Demon Bait (Keeley Thomson) (8 page)

Scared.

"Is... that a good idea? The
Second Crucible is coming and you might..." She stopped and looked around,
then leaned in close and whispered, as if that would keep anyone from listening
in to them. "You
might
need my help. I don't know what's coming,
but..."

Keeley nodded, which was an
abstract thing at the moment. She didn't let herself think however, putting up
every shield against mind reading she knew, and making up a new one on the fly,
surprising herself. It was just a variation, but by holding her focus on the
mental image of the cuneiform word for block, and wrapping it around her entire
being in several dimensions, she managed to get it to work, with only a tiny
bit of power being added.

Then she whispered back.

"Well, I have to broker a
treaty between three Greater Demons that have gotten themselves into a mess.
The Vile, The Cartographer and The Lover. It probably won't work, and it seems
that they've been going at it for a long time. I get about a week on that one.
Before they have instructions to seek me out for it, that is. It takes as long
as it does to get it done. So no time limit or anything like that. You however,
get to go and deal with some
big
deal in Europe. So, it won't matter if
I'm here or not. We probably didn't even have to send everyone away. Not that
we won't be busy." So that, she decided, made uprooting all their people
all right, didn't it? She didn't give voice to that, being too sarcastic by
far, since she understood what was really going on there.

Zack had decided the point for
them, and lacking information, given that Tarsus had flat out lied to him on
several points, he'd driven them all toward doing the most protective thing he
could. It would have been a bit too much, if it was really just the Second
Crucible. Given the idea that she was really doing something else, a thing so
stupid that even trying it might just mean she was insane herself, it was
actually not that bad of a plan. So whining about it was... Well, probably
expected, but ultimately both a waste of time and something that would make her
look foolish later. Whining always did, even if you were right. No one
remembered that part later, just the annoyance of the moment.

So, she felt a bit conflicted
which she showed by smiling and crossing her eyes at her sister, who just
seemed a little baffled, if only for the briefest of moments.

"He told you all that? How
certain are you that he isn't just lying?" Darla said that as if the idea
wouldn't have occurred to Keeley for some reason, which showed an extreme lack
of faith. Enough so that it earned the other girl a bit of a glare.

"
Of course
he was
lying. About a lot of things. Most of it was the truth however, I'm willing to
bet. For instance, he really is sending you off to Europe to fix a problem for
him. As for what I'm doing... Well, you know how that one goes. He's decided
that I'm the new special snowflake Demon and he's going to keep spanking me
until I fall into line for him. I think it's just a base level conflict that
we're going to have. That said, he clearly isn't planning to really get me
killed, or I wouldn't have walked away earlier today."

Darla moved into the room like
she owned it, since that was the way she always did everything, and took a seat
on the sofa, lowering herself carefully enough that the springs inside didn't
protest. Keeley did something similar next to her, if not as well. A soft
creaking noise came from underneath her, which given the fact that she weighed
less than the other girl by about forty pounds probably meant she was being
sloppy about that sort of thing.

Not that Darla was fat, since that
wasn't the case by any means. She was, if anything, just about perfect. The
difference in size was all due to Keeley not eating enough and looking anorexic
at the moment.
Still
. Most people didn't mind, but she really needed to
gain some body mass, if she could pull it off.

Tapping Darla on the leg, she
stood again, suddenly.

"Hey, let's go and buy out
some fast food places? I need to be better about eating." This came with a
poke at her hard abs, which didn't show through the shirt she wore, but were pretty
close to doing that. Girls weren't supposed to have a six pack. Not unless they
were into competitive bodybuilding. It wasn't a look that she wanted for
herself at the moment, but would also take eating more, since she lacked about
sixty or seventy pounds for that to look real, too.

"Good plan. So,
Tarsus?" They moved out to Darla's car going the long way through the
garage, since the other girl was covertly running a search pattern, not being
certain that her little sis was actually herself. That made sense, given that
she rarely enough volunteered to eat like that. It was just that she didn't
know what else to do to get ready

Well, there was some research to
be done, but she'd want to be alone for most of that. The four she was supposed
to be going after... Those were the ones she needed to be careful about. She
could, technically ask for help with the real Crucible to come, but that would
be cheating. Not that Greater Demons wouldn't do that. Really, she probably
needed to find a way to use that information to her advantage, didn't she?

That got her to go still as Darla
stopped and touched Misty on the side, since the beat up looking plum and
primer beast sat in the garage.

"What happened? She smells
like chemicals." That was Darla being polite, most likely, not running off
exactly what had happened. She was The Technician after all.

That meant that after a moment of
examination, she could probably have rebuilt the smoke bomb that had been used
exactly, and pinpoint the location it had been planted as well. Possibly even
getting that no one Human would have put it where it was, under the vehicle. Or
at least that they would have had to be tiny to make it happen without massive
lifts. So basically Maria Gonzales from school might have done it, if she was
into explosives like that. Or pranks.

It was humorous, since Darla
didn't mention any of that, just waiting for Keeley to explain. It was funny
though, thinking about their tiny mutual friend doing things like that.

"Quince. He planted a smoke
bomb on her earlier to try and see who'd react incorrectly. The interesting
part there is that he knows a Greater Demon is involved, or thinks that's the
case, but he hasn't worked out that it might be you. Honestly, he just went
after my car because he thinks of me as high profile, but clearly
innocent." She grinned and then kept walking, since they had a fast food
mission to see about. "Which I
am
. He seems to think it's someone
on the school staff, since they'd be in a position of power there. Of course he
missed the other likely candidates, like the Student Body President,
or
the Captain of the Cheerleading Squad."

The other girl followed along
then, using the side door just after Keels did, and jogging forward to get into
her unnamed little sports car. It was a convertible, and not the one that she'd
used for the last few months, but it was fitting now, given the weather and her
recent graduation. It was the sort of thing that rich girls like her had,
wasn't it? A gift from her grandmother, to support her in keeping good grades.
Not that Darla didn't pull a straight B average in every class she took. On
purpose.

Then, she was also running her
own multi-national corporation at the same time, and was her own grandmother, while
being the captain of the cheerleading team, involved in most of the school
special events, and mentoring not one, but
two
Baby Demons in the last
year. That was sort of impressive.

Maybe she deserved the car after
all?

They didn't speak until they were
on the road, at the second stop light. There was an Arby's down the way and
while that wasn't her favorite, it was good enough and they didn't blink much
when you ordered twenty sandwiches at a time. Before they pulled in, Darla made
a slightly sour face, which was fake, and let it shift into a grimace.

"I guess I need to take care
of that then. It's too bad. I kind of liked him. In a hapless puppy dog sort of
way. I'll handle that tonight, I guess." She
sounded
pretty sad
about it, so Keeley shrugged.

"Or, you know, ignore him?
He might come back later, but he isn't that big of a threat to you. You just
graduated, so going off to Europe for a while even fits in with what would be
expected. He's going on that road trip with Gary and Becky. If you aren't
around and I just move away, then it isn't too likely that he'll figure things
out, is it? Or... I suppose I could handle it for you. For a price." She
grinned, since there wasn't a lot that she needed from her sister for the time
being.

Darla didn't say anything at all
for a long time, until they ordered, which she did without asking what Keeley
wanted. The design of the order was all about making it look like they were
shopping for a party. Because kids went to fast food places to do that,
instead
of grabbing a few bags of chips from a store? No one would question it however.
It took a while but was early enough that there wasn't a big line behind them
as they paid the bored looking boy in the window and took their food, checking
the bags first to make certain they had it all. They'd been shorted a sandwich,
but the kid just made a tight face and got that for them without bothering to
spit on it or anything. Being polite about it all helped. Darla being so hot
didn't hurt either. She paid for it, using her card.

That could have been a problem,
since Keeley was an adult, but her sister didn't mention it until they were on
the road again.

"KFC, and then Taco Bell?
You can eat some of those while I drive and pick up every other place? Leave a
few for me too however, they smell good."

That meant, about an hour later,
that they were able to pull off into the groves and park. They weren't the only
people there, but the other car, which was also old, had steamy windows. It
should have had at least. They could actually see the couple inside pretty
clearly. A man and a woman that were both old enough not to be out necking like
kids. From the frantic way they were going at it, they were both probably
married to someone else and on a time schedule. Darla started eating, not
saying too much about anything, until they were into the last very well filled
bag of food.

Keeley still needed more, but
she'd go shopping later. She had her mom's Costco card, which would make it
seem more natural for her to buy in bulk.

"What do you want?" The
words came out quietly enough that Keeley nearly said
what
, as if she
didn't know. "I know that you aren't that thrilled with Quince,
personally. Taking him as a slave, well, if it isn't that dangerous for him, I
suppose it could be done. I could do it, but..." The truth was that Darla
wasn't even half as good at that kind of thing as she was. Not even close. She
could take the Durg, but if she did, it would be obvious, most likely.

Keeley might be able to do it at
a distance, she realized. Durgs weren't hard targets that way, and she could
use him for practice. It was a thing to work on, after all. Even Tarsus had
agreed there.

"Forty million. That and two
large favors, to be named by me later." That got Darla to narrow her eyes
at her sister, skeptically.

Keeley understood that at least.
Darla always accused her of bargaining like a hippy, but that was starting out
asking for a lot. For her anyway. She really didn't enjoy Quince that much. The
first thing she was going to do, she decided, was make him change his name.
Kevin was fine, but
Quince
? Yes, she knew it meant Acadian Apple, which
was a thing for him, being the name of his old mercenary unit, but it wasn't
nearly clever enough not to stand out.

There was a soft clearing of
throat as Darla grinned at her.

"Twenty, and one medium favor.
I know that this isn't that hard for you. It isn't exactly like you can't have
fun with him..." It was a subtle dig, working on the idea that Keeley
would be embarrassed, and not bargain as hard, if sex were mentioned. Except
that she was ready for that and took those feelings out of play all together.

"Forty, and two large
favors, but I'll let you reject them if you want, when the time comes. If you
do, then I get a hundred million for each, however." That got the other
girl to scowl. Then she took a double wrapped crunch thing from a bag and added
a lot of hot sauce to it before answering.

Around a bite she mumble
something that was a bit rude. Then finished her food.

"Who are you? Keeley
wouldn't ask for that much. Not for this. She'd just blush and tell me it was
fine, since she secretly has a crush on Quince anyway, and wants to take him as
a man slave." Her hand moved toward the stick shift, casually, which meant
that there was, most likely, a weapon there.

Laughing, Keeley took her hand,
to stop whatever horrible pain was coming.

"I'm an adult now, right? I
can't let anyone walk all over me. Plus... I really
don't
like him that
much. I was thinking that I could set him up somewhere and let him... I don't
know, guard something? Maybe Gary. Or Becky. She's going to be famous, right?
He can play bodyguard for her." The girl was technically the slave of
Darla, but she was currently on loan to Zack. It was confusing and meant to
keep her safe, but that was a good enough reason to send her with protection.
"We can claim that he came into some money so that Becky won't have to
prostitute herself out while waiting for roles to come in. Not too much cash
though. We don't want her to just marry him or something stupid like that."
It could work, if they wanted to do it.

As long as she didn't have to
have the idiot under foot all the time, it would be fine.