Black Dust

“What d’you have today, Missster Potion-man?” Kat slurred. Her eyes crossed as she tried to focus on the labels of the bottles on the shelf behind the Potion’s Master. 

“How many times do I have to tell you? It’s Gavot.” He glared at her, but grabbed a bottle and slid it down the counter to her. “It’s called Black Dust. It makes you see demons.”

“Oooh.” Without touching it, she bent over and stuck her face a finger’s breadth away. Despite seeing two, the red label clearly showed a shadowy figure with glowing red eyes and horns. Under the fog of her current potion, a voice whispered this was a bad idea. But she wasn’t listening to Mr. Logic right now. 

“Is this stronger than th’ Forgetful Potion? That only lasted me, like, a few hoursss.”

Gavot snorted. “Stronger? Yes. You’ll be so consumed by fear, you’ll forget all about that ex of yours.”

Kat nodded, dropping a handful of coins on the counter and swiping the bottle. 

“Hey, do you want your change?” Gavot called as she staggered out the door. Waving her hand in reply, Kat slumped against the shop’s door and fell through it. She hit the ground on the other side and puked into a flower pot beside the door. 

The memories were already coming back. Dancing in the garden to a lonely flute drifting on a breeze. A trip to the ocean during twilight when the fairies flitted back and forth across the waves. The campfire crackling as they ate a tiny morsel of chocolate he found at the centaurs market for far more than they could afford. 

He had no right, no right—

Kat shook her head and stumbled back to her feet, remembering the bottle in her hand. With a practiced twist, she uncorked it and took a swig. The hot liquid scorched her tongue, but it didn’t taste awful as she expected. The flavor had a fruity tang, but it left her mouth feeling like she had licked ash. 

Nothing happened. No floaty feeling most of Gavot’s potions gave her, no magic tingling in her blood. Shadowy figures with red eyes weren’t stalking the late night shoppers huddling under fur cloaks to keep the blowing snow at bay. 

“What in Oritz’ name did you sell me?” Kat mumbled. She took one last drink before dropping it into the closest rain barrel, shoving her hand in her cloak pocket, and joining the dozens of others with their shoulders hunched against the freezing wind. 

Halfway home, someone bumped into her, and she tripped on a loose cobblestone. 

“Watch it!” she cried after catching herself on an awning post. When she glanced back at the aggressor, a shadow flickered in the corner of her vision. Kat sucked in a breath, her knuckles turning white around the post. A drop of sweat tickled her temple as her eyes darted around the market square. Nothing. 

Releasing the air from her lungs, she turned toward home just in time to run into her best friend, Nera. 

“Kat?! What are you doing out so late? Kat? Kat, what’s wrong?”

Kat’s eyes traveled upward, her breath caught in her throat. Floating above Nera was a dark figure with red eyes and four horns. It was smiling with huge pointy teeth. 

Kat screamed. 

She tripped on her cloak, trying to back away, and threw her hands over her face as the demon leaned over her, slapping at it as the creature's icy fingers closed around her arm. 

“Kat, calm down! Kat, Kat!” Nera’s voice grew distant as those red eyes filled Kat’s vision until she could see nothing else. She could no longer hear herself scream, but she could feel her throat burning from the sound ripping from it. A booming voice broke the silencing, laughing hysterically, until that too faded, and Kat knew nothing more. 

***

A heavy heat warmed Kat all over. Her head lay on a soft pillow, her toes wiggled under a thick blanket. She could have lived in that single moment forever, because the next brought a splitting headache. Groaning, she sat up, grabbing her head. The blanket fell from her chest, but the warmth didn’t dissipate. Burning wood and bread sat in the air with even intensity. 

Kat cracked an eye and instantly regretted it. The light from the fire and the open curtains was too much to endure. 

“For Oritz’ sake!” Nera’s voice and the banging of the wood stove drove Kat’s pain up another level. 

“Keep it down,” she rasped, but Nera either didn’t hear her, or didn’t care as she slammed the stove shut and threw the pan on top of it. Kat wrapped the pillow around her head and rested her forehead on her knees. 

Every morning, she swore off drinking, and every night, she was back at Gavot’s picking up something new to help deal with the heartbreak. But today, today would be different. No more. Especially after last night, after the…

Kat stiffened. The demon. She peeked out of the pillow, opening a single eye just enough to catch sight of Nera, who bustled over with a plate of steaming, sliced bread slathered in jelly. No shadow. No eyes. No demon. Kat sighed and her shoulders drooped. 

“Good, you’re up. We need to talk.” Nera slung the plate of bread onto the bed by Kat’s feet and pulled up a chair next to the bed, tying her long brown hair into a tail. 

“I’d rather talk later,” Kat said, reaching for a slice of bread. 

“No. I’m not falling for that again. You’ll just slip out when you’re feeling better and find another bottle to bury yourself in. Kat, it has to stop.” She leaned forward, hands clutching her apron. 

“I know, I know. It won’t happen again, okay?”

Nera caught Kat’s wrist as she held up the bread to take a bite. “That’s what you said yesterday, and the day before. Each potion you drink just makes things worse. Just look at last night! What did you even take?”

Kat pulled her wrist out of Nera’s grasp and took a huge bite of her breakfast. “Nothing, really. Just a Forgetful Potion to help me sleep.”

Nera rubbed her forehead. “Except you weren’t home. Please, tell me what happened.”

Kat didn’t want to think about it. Least of all, she didn’t want Nera to know what she had taken. Now that she wasn’t drunk off too much Forgetful Potion, she remembered Black Dust was an illegal black market potion. People were known to have major hallucinations and go crazy. She shuddered. 

“Look, I stopped at the tavern for a drink after the Forgetful Potion started to wear off. The combination was a bad idea, but I’m fine now.”

Nera raised an eyebrow. 

“Can you please shut the curtains?” Kat asked, blocking the sun’s rays as they moved up the bed and shone in her face. “This hangover is brutal.”

Nera rolled her eyes, but got up to cover both windows in the tiny house. Kat took the moment to stuff another slice of bread in her mouth, and when her friend came back, she gasped, inhaling crumbs. Coughing, she sprayed crumbs all over the place as she scrambled backward on the bed, clutching the pillow to her chest, eyes wide. 

“What in Oritz’ name is your problem?!” Nera stood at the edge of the bed, hands on her hips, scowling, as the black, shadowy demon loomed over her shoulder. 

“Open the curtains! Open the curtains!” Kat screamed, readying the pillow to throw at the demon. 

“Kat.” Nera said her name in a long, drawn-out sigh as she marched back to the closest window and opened the curtains. As the sunlight slanted into the house, the demon disappeared. 

Kat collapsed on the bed, pressing her face to the pillow and trembling. There was no way the potion should still be working. Even the longest lasting ones didn’t work longer than six hours, and it had to have been at least ten from when she took it. 

“I think it's time you go to the healers,” Nera said, grabbing her cloak. 

“No! No, I have to go see Gavot.”

“Kat!”

“Not for a potion! I just need to ask him something.”

Nera narrowed her eyes. “Then I’m coming with you.”

“You don’t have to do that. There must be tons of stuff I’m holding you back from. I’ll be fine.”

But Nera was already shaking her head. “Either I come with you, or you don’t go at all.”

Kat squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. “Fine.” She accepted her cloak from Nera and together they stepped into the brisk air. Another layer of snow covered the ground, and each step crunched under their boots. 

Head still pounding, Kat wrapped her hands around her eyes to block the sun until they came upon Gavot’s Potions For All Occasions. They stopped outside the door. 

“Please wait out here. It won’t take long.”

“Kat, I really think—”

“Please? Listen to me just this once. It’s important. If I’m not out in five minutes, you can come get me, okay?”

Nera hesitated, glancing at the door of the shop, but stepped back and nodded. 

“Thank you!” Kat gave her a quick hug and stepped inside. A bell tinkled above the door and Gavot stepped out of the back room. 

“Oh. You again,” he grunted. “Listen, I don’t have anything else for you—”

“I’m not looking for anything.” She sidled up to the counter and leaned across it. “What I need is answers.”

 Gavot ran his fingers through greasy blonde hair. “And what do you want to know?”

“That potion you sold me.” Kat lowered her voice. “You know, Black Dust.”

“What about it?”

“It’s illegal!” It wasn’t what she planned on saying, but it slipped out. 

Gavot snorted, pulling a dirty rag from his belt and wiping the counter with it. “It’s not illegal to have. But it is illegal to drink it.”

Kat scowled. “Then why’d you sell it to me?!”

“You really want to know?” he asked, matching her lean and pointing at her. “To get you out of here. Every night you come in looking for something to numb you more than the night before. I’m not in the business of ruining young people with their whole lives ahead of them.”

“Yeah right. That’s the worst of them all!”

“Hey, you’re fine now, right? Go home. Forget I ever gave it to you, and move on with your life. One night's scare isn’t going to kill you.”

“That’s the problem, Gavot. It hasn’t worn off yet.” They were almost nose to nose, but at the words he stepped back, brow wrinkled. 

“How much did you drink? A glass doesn’t last more than an hour. It’s a strong hallucinogen, nothing more.”

Kat put her hands on her hips. “Wrong again, bud. I took two sips. I still see demons hovering over my friend.”

“Keep your voice down.” Gavot glanced nervously around his store, but only one other person was browsing the shelves, and they didn’t react. “I don’t know what you want from me. I’ll give you your money back, it wasn’t even worth that much, anyway. It was from my personal stash. Just don’t go to the guards.”

“I don’t want the money, and I’m not going to tell on you. I just want to know what’s happening to me.”

“Kat?” Nera pushed her head through the door. 

“Here! Almost finished!” Kat called, hoping she wouldn’t come in. 

Gavot tapped his finger on the counter. “I might know someone. Here.” He dived under the counter, coming up with a piece of parchment and a quill. He dipped it into ink and scrawled a name and address before blowing on it and handing it over. 

The bell tinkled as Nera walked in, her nose wrinkled as she studied the shop. Kat folded the parchment and shoved it inside her cloak pocket before looping her arm with Nera’s and steering her back toward the door. 

“No need to worry, he was recommending someone to help with my uh, problem.”

“Oh!” Nera looked pleasantly surprised and squeezed my arm. “I’m glad you’re finally taking this seriously, Kat. Should I walk you there?”

“Nah, I got this.” Kat smiled at her, doing her best to look confident. It must have worked, because Nera hugged her. 

“Good luck. If you need help with anything, just let me know.”

“Thanks, Nera. I’ll see you later.” They split ways at the next crossroads, Nera going ahead and Kat turning left. As soon as she was out of sight, Kat pulled out the parchment. 

Talia Patel, Corner of Crescent and White. 

Kat turned onto Crescent and followed the street signs until she found White. The cottage on the corner was quaint, with white snow flowers blooming in window boxes and a sign swaying out front. Painted in flowing runes were the words ‘Talia, Resident Witch.’

Taking a deep breath, Kat pulled the hood of her cloak low over her face and marched up to the door and knocked. The floorboards creaked a moment before the door creaked open. A girl’s face poked out. Dark brown eyes gazed up at her from underneath a poof of tight curls. She ushered Kat inside. 

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the low lighting, and she stiffened, waiting for a demon to pop out of every dark corner, but none did, and she relaxed. Lit candles flickered on nearly every surface, and a sage incense burned by the heavily curtained window. The walls were lined with tapestries, and Kat’s eyes widened as she recognized the four horned demon hovering over a faceless man in one of them. 

The girl’s eyes never left her. “You recognize the image?” she asked, her voice high and sweet. 

“You’re Talia?” Kat asked. 

“I am.”

“But you’re only, like, twelve.”

A small smile graced the girl’s lips. “Thirteen.”

“Who’s that?” Kat pointed at the demon. Talia didn’t even look, eyes still watching her. Creepy. 

“That is Lurker. He attaches himself, or someone attaches him, to a person.”

“What happens to the person he’s attached to?”

Talia shrugged. “It depends. Usually nothing fatal, he likes to keep his hosts alive, but things rarely go in that person's favor.”

“What do you mean ‘usually?’”

Finally, she tore her eyes from me to gaze at the tapestry. “People can rarely handle being under that much stress for too long.”

Kat swallowed. 

“Anyway, please, sit.” Talia motioned to a chair with a knitted blanket draped across it. “Can I get you tea? Water?”

“Water, please,” Kat said, balling her fists in my lap, unable to take her eyes from the tapestry. Talia disappeared behind a bead curtain and came back with a mug of water. 

“Now.” She sat across from Kat. Her feet didn’t quite reach the ground. “How can I help you?”

It didn’t feel quite right confiding in a child, even an adult sounding one, but if she could help Kat even a little…

“I came here for one problem, but it seems I have another.”

She gestured to go on. 

Kat took a sip, gathering her courage. “Last night, I may have accidentally taken Black Dust. I saw that demon hovering over my friend. This morning, he was still there. Originally, I just needed something to cure the potion, but now, after what you said, I’d like to help my friend get rid of him.”

Talia tapped a finger on her knee, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Can you remember what color the label on the bottle was?”

“Um.” Kat took another sip, thinking back. The figure on the bottle was black with red eyes, but what color was the label? Black? Or was that just the figure? Red? “It was black or red, I can’t remember now. Why?”

“The black label is a diluted form. If there are any demons around, people see them for about an hour before it wears off. Most believe it's just hallucinations, they get a scare, their lives go on. But the red label…it’s extremely illegal, because it doesn’t wear off. It changes the mind forever, opens the third eye.”

“T-third eye?” she asked, blood running cold. Kat squeezed the mug to keep her hands from trembling. 

“It’s a metaphorical eye located here.” Talia tapped between her eyebrows. “It allows one to be aware of things beyond physical perception.”

“I’m afraid that may be what happened,” Kat rasped, rubbing her forehead.

Talia stood and nodded. “I thought as much. Where is the bottle now? We can’t allow anyone else to get a hold of it.”

“Wait, what about my friend?” Kat set the mug on a side table and followed Talia. 

“If you get me that bottle, I’ll help you with your friend.” She grabbed her cloak off the hook and swung it around her shoulders. 

“That may be harder said than done,” Kat muttered as they stepped outside. The chill of the air was a shock compared to the stuffy cottage. “I remember leaving with it, but it definitely didn’t end up at my friend’s home with me.”

Talia’s lips were a thin line. “Let’s start by retracing your steps.”

They started at Gavot’s. Kat checked the flower pot she remembered puking in, but it wasn’t there, nor anywhere around it, so they continued down the street. Five steps later, a piercing cry rent the quiet morning, and a man crashed through his front door, slipped on a patch of ice, regained his balance, and streaked past them, all while screaming at the top of his lungs. 

That’s when Kat spotted the rain barrel. Its contents had turned black. Her heart leapt to her throat as she raced toward it. “Talia, help me push it over!”

The woman and the girl heaved on the barrel as a lady ran out of the house, chasing her husband, and caught sight of them. 

“What are you doing?!” she screeched. 

The barrel shifted, and with one more shove, Kat and Talia shoved it over. Black water hissed and smoked as it melted the snow, and a bottle with a red label tumbled out. Talia swooped down and snatched it before the woman could get to it. Her eyes were wide as she watched the tainted water leaking into the street. 

“What is that?” she asked faintly. 

“An illegal potion dropped by an irresponsible drunk. Here.” Talia whipped out a card from her pocket and handed it to the woman. “Give this to your husband when you find him and tell him to contact me.”

Kat was barely listening to the exchange. The window on the top story of the house had caught her attention, and she gaped. Standing with its pig nose pressed against the glass was another demon. This one had a single horn on its forehead, and long greasy hair. It smiled, revealing huge pointy teeth. 

Hurrying to Talia’s side, she whispered in her ear and nodded at the window. The girl nodded. 

“Ma’am, I have it on good authority there might be…an entity in your house. You may want to vacate it for the time being.”

The woman scowled and put her hands on her hips. “You too? I think I’ve had just about enough! It may have its quirks, but I’ve lived in this house since I was a child and nothing bad has ever happened to me. Find my husband yourself. If he can’t handle it, he doesn’t need to live here.” She flicked the card back at Talia and stomped back into the house, slamming the door behind her and rattling the windows. 

“She was lovely,” Kat said. 

“It’s not her fault,” Talia said, hiding the bottle beneath her cloak. They started back toward her house. “Did the demon have one horn? A pig nose?”

“How’d you know?”

Talia sighed. “As I thought. That is Phantom. It attaches to houses or buildings, usually old ones. The longer it’s there, the easier it becomes to touch or move things within, especially if the objects have also been in the house for a long time.”

“Does it hurt people?”

“Rarely. Most people don’t live in one house long enough for it to be able to interact with them, and if they do, Phantom often takes a liking to them, preferring to scare others off.” 

Kat mumbled some choice swear words under her breath until they pushed open Talia’s front door. 

“I got you the bottle, now tell me how to get rid of the demons.”

Talia raised an eyebrow. “Plural?”

“Yes, plural.” Kat slumped into the chair and covered her face with her hands. “I can’t just get rid of Creeper—”

“Lurker.”

“—without getting rid of Ghost Boy too!”

Talia placed a hand on my arm. “You can’t get rid of all the demons yourself. Some come and go as they please, others jump around to victims, it’s impossible to keep track of them all.”

Kat nodded, picking at a loose thread on her cloak. “Can we at least start with Creeper?”

“Lurker.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Talia glared at her. “If you want to exorcise a demon, you have to get its name right, or else it won’t work.”

“Fine, fine. Lurker. Now show me.”

“Help me.” Talia gestured toward her chair. Together, they slid both chairs to the edges of the room and threw back the rug. Kat sucked in a breath. Beneath the rug was a circle filled with squares, triangles, and more circles. Talia grabbed a piece of chalk off the table and dropped to her knees, filling in many of the circles with symbols Kat didn’t recognize. 

“This is for the demon?” she asked. 

“Yes. The easiest way to do this is to bring your friend here. She will stand in the circle, and I can pry the demon from her.” Talia hesitated. 

“But?”

“But it can be dangerous. The circle acts as a barrier. Lurker won’t be able to get out of it unless your friend steps out before the spell is complete.”

“And she will be stuck inside with the demon.”

Talia grimaced. “The longer he’s been attached to her, the harder it will be to pry them apart. I won’t do it unless she consents to it with all the facts.”

Kat massaged her temples, feeling another headache coming on. “There is no other way?”

“There’s always another way, but this is the safest possible for everyone involved.”

“Let me see what I can do.” Kat pulled her cloak closer and left the cottage.

***

“Are you serious, Kat?! What did you take this time?” Nera’s nostrils flared, her hand on the door, ready to slam it shut. Kat was having trouble tearing her eyes from Lurker. 

“Nothing! I swear! I can prove it to you, just go ask Gavot when I was last in, and he will say this morning with you.”

Nera crossed her arms. “You know that proves nothing. Other people have bought potions for you before. I’ve gotten them for you.”

“If you don’t believe me, can you at least come talk to someone? You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, just please, for me? It will help me get better.” 

Lurker chuckled inside the dark house. “Better be careful, Kat. She might have an accident on the way.”

Kat bit her lip, keeping the retort inside. She didn’t want Nera to think she was even more crazy. 

“You swear this will help?” Nera’s eyes were bright. 

“I swear.”

“Alright. But if it doesn’t, this is the last time I’m helping you. I just can’t handle it anymore.” She reached for her cloak, and as soon as she stepped outside, Lurker disappeared. A weight lifted, ever so slightly, off Kat’s shoulders. 

Her friend really did look tired. Dark shadows ringed her eyes, and she shuffled as she walked. Kat kept a close eye on her all the way to Talia’s, but nothing happened. 

“Why do you keep looking at me?” Nera asked as they turned down Crescent Street. 

“What?! I’m not!”

“You’re definitely looking at me.”

Kat steered Nera toward Talia’s house. “Fine, yes. I’m just making sure you’re okay.”

“That’s sweet,” Nera said, eyeing the sign. “But we should be focusing on you. This lady is a witch?”

“Girl, and yes.”

“Kat! You said you were taking this seriously!”

Kat gripped her arm tight and marched up the steps. “Trust me, I am taking this very seriously.”

Talia opened the door and Kat shoved Nera inside before she could protest. 

“Welcome,” Talia said in her high childlike voice, then turned to Kat. “Is he there?”

“Yeah,” Kat rasped, staring at Lurker hovering above Nera as she glowered at both of them. “He’s there.”

“What are you two going on about?”

“Please, sit,” Talia said. “Did Kat tell you about the demon?”

Sitting, Nera narrowed her eyes at the girl. “She mentioned something.”

“Kat, will you please make some tea while I explain to your friend what’s going on?”

She wanted to help, but maybe it was better for Talia to explain everything. The backroom consisted of a tiny kitchen, with a fire going in the woodstove and a barrel of water in the corner. A kettle sat on the counter with a bag of tea next to it. Kat grabbed the kettle, dunked it in the barrel, and set it on the stove. While she waited for it to boil, she sidled over to the bead covered doorway to listen. 

“—no, there’s just no way.”

“What part don’t you believe?” Talia asked. 

“Are you kidding? This whole thing is ridiculous. You’re a child. How would you know about demon?” Nera’s voice was high. 

“Believe me, I’m reminded every day I have not yet reached adulthood,” Talia said flatly. “But I’m not the one who sees the demon.”

“Kat?”

“Kat.”

“But she’s—”

Talia cleared her throat and raised her voice. “She told me her story, and she’s paying for it. But right now, this is about you.”

The kettle whistled and Kat jumped, hurrying over to it and pouring the hot water over the tea leaves in three mugs. Balancing them in her fingers, she backed through the beads. Nera, pale and trembling, took the mug gratefully. After a moment of closing her eyes and soaking in the steam, she said, “I believe you, Kat, but if there’s a way I can see for myself, I’d like to.”

Kat glanced at the demon. It grinned its sharp, pointy grin and chuckled. 

“I’d love that. Then she can see who really eats her cereal and leaves the empty boxes.”

“I wouldn’t suggest it,” Talia said, standing and kicking back the rug she had replaced. “Seeing another person’s demon is one thing, but seeing your own…can be disturbing.”

Nera walked around the magic circle, keeping a tight grip on the mug as she noted all the symbols. Tapping a finger against her own mug, Kat glanced between Lurker and her friend. The demon stretched as far as possible from the chalked floor. 

“What is this?” he growled. “I will make her fingers rot and fall off. I will bring roaches into her bed at night. I will—”

“He’s getting agitated. If we are going to do this, it should be now.” Kat locked eyes with Nera. “Your unnatural bad luck will go away if we do this.”

“Your bath water will never be warm!”

Talia glanced up from an old, tattered book she had grabbed. “Just don’t forget the dangers.”

Nera hesitated, but nodded. “If what you say is true, I don’t want a demon hovering over my every move. If it’s false, nothing will happen, right?”

“Exactly. Now stand in the middle.” Talia pointed to the circle. 

“Your hair will fall out in clumps! Every cat you own will hate you!” Lurker screeched, stretching up and back, but his curse worked against him. He couldn’t hover but a few hands above Nera. 

She handed Kat her mug, took a deep breath, and stepped into the circle. Lurker’s scream pierced Kat’s ears, and she dropped the mugs as she slapped her hands over them. 

Talia started chanting and danced around the circle. All the candles flickered and went out, the only light now coming from the crack in a single curtain. At first, Lurker squealed and squirmed, but then his skin took on a red glow and smoke whisped off him. 

“I will not let another go!” He grabbed Nera’s neck, and this time, she felt it. Her eyes bulged as she clawed at the incorporeal entity, unable to get a grip. 

“Talia, hurry!” Kat screamed, feeling helpless on the wrong side of the circle. 

The girl quickened the chanting, her dance going from slow and amorous to rapid. The high pitched keening coming from the smoking demon was too much for Kat to bear, and she fell to her knees, hands tight over her ears as she repeated her own chant, “Let her go, Lurker!”

“I’ll see you all soon, anyway! The portal is opening, and the thirty are coming!” Lurker cackled. 

Nera’s face turned purple, and her struggle weakened, but then one of Lurker’s fingers came loose, and then another. She sucked in a breath and dropped to her knees. The demon wasn’t ready for the sudden split, and a wrenching filled the air. Nera screamed, Lurker screamed, but his voice dissipated, his body turning to smoke, and the circle glowed as it sucked him up. 

Everything fell quiet and still. Kat tentatively removed her hands from her ears, then scrambled on her hands and knees toward Nera, glancing at Talia long enough for the girl to give the okay to cross the line. 

“Are you okay?!” she asked, grabbing Nera’s shoulders. She rubbed her throat, but color returned to her face, and she didn’t seem to have any physical injuries. 

“I think so,” she croaked. “It was really there, wasn’t it? A demon?”

“Yeah, it was.” Kat hugged her. 

Talia held out a hand, helped them to their feet, and refilled their tea. Kat breathed in the fruity scent, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. The silence was deafening, and for once, she welcomed it. For the first time in a long time, her mind didn’t go directly to her ex. The memories of their time together didn’t intrude on her everyday thoughts. 

No. Now it was some portal. 

“Talia?” she asked. “Who are the thirty?”

The girl flipped through her old book and handed it over without a word. Kat only had to glance at it for all her calm to fly right out the door. 

“Ortiz’ big toe,” she swore, pushing the book back. 

“What is it?” Nera glanced between the two of them. 

“Right before Lurker got sucked into oblivion, he mentioned a portal opening and the thirty coming.”

Talia choked on her tea. For the first time, Kat could see the fear of a little girl shining in her eyes. She closed them and set her tea down, taking several deep breaths. When she opened them again, they were steady, not a trace of fear to be seen. 

“Kat, do you think Gavot has black label Black Dust?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t even know he had red.”

Nera scowled. “Will someone please explain what's going on?”

“If what Lurker said is true, then somewhere, a portal is opening, and every single demon will be coming through it,” Talia said. 

“Oh.” Nera slumped back in her chair and ran her fingers through her hair. “What do we do?”

“First, we need information.”

“Phantom?” Kat asked. 

Talia nodded. “Exactly. But this time, I want to see him. It will make my job a lot easier.”

“Is that another demon?” Nera asked, her voice faint.

“Yup,” Kat said. The headache was definitely back now, pounding away at her temples. “You don’t have to come, Nera. I dragged you here, I won’t drag you into this mess too.”

But Nera was already shaking her head and standing. “I can’t go home now, not knowing our world is about to be infested by demons. Just tell me what to do.”

Kat and Talia glanced at each other, silently agreeing. 

“Welcome to the team.” Talia slid off her chair and reached underneath. A click came from within it, and a trapdoor swung open from the bottom. From within, she withdrew a giant purse filled to bursting. Kat’s jaw dropped. 

“Let’s go, girls. It’s time we paid Gavot another visit.”