Downside Rain: Downside book one by Linda Welch Read Free Book Online Page A

on my butt. Panting, Castle falls to his
knees and lets his head hang.
    We
inspect the wall before leaving. I don’t remember any sigils on it beforehand;
if there were any, they were obliterated. Only a wall with a hole blown through
it. No indication it was used as a portal to bring a hellion through.
     
    The
lines of Castle’s mouth tighten and a muscle jumps in his jaw. He rubs his
forehead. “I’ll make an anonymous call when I get home.”
    I
nod agreement. Yes, let’s be long gone when the police turn up.
    I
wouldn’t want to be the officer in charge of this case. The damage in the house
obviously resulted from one hell of a fight. The acid-pitted floor, ruined wall
and lingering taint of sulfur in the living space will point to a demonic
visitation. Then there is Tebbler. The man died in his bedroom surrounded by
the paraphernalia of a dark summoning.
    We
don’t want our names linked to a sacrificial murder so make sure nothing which
could identify us dropped out of our pockets. Fingerprints are no problem, we
don’t have them. Hopefully, with how the rain is coming down, the neighbors are
snug inside with their drapes pulled and saw nothing. We have to keep our
fingers crossed nobody remembers Castle’s old car parked outside.
    I’m
queasy now. Whoever sent the hellion knew Castle and I wouldn’t run and risk it
getting loose in the community. We were targets, meant to die.
    My
feet splosh through puddles. “It was a setup.”
    “Feels
like it.” With rain so heavy it blocks out the sky and the far side of the
street, Castle’s attempt to shake water off his hair is futile. “Tebbler was killed
soon after he called us.”
    “Was
he part of it?”
    “Dunno.
If he was, they double-crossed him big time. He might have made the call
under duress, or they made him think he had sprites and put our names in his
head. The summoning was complicated. They called the hellion and bound it until
our arrival triggered the release.”
    “Only
a powerful sorcerer can do that.”
    We
reach the car and Castle tosses his sword through the doorless side.
    “Have
we pissed off any sorcerers lately?” I wrench open the front passenger door and
scoot in. My skin is wet beneath sopping clothes, my feet squelch in my boots.
    “Not
that I know of.” Castle gets the motor running and pulls from the curb. He drives
hunched over, trying to peer through the smears made by the ineffective wipers.
    The
drive is silent. Castle’s mind must be humming as much as mine, but neither of
us comes up with a theory, a reason someone sicced a hellion on us.
     
    ~*~

Chapter Four
     
    Alain
Sauvageau pushes a lock of unruly sable-brown hair off his face as he writes an
entry in the ledger. He lowers the lid on the cash box, locks it and leans back
in the padded office chair. A computer would be nice, and a cell-phone. And a
television bigger than a matchbox. HD television and a satellite dish.
    Not
that he’s complaining about life Downside, but he’ll leave in the blink of an
eye should his Lord call him home. Less than a blink. But it won’t happen,
redemption is a fantasy. He shrugs. His life is comfortable. He could have
tried to end himself when he was cast out, or hidden. Like that poor sotted
thing in the tower, he could have tried to atone by abusing his body. Instead, over
the ages he adopted personas in many lands until he came Downside, where he learned
the secret of true unity with a mortal form and made a life for himself.
    He
may well remain here forever. He has his small empire and his companions. The
vampires are more than loyal employees, they are friends and their
near-immortality means they won’t leave him for a very long time. This means a
great deal because he has had enough of starting over.
    He
rises to take the cashbox to his wall safe and lock it inside. Returning to the
desk, he lounges in the chair again and his moss-green eyes dip to the ledger.
He ponders for a moment, then dials the rotary phone.