Night of the Living Demon Slayer by Angie Fox Page B

on to a weapon inside his jacket.
    I scrambled hard to think.
    "What if my dark presence wants to commune with you?" I asked. I was grasping at straws, and inviting the worst.
    This could be a big mistake.
    The bokor paused, sizing me up. "You do know he's there," he said slowly, as if he'd caught me in a lie.
    "How would I not?" I asked, terrified at the thought.
    That's right, how could you not? The spirit echoed in my head. He had gotten to me somehow.
    "Let's do this alone. Inside," I added, eyeing the guards.
    I could see that I'd tempted him. The bokor tilted his head and removed his hat. "Very well," he said, opening the brightly painted front door for me. As if I'd just walk into a trap. I had a few tricks up my sleeve as well. And the good sense to wait.
    I felt the zing of his wards, like needlepoints on my skin as I crossed over the threshold, but I'd been granted permission. I was in.
    And the guards were still several yards away. Their mistake.  
    The bug required a quiet, secret release, but not this next spell. I spun quickly toward the doorway and reached into the back of my utility belt, withdrawing a Ziploc baggie with a twirling black and white striped spell inside. I tore it open. I'd had a good feeling when I borrowed it this morning, even composed a little enchantment to make it mine.
    "It won't work here," Pade said, as if it were a matter of pride.
    "Thanks for the warning," I said, releasing the live spell in the doorway. It zipped upward like a trapped bottle rocket. I raised my hands quickly and began the enchantment, before the goon squad realized what was happening. "Guard all points." The spell zinged to the bottom of the doorway and up, then back down, and up. It was downright beautiful. "Let no one through." I tried to hide a giddy surge as sparkling, nearly transparent magical bars appeared in its wake. "Except for me." And, yes, I'd planned this part for my new friend. "And the bokor, too."
    "Cute," Osse Pade smirked, but his smugness evaporated when he flung a hand out at the bars, only to have it flattened by an invisible barrier. The look on his face almost made me feel sorry for him. But not quite. "Impossible," he seethed.
    "Your guards are also asleep," I said, pointing out the two slumping goons by the hearse. Lucky for me, the rest left for the party.
    Pade turned to me, barely containing his rage. "You planned this."
    "Of course, I did." Silly man. I loved that he underestimated me. And that the magic had worked for me. Spells sometimes went haywire when I tried to use them, but this had been worth the risk. "Let's have some alone time."
    "I don't suppose I have a choice." He turned on his heel and stalked through the lobby.
    I slipped the bug out of its Ziploc bag and prepared to strike from behind. Then I stopped cold.
    Ornate designs in white chalk swirled over the parquet floor of the lobby, reaching toward the edges. I recognized hearts and crosses inside large patterned swirls and geometric shapes. This place was spelled. Not surprising, given the circumstances. Still, I had no clue what these symbols meant, or what they could do to a person.
    Osse Pade strode confidently over the marks, shooting me a glance over his shoulder as he did. Great. An unspoken dare.
    I clenched my hand. The bug struggled in my grasp, its wings stinging my palm. I may have won this last round, but I'd be a fool to get too cocky.
    "I'll stick to the scenic route," I said, keeping to the narrow section of clear floor near the walls. It took longer, given that the room was long and narrow, but I wasn't one for taking unnecessary chances.
    I walked tall, past yellow walls streaked with thickly painted images of death. A skeleton in a top hat smoked a cigar while a serpent wound through an empty eye socket. Another appeared to have been skinned alive. It smiled and wore a necklace of bloody fingers.
    Classy.
    The bokor smirked as he waited for me near an altar at the back. The surface was crowded with