Read Online Demon Heart (The Darkworld Series Book 3) by Emma L. Adams - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Emma L. Adams
Ads: Link
Ash,” said Leo. “We’ll find the fortune-teller soon, and she’ll sort everything out.”
“She’d better.”
We hauled Howard off the bus at the stop at the far end of Blackstone and made our way through the dark streets towards the town centre. None of us had ever been in this area before, but we used the towering cathedral spires as a guiding point. It was hard going. My arms burned, and Berenice stumbled so many times that if Leo hadn’t been supporting her on the other side, we’d have crashed to the floor in a heap.
There was clearly a pub crawl going on, judging by the number of people in rainbow-striped outfits and superhero capes in the square. But none of them gave us a second glance as we walked right through the centre, to the corner where the fortune-teller’s tent sat hidden in plain sight. Like us.
We dragged Howard over the tent’s threshold, Leo shouting for the fortune-teller. It was dark in there, and even the incense candles no longer burned. I stumbled into the desk as we laid Howard on the wooden bench. In the gloom, I made out the shapes of glittering charms hanging from the ceiling and the faint glow of the crystal ball that presumably was a fake on the desk.
No reply came. I conjured up a light and directed it upward to illuminate the entire tent. The fortune-teller’s usual seat was empty.
“Shit,” said Leo. “You’re kidding.”
“She’s not in?” whispered Berenice. “But we need… we need to help… him.” She sank down onto the floor and made choked sobbing noises.
“Oh, pull yourself together!” I snapped. I shook all over from the exertion, but something in me felt alert, and for some reason, angry. “Where does she keep her healing stuff?”
“Here,” said Leo, who was already pulling out bottles and containers from behind the desk. “This is the one she used when the harpies got you, Ash―I think it works on all wounds from Darkworld creatures.”
Berenice took the bottle from him with shaking hands. She still looked like living death, but my yelling at her had snapped her to her senses, at least.
“This one’s for stopping heavy bleeding.” Leo examined another bottle. “These instructions are handwritten. I think she makes all these herself.”
“I don’t care. Just hand it over!” said Berenice.
“Okay, okay.”
Berenice unscrewed the lid. The strong smell of herbs mingled with the lingering aroma of incense. For a minute, the only sounds were Berenice’s sharp breaths as she tenderly rubbed the lotion into the worst of the wounds.
“The bleeding’s stopping,” said Berenice. “But he’s not waking up. Why isn’t he waking up?”
“We need to find Madame Unreliable,” said Leo. “Seriously… she can’t be far. It’s not like her to leave her tent unguarded.”
“Maybe she wanted to make sure we could get inside, just in case,” I said.
“Sounds like her. But she couldn’t have known this would happen.”
“You never know,” I said darkly.
Howard groaned from the bench.
Berenice let out a startled shriek. “Howard!” She threw herself onto him.
“Ow.”
“Sorry―sorry!”
“Son of a bitch.” Howard groaned. “Did it get away?”
“You crazy motherfucker,” said Leo, with a relieved laugh.
Howard squinted at him, tilting his head up. “The hell are you doing here, Blake?”
“No, ‘thanks for saving my ass?’”
“You didn’t save my―” Howard sat up and promptly fell backwards again with a groan of pain. “Where the hell am I?”
“In the fortune-teller’s tent,” said Berenice. “You weren’t moving. I freaked out and called Leo. He came here with… Ash.” She gave me a distasteful glance. Typical. “Cyrus is blocked to the outside world, and Claudia didn’t pick up her phone. We had to move you here. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“So where’s Madame Whoosit?”
“We don’t know,” said Berenice. “She wasn’t here when we arrived, but this place was
“She’d better.”
We hauled Howard off the bus at the stop at the far end of Blackstone and made our way through the dark streets towards the town centre. None of us had ever been in this area before, but we used the towering cathedral spires as a guiding point. It was hard going. My arms burned, and Berenice stumbled so many times that if Leo hadn’t been supporting her on the other side, we’d have crashed to the floor in a heap.
There was clearly a pub crawl going on, judging by the number of people in rainbow-striped outfits and superhero capes in the square. But none of them gave us a second glance as we walked right through the centre, to the corner where the fortune-teller’s tent sat hidden in plain sight. Like us.
We dragged Howard over the tent’s threshold, Leo shouting for the fortune-teller. It was dark in there, and even the incense candles no longer burned. I stumbled into the desk as we laid Howard on the wooden bench. In the gloom, I made out the shapes of glittering charms hanging from the ceiling and the faint glow of the crystal ball that presumably was a fake on the desk.
No reply came. I conjured up a light and directed it upward to illuminate the entire tent. The fortune-teller’s usual seat was empty.
“Shit,” said Leo. “You’re kidding.”
“She’s not in?” whispered Berenice. “But we need… we need to help… him.” She sank down onto the floor and made choked sobbing noises.
“Oh, pull yourself together!” I snapped. I shook all over from the exertion, but something in me felt alert, and for some reason, angry. “Where does she keep her healing stuff?”
“Here,” said Leo, who was already pulling out bottles and containers from behind the desk. “This is the one she used when the harpies got you, Ash―I think it works on all wounds from Darkworld creatures.”
Berenice took the bottle from him with shaking hands. She still looked like living death, but my yelling at her had snapped her to her senses, at least.
“This one’s for stopping heavy bleeding.” Leo examined another bottle. “These instructions are handwritten. I think she makes all these herself.”
“I don’t care. Just hand it over!” said Berenice.
“Okay, okay.”
Berenice unscrewed the lid. The strong smell of herbs mingled with the lingering aroma of incense. For a minute, the only sounds were Berenice’s sharp breaths as she tenderly rubbed the lotion into the worst of the wounds.
“The bleeding’s stopping,” said Berenice. “But he’s not waking up. Why isn’t he waking up?”
“We need to find Madame Unreliable,” said Leo. “Seriously… she can’t be far. It’s not like her to leave her tent unguarded.”
“Maybe she wanted to make sure we could get inside, just in case,” I said.
“Sounds like her. But she couldn’t have known this would happen.”
“You never know,” I said darkly.
Howard groaned from the bench.
Berenice let out a startled shriek. “Howard!” She threw herself onto him.
“Ow.”
“Sorry―sorry!”
“Son of a bitch.” Howard groaned. “Did it get away?”
“You crazy motherfucker,” said Leo, with a relieved laugh.
Howard squinted at him, tilting his head up. “The hell are you doing here, Blake?”
“No, ‘thanks for saving my ass?’”
“You didn’t save my―” Howard sat up and promptly fell backwards again with a groan of pain. “Where the hell am I?”
“In the fortune-teller’s tent,” said Berenice. “You weren’t moving. I freaked out and called Leo. He came here with… Ash.” She gave me a distasteful glance. Typical. “Cyrus is blocked to the outside world, and Claudia didn’t pick up her phone. We had to move you here. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“So where’s Madame Whoosit?”
“We don’t know,” said Berenice. “She wasn’t here when we arrived, but this place was
Similar Books
