Birthright - Book 2 of the Legacy Series (An Urban Fantasy Novel) (37 page)

“Hello, brother.”

My enthusiasm died faster than you could say ‘let down’.

“Ah, hell.”

“Happy housewarming.” She lifted the cat and literally threw it at me. The feline latched onto my arms with its claws as it let out a sad meow.

“You brought me a cat?” I asked, confused, as I tried to keep the cat from tearing my shirt to shreds. It calmed down and seemed content with just curling in my arms like an infant.

“What’s her name?” I asked.

“I’m a guy, dude.”

Gil wasn’t the one who answered me. I looked down at the cat. There was something about that voice, that cockiness. Where have I heard it before?

I remembered the wooden carving of a cat, remarkably similar to the one in my arms. “Amaymon?”

“S’up?” he said as he licked his paw. I held the cat in my outstretched hands.

“You brought me a
demon
?” I asked Gil exasperatedly.

She shrugged, hiding a grin. “You remember our deal with Mephisto? I can’t have two demons running amuck in one house, Erik. Besides, that thing’s a menace,” she said, glaring at the cat.

“Meow,” the cat cutely replied.

Gil glared some more. “Is that all you have to say for yourself?”

Amaymon meowed again and a vein on Gil’s neck throbbed. I had to admit, the cat was scoring points like mad.

“If you don’t want him, Erik,” she said. “I can always throw him in the nearest pool and leave him to drown. We technically upheld our end of the bargain with Mephisto. What happens to Amaymon is not our concern.”

Amaymon shook violently and managed to wrap himself around my arm. I let go in shock, but he clung to my shoulder in despair.

“Please. I’ll behave, I’ll behave, I swear,” he begged. “Just get me away from the psycho broad.”

Gil tsk’ed, and that vein throbbed again. She searched in her pocket and extracted a silver pendant with a ruby.

“Your call, Erik,” she said, dangling the pendant like a hypnotist’s pocket watch. Judging by the power I felt from that thing, it was probably the key to this demon’s powers. Whoever controls that controls the demon himself.

I snatched it from her. “I’ll keep him.”

Possibilities were already going through my head. A demon familiar, particularly one who owed me a huge favor like saving his life, would be extremely helpful. That is, if I could keep him in check. At the very least, I’ll stop talking to myself.

I invited Gil in. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of paint, but said nothing. She didn’t even complain when I sat her on a cardboard box and took another as my seat while using a third to hold our coffee mugs. Amaymon had found a bag of Doritos and ripped it open.

“Nice place,” she said. I heard the sarcasm emanating from her voice.

“I know,” I shot back.

Her eyes narrowed. “So. Rumor has it that a superhero has appeared in Eureka. Some teenager with a glowing blue sword and a Ghostbusters act.”

“I tried to get Spiderman, but the flights from New York are a bitch,” I replied.

“What the hell are you doing, Erik?” she asked seriously.

“Oh, you know, just the usual,” I replied nonchalantly. “Started a business, killed some monsters, saved the day. Just your run-of-the-mill superhero stuff. Minus the spandex and cape.” I leaned forward.

“Why the questions, Gil? You got a problem with my newfound independence?” I asked darkly.

“I don’t give a damn what you do, Erik,” she said coolly. “It’s not like you’ll be interfering with my business ventures.” Her eyes darkened. “
They
, however, may not share my opinion.”

“They?”

“Yes. They. The authorities. The big guns. The ones truly in control.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

She let out a chuckle. “Listen up, brother, because I am only going to say this once. I may even be killed for revealing their existence, but I suppose you have earned the right to know. Think of it as a peace offering.”

She fidgeted in her seat. “Do you remember when Mephisto once mentioned laws for the magical world?” I nodded. “At the time, I thought it was only a set of command rules, like a code of ethics, to keep us from spiraling into chaos. But I was wrong. There exists a council of ten wizards who have set rules in place. They roam the plane, always vigilant.” Gil visibly shuddered.

“They are called the Grigori — a council of ten wizards, each powerful enough to level a city if he so wished. These are the people who set the standards for magic users as well as the limitations. They created these laws and summarily deal with anyone who refuses to toe the line. No one knows what these rules are, or how far their limitations go. I suspect their laws only apply to the most dangerous corners of magic. Public knowledge may inspire certain lunatics to vie for the attention of the Grigori by attaining such power. But I do know one rule – the existence of the Grigori must never be revealed.” She smiled. “That is, unless it is by a member of the Grigori themselves.”

My eyes widened. “So, you’re a member of the Grigori council now?”

“Not quite,” she replied. “More of an honorary member. Our ancestor, who led the assault on Hell, was one such member. All the Heads of Household, even our father, held an honorary position amongst the council. It was the Grigori who set the rule that warlocks are not to alter other planes of existence. Some time ago, a council member extended me the offer of honorary membership. But like our ancestors, I intend to become a full-fledged member.”

“Awesome,” I said sarcastically. “You wanna join a team of super executioners. Good luck.”

“These are the wizards who control and regulate all others. They are the sculptors of continents and puppeteers of civilizations.” A twinkle was in her eye. “I want to be the most powerful I can be without resorting to the unscrupulous methods of our father and those before him.”

“Huh. Yeah, like that can happen,” I said sarcastically.

“It can and it will,” she said vehemently. “Because I will it so.”

“Look at you, already got the attitude of a… what was it?” I said mockingly.

“Sculptor of continents and puppeteer of civilizations,” supplied Amaymon.

“What he said,” I continued.

“I don’t have to justify my actions to you, Erik,” she replied coolly. “But you are missing the point.”

“Yeah? What would that be?”

“I mentioned that a Grigori member personally contacted me. Doesn’t that strike you as strange? I mean, sure, an invitation of such merit is not something done over the phone, but they do have messengers and errand boys,” she said.

“Get to the point, Gil,” I said impatiently.

“The point is, brother,” she said, “that your actions with dad and Crowley and all this ‘save the innocent’ drivel has put you on their radar. The council member was here because of you. It was only out of courtesy and luck that he stopped by the mansion first.”

“Really? How is that lucky?”

“Because I accepted the invitation,” she replied with glee. “This entire area is officially under my jurisdiction now, including you. Which means, if you mess up, the Grigori will come after my head before coming after yours.”

“So, what am I supposed to do, ask for your permission before doing something?” I asked as my temper started rising. Here she goes, trying to control my life. Well, I wasn’t having any of it. “I don’t care about any of this crap, Gil. I’m gonna do my thing – if the Grigori’s got a problem with that, let ‘em come.”

Gil rose to leave. “Even if it means endangering your sister?”

“I know you, Gil,” I replied. “You’re smart, smarter than anyone I know. I’m sure you can cover your ass.”

She smiled. “Thank you. I will not interfere unless I have to. And remember, this conversation never happened.”

“Grigori who?” I said as I walked her to the door.

She turned toward me. “You know, you make one good warlock, Erik. Pity we are in this situation.”

“Yeah, pity,” I replied. “But you’re wrong on one thing, Gil. I’m no warlock.”

“Oh?”

“I’m just a guy with a glowing sword and a Ghostbusters act,” I replied. “Say hi to Satan for me.”

I shut the door in her face and smiled. Erik, one. Gil, zero.

It felt good to be a badass.

Now

I settled the glass back down. It was completely empty. There were still a couple of shots left in the bottle, but they did not call out to me.

“After that, it was pretty much history,” I said. “Amaymon and I took cases, helping out wherever we could. Then, nearly a year ago, Jehudiel showed up and told us about Abi. I found out about the Sins and the angels warring against them. This is the prologue of a war between Heaven and Hell, and my sister chose the Heaven side.”

“Do you intend to make the same choice as Gil?” asked Sun Tzu.

“You mean, do I intend to side with Heaven or Hell?” I asked. “No. My side is this one, Earth. If the tables were turned, and Heaven was the one who wanted to conquer, then I’d kick their asses just the same.”

Sun Tzu said nothing, but nodded. There was no judgment in his eyes.

Only respect.

And there it was, my life story, finished. A myriad of feelings went through me, and something like a panic attack threatened to overtake me. I was so distracted by the whole thing that I didn’t feel Abi sneaking up behind me.

“Guess who?” she said as I felt her hands on my shoulder. My hand was already on Djinn’s handle but the sound of her voice saved her from getting stabbed. I turned around, ready to reprimand her, and saw nothing. I felt her hand on my shoulder, the heat coming from her body, and heard the sound of her breathing and stifled giggling, but I couldn’t see her.

“What the–”

She appeared suddenly, making me jump in my seat. The damn redhead was laughing her head off.

“Not cute,” I said as I tried to maintain some dignity.

I failed.

“You should have seen your face,” she said in between laughs. “So, what do you think?” she asked once her laughing fit ceased. “I learned a couple of tricks.”

“Yeah? Like what?” I asked.

“I’m part succubus, right?” she answered. “Which means I can play around with minds and make them all foggy and lusty. But because I’m a hybrid and can use magic, I can take that a step further. I can make the mind my area of effect. So, I can create illusions, mess with senses, send messages, read personalities and,” she said with glee, “check this out.”

She pointed at the table and concentrated. One of the bottles levitated a quarter of an inch before wobbling and pathetically toppling over.

Amaymon pointed at the bottle. “Did something happen?”

Abi shot him a dark look. “It’s still a work in progress,” she pouted. “After managing that telekinetic pull on the stop sign, I kept trying to fine-tune that power. Seems I can only pull it off when I’m in real danger.” Her expression brightened. “But hey, I snuck up on Erik. That’s got to earn me some points.”

“He ain’t exactly the most focused person right now,” replied the demon.

Abi looked at me. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” I said, waving her off. “Just a bit of therapy.”

“Erik has just shared his background with us,” interjected Sun Tzu.

“Oh,” she said. “I wanted to hear that.”

“I’m sorry, Abi, but once was hard enough,” I said.

“Oh,” she said, partially crestfallen. But her mood brightened up. “Don’t worry about it, the cat will fill me in.”

Amaymon winked at her. “Sure, I will, babe,” he said with a sleazy tone. “In whichever way you want.”

Even I felt my stomach turn. But Abi calmly looked at him and reached behind her.

“Hey, kitty, how would you like a stick up your ass?” she said. A little golden rod in her hand expanded until it reached two feet in length. I let out a low whistle.

“Got the king, huh?” I said. I extracted Djinn and tapped the rod. “Yep, real gold,” I commented. Abi waved around her new toy and pointed it at my familiar.

“If I hear one ‘rod’ joke out of you, I’m caving your skull in.”

Amaymon smiled and raised his hands in mock innocence.

“According to the fable
Journey to the West
,” said Sun Tzu, “the Monkey King was a master of transformation with more than seventy different shapes. That appears to be the main ability of your weapon, Abigale. For now, at least.”

The rod shrunk back to fit in her palm. “Yeah,” she said. “I can play around with length for now, but I’m psyched to figure out what else it can do.”

The Asian man smiled at her energy and enthusiasm. “And I am sure you will, with sufficient practice.”

“Yeah, we got a lot of training left ahead of us,” I said. Although, in comparison, hers would be easier than mine. She wouldn’t have to relearn everything from scratch. Sometimes, it pays to know nothing and be open to learning new stuff.

I remember the basic lessons of magic that Mephisto had taught us. In a strange twist of fate, neither I, nor my apprentice, were bound by such strict methods. For us, it was all about intention, which is the true key of any spell. Having our own personal channels meant we could bypass all the catalysts and incantations. True, it did require more concentration and unwavering focus on our part, but that’s exactly why we needed the practice.

I glanced at Abi and wondered. Her mind was her catalyst; as long as she willed it she had the potential to do anything. That was one scary power to have. Thank the stars there weren’t many evil hybrids around or I’d be in some deep shit.

On the other hand, my own magic wasn’t anything to scoff at. If Amaymon and Tzu were right, I had power over the blueprints of life.

That was utterly terrifying and awesome.

Perhaps there was a reason why she was my student. A unique wizard teaching a unique apprentice. Fate does, indeed, work in mysterious ways.

Abi toyed with her new weapon, which had shrunk down to the size of a small chopstick. “I wonder how to carry this thing. Does it magically appear in my hands whenever I need it?”

“Yes, but it is far quicker and more practical to just carry it on your person,” replied Sun Tzu patiently. “The original Sun Wo Kung used to carry the staff as a toothpick, placing it behind his ear or between his teeth,” he suggested helpfully. Abi’s face twisted slightly.