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Authors: Jon Mayhew
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froze altogether. A statue.
Edgy hung by his coat, half suspended from the ossified demon’s closed fist. He wriggled to get free but the jacket was pinched tight around his armpit. The demon statue rocked on its heels, threatening to fall forward and crush Edgy. One or two passers-by began to stop and stare, open-mouthed, at the spectacle that had appeared before them.
‘Just popped outta thin air,’ shrieked a flower girl, craning her neck at Edgy as he tugged at the trapped fabric of his jacket. ‘It’s a blimmin’ miracle.’
‘Garn! Some kind o’ trick,’ sneered a passing street cleaner, leaning on his brush and spitting into the gutter. ‘Chuck ’im a coin.’
The growing crowd parted and Janus appeared, placing the smoking ossifier back into his waistcoat pocket.
‘Now you have to decide, Edgy Taylor,’ he said, sawing furiously at the shoulder of his coat with a penknife, ‘what you’re going to do. You’ve put me to a lot of inconvenience today, not to mention a small amount of personal danger. It wasn’t easy tracking these demons down, you know.’
The thick material gave way with a ripping sound and the statue keeled backwards, shattering into pieces on the unforgiving cobbles. Edgy flinched.
‘I-I’m sorry, Mr Janus,’ Edgy stammered. His head swam and his thoughts jumbled up on top of each other.
‘Apology accepted, lad, though what the governors will make of three ossifications in two days, I don’t know.’ Janus shook his head and pursed his lips for a second. Then he snapped his head up and fixed Edgy with a flinty glare. ‘Now what’s it to be? Are you going to take your chances here on the streets? Or are you willing to come back to the Society and work for us? I need your skills, Edgy.’
‘Work for you?’ Edgy asked, his jaw sagging. ‘Y’mean like a job?’
‘Exactly,’ said Janus, pocketing his knife. ‘Your abilities would be invaluable to the Society and you’ve proved yourself to be fast and resourceful, if a little headstrong. I was going to offer the position to you this morning but you waltzed off – and ruined a perfectly good jacket. What do you think?’
Edgy didn’t get a chance to reply. The third and final demon sprang up from behind Janus. Its long, warty fingers closed around his neck and yanked him off the ground, sending the penknife and ossifier clattering from his pockets to the ground.
‘I’ll wring this devious old buzzard’s neck, then rip your heart out,’ it sniggered.
A tall gent stepped forward to challenge what he saw as a large ruffian taking hold of an old man. The demon swatted him away with its free hand as if he were a fly.
Edgy lunged forward and snatched up the ossifier. It felt clumsy and alien in his hands, like a collapsed telescope. He wracked his brains. How did Mr Janus open it? Which way does it point?
Janus made a gargling sound.
Edgy tugged at the tube and it opened with a metallic click.
A trickle of blood oozed from Janus’s mouth.
Edgy aimed the tube and a cord tumbled from the back. Did Mr Janus pull this?
The professor’s face bulged blue as he kicked feebly for his freedom.
Edgy yanked at the cord and the ossifier produced a bang, winding Edgy and sending him stumbling back, away from Janus.
The grey sludgeball whirled through the air. For a moment, Edgy feared he had missed as the ball arced left but the demon was huge and still in its path. It splattered on its shoulder. Janus’s eyes widened as he realised what was happening. Edgy ran forward. If the demon ossified with that grip then Janus would surely die. If he could break the grip, all might not be lost.
Edgy pressed down on the demon’s greying thumb. Its eyes grew milky as life ebbed away. He could feel the stoniness creaking up its arm through its wrist. The creature slackened its grip slightly as it solidified and Edgy pulled at the fingers. Janus slumped to the ground, blood rushing to his face.
The demon stood, arm extended,
Edgy hung by his coat, half suspended from the ossified demon’s closed fist. He wriggled to get free but the jacket was pinched tight around his armpit. The demon statue rocked on its heels, threatening to fall forward and crush Edgy. One or two passers-by began to stop and stare, open-mouthed, at the spectacle that had appeared before them.
‘Just popped outta thin air,’ shrieked a flower girl, craning her neck at Edgy as he tugged at the trapped fabric of his jacket. ‘It’s a blimmin’ miracle.’
‘Garn! Some kind o’ trick,’ sneered a passing street cleaner, leaning on his brush and spitting into the gutter. ‘Chuck ’im a coin.’
The growing crowd parted and Janus appeared, placing the smoking ossifier back into his waistcoat pocket.
‘Now you have to decide, Edgy Taylor,’ he said, sawing furiously at the shoulder of his coat with a penknife, ‘what you’re going to do. You’ve put me to a lot of inconvenience today, not to mention a small amount of personal danger. It wasn’t easy tracking these demons down, you know.’
The thick material gave way with a ripping sound and the statue keeled backwards, shattering into pieces on the unforgiving cobbles. Edgy flinched.
‘I-I’m sorry, Mr Janus,’ Edgy stammered. His head swam and his thoughts jumbled up on top of each other.
‘Apology accepted, lad, though what the governors will make of three ossifications in two days, I don’t know.’ Janus shook his head and pursed his lips for a second. Then he snapped his head up and fixed Edgy with a flinty glare. ‘Now what’s it to be? Are you going to take your chances here on the streets? Or are you willing to come back to the Society and work for us? I need your skills, Edgy.’
‘Work for you?’ Edgy asked, his jaw sagging. ‘Y’mean like a job?’
‘Exactly,’ said Janus, pocketing his knife. ‘Your abilities would be invaluable to the Society and you’ve proved yourself to be fast and resourceful, if a little headstrong. I was going to offer the position to you this morning but you waltzed off – and ruined a perfectly good jacket. What do you think?’
Edgy didn’t get a chance to reply. The third and final demon sprang up from behind Janus. Its long, warty fingers closed around his neck and yanked him off the ground, sending the penknife and ossifier clattering from his pockets to the ground.
‘I’ll wring this devious old buzzard’s neck, then rip your heart out,’ it sniggered.
A tall gent stepped forward to challenge what he saw as a large ruffian taking hold of an old man. The demon swatted him away with its free hand as if he were a fly.
Edgy lunged forward and snatched up the ossifier. It felt clumsy and alien in his hands, like a collapsed telescope. He wracked his brains. How did Mr Janus open it? Which way does it point?
Janus made a gargling sound.
Edgy tugged at the tube and it opened with a metallic click.
A trickle of blood oozed from Janus’s mouth.
Edgy aimed the tube and a cord tumbled from the back. Did Mr Janus pull this?
The professor’s face bulged blue as he kicked feebly for his freedom.
Edgy yanked at the cord and the ossifier produced a bang, winding Edgy and sending him stumbling back, away from Janus.
The grey sludgeball whirled through the air. For a moment, Edgy feared he had missed as the ball arced left but the demon was huge and still in its path. It splattered on its shoulder. Janus’s eyes widened as he realised what was happening. Edgy ran forward. If the demon ossified with that grip then Janus would surely die. If he could break the grip, all might not be lost.
Edgy pressed down on the demon’s greying thumb. Its eyes grew milky as life ebbed away. He could feel the stoniness creaking up its arm through its wrist. The creature slackened its grip slightly as it solidified and Edgy pulled at the fingers. Janus slumped to the ground, blood rushing to his face.
The demon stood, arm extended,
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