Page 36 of Court of Heathens

“What else?” I ask.

“I’m unsure. It was a creature, and it had claws, was wrapped in shadows, and had red eyes,” she says quickly.

“Nothing I’ve ever seen,” the demon offers helpfully.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I eye them. “Anything else?”

“Nothing,” they say in unison.

“Okay, this creature, where is it?” I glance around like it might appear.

“Well, erm, it got away,” Freya answers.

“So there is an unknown dark creature on the loose as well as a necromancer?” I summarise.

“Pretty much.” The demon nods, toasting me. “Told you that you would need caffeine.”

Sitting back, I eye Freya in concern. If she raised this creature, then does this mean her control is slipping and her dark powers are taking over? Not only that, but if she is determined to track this necromancer, can she maintain control? I worry she cannot fight what she is forever, and then I would have to do my duty and end her. I have never been as sad about the thought of death for a mortal being as I am at the thought of Freya dying.

“I will help you stop the necromancer and capture this creature. As the god of magic, it’s the least I can do.” Plus, if I am there, then maybe I can stop her from falling into the darkness inside her and keep her alive. It’s like walking a tightrope, but I have to try.

“Really? You’ll help us?” She brightens. “That would be great. We weren’t doing so well.”

“Hey!” the demon protests, but she spares him a look. “Yeah, okay, he can be zombie bait. So this is the team, huh? A demon, a witch, and a god. What could go wrong?”

What indeed?

CHAPTER 21

“So how do we track a necromancer?” I ask, looking between the demon and Phrixius.

“In the past, we simply followed their trail of destruction. However, they usually found us, wanting to claim our power,” Phrixius admits. “After the great dark wars, any that were born went into hiding, and then we tracked them down. We can sense their powers if we are close enough, and they leave telltale marks throughout the world. When death touches down, things wilt.”

The demon snorts. “So basically, he doesn’t have a clue.”

“I didn’t say that.” Phrixius huffs.

“No, but you were thinking it, magic man,” the demon says. “You said tracing their magic, so what about Bobby the hand?”

“Bobby?” we both ask incredulously.

“Yeah, I named it. It felt weird just calling it ‘the hand.’ What about Teddy over there?” The demon points at the groaning zombie.

“Teddy and Bobby? You named the zombies.” I groan, rubbing my head. “Sometimes I wonder what goes on in your head.”

“It’s usually a montage of pictures of your boobs or moans.” The demon shrugs, eyeing Teddy—no, shit, I mean the zombie. I just gape at him, and he winks. “So we use the zombie, track downthe bad guy, kill him, destroy the monster, and then have lots of sex. Sounds like a plan.”

“Demon—”

There’s a noise, and I turn to see Phrixius raising his hand.

“Yes?” I ask, confused.

“The lots of sex part, am I to be involved?”

I gape further as he trades looks with the demon.

“You know what? There is too much testosterone in here. One of you needs to leave for a moment,” I order, crossing my arms. “Before I turn you both into neutered cats.”

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