Read Online The Trouble with Demons by Lisa Shearin - Free Book Online

didn’t strike me as the type to give his life to protect something.”
    “He wasn’t.”
    “But he must have known what it was; otherwise, he couldn’t have said that he didn’t have it. Unfortunately he’s dead, and the demon that killed him is stuffed in a bottle.”
    “Some of his colleagues aren’t,” Mychael reminded me.
    I jerked my head in the direction of the cells. “You’re going to question the blue ones out there?”
    “I am. If they don’t know anything, I’ll have to let the Volghul out of the bottle.”
    “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
    “It might be necessary. And since I’ve interrogated demons before, and I am the paladin of this island, it’s my duty to do it. But if I did have to interrogate the Volghul, I couldn’t do it here. Sedge has top-notch shields and wards on his cells, but they’re nowhere near strong enough for a Volghul. I’d have to take him to the demonology department for that.”
    “Let’s hope the blue ones are talkative.”

Chapter 5
     
     
    All naked, blue demons looked the same to me. Perhaps that opinion offended delicate demonic sensibilities, but somehow I doubted this bunch had anything delicate. An hour or so closed up in a warded cell had given their collective aroma ample time to seep out. Believe me, there was nothing delicate about that. Wards and shields would hold in or keep out most anything—unfortunately a stomach-turning, gag-inducing stench wasn’t one of them.
    Vegard saw my grimace. “Brimstone.”
    “What?” I tried unsuccessfully to talk and breathe through my mouth at the same time. Must have been a gift I didn’t have.
    “The smell,” he clarified.
    “So that’s what Hell smells like.”
    “I assume so; never been there myself.”
    “Not many have,” came a woman’s voice from behind us.
    “Afternoon, Sir Vegard.”
    The big Guardian turned and smiled. “Professor Niabi, good to see you.”
    “Considering how today’s gone so far, it’s good to be seen.”
    The woman was human, about my height, with nut brown skin, and black hair pulled back into a serviceable braid.
    “So Hell’s not a top-ten vacation spot?” I quipped.
    Her teeth flashed in a good-humored grin. “The beaches suck.” She put out her hand. “Sora Niabi, professor of demonology.”
    I hesitated only a moment before taking it. Her hand was warm and callused. Sora Niabi had done more work than just turning pages. I might have to adjust my opinion about academic types.
    “I’m Raine Benares, seeker and . . .” I looked up at Vegard.
    “What else are people calling me now?”
    The big Guardian chuckled and shook his head. “A lot of things, ma’am. Some you’ve heard, most you haven’t, but I’m sure you could guess.”
    “No titles necessary,” Sora Niabi said with a grin. “I know who you are.”
    She knew, and she wasn’t afraid of me. She also didn’t want my power or want me locked up. I could sense it, and my instincts about people had never been wrong. Well, at least not yet.
    “After this morning, Professor Niabi’s also the new department chair,” Vegard informed me.
    Sora Niabi blew her breath out in disgust. “Looks that way. Though if Laurian Berel hadn’t been such an idiot, I wouldn’t be.” Her robes were a riot of bright colors. They were also slashed up the side, exposing practical trousers underneath, and good, sturdy boots.
    She noticed me noticing. “When you study demons for a living, Miss Benares, it’s healthy to be able to haul ass when you have to.”
    That did it; I liked her.
    “Call me Raine.”
    “Only if you’ll drop the ‘professor’ and call me Sora.”
    “Done.”
    Mychael joined us. “Professor Niabi, thank you for coming on such short notice.”
    “Not a problem, Paladin Eiliesor. The coroner needed me to officially identify Professor Berel, so I had to be here anyway.”
    “He was a talented mage.”
    “Laurian was a better fool, and you know it as well as I do. You should