I had spent my whole night watching trash TV. Even though my mouth was dry and nothing seemed to slake my thirst and despite the fact that I was desperate for a drink, somehow I managed to stay in my flat. The darkness came as usual, torturing me with the whys and the what ifs, but I had to remember that life wasn’t easy in general and my melancholy and sadness wouldn’t last forever. I could have made a different choice in the past, but then I would have to deal with the consequences of my actions.
I lived in the worst part of Brixton, because it was the only place I could afford these days. From a very young age I had been left to take care of myself, so money had never been an issue for me. Only about eighteen months ago I got myself into a lot of debt with unpaid rent and utilities. Things were complicated. Ricky had tried helping me out a few times, but eventually he couldn’t keep settling my debts for me. Most of the time, I acted like I didn’t give a shit about anything anymore. I was a shadow of my former self. I was just a sad drunken creature. The work was still important, but not like before. Now it just helped pass the day rather than being my raison d’etre.
“Get it together, bitch. No one will ever take care of you but you,” I said to my own reflection in the mirror.
The pep talk helped a little, not much, but it was time to stop feeling sorry for myself and get on with life. The gambling, well, I kept telling myself that I had it under control. I’d played cards since I was fifteen years old. I used to be really good; however, over the past twelve months I had lost more money than I had coming in and that wasn’t good. Ricky didn’t get it. I needed poker to fulfil my empty nights; I needed to be around people to take my mind off life, socialise without actually being involved with people I may have to pretend to give a shit about. Just so I could push through the dark cloud that hung over me. Money didn’t matter to me anymore; I didn’t want to live to work rather than work to live.
After this silent and stupid contemplation I took a shower. First one this week by the smell of me. It was a new day today and I was going to make an effort. I had no one in my life to impress so usually I didn’t bother to make myself look decent, but I had to start somewhere with this mind, body and spirit shit. I brushed my hair and put a bit of makeup on. Shockingly I started to recognise the old me in the mirror.
My rent was overdue by two days, but my money box in the drawer was empty. I couldn’t ask Ricky for a loan. I didn’t need another lecture from him about responsibilities and shit like that. I had to figure this out myself, and fast. Mrs. Patel was going to have to wait. I was hoping to meet a new client today, the one that Ricky had told me about a few days ago. A quick injection of cash would be helpful, and everyone in the city knew that I always took a deposit on accepting a case. I dreaded to think who they were and what they wanted from me.
In my line of work I mainly dealt with demons. Vain assholes who thought they were the centre of the universe, and because I am only a half demon or a mongrel I am at their beck and call. It’s a complicated system that they live by when trying to decipher the underworld. Seven head demons represent seven factions that are responsible for keeping order on earth and in the underworld. Lucifer was still the master of the hell and he was the most powerful. There was also Mammon, Asmodeus, Leviathan, Beelzebub, Astroth and Berith. Each one took care of their own affairs, yet still answered to the government in the capital.
Humans had no bloody idea that there was another world out there, that heaven and hell truly existed. Demons had been living amongst the general populous for generations, a lot of the time breaking rules and mating with humans. Lucifer hated the fact that there were so many mongrels on earth, orphans like me born with demonic DNA. We’d always been treated like second-class citizens, with not many rights, but a lot of responsibilities. Although no one really cared when we got romantically involved with humans. Our protocol was less strict in comparison to full-blooded demons. Below demons there were other creatures too, dark and twisted souls that lived in the pits. Berith, the demon in charge of all the entrances to the underworld and the Watchers hadn’t been doing their job in keeping order in the ranks. Berith faction had always been weak, and most of his demons liked sneaking out up to earth to seduce women. They liked partying hard. That was why there were so many other beings walking on the streets attacking innocents and causing havoc amongst humans.
Two years ago when I was getting tired of my job in security I discovered a gap in the market. Many mongrels battled to remain anonymous, struggling to fit in since we didn’t really belong here on earth or in the fires of hell. We were innocents with tainted souls. If a crime occurred, it usually brought out our demonic nature, or if there was an issue involving another demon, human police couldn’t help us. Most mongrels didn’t get a very good start in life. We weren’t important, and the factions we belonged to showed no interest whatsoever in getting us out of trouble. So that was where I fit in.
It was an easy decision: I had skills and resources, so I applied for a loan. Two months later the office of Doomed Cases officially opened up. Ricky was one of my first clients. His ex-wife rinsed him from all his money and disappeared. He wanted me to go after her and didn’t care to mention that she owned a pet, a chimera that nearly ripped my face off. It wasn’t like you could distract a fire-breathing ten-foot mix of lion, eagle and snake with a chew toy, unless of course his name was George. It was a difficult case, but I had gotten his money back, all of it. We became friends after that and soon enough he wanted to invest in the business. I was skeptical at first, unsure if I wanted a partner, but he managed to convince me. It was difficult to run a business when I had a full time job, so I chose him to take over the management.
I felt odd leaving my apartment at one in the afternoon completely sober and well rested. I pulled my tangled hair off my face into a bun and pulled my leather jacket closer together. The freezing cold weather wasn’t helping my mood and I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere, like I was just an outsider. Part of my demonic soul craved an escape, but mongrels weren’t allowed to enter the underworld, unless they were summoned by the head of a faction or the Watchers.
I ended up running to the office hoping to improve my mood. Two years ago I used to run every day; now my form wasn’t that great judging from my impression of an asthma attack. When I got to the office I saw that a new desk had been delivered and Emma was sitting behind it. Suddenly events from last night hit all at once. After two weeks of drinking magical tequila my memory recall was in pieces.
“There she is, our bad arse Maxine. Surprises just keep on coming today,” Ricky shouted, clapping when I looked around the room. The rent in this part of London was expensive, so we didn’t have much space. There were two other small rooms at the back separated by the kitchen. Ricky was the paperwork guy. I had never spent that much time in the office. Most of the time I was out in the streets.
“Hey,” I said, greeting them both.
“Maxine, it’s good to see you. Ricky has explained everything and the job sounds perfect. I can’t wait to get stuck in.” Emma beamed, knocking the pen pot all over her desk, and then going red instantly. She wore a bright pink dress, with a thick black jumper thrown on top of it. I had never paid attention to other women, but her style was loud and flashy.
“Really? Already.”
“Yes, Maxine, Emma is very keen. I just gave her a general overview of all the cases that we have been working in the past and she seemed very open-minded about the whole ‘not everything is as it seems’ thing,” Ricky said, looking positively elated at this. He must have gotten Emma up to speed with the world around her. I had no idea how he was going to deal with telling her about the other world, but she needed to know what she was getting herself into, even if that was against the rules.
“All right, I’ll be in my office making some phone calls,” I said, not quite sure what to make of this whole thing. Everything was going to be fine, as long as he didn’t shag our new assistant. It was against office policy to fraternise w
ith fellow employees, a policy that I had just made up.
“Take your time, darling,” Ricky muttered after I opened the door to my room. My eyes instantly fell on the large and thick brown envelope that was on my desk. Shock froze the air in my lungs when I recognised the bright red wax seal on top of it. I would recognise that crest anywhere. The lion with the crown. A tendril of panic seized me, and my blood thudded in my ears so loudly I thought I was going to throw up at any second now.
The pain from last year, the emotion and that deep fear rippled through my entire body. I grabbed the envelope and flew back to the front office, ready to tear it apart. The royal seal felt like it was almost burning my hands. There was no reason for them to get in contact with me again. I was done with them, with him. Someone must have made a mistake sending it to me, to this address. Everyone had paid the price for what happened, and I was forced to do something unforgivable, something that drained me of my ideals, my hope and everything that I ever believed in.
“Ricky, how did this letter get on my desk? Who delivered it?” I shouted, shaking the envelope in front of his face, like it was cursed. He saw the seal almost instantly and paled.
“Max, I have no idea. The postman left everything on Emma’s desk. No one was in your office,” he replied, and his eyes started to glow. Too late, it was too late. I had to open it. There wasn’t any other way around it.
I took a few steps back, knowing that I was going to have to break the rules in front of the human, but that was on Ricky’s head. He took her on, so he needed to deal with the consequences. If she wanted to work here, she needed to get used to weird shit like this.
I threw the envelope up and I kept it suspended in the air using my abilities. The royals could go to hell for all I cared. I cut myself off from that life a year ago, but this symbol amplified my pain, reminding me how much I suffered. The plain manila envelope slowly began to glow and the heat in the room rose until it started to burn with ruby red flames. I wanted it to turn into ash as quickly as possible. I’d also like for it not to have shown up on my desk, but that ship sailed. Twelve months ago I promised myself that I would never deal with royals ever again. They destroyed me, crushed a part of me that I’d never get back, and made me the person that I was today. A shadow of my former self.
“How are you …” Emma was stuttering, standing up, her eyes wide open. Ricky was pacing around nervously. The envelope was burning, but it seemed like the paper wasn’t changing colour at all. This was impossible.
I used my abilities to intensify the magic so the heat and flames would do their damn job. Small beads of sweat appeared on my forehead, as panic slowed down my heartbeat. Suddenly the world around me was blurry and I was using all my powers trying to destroy this damn letter.
Several minutes later I collapsed on the floor and the thick, brown letter landed next to my hand. The edges were intact, and the royal symbol was shining with red colours. I had no other choice but to read the letter that was sent to me.
“Max, are you all right?” Ricky asked, walking up to me. He knew that I didn’t like being touched by anyone, so he didn’t even try to lift me up. My breath was laboured when I lifted myself off the floor. My heart was beating, but there was no blood feeding it through my body. I felt dead from inside out.
“The flames, it didn’t do anything to the paper. How… how is this possible?” Emma asked, looking from me to Ricky. There was a lot that we needed to discuss with her, but now wasn’t the right time.
“You have to read the letter, Max. It’s probably from the head of the faction,” Ricky stated.
“No, it’s been a year. Those bastards have no right to send me anything. I work for myself,” I growled, slowly losing my temper. The memories flooded my mind. I had been used by them, by him. This wasn’t acceptable.
“Max,” Ricky warned me. I knew that he was right. The letter was indestructible. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t destroy it. My heart jackhammered between my ribs when I picked it up and opened it. I felt like that past year didn’t mean anything, and as I started reading the letter I realised that I would never be truly done with them. The deepest part of me knew that the royal family was part of my life forever and there was no escape.
To Miss Maxine Brodeur,
I regret to inform you that an incident occurred last evening at the palace. This incident has caused much consternation, and as such I am working closely with Lord Chamberlain who is keeping me apprised of this situation henceforth. Instruction has been given by the queen herself to resolve this matter as soon as possible.
It is my regret that we have not been formally introduced and I apologise for this unsolicited letter. I have heard a great many things of you and your loyalty to the Crown. I must impress upon you with the utmost sincerity that the royal family is in urgent need of your services. The Doomed Cases establishment has of course been on my radar for some time now, but I never thought that I would have need of your services.
I am sure you can appreciate that this matter is strictly confidential and you are under obligation to answer to me, as I am a head of Lucifer’s main faction. The press must not know, and I need to remind you that you must remain professional at all times.
We require you to come to the palace immediately and look into this very sensitive matter. The human police have been notified, but I believe that this issue requires being overseen by someone from “our” world. Someone who can investigate this further and liaise with members of our royal family. Miss Brodeur, I have been advised that you would be the only person for the job, as you know the protocols and exacting standards of the palace. May I also remind you about your demonic responsibilities and serve consequences of noncompliance or disobedience.
Yours
Master Rodriquez
“What does it say?” Ricky asked, placing his hand on my shoulder. My judgment was clouded, and I was breathing, but the oxygen wasn’t getting into my lungs. They were summoning me to the palace. This couldn’t be happening. Not after a year.
“The case, we have a case at the palace and we have to go now,” I whispered, knowing that this was the price of magic. Last night I saved Emma and today I was going to pay the biggest price in my life. I was going to see him again.
Chapter Four
“The more a thing is perfect, the more it feels pleasure and pain.” ― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
“But… what if a client comes in?” Emma asked, looking apprehensive about being left alone. “I won’t know what to say. I only just started a couple of hours ago.”
I couldn’t think straight. My stomach felt like it was filled with heavy bricks. Ricky looked torn and that was a first for him too. My power was on the verge of blowing this whole building up like a firework display. Sometimes my own abilities surprised even me. By the age of eighteen my magic was fully developed, dispelling the belief that there was a difference between mongrel and demon powers. I was able to gather energy from around me and use it for my advantage. I could sense people's emotions and fears, understand other demons.
“Just improvise, take their details and tell them that we’ll get back to them,” Ricky told her, shuffling through the papers on his desk in the other room.
I was balling up the royal letter in my palms, trying to calm down, but my heart hammered in my chest way too fast. I didn’t want to go to the palace and meet the new seer. That part of my life was behind me. I knew what could happen if I ignored the letter. Ricky was in a better position than me. He was a demon with a complicated past, but he didn’t grew up in an orphanage like I had. On top of that Emma had witnessed the whole incident with the letter, but she was taking this whole thing better than I expected. Ricky must have used some calming powers to ease her anxiety, but at the end of the day she was still here, so we had some sort of progress.
“Ready?” Ricky asked, picking up his coat. I nodded, but deep down I was ready to throw up or enter the underworld of my own accord.
Suddenly
my past and my present collided and the weight of it sat on me like a ton of bricks. I had tried so hard to keep the two separated as if I were two different people. The old me and the new me. I had forced myself to compartmentalise as much as I could, but to be face to face with my past was going to cripple me. I had spent two years as head of security for the royal family and last year I ended up on the streets, cursed and completely torn apart.
Ricky’s car was parked at the back. I didn’t own one. I had too many debts and there was a strong chance that I was going to get evicted from my flat in a week or so.
“Can we stop at the liquor store? I don’t think I can go there completely sober,” I said, my voice trembling as I cracked the bones in my knuckles.
Ricky didn’t say anything at first, just started the engine of his Mercedes. He had to be fucking worried how things were going to pan out. Nothing good could come from this case, nothing at all. My business partner knew my history with the royals. He was the one that attempted to rescue me when I was drowning in pain.
“No, Maxine, you’re going to walk up there with your head held high and deal with everything professionally. Alcohol only clouds your judgment and that royal bastard has to see that you’re doing just fine without him,” Ricky told me, driving into the main road. “You have risked your life in order to give someone else a chance, a vulnerable creature that didn't get the choice if she wanted to be brought back to this earth or not. Get it together, Maxine, and stop pretending that you need alcohol to function. You're better than that."