Carahya spent a chunk of her day searching for places that might hold any sort of information on demons. She investigated several public libraries and bookstores, and even some special shops she came across, dealing with the occult and displaying demon books and tomes in the windows. It was in one such store that the shopkeeper looked at Carahya with a raised eyebrow when she went looking for books on demons. “Not thinking of summoning one, eh miss?” he asked her worriedly in an Irish accent.
“Never, sir…I just want to know more information about…well, what they’re meant to be all about, I suppose,” she replied cautiously.
“Good, good…” the shopkeeper replied, as he shuffled about behind the counter. “There have been an odd amount of people lately, looking for books, trying to control the beasts…in reality, they are the ones that end up controlling these people, but by then it’s far too late. It’s much easier to summon a beast than to get rid of one.”
Carahya looked at the shopkeeper in wonder as he spoke. The man had to be at least sixty years old, wearing a button-up shirt with a dark green sweater-vest, and a pin that bore the name “Richard McBride.” Even with a cap-topped, full head of gray-white hair, he still had a youthful look about him and a twinkle in his green eyes that seemed kind and trustworthy. That twinkle alone made her wary of him, but she listened closely to what he said, because she could tell from his tone that he spoke from experience. He brought up a thick, aged book bound in white leather, and placed it on the counter in front of him. “Now…what I’ve got right here is not an all-purpose rulebook. It’s a guideline. At best, a tip book on demons. I don’t want you young people to start getting it in your inexperienced heads that cavorting with demons is the right idea…not only is it a highly dangerous process in itself, but it’s also illegal and will get you executed, if the beast doesn’t kill you first.”
“Executed? The police don’t have any say over that sort of thing, do they?” Carahya’s curiosity had peaked. Where had he learned such things, and how? And, for crying out loud, what was he?
“Not at all, girl,” McBride said in a low voice, peering his green eyes straight into her blue. “The police have no power over the Council, and even less over the Reapers…”
“I didn’t know the Council had that much power…I just knew they made the rules, I had no idea that they enforced them so harshly…”
“No, they have the power, all right. Some people say too much, but that’s between them and the politics.”
“Well, what about all those demons people are interested in? What happens to them? The Reapers destroy them, don’t they?”
McBride sighed and beckoned Carahya to lean closer to the counter. “Look…miss…” He took off his hat, revealing ears with a slight point to them, and leaned on the counter himself. “I think I know what you are. And, atop that, I can smell what manner of things you’ve been around earlier today. This interest of yours in demons…it won’t go unnoticed by the Council, you can be aware of that. Reapers – the Grim Reaper in particular – are not prone to issuing out mercy, simply because you’re young. Be sure that you do nothing that’ll get you into any trouble.”
“Never, sir…” She looked at him with a gaze of complete honesty and stated, shakily, “Those damned demons caused the deaths of everyone I’ve ever truly cared about. I’d be more likely to want to destroy one than to summon one.”
After a slight pause, he asked, “You go to normal human school, girl?” When Carahya shook her head, he said, “All right, then. Come by the shop every day this next week at around ten or so in the morning. We rarely get busy in here, and even then it’s not typically until after two or so in the afternoon. I’ll teach you what you what I know about demons, here, in the main room of the open shop, in the light of day. What I know is limited, I don’t pretend to be an expert, but it’s far more than you know right now. Trust me when I say that learning it is for your own safety and well being.”
Shocked and speechless, Carahya nodded. She knew that if, for whatever reason he tried any funny business, she had the gun in her pocket, but something about the urgent honesty in his voice told her that he was truly concerned. Finding her voice again, Carahya asked, “Sir…why are you so worried about me? I mean, I know I’m not just some human, but…really, why worry?”
McBride sighed and shook his head a bit. “Well…because a young woman like you, with powers like yours, should know about the monsters out there and how to defend herself against them.” He inhaled through his nose and winced at the smell, adding, “Especially when she seems to find herself surrounded by those who would consort with the beasts.”
No comments:
Post a Comment