed it, ripping a chunk of flesh from me in the process.

“Who the fuck would use a durft as a focus?” I healed my nose and then rubbed it, just to make sure it was all there.

“Someone who wants to be positive they’re the only one able to use the focus.” Kirby’s voice was full of irony. That’s when I noticed he was holding the animal in the crook of his arm, stroking its tan fur.

“So I take it this set is for you?”

“Nope. Fred and I have become friends.”

I doubted Fred would ever let me pet him like that. As if confirming my thoughts, the durft looked at me and snarled.

The mage put the animal back in the box. “There are two stones in the box with the durft — one for each location. You hold the durft and it will allow you to move back and forth between locations.”

“And I’ll arrive at my destination shredded to ribbons from that monster.”

“Yep. I suggest you sedate Fred first.”

Jaq was a Nephilim. I was pretty sure she could handle whatever Fred could dish out, but Harper?

“Will it work if the durft is in a cage? Or duct taped? I’m not sure I want to ask a pregnant human to hold that thing, even if it’s sedated.”

Kirby hesitated in the middle of latching the box, his eyes darting to meet mine. “Pregnant? She can’t use this. She’ll lose the baby.”

Holy shit. These things needed to come with warning labels on them. “Any other side effects? Hair loss? Incontinence? Boobs shrivel up and fall off?”

Kirby latched the box and set it aside. “It’s not that there’s anything dangerous in the transport, it’s that the device only works for one being. Elf buttons will transport multiple people as long as they are touching, but not this. If a pregnant woman uses it, the baby will be left behind.”

I frowned at the box. It would still allow Jaq to come and go undetected. I’d need to figure something else out for Harper.

“Okay. No pregnant women. How much?”

Kirby smiled. “It has five charges. One favor per charge.”

That was a lot of favors. Not that I had any other options.

“Done.”

–19–

H
arper paced, gnawing the already–shredded nail on her right hand index finger. “This is like waiting for a blind date,” she complained.

“Or the pizza delivery guy,” I groused. Neither seemed to deliver within the time promised. At least Jaq had the excuse of wrangling a pissed–off durft. I eyed the small stone on the dining–room table and wondered if I should relocate it to the floor. Although it might be kind of funny if the Nephilim appeared on top of my table.

She didn’t. With a flash, Jaq was standing before us, a screaming ball of fur in her bloodied hands.