Medusa's Dagger (Aya Harris Collection 1)

“What do you want?”

The rumbling voice echoed in the cavernous pipes. We watched the mound of slick flesh constrict and stretch, contorting until it pushed itself up and faced us.

Limax had five beady black eyes that glistened in the light of the lantern. His nose was two little holes sitting above a gaping mouth lined with thousands of tiny razor sharp teeth. With one chomp, he could’ve bitten off my arm and had it for lunch. I hid my arms behind me, just in case he got a similar idea.

“I’m Vanessa’s friend, Angel. She told me you could help us.” Angel stepped forward, the strand of Kit’s hair on her open palm. “We need to find the child this belongs to.”

Limax leaned back, his rolls of blubber undulating as he moved. “That kind of magic requires a great price. You must pay first.”

The three of us exchanged glances. We weren’t sure what a demon slug would want in exchange for the spell. Gideon had a wad of cash stuffed in his suit jacket. At the very least, we could try and buy it. As most slugs had a desire for stolen merchandise, we figured cash was a safe bet.

“What’s the cost?” Angel asked.

I had to admire my friend, standing in front of me and talking to this slug like it was any day of the week. She handled strange and scary better than the rest. It was probably why she’d worked at the museum with me for so long.

She was especially good at handling any creeps that occasionally made their way to our museum. I’d excuse myself to do some paperwork, and she’d talk them into joining the Peace Corps or going to law school, or something grand like that. Angel saw the potential in peo

ple. It was one of her charms.

“What does all magic require?” Limax slid along the floor, revealing a table behind him with a tin bowl and three black candles. A thin silver knife and a handful of bones lay scattered next to the bowl. “It requires life force.”

I felt the chill of the air work its way through my thin blouse, leaving goosebumps along my newly healed skin. The only way we could give him life force was through the exchange of blood. Maybe he only needed a pinprick, or maybe he needed an entire body’s worth of liquid gold. Either way, the idea made my stomach sink like a rock.

“How much?” Angel pulled her hair out of her face. “We’re willing to pay.”

“Just enough.” Limax turned his big head in my direction.

He hadn’t given us a second look since we’d entered his lair. He swept his five eyes over me and then turned to Gideon. The sight of Gideon’s suit made him pause.

Angel dropped her flashlight and pulled the sleeve of her cashmere sweater up to her elbow. “I’ll do it.”

“No,” Limax barked. “He’ll do it.” His unblinking eyes were fixed on Gideon, as if daring him to refuse.

I got the bad feeling that we weren’t going to get out of here so easily. The slug demon had us just where he wanted. His hatred for the SI was all the fuel he needed to make a meal of each of our corpses. Maybe he’d do us a favor and kill us first.

“Sure.” Gideon pulled off his jacket and handed it to me.

The warmth of this body clung to the fabric, so I held it close to my cold chest.

He unbuttoned the cuff of one sleeve and rolled it up, exposing the tendons and tense muscles of his lower arm. “Now what?”

“The knife.” Limax turned his head to look at the knife on the table.

Gideon strode forward with confident steps and grabbed it. He dragged the blade across the flesh of his left arm, opening a cut the length of his hand. The blood began to spill over the wound, dripping onto the floor and mixing in with the muddy sludge. Gideon grabbed the metal bowl and held it beneath the cut.

The bowl filled quickly. Blood was nearly spilling over the rim by the time Limax nodded, indicating he was satisfied. I tore a piece of cloth from the cleanest part of my shirt and rushed forward to help.

Gideon’s face had turned a sickly white in the lamp light. A thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead and dripped down his temples. He stared at me as I wrapped his cut, doing my best to stop the bleeding. We’d have to change the bandage later for something cleaner – that was if Limax let us leave his sewers alive.

I finished wrapping his arm and Gideon held the bowl out to Limax.

The giant slug shook his head, nearly taking out the lantern hanging from the ceiling. “First, light the candles. Then drop the hair into the blood and feed it to me.”

Angel rushed forward to light the three black candles. It was insane, lighting a fire beneath a sewer plant, especially with all the gasses floating around, but I held my tongue. Now was not the time to freak out. She dropped the hair into the bowl in Gideon’s hand and stepped back.

I could see the hesitation on Gideon’s face. Limax’s huge mouth looked ready for a man-flesh flavored snack. He held the bowl out on his outstretched hands, keeping as much distance between him and the slimy residue of Limax’s skin. Tipping the bowl into his mouth, Gideon poured his life force until every last drop had fallen.

A slurping noise came from the slug’s throat, followed by a gulp. Satisfied, Limax leaned back and smacked his lips together. “Hmm… Child of Moros blood. It’s like fine wine with the slight hint of dark despair. Delicious.”