Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett

blood), where the ritual was performed. Crude drawings and engravings depicted the evoked beings. One had the head of a frog and the naked body of a boy. Another was covered in scalesbelow the waist and had massive twisting horns; he was riding a flying crocodile.
    Lon stopped at a pair of pages; tucked between was a small scrap of blue paper.
    â€œThis one is Lemansus,” he said, removing the blue paper marker. “He fits all of your descriptions but two.”
    I leaned closer to study the small woodcut rendering. “No horns … oh, no eyes at all—blind,” I said after a few seconds. “What else?”
    â€œNot primordial. The text claims that the magician who first conjured him was told that this demon was born sometime in the fifth century.”
    He carefully flipped to the next marker in the book. “Eligostanzia. He mostly fits the description, but there’s no mention of the rolling tongue that you’re looking for, and it’s hard to tell if those are talons or long fingers. The magician doesn’t say.”
    â€œHmm.”
    â€œHe’s also allegedly skilled at divinatory favors, not killing.”
    â€œMaybe I should copy down his name, just in case. Do you have something I can write with, or—”
    He opened a desk drawer and pulled out a stack of papers; he’d already run off copies of the marked pages. “Let’s make two stacks: Maybe and No. You can take the Maybe stack with you.”
    At that moment, it crossed my mind that I really shouldn’t have needed to come all the way out there. He could easily have met me somewhere and handed over the copies.
    â€œI thought you’d like to see the details on the original pages yourself,” he explained, as if he’d read my thoughts.
    Wait—my thoughts. A terrible realization struck me.
    â€œUmm, Lon?”
    â€œYes?”
    â€œYou never told me what your knack is.”
    Knack. Earthbound slang for a demonic ability. Healing, telepathy, controlling weather … Most of the Earthbounds I knew had useless knacks that weren’t even interesting enough to nab them a job in a carnival sideshow. But I had a sinking feeling that Lon’s knack wasn’t ordinary.
    â€œI didn’t?” He looked down at the desk, avoiding my eyes.
    â€œNo.”
    He shrugged. “I don’t really have one.”
    â€œLiar.”
    Seconds ticked. “I’m an empath,” he finally said, still gazing at the book in front of us.
    â€œYou sense other people’s emotions?”
    â€œYes.”
    I instantly became anxious. I thought back to when we first met at the coffee shop, and how he must have known everything I was feeling. Crap. In my house, too. Could he tell when I was ogling him, then? What about a couple of minutes back, when I was getting all hot and bothered by our shoulders touching? Exactly how much could someone tell about you by reading your emotions?
    He sighed.
    â€œYou can tell how I feel right now, huh?”
    â€œYes.”
    I tried to relax and clear my head. “I’ve heard of empaths, but I’ve never met one. How detailed is your skill? You can’t read minds, can you?”
Please say no, please say no …
    â€œNo.”
    Paranoia got the better of me. “Are you just saying that because I was thinking it?”
    His smile was fatigued, like he’d been forced to explain this a billion times before; he probably had. “I really can’t read your thoughts. Just emotions. Simple ones are the easiest. If there are too many at once, it gets garbled. But I can sense you’re relieved that I’m not a mind reader, and that you’re putting up a barrier to keep your emotions guarded right now.”
    â€œSorry.”
    A long, awkward pause filled up the space between us.
    â€œCan you block it, or do you just sense emotions from everyone you’re around?”
    â€œNo, I can tune people out. If I