“Deceit, though, is specifically a human wrong, and hence displeases God the more. Liars are therefore deeper down, and tortured worse.”
―Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
I didn’t know how long I stayed on Ricky’s sofa, going over and over what happened just a moment ago. Morpheus was most likely a real demon that arrived straight from hell, although I wished that I had imagined him.
When I finally got up, my balance was off. My thoughts were racing and more questions were tangling in my head. Once the dizziness passed and I was standing steadily on my feet, I went back to check the content of my elixir.
I needed to make sure that I hadn’t mixed up any vital ingredients. Many elixirs that were brewed incorrectly could have caused hallucinations. Morpheus was an upper level demon, and right then I wasn’t sure what to make of him. He couldn’t have been my father. Maybe Ricky was right after all. Keres must have implanted that memory inside my head for a reason. The past few weeks were tough, because I had been convincing myself that I’d finally learnt the identity of my real father. But now I wasn’t so sure.
It was around midnight when I sat down in front of Ricky’s computer. I found it funny that he actually owned one. As a full-blooded demon he didn’t get on with technology, but his apartment was filled with all sorts of gadgets. Tears welled in my eyes. I missed him like crazy, missed the fact that he wasn’t here to tell me off again as usual.
After I figured out how to switch his super fancy machine on, I managed to connect to the network. I started researching stuff about the Forgotten Street and Warlocks. Ricky had a few books based on the demonic world, but there was hardly any information there about Warlocks.
My throat was burning with a sudden craving for magical tequila that left me a little numb and shaky. Last time that damn liquid broke me apart. This wasn’t the time to even consider getting drunk again. Nothing good ever came out of it and now it was time to admit that I had a problem. Deep down I felt for Arthur, because I knew he would never be able to meet his daughter. No demon would ever allow me to tell him the truth.
The information online indicated that the demonic community owned some of the magical portals around the underworld. It took a while to find something that actually made sense. The online portal informed me that there were other Warlocks in London too, living away from any demons. The entrance to the Forgotten Street that Morpheus had mentioned appeared only after midnight and no demons were allowed to cross it. Matilda would do anything to keep Summer safe, so she wouldn’t risk creating another connection between us.
Ricky had a small bottle of vodka in the bottom drawer. I took one shot and poured the rest down the sink. After that I went to bed. My emotions took over and I cried myself to sleep, maybe for the first time in my life. I cried because it suddenly hit me that I would never have any time with my own daughter. I was going to remain a stranger to her forever. When I returned to London, I thought that maybe some day we could be reunited, but now I knew that this never was going to happen. Hell had me and my future was doomed forever.
It was strange not to wake up in my own bed. Ricky’s bedding smelled clean and fresh. I still could sense his energy everywhere even though he was miles away. I didn’t think that he would mind me staying in his place, but still it felt odd not having him around.
I called Zach and asked him to meet me outside Ricky’s apartment in an hour. It wasn’t safe for me to go back to my own flat. Apparently Rodriguez was getting his orders directly from hell, but I knew that he was only using Lucifer’s authority to get what he wanted. The order in hell was complicated: there were demons out there that were willing to lie, cheat and steal in order to survive. The bottom line was that I needed to remain hidden.
My head hurt slightly once I stepped outside. The sun was shining for a change, and London was going through a heat wave. It was the end of summer, but the temperatures soared since yesterday.
“Max, hey, Max!”
I heard someone shouting after me and I stopped in my tracks, freezing on the spot. A second later Emma came rushing through the people on the street. She dropped her arms around me and hugged me unexpectedly.
“Emma, what the hell are you doing here?” I asked her, once I was free. Instantly I looked around to make sure no one followed her here. Ordinary people kept passing by, not paying attention to us at all.
“I have been looking for you, Maxine. Ricky’s sister showed up in the office yesterday. She told me everything. I thought that maybe you were here last night,” she started saying. “Ricky…oh poor Ricky. Do you think that he is going to be all right?”
I felt so incredibly guilty. I didn’t even try to get in touch with her and, since she started working for me, we were all friends. Ricky’s sister probably had nothing good to say about me. We never actually liked each other. Emma was truly worried.
“He hasn’t got much time. The blade that wounded him was charmed and the reversal spell could only be brought back from hell,” I explained, thinking about last night. Emma’s face fell, and I felt like someone sent a punch through my stomach.
“I need to see him. Do you know where he is?” she asked and her eyes flickered with hope. I scratched my head and then felt someone standing behind me. “Oh hello, Detective.”
Zach appeared out of nowhere. I’d forgotten that I asked him to meet me here.
“Emma,” Zach muttered. “What’s going on?”
After everything that happened Emma deserved to see Ricky. We all had a job to do, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to reveal that things in my life were out of control. Emma and Zach were ready to stand by me, but they didn’t realise that this whole mission was filled with dangerous traps along the way.
“We could all go to see Ricky. Last night I had a letter from Ronan. He must have known that I would be heading over to Ricky’s apartment,” I said, reminding myself that my old friend was washing his hands of this. And Zach had to understand that Zara wasn’t going to be herself. I actually had no idea what to expect.
“Then what are we waiting for?” the detective asked.
“You must know that your sister has stopped talking. Alexis’s spell damaged her, but I believe that there is a chance she could be completely healed. I’m willing to take you to her, but you have to promise me that you will behave. The fact that you have been hunting Nameless for years cannot cloud your judgment.”
Zach scowled at me, but deep down he knew that he had to rely on me.
“Fine, I can promise that I won’t kill him,” he muttered. That was good enough for me, but I wasn’t certain that Zach had accepted that his sister had chosen not to go back six years ago.
“All right, let’s start moving,” I said, and we all headed towards the tube station. The Doomed Cases office hadn’t been open in the past few days. The cases that I had taken before my trip to Gjöll had to wait. I was most likely going to lose a few clients, and there was nothing that I could do to prevent it. People that I loved and cared for were in danger.
“I was going to the office when I didn’t hear from you, just to make sure that everything was in order. I diverted the number to my mobile, so I can take any phone calls,” Emma started saying. It was a relief to hear that, but I couldn’t expect Emma to keep on working.
Shortly after that, we all went down to the underground and took the tube to Victoria. I kept thinking about last night, about the deal that I had made with Morpheus. I was going to end up in hell either way, but it was a small price that I was willing to pay for my daughter’s and Ricky’s life.
Ronan had left me the address of the clinic in the letter. I was planning to track down Matilda after the visit, ideally tonight. I had some information about the Forgotten Street, so now I just needed to figure out how to get there. Zach was staring blankly at the window. The chemistry that was there before between us was gone. Right now we were just two people that were forced to work with each other. I didn’t care if this was going to change anytime soon.
Emma was trying very hard to lift up our moods, especially when we got the train to Reading. I was dreaming about a bottle of tequila infused with magic. I hadn’t touched this stuff for days now, and it was going to stay that way. I couldn’t lose my focus.
“How is it going at work, Detective?” Emma asked, with an uneven tone of voice, while I was trying to read the paper that I found in the seat opposite me. My demonic energy was on alert. So far, no one had been following us. After the visit from Morpheus I was certain that Rodriguez had his own agenda in mind. He knew that something happened between me and Arthur when I tried to use my magic against him, and he would do anything to track me down.
“Complicated. Now after I failed to keep Max in prison, the prince is on my back,” Zach said. Crap, I forgot to ask him about his conversation with Arthur. I knew that after that statement the other questions would follow. Maybe it was time to break the news to Emma too and explain that I had an illegitimate child with Prince Arthur two years ago. After all, she knew everything about me. “He wants me to stay away from this case.”
“Stay away, but I don’t un—”
“Give me your hand, Emma,” I said to her, knowing that she needed to learn the truth. We were in the moving train, in public, and I couldn’t afford to be overheard. On top of that I had to use my demonic abilities to calm her down, in case she got a bit over excited about my news.
She obeyed me, slightly confused. Her skin was warm and soft. For a split second I thought about my mother. She too had beautiful hands and soft skin. A sharp pain shot over my chest.
Get it together, you stupid girl. This is not the time or a place.
“What are you going to do, Maxine?” Emma asked, looking slightly apprehensive. Zach averted his dark eyes, as my energy started to flow through me, connecting with Emma’s nervous system. It was time to share my biggest secret with her. This experience was intimidating but necessary.
A few seconds passed, and Emma’s eyes began to grow. She brought her hands to her lips and for the first time since I’d known her she was absolutely speechless. Zachary was running his hand through his hair awkwardly. Within a day I went from being his potential girlfriend to someone he couldn’t possibly stand. His body was telling me otherwise, but that was not the point.
I tried to connect with Emma’s thoughts, but her emotions were chaotic, and finally after a few minutes of silence she spoke.
“Holly demons, now this whole thing finally makes sense to me,” she whispered, not breathing, probably trying to deal with the shock. My heart vibrated when tears swelled in Emma’s eyes.
“As you can see, Arthur found out. Everything has fallen apart and I just can’t keep this away from you,” I muttered. She then glanced at Zach, who was trying to keep this stone-cold expression.
“You have a daughter with the future king. This is completely blowing my mind, Maxine. And that other demon, Alexis, she knows about Summer’s location. What are you going to do?”
Emma was asking too many questions already and I reminded myself that I had to keep on breathing. Luckily for me there weren’t any demons around, but my paranoia reached a new level.
“I have a plan and you need to remember to keep quiet about it. Arthur is willing to do anything to get her back,” I sighed.
Emma’s mouth was still pretty much open, and she was staring at me in utter disbelief. Zach moved slightly and his thigh touched mine, sending a spark of electricity through our bodies. He narrowed his eyes and licked his lips. God, even after such a mess he was getting turned on, and he couldn’t help himself.
“A child, a royal baby. When I gave birth to Suzi I was so scared. I can’t imagine what you had to go through. Where is she now?” Emma continued. I should have been used to it by now. She considered me as a friend, and I felt stupid that I didn’t reveal anything earlier on.
I tried to assure her for the rest of the journey that I had this under control. Zach did add a few things on, but he wasn’t very much linked to the conversation. He was thinking about his little niece Cornelia and his sister. We left the station in Reading around midday. My stomach made a funny jolt. There was a demon from Lucifer’s faction close, but I wasn’t quite sure if he was still following us.
Ricky’s sister never liked me. She thought that I used her brother and my business was only wasting his time. We avoided each other as much as we could in the past few years. I had no idea how she was going to react when she saw me.
“I want some time alone with Zara,” Zach announced when we started walking towards the town. “Once this whole thing is over, I’m planning to put Nameless behind bars.”
“Great, good for you, but for now I think we have a bit of a problem,” I stated, glancing around, sensing that someone was definitely following us. “We are being followed. Come on, let’s keep on moving. Maybe we’ll lose them.”