CHAPTER Three THE GRILL
If you think interviewing a granddemon sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon, you’d be wrong. Few creatures are as exasperating as the Grand Demon, himself. - Elora Rose Storm
Rosie sat at her desk at Hunter Abbey. She was supposed to be sorting reports that would aid The Order in naming and mapping dimensions and documenting what sort of conditions would be found in each. But at some point a movement had caught her eye.
A border collie was working hard, herding black-faced sheep for the man who’d leased the adjoining pasture for grazing. She became entranced, watching the dog run back and forth as if her life depended on keeping the sheep in a bunch so tight it would appear they were in an invisible pen.
She felt a slight breeze that might have come from the open window if it weren’t for the fact that the rustle of paper and movement of air was behind her. Turning to see who had intruded, she wasn’t terribly surprised to see Deliverance.
“I didn’t hear your ringtone.”
“Thought I’d sneak up on you,” he said. “Find out if you’re really working or daydreaming. Staring out the window.”
She smiled. “For somebody who’s never had a job a day in his life, you sound pretty self-righteous about work ethic.”
He shrugged, rolling his shoulders as gracefully as a mountain cat. “Not my burden to bear.”
“I guess you’re here to collect.”
“What makes you think that?”
“The comment about burden.”
“Well. Since you mention it…” She rolled her eyes as he looked at his nails with pointed nonchalance. “There is an outstanding matter.”
“It just so happens, you’ve caught me in a rare moment without a crisis. Believe me when I say that doesn’t happen often.”
He nodded. “Hence the reason why it’s rare.”
“Smart ass.”
“So this is a good time.”
“Go for it.”
“Okay. Find the vile creature who cursed me and free me.”
“No guarantees. But I’ll do my best. We’re going to need to start with an interview.” Deliverance nodded. “An intense interview.”
“Meaning what? Whips? Bright lights? Barry Manilow?”
Rosie scowled. “You don’t like Barry Manilow?”
“Nobody likes Barry Manilow.”
“A warehouse full of platinum records says you’re wrong.”
“Whatever.” Deliverance threw himself into the stuffed leather chair next to Rosie’s desk. “I’m all yours.”
She tapped a manicured pale pink fingernail on the desk, thinking. “When did you first become insatiable?”
“Feels like I’ve always been that way.”
“But you haven’t. To help you, I’ve got to trace this back to inception. And the starting point would be when and where you were when you first realized you couldn’t go very long without sex. By the way, what happens when you try?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never tried.” When she didn’t immediately come back with another question, he said, “Do you have a plan?”
“Believe it or not I’ve been giving it some thought. Off and on. I did the search feature in records when I was in Edinburgh and didn’t find anything on time tracking.”
“Time tracking?”
“Not the be-all, end-all name for it. If it works. It’s more like a placeholder for whatever the real name will be when I have time to give it more thought.”
Deliverance shook his head. “I’m lost.”
“We’re going to experiment to see if we can use the pendant and a little witchery to track you through time.”
The demon looked interested. “You think you can do that?”
She wiggled her head in a gesture to indicate that it was anybody’s best guess. “No idea, but we’ve got to start somewhere. And you’ve got to tell me where to start.”
He raised a well-shaped eyebrow as she grasped the filigree chain and pulled the necklace from under her vee necked tee shirt. She held it in her palm as she mentally coaxed an adjustment of the pendant’s capability.
“Okay. Let’s start with what you can remember.”
“Told you. I don’t remember.”
“Well, that’s where you’re wrong. There’s part of you that does remember and I’m going to talk to that part.” She began swinging it back and forth by the chain. Deliverance looked down at the pendant and back up at his granddaughter. “I’m going to ask you questions, using this pendant as a pendulum. It’ll help us tag your location.”
He smirked. “Like a lie detector.” He leaned forward, elbows on knees and clasped his hands, eyes twinkling with such a fierce light they looked like they might start fire. He was clearly excited about the possibility, however remote, of being free of the monkey on his back.
“Exactly.” She nodded. “Do you know who cursed you?”
“No.”
Rosie looked down at the pendant and didn’t take her eyes away as she asked, “Do you know why you were cursed?”
“No.”
“When was the change?”
“Two. Three hundred years ago.” He paused, looking surprised that he had answered. “I think.”
The pendulum stopped dead still. “Which was it? Two or three?”
“Between two and three.”
The pendant began moving left to right to indicate agreement with that answer. Rosie grinned. “Excellent.” She dragged the word out like an eighties Valley girl.