Page 45 of Demanding Discord
“I can indeed, but their behavior is erratic at best,” Discord said. “Are you planning to use the imp as a messenger?”
“Yep.” A notebook filled with gardening records lay next to the inkwell. I tore out a blank page and wrote a letter to my sisters.
Ash and Ember,
I’m afraid the imp might devour my message before it gets to you, but I have no other way to send it. Halloween will be here before we know it, and the veil has already become too weak to bear its natural thinning. We’re doing everything we can to keep it intact, but even the goddess can’t hold it forever. There’s an amulet somewhere on your side. You have to find it and summon Discord so he can return it to its rightful owner. I can’t come home without it.
Blessed be, Cinder
I blew on the ink, helping it dry before rolling up the parchment and cutting a piece of twine from a spool. “Here, impy, impy. I’ve got a job for you, you slimy little twerp.”
17
DISCORD
“Through the rift and straight to my brothers.” I tightened the twine around the imp’s leg, securing the small slip of parchment to his body. “Do you understand?”
He made a chittering sound and saluted before scampering off the table and waiting at the bolted door.
Cinder crossed her arms over her chest, holding on to her shoulders and raising a skeptical brow. “Do you really think this will work?”
“Under the circumstances, I believe it’s our best course of action.” I unlocked the door and rested my hand on the lever. “He’ll find them. Your sisters will get the letter…as long as they don’t vanquish him before he can deliver it.”
She cringed. “That I can’t guarantee.”
“The imp will do his best.” I cracked open the door, blocking the imp’s exit with my leg while assessing the situation. Eerie, unnatural silence greeted me. How odd, considering a large rift lay six yards away.
Ember rested her hands on my back, rising onto her toes to see over my shoulder. “I thought you said every demon in a ten-mile radius would be clambering to get through the rift.”
“Normally, they would. The gardens must have some kind of ward keeping them away.”
“Or they’re all scared of getting thrown into the maze of misery and having to battle a tulpa.” She removed her hands from my back.
I immediately missed their warmth. “I suppose that could be it. I’ll see the imp safely to the rift. Wait here.”
Before she could protest, I slipped out the door and closed it behind me. I scanned the scene, expecting any manner of monster to dart from the shadows. Nothing moved. Not even the air.
“This is where we part, little one. Good luck on your journey.” I gestured to the rift, its edges glowing deep orange.
The imp chittered, dancing in front of the tear as if I’d gifted him an endless buffet of meat and parchment. I lifted him to the rift’s level and pinned him with a pointed look.
“Do not let me down.” I placed him inside the rift, and he vanished through the veil with a soft pop. The tear closed, leaving behind a faint shimmer of magic and the lingering woodsy scent of the earthly realm.
I returned to the shed and found Cinder leaning against the counter. Moonlight filtering in through the clear glass ceiling caught on the rose strands of her hair, haloing her in warm luminescence. My chest ached at the sight.
She had no business shining here, lighting up my life…and yet, she did so without effort, with nothing more than her presence.
“I set up a ward on the shed,” she said. “Hopefully, nothing with ill intent can get inside. An alarm will sound if they do.” She rested her hand on the counter, tipping her head back and closing her eyes.
“Sending the imp was an excellent plan.” I placed my hand atop hers.
Her fingers twitched beneath mine. “Was it? Or did I just weaken the veil even more?”
“Imps are the lowest level of demon. A dozen could slip through a rift at once without causing the veil harm.” I lifted her hand, cradling it in both of mine, my heart aching beneath the intense emotions I felt for her.
“Everything I do seems to make things worse. Our literal job in my realm is to vanquish the beasties that get through from yours…and I just sent one after my sisters. What if he hurts them? Or eats their hair while they sleep? I keep screwing up.” Her voice trembled on the last word. “And I have no idea what to do next.”
I caught her chin, lifting her face toward mine. “You’re not alone in this. You never will be.”
