《Guard of the Threshold》


 Exordium - Prologue

    Prologue


    The man couldn''t move. He could feel ropes biting into the skin on his wrists, cutting off circulation. His feet were numb, legs pulled tight and bound similarly. He had no recollection of how he had gotten in this predicament. Gagged and blindfolded, he couldn''t call out for help or see anything. He struggled against the bindings with all the strength he could muster. They didn''t budge. He realized he could hear faint whispers of something. Not conversation, the voices were hushed and seemed to repeat after a bit. Someone touched his leg and he winced in spite of himself, letting out a small yelp through the gag.


    "Shhhh." a feminine voice soothed him. "Be calm, it will all be over soon." She touched his leg again and he realized he wasn''t wearing pants. Or any clothes it felt like for that matter. He struggled again, calling out through the gag impotently. "Let me give you something for the nerves." A quick stab of a needle in his shoulder startled him and he yelped again. The woman stroked his hair, cooing and shushing again. She pulled the blindfold up over his forehead and he was temporarily blinded by bright white light.


    As his eyes adjusted he was able to take in his surroundings: a sterile white room with an incredibly bright overhead light. He strained his neck to find a door or a window but the room offered no escapes. His head was pulled back and he saw his detainer. A beautiful brunette, dark eyes, dark makeup. Also naked as a jaybird. He blushed and moved his eyes away from the swell of her chest and back to her eyes.


    "Soon." She told him. "Soon you will have the pleasure, the privilege, of offering your essence to your Keeper. You will live forever through another, your life adding to the power given by the Numen." With a scrape of metal on metal, she picks up a knife from the table he was bound to. He screams his dissent through the gag, the ropes tearing his skin as he pulls ever more fervently at them. She moves the blindfold back over his eyes, covering the frantic looks and tears.


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    He reels against the next touch. So sure was he that it would be a knife plunging between his ribs. While the touch was forceful, he didn''t feel any pain from it. And it wasn''t the woman touching him. The hand felt dry, scraping against his clammy skin. Another hand on his chest. And another on his ankle. Then the sensation of a hundred different hands all over his body. The sensation was foreign and overwhelming. He stopped writhing against the touch and just sobbed into the gag. The blindfold is suddenly ripped forcibly off of him and this time he is blinded by darkness, its like only know to moonless nights in the deep woods.


    A sickly green light trickles in from a grate on the floor and he realizes that he had been moved during the assault of the hundred hands. He is now upright, his arms and legs bound anew as if crucified. In the dim light, he sees someone approaching him and he thinks it the woman. But this one is different, her skin bulging and sagging with age and sickness, her scalp home to frayed tufts and bloody patches. The one recognizable feature, her eyes still dark and darker still is the threat of violence shining through them. And the knife she wields. The man looks around frantically for escape and sees that his bindings are no longer rope but dozens of skeletal hands holding him tighter that the ropes.


    The hands slowly start moving to engulf him as she approaches. He screams, the gag no longer enough to keep him silent.


    "Soon." the woman says through gritted, broken teeth.


    "NO! Please don''t! I don''t want to die!" The hands continue their progress, covering his nudity. The woman stops.


    "Die? I told you." She says as she lifts the blade and draws it back. "You will live forever." She pushes the knife slowly into his heart. Cupping the running blood in her hands, she sips at it like it was water from a well. Greenish bolts of electricity arcing around the woman, now more beautiful than before, eyes glowing like embers.


    That''s the last thing the man sees before one hundred hands completely envelope him.

 A Weird One - Chapter 1

    Detective Devlin Br¨ªgh tapped a fresh cigarette on the back of his hand before lighting it. The lighter flared against his red-tinged stubble and small mound of scar tissue on his left temple. A small reminder of a German Stielhandgranate that sent him home. His boyish looks had faded during his time home, little crows feet were starting to appear at the corners of his eyes and grey was creeping into his light brown hair.


    He had turned 30 six months back and tried to think about that as little as possible. His mother, back east in Boston, berated him in her most recent letter telling him he needed to marry a nice young Irish Catholic girl and give her some grandchildren. The trouble wasn''t finding a nice girl his mother would approve of, it was in allowing himself to have a life outside of the life of a police detective. He shook his head, clearly distracted, and tried to focus on the scene.


    And what a scene it was: blood from corner to corner in the room with the stiff crucified to the ceiling. Nothing else. Not a damn shred of evidence. Dev took a long drag from the cigarette and let the smoke out in a deep sigh. He looked back at the big Armco Worldwide Gringing System sign, remembering that it used to be Kansas City Nut and Bolt just a few years ago. A lot of people worked here. He could already feel the headache brewing that would come along with the possible hundreds of interviews.


    "Did we find any personal effects? Locket? Wallet? Anything? Do we know if it''s one of the workers yet?" He asked a familiar beat cop, Officer Jennings.


    "Nope. And we didn''t touch anything when we saw all this." Jennings said from outside the room, motioning to the blood. He continued reading from a small notepad. "The mill foreman called it in around 5 a.m. Says he doesn''t recognize the deceased, so no luck there. No footprints leading to or from the scene and as yet, no witnesses. Whaddya make of it, Sherlock?" Henry Jennings had a good head on his shoulders. He would make detective someday, if so inclined.


    Dev pulled a toothpick out of his pocket and scratched at the blood, it was tacky and drying. He finished his cigarette and backed away from the bloody entryway. Another car pulled up, a Buick Roadmaster with Medical Examiner printed on the side of it.


    "Nothing. We''ll have to wait for his report to see if all this blood came from our guy. Other than that, Jennings, all''s I can say is that this is a weird one." He walked back to his car, a ''41 Willys Coupe that he had bought when he moved out to Missouri. After he became a detective, he had been allowed to use his personal vehicle. He took his hat off and tossed it on the front seat then started walking to the mill''s office hoping to find the plant manager and foreman.


    -


    After waiting in the lobby with secretary for what felt longer than the few minutes that passed, a pudgy balding man and a solid working joe approached. Dev reached out to shake their hands. The pudgy man introduced himself and Frank Buchanan, the plant manager, and the working joe introduced himself as Ronald Hanson, the foreman.


    "Thank you for meeting with me gentlemen, I just have a few preliminary questions. Mister Hanson, you found the body this morning. Did you happen to see anyone around or any sign of a vehicle?" Dev produced a small notepad and pencil.


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    "No, sir. I arrived to open the plant and saw the light coming from the room with the door open. Lights aren''t sposed to be on so my first thought was some kids messing around. I snuck in close to try to scare the bejesus out of ''em and teach ''em lesson. Then I saw all the blood. I didn''t even notice the... body, at first." Hanson said, pausing at the word body. Dev scrutinized the man. He was definitely old enough to have served. Solid as a rock and still sporting a crew cut. Unless he was mistaken, Hanson would have seen combat. So why would he be squeamish about a body?


    "Army?" Dev probed.


    Hanson looked a little shocked. "Yeah, you?"


    Dev motioned to the small mound of scar tissue on the side of his head. "A couple years. Got sent home because of this."


    Hanson nodded and seemed to loosen up a bit. "Ain''t never seen nothin'' like it, Detective. And I seen a lot." Hanson trailed off. "In the War." Dev nodded and turned to Buchanan.


    "Who all would have access to the plant at night?"


    "Well we have night guards who keep the grounds secure. They''ll have left but I can get you their address if you need to question them. Um, myself and Ronald. Oh, and Miss Childs, the secretary has keys to the office and gates." Buchanan said it all like he had rehearsed it. But why? Maybe he was just nervous.


    "Thank you, I''ll need the guards information. No one else can open the gate then?"


    "No, Detective." Dev scratched his head with the eraser on his pencil, thinking. "Why? Is important who can open the gate?" Buchanan asked.


    "Well, it could mean one of your guards opened the gate for a murderer." Dev said measured, trying to gauge Buchanan''s reaction. He held a stiff upper lip so Dev continued. "But more likely the case is that the murderer and the victim snuck onto the property while the guards were occupied elsewhere or in a blind spot. Mister Buchanan, did the Officers have you come out to try to identify the body when they arrived? To see if its one of your employees?" Buchanan shook his head ''no'' animatedly. He did not seem to keen on looking at a dead body.


    Before Dev could ask him to come outside to the crime scene, Officer Jennings approached.


    "Hey, Brig, Examiner''s here. He found something you''re gonna wanna see." Dev cringed at Jennings pronunciation of his surname. He excused himself and walked out of the lobby with Jennings.


    "If you ever want your own Detective shield, you''d better learn the importance of details." Dev grumbled and Jennings laughed.


    They continued to banter until they met with a thin pale man. The coroner, Ansel Kaine. Why was it that coroners, undertakers, and apparently medical examiners always looked like their work and had such broody names? Doctor Kaine stood next to a gurney with a clipboard in hand, his glasses pushed down his nose, and a scowl on his face. His assistant was also patiently waiting by the gurney, looking far less perturbed and more bored than anything.


    "Detective Br¨ªgh. Officer Jennings." Doctor Kaine said with a slight sneer. Jennings must have made him mad again.


    "Doctor. Officer Jennings said there was something you needed to show me?" Kaine motioned for his assistant to move the sheet covering the body. He pointed to a long cut on the back and a small book in a plastic bag.


    "That book was protruding from the laceration. Once processed, I''m hoping it will provide some clue as to what the devil happened here last night. I will send you the results of my examination of this John Doe as soon as I can. I know how you tend to thrive on these strange cases." Kaine motioned to his assistant again and they moved the gurney to the back of their car. Blood, a body, and now a book. It was shaping up to be an interesting day.

 Mind Right - Chapter 2

    After finishing up at the scene Devlin headed back to the station to compile notes and fill out his reports. It was barely 8 a.m. He parked and made his way inside, hanging his hat and overcoat on a communal rack just next to the bullpen.


    His desk stood out next to his fellow officers; no picture frames or decorations, just a file basket and his typewriter. His stationary was stored in a drawer as well as finished reports. He retrieved a blank copy and started clacking away when another Detective approached his desk with a coffee mug in hand.


    "Mornin'' Br¨ªgh!" A far too cheerful man in his 50''s with a messy mop of grey hair called out. Somehow Detective Jim Appleton always looked perpetually disheveled, unprofessional, and in general, clueless. Despite this he had the highest closing rate in Kansas City and was Devlin''s close friend and mentor. Appleton rubbed his stubbled chin while he leaned against Dev''s desk and set down a second mug of coffee Devlin hadn''t seen.


    "Thanks Appleton. Did you dress in the dark this morning? I don''t understand how your wife lets you leave the house looking like that." Dev chuckled.


    "Oooh Beth doesn''t mind how I leave as long as I come home looking roughly the same." Appleton sipped at his coffee. "I heard you got the bloody mess this morning. Anything?" He offered his hand to look over the report. Dev held it out and Appleton whistled through his teeth. "Well, can''t say I''m not happy to not be on this one, but, you always manage to land a collar on these strange cases. If you need any help, I''ll be right over here." Appleton wandered over to his own desk, just as unkempt and messy as its owner. He put his feet up and sipped the coffee.


    "Appleton, get your feet off the desk, if the Captain were to see you he''d have a conniption fit." As if summoned, Captain Tobias Townshend appeared in his office doorway.


    "Appleton, get your feet off that desk!" Jim sloshed coffee on an already stained shirt as he moved to comply. "Br¨ªgh, my office! Bring me your report." Dev whacked Appleton mockingly on his wrist as he passed by. Captain Townshend''s office was full of commendations, trophies, awards and plaques, as well as the very smartly dressed Captain. Always at odds with Appleton''s appearance, the Captain was polar opposite. Not a hair out of place nor a crease in his shirt. He had been a great beat cop, an even better Detective, and now was in line to live up to his reputation as Captain. He was Appleton''s partner at one point. He motioned for Dev to sit down and held out his hand for the report.


    The Captain scanned over the report with a weather eye and handed back the report. "Did you get the contact information for the night guards?"


    Dev nodded.  "I plan to visit the morgue to collect Doctor Kaine''s report as well as the book mentioned in the report. Then I would go speak to security guards to get their statements."


    "Not a lot to go on Detective. I''m worried that this will end up a cold case. I want you to do your due diligence and if there are still no leads, I want you to cease your investigation."


    "Sir?!"  Dev was shocked.


    "I don''t want one of my top Detectives wasting his time on a John Doe with," the Captain reached up and touched a Crucifix on a chain around his neck, "such unsavory details surrounding it. I know that in the past you have excelled in these particular types of cases, but this one already seems as if it will divert you from your other cases. Understood?  Dismissed."


    Dev just nodded and walked slowly out the door.


    -


    Dev sat in the hospital parking lot, a smoking cigarette hanging out the window. The drive over from the station to the morgue has passed by without him noticing. Drop the case? So soon? It was like the Captain was either worried about the case or was being pressured into ordering Dev to leave it. Neither of which sat well. A highly decorated office being afraid of a strange and difficult case felt wrong, Dev relished the weird ones. It gave him the opportunity to really challenge his mind to connect the evidence. And if someone above the Captain wanted the case closed and the Captain caved, it meant he was being manipulated. Whether politically or financially, the ulterior motives implicated were more disturbing than the possibility of the Captain losing his edge. His cigarette had gone out.


    Dev sighed, lit another cigarette and closed his eyes. He was looking at the crime scene in his mind''s eye, going over ever inch, every tiny shred of possible evidence. Bloody floor. Victim nailed to the ceiling. And, nothing? He rubbed his temples, trying to massage away the beginnings of a head ache.


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    Not enough clues. He needed to talk to Doctor Kaine. He got out of the car and finished his cigarette. As he closed the door, hairs on the back of his neck stood up. It felt like he was being watched. Dev stiffened but tried to act like he didn''t feel it. He straightened his overcoat and rolled his neck, trying to look around for his stalker. He started walking down the ramp to the morgue reassuring himself that he had imagined the feeling and that he had just gotten himself worked up because of the order to drop the case. He approached the door of the Medical Examiner''s office and looked back over his shoulder before entering. No one there, nothing sinister at the top of the ramp. Shaking his head, he went inside.


    The morgue was always chilly. There were three examination tables, two of which had bodies covered by sheets in that same hospital shade of green that every hospital seemed to adopt. On the walls were doors to 12 cold lockers, over half of them had little identification placards on them with names of the deceased. Doctor Kaine was seated on a stool on the far side of the room hunched over the countertop filling out a report. He had half a sandwich in one hand and a pencil in the other. Dev cleared his throat to get the good doctor''s attention.


    "I see you have arrived for my report." Doctor Kaine said without looking up from the report. He took a bite of his sandwich and filled out another part of the form. "It''s on the little rolling desk at the head of exam table three. As well as the book. If you''ll give me a few moments, I will have finished this report and will be at your beck and call." He took another bite of his sandwich. Dev approached exam table three and went over the report. ''The only visible wound on the cadaver is one 12 inch laceration on posterior thoracic region. Inside wound, an 8x4x1 inch book was found wrapped in plastic.''


    Only wound? Dev pulled the sheet back to look at the wrists and hands of the body. No cuts or stabs. Not even a bruise. How had he been stuck to the ceiling?


    "I see you are confused." Doctor Kaine said from right behind him.


    "Do you have to sneak up on people in the morgue, Doc?  Or is it just for fun?"  Dev asked, clutching his chest mockingly.  Kaine just smiled wryly.


    "It''s about the only fun I can have down here." His smile disappeared and he reached for the report. "At the scene I''m sure you noticed that the victim was affixed to the ceiling in a certain manner, crucifixion. While you were questioning the manager and foreman, Jeffrey and I went to work removing the victim. He was held in place not by nails or fasteners as you have seen, but by straps strategically placed at his ankles and wrists, as well as one around his waist and neck. The lack of bruising at each site indicates that there was no struggle. He was hung postmortem. I have also come to the conclusion that the cut on his back was done postmortem as well. I believe this man was dead before he ever arrived at the steel mill."


    "Have you worked out a cause of death?"


    "No. His heart appears to have been healthy before death, as well as his other organs. From my experience, this man didn''t medically die."


    "Meaning?"


    "He just ceased living." Doctor Kaine gave Dev a moment to let that sink in.


    "But... But that doesn''t make any sense. What are you putting in your report as cause of death? He just gave up?" Doctor Kaine pursed his lips.


    "No, Detective, currently the cause of death is listed as Unknown. Then there is the matter of how he was hung from the ceiling, but that is for a detective to figure out, not a doctor." Dev steps away from the examination table in shock. So everything in that room had been staged. Nothing was as it seemed.


    "And the blood?"


    "I am also inclined to believe that it is not your John Doe''s blood."


    Dev''s head was spinning, the earlier headache returning. So many questions.  "Who in their right mind finds a dead body or kills a man, then takes him to a public place to affix said body to the ceiling and then dumps a gallon or two of someone or something else''s blood around the room? Do you know how hard it would be to lift and attach a body to a ceiling? This means there had to be more than one killer. Can I even call them a killer yet?" Dev trails off, his thoughts losing coherency.


    "Detective. Whoever did this did not have their mind right. To try to apply logic to this particular scenario is to flirt with madness." Doctor Kaine hands Dev an evidence bag with the small book in it. "Perhaps there will be some insight here?" Dev accepted the book and thanked the doctor. In a haze he made his way back to his car and throws his overcoat and the book into the front seat.


    He retrieves a cigarette and struggles to light it with shaking hands. His hackles rise again. He jumps into the driver''s seat and speeds away. A few miles away he pulls over on the side of the road and tries to calm his mind. In the corner of his eye, he sees the little book. It is bound in black leather and if it weren''t for the conditions of its discovery, it would just be a book. Unassuming. Unimportant.


    He picks it up and looks over the outer bindings. No markings, no title. Some plain stitching around the edges of the covers holding it together. No more than a hundred pages probably. It looked more like a nice diary not entirely dissimilar from the notebook he carried in his daily life. He steels himself and flips the cover open. The pages look like they were wet and dried many times, the texture doesn''t quite feel like paper. He skims through it, seeing strange circles and markings throughout. On the first page is only one word - "NUMEN"

 Scent of Flowers - Chapter 3

    After checking his mirrors for far too long to see if he had been followed, Dev noticed a small white envelope under the windshield wiper.  He knew someone had been watching him earlier.  He reached out the window, snatching it angrily from its place.  He debated on throwing it on the ground then noticed it had a wax seal. Who sealed letters with wax nowadays? He stuffed it into his inner coat pocket.


    Nothing made sense on a case that was already leaning toward being a hard one. He pondered the facts he had with his earlier presumptions as he got on the road to make his way to the first night guard. The victim, who hadn''t donated the blood at the scene and wasn''t necessarily killed there, hadn''t provided any clues. The blood could be from man or animal or a combination of the two and now seemed less than helpful. The manner in which the body was displayed showed the killer, or killers, had a flair for theatricality and perhaps a bit of remorse since they hadn''t actually nailed the man to the ceiling in cruciform. He glanced to the book in the passenger seat. The only evidence available and it wasn''t in a language he understood.


    His gaze fixed on the book, his mind wandered. A dimly lit room, three figures cloaked in darkness and shadow surrounding him. He was lifted into the air but the figures hadn''t moved. He felt as lashes were affixed at his wrists, ankles, hips and shoulders. He tried to resist but couldn''t move. He was dead but watching the events unfold.


    A car horn from another motorist ripped him from his daydream. He corrected his car back into his lane, a cold sweat trickling down his back.


    What had that been? Never in his life had he been so far from reality. He gave himself a good smack on the cheek and lit up a cigarette. Perhaps the Captain was right to be afraid of this case. He picked up the book and put it in his glove compartment to keep it from his sight. Gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles, he continued toward the first guard.


    -


    It was a little after Noon when he pulled up to the first address on the list provided by the plant manager, Sam Bevins. Dev hesitated before knocking on his door, shaking the strange day dream and near accident from his mind. He straightened his coat, cleared his throat and knocked. He paced around the porch giving Mr. Bevins some time to answer, after all, the man had only gotten off work about six hours prior. He knocked again.


    "Mr. Bevins? This is Detective Devlin Br¨ªgh of the Kansas City Metro Police. I just have a couple questions for you about this morning." Dev knocked again. "Mr. Bevins?" He heard the briefest of shuffling and then the door opened a crack.


    "Listen, mister. I work unusual hours and I''m not interested in buying whatever it is you''re selling. So if you''d stop knocking on my door so I can get back to sleep." Sam Bevins began closing his door.


    "No! No, I''m not a salesman. I''m a detective with KC Metro. I know that you were sleeping but I have some questions for you." The door opened again.


    "Ah, damn, I shoulda known someone would be by while I was sleeping to talk about it. Come on in, I''ll make us some coffee." Mr. Bevins opened the door and walked toward the kitchen. Dev entered and closed the door behind him. The house was fairly dark, with extra curtains pulled over the windows. Probably to aid in sleeping while the sun was up. He could smell the coffee before he heard the percolator. Mr. Bevins was dressed only in pajama pants, his aging footballer''s physique hiding behind a beer belly. He shuffled around the kitchen still half asleep as the coffee finished, retrieving a mug and a glass.


    "Do you take anything in your coffee?"  Mr. Bevins motioned sat at a dinette and set down the glass of coffee across from him. "Sorry, I only have the one mug."


    Dev shook his head no. He didn''t want to impose more on the man.  "Thank you, its quite alright. I''m sorry to wake you but I need to ask you while the information is still fresh."   Mr. Bevins nodded.


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    "Just some basic questions: Did you notice anything, or anyone, attempting to enter the property at all last night?"


    "No."


    "Do your rounds take you near to where the body was found?"


    "Nope."


    "Is there any thing that sticks out in your mind as out of place or different than usual?"


    "No. Wait."


    "Yes?"  Dev looked up.


    "There was a woman before the plant closed, right as Stevens and I were coming in. Pretty little thing but kinda, I don''t know, mad or somethin''."


    "Why did she stick out? Can you describe her?"


    "Well, let''s see. She was shorter than average, and she had on this black dress coat that covered up most of her. Coat looked expensive though, a lot more expensive than people at the plant wear at least. She had really pretty black hair," Bevins mused.  He shook his head and cleared his throat. "She was asking when the plant closed and how many guards we had. It was such a strange question for such a nice lookin'' lady to ask. Why would she need to know?"


    Why, indeed? Was she a party to the murder? Dev didn''t put much faith in coincidences. She had to be connected, if only as a patsy to get the info on the plant''s closing time.


    "Thank you, Mr. Bevins, you''ve been a big help." Dev stood and reached out his hand to shake. He saw himself out and rushed to his car. A lead. A lead in the form of a person of interest. He rushed back to the station, completely forgetting about the second guard.


    -


    Dev pulled into the station house''s parking lot with a screech. He started getting out of his car and paused. Why did the mention of a woman have him so flustered? He still had another witness to interview and very little evidence. He pulled his leg back into the car and closed the door, thinking. He lit up a cigarette and glanced at the glove compartment.


    He saw himself reaching to open it, the journal lay inside. He gently withdrew the book and held it by the steering wheel. He opened the cover - NUMEN - emblazoned across the first page. He traced the letters with his index finger. What did they mean? A burning sensation in his other hand drew his attention away.


    It was night. His arm hung out the driver''s window, cigarette butt stuck between his fingers. It had burnt down to nothing, charring his fingers in the process. Where had the time gone? Just moments ago he had


    retrievedthebookfromtheglovecompartmenthehelditlikeachilditwasimportanthehadtoprotect


    Dev threw himself from the car. What was happening to him? That lapse had been so jarring. The missing time from afternoon to whatever time of night it was sent his head spinning. He closed his eyes and tried to rationalize. He was just tired. He had had to much coffee and cigarettes, not enough food. He needed a good meal and sleep.


    But how could he drive knowing he might fade out of reality like he had not only here in the lot, but on the road earlier he remembered. He looked back into his car and saw himself cradling the book. He opened the door and started getting out. His face was wrong, distorted. Warped. Its jaw and teeth jutted out the side of its head. The eyes deep pits of the black abyss. Its nose and ears were gone and its hair moved around the scalp with every step. Dev, outside the car, fell back onto the ground, crawling backwards away from himself. His double held the book out before him, its knuckles overlarge and the fingernails were cracked and blackened, resembling claws. It brandished the book like a weapon.


    Warped Dev flickered and vibrated as it advanced. There was a feeling of dread mixed with static electricity rolling off it in waves. Dev felt like he was suffocating. He clutched at his chest, his heart pounding, and felt something strange in his coat pocket. He tried to remember what it was and smelled a faint scent of flowers, reminiscent of the popular ladies perfume L''Air du Temps. The warped figure recoiled, its hands fanning the fragrance, dropping the book. It continued retreating into the car and finally closed the door. The interior was veiled in shadow and Dev could no longer see his altered self.


    The envelope on his car. He reached into his coat pocket, the perfume in the air. He opened the envelope and inside was a blank postcard. He flipped it over and saw a short note scrawled in delicate script:


    Use this to read the book. I''ll contact you soon. J.N.


    From his back, the book just looked like a book again. No sudden daydreams, no time skips, no nightmares. He got onto his hands and knees crawling toward to the book, paying careful attention to the slip of paper in his hand. He picked the book up and opened it. He was fine.


    He didn''t understand what was happening to him, but he held onto that paper like it was his only lifeline as he was sinking into a sea of terror and madness. He got into his car and made his way home.


    He had a book to read.

 At a loss - Chapter 4

    Dev had been reading and re-reading the short little journal for hours. He had gone through a pot of coffee and a new pot was percolating. He glanced at the clock, 5:30. He had to get ready for work. Wandering into the bathroom he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Bloodshot eyes, pallid skin with dark circles. His facial hair seemed longer than it should. He desperately wanted a shower.


    Undressing slowly he thought about the events of just the last 24 hours. How on Earth could it possibly be only one day had passed? The book, though no longer driving him insane, had not revealed anything. For starters, it wasn''t written in English. The few illustrations had been strange, esoteric symbols and disturbing images of human bodies in different stages of decay and dismemberment.


    The first thing he had done when he had arrived home was look in his dictionary and Encyclopedia Britannica for the word Numen. It was "the spirit or divine power presiding over a thing or place." It was used to refer to the "divine power" of the ancient emperors of Rome or referring to the "magical power residing within an object."


    It seemed a little on the nose if this journal was a source of so called magic to have it scrawled on the first page. But maybe the writing and illustrations were instructing the owner of the book as to how to attain numen. Just based on the illustrations, it seemed like torture and human sacrifice were required. Some people would go to any length it seemed for power, whether it was real or not. After all, Magic? Dev finished showering and reached for his towel.


    He wiped a circle in the steam on the mirror. Cleaner but still rough. He prepared shaving cream and stropped his razor. He stopped momentarily, thinking about the difference in the symbols in the illustrations and the writing. The words were in some foreign language yet still somewhat familiar but the symbols were lost to time if they weren''t complete gibberish to begin with. He streaked a couple he remembered with his finger in the foggy glass around his reflection. Before he finished the last sign, he smelled flowery perfume and a feminine voice seemed to call out "Don''t do that." He recoiled from the mirror.


    He raised the razor and started to shave. As he was finishing, he nicked his jaw and a drop of blood trailed down his neck. Cursing, he inspected the cut in the mirror and gasped. He reflection was still, its finger still poised to complete the final symbol now with a drop of blood at the tip. The reflection raised the razor to its throat and jerked the blade in a violent motion carving his flesh in a gaping wound that sent arterial spray at the mirror.


    Dev covered his face to avoid being covered in blood and heard malignant laughter reverberating through his mirror. He looked through his fingers like a child and saw the warped creature from his car.


    "Break the circle" the woman''s voice called from the recesses of his mind again. Dev punched his mirror. The laughter echoed through his house, deepening to the sounds of mountains scraping the depths of Hell. He heard screaming. It was him.


    -


    After cleaning up his cut hand and getting dressed for work, the drive felt so astoundingly normal. He made all the right stops and signals, and arrived on time. Still, he could not shake the feeling he was being not just watched, but tracked. He refused to look at his mirrors the whole ride. He trudged through the doors and went straight to his desk, not bothering to remove his coat or hat.


    "Whoa there, Br¨ªgh! Look what the cat dragged in! Wait, what happened to you?" Jim Appleton was pouring coffee and hurried over to Dev''s desk inspecting his hand.


    "I, uh, my medicine cabinet fell off the wall and it hit my hand. Or I hit it, that is." Dev gulped the coffee, it was so hot it burned his throat.


    "Dev, buddy, what''s gotten in to you? Where have you been? Captain Townshend''s on the warpath."


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    "What do you mean where have I been? I just saw you yesterday. We joked about your state of dress and talked a bit about my case, remember?." Dev said, perplexed.


    "Dev, that was days ago."  Jim''s concerned confusion turned rapidly to worry.


    "Nice try, Appleton. April fool''s day is months away." Dev had a sudden realization that he was starving.


    "No foolin''. I covered for you for a couple days but when you didn''t collect your paycheck I started to worry."


    "Br¨ªgh! Get your sorry hide in my office! NOW!" The Captain was standing in his door, hands balled into fists at his side. Dev stood up and removed his hat. He looked down at Appleton who quickly averted his gaze and returned to his own desk. Dev made his way over and the Captain slammed the door behind him. "Care to explain your absence?"


    "Captain, I don''t know what you mean. We just spoke yesterday about the murder at the mill. You told me to drop it if I didn''t find anything pertinent in a couple days." Dev defended himself. "And I never would have thought of you as a jokester, going along with Appleton''s shenanigans." Townshend slammed his hand on his desk. It startled Dev.


    "That was eight days ago, Detective! Try again!"


    "Eight days? But that''s impossible." Dev said confused. He had blacked out. But for over a week? "Captain, I promise you, that was yesterday for me."


    "Do you know how I..."  Captain Townshend sighed, straightened his hair and sat down. "After I told you to drop the case, I''m sure you had mixed feelings and wondered why. Call it a ''gut feeling''."


    "A feeling, sir?" Dev asked trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "How am I supposed to react to that?"


    "Just listen. I''m sure you either thought I was a coward or corrupt." The Captain stood and walked to his window and looked out to avoid Dev''s eyes. "When you didn''t show up, I thought somehow you had become another victim to a deranged killer. I had a thought that maybe you had stumbled onto something and hoped that you were just laying low. Jim was beside himself. He actually threatened to have me removed if I didn''t do something. I was going to file a missing persons report today then in you strode, looking like you''d been on a week long bender. But I know that''s not you."


    There was a knock at the door. It was Jim. "Come in." Jim entered and sat on the corner of the Captain''s desk.


    "Where have you been?" Jim asked. The Captain sat back down. Dev noticed as they exchanged haggard looks. They truly had been worried. Dev felt at a loss. There was no way he could explain the missing time and he didn''t think they would believe him about magic and blackouts. He rubbed face and rested his chin on his hands. Either he was losing it or he had stumbled into something so volatile and dangerous that involving them could end up in them getting injured or worse. Dev''s mind flooded with images from the book, the warped face doppelganger, the actual murder. He did the only thing he could.


    He lied.


    "I met a woman." The disappointment that flashed across his mentor''s faces hurt. The Captain turned away. Jim''s face got red with anger.


    "You let us think... For days? Dev, you can''t just disappear for a week and blame a dame! What''d you do, elope and have a honeymoon?" Jim stomped over and picked Dev up by his shirt. "Just tell us what''s going on!"


    "Detective Appleton, that will be enough! Wait outside." Jim dropped Dev back into his seat and ripped open the door. He looked back over his shoulder, a look of a mixture of despondent relief plastered to his face. He closed the door softly. "You''re suspended without pay, pending an investigation." Dev took out his badge and looked it over.


    "Captain." Dev choked up for a moment. He had a million things to say, and a million more to say to Jim. He regained his composure. "I''m sorry." The words felt bitter in his mouth. The Captain responded similarly by motioning for Dev to put the badge on his desk and refused to look him in the eye. Dev grabbed the door handle. "I''m sorry." He repeated. The entire station was silent. A pall hung in the air. Dev collected his hat and exited the building.


    He got in his car and considered what had just happened. He was probably not a Detective anymore. He may not even have a job. He was so out of sorts that he briefly forgot the murder and horror that he had been through over the apparent last week. Where had he been? What was happening to him? He buried his face in his hands to hide the despair on his face and let out a sob.


    He must be losing his mind. He rocked in his seat and let that idea form in his mind. Madness. He didn''t want to go to a sanitarium. Insanity. He had delivered particularly troubled killers to Glore Psychiatric Hospital. Demented. It was a terrifying prospect. Lunacy. He would put a bullet in his brain before living like those poor souls, unable to feed themselves, living in their own filth.


    He opened his eyes and in his rear view mirror he saw a woman sitting in his backseat. He turned to face her only to see he was alone. He turned to look in the mirror again.


    "We need to talk."

 Slow down - Chapter 5

    "Don''t turn around, I''m not here." The woman in the backseat tells Dev with a deep purr. He watches her put a thin blue cigarette into a long holder. She inhales and the cigarette lights itself. When she exhales the smoke drifts up from the backseat smelling of something exotic and... floral perfume? The same scent from the little postcard that helped him retain his sanity when reading the book.


    Against instructions, Dev turns to look in the back again. Still alone.


    "Stubbornness will go a long way in learning how to tap into the book. But you''ll need more than stubbornness and a cute scar to endear me to you. Settle in and listen."


    Dev tries to relax but every muscle in his body is tight with anxiety and fear. He glances up at the rear view mirror. It adjusts itself to allow Dev and the woman to see each other better.  She was a beauty. Long, dark auburn hair framing a face with full lips, a dusting of freckles, almost luminescent green eyes. His mother would love her if she didn''t look like she was straight out of a racy dime store novel. She wore a black slip coupled with a white fur shawl in stark contrast.


    "I''m all ears, lady."


    "Good. Now, first things first, where is the book?" She smiled and blew more smoke into the front seat.  Dev reached up and touched the inner coat pocket before thinking. She nodded.


    "Keep it with you. You belong to it now as much as it belongs to you.  And they can be fast to anger if you leave it behind. Have you been reading it?"


    "It''s not in English."


    "Well of course it isn''t. We can''t have everyone finding magical spirits.  The world wouldn''t know what to do with all the power."


    Magic Spirits?  "Numen?" Dev inquired. She smiled.


    "You are a quick study, at least. Numen is what the Roman''s called it, and they were partly right. Remnants of entities from eons ago attaching themselves to objects and places, instilling what they are bound to with a piece of their cosmic energy. As the items and locations are utilized for this power the providing source can sometimes latch onto those that are using said power. You seem to have attracted a particularly unsettling fragment."


    "What does it want with me?"  Dev shuddered thinking about the warped version of himself.


    "You used the book. I think It wants to give you access to its power."


    "No, thank you. That creature is the truest form of evil I''ve ever dreamt of, and its my job to find killers."  He was repulsed thinking of the tortuous images in the book and the morbid visions he had had.


    "Oh, don''t be silly. Good and Evil don''t exist in this case. The power attached to you is merely a reflection of how others used it in the past. Think, has it tried to harm you yet or has it just been so new and frightening that you labeled it as bad? I think it likes you.  Some people who find power like this use it for their own ends. It twists them and the power."


    Dev felt his stomach drop. This wasn''t what he wanted to hear. It was somehow better and worse than going crazy.  "You said I used it? I''ve only had it for a day, I haven''t had time to decipher anything inside, let alone how to use this so called cosmic magic spirit."


    "You have been missing for days." She said as if that explained it all.  She rolled her eyes in exasperaion. "You shunted yourself a week into the future. I tried to find you. Even with my considerable resources you had ceased to exist for 7 days, then popped back in, screaming like a mad man. Luckily you still had my note. I fused a small sliver of power in the ink to keep your head on straight. You''re welcome." With a self satisfied grin she puts another cigarette in the holder and it lights itself again.


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    Dev''s head was sent spinning and his stomach dropped again. He was going to vomit. It shouldn''t make sense. It didn''t? He pulled the book out of its pocket and the twisted Dev appeared in the seat next to him. It reached out and touched the book and shuddered. Dev pressed himself against his door and let out a screech. It extended both arms and held Dev''s head. It''s distorted features shifting like television static. Dev started to see shapes in the static, vague at first. Fading in and out then focusing into random objects, places and faces. Sometimes the visualization gave off a happy feeling, most were dour and painful.


    He was beginning to understand. These were different forms the creature had been throughout its history. Sometimes it was a helpful source, leading to discoveries and inventions that improved human life. More often, it was found by people that lusted after the power it provided and they found sick ways to pervert its gifts into giving them more. Each user added to the book and over time the only entries were of malice, the benevolent teacher washed away by death and torture.


    The last image in the static was Dev''s face. It was up to him to put the power to good use. A single tear dropped from his damaged eye.


    "This morning in the mirror.  Was that reflection a glimpse what I''ll become if I get corrupted?  What am I supposed to do?"


    "For starters, slow down. You channeled a lot of power on your first outing and while impressive, its a good way to blow yourself up. The circle you haphazardly scrawled on your mirror was from one of the entries before you came into the book''s possession, and to be frank, its not for you. You shouldn''t be doing any of the spells in that book."  She at least had the decency to look guilty for a moment.


    "Now hold on. Have you been watching me? How did you know I had the book to begin with? It felt like someone was following me before I even had the book. And your note on my car was conveniently there after I had taken it in as evidence. How are you connected to the victim? Did you set me up to get attached to this book?" Dev turned to look at the backseat again and was surprised to see the woman in the seat through the smoke.  Almost as surprised as her.  Dev got out of the car and opened the back door to draw her out of the car.  He slammed the door and grabbed her arms.  Holding them at her side he backed her up against the car.


    "How?" She asked short of breath.


    "Explain yourself! I might be suspended, but we are still in the parking lot of a police department. I''ll have you arrested in connection to the murder at the mill and clear all this magic bullshit up!" Dev felt a pressure building behind his eyes. The woman stared at him with a look of awe plastered to her face.


    "Please, calm down before you hurt me or yourself." She was barely able to keep the fear out of her voice.


    Dev let go of the woman and steadied himself against the car. He caught his reflection in the side mirror and gasped. His left eye was glowing turquoise and a similar colored vapor was swirling out of it. He felt like he had gripped a live wire. He felt completely recovered from his all-nighter. Where he had gripped the car a moment ago was dented in the shape of his hands. He suddenly couldn''t breathe and fell to his knees.


    "Shh, its okay, deep breath in." She comforted him. "And out, again. You will learn to control it with practice. Until then, you must avoid situations where intense emotion can trigger these kinds of responses."


    "Responses?"  Dev felt the charge fading and got to his feet.


    "The power is part of you, no matter how tenuous the connection is right now. Like I said, it likes you. You have an unusually strong bond and you don''t even know it''s name yet. Learn that, and you will be able to read the book and start making your own entries."


    "And my eye? That light, it was strange but... I felt the power."


    "It can manifest physically. The power you felt and displayed are just a taste of what you are in store for."  She rubbed her arms where he had grabbed her.


    "I''m sorry. I never should have touched you, I had no right." He looked away, ashamed.


    "You shouldn''t have been able to bring me here, let alone touch me. You are going to be interesting."


    "What do you mean ''bring you here?''"  Dev looked confused.


    "I was lounging in my hotel, miles away. I had only sent a projection and voice to you and yet, somehow, you were able to pull me into your car." She straightened her hair and dress. "Keep hold of that note, I''ll use it to contact you again to teach you how to use basic magic." She begins walking away.


    "You didn''t tell me how you''re connected to this. You haven''t even told me your name!" Dev calls after her. She laughs and turns back to face him.


    "In time Devlin Br¨ªgh, in time." She turns away and Dev catches a glimpse of something sinister in her silhouette. A shadow of wings, claws, and blood. And a shattered golden halo orbiting sweeping horns. It seemed he wasn''t the only one who had a twisted guest.

 Pandemonium Harmony - Chapter 6

    After making his way home Dev had a brief moment of discord: He was without work or pay for the foreseeable future, seemingly had been manipulated into accepting otherworldly power for reasons as yet unknown by a nameless patroness, and was host to an entity that had power enough to move Dev forward in time that looked like a nightmare. All within less than 48 hours and it all started with a murder that was currently unsolvable.


    He strode into his kitchen and retrieved a bottle of whiskey and a glass. He put a single cube in the glass and poured himself a hefty serving of the amber spirit. What an apt word for the situation. He lifted the glass to drown his sorrows but stopped short. He peered through the liquid. It didn''t look like it could solve his problems by offering a maudlin escape. He dumped it into the sink and fumbled a cigarette out of a bent pack; it was bent but still in one piece. He searched his pockets for his lighter and remembered how She had lit hers without one. Dev focused on the tip of the cigarette and imagined it lighting by itself.


    Nothing happened.


    He sighed and turned on the stove to light the cigarette on. The Warped Entity materialized next to him, offering a small turquoise flame on it''s finger tip. Dev flinched but obliged and took a deep drag.


    "Thanks I suppose." Its form was less mortifying than it had been. Or was Dev just getting used to it? "Why do you look like that?" The creature moved toward his dinette and in a small motion produced the book out of thin air. It swept its other arm around offering Dev a seat. He slumped heavily and let his head fall back. Maybe when he looked across the table again, the entity would be gone and Dev will have had woken from the most strange of dreams. He took another breath of smoke and pulled the butt away while raising his head. No such luck.  It was meticulously positioning the book in the center of the table, adjusting it by millimeters then framing it with blackened hands, presenting it to Dev. As if to say, ''It''s yours!'' Dev''s revulsion was also shrinking away. He snorted haughtily.


    "So what am I supposed to do with it?" The entity made a sharp movement with its hand pointing at the book. "Yeah, I see it."  If ageless cosmic beings could look exasperated, that''s what this creature was doing. It pointed at Dev with one hand and produced the turquoise flame in the other. "I know. You''re offering your power. But I don''t want it. I refuse." He took the book and threw it across the kitchen. The creature appeared next to it without moving, crying out in a silent call. It was weeping, he realized and felt it''s sobs in his soul. It brushed off the book and offered it back to Dev.


    "I''m afraid." Dev admitted. Afraid of power and madness. Afraid that he would succumb to horrible depths of depravity he had seen in the contents of the book. He extended his had to take book and when he touched it he saw. Down the rabbit hole he flew watching the whole of human history. This creature had been worshiped as a god multiple times: Vishwakarma, Talos, Salus, Mimir, Fuxi, Sango, Amala, Itzamn¨¢, Thoth, and even Jesus Christ. Always either a protector or inventor but never truly a god. Just power with consciousness that wanted to help these tiny little pink creatures.


    It existed before humans as well, influencing every dominant creature to ever walk the Earth. Always steering toward growth and progress, even down to an atomic level, engineering evolution with the help of other cosmic entities. All the way back to when Sol was just beginning to burn, sparked into life by Pandemonium.


    But over time magic was hoarded by the greedy and envious. Less and less was it used for betterment and more often for exacting one''s will over others. Dev saw the moment when Harmony was lost. Near the time of the birth of Humanity a choice was made by Something more powerful and beyond the kin of the Cosmos and all that dwelled within. Let the new souls replace the old. And the Power was split and scattered. Galaxies were formed and destroyed in an instant as the few most Powerful were shattered to become trillions of new lives. None in existence had authority to question the decision.


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    There were survivors of the Choice. Pandemonium Harmony held together. As a concept, together, the words made no sense. Quite literally opposites of abstract definition, yet the creature seemed to embody them. There were others, too. Dozens, maybe hundreds of cosmic powers still had enough energy to possess objects and instill their power on a smaller scale. Unfortunately, they hadn''t been prepared for human nature. Perverted and abused they had lost control of progress and many times humanity had faltered. Most recently in the form of a second World War.


    Dev was on his knees clutching the book. Tears poured out of his blinded eye, dripping luminescent turquoise onto it. A haze hung in the air. It parted to reveal Pandemonium. Its skin was as black as night and you could occasionally see the twinkle of a star on it. Its hair was flowing as if underwater, long silvery grey locks brushing the ceiling. It appeared as a man with broad shoulders and a commanding presence. Its facial features were arranged, to Dev''s relief, correctly. Its eyes were closed. It opened its mouth and a deep sound of boulders crashing to the earth emitted. It opened it''s eyes and Dev was blinded by a bright blue light that flooded out. He felt the charge of electricity and smelled ozone burning and tasted blood in his mouth.


    His senses were overloaded but could still feel the book in his hands. He opened it and all the sensations began streaming into it like a tornado. Dishes fell out of open cabinets, the dinette smashed against a wall, water shot out of the broken faucet. Dev stood up and held the book open in front of him as a shield. The whirlwind dissipated and he stood breathless and alone in a ruined kitchen.


    Dev almost fainted when there was a knock at his front door.


    -


    After assuring his neighbors that everything was alright, Dev locked the door behind him. What a sight he must have been, bleeding from his nose, mouth and ears, soaking wet, clutching a book like the holy scripture. It would be a miracle if he ever got invited over to another backyard barbecue. He braced himself to face the clean up in the kitchen.


    But the disarray was gone. No water. No debris. As if on cue, Pandemonium Harmony flickered into existence, sitting in the seat where they had started. Cutting a very different image from even minutes before Dev stared, slack jawed. He was looking at himself as a photo negative. Inverted colors and strange blue glow emitted from the edges of it. He finally heard a voice.


    "Sit." Nodding dumbstruck, Dev sat. "Give me the book." Dev handed it over. Holding it in one hand and waving the other, Pandemonium changed it into a small notebook, similar to the very one Dev used to take notes. It floated in front of him and dropped into his open hands. "This form suites you better. Now, you can take me everywhere with you."


    "You''re so different!" Dev said still flabbergasted by the new appearance.


    "This form and that of the book are for you, Devlin Br¨ªgh.  Everything I am is for you. When you touched the book for the first time, I felt in you something I had not in too long, a conscience. You are a good man, a policeman. But good men, arguably better than you even, have been corrupted by me in the past so I will ask only this of you. Don''t disappoint me. I am your power, you can change reality around you. Don''t use me for more atrocities. Please."


    Dev considered the words of the nearly all powerful force before him. It could end him. From everything. Forever. And it was begging him. He had never been so humbled.


    "I''ll do my best." They both breathed a sigh of relief and Pandemonium Harmony extended his hand.


    "Then it is my pleasure to serve you." Dev shook their hand.


    "Do I really have to call you Pandemonium Harmony?"


    "Well, it''s only a title, technically. Assigned hundreds of years ago by a former practitioner who needed a label for me. Do you have a preference?"


    "I don''t know, I don''t want to change something that has existed for hundreds of years." Dev said a little embarrassed that he had even brought it up.


    "While I am yours, you may call me anything. I will respond to what ever you call me, even if you don''t decide on something. My existence is service, and I serve you." Dev shifted uncomfortably. "If you rather, think of me like a partner. You get my power and I get to help."


    "Help how?"


    "I thought we might start at the nexus that brought us together: by solving the murder done in my name."


    "Alright, P.H. Can''t you just tell me who the guy is and who killed him?"


    "At one point, yes, but that was thousands of years ago. I am no longer omnipresent"


    "I was only partly serious." Dev said widening his eyes. "I don''t have any leads now that the book is different. Where do we start?" The note from the woman slipped out of the notebook as Dev presented it. The writing had changed:


    I felt that all the way across town. Come to the Muehlebach Hotel. I will meet you in the lobby.


    "Oh, I think I may be of use."

 The Void Room - Chapter 7

    Dev grabbed his coat and hat. He turned off the lights and stopped as he opened the front door, glancing back at P.H.


    "Before we go, how is it that I was the only one to see you?" P.H. phased through the table, sliding through it and a nearby wall as if they weren''t there.


    "I picked you to wield my book so you can see me clearly. Others who harbor a dormant connection to the cosmos will notice something in their peripheral vision or catch snippets of my voice on the wind perhaps. You needn''t worry, I am your secret. If you require my presence, I will react to your will and manifest physically. I have a feeling the woman we go to meet will want a demonstration."


    "How do I talk to you without appearing to be a mad man? Only children speak to invisible friends." P.H. de-materialized before Dev''s eyes. Dev''s thoughts spoke without sound.


    ~In time, you will learn how to speak with your mind. In time, Devlin Br¨ªgh you will learn to read and influence others minds. Until you learn to dismiss me for respite I will be ever present and observe the world through your eyes. You only need to think of me and I will respond in kind.~


    The mystery woman had also been vocal about ''In time.'' Dev felt light headed. He had felt the crackle of magic in his brain as P.H. had communicated. There had been a pressure between his temples that felt like it threatened to give him an aneurysm. As the feeling faded, he missed it. He realized that even that minuscule taste of magic was enough to start an addictive cycle and that must have been how so many before him had fallen victim to their basest desires. He needed to be careful how he used it, when he knew how. He stepped through the door and blinked. P.H. stood in front of him.


    "For now, I will speak to you since you are the only one who can hear me." The front door closed and locked itself as P.H. motioned to the car in the driveway.


    -


    The Muehlebach Hotel was a piece of Kansas City history. It had hosted several celebrities and even Presidents going back to Teddy Roosevelt. Dev looked up at the fairly new tower that had been erected a few years earlier. He had a feeling that She was at the top. His pocket suddenly felt hot and he quickly dug out the note. The writing had changed again:


    I can see you, come on up. I have the entire floor to myself.


    Dev entered the lobby and made his way to the elevator bank. There was a family with a small girl running circles around them. The father looked unbothered, the mother looked perturbed. He stood away from them and waited with his hands clasped in front of him. The little girl was talking but Dev wasn''t paying attention.


    The elevator doors had opened and inside was only darkness. Pitch blackness with a dim bulb dozens of yards away. He saw the dead man floating off the table and noticed faint blue green tendrils of magic lifting him to the ceiling. Walking into the room he searched the shadows for any sign of the perpetrators, hoping to see if the mystery woman had been present. Instead he heard a voice. It was a familiar, a man''s voice, but Dev couldn''t place it.


    "Soon." A gloved hand reached to pull the chain on the overhead light. Dev noticed a golden watch up the sleeve. It also looked familiar. The light shut off and a green haze emanated from the corpse hanging from the ceiling.


    Dev reached into his coat and withdrew P.H., brandishing the book in front of him. He felt magic poor out of his left eye and saw the turquoise glow start illuminating the room. Time stopped for him. He observed a drop of blood stuck falling from the body. The three figures from the first daydream stood frozen, hooded cloaks masking their faces. Dev felt himself floating in the stillness and urged himself forward. It felt like swimming. He circled each of the magical murderers, looking under their hoods. Even with P.H.''s magic augmenting Dev''s sight, he couldn''t penetrate the darkness covering their faces. He tried to roll up the sleeve of the man with the watch but couldn''t touch or interact with them.


    He inspected the body, closer than he had been able to previously. While there hadn''t been any visible wounds found by Doctor Kaine, the magical trauma Dev was now witness to almost made him sick. The man''s soul had been mauled. Dev found he could watch the sundering. The men had picked and chosen specific pieces of their victim and consumed choice portions of his soul. It would have been agony. Dev feels a foul presence invade this day dream.


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    A creature with different parts fused together languishes on a huge marble bench.  The Malformed: a huge, tumorous gut overhangs the bench sides, far too many arms, dead or dying heads sit at odd angles. A few of the cataract eyes from the heads look in Dev''s direction, unseeing and rotten. A gaping maw bisects the gut, three tongues hang out, drooling black and green pus onto the immaculate marble. The ''mouth'' opens and shuts, somehow making words.


    "The poacher of my power has returned."  The guttural voice ripped through the air, a noise of violence.  "Thief.  I am forced to subsist this way.  But even in its absence, I am not powerless.  After our time together I can rend spirits from the fabric of reality.  I learned from observation.  Unlike you, cheat."  The decay pulsed and burst from boils.  This thing exuded power.  Foul though it may be there was no denying its strength.  Both physically and magically.


    "I didn''t steal anything."  Dev offered.  The abomination shook with anger.


    "LIAR!  You come here, to the Void Room, to my space, with my power and spout falsities!"  With each pause it reached out a limb and drug the marble toward Dev.  It was massive, he was reminded of how he had just looked up at the Hotel mere moments ago.  "Prevaricator!"  It roared, shaking the ground around them.  A fist the size of a small house with too many fingers smashed down next to Dev nearly knocking him off his feet.  "Return what is not yours!"


    He didn''t know where his courage came from.  He looked upon the creature with neither fear nor awe.  He could see what it really was.  In the center of the being was a man.  Not counting the welded flesh of the hundreds of people he had consumed for magic, it was just a man.


    "You first."  Dev spoke softly.  The Void Room echoed and the creatures flesh began to ripple.  Then it began to fail and tear as liquefied tissue exploded around Dev and the man.  Screams of thousands of souls filled the space.  His ears were bleeding but Dev held firm.  He took a step toward the man.  The Malformed lashes out with magic and Dev weakens as the energy cuts through him.


    "What have you done!?  I will end you for this!"  Dev raises his arms to shield himself from the magical assault and feels Pandemonium emerge.


    "You perverted my power for over a century just to fulfill your twisted desires.  After you lost my influence you continued to abuse and steal souls to keep you alive!  Now you raise your hand to assault my new host.  YOU DARE?!"


    With shrieks of fear and agony as the Malformed is repaid in kind.  Pandemonium flays his soul into a million strands and burns each strand individually.  "I condemn you to an eternity of burning torment.  As further punishment, your mind will remain intact so that you may still feel the torture you instilled on your victims.  May you never find peace."  P.H. turns back to Dev and waves his hand.


    "You need to leave this place."  Dev''s head is spinning and he thinks he can hear someone calling his name.  His body reacts to his mind returning like waking from a dream of falling.  Slowly he recognizes that he is in the elevator at the hotel, alone and sobbing.


    -


    The elevator doors open and the mystery woman charges in, her arms covered in dark red magical energy.  Upon seeing Dev she dispels her magic and helps him to his feet and to her room.  He slumps against her bed wallows in anguish.  She quickly goes to her suitcase and removes a vial of liquid and a couple of paper envelopes.  She pulls the topper off the vial with her lips and rips the envelopes open with her teeth.  Pouring in the powdered ingredients and shaking the vial with her finger covering it, she kneels next to Dev.


    "Drink this.  You''ve just been through a Soul Storm."  Dev is unresponsive.  She grabs his chin and holds his head back while pouring the contents into his mouth.  Something latches onto her wrist before she can finish.  "Devlin, you need to swallow this.  Let me help you."  The magical tether loosens.  As Dev''s woe fades she cradles his head in her lap, shushing him and stroking his hair with her fingers.


    "Thank you."  P.H. appears for a moment before the woman.  Dev sits up looking embarrassed.


    "I''m sorry.  I don''t know what came over me..."  He rubs his eyes and shakes his head. The woman stands up and offers her hand to help him up.  He looks up at her and sees his tear stains on her dress.


    "It was a Soul Storm.  Any time a large quantity of displaced souls are released, they have a hard time returning to their rightful place.  It takes time for them to figure out how and in that period they essentially become a hurricane.  Anything or anyone magically attuned present will either be caught in the storm or, if you''re lucky like you were, you''ll experience the feeling of the soul-wrench they suffered through.  The lucky part is that you get to keep your soul."  She adds quickly.  He accepts her hand and climbs to his feet. Still holding her hand, he gives it a firm shake.


    "Thank you.  I came here to question you in regards to the murder and I feel like you just saved my life.  I don''t even know your name."  She shakes his hand back.


    "I''m Julianne Nestor, Master Magician."

 Crash Course - Chapter 8

    "I really hoped we''d have more time to let you get your bearings, but it seems like you''re already being targeted for your Numen." Julianne strode across the room to a small, portable vanity she had set up by the window. "You are going to have to learn to defend yourself before you learn some of the more remedial magic." Dev nodded like he understood. "Sorry for this." Dev looked at her quizzically as she extended her arm and loosed a blast of dark red energy at him, sending him crashing though the bathroom wall. P.H. materialized in the hole and held up a hand in Julianne''s direction.


    "I do not think she is trying to kill you, Devlin Br¨ªgh. I will neutralize her if you feel threatened." Dev scoffed at the notion.


    "No, I don''t think you need to. She just caught me off guard." Dev said as he got up and dusted the drywall dust off of his suit jacket.


    "Who are you talking to?" Julianne asked. Dev looked at P.H. and just waved his arms around his form. P.H. nodded and revealed himself to her. "Oh, wow! I can see it!" Her magic dissipated as she stepped forward to inspect P.H.


    "Ms. Nestor, Pandemonium Harmony. P.H., Ms. Julianne Nestor." Dev handled introductions.


    "Awfully familiar, aren''t we?" She curled her lips in a wry grin. She relented and circled P.H., examining it. She made short, jerky motions with her hands and held them up to her eye. She gasped and dropped her hands quickly while stumbling backwards. "Oh, god!"


    Dev stepped forward between them. "What''s wrong?" He looked back at P.H. who was de-materializing. She gagged and took a deep breath. Slowly, she regained her composure.


    "Sorry. I could see something around it so I looked with magic. The perversion of its power is a horrific.  I''ve never seen another Numen so complete and so broken at the same time.  It must have been so alone for so long." A tear dropped from her cheek.


    "I reacted similarly when I first saw P.H. When I learned It''s name, we spoke and it changed its form to look like me. I suppose for my sanity." Dev shrugged. "He only asked that I not disappoint him while I use his power."


    "He? P.H.? You realize you given a nickname to an ancient cosmic being." P.H. appeared behind Julianne and winked at Dev while nodding then faded back out of sight.


    "Well, he seems to approve." Julianne sat on the edge of the bed and motioned for Dev to as well.


    "Dev, that Numen is powerful. Usually, people get a small fraction bestowed and the form it takes is generally relative to the power. My Numen is strong and we''ve been bonded for a long time, but I can''t just have Kushiel manifest at will."


    "Does it look like an angel with horns?" Dev said remembering their first interaction.


    "How could you possibly know that?" Julianne rolled her eyes and slapped her hands on her knees.


    "After you walked back here last night I saw a flash of shadowy wings, horns, and a halo. It was very brief, but I saw it as you walked away."


    "Dev, no one alive besides me has seen my Numen. P.H. must be absurdly powerful. That''s probably why you have a target on your back. It''s power will go a long way to keeping you alive, but, the people who hunt and consume people like us will keep trying. Especially now that you''ve triggered and survived a Soul Storm. Whoever you engaged will have friends who will come looking and they''ll have lots of magic and thralls. Who did you fight in the elevator?"


    "I don''t know. It was a man at some point. It seemed like it was as big as the hotel tower, with too many arms and heads and a huge mouth in its stomach." Dev shuddered.


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    "Ah, one of the Malformed. They were all ''regular'' people at one point. They are soul hoarders. They held a Numen decades or even centuries ago and they were able to either absorb the Numen or learned to imbibe souls during that time to extend their lives. But once you eat a soul, the corruption you bring onto yourself is irreversible. They torture, rape, and kill whoever they can to keep themselves from rotting inside. Some of the older ones can get pretty big. You must have hurt it pretty badly to trigger a soul storm."


    "I think P.H. killed it." Dev said.


    "What." Julianne''s jaw dropped.


    "It called me a liar and a thief. Then it kind of exploded and attacked me. P.H. intervened said something about burning and feeling the pain for eternity. He sent me back to the elevator where you found me."


    "Dev, a Malformed as big as the one you described would be very old and very powerful. The people they consume get added to their form. They usually don''t get much bigger than a bus. This one would have killed thousands of people to get that big, and P.H. just BLEW IT UP?!"


    "Actually, I think I blew it up. P.H. kept it from hurting me and punished it."


    Julianne''s face contorted in confusion and shock. She hunted Malformed to free souls. It was part of her deal with her Numen, Kushiel. She struggled to kill them and Kushiel was very strong, but here was Dev, a neophyte with a barely bonded Numen who apparently had more power than all the other Magicians and Malformed she''d ever met combined. She felt like he was lying. Why would he though? He knew nothing of her world. There was also no denying the soul storm that had ripped through the hotel. If she wasn''t so experienced it may have ripped her soul into the vortex.


    "Dev, don''t take this the wrong way, but you''re absolutely terrifying. In a good way. I think."  She rubbed her hands together.  "If you''ll let me, I can teach you how to protect yourself.  Just some basic somatic and verbal commands to focus the energy you''re channeling.  With experience, you won''t need them for more basic things, you will be able to exert your will to make magic happen."


    "I have a question first." Dev stated.  Julianne nodded.  "What do you know about the murder I''m investigating?  I have had a couple visions about it since coming into contact with P.H.  There was magic involved and at least three perpetrators."  Dev waffled his hands around when he said visions.  Julianne put her hand to her chin contemplatively.


    "Tell you what.  An answer for a spell.  You show me you can protect yourself and I''ll answer your questions."


    Dev shrugged and nodded.  "I am your pupil."


    "Alright; Crash Course."  She started moving with elaborate, sweeping motions with her arms.  "Let me make this room more resilient.  We''re probably going to blow the roof off."


    -


    Julianne was impressed with how quickly Dev was picking up her lessons.  Some of the movements required some strange contortions of joints that didn''t like to bend the wrong way, but assisted by magic fingers could dislocate to make the shapes required.  He struggled at first learning some of the Old Words; essentially phrases in forgotten tongues that focused specific magical results.  The were formed with magic from deep inside, not using the speakers lips or vocal cords.


    She looked at Dev, slumped against the broken bed, all the joints in his arms pulled out of socket.  His flesh was slowly creeping together with little pops and clicks.  She had seen his Numen, P.H. he insisted, on occasion when she asked him to do a difficult conjuring.  It seemed watchful, studying its vessel.  She swore it had corrected Dev''s posture on one somatic shaping.


    "Does it always hurt?"  Dev winced.  His arms had stretched almost two feet longer than normal as he caught a volatile blast Julianne had sent at him without warning.  He had contained it but only just.


    "Well, while you did manage to stop the blast, it would have been better to deflect it as opposed to catching it.  I''m surprised it didn''t rip your arms off.  That being said, you seem to have a handle on reshaping yourself with your Numen''s power.  You will eventually be able to reconnect severed limbs, stem blood loss, purge diseases.  In yourself and others if you choose to."


    Dev stood up and flexed his reconfigured arms.  "Amazing.  Tell me, what''s to stop me going to a hospital and fixing everyone there?  When I''m able, I mean."


    Julianne shook her head at his naivety.  "For starters, you aren''t ready to channel power into other people without blowing their souls out.  When you learn that control you are welcome to."  Dev had a little hopeful grin on his face.  "Of course, when word gets around that there is a magician burning his magic on mundanes, you''ll have every interested party from here to China flocking here to steal your power."


    Dev''s smile faded.  "I can''t help anyone?"


    "Magic isn''t for everyone.  Trust me.  Use it selflessly and you''ll be dead in a week."  Julianne''s cynical words cut through Dev''s enthusiasm.


    Pandemonium Harmony appeared between Julianne and Dev.  "I''m sorry you feel that way."

 The Threshold - Chapter 9

    Pandemonium Harmony looked disappointed, perhaps even dejected.


    "We used our power, magic as you call it, to help breathe life and knowledge into the new creatures that sprang up during the aeons of creation. Who is to say how long the first days lasted to the Creator? As the first conscious beings came about and absorbed all the residual energy of the creation of the Light and the Dark, time immemorial marched on." Dev and Julianne found themselves floating among newborn stars watching nebulae form. "When the lands began populating, we nurtured and coaxed the fledgling souls with ''magic,'' first teaching protection. From the elements and other souls that needed to feed on them for survival. Then community, to draw them together. From that, the first magic of mortals appeared in the form of love." P.H. paused. "It was a beautiful time."


    "This went on for billions of years before the Bale crept in and forced a decision from the Creator." Stars exploded, planets burned, entire galaxies went dark. "We were sundered, new life was made from our essence as Humans emerged. Some, like me, held together. More or less. We found we could lend our power to these fragments of our former eminence. For a time, it was good. The new souls were open to ''magic'' and used it to create wonders. But, it seemed, part of human nature was also to destroy. They used magic on each other, hoping to combine splinters remake the tree. Perhaps that was a left over consequence of being torn and shattered, maybe our power was inadvertently drawing others together to reconstitute many into one." A grotesque patchwork body of a Malformed appeared in the darkness.


    "Our interference, regardless of intent, created the means to sour our gift. Greed and Envy." The vision faded and Dev and Julianne found themselves again in her hotel suite. They were both on their hands and knees in tears. "Magic was supposed to be for everyone."


    Dev recovered before Julianne, who still sat in stunned silence. He wiped his cheeks and looked into Pandemonium''s swirling eyes. "What is ''the Bale?''" P.H. motioned behind Dev. Once more, the three of them were suspended in space. Only a facade of a heavy wooden door sitting snugly closed in its frame stood before them. Julianne regained her composure. With a sniff, she nodded at Dev to open it. He reached for the shining golden knob.


    "A word of caution: Do not cross the Threshold." Dev turned back to P.H. to see the cosmic entity had faded away. With a twist, Dev opened the door. The room on the other side looked entirely too normal after what they had seen in the past few minutes. A kitchen. There was a range oven, an icebox, a dinette set. It all looked so plain. Dev felt Julianne tug on his shoulder and realized he had been about to step through the doorway. She was pointing across the room. There was a hallway leading away from them. And someone was walking toward them.


    -


    It looked like a man, but Dev and Julianne knew deep down that this creature was more akin to P.H. than them. With heavy footfalls, it entered the dim light of the kitchen. It wore a strange leather hooded cowl, like an executioners mask. The suit it wore seemed to be made of the same leather. There were golden grommets holding an evening jacket closed. The tips of its shoes were also gold and, in fact, the being seemed to have precious metals and jewels adorning every possible accessory. It pulled out a chair and sat, motioning for Dev and Julianne to join it. Dev shook his head like a child and Julianne gulped audibly. The cowl formed a frown and then the being seemed to smile.


    It''s flesh appeared to be made of pitch or tar, dripping black ooze which dissolved instantly in the air. It had no lips but the blackened teeth formed a permanent death grin and the cowl moved around the skull to emulate facial expressions. There were lidless white orbs set into the eye holes of the mask. It propped its elbows on the table and steepled its gloved hands together in front of it. It slammed its hands on the table and screamed at them, a shrill piercing noise that made Dev and Julianne cover their ears and fall to their knees. The table shattered and it stood unnaturally. Opening its arms wide, it skittered forward jerkily until it reached the Threshold.


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    The door frame seemed to be growing, the creature taking up more of their field of view until it hunched over them. It''s tar flesh dripped around them sizzling when it touched their reality. Dev heard screaming and realized it was coming from him. The creature moved its arm to the top of the cowl and ripped it off. Underneath was only the white orb and the humanoid jaw. It shrieked again and thousands of thorn covered vines shot out of the void of its throat, assaulting the ground around them. The orbs popped and dripped pus and other unknowable fluids. Julianne grabbed Dev''s shoulders and pointed at the pools of tar and viscera around them.


    "What?!" Dev tried to shout to her over the din but could only hear the wail of the damned. She pointed again and Dev noticed the ooze wasn''t getting any closer to them. It seemed to be held at bay in a circle around them. He reached out, seeing if he could feel a tangible force holding the assault at bay. When he reached it, it felt like sticking a finger into running water.  Like oil and water, the viscous black and white fluids swirled around them, unable to mix. The levels were rising around whatever protected them. Dev looked at Julianne and saw her features mirror his own worry. What were they supposed to do? He tried to contact P.H. but it felt like he was alone.


    He closed his eyes and hugged Julianne. She resisted at first. What good was a hug? It wouldn''t help them out of this situation. But it was warm. She realized she felt so cold. Dev buried his head in her chest and she rested her chin in his hair. She folded her arms around him, closed her eyes, and accepted the embrace. For a while, it was nice just to be held. She realized that she hadn''t let herself relax since she had taken in Kushiel. Any human contact outside of general day to day had been bloody. She wept.


    -


    It was suddenly silent. Dev released Julianne, who looked like she had been crying. She quickly wiped her eyes and let go of Dev. They were kneeling in her hotel room, again. Pandemonium Harmony and Kushiel were hovering around them like worried mother hens. She could feel her connection again. Her magic was back. She could tell by the look on Dev''s face that he too had his magic back. Kushiel silently faded away with a nod to her.


    "That was the Bale. Evil as a destructive force." P.H. said to them. "And I''m glad it didn''t destroy you." Dev and Julianne pulled themselves up to sit on the edge of the bed. "The Threshold was created as a way to keep the Bale locked away. It can''t get out, but others have gotten in. You would have been consumed had you crossed over. If it can get enough power from devouring souls, it may eventually be able to free itself and cloak creation in destruction. Undoing everything. There are those among you who believe that this is a cycle bound to happen eternally. Creation and Destruction. I suppose it is possible that this is not the first universe the Creator has made." P.H. shifted uncomfortably, an entirely too human gesture. "Tell me, how did you get away from it?"


    "I don''t know, after I couldn''t contact you, I figured I was going to die and just didn''t want to be alone in the moment. So I hugged Julianne."


    "Ah, human magic. Love." Julianne blushed. Dev coughed and looked away, also blushing. Dev cleared his throat and stood up, striding away from Julianne.


    "All magic aside, Ms. Nestor." Dev addressed her professionally. "You promised me some answers about your involvement and/or knowledge of anything relating to the murder investigation." Julianne realized she felt a little upset that Dev had so quickly dismissed their albeit brief connection. She stood up to meet him eye to eye.


    "I did, but you aren''t going to like what I have to say."

 Profane Sacrifice - Chapter 10

    Julianne suggested they move to the hotel restaurant to refresh and recover from the evening''s events.  Dev was all to happy to oblige, a sudden hunger making his stomach growl at the mention of food.  She walked him through a very basic charm to clean his clothing and freshen up from the training and attack.  She briefly primped at the vanity to touch up her make-up then kicked Dev out into the hallway to wait while she ''changed into something more appropriate'' for dinner.


    Dev rocked on his feet awkwardly while he waited.  P.H. stood across the hall from him looking almost pensive.


    "I feel I must apologize, Devlin Br¨ªgh.  I''m not sure you were ready for the Threshold.  You have been thrust into a whole new reality where your life is now in constant peril.  You have handled yourself admirably compared to some of the hosts I''ve had over time.  You should be proud."  P.H. thought to Dev.


    "Funny you mention it, I was just thinking this is too much.  But, honestly, what can I do?  I can either accept your power and have a chance at survival or reject it and most assuredly die."  P.H. had the decency to look guilty.


    "Its not often that I meet a human like you, you know.  I see great things ahead."


    The door to Julianne''s room opened and P.H. faded away with a parting compliment.  She emerged wearing a cardinal red evening gown with matching clutch.  A peekaboo slit revealed a garter strap and Dev quickly averted his gaze.  Adjusting his tie, he cleared his throat.


    "That is a very, uh, flattering dress, Ms. Nestor."  Dev swallowed hard.  Julianne laughed at him.


    "Oh, now we''re back to Ms.?  I show a little leg and you turn into a schoolboy."  She fanned herself with the clutch.  "Do I really get you that hot and bothered, Detective?"  She enunciated all the syllables in detective deliberately.  She laughed again and took Dev''s arm.  "Escort me to dinner so we can talk about murder you silly man."  He could smell the flowery perfume that he associated with magic and now with her.  She struggled to suppress her laughter all the way through the hall to the elevator to the host stand of the restaurant.


    Dev nodded yes and held up two fingers when the host asked how many.  Sweating under the collar Dev smiled through the awkward blush he could feel in his cheeks.  The host led them to a table and Dev pushed Julianne''s seat in and retreated across the table.  Sitting across from her was easier than having her on his arm.  He felt like a robot, trying not to move to fast or slow, to keep the proper amount of contact.  Dev could feel a bead of sweat drip down his spine.


    He didn''t even notice that she had approved a wine for them until the waiter held it before him.  He nodded ''when'' and as the waiter left he took a big drink of the sweet red.  Dev looked around at the restaurant.  He had never been here before; it was well out of his price range as a detective.  Julianne cleared her throat.


    "Are you avoiding looking at me now?"  There was still a hint of mirth in her voice.  "I''ll stop teasing and we can talk about work."  She sipped at the wine.  The waiter returned with menus.  Dev''s eyes widened at the cost.  "We''ll need a minute, thank you."  She told the waiter.  She noticed a red hue creeping up Dev''s neck to his ears.  "I have some suggestions if you''ve never been here before."


    "How could you guess?"  Dev asked.  "I think I could have a glass of water with a slice of lemon and pay about as much as my lunch."  He chuckled wryly.


    "Don''t worry about the cost, I have a line of credit here.  And magic has monetary perks as well."  She smirked and waved the waiter back.  "I''ll have the salmon carpaccio with the mushroom risotto.  The gentleman will have the filet mignon, medium rare, with the creamed spinach."  The waiter collected the menus and left.  She leaned back in her seat with the wine glass in hand and draped an arm across her waist.  "I know I said I would answer your questions, but I have a proposition.  An answer for an answer.  I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of each other, thanks to recent events, and I want to get to know you better."


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    Dev was still flustered.  He finished his wine and glared at her.  "No.  You said you would answer when I showed I could protect myself.  Well?"  The waiter quickly returned and filled Dev''s glass again.


    "You know, you keep looking embarrassed to be with me and drinking like that, the staff are liable to think I''m a prostitute."  Dev flushed bright red again.  "The victim''s name was Daniel Jefferson."  The sudden shift in demeanor threw Dev off.  He quickly recovered from flustered Devlin and turned back into Detective Br¨ªgh.  He reached for the notepad that P.H. had made for him.  He jotted down the name and looked back at her expectantly.


    "Danny was a fellow practitioner.  He had all the knowledge before he found a Numen; he had been obsessed with magic since he was a child.  Perhaps his parents or grandparents, but someone in his family had a fragment of power that activated for him.  But the piece he found wasn''t especially potent, so he was relatively weak.  He knew things that even I struggle with and that attracted the attention of some of the more powerful magicians.  They used him for his knowledge and when they couldn''t get any thing more from him, they convinced him to kill himself."  Julianne''s expression fouled and she drained her wine in one gulp.


    She waved the waiter back over to fill her glass.  Dev wrote down everything Julianne said.  Unfortunately, none of it could be used as evidence.  "The medical examiner said that there was no cause of death.  If he committed suicide, how did he do it?"


    "He could have sold his knowledge for years if he hadn''t been so short sighted."  She snapped.  "They promised him more power so that he could do all the things he taught others.  He was so smart, but so dumb.  You kind of remind me of him."  Julianne said venomously.  Dev set the notepad down.  He noticed tears welling in her eyes.


    "And how did you know Danny?"


    "He..."  Her voice caught in her throat, then she steeled herself.  "He was a friend once."  The tears rolled down her cheeks.  Their food arrived as Dev finished writing.  The waiter removed the cloche and revealed a beautiful steak.


    "Enjoy."  The waiter said and retreated quickly from the tension.  They ate in silence.  Dev wanted to comment on the quality of the food.  It was some of the best he had ever had.  Though upset, Julianne''s mood couldn''t ruin her appetite.


    "He contacted me about a week before he did it."  She broke the silence.


    Dev wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin.  "What did he want to talk about?"


    "He asked me to help him with a ritual.  He wanted to sacrifice himself and a few other weaker practitioners to the cult that used him.  I tried to talk him out of it, but they had convinced him this was the way for him to get more power."  She sniffed and ate a bite.  Dev was amazed at how resolute she was.


    "I''m sorry for your loss.  Do you know who is in charge of this cult?  Where they might be based or hold their gatherings?"


    "I know what she looks like, they tried to recruit me when they got Danny.  She has long black hair and brown eyes.  She''s a real looker, too.  Remind me to conjure an image of her after we leave the restaurant.  As far as a name, I never got it.  Danny always referred to her as the Keeper."  Julianne leaned forward and put an elbow on the table.  "Its strange, with her following and power she should be Malformed.  Maybe the profane sacrifices keep her from damaging her own soul."  She said in a revelation.  "Dev, if that''s possible, we could have a big problem brewing."


    "Devlin Br¨ªgh, is that you?"  They were suddenly interrupted.  Dev looked over his shoulder and was surprised to see Jim Appleton approaching with his wife.  He smiled and stood up to shake Jim''s hand.  "What the devil are you doing in a swanky place like this?"  Jim noticed Julianne.  "You mean you really did meet a woman?!"  Dev had forgotten about his lie.  Jim stepped forward and extended his hand to Julianne.  "Hi!  I''m Jim Appleton, this is my wife Beth.  I work with Dev.  He told us met someone but not that she was so beautiful!"  Beth swatted Jim''s arm playfully.  "You really must tell us how you stole our best detective for a whole week!"  Dev chuckled awkwardly and made a mental note to explain and apologize to Julianne later.  He noticed that she looked pale and nervous.  She couldn''t stop staring at Beth.


    Dev looked as well and it clicked.  Black hair, brown eyes, attractive.  He jerked his head back to Julianne who nodded.


    Beth reached her hand out to Julianne, "Nice to meet you, sweetie!  Any friend of Dev is a friend of ours.  Don''t mind Jim, he''s incorrigible.  What did you say your name was?"

 Keeper of Temptation - Chapter 11

    By some twist of fate, the waiter arrived with Dev and Julianne''s check.  As Julianne signed for it, Jim Appleton looked a little sad that he couldn''t suggest they dine together.


    "Well Br¨ªgh, next time you and your lady friend go out you''ll have to let me know so I can grill her about how she made you play hooky for a week."  Beth Appleton pinched Jim''s rib.


    "You be nice James Theodore Appleton."  Dev and Julianne stood awkwardly to the side as his partner and a possible cult leader flirted in front of them.


    "Uh, oh, got the full name, I must be in trouble.  You kids have a fun rest of your night!"  Jim laughed and bade them farewell and went to a table where a host was waiting for them.  Dev and Julianne smiled and shook hands and said their goodbyes, then Julianne took Dev''s arm and they walked out of the restaurant.  Dev started for the elevator bank when she steered him to the front doors.


    "No, no.  I don''t want her to know I''m staying here.  Take me to a different hotel."  She looked back over her shoulder nervously.  "Please."  Dev led her to his car and when the Muehlebach was shrinking in the rear view mirror they both let out a deep breath.


    "You are absolutely sure that She, my partner''s wife, little Beth Appleton, is a murderous magical cult leader?"  Julianne nodded.  "Fuck."


    They drove around for half an hour in silence.  Dev was struggling to accept it.  Jim and Beth had welcomed him into their home for barbecues.  Hell, he had spent a couple Thanksgiving dinners at their table when going home to Boston was out of the question.  He had never seen anything to make him suspect...  Suspect what, exactly?  He had only learned about magic days ago.  Was it just Beth?  Was Jim somehow involved?  It didn''t seem likely, but who was to say?  Who else in his life had magic?  How common was it?  Was he somehow the only one who wasn''t aware of magic and they had all been laughing at him?  Dev shook his head, that seemed unlikely.  He realized Julianne was talking to him.


    "Dev, we may need to leave Kansas City.  She has a small army of magicians at her disposal.  If she doesn''t already know about you, seeing me with you will probably clue her in."


    "I always thought her pies were too good.  I couldn''t explain it, but they were better with every bite."


    "Dev!"


    "Huh?"


    "Are you listening to me?"


    "Hmm?  Yes, sorry.  We can''t leave."


    "Why the Hell not?!"  Julianne balled up a fist as if to strike him.


    "Danny."  Her tension released and her fingers relaxed.  "We have to bring his killers to justice.  As well as the other victims that he mentioned."  She shook her head back and forth, mouth agape.


    "You are so naive.  Dev, they''ll kill us and take our power!  It''s what. they. do.  It''s what they live for, or rather how they live.  And sweet ''Beth'' is a Malformed parading around as a suburban Detective''s housewife.  You know he could be involved, right?"


    "I know."  Dev nodded.


    "Jesus, Dev!  How are you not upset about this?  Because I''m losing it over here and could use some of your stability."  She was breathing heavily.  Dev flashed to when he had lost control and dented his car.  He pulled into a movie theater parking lot.


    "Come on, follow me."  He turned of the car and got out.  She grumbled but got out of the car.  She slammed the door and confronted him on the sidewalk.  He was looking up into the stars, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.


    "Well?"  He pulled his gaze from the sky and looked at Julianne.  Hands on her hips, a flush creeping up her cheeks, she cut an imposing figure.  The red of her dress and hair in stark contrast to her pale skin.  She was very pretty, he thought as he looked back at the stars.


    "Julianne, look."  Dev pointed out the Big Dipper.


    "Its just stars Dev!  We have a serious problem, please focus!"  She grabbed his shoulder and spun him to look her in the eye.


    "We were just there.  We watched as one of the most powerful creatures in the cosmos tried to eat us.  Maybe it was luck, but here we are."  He waved his arms at the night sky.  "And the Bale is out there somewhere, beyond the Threshold.  I know that I''m naive when it comes to magic.  But I''m not stupid.  I hunt killers.  I uphold the law.  I''ve been a police officer for a decade and before that, I spent a couple years in France hunting killers.  It doesn''t matter that they have magic, because now, so do I."  At this Dev extends his hand and produces a small turquoise ball of energy.  He clenched his fingers and snuffed it out.


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    "I didn''t want this power.  I didn''t even know it existed.  It wasn''t until we were driving I accepted it.  I''m going to use this power to do what I do best:  Hunt Killers."  Julianne stood in stunned silence.  She let go of his arm and stepped back.


    "Do you know how many times I''ve heard some fool proclaim nearly the exact same thing?  You have magic, sure.  But you don''t know how to use it.  Not like me.  Not like they do.  You''re worse than naive, you think you are special.  News flash, you aren''t special, P.H. is.  Two hours ago you couldn''t even defend yourself beyond luck and instinct.  So when you die trying to instill your ideals on these ''Killers,'' it will all have been for naught.  Your soul will be devoured, P.H. will be abused and I''ll be alone again."


    Dev nodded at her.  He was about to rebut when he saw something strange slide through the background behind her.


    "That spell you did to protect the hotel, can you do that anywhere?"  He asked her.  She watched as Dev''s scarred eye started glowing.  His hands crackled with turquoise static and he held them in front of him like a boxer.  She quickly started the spell and moved to stand beside him.


    "Renders."  She spat the word.  She barely finished the spell as a dozen misshapen bodies oozed from dark shadows around them.


    "What are...?"  Dev couldn''t finish the sentence.  One of the shades slid along a long shadow and slammed into him, sending him flying back into the barrier.  He got to his hand and knees and looked at the creature.  It was a body of wrong proportions with missing and too many limbs.  Its legs were arms with hands poking out at odd angles.  Its head was sunken down into the chest cavity and it wheezed and coughed black bile and mucus at Dev.  He raised a hand at it and pointed a finger.  A beam shot from his eyes and the upper half of the creature vaporized.


    Dev chanced a glance at Julianne and saw flash of red streak through a gathered bunch of the abominations.  She was holding a parking meter like a sword and Dev could see Kushiel enshrouding her.  They slashed and amputated four of the creatures with ease.  Dev stood up and one of the monsters grabbed him, pinning his arms to his sides.  Dev concentrated his power to his arms and back and felt the grip loosen.  He shrugged, imagining his shoulders as giant stone, and crushed the one behind him.


    The power to shape reality; Pandemonium.  As Julianne dispatched three more, Dev waved his hand at the last three.  He didn''t want them to exist anymore.  So they ceased, vanishing into black dust.  Dev laughed.


    "Ha!  You hit harder than those things did!"  Julianne rushed over and stood back to back with Dev.


    "It''s not over!"  She yelled as something bombarded her barrier.  It faltered at the top and let something in.  "If you don''t want anyone on this street to die, cover me while I strengthen the dome!"


    Dev nodded as she wove more magic into the protective barrier.  The creature before them stood up, a Malformed.  More humanoid that the other he had seen before, this one looked like a big football player.  Its body was covered in bulging, abnormal muscles.  It''s head sat between massive trapezius muscles, cradling the face.  Three long, serpentine tongues sagged out of its mouth.   It inhaled deeply and then it spit at Dev.  He held his hands up to shield his face and felt pain as his they were pierced by the Malforms magic.  His flesh began melting away, revealing bone.  Dev clapped his hands together with a grunt of effort and then formed his fingers into a sphere.  He pumped magic into the shape and felt his hands begin to heal.


    "I''m surprised.  I understood that you were like a babe, fresh and ready for the taking.  Before I kill you and your delicious looking companion, tell me.  Who is your Numen?"  Dev fired the beam from his eyes again.  It stopped short of the Malformed, fading out with a sizzle.  He focused more energy into his hands.


    "Adorable.  I''ll tell you my name first.  I am called Amadeus, not that you have much longer to call me anything."  Dev shot the eye beam twice more.  It swatted one away and let the other hit it.  "Tell me your Numen, child."  Dev had an idea.  His hands weren''t melting anymore so he changed his focus from regeneration and kept focusing the energy to a singular point in the center of the sphere.  He changed his hand shape to circle instead, his fingers and knuckles crunching to make a perfect circle.  He fired his eyes again.


    "Stop, that tickles."  Amadeus laughed.  Then it screamed as Julianne stabbed it with the parking meter.  "You bitch!"  It swung its arm and knocked her into the barrier.  It pulled the meter out of its stomach and advanced on her.  Dev shot his eye beam dozens of times, each getting weaker as he focused on his hands.  He felt Amadeus'' hands around his throat before he saw the creature before him.  "My mistress will just have to understand that killing you was worth more than bringing you to her alive."  It tightened its grip.


    Dev felt his eyes bulge and roll back.  It was all he could do to keep focusing his energy into his hands.  He wanted to laugh but his throat was being crushed.  He envisioned a magnifying glass like a comic book private detective.  He opened his mouth like P.H. had done the when he revealed his form in Dev''s home.  Brighter than the sun, a blue-white light shot forth, through Dev''s focus.  He felt his skin pop and burn with the intensity of the beam.  Amadeus was screaming in agony.


    When Dev finally got his vision back, Amadeus was lying on the ground, one arm seared off at the elbow, one into the chest cavity.  Part of its face was also burned away and it gurgled and screamed its pain.  Pandemonium Harmony strode out of Dev in its Cosmic form.  It held out its hand toward the severely damaged Malformed.  Amadeus started unraveling like a ball of yarn, individual strands burning in different hues.  Dev felt the souls cry out and the beginning of a soul storm formed in a fiery vortex.


    "This isn''t over, my Mistress has an insatiable hunger for the willing.  And she never goes hungry.  I AM YOURS, KEEPER OF TEMPTATION!"  A mouth appeared in the pavement and swallowed what remained of Amadeus.  The soul storm spun out without tearing Dev or Julianne''s soul out.  She climbed to her feet and looked over at Dev in awe which quickly turned to fear.  His face was cracked and burned from his own attack, arms missing at the elbows.  He stumbled.


    "Dev, oh God!"  She rushed to catch him as he fell.

 Positive Identification - Chapter 12

    Dev sat on his childhood bed surrounded by tin soldiers.  He must have fallen asleep while playing and had a nightmare.  It had monsters and a scary lady.  But there had also been a very pretty lady and magic.  Dev had had magic in the dream.  But, it was only a dream and now he wanted to play again.  He tried to pick up his soldiers but he didn''t have any hands to hold his toys.  Where his hands had been were blackened nubs, still charred and bloody from some bright light.  He began to cry.  The door to his room opened and his mother rushed in to console him.  Dev felt a comfort he had forgotten being swept into his mother''s arms.


    "There, there ma-boy, t''will be alrigh''.  ''Ush now, let me dry your tears.  Lets ''ave a look."  Dev looked up to meet his mother''s gaze.  She looked like the lady from the dream a little, red hair and pretty.  What was the dream lady''s name?  While Dev was trying to remember details from the nightmare his mother twitched her head to the side, looking away.  When she looked back the top half of her head was gone with black vines whipping around.  Her voice cracked and deepened, her accent warping.  "You''re mine, Devlin Br¨ªgh.  Ye canny hide."  He struggled to get away from the monster, pushing weakly with his damaged limbs.


    The Bale was cradling him back in the bare kitchen.  Somehow, he had crossed the Threshold.  The walls began to seep thick black fluids.  He was deafened by screams of pain and torment.  In the windows, he could see faces pressed against the glass.  Victims and supplicants, those who had been sacrificed and consumed in Evil''s name.  They were all trapped by the Bale in Hell.  They were all being fed to it, even those being used for other''s gains, like the Keeper of Temptation.  The Bale was a Numen, still whole, locked away.


    "Julianne!  Help!"  He remembered.  The window started to ripple like water and a hand reached through.  His own hand reappeared and he grasped the extended hand.  Coughing and sputtering like he had been drowning, Dev''s mind resurfaced back in his shocking reality.  Julianne''s hand was clasped in his, his skin pink and healing.  He rolled to his side and vomited.  And cried.


    She let him finish and helped him sit up.  She had shed a few tears herself while cradling his remains.  It had taken a lot of her power to keep Dev alive, and when she had heard his voice she pulled him back from death.  Though weakening, her ward was still in place.  The world outside the barrier still unsullied.  They were alone, for now.  He wiped his eyes with his new hands.  He briefly saw a relieved Kushiel and P.H. standing watch over them.


    "Thanks."  They leaned on each other and climbed to their feet.  With a passive wave, Julianne dispelled her barrier and they limped to Dev''s car.  She dug a lipstick out of the little clutch and drew a circle with some strange letters in it.  Dev felt a small static charge fill the air as she recited a spell.


    "There.  Now your car is, should be, impossible to find.  Remind me to break the circle when we get out or you''ll lose your car in your driveway."  Dev let out a chuckle.  She looked sidelong at him but shortly joined him.  Tears streaming down their faces, they laughed until their sides hurt.  They embraced in a hug, survivors of tragedy.  They pulled apart after a long silence.  Dev offered his handkerchief to Julianne.  She wiped her eyes and patted at her nose.


    Dev started his car and drove to his house.  Julianne took his hand and held it while he drove home.  After parking, she smeared the lipstick on the glass and they achingly got out and trudged up the steps to his porch.


    "Where is your kitchen?"  She asked.  Dev led her down the hall to where P.H. had recently revealed himself.  The clock on the wall read almost five AM.  It felt like so long ago, but must have only been maybe 24 hours.  "Salt?"  Dev retrieved it from a cabinet above the icebox and handed it over.  She kicked off her heels and set them by the door.  "Be right back."  Julianne set about warding and protecting the house so Dev made breakfast.  He scrambled some eggs and fried up a few slices of bacon.  He turned on his percolator and when Julianne made her way back to the kitchen, Dev had plated the food and was pouring fresh coffee in two mugs.  "Thank you."  She said and sat down at the dinette.


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    They ate in silence, the occasional slurp or scrape on the plate the only noise.  Dev collected the plates and set them in the sink.  He slumped against the cabinets and sighed deeply.


    "Don''t worry, I put the same wards here as I would for myself.  Short of blowing up the neighborhood, they won''t be able to hurt us."  Julianne said and sipped the coffee.  Dev nodded and rubbed the back of his neck.


    "Go down that hall and take a left for my bedroom.  Straight across is the bathroom.  I''ll sleep on the couch."  He walked to the hallway and turned back to her.  "Thank you for saving me.  I think I went to Hell."  A haunted look crept over Dev''s features.


    "Hey, we saved each other.  So I owe you thanks, too."  She smiled and finished the coffee.  "Sleep good."  Dev made his way to the living room and took off his shoes.  He folded his jacket over the back of his armchair and took his tie off.  He draped his belt and tie next to the jacket and sat down heavily on the sofa.  He heard the shower turn on and was instantly envious.  A warm shower would feel amazing on his aching everything.  He drifted off to sleep while sitting up.


    Julianne had nothing but a dress and undergarments so she snuck across the hall to raid his dresser and closet.  She settled on a button down shirt and a pair of slacks.  Laying down in Dev''s bed she was suddenly wide awake.  It didn''t help that the pillow and bed clothes only smelled like Dev.  She tossed and turned for a while then got out of bed and padded down the hallway to where he had retired.  She peaked around the door frame and saw him asleep with his head back, snoring lightly.  She smiled to herself.  If they weren''t so worried about staying alive and taking out a cult of murderers, she might have thought he was cute.  She crept into the room.


    "Dev, are you awake?"  He snorted and lazily opened his eyes.


    "Hmm?  What?  Is everything okay?"  Julianne stood before him wearing his clothes.  She took his hand.


    "Come lay down with me, I don''t want to be alone."  He blushed.  She liked that she had that effect on the seasoned police detective.  "Oh my gosh!  Not like that!"  She pulled him up and led him down the hall.  They lay down together in his bed.  She put her back to his chest and pulled his arm tight around her waist.  "Good night."


    Within seconds, they were both sleeping like babies.


    -


    When Julianne woke up, Dev''s reassuring warmth and body weight were missing.  She sat up quickly and looked around the room for a sign of her detective.  What a thought, her detective.  She was getting to close to him.  Sharing a bed had been a mistake.


    She got out of bed and made it.  She straightened her borrowed clothes and went to the kitchen.  She needed more coffee.  She heard the shower running and understood why he hadn''t been with her.  It had been so comfortable with him at her back.  She closed her eyes and tried to force herself to think about anything else.  She made the coffee and poured herself a glass.  She added milk and sugar this time.  She was looking out the kitchen window when she heard Dev clear his throat from the doorway.  He was already fully dressed.


    "Is there enough for another glass?"  She nodded.  He quietly rinsed his mug from earlier this morning and got some coffee for himself.  He sat at the table and looked at her silhouette framed by the sun.  She turned around and he quickly looked away.  "I was thinking, just now I mean, we should go to the medical examiner''s office and have you give a positive identification for Danny.  For the record, I mean."  She felt like the air had been stolen from her lungs.  He was so quick to move on from last night.  Why was she mad?  She wanted to put some distance between them.  Right?


    "Of course.  I already know its him, but if it will help with the investigation, then I''ll do it.  For Danny."  Dev was kicking himself internally.  There was a tension in the air.  He couldn''t tell about her, but he knew he had at least a school boy crush on Julianne.  They had only known each other for a few days but in that time they had shared quite a few intense experiences.  Maybe that was all.  But he felt that there had been a moment last night.  He felt it again this afternoon when he had woken up with her in his arms.  Perhaps it was for the best that he not fall for a stranger.


    "You''re welcome to wear whatever fits you in my closet.  I''ll just go wait in the car."  Julianne watched Dev retrieve his jacket and tie and walk out the front door.  There was a little ache in her chest not related to any injury she had sustained last night.  She tried and failed to clear her head once more.  They really didn''t have time for romance right now.  If they survived the next few days, maybe she would tell him how she felt.  She found some socks and put her heels back on.  She walked out the door to go tell the authorities about the only other man who had made her feel this way.

 What we know - Chapter 13

    The drive to the coroner''s office was full of awkward silences, awkward glances, and awkward conversation. Dev and Julianne got out of the car in silence and started toward the building. Dev stopped and turned to face her.


    "Before I slipped into the future, were you watching me here?"


    "You''re quite the detective." She smiled. He was impressive. "How did you know?"


    "I felt like I was being watched before I went in last time." Dev pulled her note out of his pocket. It was looking a little worn. "And you left this for me." He stuffed the note back and turned away blushing. "Shall we?"


    Dev opened the door for Julianne. She entered and the smell of bleach and death greeted them. He led her back to a check in station where Doctor Ansel Kaine and his assistant sat behind desks clacking away at typewriters.


    "Detective Br¨ªgh, I wasn''t expecting you." Doctor Kaine said as the typewriter dinged the end of the line. With a practiced stroke, he reset the bar and continued without looking up. "Good evening, madam. I am Doctor Ansel Kaine, chief medical examiner for Jackson County." He rolled the form out and laid it in a folder, straightening it before flipping it closed. "How can I assist you tonight?"


    "Doctor Kaine, this is Julia..."


    "Julie Wright, Doctor. I''m here to identify a body for the good detective." She interrupted Dev. With his partner possibly compromised, she didn''t want to take any chances with the rest of his coworkers. Dev nodded and waved his hand. Doctor Kaine pursed his lips and just nodded.


    "A word, detective?" Doctor Kaine asked Dev over. He walked to where he was bade. "I seem to recall that you are suspended. Not working the case against Captain Townshend''s wishes, I trust?" Dev paled and stuttered. "Not to worry, I won''t say anything." Dev breathed a sigh of relief. "Provided..." Dev held his breath again. "The nice lady can provide identity to the deceased. Curiosity, and all that..." Doctor Kaine smiled wryly.


    "Doc, that wasn''t nice." Julianne watched as the two men spoke in hushed voices and looked back at her. They looked like conspiring school boys. She almost laughed.


    "This way, Ms. Wright." Doctor Kaine led them to the mortuary. He motioned for them to stand aside as he pulled open a large metal door and slid a sheet covered body out of chilled storage. He pulled the sheet down and exposed the head. "Do you know this man?"


    Julianne''s knees almost buckled. She covered her mouth and held herself up with her free hand. A short sob came out when she tried to answer. Doctor Kaine covered Danny''s face and pushed him back into the chute. She steadied herself and wiped her cheeks.


    "Yes." She said clearing her throat and said a second, firmer, "Yes. His name is Daniel Jefferson. He was 30 years old." Doctor Kaine went to retrieve a clipboard.


    "That was not the reaction I was expecting. Are you okay, do you need to sit down?" Dev asked. Julianne shook her head. Doctor Kaine returned with his clipboard and a tissue.


    "In order to cross t''s and dot i''s, I need your name and relationship to the deceased. Now, name we have." He looked across over the rim of his glasses knowingly. "How did you know Mister Jefferson?"


    "We were engaged to be wed a few years ago. It didn''t work out." Dev let out an audible ''Huh?'' as a shocked response. He cleared his throat and stepped away for a moment.


    "Thank you." Doctor Kaine shook her hand and held it a moment. "I''m sorry for your loss. Take your time saying your goodbyes." He approached Dev. "I don''t know what your relationship is with that woman, but I think she could use a shoulder to cry on and maybe an ice cream." Dev started walking to Julianne but Doctor Kaine caught his arm.


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    "Devlin. I think she''s hiding something, and I don''t mean her phony name. I don''t have a lot of information, but what we know about that body and how it died confuse me. Be careful. I''ll put in my report that she came in of her own accord, without police escort." Dev shook Ansel''s hand firmly.


    "Thank you."  Dev went to Julianne. "Are you ready to leave?" She nodded and they walked out of the building. He opened his car door for her and got in.


    "So... Danny was your fiance?"  Tears rolled down her cheeks and she only nodded.  He retrieved his handkerchief and handed it to her.  She dabbed at her cheeks and exhaled shakily.  "Take your time."  Julianne turned in the seat to face Dev.  With the sad puppy eyes and earnest interest, He reminded her so much of Danny.  In a different life, maybe they could have been friends.


    "He was so oblivious, at first.  I had been in love with him since we were kids but he was always so studious."


    "You grew up together?"  Dev asked.  She smiled and nodded.


    "He helped me in school; showed me how to do arithmetic.  He learned of magic in our teens.  He would show off little feats of power and spells, literal child''s play.  I had been interested now, I was enraptured.  My schoolgirl crush knew magic.  I pretty much forced him into a relationship; he barely noticed me.  He was so enthralled with magic and theory that the only way I got attention from him was to throw myself at him.  Before college, I asked if he would propose to me.  He did in spite of himself and we spent the first years of college engaged."


    She shifted in her seat, wringing the kerchief in her hands.  "I went days without seeing him.  Once, an entire month went by and no one had seen him.  I was beside myself with worry.  When he returned from whatever escapade that drew him away, I would shower him in affections.  He started to show less and less interest in me and more in the power.  Then, in the summer of of ''47, he left me."  She made a motion with her hand and tapped her clutch.  It opened of its own accord and a small, folded piece of paper climbed out.  Julianne took it and handed it to Dev.


    It read:


    -Jules,


    I think I have found a way to get more power, enough even to give to you.


    There are others like me.


    The Keeper tells me if I can prove myself, I can unlock my potential.


    Goodbye,


    Danny-


    Dev folded it back and gave the old note back to her.  Julianne cradled the note gingerly for a moment and then put it back.


    "That was the last I heard from him until a few weeks ago when he found me to ask about getting involved in that ritual."  Dev noted everything and scratched his head with his pencil.


    "So if you hadn''t seen him in eight years, how did you find your Numen?"  Julianne''s breath caught in her throat, completely caught off guard.  Dev looked up inquisitively.  She looked upset again, but not because of Danny.


    "I...  tried to find him."  She started.  "I had ''borrowed'' some of his journals filled with magical theory to try to do magic on my own.  I had no idea that I needed a Numen to do so.  I dropped out of college in pursuit of Danny.  Fell in with some very seedy types and did a lot of things I''m not proud of.  I never found Danny, but the ''others'' he mentioned in the note found me.  I don''t know if Danny steered them onto my trail or if I had just asked the right questions in the wrong places enough, but, eventually I was brought before your partner''s wife.  The cult had me trying to activate pieces of Numen so that they could consume magical souls.  When I failed at that, I was thrown into an oubliette and left to die."


    Dev saw a look pass quickly over her features that he had seen on the battlefield in France.  The thousand yard stare.  Whatever she had been through had been harrowing.  She smiled through the tears.


    "But I had a secret.  I had awakened a Numen.  With Kushiel''s help, I fought my way out."  She left out that she had spent weeks subsisting on the minimal magic she had access to.  She felt bile welling up in her throat remembering the smells.  The tastes.  "I''ve been killing Malformed and magical abusers ever since."


    His heart hurt.  He could feel her anguish, her sorrow and fear.  His experience, hell, his whole life, was so different.  The suffering she had gone through; she looked lost.  Dev offered his hand across the divide, and Julianne reached out and took it.


    In a sudden swell, magical energy cascaded around the car.  Hues of crimson and turquoise crackled and buffeted them.  Dev and Julianne embraced, weathering the storm of power they had created.  He leaned in and she completed the kiss.  It was both chaste and full of promised passion.


    As quickly as it began, the magic faded.  Julianne pulled away, eyes closed, savoring the sensation.  She felt energized.  She felt the care in Dev''s arms.  He brushed hair over her shoulder and wiped away her tears.  She opened her eyes and examined his expression.  With a sob, she threw her hands around him.


    This time, he held her while she wept.

 Not Alone - Chapter 14

    Dev had started to drive after Julianne''s tears waned.  He crossed into the flat plains of Kansas.  The horizon stretched out forever, an empty promise of escape.  The road they were on didn''t lead to anywhere but Colorado eventually.  He stopped at a fill up station and topped off the tank, then went inside and bought a couple sodas and something to snack on.  As he left the counter he looked through the big plate glass window and saw Julianne walking around by the big road sign.  He imagined going out and offering her the drink and snack.  She''d smile and take a sip and then give him a cola flavored kiss.


    He shook his head.  Daydreaming was for younger, less endangered men.  The chime on the door hinge dinged as Dev walked out and approached her.  She was crouched down looking at some rocks.  Tossing a few away she hefted a couple good throwing stones and tossed one at the nearest speed limit sign.  It plonked satisfyingly and she reared back to throw another.  Dev cleared his throat.


    "You know if you miss and hit a passing motorist, I may have to arrest you."  He joked.


    "Aren''t you a little outside your jurisdiction, Detective?"  Julianne turned and accepted the offered.  She didn''t smile.  He took a drink to hide his disappointment.


    "Yeah, I suppose so."  He looked down at the bottle and sighed.  "I, um.  Sorry, for, you know...  Kissing you."


    "I did return it, if you didn''t notice."  She appreciated his boyish charm.  So naive.


    "So."


    "So."


    She sighed and took another drink.  Dev gathered up his courage to confess but Julianne spoke first  "Look.  Its probably for the best if we just let it be.  Emotions were high.  I mean, you seem nice enough, Dev, but we are kind of in the middle of something here."  She almost lost her fortitude as she watched Dev deflate.  "But."  He perked up.  "If we survive this you can take me out to dinner.  And I promise not to tease you the whole night.  We can get burgers and do a drive in, whatever the kids are doing these days."


    Dev finished his soda in one gulp.  "Well that sounds alright."  He tried and failed to hide his smile. They walked slowly back to his car, nudging each other playfully.  "Now that that''s settled, we need to figure out how to ''survive this.''"


    "And I need clothes that fit.  Your clothes aren''t very flattering."  Julianne turned out her pockets and showed off how baggy they were on her.


    "Oh, I don''t know, Jules..."


    "No."  She stopped him.  "I need to use the ladies room."  Dev bit his tongue.  Of course she wouldn''t want to be called the nickname of her former lover and fiance.  He got in the car and thumped his steering wheel, cursing himself.


    "Dev, you dummy!  Why would you call her that?  ''Oh, I don''t know Jules''.  Damn!"  Julianne returned and saw him berating himself in the car.  She watched as he held a conversation with his hands and smacked the dash in frustration.  She let out a throaty laugh.  Dev quickly stopped and coughed to cover as she got in the car.


    "Don''t beat yourself up.  Yes, Jules is what Danny called me.  But that''s not why I stopped you."  Dev face was a picture of confusion and hope.  Julianne laughed again.  "I hated it.  I have always preferred Julianne, so, don''t be so hard on yourself."  Dev smiled his innocent smile and started the car.  "Thank you for the laugh.  I really needed it."  The drove smiling like idiots back to Kansas City and possibly their deaths.


    -


    They sat in the car staring up at the Muehlebach Hotel for an hour.


    "Do you really think she recognized you?  We can go buy you some new clothes."


    "I know, but I really liked the clothes I had.  You know, I stole one dress from Katherine Hepburn?"  Julianne said with a lecherous grin waggling her eyebrows.


    "I am a police officer, you know."


    "Oh, you won''t arrest me.  You have a crush on me.  Now be quiet, I''m thinking."  Dev blushed while she looked out the window.  She moved her hands in front of her face and looked through them at the building.  "I don''t see any crazy, evil witch magic.  I think we should be okay to get my stuff and get out."  They got out of the car and started walking toward the lobby.  As they were walking toward the elevator bank, one of the hotel staff approached Julianne.


    "Pardon, Miss Wright?"  Apparently she was using her alias here as well.  Dev shrugged.  Hiding your identity seemed like a lot of extra work.  The clerk handed her an envelope and left them.  Julianne tore open the note while they waited for the elevator.


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    "Who is it from?  Do you have a secret admirer I need to worry about?"  Dev joked.  He turned to gauge her reaction and stiffened.


    Julianne was gone.


    Dev walked quickly to the counter.  "Excuse me, did you see where the woman I was with went?"


    "No sir, I''m sorry.  Maybe she went to the bar?"  Dev hurried off to the bar.  On the way he called out to Pandemonium Harmony.


    "P.H. did you see where she went?"


    "I''m sorry Devlin Br¨ªgh, Ms. Nestor vanished.  Whatever magic whisked her away was powerful."  Thinking quickly, Dev reached into his jacket pocket for the scrap of paper from her.  He held it and thought of her, asking the scrap where she was.  He hoped that since she had imparted a part of her magic onto it he could use it to communicate with her.  The note burst into flames and disintegrated like flash paper.  The faintest hint of her perfume followed by the char of sulfur met his nose.  "Perhaps you can track her with something from her room?"  P.H. offered.  Dev all but ran back to the elevator.  He tapped the button hurriedly.


    The doors opened and he raced inside.  He pounded the button.  Dev paced around the small box, waiting to get to the top. P.H. stood arms crossed in the center, watching.


    "How?  There was no feel of magic.  No indication that she had even gone.  She was just gone."  Dev was losing it  "I''m alone."


    "You are not alone, Devlin Br¨ªgh.  I am always with you."  It was actually incredibly reassuring to have a cosmic entity in your corner.  The elevator doors opened and Dev sprinted down the hall to her door.  Trying the handle, he kicked the door when he realized it was locked.


    "Damnit!"


    "Perhaps a reminder that you have access to my power will ease your troubled mind?"  Dev rolled his eyes at his foolishness.  He held his hand out and thought about being in the room and found himself, very suddenly, in the room.


    "I only wanted to open the door, how did we get in here?"


    "The power interprets your will exactly.  You think it, I make it happen."  Dev looked around the room for something more substantial to track Julianne with.  He rummaged around with P.H. just watching.


    "How do I know what will work?"  If magical beings of the cosmos could look exasperated, Dev imagined they would look like P.H.


    "Use the power.  Will the item to your side.  Use it to find Ms. Nestor."  Dev closed his eyes and thought of Julianne.  Her hair, her smile.  Her smell.  Dev reached out his hand and wrapped his fingers around the bottle of perfume.  He squeezed the bulb to spray a mist into the air.  His mind exploded with images of Julianne.  She was unconscious, bound hand and foot.  She had a dark cloth hood covering her head but Dev knew it was her.  She was being held somewhere underground.  Kushiel circled around her, a picture of rage and wrath.  At itself and her captors, for without Julianne''s will, it was unable to do anything to help.


    Dev shifted his focus to her surroundings.  Moving around the darkness he noticed other forms similarly bound.  He saw no entrance or exit.  It seemed the only way in was to use magic.  Dev thought of Julianne again.


    "Wake up."  He heard little noises of fear and pain from her and suddenly he was full of rage.  He focused his mind to be in that cave, next to her.


    "Ah, ah.  You weren''t invited."  Yellow eyes filled his vision and he was flung through the locked door of her room.  Dev was shocked back into himself and winced as he pulled himself upright.  He groaned as he noticed a jagged piece of the door jutting from between his ribs.  As he went to pull it out and heal the wound, the expelling voice tut-tutted him again.  "No.  Leave it in."  Dev''s hands were forced away.  He looked around the hallway for a sign of his assailant.


    "I still can''t believe you beat Amadeus.  Although, it makes a certain kind of sense.  He was like a very big bug, and you are like an even bigger mallet.  All force, no restraint.  There could be a place at my Lady''s side for a blunt instrument like yourself.  There is a very recent position available."  The disembodied voice giggled to itself.  Dev saw beady yellow eyes staring at him from a deep shadow in the corner of the hall.  He focused and shot the debris out of his ribs, aiming between those eyes.  The giant splinter changed direction and embedded itself in the ceiling.  Dev winced and started pouring magic into the gaping hole in his chest.


    "Oh, not bad.  Using your environment as a weapon is quite crafty.  Maybe you aren''t as thick as Amadeus looked."


    "What do you want?"  Dev asked.


    "Me?  Power.  Always.  Forever.  I feed off the scraps left by my Lady, waiting in the shadows, lapping up the bits of soul like a good dog.  But, I might get a full meal since you so rudely intruded into one of my Lady''s storerooms.  And I am hungry."  The lights flickered and started dimming as two incredibly long arms reached out of the darkest shadow, grabbing the ceiling and door frame.  Two more arms mirrored the movement along the floor and Dev could hear some incredibly heavy mass being dragged.  The ''eyes'', as they were, poked out of the shadow at the tip of a massive canine skull, seated in a blackened humanoid face where a dog''s nose would be.  The skull just kept coming.  As it moved it gouged deep ruts in the walls and ceiling.  Strips of rotten flesh were ripped away as the skull was dragged along.


    Dev found himself enthralled by the creature.  It was horrifying and fascinating.  He wondered what determined how each Malformed manifested.  So far, the three he had encountered had been drastically different.  As it neared, he stood up.  The four hands pried the enormous mouth open and the face at the tip was salivating.


    "So Hungry."  Dev reached down and picked up a shard of the shattered door.  He held it if front of him, brandishing it like a knife.  The jaws lurched forward and snapped around him.  The yellow eyed Malformed screeched from the humanoid mouth and the skull shook in pain.  Dev had turned the little piece of wood into a giant spike.  The force of the bite from the abomination send the spike through the top and bottom of the skull.  He walked a couple paces away and inspected his wound.  He had stemmed the bleeding and the hole was nearly closed.


    The arms scrambled trying to pry the mouth open again.  They pulled the spike out and the little face bawled.  With the mouth open again, Dev turned his attention back to the monster.  Turquoise mist seeped out of his left eye and he fired an eye beam down the skull''s never ending gullet.  With a roar of pain and an explosion of viscera, the creature retracted back to the shadows.


    "You''ll regret this, just you..."


    Before the yellow eyed Malformed could finish, Dev blasted another eye beam at it.  "Bad dog."

 Harder than Magic - Chapter 15

    Thinking quickly, Dev gathered up some clothes and personal effects and threw them in a suitcase. He grabbed the perfume and closed it. With some effort he made his way through the hall and around the room and was able to repair the damage the Malformed had caused. He made a quick pass over his clothes to mend and clean them on the way down in the elevator. As he walked outside, he spoke with Pandemonium Harmony.


    "According to you, I will it, it happens? So if I want to make a barrier like Julianne did to protect the surrounding area, I can?"


    "Theoretically, yes. Her magic is different.  She uses old incantations and somatic movements to shape her will into previous interpretations of our power. You don''t have to do exactly as she does, but, as you utilize my power your body follows a natural rhythm and an approximation of..." P.H. stopped and looked quizzically at Dev. "What?"


    "You could have stopped at ''yes.''"


    "I know. But its been a long time since I''ve been able to hold a conversation with someone." Dev instantly felt guilty.


    "I''m sorry P.H. I get it, but I''m a little side tracked by Julianne. When times are calmer, I would love to have an actual conversation with you. You can tell me about making a star and I''ll tell you about. Something."  P.H. de-materialized as the doors opened.  Dev hurried through the lobby and out into the night to his car.  He opened the trunk and tossed the suitcase in then hopped in the front seat and started it.  With a roar, the old moonshiner coupe carried him away.


    Dev needed to get out of town, for multiple reasons.  One, He didn''t want to endanger any civilians since a fight was sure to break out again when he tried to find Julianne.  Two, she had been underground and while he wasn''t too sure, it looked natural; not brick and mortar.  So it seemed likely that the oubliette was in a cave.  And three, driving had been a form of clearing his mind and letting the evidence connect itself.  As he sped past city limits, he let his mind wander.  What did he know?  How did any of it connect in a way?


    Julianne''s one time paramour, Daniel Jefferson, had bonded with a Numen at a young age and maneuvered the knowledge he attained into a position with a cult.  After he left, she followed a similar path, sans power, until she found herself being used to bond with other artifacts for The Keeper of Temptation.  Julianne had bonded and went through hell to escape the Keeper, possibly Beth Appleton, the wife of Dev''s partner and long time mentor Jim.  Some time later, Daniel sacrificed himself for truly reasons unknown which led to P.H. being found and bonding with Dev.


    Dev slammed on the brakes and slid into the shoulder of the highway.  He stomped on the gas pedal and turned around to head back into the city.  He needed to talk to Jim.


    ---


    Dev had been knocking on Jim''s door for twenty minutes.  He had started lightly, but now he was pounding on the door, shaking it in his hinges.  A light turned on at the top of the stairs.  Then he heard the faint sound of a revolver hammer being cocked.


    "JIm!  It''s Dev!  I need your help!"


    "Dev?  What the hell do you think you''re doing?!  Its the middle of the night."  Jim said while opening the door.  He stood there in a tattered robe, a tank top and boxers, gun in hand, with bunny slippers on.  Any other time, Dev may have laughed.


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    "I have a lot to tell you, but before I tell you anything, I need you to come with me.  Right now."  Dev must have looked desperate.  Jim nodded and stuck his service revolver in his robe pocket.


    "Beth is still asleep, lets go around the block a couple times."  Dev embraced Jim in a hug and led him to the still running car.


    "Julianne has been taken."  Dev said as he put the car in gear.


    "My god!  Why aren''t you at the station rallying the troops?"


    "Because I don''t want anyone to get hurt."  Dev pulled over and turned off the ignition.  "Jim, I need to level with you.  I got mixed up in some very bad stuff surrounding this case, and its going to sound crazy.  But I can prove it."


    Jim nodded and licked his lips.  "I''ll try to keep a clear head."  Dev held his hands up and conjured small, turquoise fires in his hands.  He could feel the power light up his left eye and pulse in the scar tissue. Jim laughed. "Okay.  I''m dreaming."  Dev snuffed the flames and pinched him.


    "No, Jim.  Magic is real."  Many emotions passed over his face.  Shock, fear, awe, jealousy, wonder.


    "How in the?  Do it again"  Jim said, giddy.  Dev smiled and the little flames whooshed back.  Jim''s face drooped.  "Jesus H., Dev, what did you get mixed up in?"  Dev gave him a short version, like he would do in a police report.  All facts, no filler.  Jim asked a few questions, but at the end of it, he sat in the car seat rubbing a stubbly chin.


    "Jim.  There''s one more piece of information that is going to be hard to swallow."  Dev had omitted any mention of Beth being a possible cult leader.


    "Harder than ''magic?''"  Jim said with an incredulous grin.  The grin sagged at the expression on Dev''s face.  "What''s wrong?"


    "Beth is involved.  I think."  Dev winced.


    "The hell do you mean my Beth is involved?  Are you out of your mind?  In what world is my sweet, pacifistic wife involved in a cult that kills and eats souls?"  Jim raged.  Dev noticed Jim''s hand edging towards the pocket with the revolver in it.


    "In a world where magic exists, partner."  Dev slowly held his hands up.  "I know how it sounds, and other than Julianne''s assurances, I have no evidence.  That''s why we left dinner so fast last night when you showed up.  Julianne recognized Beth as one of her captors.  As the Leader of the cult.  Does she have a lot of activities she does without you?  Do you really know what she does while you''re at work?"


    Jim was shaking with anger.  "If you were anyone else, I''d have beaten some sense into you.  You know Beth.  This girl you''re seeing is wrong.  Plain and simple.  Take me home.  Now."  Jim turned in the seat and crossed his arms.


    "Jim, I."


    "Now.  Partner."  Jim practically spat the word.  Dev started the car, his hopes fading.  He had been so sure if presented with the facts, Jim would be on his side.  Without thinking, Dev held his hand up and made a little ''o'' with his fingers and looked through it like a spyglass, vaguely reminiscent of how Julianne peered with magic.  He cried out.  Jim was oozing the same viscous tar that Amadeus and the Yellow eyed malformed had bled.  Jim turned to look at him and through the vision, he looked so frail.  Dev reached out and touched the gunk, attempting to wipe it away.  Jim reacted like it hurt and pulled his gun.  "Stop!  Don''t touch me!  No!"  P.H. appeared in the back seat and nudged the barrel of the gun away from Dev''s head.


    Dev continued to swipe at his partner''s aura, wiping vile magic away.  Each pass seemed to strengthen Jim.  Dev created the turquoise flames in his hands and burned away the remnants of bituminous oil.  Jim screamed and passed out.


    ---


    Dev let Jim sleep in the passenger seat for about an hour.  The eastern horizon was beginning to turn orange when Jim woke.  Dev pulled over and looked at his friend.


    "Oh, my God Dev.  I think..."  Jim swallowed hard and looked at Dev.  "Beth.  She did something to me, to keep me from remembering.  This wasn''t the first time.  I think this has happened before.  Not with you,"  Jim struggled, turning his head to the side trying to remember.  "I found her, a few times, doing magic."


    "At home?"  Dev asked.


    "Once or twice.  But the first time was in the Captain''s office.  They snuck off one time.  I thought I was going to catch them going at it and have to divorce her, but what I saw was so much worse."  Jim started crying.  "Dev, she''s gonna do it again.  It hurts, Dev.  I don''t wanna do it again."


    "NO!"  Dev screamed.


    Jim stuck the barrel of the revolver in his mouth.

 No stone unturned - Chapter 16

    The hammer fell, but there was now deafening report. No horrible mess. Whether a dud round or magical intervention, Dev had been spared watching his friend die. He got out of the car and rushed around to Jim''s door, wrenching it open and dragging the older man in to a hug on the side of the road. They cried into each others shoulders. After a while, when the tears had stopped and the sun had risen, they got back in the car and Dev drove Jim away from his home. They stopped briefly at Dev''s house so Jim could clean up and put on something that wasn''t bunny slippers and a bathrobe.


    Dev busied himself in the kitchen, a ritual he had done many times the past few days. Coffee, bacon, eggs. Jim joined him at the table, clean shaven and for once in a shirt that didn''t have food stains on it. He looked both haggard and renewed. The men ate in silence. The taboo of feelings taking both of their voices. When they had finished eating, they sat in silence.


    "I''m sorry, Jim. I know this must be hard."


    "I, um, think I''m better now.  Can I have my gun back."  Dev just stared at him.  "Please."  Dev got up and went to retrieve Jim''s revolver from the living room.  He had unloaded it while Jim was washing up in the bathroom.  He handed it over, butt first.  Jim took it and swung the cylinder open.  "Yeah, I''d have taken the bullets, too."


    "You were pretty bad for a minute there, Jim.  Are you sure you''re up for this?"


    Jim cleared his throat and stuffed the empty gun in an extra holster Dev had had in his closet.  "Never mind that.  We are gonna find your lady friend and then we''ll confront Beth.  I''ll need some bullets if we fight some spell slingers, but until then, you can keep them."


    "Jim, she may be involved in some very serious crimes.  Not to mention she is a very powerful magician.  Are you positive?"  Dev asked.


    "I don''t really know how long I''ve known about Beth and her, hmm.  Extra curricular activities.  I do know that I found her at least once, so I must be a damn fine detective.  I don''t know why she kept me around.  Maybe to be close to the police so that she could move me around to intercept any cases that she was involved in.  Makes sense.  I don''t know, however, how the Captain is involved.  But I''d bet dollars to donuts that bastard got the job because of her magic."  Jim sighed.  "Shame, he was a good cop, once."  He stuck his hand out to shake Dev''s, who grabbed his hand firmly.  "I think I''m done feeling sorry for myself, partner.  I''m thinking a little less law and justice, and some good old fashioned payback and ass-kicking."


    Dev laughed.  "That sounds good, partner.  Before we go off organizing a posse, I need to introduce you to someone."  Dev nodded to P.H. who had been hiding from Jim since the incident in the car.  "Jim, this is Pandemonium Harmony, the source of my magic.  P.H., my partner and mentor, Jim Appleton."  P.H. materialized a few feet away.  Jim''s breath caught in his throat, hand moving to his hip.  It didn''t matter that the gun was empty, it was instinct.  Luckily, P.H. still resembled a photo negative version of Dev.


    "My God, what is that?"  Jim asked and stepped forward, the barest of smiles at the corner of his mouth.  "He looks like you!"


    "Hello, Jim Appleton.  Allow me to show you what I am."  P.H. extended his hand like Jim had done previously.  Dev watched as Jim reluctantly took P.H.''s offered hand.  Jim''s spine went ramrod straight, eyes wide.  Stars filled his vision and a faint golden mist poured off of him.  Dev was entranced watching it happen to someone else.  Jim took a gulping breath, like he had just breached the surface after swimming for an extended period.  He had a big grin.


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    "That''s amazing."


    "Devlin Br¨ªgh, Jim Appleton.  We should begin search for Julianne Nestor.  I fear she is running out of time.  We should leave no stone unturned."  Dev nodded and pulled a speed-loader and a box of shells to Jim.  He loaded the cylinder and holstered the weapon.


    "Alright, P.H.  How do I get into a cave with no entrance."  P.H. smiled his knowing smile.  "Right, right.  Use my will to make it happen.  Can I take others with me?"  P.H. nodded slowly.  Dev retrieved the bottle of Julianne''s perfume from a cabinet.  He stood behind Jim and put a hand on his shoulder.  "Last time I tried to find her, I was attacked.  Be ready for anything."  Dev sprayed the perfume and inhaled deeply.


    Julianne.


    Unlike the first time, he felt himself move.  The air smelled stale and metallic.  And putrid.  He felt Jim under his hand before he heard the sound of him vomiting.  Dev opened his eyes to absolute darkness.  He blinked and thought about being able to see and unable to smell the rot.  The smell went away and the magic let him see.  He wished he couldn''t.  There were dozens of bodies in various states of decay, but no Julianne.  The chamber they were in was relatively small, the walls seemed closer due to the piles of remains surrounding them.  He heard Jim heave again and passed along the magic for his senses.  Jim spit on the floor to clear the taste of vomit and held up his gun.  His eyes were glowing the same gold as when P.H. had shaken his hand.


    "Jesus H., Dev.  This is bad.  Do you think she''s in here?  Your lady friend I mean."  Dev knew who he meant, but it made sense that he still had his wife on his mind.  They had been together for a long time.  How long?


    "Jim, how long were you married to Beth?  I suddenly can''t recall.  I remember the ceremony, but I don''t remember when it was."


    "We got married in forty one, right before I shipped out to France.  You were there as my...  Best man?"  Jim waffled his hands in front of him.


    "I was barely 16 in forty one, Jim, and still living in Boston.  We didn''t know each other, but somehow we both remember me in your wedding party?  Think hard, do you remember when you found Beth and Captain Townsend in his office?"


    "It was before he became Captain.  Four or five years ago?  You remember, it was right when you made detective."  Jim said.


    "I think I must have been involved in your investigation, Jim.  Beth must have put a spell on me as well, and for some reason she chose you to live with.  Jesus, how many cops does she have under her control?"  Out of the corner of his eye, Dev noticed a faint red shimmer.  He held up a hand to quiet the conversation.  He motioned for Jim to watch his back as he approached a crack in the stone.  He stuck his fingertips into the fracture and pulled with his magic.  Turquoise mist seeped into the cleft and the solid stone parted, revealing another chamber.  Julianne was crouched in the center of this cave, her bindings in tatters next to her.  She swayed and turned to look over her shoulder at the sound of the stones grinding loudly.


    "Its her!  Jim, we found her!"  Dev said and rushed into the room.  He stopped just as suddenly, noticing horns jutting out of her head and the shattered halo resting atop them. "Kushiel?"


    Julianne turned, tearing a chunk of flesh from a severed arm she had in her hands.  She had blood all over her, soaked into the clothes he had lent her and caked around her mouth.  Her eyes were solid orbs of crimson energy.  She spat the meat out and roared at Dev.  He covered his ears, the sound threatened to deafen him.


    Blackened wings ripped through the shirt bearing her chest.  She resembled a hellish Harpy, crouched on all fours, wings furled behind her.  With a powerful flap, Dev found himself lifted off the ground by his throat, her hands around squeezing the life out of him. Dev began to black out.  He heard a gunshot and flopped unconscious to the ground.

 Sins of the Flesh - Chapter 17

    *A few hours ago*


    Julianne stirred awake. She thought she had heard Dev calling her name. Her mind was foggy. She couldn''t remember where she was. She looked around but realized there was something covering her head. She tried to reach up to remove it and found her hands bound behind her. She rolled groggily onto her back and folded her legs, sliding her hands down past her also bound ankles. The ropes cut into her wrists as she struggled to get her hands in front of her. She could be hurt later, now she had to get back to Dev. He could be hurt.


    She pulled at the hood that blinded her. Might as well have left it on, the room she was in was pitch black. As if on cue, a tiny crimson vortex appeared before her and dark hands reached through. Grasping the edges of the portal, the hands widened the berth and dragged the broken angel of punishment through. It hit the floor with a meaty slap and stood up.


    Crossing its arms, Kushiel looked down on it''s master with disdain. The woman was hopeless sometimes, but, they were kindred spirits in that they both existed to punish the wicked. Julianne offered her bound hands to it.


    "A little help here, I don''t think I want to bite these bindings. God knows what they are and where they''ve been." The ground beneath them shook and a mighty roar echoed throughout the chamber. She crawled toward around on her hands and knees. The room was rumbling, it felt like something massive was approaching. The ground was slick with something. "Kushiel, please!" She felt more than saw Kushiel move to shield her as a screeching voice filled the air. The something had arrived with a slam.


    Julianne looked up instinctively and saw yellow eyes looking back at her. Malice and pain exuded from them. She noticed that a dim, red light was emanating from Kushiel allowing her to see the monster in front of them. An enormous canine skull, with a humanoid face where the nose would be. Kushiel looked expectantly at her, waiting.


    "The mistress will be upset, but I must regain my strength. You look a delicious little morsel. I''ll prostrate myself in forgiveness later!" Four large hands peeled away from the skull and reached for Julianne.


    "You have my permission!" She screamed, bowing her head and holding her hands up in mock prayer. Kushiel closed it''s eyes smiled to itself. A small red bubble of energy formed around them as Kushiel donned her body like a suit of armor. Julianne felt fire scream through her veins as they popped, leaking her vital fluid out. The blood formed into a whip and caught fire. Horns erupted from her skull. It manipulated her hand and reached into her abdoment, tearing the flesh as it searched up under her ribs. With a sickening squish, Kushiel ripped the object of power out of Julianne, it''s shattered halo. Dripping blood across her once beautiful face, Kushiel seated the halo between the horns, using them as support. Julianne''s eyes opened suddenly, revealing bloodied orbs of pulsating energy. Together, they screamed in agony and ecstasy.


    With a twitch, the bindings ripped away and the shield dissipated. The Malformed began its assault, swinging wildly at the woman before it. A guttural laugh emitted from from deep inside. Kushiel hadn''t possessed Julianne for a very long time. Even as the yellow eyed monster grappled her small frame with all four hands, still Kushiel cackled. The abomination pulled her eagerly toward its gaping maw. The demonic angel decided it was time to have fun.


    With a flick of her wrist, Kushiel snapped the whip around two of the giant hands and pulled. Working like a saw the hands were severed at the wrist in an instant. Reeling back, the malformed released her, black viscous blood covering her and splattering around the room. The whip snapped and bit at the creature, leaving blacked scorch marks and sparking little flames across the skull with each impact.


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    She straightened her arm quickly and the whip solidified. Slowly, the blood formed into a sword, dripping fiery blood at the tip. Kushiel made short work of the other two arms, slicing them near the snout. Maimed and unable to move, the malformed sobbed and wailed. She made short, deliberate movements. Slicing and stabbing the monster dozens of times.


    When Kushiel had had its fun, it held Julianne''s arms wide and returned the weaponized blood back to her. It could feel her heart struggling to keep up, an unfortunate side effect from using a hosts blood as a weapon. It was effective, but could only utilized for a short time. After it felt her heart beat return to an acceptable rate, it flexed her muscles. Kushiel wanted to more. The yellow eyed creature sputtered impotently, waving the stubs of its amputated arms around in futility. Kushiel reached up to the nose of the skull and grabbed the face seated deep inside.


    With a heave and a grunt that no human could make, Kushiel ripped a man from the skull. His body was frail and broken, with stuffed little pot belly. Withered and misshaped limbs swatted feebly at Julianne.


    "Sins of the flesh shall be punished in kind." Kushiel''s voice tore through her throat. She was going to be unable to support the Numen soon. It still had time, though. "Normally, the glutton shall feed upon rot and feces. Today, I think it fitting that you be on the menu." Kushiel moved Julianne''s hands up to her jaw, sticking the much covered fingers into her mouth. With a horrific snap and a wet rip, Kushiel split her jawbone. She stood up and lifted the meek form of the magician that had become the malformed, and wrapped the distorted, damaged mouth around his head. Bones crunched and viscera dripped down her chest when she bit down. Kushiel dropped the headless body to the ground and savored the feeling of flesh and power entering her.


    Kushiel knelt in the gore and feasted. The sound of rumbling stone made it turn. It recognized Julianne''s current plaything and felt like having more fun. His Numen appeared and looked on in horror at Kushiel.


    Suddenly enraged at the reaction of the Other, Kushiel attacked. A deafening noise and instant pain.


    ***


    Jim had fired at the winged woman as soon as he had a clear shot. She had attacked Dev. He hit her in one of the horns; he had been aiming for her eyes. Dev and the woman fell to the ground with a thud. He watched in shock at the wings and horns receded into her body. When they were gone, Jim was suddenly aware that the creature that had attacked Dev was actually a woman. He took off the loaned jacket and covered her nudity.


    Julianne recovered before Dev. She sat up and moved quickly to his side.


    "Um, Miss? Could you cover yourself?" Jim asked. She looked down at her chest and rolled her eyes.


    "Don''t like the view?" Julianne joked as she reached over to grab the jacket.


    "Its not that, I just think our friend might not appreciate me ogling his lady." Jim joked. She was glad it was dark so that the the other man couldn''t see her blush when he called her Dev''s ''lady.'' Dev was snoring lightly. Julianne held her head in her lap and stroked his hair. She grumbled when she noticed she was streaking a horrible mess into his locks.


    Dev slowly came around. The first thing he saw was Julianne and Jim looking down at him.


    "What happened? Did we win?"


    "I suppose you could say that." Jim said and stood up. He offered a hand to Dev and Julianne both.


    They all stood awkwardly for a few moments. Jim actively averting his gaze away from Julianne''s immodest covering. Julianne trying to discreetly clear the blood and gore from her face. Dev''s head was still spinning.


    "So, Jim, you remember Julianne from dinner. Julianne, this is Jim. He''s with us now. We''re pretty sure that his wife blasted both of us with some sort of memory spell and has control of some or most of the precinct." Julianne and Jim awkwardly shook hands. Feeling the tension growing, Dev clapped his hands loudly. "Who''s up for getting the hell out of here?"

 Boon for Bane - Chapter 18

    Julianne nodded a little too fast at Dev when he suggested leaving and a wave of dizziness caused her to fall to her knees.


    "Hey, are you alright?"  Dev immediately crouched down to check on her.  She smiled and felt the congealing blood stretch at the corners of her mouth and gagged.  Dev backed away quickly and Julianne retched and heaved, expelling all of the rotten meat Kushiel had consumed on her behalf.  She felt like she had been hit by a bus;  Kushiel''s possessions always hurt.  She could always feel the ripping and tearing of her flesh as it assimilated her form, but the power it granted her always produced results.  Usually in the form of her survival.  Only twice before had it ever taken over so completely and gorged on the flesh of man.  Each time was just as sickening and horrifying.  Julianne started crying.


    Dev pulled her into a hug, making sure to secure the borrowed jacket around her shoulders to preserve her modesty.  He tensed up when he felt Jim''s arms on his, cradling Julianne from the other side.  They all huddled together, using each other for a moment.  The tears slowed and dispositions leveled.  Julianne''s tried to stand up and realized her legs weren''t ready to work yet.


    "Can you help me up?  I can''t..."  Her voice caught in her throat.  Dev and Jim reached down and lifted her, supporting them between her.  The strength between the two men caught her briefly off guard and for a moment, she forgot that she could rip a man in half if the need arose.  It was comforting to be in their arms.  "Thanks."


    "Dev, I know you got some new pep in your step, and you got us here to begin with, but where is here?  How do we even go about leaving?"  Jim said switching gears.


    "Well, I assume the same way we got here.  I just think it and it happens."  Dev closed his eyes and tried to focus on his kitchen, on bacon and eggs and clean clothes.  Each time he felt the tug of magic begin to pull him there blackness washed over the vision and he lost his concentration.  Jim looked at him expectantly and Julianne looked hopeful.  "I...  Every time I start to take us, a black ''cloud'' fogs it all up and it stops working."


    "You''re being blocked."  Julianne sighed.  "I was worried that may happen.  It seems like getting here was a one way trip.  We''ll have to find the exit to this penetralia."


    "Can you walk?"  Dev asked.  Julianne tried to stand on her own two feet and faltered.  Dev swept her up and carried her in his arms.  "Is this okay?"  In response, she wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled her cheek to his chest.  To everyone''s surprise, Julianne fell asleep.


    "Guess that''s a yes."  Jim joked.  "So, now that our expert is napping, do you have any idea how to find the way out?"  They shared a knowing look.


    "Magic."  They said together.


    * * *


    "I don''t think my watch is working."  Jim said checking his watch for the umpteenth time.  "It still says its 9:30 and I know we''ve been here for hours."


    "If I had to wager a guess, I''d say this place has different rules for time."  Dev offered.


    "Huh?"  Jim grunted.  "Different time rules?"


    "Remember how I was ''missing'' for a week?  It really was just a few hours for me.  P.H. zipped me forward."  Dev shrugged at the incredulous look on his face.  "Magic, Jim.  Magic."  They stopped in their tracks and shared a chuckle.  "Can you believe it?"


    "I''m living it and I don''t believe it."  Jim wiped the corners of his eyes.  "You still okay holding her like that?  You sure she ain''t heavy?"  Dev looked over his shoulder at Jim. "Magic!  I know, dang it!"  They both laughed again.


    Over the course of the last few hours, Dev and Jim had found dozens of illusory doors and rocks, each hiding paths through the labyrinthine darkness.  Julianne still slumbered curled up in Dev''s arms, lightly snoring.  Jim had his revolver out, determined to help if the need arose, stating ''Gunpowder and Lead is its own kind of magic''.  Dev was nervous; they hadn''t encountered any other Malformed or abominations.  He was worried that when the other shoe dropped and he was holding onto Julianne, Jim''s gun may not be enough to stop some of the horrors they had already faced.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    They had traveled for miles it seemed.  Sometimes when they needed to back track, the way vanished and they had to spend time finding a new path.  Dev was lost in thought when Jim shouted to get his attention.


    "Dev!  I see light!"  He sprinted off.


    "No!  Wait!  We should stay together!"  Dev quickened his pace.  He didn''t want to wake Julianne but also didn''t want Jim to get too far ahead.  Sure enough, there was a dim light ahead.  Jim had stopped at a corner hiding the light, gun raised.  He raised his and and waved Dev to slow down and put his finger to his lips, silently shushing him.  Then Dev heard the noise.  A strange chattering, mixed with the sounds of something heavy dragging around in the room beyond.  Dev gently set Julianne down, leaning her against the wall.  She slumped forward still asleep.  He crouched down and moved to the corner with Jim.


    Dev pointed his fingers at his eyes and motioned that He would look.  Jim nodded.  Dev slid his face around the corner and looked, with magic and normal eyes.  He tilted his head to the side, confused.  Prepared for danger or the exit, He was not expecting to see a dollhouse with legs walking in slow circles dragging a body.  Dev stood up and stepped around the corner.


    "What is it?"  Jim whispered.  Dev turned and shook his head, shoulders shrugging, confusion plastered to his face.


    "I don''t know."  He walked back and knelt to retrieve Julianne.  They rounded the corner and the walking dollhouse stopped, a chain rattling to the floor.  Jim and Dev approach slowly.  Dev reaches out with his power to see if the body is alive or dead.  A turquoise mist exudes from his left eye as he inspects the room.  The body on the floor inhales deeply, sniffing the air.


    "I smell new magick."  A gravely elderly voice calls out, followed by a metallic chattering.  Jim and Dev recoil and bump into each other as the old woman sits up suddenly.  Matted locks partially obscure a strangely metallic smile.  Her eyes are sunken deep into her skull, nearly hidden in the heavy mounds of wrinkles.  She raises an abnormally large hand, the skin hanging off in thick flaps of flesh.  She cackles at the two men as they look at her with look of disgust and confusion mixed on their features.  "I used to be much bigger."  The old woman tries to stand, but her legs won''t move.  She growls, a deep and unsettling noise that doesn''t quite sound human.  "Help an old woman up?"  Her voice changes quickly to a kindly old lady.


    "Don''t touch her!"  Julianne says stirring awake.  "Barbaroi!"  She hisses and Kushiel briefly manifests its horns.


    "Ah, the fallen ''angel.''"  The old hag says, sniffing towards Julianne.  "The name: is Baba Jaga.  Barbaroi is mine.  Still favoring whores I see, Kushiel."  Baba gnashes her teeth and snaps them together in a metallic clank.


    "Don''t listen to her.  She''s imprisoned here for a reason.  The host is still alive from all the souls she ate.  Children''s souls."  Julianne said with venom in her words.  "She''s not malformed, but she is just as evil as them.  Maybe more so.  Whatever she did to get her long life stripped her humanity away.  The cost is obviously too high, witch."


    "Don''t act like you don''t want to know, child.  I will spill my secrets for a price: release me and you too can live forever.  The diet is a hard sell to some, but once I get just a little morsel I''ll be more than powerful enough to erase the rotten betrayer that feeds on my power.  What say you?"


    "NO!"  All three said with revulsion.  Baba was suddenly on her feet straining against the chain.


    "I can teach you how to really use your power.  I recognize Pandemonium.  With your power under my tutelage, you could rule the world."  She tempted to Dev.


    "Think what you could do if you could control it, my dear.  No more will you lose control.  I can take away the pain with training."  She offered to Julianne.


    "You could take back your life.  And have your own magic."  She whispered to Jim.


    "Boon for Bane, lovelies.  You will of course have to suffer for true power.  Do not let my current visage fool you.  I have lived for 1000 years with this power.  True, I let my guard down and my best pupil feeds off me.  But."  Baba said raising a finger.  "She doesn''t know my secret.  She got too greedy too fast for me to reveal it."  she cackles and backs away.


    "Leave her.  We will get out without her."  Dev says.  They make a wide berth around her, Baba Jaga''s eyes boring into them as they circle around.


    "Yes, you will.  Good bye.  For now."  Dev with Julianne turned their back on the ancient hag.  Jim briefly locked eyes with her and ran quickly to catch up with his friends.  The sounds of Baba Jaga''s evil laughter kept them company as they searched for a way out.