William’s eyebrows twitch. His stare, although cold, flicks to the duffel bag clasped in my right hand. Xander raises his head, suddenly more attentive. ‘Like a deal?’ the boy asks.
I nod. ‘Right.’
His eyes spark. ‘And in return?’
‘All I want is for this one here to restore everyone’s memories,’ I say, gesturing to William. He grimaces at my request.
‘That would be going directly against Heret-Kau.’ He groans. ‘May I remind you that the last person who asked me to do that is no longer with us.’
‘It’s not like you haven’t done it before,’ I chide, mimicking Hex’s own argument. ‘So recently, in fact, I’m still dealing with its consequences.’ I pull up my shirt a little to expose the bruises from Marina. His eyes darken, his expression grim.
‘Exactly, and you weren’t there when the she-creature found out. And even then, I didn’t directly disobey her either – if I had, I would not be here standing.’
‘Then find a way where you’re not directly disobeying her again. I’ll tell her it was my fault, I promise. I’ll help you for as long as it takes, no complaints, no escapes.’ Desperation begins to cling to my voice. ‘Please. I just need my life back, and if that means finding your little bookworm girlfriend, then so be it.’
William freezes. I guess I never did mention that I had those dreams. Xander’s eyes gleam from behind the ice demon’s arm. ‘But Siara, it’ll take forever to find Charlotte,’ he whispers.
‘Well, then, forever it will be,’ I say. Whether I make this deal or not doesn’t change the timespan, so naturally I might as well live my life in the process. Even if that means spending a few hours a week playing detective with demons until I die. My gaze falls on William. ‘Do we have a deal?’
He remains silent, visibly more hesitant than I had anticipated. Xander pulls on his master’s sleeve, urging him to accept. The ice demon opens his mouth to speak. In a violent crackle of energy, Heret-Kau barges through her obviously unstable portal. It snaps closed behind her. The Goddess’ eyes burn with a heated fury.
‘You sure as hell do not,’ she spits, her attention flicking to William and I. ‘Don’t you two say another word.’ Heret-Kau’s expression darkens as she narrows her focus on the small demon boy who peeks out from behind his master.
‘And you,’ the Goddess sneers, ‘I see you, boy, even if they don’t.’
Xander’s face flashes with a mild annoyance, an unexpected tisk escaping from the corner of his mouth. He grinds his fangs, unable to meet her serpent eyes. The ice demon stares blankly, the expression giving me solace that not even he is privy to the meaning behind their exchange. Heret-Kau turns her attention to me, her eyes softening. ‘If you’re going to make a deal, make it with someone that has your best interests at heart,’ she says, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.
Something inside me prickles. ‘My best interests?’ I scoff. Heret-Kau cocks her head at my accusatory tone. ‘You erased the memories of everyone who ever knew me.’ She ponders this for a moment, seemingly confused.
‘Granted, I didn’t expect you to return to the human realm so quickly but dear, it was never intended as a malicious act. I was simply doing my job. For beings such as myself, the interests of the many must always outweigh the interests of the few.’
I move away from her hand. ‘The many being these demons and yourself, right? It was intended so I couldn’t return home, even if I was able to escape.’
She frowns, her face becoming still. ‘The many being your loved ones, Siara. It was in their best interests to forget about you, just until you had completed your task, then you would slot back in like you never left. Would you rather I have left them waiting, searching or mourning?’
The twinge of shame fuels my irritation. Of course I don’t want that. The happy imagery of my parents contrasts against the thought of their distraught faces, searching the woods for days never giving up hope while they grow older each year.
‘Fine,’ I snap, ‘I’ll make a deal with you then. I just want this over and done with.’ Xander’s eyebrows twitch into a frown but I pretend not to notice.
‘You may if you still wish, though I cannot return their memories.’
‘That’s fine. I’ll agree to help with all of this,’ I say to the otherworldly gang of individuals standing before me, ‘but I stay here, in the human world, and I do it on my own terms. I get told the full story of what’s going on. And once my role is done, I get my old life back and I have no connection to all of this.’
Heret-Kau takes a step forward. ‘Of course, dear, that sounds easy enou–’
‘Plus, one favour from you. Think of it as an added bonus for my sacrifice. Time is precious to us humans, you know.’
William lets out a stifled laugh, a smirk gracing his features for the briefest of seconds before it vanishes as quickly as it came. The Goddess stills, her snake eyes unwavering.
‘I see,’ she says, her voice sultry like velvet. ‘Very well.’ She reaches out and takes my arm, holding it palm up. ‘This favour…’ she says, resting her long nail against the inside of my forearm, ‘I can’t hurt mortals, nor can I save anyone from death.’ I nod silently. ‘Also I must always maintain a balance. Nothing that could affect that balance.’ Heret-Kau looks down at me. ‘Do you agree to these terms?’
‘Yes.’ The word rings out into the air between us. It echoes until the Goddess’ golden ornaments chime back an otherworldly tone, a small inscription writing itself on to the glimmering decorations placed in her elegant updo. A circle appears where her nail touches my skin, a tattoo of gold. I can’t help but study it for a few moments, rubbing my thumb over it.
Heret-Kau steps back, her power settling. ‘The contract is done.’ Her eyes briefly flick to Xander, then back to me. ‘For future reference, please be mindful of the words you use in a deal with a demon. They can be unforgiving.’ In a quick motion she draws a portal, gesturing us through and gifting a knowing wink. ‘Now, on to our next stop.’
I glance back at the demons for reassurance but William’s eyes narrow and Xander returns a haphazard shrug. Remembering the deal I made just moments ago, I choose to be compliant.
Heret-Kau smirks. ‘Are we ready then?’
I give a slight nod as we step through the portal.
We stand in the outskirts of the human town, Heret-Kau completely unrecognisable. Disguised as a tall, sleek and elegant human woman, she still attracts curious stares from strangers walking past – looks of awe instead of what I’m sure would have been terror. Golden jewellery hangs off her every limb adding to her regal appearance, a bold gold lipstick stark on her lips. Catching my gaze, she smirks. ‘I can’t very well go around the mortal world the way I usually am, can I?’ Maybe she doesn’t look quite so otherworldly, but she sure does stand out all the same, mesmerising in her own enchanting way.
My gaze turns back to the house. ‘What exactly is different then?’ Every nook and crevice looks the same, even the budding plant in the windowsill. Heret-Kau walks up, unlocking the door with the slightest of her touch. The door creaks open and she motions for me to go in, a sly smile dancing on her face.
‘The people in it, of course,’ she says. I creep in, the demons at my heel. The light flickers as I flip the switch, my bag landing with a soft thud on the familiar floor boards.
‘And I suppose we’re expected to stay here too?’ William mutters.
‘Of course. You’re supposed to be working together now, after all. I even brought your work here ahead of time.’
I falter. So she was going to provide us with this place after all. Was she even aware that I had escaped? Without a word, Will disappears up the stairs. My breath releases. Different house, same attitude, I guess, much to my appreciation. Xander, on the other hand, wanders around the room, inspecting objects that interest him, picking them up and then placing them back down. The corner of my mouth twitches.
Heret-Kau speaks to me, facing away as she begins the drawing of another portal on the wall. ‘Siara, I’ve been meaning to ask. Those food pills you were given, do you still have those on you?’
I pat my pockets lightly, a force of habit. ‘I think they were left at the cottage. They’ve been such a great help though. I don’t think I could have survived without them, thank you.’
