Page 128 of The Music Demon

As the monster advanced, Lyric was sure the next thought would be his last. He knew it would be useless to conjure weapons of any kind. Not even a grenade launcher would stop the nightmare that stood in front of him.

As the scorpion tail began to ship about in a way that seemed out of control, it came far too close to Shivaun for Lyric’s liking. So he began moving away from her, backing up, taking the monster’s attention with him until she was well out of reach of that tail.

He felt a change in the air just before the soul eater was about to lunge. Time for logic, calculation, and strategy was over. The only thing that stood between him and nothingness was instinct.

Without conscious decision or agreement, he opened his mouth and began to sing. He didn’t decide on a song. His subconscious mind shifted into survival mode and, evidently, chose from a catalog of hundreds of songs the demon knew by heart.

“The Fields of Athenry” was one of the most touching Irish ballads ever composed. It never failed to touch those who heard and understood its message.

So, there the demon stood delivering an enchantment with a tenor so pure it was otherworldly. As he sang, Lyric’s brain re-engaged and he realized that, of course, his song, capable of charming any living thing, was his protection.

The beast had stilled upon hearing Lyric’s voice, as creatures always did in the presence of music’s essence. The tail hung limp on the ground as the monster appeared to be hypnotized.

Shivaun, who had slept through the sonic boom of Lyric’s arrival, and the repeated roar of the most dreadful fiend imaginable, woke to the sound of the music demon’s song.

She sat up slowly and looked around in confusion.

A lot had apparently taken place after she’d gone to sleep. Lyric had found her, but was faced off with something that must be a horror if his back was any indication of what his front looked like.

Lyric caught her eye and shook his head slightly as he continued to sing without pause. She had no idea what the gesture meant and she was groggy from the record-breaking consumption of whiskey. But her mind was working well enough for her to reason that, if she could will herself to experience drunkenness, she could will herself sober just as easily. And thinking it made it so.

The look of fear on Lyric’s face when she popped to her feet caused the monster to turn, look behind him, and roar.

Shivaun saw that her prediction was right. The thing did look even worse from the front.

She promptly threw lightning from her fingertips. The resounding zap was loud. The smell was horrific. Lyric jumped out of the way as the monster stumbled backward, and watched with Shivaun as the thing fell over. Unconscious.

The form immediately reverted to that of Quicksilver.

Shivaun rushed at Lyric and threw her arms around him. “You found me.”

“Yes. But you saved us. When did you get that electrical thing? Very handy trick that.” She shrugged. “Let’s get out of here before he wakes up.”

There was no need to ask twice. She was nodding. “How?”

He pulled one of the wristbands off and put it on her. “We’re good to go.” Lyric started to open an entrance to the passes, but stopped. “Hold on a minute.”

Knowing Quicksilver would recover from the supernatural tasing in good time, he devised a plan to let the shapeshifter devise his own punishment.

He walked over, lifted Quicksilver’s limp wrist, and put the band with the little raven charm on him. When the demon woke, he would choose his own fate. He could stay in the clouds alone. Or leave and find himself serving a long sentence as Shelejiah’s familiar.

They went straight to Shivaun’s fantasy spot, where he could have her all to himself.

“Shivaun. Say the words. Please. So this doesn’t happen again.”

“What words, demon?”

“Say ‘I’m your mate for all time’.”

“Lyric. I told you I’ll no’ be scared into a commitment for all eternity. We’ve known each other for a few weeks.”

“That’s your head talking.”

“Aye. There’s nothin’ wrong with that.”

He shook his head. “Everything is wrong with that. What happened to the elfess so full of wide-eyed romance? The only thing to consider is this. Do you want me?”

She searched his face while deciding what to say. At length she concluded there was no reason to modify her policy that honesty is best.