Alice in Demonland

17. The Hatter is Mad

KADE

I climbed off the stone slab. The room was empty except for me. Nervous about Alice's whereabouts, I exited, and went searching for her. It was apparent the spell hadn't worked and they'd left me to rot. I couldn't blame them. The Dark Moths had been fighting a losing battle for thousands of years. Unbeknownst to them, I'd been tasked with joining in their war against the demon sires many years ago. At least until I could come for Alice.

It was my calling to save as many Moths as possible. And I understood why the Society had insisted I complete their Trial of Three, but it would've saved a lot of time had they just allowed me to come clean and tell them what I wanted. They knew what I was, but they didn't know why I was there.

Of course I'd lied to all of them at first. Told them I was a moth who'd learned to train. It'd been the best move at the time. I'd needed to get close to Alice. Our destinies were entwined, but the Society members had easily discovered that I didn't belong in their compound.

I knocked on her bedroom door. "Alice. Are you in there?" I waited several moments without a response. Something was wrong. The training center was ghostly quiet. I went back to the training room and grabbed a couple of swords.

As I rode the elevator topside, I thought about the night Eric died. It pained me that I hadn't been able to save him. Poor kid. But Alice had taken care of his demon sire, destroying him almost too easily. The girl was even more amazing than the Brethren had said she would be. That was good in a horrible, terrible way. The Moths would need Alice to defeat the demons and their ever-growing numbers, but it was more than that. The Moths would need her to make a difficult choice if they wanted to survive as a species.

As soon as I got above ground, I went to my car. Parked only a hundred feet from the elevator leading into the Dark Moth's secret compound, the car was a two thousand fifteen Ford Thunderbird. Smoky blue-green with a metallic sheen, it had twenty-two inch rims and an engine that roared like the king of the jungle. I took my cell from the glove box—it still had one bar—and checked my messages.

Bill, my boss had called twice. The second time was to fire me. "Damn." I'd also received a call from Arvid, asking if I was up for a party this weekend. He and I worked together at The Caterpillar's Place.

I sent him a quick text telling him I was busy. My fingers flew over the letters a little too quickly. As soon as I recognized it, I slowed down. It was habit, something I'd been doing for decades. That was at least one thing I hadn't lied about. I had assimilated into the human world, including the purchase of property, jobs, and sometimes friends.

None of that mattered now. My human integration had all been done with one goal in mind: Find Alice, and help her realize her destiny. After that, it didn't matter.

Of course the Trial of Three hadn't affected me. It couldn't. The magic used in the spell had been created for Moth's and I wasn't one of them. But I'd no doubt Alice was dealing with hers. And I had a bad feeling she was probably in a bad way.

"Hello, Kade. I wondered when you'd turn up."

I tensed, but only for a second. It was good he'd come. We needed a chat.

I sighed heavily. "I'm hungry. Get in." I'd tossed one of the swords onto the passenger seat, and now put it and my other sword in the back.

Deckland Friche, better known as the Devil, got in. "Where we going?"

I ignored him, backing out of the garage. "I need tacos."

"Oh, there's this great place on the corner of Bandersnatch and Billings that has the best carne asada—"

"I know the place." I gritted my teeth, irritated. Dealing with the devil was a necessary evil. "Now why don't you tell me what you've done to Alice?"

He sat back, resting his hands on his knees. Deckland wore a powder blue suit with a white shirt and matching shoes. He looked like a douche from the seventies. Even had his hair slicked back with gel. "She's working on her first trial, of course."

I waited for him to go on. Instead he turned up the stereo. "Does she know who you are?" I asked.

Deckland winked. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He changed the stations until he found something he liked. It was the latest pop song. Made me want to wear earplugs.

The sun blared down, heating the car. I turned on the air conditioner. It was a little after one in the afternoon. I guessed it was either Friday or Saturday. The streets were mostly clear, which meant probably Friday. "Yes, I would. It would be nice to know how much she knows."

He tapped his hand on his knee in time with the music. "If you're talking about her destiny, she has no clue. The Trials require she be tested physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I'd say I'm doing her a favor not giving her more than that."

"Tell me what you did, dammit." I gripped the steering wheel until I left handprints.

He sighed heavily. "She must slay each of the other six trainees' demon sires over the next six days, one every twenty-four hours. If she fails, the trainee dies." He shrugged. "Simple."

"Are you sure she can handle that?" I knew she wasn't like the others. Not even close. But that was a lot.

The Devil chuckled. "You saw the way she handled the Envy demon. I was too easy on her. This trial might be too easy for her. Perhaps I should've tied one of her hands behind her back."

I growled, slamming a hand on the steering wheel. "She doesn't know what she's capable of." My teeth ground together. It felt like they would turn to powder. "If she dies, you'll die. Did you forget that? Or are you narcissistic enough to believe it's impossible? Because I assure you, it isn't. You can be killed. Hell, I could kill you now."

"Tut. Tut, Kade. Don't make threats unless you intend to back them up." He turned in his seat, glaring. Waiting for me to make a move.

"I hate that I have to deal with you and your kind." The words tore from my chest. They'd been buried deep, deep down for a long time, but it was the truth. I'd come to accept what my destiny was, but that didn't mean I had to like it. Although every time I thought of Alice's blue eyes and quick wit, I believed my life to be a little better. Half demon or not, she was special.

Deckland chuckled, knowingly. "Well, the feeling is mutual."

When we arrived at the restaurant, I turned off my car and got out. "I think I've said all I have to say to you. Why don't you go?" I slammed the door, not waiting for his answer.

Deckland got out. "Don't make me miss out on these tacos." He glanced in the direction of the restaurant, took a deep breath, and sighed. "Fine." He snapped his fingers and vanished.