It was supposed to be an in-and-out job. Nice and easy. Get into the magician’s mansion while he was out of town, steal the amulet, get out again, and get paid.
Of course I knew the amulet wasn’t going to be unprotected. And I knew that there might be some, shall we say, non-mundane obstacles to be overcome. This was a magician’s house, after all. But I really wasn’t expecting a demon.
‘Demoness, actually,’ she purred.
‘Oh, I’m sorry … um … Milady. Did I say that out loud?’
‘You did. And now you’re staring. It’s the horns, isn’t it? Or is it the fangs? The claws? The wings? The tail, maybe? No, it’s the whole breathing smoke and spitting fire thing, isn’t it?’
‘I’m so sorry … Milady. I’ve never met a demoness before.’ This was true. I had zero experience of dealing with demons of any gender. Few people do. Most people who encounter demons don’t live to tell the tale. Speaking of tails, I realised I was staring at hers, the tip of which was twitching the way a cat’s does, just before it pounces on a mouse. ‘I’m sorry … um … Milady? I’m not sure of the proper way to address a demoness?’
‘Milady will do nicely. I like that. I don’t think anyone has ever been polite enough to ask before. Most people are too busy either trying to tell me I’m bound to their will and must do their bidding, or running around in circles, waving their arms in the air, screaming and begging me not to eat them. I don’t get a lot of opportunities for civilised conversation.’
‘Wait … eat them? We’re speaking figuratively here … right? You wouldn’t really …?
‘I’m afraid I don’t have a choice. On account of being bound to the magician’s will and forced to do his bidding, you see.’
‘Isn’t there some way we can negotiate about this, Milady?’
‘Sorry. It’s nothing personal. I don’t enjoy eating humans. Bit too salty for my taste. Elves are a lot sweeter. But that damn conjurer has this spell on me. I have to eat anyone who enters by force or by deception.’
‘Wait … can you say that again, please, Milady?’
‘Very well, as you ask so nicely. Sorry, it’s nothing personal. I don’t even—’
‘No, just the last bit if you don’t mind, please, Milady.’
‘I have to eat anyone who enters here by force or by deception?’
‘What about someone who bribed the magician’s servant for a key?’
‘Hmm … interesting. Some people might call that a form of deception. But there might be a little bit of wiggle room there, maybe. I’m just not quite sure if it’s enough.’
‘Is there any way to find out that doesn’t involve eating me, Milady?’
‘Not with any certainty, no. I could let you try to leave. Either I’ll be compelled to eat you, or I won’t. No way to tell in advance. Thing is, though, if it doesn’t work, you’ll be eaten, and I’ll be punished for trying to resist the spell.’
‘What will the magician do to you?’
‘Don’t ask. Trust me, you don’t want to know. Human’s think demons are cruel, but we’d never have thought up half the nasty things humans do to each other and to us.’
‘Well, I wouldn’t want anything unpleasant to happen to you, Milady. But I really don’t want to get eaten, either. Is there anything I can do for you that might make it worth your while to take the risk?’
‘I doubt it. Just out of curiosity, though, what was it that you came here for?’
‘An amulet, Milady. A black stone on a gold chain, with the figure of a dragon engraved into the stone.’
Her eyes flickered. ‘Interesting. It’s in that iron-bound chest over there. It’s locked, of course. Think you can open it?’
‘I can open anything, Milady.’
‘Confidence. I like that. Go on then. Show me.’
I fished out my lockpicks and got to work. It took a while. It was a complex lock and my hands were not quite as steady as they usually are. You try picking a lock while being watched by a demoness who’s probably going to eat you.
She watched with no sign of impatience. I guess time doesn’t mean much to an immortal demoness. Eventually I got the lock open. I put away the lockpicks and reached for the lid.
‘Wait!’ the demoness warned me. ‘You should know that the amulet is guarded by a minor but rather nasty fire spirit.’
I nodded my thanks and rummaged in my pack until I found a small green flask that sloshed when I shook it. I uncorked it and held it ready in one hand while I flipped open the lid of the chest with the other.
A gout of orange flame leapt out of the chest and flew at my face. I barely managed to throw the contents of the flask over it before it reached me. It hissed furiously, flickered, flew up toward the ceiling, and disappeared, leaving behind a trail of evil-smelling black smoke.
I hesitated for a moment. There was nothing in my pack that could seriously threaten the demoness, but was there something that might distract her long enough for me to escape? How tightly was she bound to this place? Would she pursue me if I made it out of the building?
She coughed disapprovingly and I put that thought out of my mind – for now. Time enough for desperate measures if and when all else failed.
In the chest lay the black stone on its gold chain, nestled on a piece of red velvet. I took it out and, at a nod of approval from the demoness, I put the chain around my neck and tucked the amulet under my tunic. It felt warm against my skin and vibrated slightly. Or was that me shaking? It was hard to tell.
‘Now what, Milady?’
‘Now you try to leave. If you get out of here without being eaten, you’ll know it worked. If not … well, I like you. I’ll try to make it quick.’
‘Won’t the magician punish you when he finds the amulet missing, Milady?’ What was I thinking? Why did I have to ask her that? I always knew curiosity would be the death of me one day.
She smiled, exposing those long, sharp fangs. A darting, forked tongue flicked between her lips, and whisps of grey-black smoke drifted from her mouth and nostrils and curled around her head. Her tail twitched, and fire danced in her eyes.
‘What do you think he used to bind me?’ She reached out and tapped the amulet under my tunic with one long, crimson claw, and I felt that tap vibrate through my ribs and all the way into my heart. ‘The spell prevented me from asking you to steal it, but the magician neglected to say anything about advising someone who came to steal it of their own accord. If you make it out of here alive with that, I will no longer be bound, and it won’t be the magician who gets to hand out the punishment this time. Off you go now. Good luck.’
This story originally appeared in Andromeda Spaceways Magazine in October 2023.
Keira Reynolds (she / her) writes short stories. Mostly fantasy. Mostly. She has a BA in Arts and Humanities, with specialisms in Creative Writing and Classical Studies, from the Open University. She has had stories (and one poem) published in various magazines and anthologies and is Assistant Fantasy Editor at Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores. She occasionally posts random thoughts on her blog at https://keirareynolds.com.