Page 44 of Demanding Discord
Discord held a hand toward the beastie and then gestured at the ground. The imp stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry, but he obeyed my demon’s command and hopped off my head.
“Imps lack the ability to feel emotions like despair and torment. The maze would gain nothing by feeding on such a beast, so it didn’t waste time capturing it.” He led me around the corner, and holy Hecate.
Shed didn’t begin to describe the gardening paradise that awaited ahead. I’d expected some rusty corrugated metal, maybe a fiberglass roof to let in light, but this so-called shed was bigger than my entire house, store, library, and studio combined.
Like most of the buildings in this realm, it was made of basalt and obsidian, and crimson veins pulsed on the walls, making it look alive. Gnarled, thorny bushes with blood red flowers wrapped around the structure, and a walk made of crushed stone—or was that bone?—led to the double-door entrance.
We walked up the path, but Discord stopped short, holding up a hand. “Do you feel that?”
To our left, the energy in the air thickened, the static charge making my arm hairs stand on end. A faint orange line appeared in the disturbance, and as it grew, it seemed to create a vacuum, drawing me toward it.
“What is that?” I took a step, but Discord caught my arm.
“That is a rift. A tear in the veil that separates our worlds.”
“I know what a rift is.” I’d just never seen one. They were always invisible in the earthly realm.
“Good. Then you also know every demon within a ten-mile radius will be drawn to it. We must get inside before we are discovered.” He dragged me three more steps up the walk. “And, no, we would not survive if we tried to pass through it. The only way to save your life is to find the amulet.”
“Yeah. Okay.” I followed him, even though I really, really wanted to try my chances with the rift. “My sisters could be right on the other side.”
“And if you enter the rift, you will be torn to shreds…obliterated in the most painful way imaginable.” He pulled open the door, and the imp skittered inside.
Well, that didn’t sound very fun.
I followed him into the shed and gaped in wonder. Rows of gleaming stygian steel tools lined the walls, each one meticulously arranged on hooks that seemed custom-made for their shapes. The air smelled of jasmine and skunk weed—a sickly-sweet combination—and shafts of moonlight filtered through stained glass panels, casting swirling colors across a workbench cluttered with seeds and potions. It was clear this shed belonged to someone who took both magic and gardening very seriously.
“Hallelujah. Indoor plumbing.” I paced toward a sink while Discord bolted the door. The water stunk of sulfur, like everything else in this realm, but it smelled better than the imp slime coating my face and hair.
I did my best to rinse it all off before working out the tangles with the wide-toothed comb I’d lifted from the discount store. When I was as clean as I could get, we settled at a wrought-iron table and dined on protein bars to refuel. I tossed a piece to the imp, and he devoured it in one bite.
“You said your mother is helping Hecate hold the veil together.” Discord tossed the wrappers into a bin and returned to the table. “What did you see? How did you connect with her?”
“I’m not sure. I think being in Hecate’s house amplified my abilities.” It was the only plausible explanation my scattered brain could come up with.
“That makes sense,” he said. “But how is the thinning veil your fault? It always wanes near All Hallows’ Eve.”
“Not like this. When I summoned you, the fabric began to unravel. When we both crossed into Hell, it made it ten times worse.” I rubbed my forehead. “Then my sisters…”
“They summoned my brothers, weakening it even more.” He curled his hands into fists. “Do you think your sisters are cooperating? Are they looking for the amulet?”
I wanted to say absolutely. That I’d asked them to do it, so of course they were looking for it. But I wasn’t the one who’d asked them. Discord had been so cryptic in his request, and they’d probably had no clue I was right there when they’d summoned.
“I need to send them a message. Something in my handwriting, so they’ll know it’s really from me.”
“You don’t believe they took my request seriously?” He arched a brow, a hint of his former regalness playing on his how dare they disobey me expression.
I laughed. “If you think I’m stubborn, you should meet Ember. And Ash is overly cautious. They don’t even know I’m still alive.”
He lifted a finger. “Technically?—”
“Do not demonsplain right now. I know I’m technically not alive.” I shot to my feet and paced toward a counter where a quill pen sat next to an inkwell. “The imp can pass through the rift outside, right? His magic is weak enough.”
“Yes…” Discord tilted his head, studying me.
“And you can order him where to go when he gets to the other side?” I opened the ink and dipped the quill.
The little beastie found the bulb for some goddess-knew-what kind of plant and chomped into it. He made a disgusted face and spat before picking up a thick book and biting a chunk from the spine.
