Page 38 of Mayhem and Ember

We stood on the sidewalk in front of Chrys’s building, a two-story, brown brick structure with green shutters. Clouds blanketed the sky, the sun’s warm rays unable to penetrate the thick layer, and chilly October air whipped through my hair, blowing it into my face. I pulled it back and tugged a band from my wrist with my teeth, but when I tried to tie it into a low ponytail, it slipped through my fingers. It was too short to pull back.

“Dammit.” I put the band back on my wrist and tucked my purple locks behind my ears.

Mayhem gave me a quizzical look. “Is there a problem with your hair?”

“An imp gave me a bad haircut.” I started toward the steps and paused. “Ash, are there any wards?”

My sister stepped forward and did her thing, sending golden sparkles toward the building. The front walk was clear, but thank the goddess I asked, because Ash’s magic clung to the door and windows, revealing a nasty spell.

My lip curled. “I’m beginning to hate earth witches. Can we neutralize it, or do I get to unravel it the fun way…with my sword?”

“What makes you think an earth witch cast this spell?” Mayhem stepped toward the front porch, but Chaos stopped him with a hand on his forearm. “Was Chrys the only magical being residing here?”

“I don’t think. I know.” I pointed to Ash’s magic-revealing sparkles, trailing my finger to the flowerbed beneath a window. “Follow the glitter. The ward is rooted in the ground.”

“Fascinating,” he said. I didn’t detect sarcasm in his voice, but I doubted he found witch magic the slightest bit interesting.

“It’s fresh too.” Ash examined the hex, her eyes calculating. “Like yesterday fresh. And if my gut is right, it’s to keep out witches. The human residents won’t feel a thing when they pass through it.”

“Her mom did it.” My shoulders slumped. “She probably cleared out the apartment already.”

“Maybe not.” Ash rummaged through her Mary Poppins bag and handed a bowl to Chaos before dumping a few herbs into it. “Grief has a way of paralyzing people. Going through a deceased loved one’s belongings is difficult at best. It can also be devastating.”

“She put the ward up to keep you away from her possessions until she found the strength to go inside.” Chaos held the bowl steady as Ash added three drops of oil, making the potion pop and sizzle.

My sister nodded. “I couldn’t bring myself to go inside Cinder’s room when we thought she was dead.”

“Knowing Discord, she most likely is dead.” Mayhem started up the steps.

“Whoa. Hold your horses.” I grabbed his arm, and prickly tingles shimmied up to my elbow before I let go. “Ash has to deactivate the ward first.”

He rubbed his arm where I had touched him, his brow furrowing as if he felt the electric sensation too. “The ward is to keep out witches, which I am not.” He opened the door and strode right on in like he owned the place.

“You don’t know which apartment is hers,” I shouted from the sidewalk.

“Then I will try them all.” The door clicked shut behind him.

“Mother effer.” I cast my gaze to the left and then the right, making sure no humans were around before I drew my sword. Clutching it in both hands, I raised it above my head, sucking in a breath and steeling myself for the blast of magic I was about to feel.

“Ember, wait.” Ash poured a potion on the ground where the spell was rooted. “It’ll take a few minutes to dissolve.”

“We don’t have a few minutes with Mayhem on the loose.” I barely heard Chaos say, “I can…” before I brought my blade down, slicing through the hex.

The moment the enchanted silver hit magic, a sharp, vibrating pain shot up my arms and rattled my teeth. The spell popped, creating a flash of blinding light and making my ears ring so loudly I couldn’t hear anything else.

Pushing through the pain, I opened the door and strode inside. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the dim hallway. I blinked, willing the world back into focus, and when my vision cleared, I found the first door on the left ajar, the jamb busted where the lock had been engaged.

“Are you kidding me? Mayhem!” I whisper shouted.

He strolled into the hall, carrying a bag of candy, his mouth full of chocolate. “That is a human’s apartment,” he mumbled around the stolen treat.

“That…” I gestured to the busted door. “Is called breaking and entering.” I snatched the bag from his hands and shook it. “And this is theft. It’s not how we operate.”

“Oh my goddess.” Ash entered the building, followed by Chaos. “Please tell me no one was home.”

“The only lifeform I sensed was a feline, who darted under the sofa the moment I entered.” He tried to take the bag from me, so I yanked it away and marched into the apartment.

I set the candy on the counter and returned to the hall, closing the broken door as best I could before glaring at the demon. “You can’t just bust into places. There are rules and laws we have to follow, not to mention how dangerous it is to pass through a ward that could have hidden, deadly magic woven through it.”

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