Free Curse of Shadows and Light by Penelope King

your hostess. Sorry I was late in greeting you. Some unexpected visitors arrived the same time you did, but they came in through the back door, if you know what I mean.” She gives us a wink and holds out her hand, whose nails naturally are sporting bright-green tips.
    I look at her and raise an eyebrow. “No, I don’t know what you mean,” I mutter. Kieron reaches out to take Jade’s hand, but when he does, she grasps his even tighter, and for a few seconds her eyes take on a bright glow. Before I have time to react, Kieron pulls away.
    Jade gives us a pleasant smile. “Thank you. That’s all I needed to know. Please come with me.”
    She turns and beckons us to follow. I glance at Kieron. “Damn psychics,” he whispers with a grimace. “Never give you any warning before they go digging around in there.”
    We trail close behind as Jade leads us along a golden stone pathway toward the center of the action. Then we turn a corner, and suddenly we can see a whole other part of the club that was previously hidden. Thousands more patrons are dancing to the thumping music. Half-naked bodies writhe seductively in cages suspended in the air. And on the huge, raised stage a DJ dressed in a devil costume is gesturing wildly and pumping up the swelling crowd, while several beautiful, scantily-clad girls dressed as angels dance seductively around him.
    “ Way to live the cliché,” I say in Kieron’s ear. Apparently Jade hears me because she turns around with a smile.
    “ The humans love it.”
    I give her a nod and a fake smile as I survey the scene. Demon Bar back home is about the size of a small, intimate restaurant, with low ceilings, dirty floors, and stone chairs. I don’t think there was a color in there that wasn’t black, grey, or brown. Here, I don’t think there is a color that isn’t electric and glowing, as if the place itself is totally alive.
    Jade leads us past the DJ stage and over a bridge. The churning river of fire below reminds me of entering the inner sanctum of Dryndara. “Here you go, through these curtains,” she says. She holds open the long velvet drapes whose tops seem to extend indefinitely to the night sky.
    As soon as we pass through, I feel an immediate and drastic change in the atmosphere. The music dulls to a muted beat. The lighting is dimmer, more natural, less vibrant. The air is cooler. Still smoky, but familiar.
    “ Now we’re talking,” Kieron says with a relieved laugh.
    “ This is our VIP lounge for our special guests,” Jade says with a wink. “From now on you’ll use the back entrance to come directly in here. But we always have first-timers come in through the front to get a lay of the land.”
    “ You have humans and demons mingling in the same place? How is that even possible?” I’m still stunned.
    Jade waves her hand dismissively. “The humans only see what they want to see. Most of them think that they are the center of the universe and that the world revolves around only them. People like that are the blindest of all and are the most easily deceived. It’s the ones who have their eyes wide open we need to worry about. Fortunately, not too many of those find their way in here. But we need the humans, just as they need us. It’s a symbiotic relationship, and one that works.”
    Kieron and I exchange looks. We’d always done everything in our powers to remain a secret from the humans. And here these guys are partying with them.
    “ The worlds of man and of demonia are not as separate and distinct as you might think,” Jade continues, motioning for us to sit at a table. “This club was built around the largest collection of portals to the demon realm in the entire mortal world. There are one hundred and eighty-seven separate entry points here connecting to portals all throughout Thiberoux. And there are close to a thousand more connecting to various other places on Man’s Earth. From almost the earliest period of civilization this place has served as a