Page 20 of Warmongers and Wands
“Like World War Two?” I scowled down at the dice, trying to decide if I should risk my bonus or take a zero on that troubling large straight.
“I read about that in newspapers and books Diebin brought me.” Hadur shook his head. “Arestius’s work. He’s a lousy excuse for a war demon. He never should have let things get that far before stepping in. They should have sent someone else.”
“Like you?” I smiled over at him, noting that he seemed to be blushing.
“I do my best,” he commented modestly.
“Well, you certainly rock in Yahtzee.” I compared our scores. “You should play against Sylvie sometime. She wins everything.”
Sylvie had the gift of luck. She helped me out sometimes when I needed a specialized enchantment, but where she really excelled was in luck posies and charms. Sylvie wasn’t skilled enough to win the Mega Millions, but she always came out a few bucks ahead on scratch-offs, cleaned up at raffles, and was damn near unbeatable at board games. Clue, Monopoly, Life, you name it.
“You said you have six sisters?” Hadur asked as he put away the Yahtzee game.
“Yep, six.” I yawned, snuggling down into my furry blankets. “Cassie is the eldest and the strongest of all of us. She’s the one who is shacked up with Lucien. I’m the next eldest. Then there’s the twins Sylvie and Ophelia. Then Glenda, who is the only one of us who has any ability in healing, although Ophelia is a paramedic and is skilled in divination. Go figure. Then Adrienne who as I said earlier has this thing going with animals, like some sort of pied piper. Then the youngest is Babylon. Who doesnotdo sex magic, in spite of her very unfortunate name.”
The demon laughed. “And what does this baby sister of yours do?”
“Necromancy. I know. Weird, huh? We’re all pretty weird. Cassie wouldn’t even practice magic for years and years—well, except for that time she set her ex-boyfriend’s pants on fire. Babylon insists everyone call her Lonnie because she hates her name. Ophelia looks like she’s auditioning for a grown-up Wednesday Addams part, or maybe as a back-up for Nine Inch Nails. Adrienne talks to cockroaches in her spare time. Sylvie is a sex therapist specializing in alternative lifestyles or something like that. Glenda is probably the closest to normal of all of us, and she’ll talk your ear off about the benefits of seaweed enemas and fish oil smoothies.”
“And what about you?” He sat down on the bed beside me.
“Welder. Farrier. Possibly soon-to-be-cat-owner. I enchant things. Metal especially, although I’m really proud of that towel I did for Pete’s bar. Fear the towel.”
“And?”
I squirmed, not wanting to tell him. We all had our burdens, especially Cassie who’d raised us when Grandma died and Mom took off. My burdens were that I’d heard them—I’d heard the night that Dad left, when Mom was pregnant with Babylon and I was only six years old. I knew that Grandma was afraid—for the town, for us, for herself, that the werewolves would take over if she couldn’t keep them in check. I knew why Mom left, and although I hated her for it, I understood.
I was the keeper of the secrets. And I was the one who lived alone, who would probably die alone, carrying those secrets to the grave with me.
Well, alone except for that cat I planned on adopting sometime soon. Maybe when my leg healed.
“Keep your secrets, my witch.” Hadur smoothed my hair back, then leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Someday I hope you share your burden and let these things see the light of day before they grow and take root in your soul.”
Spoken like a morbid demon. Actually, spoken like a war demon whose job it was to bring conflict to the surface so healing could begin—even if that healing was short lived.
