Page 33 of Between Ghosts and Gods

“Then where did she go?”

Kasu wanted to throttle him. Maybe Arun could get away with talking to rulers like that in the Southern Kingdom of Bakrute, but here in the under-realm he was a spider’s thread away from being torn limb from limb and eaten.

“I might remember where Sunan went,” the demon murmured. “You’ll have to jolt my memory.”

“What do you want?” asked Arun.

The Pale Lady tilted her head the other way, like she was trying to get a better look at him. Or perhaps work out the best angle from which to eat him.

“Lady Camellia has something I desire. I heard that she has recently invented an elixir that can make ghosts and demons relive their worst memories. A single swig will cause demons to lose all sense of themselves and turn ghosts feral. I’ve heard it can even drive a god mad. I want it. Steal it for me. It doesn’t have to be the whole bottle. Just a few drops will suffice.”

Kasu wished she could say that she was surprised, but greed and jealousy were all part of being a demon. The four lords kept a fragile peace. On the surface, they mostly stayed out of each other’s way, but, like lions forced to share a cage, they always kept an eye on what the others were doing. Kasu had no doubt that they would stab each other in the back to get their hands on some shiny new toy.

“Why ask me? Aren’t you afraid I might report you to my mistress?”

“Do that and you’ll never learn about Sunan,” the Pale Lady replied calmly.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Kasu’s face. She glanced at Arun, but he was not looking at her. He wasn’t looking at anyone. His body was rigid with anger as he glared down at his wine glass.

“And where do we find this elixir? What does it look like?” she asked.

The moths covering the Pale Lady’s face shifted their agitated wings. “The elixir will be in a small bottle, dark red in colour. Lady Camellia likely keeps it somewhere in her private chambers. It should be easy for you to sneak in, no?”

Kasu pressed her lips together in a thin line. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but she doubted she would get any more answers from the demon. Not until they gave her the elixir she wanted.

“Very well. It’s a deal. We’ll find this elixir for you.”

The Pale Lady said she was happy with a few drops. That hardly counted as stealing, did it? Lady Camellia would never even notice.

Finishing off the last of her drink, the demon set her cup down on the table and stood up.

“Please, eat and drink whatever you would like.” As the Pale Lady gestured to the food, Kasu noticed a pale silver ring glittering on the demon’s twig-like finger. The band of white running through the middle was made of a material she didn’t recognize.

A gong sounded to mark the beginning of the play.

The Pale Lady smiled.

“Enjoy the show.”

Chapter Seventeen Arun

Arun glared at the Pale Lady as she left. Kasu might have accepted the demon’s offer, but he was not so convinced. Even if they found this ridiculous elixir for her, how did they know the damned demon would tell them the truth? The Pale Lady had said that his mother had stolen a reincarnation wheel and fled from the heavens – and that was obviously a lie.

“I don’t know about this.” He leaned across the table. “It sounds like a trap.”

Kasu glanced down at her untouched cup. “But we don’t have many leads.”

“How do we know she won’t just make stuff up?”

Kasu blinked in surprise. It was clear she hadn’t thought of that. Arun wanted to throw his hands up in frustration. How could someone be so naïve? She was in the under-realm, for goodness’ sake!

Kasu’s eyebrows furrowed. “We made a deal. Even though she is a demon, the Pale Lady will honour it.”

Arun opened his mouth to argue when a sudden thunderclap of applause erupted from the tables around them. On the main stage, surrounded by a circle of crouching actors, a ghost dressed in a long golden robe with flowing sleeves turned to address the audience.

“Demons and disasters, ghosts and ghouls, gather round as I tell you the story of General Shusa, the heavenly guardian god of the south! This tale may shock you; it may upset or enthral you; but I promise it is the very real and true tale of the general’s rise to the heavens!”

They were close enough to the stage that Arun didn’t have to crane his neck to watch as another actor rose up from the middle of the circle and began to shout.