Free The Lie Spinners (The Deception Dance) by Rita Stradling Page A

is
that Räum can do whatever he pleases to you, and face no
repercussions. First order of business, we need to figure out what he
wants… think, what do you know about him?”
    I
try to recall what I remember about Räum from the Ars Goetia,
the book about the demonic nobility’s hierarchy that I studied
in a theoretical sense early this year. Since no one bothered to
inform me that I could ever come into contact with the other Souls of
Solomon without The Gates of Hell opening; my study of them had been
in a ‘these are all the demons that would come at you if you
fail’ mind-frame. I sort of lumped them all together in massive
post-apocalyptic horde rather than thinking of them on an individual
basis. Räum… Räum…
    I
whisper, uncertainly, “He’s a earl, I think. He can turn
into a crow…?” This detail had stood out to me, as it
was similar to Andras’ raven’s head transformation, but
I’m not sure if it was Räum or not.
    “ Yes
I think you’re right.” She inhales sharply and says,
“Shit!”
    “ Where?”
the asura holding Jones says, stopping abruptly, and looks around the
alley on the ground. A stray dog crosses our path yipping at us. The
asura smiles, and says, “That is not shit, that is sport.”
    “ Don’t
you touch it,” Jones says, moving between the Asura and the
stray. From the expression on his face, Jones looks ready to fight
his monster-woman over the little dog. This brings him up a notch on
my book. Maybe I’ll graduate him from Stupid Jerk Face, to just
Jerk-Face…
    “ No
time for fun,” our asura hisses as the skinny dog hastens out
of our path. “Move, we’re almost there.”
    We’re,
it seems, fifteen feet from ‘ there’ and there is a closed door on the side of the alley. The asuras are completely
silent as the asura holding Jones knocks on the door, simultaneously,
with three of her hands.
    Cassidy
stares at me, probably not wanting to risk speaking in the silence
but the intensity of her look screams that she has something she
needs to say. She squeezes my hand painfully tight.
    “ What ?”
I mouth.
    Cassidy
whispers through gritted teeth, “He has the power to…”
    The
asura shakes us both so violently my aching neck snaps back. “Stop
that singto ,”
the asura yells, “You will not talk!”
    Jones
looks between us, he says, “What are you talking…?
Räum’s power…? Master thief…immobilizer
…prophesier… reconciler… invoker of—shit!”
Jones wheels around and punches his asura’s middle face so hard
and fast that he yanks his hand out of the way before her blood
sprays everywhere. His asura screams, all her hands going to her
middle face and letting go of Jones.
    Jones
doesn’t hesitate, he runs, leaving me and Cassidy in the alley
with the two enraged asuras.
    Stupid
Jerk Face!
    “ Bloody…wait!”
Cassidy yells.
    “ Get
him!” our asura screams right as the door swings open.
    The
monster that ducks out of the doorway is the most demonic creature
I've ever seen. Eight feet tall, obesity doesn’t even begin to
explain his bulk; fat rolls overflow his tight leather thong. His
skin rolls forward like a carpet of hair and red bulging boils. But
the most revolting and terrifying thing about the creature is its
large devil’s face that spreads into sharp horns at his temples
and chin. A large sharp nose hooks over his fanged mouth.
    "Looks
like Räum does
have some demons working for him," I say. Strangely, I feel a
small relief to see the demonic creature. At least one thing here can't kill me…
    "Not
a demon," Cassidy says, shaking her head, "That would be an
Oni, a Japanese ogre."
    Or...
maybe not.
    Cassidy
whispers, "do not trust anything you—" She's cut off
by the asura's hand slapping over her mouth with an audible ‘smack.’
    The
asura's middle face says, deadly serious, "You have chosen the
wrong party to poop in, singto !"
    Both
Cassidy and I stay completely still for one moment, then we
simultaneously look up to the