White Witch, Black Curse

"Pierce wanted me to tell you that he's been here since Al cracked his stone. It made a path a willing spirit could use, and he followed his thoughts back to you." Ford was smiling at me as if it was good news, but I couldn't smile back. Damn it, I had been in such a great mood, and now it was gone. First the thing with the failed earth charms, and now Jenks thought Pierce was a demon spy.

"This is bad, Ivy," Jenks said, lighting on her shoulder. "I don't like it."

My anger flared. I wanted him to shut up. "I don't care if you like it or not," I snapped. "Pierce is the first person I helped. The first person who needed me. And if he needs my help again, I'm going to give it." Frustrated, I threw a handful of ley line stuff in a drawer and shut it so hard Rex darted away.

Ford shifted from foot to foot. "I have to go."

No doubt, after my little show of temper. Jenks got in his way, and the man hesitated. "Ford," he said, sounding desperate. "Tell Rachel this is a bad idea. You don't bring back the dead. Not ever."

My heart seemed to clench, but Ford raised a placating hand. "I think it's a great idea. Pierce is not malevolent, and what harm can she do to him in one night?"

Jenks's wings hit an unreal pitch, and his sparkles sifted to gray. "I don't think you grasp the situation here," he said. "We don't know this guy from Tink! So Rachel feels sorry for him and brings him back for a night. He was buried alive in blasphemed ground. We don't know the way to bring him all the way back from the dead, but I bet a demon does. And what's to stop this guy from whispering in some demon's ear, exchanging our secrets for a new life!"

"That's enough!" I shouted. "Jenks, you need to apologize to Pierce. Right now!"

Trailing a ribbon of sparkles like a wayward sunbeam, Jenks flew to me. "I will not!" he said vehemently. "Don't do this, Rachel. You can't risk it. None of us can."

Jenks hovered before me, tense and determined. Behind him, Ivy looked at me. Suddenly, I didn't know what to say. I'd met Pierce, saved a little girl with him, but had I been looking at him through innocent, eighteen-year-old eyes, easily misled and hoodwinked?

"Jenks," Ford said, looking pained by my sudden doubt.

The small pixy darted up, his frustration obvious. "Can I talk to you in private?" he said, looking angry enough to pix the man.

Head down, Ford nodded, angling to leave the kitchen. "Let me know if you can't find the spell, Rachel, and I'll come over and you can talk to Pierce some more."

"Sure." I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the counter. "I'd appreciate that." My jaw was clenched, and I was getting a headache. Rex followed Jenks and Ford out, and I wondered if the cat was following them, or Pierce. The sound of Ford's feet faded, and then a soft, one-sided conversation started up from the sanctuary. Ivy could probably hear Ford clearly enough to make out the words, but I couldn't, and that's all Jenks was after.

Forcing my teeth apart, I looked at Ivy across the long length of the kitchen. She had gotten out another small plate, and as I nodded sourly, she put the other half of her dinner on it and handed it to me. I stiffly took it. "You don't think this is a bad idea, do you?" I asked, and Ivy sighed, staring at nothing.

"Is it a demon curse?" she asked. "The one to give Pierce a temporary body, I mean."

My head moved back and forth, and I took a bite of bagel. "No. It's simply hard."

Her dark eyes focused on me and she lifted a thin shoulder. "Good," she said. "I think you should do it. Jenks is a paranoid old man."

Relief brought my shoulders down and I managed a thin smile. Turning my bagel to get to the side with the most cream cheese, I took a bite, and the tart tang of cheese hit my tongue. "Pierce isn't up to anything," I said as I chewed. "I just want to help him if I can. He helped me realize what I wanted to do with my life, and I sort of owe him." I looked at her, seeing her eyes distant in thought. "You know what I mean? Owing someone for changing your life in a good way?"

Her attention flicked to me. "Uh, yeah," she said, then set her plate down to go to the fridge.

"I know I can do the spell; all I need is the recipe, the equipment, and a gathering of witches to siphon off the power." I looked at my bagel and sighed. This was going to be hard.

Ivy was silent as she poured a glass of orange juice, then said softly, "I'm sorry. This means a lot to you. Jenks is being an ass. Ignore him."

I ate another bite of my bagel and said nothing. Pierce was one of the few people who knew me before I had demon marks, or smut, or anything else. I had to help him if I could.

Ivy shifted to the sink to wash the crumbs from her plate, and knowing my agitation was hard on her instincts, I slid away a few feet. "Can't you just buy the book?" she asked, gazing at the porch light shining on the snowy garden. "If it's not demon magic, it should be out there."