Ashley's Tale - Demon's World 06

I found out her name was Amanda Darnell. I felt a little guilty as I checked out her record, she was adopted when she was five, again much like my mother. She was only barely eighteen, had graduated high school two years early and had her bachelor degree in crime. She put in her application on her birthday. I also noted her address was out on Long Island.

Nothing I could do about it now, so I grabbed Todd and we hit our patrol area.

By lunch not much had happened, then I got contacted by Gloria during lunch.

"Ash?"

I sent back, "Hi Gloria, everything okay?"

"Have you seen the news? Five world leaders have been killed, one in Europe, the rest in South Africa."

Oh crap. That's so not good.

"Do you know when it happened?"

She sent back, "Hours ago, you know they hold this stuff back for a while, just thought you would want to know."

"Thanks Gloria."

After a few seconds Gloria sent, "Oh, could you get me to Harmon tonight? And pick me up when I call? We have our date tonight."

I sent back, "Sure, can do, what time?"

"Around seven, I'll be at the condo when I get off."

Well, wasn't much I could do, there was no way could I catch them if they had hours to leave the scenes of their assassinations. I was glad they had backed off from the nuke idea, perhaps they weren't as sure it was a bluff as they professed after all. They seemed to be going back to their destabilization tactics, though much worse than before.

The rest of the day I went over and over things, I couldn't see a way I could track them down, not without help and immediate reports if something happened anyway. I doubted that would happen. When we knocked off work we went to the bar again, this time I didn't get drunk. This time I didn't have anything eating away at me. Stress yes, but no guilt.

I wasn't sure if I was in denial, or if I had really come to terms with sending a nuke across dimensions, but there it was. I felt okay with things. Perhaps it helped that those assholes were still trying to destroy the world with their twenty three person force.

I had the thought that they deserved to be jailed just as much as the Demons, if not more so. It made me kind of sad, I wondered is that all the multi-verse comes down to? People and races striking out against each other in fear? Then I remembered all the races my mom and Cat had met with over the last few weeks, and I realized it was just that the assholes who want to kill us are just that much more noticeable.

If I cheated I was sure we could have won, but since I suck at pool without magical help, Todd and I wound up buying most of the rounds for Kim and Bonnie. I left the bar right before seven, I had to play taxi in a few minutes. I told Bonnie I had something to do, so she stayed at the bar with Todd and Kim.

I just went into the ladies room and opened a portal to the condo and stepped through. Gloria was there and she looked stunning. I gave her a light kiss on the lips. "Ready?"

She nodded, and I opened a double portal to the field, after we went through I took her to the dining hall. Then I took a double portal back to the condo. I started to wonder if I could enchant something that would let me go wherever I wanted in one hop. It was easy with my new enchantment to go from anyplace, but I still couldn't go anywhere that wasn't enchanted to block the gravity waves. At least, not in one step.

I went ahead and took off my uncomfortable and dull work clothes and put on a pair of jean shorts and a tight red shirt. I slipped my feet in a pair of sandals. Much better. Amanda lived in Wantagh, so I opened a portal to the train platform on the LIRR, the only destination I knew in that area. Her house was just a mile from there, and it was a nice neighborhood, so I just started walking.

Her house was kind of nice, and I was sure she was home, thanks to the magical hook I'd put in her earlier. I knocked on the front door, and an older woman answered that was probably her adoptive mother.

I opened my mouth to ask after Amanda, but I was cut off by the fear on her face.

"You're that Witch from the television! What are you doing at my house, leave now, we don't like your kind," and she slammed the door in my face.

I breathed out a quick sigh. That would complicate things. How do you go about telling your racist adoptive mother that you're a Witch. I frowned, what if Amanda was prejudice too? I shook my head, no reason to borrow trouble, I already had plenty of it.

I shrugged, turned around, and started walking for a bar I saw by the train station, and sent a message even an unrealized Witch could receive. Of course she had no way to talk back, I just had to hope she would listen and come.

"Amanda, this is Ashley from this morning in your training class. We need to talk, and it's very important. Can you meet me at the bar by the train station? I think I scared your mom, so I decided to retreat, but we really need to talk."

I sat at the bar and ordered a beer as I waited...

Chapter 23

A soft voice filled with amusement said behind me, "Are you trying to corrupt a minor officer Price? Inviting me down to a bar and all..."

I finished the last few sips of my beer and turned with a smile on my face. "Corrupting you sounds like fun, maybe another time though. Will you come with me for a little while? This isn't the best venue for our chat I think."

She looked at me curiously and nodded. I led her outside and through a portal to beach in Hawaii, it was about two thirty in the afternoon and the sun felt good. She had a concerned look on her face and I asked, "How do you feel about Witches, I couldn't help but notice your mother..." I trailed off.

She shrugged. "I don't know, I haven't given it much thought, why did you bring me here?"

I pulled a seed from my pocket and quick grew it into a flower in full bloom and handed it to her, "To show you just a little what it means to be a Witch."

She walked along the beach next to me silently, then asked in a low voice, "Why would you want to show me?"

I turned and looked right at her, and said, "You know, Witches are human, they are born with their power locked up, unrealized. At a certain age, when a mother is sure their daughter can handle it, the magic is released. Sometimes though, very rarely, a child of a Witch loses their parents, and goes into the foster system. Those young Witches stay unrealized, unless they are recognized at some point."

She shook her head at me in denial, so I said, "But even unrealized, the power can bleed through, like knowing where a punch is coming from before its thrown, or having an eidetic memory and graduating school two years early. Perhaps you have even had the feeling that everything around you is moving just a little slower than you are at times."

Her voice sounded strained and close to panic, "But I want to be a cop, and I don't want my mom to hate me. It has to be a mistake."

I said softly, "As for the first, you can still be a cop on the taskforce. I can't really help you on the second one. Amanda, it is your choice, no one, least of all me, would force you to release your power. But you could do a lot more with it, than without, as far as helping people. But you will always be different, even if you don't realize your power. I know you know what I mean. You have stood out your whole life.

"Do you want a bee... soda?"

I let her think things over as we found a drink vendor and got some drinks. I considered showing her other applications of power, but I didn't want to oversell it, or scare the wits out of her.

Amanda asked, "If I said yes, how would I learn? Would you teach me?"

"Partly, I would be happy to. I know a couple of other Witches that would get involved as well, including my mom. My mom was in the same situation, she was actually a few years older, in a post graduate program when she found out what she was."

"Can I think about it? This is kind of big, you know?"

I smiled, understatement. "Of course, you ready to go home?"

She nodded.

I gave her my number so she could call and promised not to nag her... much, and opened a portal to her front lawn. When she stepped through I closed it and opened another to the condo and stepped through.

I giggled and squirmed as Tom grabbed me from behind and bent me over the couch. I playfully tried to get away until he smacked my ass hard.

"Be a good slut and be still."

I couldn't resist pushing back against his hardening member and grinding myself against him one more time. I gasped in pleasure as he spanked my other cheek. He pulled my shorts down forcefully and started taking me from behind while pulling back hard on my hair. It was a fast and furious kind of fuck, and I started bucking hard back against him as he drove into me. I felt his pleasure as he expanded and shot into me making me reach my own bliss.

"Oh god Tom, fill me!" I mewled and whimpered in pleasure.

After that, we spent a while in the bedroom and right as I was about to fall asleep in his arms, I was called for taxi service.

"Ash, can you come get me?"

I got up and put on a robe while I sent back, "Be right there Gloria."

I did my three hops, returning with a very happy Angel holding my hand. She decided to stay the night here, so I took my robe off and we got into bed with Tom. Right as I lay my head back down, I felt an inter-dimensional portal open in my living room. Sighing with annoyance, I got up, put on the robe and stomped out with a frown... that turned into a relieved smile as I saw both Cat and my mom.

The third person though, was quite a shock. It was that Felesian leader guy that picked up the cat slaves back on the Demon dimension. I sat down on the couch.

"Welcome back, umm, what's going on?"

"Hello Leader, it is nice to see you again."

Oh crap, the cats are telepathic?

"Indeed, though I hid it on the Demon world, lest your surprise ruin your plan to help return our people. I knew what you were immediately of course, and went along with things. I thank you for your kindness in returning our people."

Cat was smiling like the cat that got the cream, it was my mother that finally explained.

"The Angels were no help, they can't help us locate the Elves, so Cat and I started looking for a race that could. At first the Felesians were wary of us, until this one recognized us in you, and opened a dialogue. They can't manipulate others with their minds, but they are far stronger readers and mind voice senders than the Elves, they can help us track them down."

I went over what happened briefly, saying there were only twenty three left. Then I asked the Felesian why he was helping us, I was a bit wary. He didn't seem offended, he merely answered.

"I agreed to discuss it with your mother and den mother, because of your kindness. As far as a price, I was not joking about Demons destroying our old dimension, your den mother has volunteered to block our dimension if we help you with your Elf problem."

Den mother? Oh, Cat, Witch elder or leader, got it. I nodded slowly. I also told mom I found another unrealized Witch, and she was thinking about having her power released. I didn't see any reason to hide anything, I had a feeling the Felesian already knew my whole life story. I also mentioned the Elves turned to assassinating world leaders while they were gone. Then I asked what we had to do, I assumed they had a plan of some sort. Did I leave anything out?

"Oh right, I'm also dating the leader of the Demon dimension."

I got a good giggle out of mom's response. Talk about bringing home the bad boy. I knew she would be fine when she got to know him, I was just enjoying the shock value a little too much. I realized my comments had been disordered and stuff, but I was really tired and wanted to go back to bed, feeling a little scatterbrained. Plus, I was still shocked there was another telepathic race, and I actually knew them already.

Cat nodded toward the... cat. Then said, "He will locate and send us a mind picture of where an Elf is and we will portal there and get him. The Felesian will stay here in safety though, he is just here to help locate."

Wow, he could scan the whole world, they weren't kidding about the more powerful part. I sighed in resignation as I used power to refresh my mind and make me feel well rested, something I had put off in the hopes of returning to bed, another sleepless night was coming.

"Just let me go change quick and we can get started."

I just put on the jean shorts and shirt from earlier and went back out into the living room. I also grumpily gave the necklaces I had made to Cat and mom.

Cat asked, "What's this?"

"I got sorta nervous and worried when you were both gone so long. Now you have no excuse not to check in."

Mom studied it for a second then smiled, "They are like mine, but work over dimensions? That's great. Sorry for worrying you, the Felesians were wary at first, we didn't want to leave and come back."

The Felesian, who still wouldn't give me his name, fed us intel and pictures good enough we could portal to. The first four Elves didn't see us coming and were overwhelmed quickly and banished. After that, things got a bit difficult, even apart they could keep in constant communication. They last nineteen were either ready for us, or on the move.

It took us a long time to round them up, we probably caused a number of international incidents as well, a few of them collected a bunch of police and controlled them enough to fight us, badly, but the problem was they were both a distraction, and innocent. Bystanders couldn't see the Elves of course, so all they saw was three Witches appearing and attacking their local police force.

It was a damn mess. I hoped we could straighten it out with the President's help.

Cat went back with the Felesian when we were finished. I could hardly believe it, no more Elves. I felt a weight drop off my shoulders. My mom said she would handle the press and the President and try and smooth things over. It was about five am, so I shrugged and started a pot of coffee. I was too wired to sleep, and wouldn't really be tired until tonight anyway, after my magic recharge.

I guess every good deed isn't punished, if I hadn't looked into freeing the Felesian slaves, and just pursued my own goals, the Elves would probably still be here. I don't know why, but I just started crying. It was a cathartic cry, and I felt my stomach unravel from the knots it had been in. When I ran out of tears, I took a sip of coffee, glad to just relax without anything to worry about, and then my phone rang.

Of course it did...

I answered and heard Amanda's voice, "Will you help me?" she sounded like she was crying.

"Where are you?"

She said through tears, "Out in front of my house."

I opened a portal and stepped through. Oh hell, she had a suitcase.

"What happened? No, never mind that for now, come through." We stepped back through the open portal.

I poured her a cup of coffee and we sat at the table. I hardly knew her, but she was a sister Witch, and there wasn't anything I wouldn't do, including airing out my second bedroom.

She said, "I know it was dumb. But, I always tell my mom everything, and she always talks me through things. I know I shouldn't have told her..." she shook her head miserably.

She continued, "I was going to get an apartment in the city after the academy, the commute is hell on time from Long Island, but, I was thrown out of the house, and I can't afford one yet without a salary..."

I said softly, "You can stay here if you want, although you might not approve some of my lifestyle choices."

She asked, "Why would you do that?"

I shrugged. "Witches are family Amanda, there aren't that many of us."

She narrowed her eyes, "Even if I don't choose to release my power?"

"No strings attached, I said it was your choice and I meant it. Although that doesn't mean I won't nag you on occasion," I smiled at her.

I couldn't imagine what she was feeling, and I wasn't surprised when my attempt to cheer her up failed. Her emotions were all over the place.

Tom walked in, kissed the top of my head and said, "Morning love, did you sleep?"

He poured a cup of coffee and did a double take and said, "Who's this?"

I said, "Tom, meet Amanda, an unrealized Witch who needs a place to stay, Amanda, meet Tom, he is an Angel and healer, he is also my mate. One of them anyway."

Amanda frowned, "One of them?"

"Yes, I'm half succubus, Demon, because of that I have two lifestyle choices. Polyamory, or just being a total slut with complete strangers. I prefer the first."

She asked curiously, "How many?"

Tom said, "Oh, she's got two in the bag, and working on two more. Although it's more accurate to say we all have each other. It's not like she is dating four of us, we are all dating all of us."

Her eyes widened a bit when Bonnie and Gloria came in wearing robes and kissed me on the cheek as they went for coffee. All I had to say was thank god I was the only one that wandered naked in the house, which would stop if Amanda stayed with us.

After redoing the introductions I asked, "So what do you think, or are you completely freaked out?"

Her emotions were still all over the place, but it was hard to tell if that was because of her hateful mom, or that and my living arrangements.

She raised her eyes at me and waggled them as she said suggestively, "You did good Price, their all hot as hell."

Tom laughed and started choking on his coffee...

Chapter 24

Amanda decided to move in, and she turned out to be quite humorous and open minded as we talked over breakfast. She is still devastated about her mother, but seemed to be trying to work through it. I was sure it would take a long time, but she would heal. We had her settled in the second bedroom before it was time for work.

Before we left, Tom pulled me aside and asked if I could enchant our bedroom to be soundproof, as some of our games and role play got very loud. I agreed to take care of it after work, I was also planning on doing one gravity wave enchantment a night for the rest of the week, then two on Saturday and Sunday.

I wasn't sure how much good it would do, but I wanted to block the Elven dimension. Perhaps they already had Elves seeded all over, but this would prevent more of that, and some of those Elven scouts would eventually die out freeing their worlds from Elven influence all together. It wasn't perfect, but as a long term plan it was the best I had.

I hoped they wouldn't be able to find and disable the enchantments, they were tiny, and space was big. I thought if they could find it, they would have killed me that night last week, instead of trying to force me to remove the enchantments for them. It was far from perfect or sure, but that is how life works, if they ever become a threat again, at least we know how to stop them now.

Work was a slow day again, and though I knew the Elves weren't behind everything, I was curious about comparing last year's numbers to this next year, once it passed, to see how much the statistics changed.

My mother contacted me at lunch, the explanation of what we were doing, and the request from the president to dismiss the charges, had gotten us off the hook for most of what we did last night. Two of the countries refused to reconsider things, and didn't drop the charges against us. My mother, Cat, and I were still on the most wanted list in them.

I snorted. That's gratitude for removing the invaders that wanted to destroy us? Nice... but I kind of saw it coming. No magic fixes for the real tensions between races; we just got rid of the Elves increasing those feelings through social sabotage.

I took Bonnie to Harmon for their date after work, I was surprised he had convinced her to have it in the Demon dimension, but I wasn't going to argue. Then I sat down and enchanted my walls to be sound proof before I took care of the first enchantment for locking down the Elven dimension.