Page 40 of A Shade of Myself
I carefully started down the trail, dirt and loose pebbles skidding out from underneath me. Fred McMurtry had been possessed by a demon parasite. Could other Lonestars be in league with demons? Or if not in league, then turning a blind eye to certain activities in exchange for…what?
About halfway down, I froze. An unkindness of ravens had landed on the pier, dozens of beady eyes and sharp beaks marking my approach and blocking my way. Goosebumps broke out over my skin, my hand drifting to the pocket containing Giselle’s necklace.
Slowly, I took a few more steps, but when I was less than five feet away, the largest one puffed up, flapping its wings and screeching a caw. I stumbled back and the others joined in, their cries a warning siren.
“You seek to go where you should not,” a voice rasped.
Feathers tickled the back of my throat. “Poe.” I coughed their name.
The androgenous bird shifter sat on one corner of the pier on the wooden planking, garbed in a ruffled black shirt and trousers, and looking cool despite the searing heat. Their long hair remained the same deep still blue as a pool at night, while shrewd dark eyes regarded me above a beaky nose. They pulled out a deck of cards, turning them over in their gnarled hands.
A cloud rolled across the sky and a gust of cold wind blew across my skin. I shivered, but not from the weather. Our last card game had shown me scenes from my life—and death—in an alternate version of an assault I’d suffered. Part of me feared that Poe had shown me the truth of what should have happened and that embracing my shadow magic thereby thwarting my demise came with a price I had yet to pay.
When the cards had gone crazy, flipping between visions of darkness and light, I’d forcefully aborted the game by stabbing a card face with a knife. Poe had been furious, pressing me to keep playing and reveal more until I smashed a glass into the side of their head, and Tatiana showed up to move them along.
It wasn’t chance that led to this meeting. I’d bet Poe had been stalking me for the right opportunity.
Too bad because I’d vowed to never play games with them again.
I pointed to the rocky outcropping. “Is that where the demon went?”
Poe nodded.
“How do I get there?”
“You don’t.”
“A child’s life is at stake. Even you can’t be indifferent to that.” I stormed closer. Or tried to.
The second I stepped onto the pier, the ravens blocking my way flapped their wings and the dock rocked violently against sloshing waves.
I grabbed the railing for balance. “You didn’t just randomly show up. You know a way across, and if you don’t tell me, I swear I’ll make your life a living hell.”
“You need this.” Very slowly and deliberately, they pulled a silver disc the size of a dollar coin out of a pocket, holding it up so I could see the engraving of the ouroboros on it. “There is no way to cross without it.”
I eyed the ravens. Rushing Poe for that token was impossible. Nor could I use the KH to bypass the water. There had to be some way that didn’t involve a game. Was it close enough to swim?
There was a large splash and I caught the end of an enormous serpent-like tail disappearing into the water.
“You wouldn’t die if you dived in,” Poe said. “Though you might wish otherwise.”
“Did I ask?” I crossed my arms. “Didn’t think so.”
Poe smiled, a slash of tea-stained teeth dividing their face. “It was obvious you were wondering.”
“What’ll it cost me to get that token?” A muscle ticked in my jaw.
“One round of blackjack.” Poe resembled an evil guard, determining who got through and who didn’t. It didn’t surprise me that they had dealings with a demon.
My brain screamed at me to turn around. “Do I have a choice?”
“You always have a choice,” Poe said.
The clouds blew away, the sun back in full force, like Mother Nature herself beamed down her approval of this option.
I snorted.
Tangle with whatever was in the water or play cards with a master manipulator. I was blessed with choice. I could walk away, but what if there were other kids there? There was still a chance to save that boy. There had to be. The demon could have killed him back at the playground, but she’d taken the trouble to bring him out here. Did she need him for some other reason? Did she prefer to feast slowly, draw out his pain?
