Legacy of the Demon (Kara Gillian 8)

I goggled and sputtered. “Are you shitting me?”

“Wish I was. Also, it’s fifty pounds of pure gold, not fifty pounds of fourteen karat stuff. However, if we come up with enough of any quality, it’ll be no problem for me to get the equipment to melt, purify, and cast it into bars.”

“That’s a real big if!” I threw my hands up. “Where the hell are we going to get that much gold?”

Pellini’s brows pulled together. “How much gold did the Piggly Wiggly demon have on him?”

“Nowhere near enough.” Glowering, I flopped into a chair. “Ten pounds, maybe. Besides, DIRT scooped it up.”

Bryce gestured to the corner of the wall screen where a timer unobtrusively counted down. “We have until midnight tomorrow to get the gold to the contact or the deal’s off. No compromise on that.”

“Great. Just great.” I dropped my head back. “I guess that’s all the time we have anyway. The full moon is day after tomorrow which means that’s when I have to do the summoning. Net or no net.” Working without a net. Fuck. The damn thing was both literal and figurative. Without it, I’d be like a trapeze artist who’d never performed a flip before, hurtling through the air over razor sharp rocks and hoping to hell that I could catch the other swing.

Yet the outcome would be far worse if I didn’t make the attempt. Xharbek would have Elinor, and it would be only a matter of time before he found a way to rip her essence from me and created an Elinor-Death-Star capable of wiping out Earth.

“What about going through official channels?” Bryce asked. “Can you—as Arcane Commander—requisition gold for some bogus purpose? It’s a fortune for an individual, but nothing for the government.”

“Con the government in order to pay off a government employee to steal government property.” I let the idea percolate. I didn’t much like playing the bad guy in order to be the good guy, but I’d already started down that rabbit hole when I decided to steal the net.

“It’s a big risk,” Pellini said. “You’d need a convincing story and tangible results within twenty-four hours, all while preparing for the summoning of a lifetime.”

Frustration rose. “If you have a better idea, by

all means, spill it.”

“Loot one of the wealthy neighborhoods?” Bryce offered.

“The rich folks who stayed are armed to the teeth and way too trigger-happy,” I pointed out. “And museums nationwide have been hiding their valuable stuff away. Pawn shops and jewelry stores are also a no-go since pretty much every non-essential retail business within a hundred miles has closed up shop.”

Giovanni cleared his throat softly. “There is gold to be had.”

We all turned to look at him.

“Excuse me?” I said.

“Szerain’s palace.” He opened his hands and shrugged. “Statuary gold. Cast figures large and small.”

My brain fumbled for a few seconds. “Let me make sure I have this right. You’re suggesting we steal and melt Szerain’s art?”

Giovanni crossed his arms over his chest. “He stole far more than mere gold from Elinor.”

Ouch. “Okay, that’s a valid point.” I considered this new development. “Y’know, I think this gold acquisition scheme could work.” I’d find a way to make it up to Szerain later. Preferably from a distance. “I need to go to the demon realm anyway to get the gimkrah.”

“Do you know where it is?” Pellini asked.

“Not yet, but I’m going to call Mzatal and ask.”

“I assume you’re planning to use the Spires to get to the demon realm?”

“Not sure we have any other options for interdimensional transport,” I said. “Of course, we don’t know if the Earthgate is an option at all. Just because we can touch it doesn’t mean we can use it.”

“I can,” Pellini said quietly.

“What? How?”

He gave a self-conscious shrug. “When Kadir came through the gate, I got a glimpse of the other side. I could feel it.” He shook his head. “Look, I don’t know what to say other than I’m sure I can get us through.”

“Then that’s good enough for me,” I assured him. Looked like Pellini’s connection to Kadir might actually pay off. “Giovanni, where do we find the gold?”