Imp by Debra Dunbar

Author:Debra Dunbar [Dunbar, Debra]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Tags: fantasy, urban fantasy, demons, Fiction
Publisher: Anessa Books
Published: 2012-12-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 3

“You guys use a lot of chickens,” Az commented.

They were on the roof of the house and she was worried the old man’s weak legs wouldn’t be able to keep her balanced. It would hurt like fuck if she fell off onto the cobblestones below. She glanced over the edge of the roof. It was about twenty feet down. Too bad it was nighttime and everyone was locked into their houses for the night. It would be wonderful to urinate down on a passerby. Or rip off bits of the clay roof and try and hit them in the head.

“Are you going to cut this one in half too? Can we at least eat it when we’re done? That bread didn’t do much for me.”

“No, the rooster is to scratch out the name of the demon that is coming after me.”

Az eyed the bird with newfound respect. She hadn’t realized they were capable of written communication, let alone divination.

Alibeck spread the parchment on a marked tile of the roof, and began stacking roots, herbs, and flowers in layers on top of the scroll.

“Does the rooster eat those?”

“Be quiet! I can’t concentrate. Just sit there and watch without saying anything.”

Carefully, the human drew a circle on the roof around them. It was fairly round , considering they were on a roof and the tiles were little half circles. Az was amazed he didn’t fall off.

“Stay inside the circle,” he instructed.

Picking up the rooster, he began to chant, facing each direction and ending with east. The scroll burst into flames and burned everything, paper and plants to ash in a flash of fire. With a final incantation, he sat the rooster among the ashes and watched as it pecked and scratched on the only flat tile on the roof. Finally, the rooster finished and flew down to the street below.

“There goes our dinner,” Az complained.

“Hush. Let’s read what it says.”

Az walked over to see. She didn’t recognize the script, and the human she Owned was unable to read.

“Do you read rooster? Because it would really suck if we went to all this trouble and you couldn’t even understand the language of the divination.”

“It’s not rooster. It’s elven. And yes I read it. How do you think I did my job for so many years?”

“Well then read away, mighty sorcerer. I’m hungry. And I want to get off this roof before I slide over the edge and break a hip.”

Alibeck knelt down and looked closely at the chicken scratching. “Paquit,” he announced.

“What? No fucking way. It can’t be Paquit.”

Why would the elves have contracted Paquit? He wasn’t even an adult yet. This human must be a real hack, not worth the money and effort to send a real demon after. Yes, Paquit had some status with that demon kill he’d took credit for, but it was still presumed status until his age of maturity. She looked at the human, reassessing him. Perhaps she should just Own him. He was probably unable to do anything once his scrolls ran out.

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