Getting to Work

The blaring noise blasted Keera unceremoniously from a dreamless sleep.  Grumpy at the rude awakening and still slightly dazed despite the adrenaline running through her veins, she slammed her hand down on her alarm clock.  Rather than returning the room to silence, music coursed into the air.

“What the…?”  It was only then, as her thoughts became more coherent, that the angel realized that the phone was ringing.  It was only 3 am.  “Crap.”  After a moment of fumbling, Keera turned off the radio and crawled out from under the covers.  The chill night air clung to her bare shoulders and seeped through her tank top, making her long for the warmth of her bed.  The only light in the studio apartment was the glow of the city, shining through the curtains.  The single room was only sparsely decorated and furnished, a fact Keera was grateful for as she stumbled towards the phone.  “Hello?” she groaned into the receiver.

“Come to the office immediately.”  Kole never bothered with pleasantries.  He would also think nothing of calling her into work to clean a bathroom in the wee hours of the morning.  She really didn’t want to drag herself down there for something trivial.

“Kole, what’s-”  A loud click and a dial tone announced that her superior had hung up on her.  So much for determining what he wanted.  Longingly, she dreamt of ignoring the call and slipping back into bed.  But, Kole liked to have his own way and he had all the tools he needed to control her.  No matter where he was, he needed to only utter a few words to bend her to his will.  Sometimes, Keera hated magic.

In reality, she had only one option.  With a sigh, she stumbled towards the light switch.  No matter what was going on, Kole would have to wait a little longer for a personal peon.  There was no way Keera was going to do Council business in her pajamas.

About forty minutes after the wake up call, Keera strolled into the office.  Surprisingly, Kole was nowhere to be seen.  Only Royal was there, sitting casually with his feet up on the desk he shared with Keera.

“Took you long enough to get here,” the elf teased.  “Did you take the scenic route?”

“Some of us still have a shred of dignity to defend.”  She was still mad at him.  “Not that I’m any more anxious to see him than I am to be in the same room as you, but where’s our egocentric employer?”

“I assume you’re referring to me.”  The temperature dropped slightly as Kole entered the room, followed closely by Tibias and Sherah.

“Out of the three of us,” Tibias commented with a smirk, “that would be my assumption.”  Tibias made straight for his tea pot and poured a cup.  He grimaced at the first sip; yet another serving of cold tea.  Sherah shifted some clutter and sat on the edge of Tibias’ desk.  Kole settled behind his desk and started thumbing through some papers.

Keera cleared her throat.  “Would anyone care to share what was so important that it couldn’t wait until the morning?”

“It wasn’t for the pleasure of your company,” Royal quipped with his usual grin, “That’s for sure.”  Keera’s hands clenched at the insult.

“Nonsense,” Tibias began, coming to the lady’s rescue, “Your presence, Ms. Trean, is always appreciated.”

“Keera’s value lies in her usefulness, nothing more,” Kole interrupted coldly.

“Shall we get down to business?”  Sherah was sick of the group’s behavior.  They had more important things to worry about than personal feelings and quarrels.  Even at her most feral, she was more professional than this lot.

“An excellent suggestion,”  Tibias grabbed The Art of Demon Whispering from his desk.  “You’re our resident encyclopedia, Kole.  Why don’t you explain the situation to Keera and Royal?”  He opened the book to a marked page and handed it to Keera.

“They have all the information they need,” Kole replied without looking up.  Grudgingly, Royal rose from his seat to look at the book with Keera, knowing he would remain woefully uninformed if he did otherwise.  Keera nearly dropped the book in surprise as she realized what was pictured on the page before her: the very demon they had been chasing.  She quickly read the page.

“So, it’s a demon prince,” she grimaced as she looked up.  “I think we might have a problem.”

“I’m afraid that’s only half of the problem,” Tibias continued as he swirled what was left of his tea.  “The book is a fake, designed to make it easier to summon such brutes.”

“Because everyone needs a pet demon prince these days.”  The usual cheerfulness was absent from Royal’s joke.  “You’ve told the Council?”

“We just came from there,” Sherah responded.  “They want us to deal with it and to find whatever entity is circulating this summoning book.”

“Which means,” Kole intruded, “that we should get to work.”