Now Before the Dark by Sam Hooker

Author:Sam Hooker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Spot Books
Published: 2020-06-11T00:00:00+00:00

Invoking the Shades

“Is that all the legs ye’ve got?” demanded Agather.

“Last time I checked,” said Sloot. He wasn’t being flippant. He was constantly learning new things about being a demon, and he knew the value of double-checking numbers.

“There’s things in the Pit that have dozens,” Agather warned him.

“Does that make them better dancers?”

“I doubt it,” said Agather. “But if ye have to dance with any of them, we should practice some evasive maneuvers.”

Sloot groaned. He didn’t want to dance with anyone but Myrtle. He’d promised to take her dancing. He was sure he’d remember if she’d said “promise you’ll go dancing with a colossal centipede” or suchlike.

How many legs must Sloot dance upon,

Before he’s trampled to death?

“Your ballads have taken a somber turn of late,” said Sloot.

Igor shrugged. “I go where inspiration doesn’t say I can’t.”

There’s a common misperception that inspiration is the same for demons and mortals alike. A spark that sends the fuse of imagination burning toward the powder keg of creativity. For demons, it’s more like organized crime. Anyone who gets mixed up with it is bound to end up at the bottom of a river sooner or later.

At least Sloot managed to avoid injuring himself, which made that his most successful dance lesson yet. He still wasn’t fond of the leg warmers, but Agather insisted. Some sort of motherly instinct, he supposed. His own mother had made him put on a sweater when she was cold often enough.

The sun was setting over Salzstadt when Sloot returned to his apartment.

“Sloot! Vhere have you been?”

Bartleby had wasted no time in vamping up her wardrobe. Behind her, Sloot saw Nan and Constantin in their hammocks and a simple pine coffin in the middle of the room. Arthur was nowhere to be found.

“You look different,” Sloot replied.

Bartleby grinned and turned in a slow circle, giving Sloot more of an eyeful that he was ready to take in.

“Vhat do you think?”

“It’s very, er, vampire.” Bartleby wasn’t a vampire, but she was enamored of their physical aspect. Sloot hadn’t expected that to change for having switched bodies. However, while vampire men wore black cloaks over tuxedos and had jet black widow’s peaks, vampires of the female persuasion wore revealing black dresses with necklines that could more accurately be referred to as “navel lines.” Sloot’s inner monologue reminded him he had a girlfriend.

“Thanks! It vas good to get back into character. You should see Villie, he’ll be up soon.”

“Up?” Sloot looked at the coffin. “You mean he’s a vampire already?”

“He is,” said Bartleby with a certain amount of pride. “He got through the initiation vithout screaming once! Of course, he fainted on the vay there, but ve take the victories ve get.”

“Naturally,” said Sloot. He’d assumed it would take longer to transform Willie into a creature of the night, given there was paperwork. What kind of operation were the vampires running? One where the forms were processed quickly and with a minimum of oversight, apparently. Vampire bureaucracy didn’t specifically fall under the

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