Page 21 of Commanding Chaos

The basilisk spun, running first one way and then the other, the flames growing hotter and higher until they reached the trees. Fire spread across a spruce and jumped onto a maple.

Oh no. Not again.

“Cha…Mark!” I shouted and pointed at the inferno. At least it wasn’t my fault this time.

He looked up, lifting a hand and calling the fire back into himself like it was the easiest thing in the world to do. For a Prince of Hell, I suppose it was. He extinguished the basilisk, but it still didn’t die. Instead, it ran in circles like a chicken with its head cut off, which it was about to be. How fitting.

Ember gripped her sword in both hands and swung so hard she did a full three-sixty, lobbing off the beastie’s head. Its charred body collapsed, and its head rolled to Chaos’s feet. My demon shook his head at the creature, and with his hand at his side to hide it from the others, he made some sort of symbols with his fingers. In a flash of light and a pop that nearly burst my eardrums, the basilisk disappeared across the veil.

Cheers erupted from the crowd that had gathered around us.

The crowd…

Crappity crap, when the basilisk knocked Shade unconscious, his shadow magic went dark along with him. Thirty-plus people stood on the sidewalk clapping and whistling as if they’d just seen the best show of their lives.

“Well, that’s a problem.” Ember sheathed her sword.

“Was that a hologram?” a man shouted.

“Where’s the projector?” a woman asked.

“Can I join your LARP group?” a teenager called.

They thought it was an act. That we were performing a Live Action Role Play. We could make this work. Just give them what they wanted and then be on our way.

“Go with it.” I plastered on the biggest fake smile I could manage and took a bow.

Shade groaned and shuffled toward us, and Chrys looked at Ember, mouthing the words “what do we do?” Ember nodded, spread her arms wide, and did a half-bow half-curtsy. The others followed suit, and the crowd erupted in cheers again.

“Now what?” I asked Ember. “We need to find the rift, but we can’t do it with all these people watching.”

“There is no rift here,” Chaos whispered so only my sister and I could hear. “This basilisk was summoned.”

“Probably by the Boston Magic Society,” I said under my breath.

“Summoned?” Ember frowned. “Boston?”

I nodded. “We need to talk privately.”

“I think I’ve got enough vim to cloak us again.” Shade rolled his neck. “But we’ll disappear right before their eyes. Any idea on how to get them out of here so we can locate the rift?”

Ember pursed her lips, silently telling me to play along. “We may have to come back and look for it later.”

“And leave this park susceptible to monsters that strong?” Chrys planted her hands on her hips. “No way.”

“We could act like it’s part of the show,” Miles said. “Exaggerate it so when we disappear, they think it’s special effects.”

Chaos was being awfully quiet, so I elbowed him in the stomach and whispered, “Don’t.”

“Too late.” He chuckled, and the crowd went nuts. They pushed and shoved, shouted and screamed. Some ran away while others threw punches.

Chrys gasped. “What in the goddess’ name?”

Ember’s nostrils flared, her jaw tensing as she flashed me a look that said get that demon under control, or else. “Quick, Shade. Do it now while they’re distracted.”

His gray fog rolled around us, concealing us from view, and my demon reeled in his magic. The crowd stilled, some in mid-punch, and looked at each other like the past thirty seconds were a blur. A few looked toward us, scratched their heads, and walked away, while others hung around, trying to figure out what the hell just happened to them.

A man in an oversized Army jacket touched his nose and looked at his fingers covered in blood. He shouted at a man in a peacoat before clocking him in the jaw. Peacoat fought back, and the rest of the crowd backed away, some filming the scuffle.

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