Power of the People: The Demon Cleaner Book 1

By Nadi Abdi

When nine Knight Commanders are brutally slain, Lillas, a demon cleaner, and her Triumvirate find themselves in an unlikely alliance with magicians and vampires. Their mission: unearth the killer before Isadora, now the formidable leader of the demon knights, unleashes chaos upon the city.

After two years of peace at home, Lillas has forged bonds with her mother and her Triumvirate comrades. However, this newfound tranquility is shattered when an unknown assailant targets her age-old adversaries, the demon knights. Now, Lillas must unmask the murderer before the annihilation of her sworn enemies jeopardizes everything she holds dear.

Meanwhile, Izzy, the newly appointed head of the demon knights following the Knighthood's demise, faces the dual challenge of safeguarding the weaker members and uncovering the truth behind the Knights' murders. If she discovers Lillas's involvement, a war of epic proportions looms.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nadi Abdi
• Release date: Jul 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781958345009

Nadi Abdi

Hello there! Welcome. Have a seat. Thank you for joining me. I’m guessing you’re here to have a conversation. What would you like to talk about? We can talk about where I’m from (Kansas City, Missouri [home of the Chiefs!]) when I’m from (1981), but that’s only interesting to people from that place or from that time. Let’s talk about something that matters. You, me, and this trip we’re taking, this relationship we’re building, this trust we’re sharing. You’re trusting me to take you on a journey full of magic, suspense, and fiery characters. I’m trusting you to tell me if it’s shit. Or if it’s great! Does it move you? Did you laugh? Did you cry? Did you throw the book (or device) in anger and frustration? I expect this to be a long road trip. Let’s talk about everything.

Book preview

Nadi Abdi

Power of the People

The Demon Cleaner book one

First published by Blue Ships Publishing 2023

Copyright © 2023 by Nadi Abdi

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

Nadi Abdi asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Nadi Abdi has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

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Contents

1. Sound and Reasonable Questions

2. Assaulted by the Help

3. Orchestra of Violence

4. Power, Light, and Noise

5. Why is the Knighthood Dead?

6. Unearthed

7. Deadly Magic

8. Izzy Visits the Morgue

9. When Lillas Met Merris

10. The Quest for Power and Uniqueness

11. After the Flood of Noah

12. Interview with the Borg

13. Du Rouge Academy of Natural Arts

14. Ending on a Low Note

15. A Future Point of Regret

16. Not Designed for Socializing

17. Senior Skip Day

18. Kathy Makes a Bold Move

19. Under New Management

20. Theory of Mass Destruction

21. Healing Hurts

22. Different Classes

23. Common Ground for Relation

24. Ali, The Crystal Ball

25. The Declaration

26. What He Knew, What He Did

27. Annihilation Intervention

28. Cooler Jets Prevail

29. In Honor of Delilah

30. Just Assignments

31. The Triumvirate visits Sanctuary

32. Stitches

33. Borrowing Notes

34. Herald of Chaos

35. Breakfast Casserole

36. Lens to the Rescue

37. Introducing Evanfield

38. Boyd’s House

39. The Ghosts of Boone

40. Kratt vs Ghosts

41. Jett vs Ghosts

42. Sending out an SOS

43. Magicians at the Junkyard

44. Cleaner Business

45. Calm and Diplomacy

46. Light Magic

47. Keeping It in the Families

48. How to find a Hidden Power

49. We End the Truce

50. Lillas, The Hero, The Human

51. Cleaning, A Family Affair

52. The Deal that Never Was

53. The Secrets Marisai Keeps

54. Reunited, and It Feels So Good

55. With Incident

56. So Close, and yet…

57. Welcome to the Team

58. All Hands

59. Luck Be a Lady

60. The Worst idea…But if It Works…

61. Sport and Sacrifice

62. You Go, I Go

63. Fear and Persuasion

64. In the Waiting Room

65. Trauma in the OR

66. The Day After

67. To Kill a Truce

68. Death by the Thousand

69. Izzy Castor, Super Spy

70. A Friend in Need

71. Life of Dray

72. Kidnapping. Kidnapping everywhere

73. Kratt

74. Jett

75. Ana

76. Merris

77. Marisai

78. Isadora

79. Dray vs Merkanish

80. Not Just a Knight

81. We Found Everything

82. Nothing in Its Right Place

83. What She Won’t Do

84. It’s a Dirty Job

85. Alone Again

86. Doing the Right Thing

87. In the Dark

88. A Change is Gonna Come

89. All in the Family

90. Made Only for Triumvirs

91. What Do We Want? When Do We Want It?

92. A Week in the Life

93. Deadly Alliance

94. The Price of a Healthy Mind

95. Break from Two Masters

96. Family Matters

97. Back to Reality

98. Surpassing the Betters

99. Decisions. Decisions.

100. Tonight is the Night

101. The Escape Artist

102. What Really Happened

103. Breaking Point

104. Hope for the Best

105. What Now?

106. Second-Hand Sight

107. Superimposed

108. The Pain of Rapid Healing

109. Still Standing

110. Fire in the Mall, Part 1

111. Knight Song

112. Newly Minted Knights

113. The Fall of Sanctuary

114. Fire in the Mall, Part 2

115. The Ghosts of Isadora

116. Such Great Heights

117. The District Sleeps

118. Rumble in the Aquarium, Part 1

119. Rumble in the Aquarium, Part 2

120. Some of Us are Switches

121. All We Are

122. Marisai Stabs Lillas

123. Nothing is Over

124. The End

The Demon Cleaner Book Two: Chapter One

About the Author

Also by Nadi Abdi

1

Sound and Reasonable Questions

The night was cool and clear. Thin, roaming clouds veiled a full moon. Crisp, wild-scented air signaled the beginning of spring. Allergens and sweaters were in bloom. Birds and bugs slowly returned. Everyone was riding dirty with Chamillionaire and Krayzie. Guild City’s diversity of life was spawning again. Just outside the city were dense woods. None of the locals visited here. Urban legend be damned; every local knew someone who knew someone that went missing out here. This was a place for thrill seekers and fools. That there was a difference between the two was arguable.

However, hidden in this great forbidden land, there was a two-story cabin made of stone and wood. It was built over a hundred years ago and only used by the Knight Commanders, active knights who preferred not mixing their knight life with their regular life and were violently protective of what went on inside. The cabin didn’t really have rooms as much as spaces separated by bookcases or tables. There were books everywhere. The knights kept journals of their activities and projects. There was at least one hundred years’ worth of information spread between the floors. Besides journals there were also tons of physical and digital reference books they might need, such as books on knight and cleaner lore and practices. No one lived in the cabin. It was more a base of communications, a place where they could meet or do some research. The basement was where experiments were conducted.

Typically, there are only a few knights in the cabin at a time, but tonight was different. Tonight, the cabin was full of light and noise as the Knighthood came together in the middle of the night for an emergency meeting. The group of nine broke up into their standard sets of three, with the strongest three together, then the next strongest three, then the bottom three. They didn’t have to separate this way. They just always did. Their ages varied from an arrogant and naïve 20-year-old to a strong, wise, and lean 62-year-old. Between them was their leader, Joe, a decent-looking man in his 40s, who stayed in shape as a matter of survival, rather than enjoyment.

He stood in conference with one-armed Sally, his second, and Rachel, his third. The topic of their discussion was Henri Passiter. The young Knight Commander left them last year, and his abandonment was largely believed to have been because of the group’s treatment of Boyd Boone, a Commander who’d fallen so far out of favor with the Knighthood and Command Order as to be damn near accused of treason. Henri was dangerously close to the fallen knight. And he was quiet. His silence could have been that of knowing his place or of knowing a plot. Despite his actions showing allegiance to the Knighthood, his departure left many to wonder where his loyalty truly laid. Now, he’d sent them a video. The question before Joe, Sally, and Rachel was if they reveal who the video was from or not.

All right, people, listen up! We have a video we need you all to watch, Sally’s meek voice barely broke through the noise of her comrades.

The declaration was followed by groaning and swearing. A stupid ass training video? Is that why they were here? This is what abuse of power looked like; One guy dragging eight of the most powerful humans in the city out into a cabin in the middle of the gotdamn night under the pretense of there being dangerous fuckery afoot when really he was just in the mood to flaunt his authority. They should’ve never gave his ass power.

Hey, hey! Shut the hell up! Joe yelled. They exchanged disapproving and defiant glances, but they shut the hell up.

Sally started the video. In it, a trio appeared to be minding their own business when suddenly balls of blue light poured out of their eyes, their fingertips, every pore of their bodies like a ball pit being emptied. The trio fell to the ground, ice blue, and doorknob dead.

The CCTV footage had no sound so there was no way to tell exactly what went on, but one thing was certain. This is some shit we’ve never seen before, Joe said.

What the fuck did we just watch? Candy, the leader of her trio, asked. When all nine were together, she was the seventh in charge, which meant she had no authority but liked to pretend anyway.

This was sent to me today with a caption that said, ‘They’ve found a new way to kill us.’ We believe our informant is referring to the cleaners, specifically the Triumvirate.

What did Kratt and Mik say? asked Howard, Candy’s second.

Joe hadn’t talked to the Triumvirs, yet for the fact that they were not his people. The knights were. It was more important to discuss this with them before the cleaners. Besides, the Guild City cleaners didn’t use magic like this. It definitely wasn’t Mik’s style who was known to burn organs. Most importantly, the Guild City cleaners represented the Guild City cleaners. Others elsewhere could be up to anything. Whether or not their council approved of these measures was a different question.

If it’s not cleaners, then it’s magicians, Howard said.

It could be. Anyone want to call the Drays and ask them? A resounding no cut across the room in the forms of scoffs and mocking laughter. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

All we know for sure, Sally said, is that this footage is from Paris and it shows spectrals being drained of their power then killed. If this were a weapon we could use against the cleaners, our informant would have told us, which is why we believe it’s the other way around.

Who is the informant? Winter asked. He had the honor of being second to Hale, who was fourth in the group. Not a great position, but Hale was brilliant enough to make up for it.

Joe thought long and hard about how he wanted to answer the question. He was within his right to tell them it was none of their business, however, there was already enough dissension among them because of last year and the new Commanders who’d joined them. Ultimately, he went for a more democratic approach. Henri Passiter.

There it was, the conversation they were hoping to avoid. The mention of his name immediately cast doubt as to the validity of the video. The loudest opponent was Hale. "He left! He was supposed to join another Knighthood. He never did. Command never even heard from him. It’s been a year and no one’s heard from him. Then he shows up with this video? Hell, for all we know, he did this. We all know he was into some weird shit with Boyd."

Bullshit, Hale, said Rachel. You never had a problem with Henri until he started working with Boyd, and we all know you’ve always been jealous of him.

It has nothing to do with jealousy, said Candy, not wanting to defend Hale, but facts were facts. Boyd was dangerous. He was on my team and I was terrified of him. He was my second, and he scared the shit out of me. Anyone close to him should be looked at with suspicion.

That is not right, said Connor, daring to go against Hale, who led his trio. That is not how we do things. Hale has convinced you this is about the integrity of the Knighthood when it’s really about him not being half the magician Boyd was.

You’ve forgotten your place, Hale said to the lesser knight.

And you’ve forgotten yours, Joe replied. Hale’s only reply was to close his mouth and straighten his face. Brilliant. Loud arguments aside, can any of you tell me what, exactly, Henri has done to deserve suspicion? Because I remember what happened last year. When it came time to choose, he stood with us. He turned on Boyd, the stronger knight, and stood with us. So, please, tell me, what did Henri do? Lots of eye and facial movements, lots of breathing in different rhythms. No words.

When pressed, the naysayers had nothing to say. I trust Henri, Joe said. Despite his affiliation, he’s never given me any reason to doubt him after four years of working together. If he says this is what it is, then it is what it is.

Yeah, but what is it? We still don’t know, Albert challenged. He was Candy’s third and the weakest in the group. He replaced Henri. Normally, when they were all together, he’d barely say anything as his words meant shit against the other eight, but tonight, their lives could be at stake. How does he know that this is what he’s saying? I’ve read that cleaner energy is also blue.

Hale had another concern to add. And how did he get the video? I’m sure we have people working for the Paris police, but they’re not going to give him that video unless he’s running a Knighthood, which, let’s be honest, is highly unlikely. He’s too weak, too young, and not remotely capable of leadership.

Both sound and reasonable questions that Joe couldn’t answer, and he couldn’t reach Henri. For all they knew, sending this information got him killed. The cleaners and knights did try to maintain some level of civility if only to avoid endangering their livelihoods with full-on war. However, if the cleaners had gone this far, civility would be the first casualty.

Further discussion was interrupted by a knock at the door. The only people who should be here were already here. And it was late as hell. Whoever the intruder was better have a damned good reason for showing up or find themselves on the wrong end of the knights’ wrath.

2

Assaulted by the Help

Mr. and Mrs. Hopper’s dream home was a nice two story out in the suburbs, away from the loud city life they grew up in. After years of working 40, 50, 60-hour weeks at their respective jobs, they finally saved enough to live where they wanted. Three acres. A field of trees between them and their neighbors. Nice and quiet. Close enough to the city to enjoy metro amenities like shopping and events, but far enough to escape the crazy when they chose. Driving against the rush was also a definite selling point. This was where they would raise their daughters, in clean air and peace.

Then a few weeks ago, things changed. Their four-year-old daughter complained about monsters. They blew it off, but she was genuinely terrified to go into certain rooms. She would cry and scream if they tried to force her. Their baby girl would scream until her throat hurt. The cat and dog would no longer go inside, and they were indoor pets.

Aside from all that, the couple no longer felt safe. There were noises, scratching, shifting. The air moved around them, alternating in temperatures—not a breeze, but a chill. There was always a feeling of being watched. They were testy all the time and found themselves doing mean-spirited and petty things to each other. It all came to a head when their four-year-old attacked her father with a pair of scissors and the strength of ten men.

He was cleaning the kitchen. She walked in. Her sweet little angelic face twisted with hate and anger. With a running leap, she knocked him down then slashed and stabbed his arms and abdomen. Mrs. Hopper returned from a night with friends to find blood all over the lower cabinets and her husband screaming. Had she not seen it herself, she’d never have believed it. In a panic, she grabbed the broom and whacked the child, breaking the handle and sending the girl sliding across the kitchen floor.

They locked themselves in the nursery but didn’t know what to do beyond that. There was no way to explain this to 911. Their little princess pulled and beat the door. A foreign language flowed from her mouth with ease and a growl. Mr. Hopper grabbed a thick book of Grimms’ fairy tales to swing if she broke in. Mrs. Hopper held their new baby girl, trying to comfort her even though she, herself, was shaking while the child was silent.

Suddenly, everything stopped. The baby laughed. Their daughter called, Mommy? Mommy, what’s happening? No words could describe the relief the parents felt. It brought them to tears.

It was a ridiculous idea and probably wouldn’t work, but as Mr. Hopper sat in the ER, covered in bandages and stitches, they decided they had no choice. They had to call a priest. They had to call an exorcist. They had to call someone to come and find out what the hell was going on.

After visiting their home, the priest and exorcist agreed they needed to call someone far stronger than them and gave the young couple some names, with a strong recommendation for one in particular. To protect the children, Mrs. Hopper took them to her mother’s. She would be back at the end of the week, leaving Mr. Hopper to handle things on his own.

And alone he now stood, outside in the dark, watching helplessly as his home was assaulted by the very person he called to help.

* * *

Lillas Mikkinnan was known by many names, among them were The Charcoal Maker and The Daughter of Guild City, but Mik and Mikki were the only nicknames she recognized for the obvious fact that they were derivatives of her name. Everything else was meant to merely exalt or condemn her. She had no need for either. She was a Triumvir, an active demon cleaner.

Whatever power she held was used in service of wherever she lived. Scarred, almond-brown skin covered her lean five-foot-six frame. Her black hair normally fell around her face in small twists, but tonight her locks hung in loose, rotini-like curls. Her stature and appearance were far less threatening than one would expect given her reputation. At 18, she was also far younger than expected.

Mr. Hopper stood in the driveway. Any cleaner, active or non, could see why. The problem was evident before she even pulled up. A gang of demons just wandering the yard, no control, no direction, looking for something to destroy. His home was overrun with them, inside and out. He must’ve been terrified. He was under attack, had been for some time from the looks of it. Didn’t say anything until the last damn minute, though. This was why she couldn’t stand people most of the time. Always waiting until shit got way the fuck out of hand before getting help.

She hadn’t left her vehicle before cleaning the yard. The rims of her hazel eyes tinged with red. Her skin tingled as if stepping into a warm shower after being in the cold—all normal phenomena that happened whenever she connected with fire. Massive tufts of fire engulfed the demons, their bodies little more than stencils shaping the blazes.

The demons’ screams were a cringe-worthy, chill-causing wail that only knights and cleaners could hear. It was like an off-key chorus, like if someone kidnapped Miss Piggy, Mariah, the whale from Finding Nemo, and Josh Groban and made them sing together at gunpoint while an accomplice dragged a rake across a chalkboard. With all of her abilities, Lillas shouldn’t have been envious of monos, yet every time she had to deal with that noise, the jealousy was real.

Mr. Hopper was oblivious to all of this. He had no idea how close the danger was. He was minding his own business, staring at the place that once was his home, waiting for Lillas. Suddenly, fiery figures surrounded him. Their wide open mouths emitted no noise. Their arms swung every which way. Their faces contorted until they disappeared like a mirage, taking the fire with them. Mr. Hopper’s deep brown skin turned pale and he hit the ground.

Typical. Lillas said nothing as she got out of her silver Honda Civic and walked to the trunk, lifting the lid. The monos were always surprised by how close they were to death as if they weren’t close to death everyday. Good evening, Mr. Hopper, Lillas said.

He stumbled over his words as he struggled to his feet. What… What was that?

Demons on fire.

What? Demons are real? There were that many here?

Sir, those were just the ones outside. There are far more inside. You are under attack and have been for weeks. Looks like a demon knight’s been having fun with you. She removed two large blades and a document then slammed the trunk shut. You can’t tell me you didn’t know that. Sign this.

A waiver?

Yes, a waiver. Cleaning is a very physical occupation. Cleaners cannot afford to be responsible for damage to property or pets or unauthorized humans. We do the best we can, Mr. Hopper, but we’re not gods or miracle workers. We’re cleaners and protectors, but we can’t protect people we don’t know are there. This document protects us in case anyone in your home is harmed. You see this part? She pointed to a specific paragraph. That says you acknowledge what I’m saying to you and that there’s no one in the house.

There’s no one in the house, he assured. My wife took the kids to her mother’s. The place is empty.

Prized possessions—anything that can’t be replaced—needs to be out of the house. Once you confirm that the house is clear, I’ll throw up a shield so that no living creature can get in or out. Out is very important. Do you understand? Not through windows, not through secret passages, not through floorboards. Once that shield is up, you are in. Do you understand?

I understand. I’m not going back in that house for shit, though. He had no reason to. The wife and kids were gone; the pets refused to go in, choosing to stay glued to his side. He was good to go. He quickly signed the waiver and gave it back to her with a request to try to spare the TV. Just, you know, if we’re not gonna have anything after this, it’d be nice to have something to keep us entertained.

She thought for a moment, initially surprised at the priorities. Then again, if it were her family… You know what, I can respect that. I make no promises, but I will do what I can.

Now that the formality was done, it was time to get down to business. First things first, Mr. Hopper needed protection. She turned to him. Proenna oba.

He coughed a bit and gagged a little, trying to clear the sudden itching in his throat. Then he took a deep breath. What did you do to me?

I protected you. It’s amazing you haven’t been possessed yet, given your living conditions, but there’s no need to dwell on small favors. I threw a shield around you so you’ll never be possessed.

Next was the house. Demons peered at her. No two were the same. Big. Small. With a wing or a few. Some wingless. Mutilated human bodies in various stages of decay or assimilation by a djinn or hell spawn. None of their faces were intact. Melee weapons were the standard. From axes and maces to claws and teeth. Demons loved few things more than slashing and tearing cleaners apart. And no cleaner was more sought after than Lillas.

OK, Mr. Hopper, she handed him a card. If anything happens to me, call this number. He’s my Triumvirate leader. He can get me out.

Not an ambulance?

Oh, please, do call them, too, but call him first. If he doesn’t get me out, EMTs can’t get in. Remember, no living creature in or out. She took a deep breath. It was OK. She could do this. She’d done it many times before. But not alone. That was the important part. Until recently, she’d been working with her fellow Triumvirs, which was cool and all, but she was good enough to work by herself. Well, maybe not good enough, but she didn’t need a babysitter.

She was grown. She had this.

3

Orchestra of Violence

Crashing. Slashing. Clanging. The orchestra of violence cut through what should’ve been a peaceful night. Instead of blowing floral scents and pollen, the breeze blew debris that escaped from broken windows.

Despite Lillas’s warning, Mr. Hopper wasn’t prepared for how loud and messy cleaning was. Every glass that shattered, every time the house blacked out, and even every moment of dead silence tested his nerves. Lillas’s grunts and yells had him running to the middle of his walkway, then back to the driveway when he remembered the shield. At one point, she screamed so loudly that he started to call 911. He paused, remembering her instructions. The card. Should he call this Kratt guy? Should he call 911? What would he say? The crashing continued. Should he call his insurance? Would they even cover this? Shit!

What was he doing? The home he’d worked most of his life for was being destroyed. And he’d invited the destruction. Was this really the only way? Was it worth it?

As he stared at his home in wonder and worry, he thought about his sweet baby girl, her face contorted with rage, swinging anything that wasn’t nailed down. The wounds she gave him would leave deep scars. She may not even remember it. What would he say when she asked what happened to his arm? The truth or a lie? How many more scars would she leave were this not taken care of?

Whatever the cleaner cost him was worth it. If it worked, if it meant never having to ask these questions again, he’d replace the whole damn house.

* * *

The plan was simple: destroy the demons, don’t cause too much damage, don’t get too badly injured. Three steps. Just three steps.

Lillas stood at the doorway. Proenna fie, she called, throwing up the invisible shield around the house.

At the end of the long hallway was a male demon. He had broad shoulders and thick muscular thighs. His massive, towering body was almost too big to fit down the hallway. He had a single, decaying wing made of human skin and carried a mace with spikes of teeth, glass, and metal. He smelled of burning flesh and had two different eyes, neither his, likely stolen from other condemned humans and djinns. He growled at her in his weird, guttural demon language, then charged.

She watched him, unmoved, unamused, making decisions. She could snap her fingers and incinerate this demon or use her blades. Powers were easier. Fire was a damned good weapon but, after a few incidents, she was asked by her team leader, and her team junior… the Cleaner Council…family, friends, just about everyone to consider maybe toning it down a bit. She was scaring people and destroying more property than necessary. Yeah, she should just use the blades. But he was running and did she really feel like dodging?

Nah.

She reconnected with fire. The demon ignited. As it turned to ash, she said, Pammoenna domo. It disappeared, returning to the underworld where it belonged. To ensure no demons returned to this area, she needed to seal it with a different spell.

Proenna fi domo. Unlike the other Angel spells, this particular spell was made to specifically keep out demons, knights, and anyone possessed by a demon. Everyone else could still walk in and out and never notice a thing. It was very effective at weeding out and warding off danger.

Now that that was done, it was a good time for blades.

In keeping with Triumvir practice, Lillas started from the top. Top, down. One room at a time. It may have been the Council-ordered method, but it was really simple common sense. Battling demons was often brutal. There was no guarantee a cleaner would have the strength to climb a flight or more of stairs. However, one could almost always make their way down them. Cleaning and sealing rooms one at a time also just made sense. But, as things go, someone did something fatally stupid and now…well… Clorox has to tell everyone not to drink bleach.

First on the Hopper House Tour was the bathroom. The smallest and easiest room in any house. Typically clean because people don’t tend to just hang out in there.

Lillas walked in. No demons. Sealed. Then on to the next. There was one demon in the four-year-old’s room. She threw some holy fire and called it a day. Once the room was cleaned, she moved on with the rest of the floor.

Cleaners had their preferred methods of demon destruction. Holy water was popular. Blessed blades were also good. However, most preferred good old fashioned holy fire. Lillas was no exception. Fire was just the best and fastest method. But while others needed magic to conjure fire and water, Lillas didn’t. The ability to call forth any element was her birthright.

Blades in hand, she stalked the hall, looking for a fight. No cleaner drove all the way out to the east of Egypt without the expectation of at least one decent, if not great, battle. Yet, this house was relatively clean. There was one demon in the playroom, a demon in the office, and the library was clean. Had all the demons wandered to the yard? If the knight was unable to control the demons that were brought here, he must have been young. Maybe the family wasn’t under attack, but was merely the target of a knight in training. She’d call Knighthouse later about this.

It wasn’t until she reached the baby’s room that a challenge finally presented itself. Among the pastel blues and pinks, and the wallpaper printed with hot air balloons and teddy bears, was a tribe of demons.

On the one hand, this would surely turn out to be everything Lillas was looking for. On the other hand, taking apart a nursery just felt…wrong. Babies sleep here. Her only options were to either throw down here, burn the demons, and risk destroying the place, or unblock the hall and allow them to enter that space, which would open the hall to more demons and endanger her life.

Yep. That was definitely the way this was going to go.

No sooner was the shield down that demons rushed in like water from a broken dam. The dash caught her off guard, and she found herself doing more defense than offense.

They surrounded her, cursed her. They slashed her, threw her into walls and fixtures. Trapped in a space with a cleaner made any demon more hostile than usual. They already possessed an inordinate amount of strength. The desperation to remain on Earth, to reside within a human, made them even stronger. Their hatred of cleaners gave them a target for all of that energy and all of that power when they were blocked from possessing a mono human.

Lillas slammed a blade longer than her arm into a female demon’s skull. The demon caught fire and dissipated, returning to the underworld. Another demon attacked from behind, swinging an ax the size of its enormous abdomen. She rolled out of the way, narrowly escaping decapitation. In one move, she chopped the demon’s leg off at its thick muscular thigh. When it plunged to the ground like a tree, she buried her blade in its chest.

Pammoenna domo. The demon screamed as he ignited and was sent back to the depths. The others soon followed. She continued with the rest of the house until all of the rooms were sealed. Then she was done.

As far as cleaning goes, this was a pretty easy night. A small, simple two-story. Only about 37 demons. Damage included some cuts, a couple minor stab wounds, and pulled muscles. Nothing broken or chipped this time. Not bad.

She exited the home, limping. Before speaking to Mr. Hopper, she dropped the main shield and raised a demon seal that protected the entire house, covering any corners or closets she may have missed.

OK, Mr. Hopper, your house is clean, she said. You may need to replace a vase or two, a one…or few…windows…the carpet…couple doors, but you still have your TV. I’ve dropped the shield so you can enter the home, but your house is still protected from demons and demon knights. So, if you invite someone to your home and they can’t get in, they’re a demon knight. You need to call me immediately. Do not go outside. Do not try to help them. I cannot overstate how dangerous they are, especially when they’ve been blocked. When are your wife and kids coming home?

Friday. She couldn’t handle the weirdness of everything. But it’s strange. She called me and said similar things are happening at her mother’s. Well, not similar. We don’t have our little girl trying to kill us, but just weird, you know.

Um, hmm.

I think she’s just paranoid. The look on Lillas’s face gave Mr. Hopper pause. She’s just being paranoid, right? And you said you’ve put up a shield. So, we’re good, right?

Call me when she gets back. She walked away to her car.

I’m sorry, I’m just…wow. I can’t believe this is real. I mean, demons? Knights? Cleaners? We hear about this shit on TV but seeing it, seeing you…it’s just… wow…

Mr. Hopper, you lived it. If you still don’t believe it, there’s nothing I or those scars can do for you.

You saved a lot of lives last year, you know, with Katrina.

Yes. It’s what I’m supposed to do. Good night. She drove off before he could ask her more questions or get into hero worship. He could worship her on his own time. It was late and she wanted to go home.

Admittedly, she was a bit short with Mr. Hopper. It wasn’t intentional. She worked hard to escape The Guild City Center for Genetic Research only for Sifuen Habana, a man whom she called papa, a man who’d been in the process of becoming her foster father, who had been to her parent-teacher conferences, who encouraged her to do the right thing even if it got her expelled, who gave her the first family she’d had in almost a decade, to disappear only a few months later. Her mother, Marisai Mikkinnan, had been released from Cross Point Hospital a little before his disappearance.

Lillas and Papa Habana’s daughter, Nema, moved in with the Mikkinnans. Lillas was back with her mother. That was great, but her thoughts were occupied with Sifuen Habana. Not knowing what happened to, or what was happening to, him burned worse than any fire she could conjure. Then last year, Eddie Spirens, who’d been a big brother to her, who’d taught her to drive, who’d helped her buy a car with her inheritance from her birth father, decided to leave the team, saying she no longer needed him. Bullshit! She’d just lost another father, and Eddie’s ass was leaving? He couldn’t wait at least until they knew what happened? There was no telling when that would be, but still…

People, particularly men people, were running her meter to the ground.

At a long red light, she checked her old, scratched-to-hell Nokia. She couldn’t wait for them to release the Nokia 6062. Her current phone had held on for a good two years and was ready to be put to rest.

35 missed calls, half from Detective Lenshrader, half from Isadora Castor. Great. She was about to get caught up in some bullshit. No calls from Kratt or Jett. Really? No one thought to call those two? She doesn’t even run the team. What the hell?

The Detective sent photos that made her gasp. Nine bodies. All blue. Which was odd enough. But she recognized the deceased and the place. Well, shit. Not sure if this was a cause for concern or celebration, but her team leader had to know regardless. He’d never believe this.

4

Power, Light, and Noise

It was too late in the day and too early in the morning to be caught up in some bullshit, yet that’s exactly what was happening. It wasn’t uncommon for Lillas to be called for police work. In fact, all three Triumvirs had at least one detective they were close to. But the cases they helped with were never tied to them. This case would be different.

All nine of the city’s Knight Commanders, three Knighthoods, had been murdered. The only people in the city even capable were the Triumvirs. If there wasn’t something at the scene that would exonerate them, they’d be wading through a swamp of shit.

On the way to the cabin, Lillas received a phone call from Isadora Castor, the most powerful and influential non-active knight in Guild City. Her power level was in a bubble, not strong enough to be a Knight Commander, but far stronger than those beneath her. With the Knighthood massacred, she was now the default leader of the 1,000-plus knights that lived there, which was why when Lillas answered, the first words out of her mouth were, We didn’t do it. We don’t know who did and, if we did do it, we’d tell you because you couldn’t do anything about it anyway.

Does your arrogance know no bounds? Izzy shot back, her perpetual annoyance with the young adversary evident.

No, it doesn’t. Now, if I’ve answered every relevant question you could possibly ask, I’m hanging up. I’m on my way to the cabin. If we find out anything, we’ll let you know.

You li—

She hung up. Whatever Izzy had to say she could say tomorrow…to someone else.

Police and EMTs were everywhere.

Beyond the flashy things, authority figures, and all around weirdness, something else pulled Lillas’s attention. It sent tingles and tension across her skin. Power. It was faint at first, but grew stronger the closer she got to the cabin. At its peak, it wasn’t the strongest she’d felt, but it was enough to get anyone’s attention. It was raw power, not attached to anyone. It wasn’t a knight, cleaner, vampire, or any spectral that she knew. It was just there for no reason, like a rock floating in midair.

I knew you’d show up, said an officer with a sneer. He stood with his hands down in front of him, guarding the entrance to the event, yellow tape acting as a silent backup.

Lillas looked him up and down like he was nothing more than a no-name, bitch-ass peon with the audacity to speak to her. She passed him. He said nothing. There was nothing he could say. He knew why she was there and who’d called her. But then she backed up, curious. Do you feel that?

Confused, he asked, Feel what?

That power. You don’t feel that? He had the nerve to look at her like she was the crazy one. Pshww, this is why you’re a peon, she snapped, then stomped away.

The Triumvirate is gonna pay hell when Izzy finds out about this! He didn’t bother turning to look at her.

"HA! Please. I just talked to her. She called me. Do you even have her number? Weak ass knight. That’s probably why you can’t feel anything. Too damn weak." She marched under the police tape and kept it moving.

Now she had his full attention. Wait! You’re lying. I’m the first knight on scene and I haven’t had a chance to call Knighthouse yet to tell them. So, she couldn’t possibly know. He walked under the tape and approached her. Why are you lying, Triumvir? He sneered the title as if it were an insult. Trying to give yourself an alibi?

First of all, Officer Whoeveryouare, I only lie when I need to, to people I need to, people with power…and authority. I don’t need to lie to you. You’re nothing. Second, I have a very solid alibi. Look at me. He seemed to finally see how bloody and dirty she was. Third… She held up her call history for him to see. Literally got off the phone with her about an hour ago. Bye. She turned and continued towards the cabin.

It’s ‘Officer Womack,’ by the way.

It’s not important.

She meandered up the short flight of steps, the pull of power, light, and noise spinning like a kaleidoscope, dulling her focus. None of this should even be happening in this place. Everything about this scene was the complete opposite of the reality in which the Knighthood’s cabin existed. There were never this many people around. This was not the spot for a party. Yet here it was, complete with red and blue strobe lights and unintelligible speech through speakers. It felt weird. The whole thing just felt weird and wrong.

Detective Lenshrader opened the door. He was a tall slender man who stayed in incredible shape, had skin the color of nutmeg, and always carried a commanding air. Lillas found him handsome for an old man. He had eyes that were deceptively kind, kind enough to disarm most suspects and make them hang themselves. It worked on Lillas a couple of times when she was younger. Now, she was hip to his game. He was called Lens both for his name, and also