A Cat's Chance in Hell by Sharon Hannaford Read Free Book Online Page B

excited hum as everyone gathered in the parking lot, mostly standing in small groups near the medical van. Gabi was sitting on the rear tailgate of one of the Clean-up vans while Melinda, a Healer Magus, applied a salve to the burns on her face and hands. She could hear Kyle a short distance away hissing as they patched him up. She could tell by the sharp intake of Harry’s breath that whatever injury Kyle had sustained, it was not a pretty sight. Harry, even though a pure human, was a seasoned vet at patching up Hunters after a fight. If Harry thought it was bad, then it was really unpleasant. It was a good thing that Kyle healed quickly; so quickly in fact, that it was a constant sore point between him and Gabi.
    Melinda told her calmly that she had already patched up some cuts, scrapes and burns on Doug; nothing too serious, and the other two Hunters had come out unscathed. Kyle was by far the worst off, but with his speedy healing he’d be good as new in a few days. She didn’t say anything about Gabi’s blindness; it was hanging over all of them like an oppressive cloud. Some of the Clean-up crew had been sent off for coffee and food from a near-by gas station, and the rest were disposing of the Demon remains using the specialized equipment Byron and the Tech Geeks had developed for such situations. She could hear Doug and the Magi discussing the assortment of Demons that had come through the veil. The Wraith was the hot topic of the night, and there was some heated debate as to what kind of Demon it was, and why it seemed so powerful.
    “ It must be some kind of mix between a Cheitan and a Shalbriri,” one of the male Magi theorised.
    “ You could be right, Christian,” a female voice answered. “The Cheitan is the traditional Wraith-type: born of smoke and air, but I’ve never heard of one with the power to cause an electric shock and blindness. The Shalbriri has the ability to cause blindness, but they are traditionally a solid-form Demon. This is something we’ve never encountered before. A combination of powers,” she drifted off thoughtfully.
    “ The researchers are going to have their work cut out for them tomorrow, trying to make sense of this attack,” came Christian’s voice again.
    “ Nothing was normal about this attack,” a different male voice chimed in. “We need to start liaising with other groups around the world to see if anyone else has experienced this kind of deviation from the norm.”
    “ And what about the Birdman?” This was the female again.” Do you think it was a Lanithro or an Arachula?”
    This question sparked a whole new debate and Gabi grew bored of listening; she tuned them out and cast about for something else to grab her attention. The tailgate sank down as someone joined her; Doug, she recognised by scent.
    “ Coffee?” he asked. She held out her bandaged hand wordlessly. A polystyrene cup was pressed into it. She brought it to her nose and breathed in the warm steam appreciatively. It wouldn’t be the best coffee in the world, but at that moment in time it would taste fantastic. She wrapped her other hand around it and took a tentative sip.
    “ I hear the Birdman took a few chunks out of you,” she teased him.
    He ignored her attempt at deflection: “I’ve spoken to Byron and Athena,” he said carefully, referring to a young Head Magus that Gabi didn’t particularly like.
    “ And what did the great and powerful Magus Liaison have to say about my predicament?” she asked savagely. The last person she wanted informed of her weakness was Athena.
    Doug sighed as though he’d known his statement would raise Gabi’s hackles, but also knew he hadn’t had a choice. They both knew the truth; Athena was one of the most powerful Magi in the City and even Gabi realised that if her blindness was magically induced, Athena would be the best person to try to reverse the damage. She just didn’t like to think of owing Athena anything.
    “ She was very concerned