Random Acts of Sorcery (21 page)

Dwight was surprised that Miri and Dmitri had been able find anything in the mess that was his apartment, but everything he’d asked for seemed to be in order. Snippets of conversation wafted around him as he looked through his belongings.

“You guys can hand in your assignments next week, and if any of your teachers give you crap, I’ll just drop in and straighten them out,” Miri was saying cheerfully. “Don’t be stressed out at court over something as silly as school.”

Cassie’s voice sounded pained. “Why did I not think of that in the first place?”

Dwight stood up, satisfied with the contents of his overnight bag. Everyone was gathered in the living room, doing last-minute checks before heading out to Las Vegas. Everything seemed normal, until Dwight caught sight of a boy he didn’t recognize standing next to Ethan by the baby grand piano.

He pulled at Khalil’s sleeve. “Hey, why do we have another kid all of a sudden?”

“Cassie’s brother,” said Khalil, throwing his own bag over his shoulder. “This used to be such an exclusive club, now they just let anybody in. It’s outrageous, I say.”

There do seem to be an awful lot of us now
, thought Dwight.
Didn’t this all start with just me, Cassie, Sam and Khalil at DG one day?

Sam was the last to appear downstairs, holding an expensive leather suitcase that Dwight doubted the man owned. He exchanged a few words with Eugene at the bottom of the stairs, but they were too quiet for Dwight to make out what they were saying.

“Yo, boss man!” Khalil yelled over the din. “When’s our flight?”

“We’re not taking a plane.”

“Huh?” said Khalil, along with several others.

Sam put his hands in his pockets,
then seemed to realize that looked wishy-washy and put his hands at his sides instead. “With the Seraph and her people possibly still around, getting on a plane seems like an unnecessary risk; they use suicide bombers. I’m just going to take us all there, through Realm of course.”

“Wow!” yelled Ethan. “We’re going to the Demon Realm!”

“What’s the Demon Realm?” asked Hunter.

“It’s a realm where the demons live.”

“I knew THAT, stupid.”

Ethan flushed.

“I’m not stupid, you’re stupid!”

“Boys, quiet,” said Eugene in a withering tone, but his face showed some amusement.

Next to Dwight, Khalil shifted nervously and scratched his earlobe. “Err, Sam, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the Demon Realm also known as…Hell?”

“Well, yes,” said Sam, only sounding a little defensive. “But I won’t take us to any of the dangerous places. I know where it’s safe to pop in.”

“The one time I was there, I thought my skin was going to burn off,” said Cassie, looking less than thrilled. Sam gave her an impatient look.

“That was just because my father was being insufferable.
Anyway. Everyone ready to go?”

“Whoah, whoah, stop this ride, I want to get off,” said Khalil. He took his overnight bag off his shoulder and dropped it on the floor. “I
didn’t really plan on going to Hell until after I was dead, thanks. Maybe I’ll sit this one out.”

“Are you sure you can handle this many people?” Miri asked Sam. Dwight was glad she had asked, because he had wanted to.

Sam shrugged mildly. “Going to Realm was only hard the first two or three times I did it, now it’s easy. Taking some people with me is just a little bit of extra work.”

Dwight looked at his employee and frowned.
He’s getting so used to this, using greater and greater magic, that he doesn’t even notice it anymore. How long until he can’t show up at the shop and even pretend to be human anymore? Because he can’t keep doing this and stay the same, no one could.

Khalil’s grand protestations were being ignored, and he was not happy about it. “I see how beside yourselves you all are that I’ve decided not to go,” he muttered.

“Oh c’mon,” said Miri, walking up to him and hugging his arm. “You’re going.”

“I’m not go
ing through Hell.”

“You are. You wouldn’t turn down a free trip to
Vegas even if there were seven Hells.”

Khalil seemed to consider that,
then picked up his overnight bag again. “Okay, let’s get this show on the road.” Miri kissed his cheek.

“Everybody, stand in a circle and hold hands. I know it’s a little hard with the luggage, but it’s easier that way.”

There was a shuffling as everyone changed position to get into the circle. Dwight found himself standing between Khalil and Mike.

“Shall we sing
Kum Ba Ya
?” asked Dmitri. Lately, the olive-skinned vampire seemed to be relaxing more, being his true self around them rather than just playing the role of the stoic, professional bodyguard. Dwight found he liked the guy; he was like Khalil, only less…everything.

“Sing that song, and I really will drop you in a fiery pit,” Sam said. He seemed to realize immediately after he said it that maybe that joke hadn’t been the wisest thing to say, considering they were all nervo
us about having to cut through Hell anyway, but pressed on. “Ready?”

“Wait,” said Cassie. “Aeka, come join the circle.”

The girl was standing back from the group with a sullen expression on her face. However, after looking at Cassie’s face for a moment, she slowly went to join the circle, taking a place between Cassie and Jay.

“Okay,” said Sam, then his lips moved again, but Dwight couldn’t make out he was saying.

Dwight felt his vision grey out, like he was about to faint. For a second, everything in the world seemed to go black, causing a moment of panic. But then, multicolored light started to filter in his peripheral vision, and feeling a twitch in his eye, he blinked. When he opened his eyes, he was somewhere new.

The whole group was staring in awe at their new surroundings. They were all standing on a beach, the kind with fine-grained white sand and abundant palm trees, each tree weighed down with huge coconuts. The sea was that perfect, hybrid blue-green color that was usually only possible near the equator, and there was nothing to see for miles but tropical paradise. Only strange, undulating black and red streaks in the sky marked the area as somewhere out of the ordinary. Dwight had a sudden urge to kick off his shoes and socks and feel the sand between his toes, and it was really difficult to resist.

For all the beauty of their surroundings, Sam looked puzzled. “That’s…odd….” he started.

Khalil made a pained sound. “Don’t say things that will give me a heart attack, please. Are we okay or not?”

“We’re fine,” said Sam, his eyes taking in the scene before him as though he didn’t quite believe it. “It’s just, when I did a test run of this trip earlier today, this place was a meadow, not a beach.”

Everyone seemed to think about that for a moment, still holding hands in their somewhat messy circle.

“You mean, terrain in this area can change at a moment’s notice, and you dragged us all here without knowing that?” asked John, but his tone made it clear that it was more of an accusation than a question.

“We all totally could have been dropped into a pit full of lava,” said Mike.

“No, I would never have let that happen,” Sam said quickly, but Dwight could tell from his face that he wasn’t so sure Mike wasn’t correct. “A-anyway, this is the halfway mark. Everyone take a deep breath, and I’ll take us the rest of the way.”

Before Dwight had a chance to breathe though, his vision had greyed out again. He was puzzled by the fact that he didn’t seem to be moving at all; in the blackness, he saw soft lights going by as they passed…something, but he would have sworn he was standing still.

This time, he had decided not to blink and see just what it looked like when they arrived at their destination, only the itch in his eye grew unendurable and he found that he had to blink. For that reason, he was somewhat disappointed when he opened his eyes and found they were already in their Las Vegas suite.

If anything, the accommodations were even more impressive than the upscale New York hotel the entourage had stayed at in the fall. The walls were painted dark blue, and all the furniture was in shades of navy, green and grey. Half the surfaces seemed to shimmer with hints of iridescent colors like strips of abalone, and water was everywhere; in the chair cushions (which were like tiny waterbeds), in the walls, and on the tables, where tropical fish in brilliant colors swum in spacious, decorative bowls. The main coffee
table was actually a giant fish tank, filled with small fish, starfish and seahorses, and on it were laid all manner of refreshments, including sushi.

Sam released their hands and gestured to the room. “Welcome to The Laguna, newest hotel on the strip. As you may have already surmised, it has an undersea theme.”

Khalil backed up and whistled. “I’ll say. It’s like being in one of those fancy castles at the bottom of a fish tank. A really pretty fish tank.”

Cassie’s brother looked a little pale. “So can you just go wherever you want to like this? Can you go to Disney
World?”

“I hate Disney
World,” Sam said reflexively, then looked around. “I’d love to say you’re all free to roam the hotel, but we actually haven’t checked in yet. I’ll pick up all the keys on our way back from court registration. Everyone, just make yourselves comfortable here for a little while.”

Cassie droppe
d her overnight bag and groaned. Dwight didn’t know exactly what registration entailed, but he was pretty sure it involved shaking hands with a lot of demons. He didn’t blame her for dreading it; he was secretly thrilled he didn’t have to go. Sometimes, it was nice being unimportant.

People started filing out of the central living room to explore the suite and find bedrooms, but Ethan hadn’t moved. “Do I have to go to check-in?” he asked.

Sam hesitated for a moment. “No. Pascal can’t do anything to you, but I don’t see a point to making you go downstairs where you might have to see his ugly face. Go steal a bed before they’re all gone.” Ethan grinned at that and scurried away.

Dwight dropped his bag in a corner and reached for some of the sushi on the table. Rather than fight with the others over beds, he figured he’d wait for the rush to be over and then grab whatever was left. Curious, he wandered over to the glass doors on the far side of the room as he chewed to see where they led. On the other side was a small balcony, overlooking a swimming pool several stories below. For one playful moment, Dwight thought it would be fun to jump from the balcony straight into the pool far below, then chuckled softly to himself and went back inside.

Soon he, Sam, Cassie and John were the only ones left in the central room. The teacher was standing around, a little awed and seemingly unsure what to do with himself.

“Hey, Mr. G—John,” said Cassie, obviously not used to calling the man by his first name. “Do you want to come with us to check-in?”

At that, John was startled out of his revelry. “What? I can go with you?”

“Why?” said Sam with a sour expression. Cassie shrugged.

“Well, he said he always really wanted to go to court. Someone should be happy doing all the mingling.”

It was fun, watching the interplay of emotion on John’s face. It was clear he desperately wanted to go, but he didn’t want to make it obvious to Sam that he desperately wanted to go, so he aimed for a tone of nonchalance that may have
been convincing to someone, but not very. Dwight was mildly surprised, because he’d figured the teacher for a better liar.

“If you wouldn’t mind the company, then I suppose I may as well,” he said dully, but his eyes were full of anticipation behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

Sam shrugged. “Whatever. Let’s get this over with.”

The three of them made their way to the front desk of The Laguna. It was, unsurprisingly, positioned in front of a giant aquarium, which featured a dozen varieties of vibrantly colored, glistening fish that Cassie had never seen before. She knew hotel/casinos made a lot of money, but she had to wonder how much this place spent on fish food every day; their commitment to this undersea theme seemed a tad excessive.

“Hello.
Andrews party, reserved for the Dolphin Suite,” said Sam. A woman in a sea green evening gown did some typing on a keyboard, her lacquered nails making delicate clicking noises. “Yes, Mr. Andrews, I have you right here. Here are your keys.”

“I also need to check in for the dental convention,” Sam continued, taking the bag of keycards off the desk. “Where are they holding registration?”

“Which dental convention are you here for?” she asked quickly.

Sam paused for a second at that. “There’s more than one?”

“Yes.” She took a deep breath, and Cassie could tell that she had repeated what she was about to say at least 20 times before. “There are two organizations holding conventions at The Laguna this weekend: The Greater American Society of Dental Professionals, and the SouthWest Dentists and Orthodontists Association. Which convention are you here for?”

“Oh, uh…Greater American.”

“Go down this hall and turn right, and walk straight until you see a sign for the Beluga Room,” she instructed. “Your check-in materials are there.”

“Ah, thank you,” said Sam, leaving the desk with a perplexed look at Cassie. As soon as they’d put some distance between them and the crowded lobby, Cassie turned to him and whispered.

“There’s a
real
dental convention here this weekend? How did they let that happen?”

John laughed softly at that, but from Sam’s expression, she knew he wasn’t amused. “The venue committee had to change locations at the last minute…maybe they didn’t have the luxury to plan around the dental industry this time. It shouldn’t matter,” he said with a subtle shrug.

Cassie wasn’t so sure. As long as the two groups stayed separate, things would probably be okay, but she had a feeling that some dentists were in for a rude awakening. She only hoped that a bunch of them wouldn’t end up owing their souls to demons before the weekend was over.

Once in the Beluga room, Sam wasted no time marching over to the registration table. “Samuel Andrews, Son of Sammael,” he told a dark-haired woman in another sea green evening gown; the dress seemed to be the standard Laguna attire.

She gestured to an opened binder on the table. “Welcome to Las Vegas. Please sign off on your territories so I can give you your badges and other materials,” she said pleasantly.

“This is new,” said Sam, picking up the pen. He signed his name, then paused, confused. “Wait, I only have one territory. Why are there two listed under my name?”

She smiled radiantly. “Bennet Marcus’ territories have been added to yours, at his request.”

“There must be some mistake. I don’t want his territory.”

“Mr. Andrews, all I know is that this request was made many weeks ago, and all the materials have been printed in accordance with it. If you want more information, I’m afraid you’ll have to speak to Mr. Marcus yourself. Here,” she said, handing him a blue-tinted plastic bag filled with badges, as well as pens and other monogrammed favors. “Also, I have one more thing for you.”

She ducked down and picked something up from under the table. “I was told to give this to your familiar once you arrived.”

It was a piece of paper the size of a postcard. With a glance at Sam, Cassie took the paper from the woman’s outstretched arm, then walked away from the table so she could read it without holding up anyone behind them.

Dear Ms. Tremblay,

There’s an informal meet up at Op/Dec this evening, just to touch base on some proper witch business without any of the boys around. As the newest witch, we’d love to buy you a drink or two to celebrate. A group of us will be by the small pool between 8 and 10 p.m. so come on down! And don’t forget to bring a suit.

Andrea

Cassie remembered Andrea; she was the blond witch in the blue dress who had made Cassie uncomfortable the last time she’d gone to court. She didn’t know how she would have felt if the invitation had been signed by anyone else, but thinking about the tall witch made her uneasy.

“What’s Op/Dec?” she asked Sam as he rifled through his check-in materials. He handed a badge to John, and the teacher began to put on his identification immediately; he obviously knew about the importance of being properly marked at court.

“I think that’s what they call the nightclub outside,” said Sam, handing Cassie her own badge. “It’s a nightclub with a pool, or a nightclub inside a pool—something like that. Can I see that note?” Cassie handed it to him without a word. As he read it, a small line of agitation appeared between his brows.

“If it’s a meeting for witches, the Seraph might be there,” Cassie whispered. “Maybe I can pick up a clue to who she is.”

“That’s exactly why I don’t want you to go,” said Sam, crumbling the note into his pocket. “It’s too dangerous.”

Cassie frowned, not angry with him but in clear disagreement.
He raised his eyebrows at her. “Don’t you dare tell me I’m overreacting, after what happened the last time we were at court,” he said quietly.

Cassie could feel eyes on the back of her neck; everyone knew who she and Sam were, and their presence had been noted. John looked around with an expression of mild confusion, as though he were trying to figure out if dozens of people were actually looking their way or not. “I’m not saying you’re overreacting. But it’s not safe either just to turtle up, and never investigate anything. I do
n’t have to go alone; Miri and—”

“Let’s discuss this later,” he said quickly, and she realized someone was coming up behind her.

When she turned, she was surprised to see Nathanial Lewis; not surprised to see him there per se, but at the huge smile on his face. “Sam! Cassie!” he said, crossing the distance between them with a few quick, graceful steps. “How nice to see you again,” he said holding out his arm in Sam’s direction. Cassie tried not to stare at his face; despite the fact that she disliked him, he was still the most handsome man she had ever seen. His eyes were even more brilliant in color than the sea-green gowns the staffers wore, and his tanned skin seemed to glow with health.

Sam took Nathanial’s hand and shook it, but his eyes were distrustful. “Honestly, Mr. Lewis, I didn’t ex
pect you to be so happy to see us after our last meeting in October.”

Nathanial gave a self-deprecating shrug. “Oh I was pissed at the time, but that’s over now. I overstepped, and I got a slap on the wrist for it. You don’t get very far training witches if you don’t know how to learn from your mistakes,” he said with a wink.
“And Cassie! You look radiant, as always.”

Even though Cassie didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him, seeing his thousand-watt smile directed at her made her flush a little bit. She couldn’t believe he really found her beautiful, but there was a heat in his eyes when he looked at her that she couldn’t help responding to. “Th-thank you,” she said weakly as she shook his hand, looking anywhere but at him. She felt like she could sense Sam’s annoyance next to her, like it was radiating off of him as some kind of mist.

“And who is this handsome gentleman?” Nathaniel asked, extending his hand to John. “I don’t believe I remember seeing you at court in the fall.”

Sam opened his mouth to explain, but John was pumping the man’s hand before he could get a word out. “I’m John Golding, the latest human servant to join the Son of Sammael’s entourage,” he said. “I’m also a scholar of arcane lore.”

“I…see,” said Nathanial, his eyes dropping to the badge on John’s chest. His smile remained, but Cassie could tell that he lost all interest in John once he realized that the man was only human, and not even a familiar at that.

The
handsome demon took a step back, showing off the line of his elegant gray suit as he did so. “Anyway, I need to touch base with a few other people, and no doubt you’re in the same boat. But I wanted to personally wish you luck at the hearing tomorrow.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” said Sam, his voice carefully neutral. Cassie was pretty sure that he would never trust Nathaniel Lewis, no matter how friendly the man was. The other demon nodded, then did an about-face into the crowd.

As they watched his retreating back, John looked pensive. “He didn’t seem terribly interested in my academic specialty,” he said dryly.

“I hate to be the one to tell you this, but just about no one here will be,” said Sam.

John looked perturbed. “Then they’re fools,” he whispered. “Demons of all people should know that knowledge is power.”

Cassie looked at John thoughtfully. She agreed with him; most demons were too arrogant, too quick to assume they knew everything, and they couldn’t imagine the potential value of the rare knowledge John had spent years acquiring. But still, even though he was right, he wasn’t going to get the respect he so obviously craved from this crowd.

Sam walked a few steps forward, looking from side to side. “I need to find Arrigio. He might know something about this Seraph business.”

“Think he’s here?” asked Cassie, leaning against a cocktail table.

“He’s got to be somewhere in this hotel,” Sam said, then another man in an expensive suit was approaching them.

“If it isn’t the man of the hour, and the witch of the hour,” said the man, smiling an obviously fake smile. His teeth were on the yellow side; Cassie idly thought that this demon could use the services of the people next door at the real dental convention. Sam shook the man’s hand and began exchanging dull pleasantries.

John leaned over so he could whisper in Cassie’s ear; it was a somewhat intimate gesture, one that Sam had started to use more often, and it felt weird coming from her English teacher instead. “Does he have to shake the hand of every demon in the room?”

“Pretty much.
You might want to get a drink.”