Keeper of Crows (Keeper of Crows #1)(20)

Keeper motioned for me to keep quiet, and as much as I wanted to watch him purse those full lips, I wanted to watch the demon even more.

An abnormally tall man, clad in an onyx suit that cost more than my father paid for his hand-tailored ones, approached a person who was kneeling in the center of the fiery circle. His wife-beater tank was stained beneath his arm pits, a darker shade of gray, just as dark as the sweatpants he wore. The middle-aged man blubbered, much like Pamela had when we were captured and dragged to this place.

“I promise, I didn’t do it. I’d never do something like that to a child. It wasn’t me.”

My stomach turned. What did the bastard do? I didn’t want kids, but damn. No kid should ever be hurt.

“You burned her with cigarettes, didn’t you, Earl?” the demon teased, his voice hissing each s. “You liked her screams. You ate them up.”

Earl’s face shone with tears as the demon mercilessly pulled him to his feet. A wet stain spread down one leg of Earl’s pants, stopping short of his knee.

“She was only three. Why would you hurt your own offspring? Such a vile creature, you are. The order has been handed down. Those like you must be taught a lesson. Those like you must atone. You will pay a penance before your final sentencing.”

The hissing burned my ears. With my free hand, I blotted them to make sure they weren’t pouring blood again. He hurt his own baby? Earl deserved to burn for that shit. I shifted my weight, still crouching, and Keeper’s eyes flashed in warning.

Sorry.

My muscles were burning from holding the position so long. Keeper turned back to the scene, his silver blade reflecting the lapping flames.

The demon, slick and fluid, grabbed Earl’s ears, each hand smashing them into his head. Black bands of thick tar webbed from his fingers as he eased them away from Earl.

“No!” Earl screamed. “I can’t hear anything! Nothing. Nothing at all!”

“And so you shall remain. Hear. No. Evil.” The demon laughed, deep and resonating. With a click of his finger, Earl fell into a trance and began to walk out of the circle, past the flames, and toward the abandoned, dilapidated homes dotting the valley below. He never looked back, just trudged forward in his piss-soaked pants.

“Keeper, did you enjoy the show?” the demon called out.

Keeper stood, letting go of my hand and motioning for me to stay put. I kept low. I’d done bad shit, too. Not as bad as Earl, but damn. I wanted to keep my hearing and dignity intact. The demon watched as Keeper approached him with slow, deliberate steps. He wasn’t as dark as the demon, but Keeper’s presence commanded attention.

“I did,” Keeper replied, stepping into the flaming circle.

“You sent two home today.”

“Yes,” Keeper replied. “They were interfering.”

“Merchants. It’s what they do. They interfere, according to you.”

“According to you, as well.”

“At times,” the demon conceded with a hiss. “You chased the fissure. Why do you waste your time, Keeper? You can never reach them all, never stop all of the souls smuggled across the barrier. Why bother?”

Keeper straightened. “It’s my duty.”

“You should have abandoned that sense of loyalty long ago. He sent you here. He. Abandoned. You. Perhaps He meant to teach you a lesson, hmm?”

“He appointed me to a task, and I will not abandon it until He tells me to do so.” Keeper stood tall, but the demon shrank a fraction.

“Then you’ll be busy chasing your tail for an eternity.”

Keeper smiled. “I like chasing tails.”

Damn him.

“Don’t get too comfortable, Heliazar. The demons are losing more ground each day.”

“Perhaps. On second thought, perhaps we gain more than you know.” The demon gave a slight bow to Keeper and slowly sank into the earth, inch by inch, until he was gone and all that remained was a pile of bubbling tar on the ground. Keeper watched for a few moments and then motioned for me to leave the sanctity of my mostly-bare shrub.

I avoided the scorched grasses, the tar—all of it. My feet couldn’t handle more. Keeper stared at me. “We need to find shelter and something for you to wear. Also, we should tend to your feet.”

“Tend to my feet?”

“Yes,” he said earnestly. “They are torn apart.”

“Okay, I’d appreciate that, actually.” A nice foot rub would feel like heaven. Maybe he’d want to rub me in other places.

He scoffed with a grin, ignoring my internal comment. “Was that sincerity I detected in your normally-sour tone?”

“I’m not sour.”

He quirked an eyebrow.

“Not all the time, asshole.”

“The residents of Purgatory will get a view of your asshole if you don’t cover it soon.” Clutching the torn fabric, polka dotted with blood, I tried to keep Purgatory’s residents from any unwelcome views of my backside.

“Follow me. There is a safe home nearby. We can stay there for the night.”

I didn’t argue, just followed as best I could, albeit slowly. Tracking through a large field, back across the placid creek of molten silver and into a different neighborhood with larger homes, I walked behind Keeper. Was that his name? Keeper? Poor guy. No wonder he has emotional issues.