Just big enough for two rooms—one outside the bars, and one, flexible in size due to the nature of the prisoners it had to hold, inside the bars.
Our magic prison. Our spelled jail. Our hinky clink.
One minute we were walking among the trees and ferns, and the next there was a small brick building in front of us. We were the Reed sisters. Protectors of the rule of law of this very special town. The only way this building ever revealed itself was when one of us was in front of it.
“There it is,” Jean said. “I love how it justshooshesinto view. How long has it been since anyone has used it?”
“Before Dad…” Myra winced and looked at each of us in turn.
“Before Dad left us.” I squeezed her arm. “Bigfoot, I think, wasn’t it?”
Jean grinned. “That’s right. Midnight magic mushrooms with Odin. What a mess.”
They’d thought it would be funny to film Bigfoot riding around town peeking into shop windows. Odin hadn’t been caught, but Bigfoot had gone ahead with Odin’s “Oscar-winning inspiration” and stolen a car for his joy ride.
Thank goodness he hadn’t gotten any farther than the curb before he hit a trash can and passed out. That’s where Dad had found him.
“Ready?” I walked up to the door.
They both nodded.
I pressed my palm on the door, and it opened for me. We stepped inside.
The fresh air and soft sound of wind chimes always surprised me. Just because it was a magical jail didn’t mean it wasn’t also a decent place.
From the outside, the building had no windows. But inside, the light came through high, wide windows that made the daylight look even sunnier.
The walls were brick. Across each brick was scrawled a mark or line—the unique magic and power set into the place.
Magic could be used here, outside the cell. But inside the cell was a magic-free zone.
The bricks closest to the jail cell, which took up the far corner of the room, had new marks carved into them. Marks put there by Myra, so that we would have something extra to hold demons.
The dragon pig had pulled all of the metal objects in the room into one pile and was perched on top of it like an eagle on its nest. I could make out several wire baskets, an antique fan, a slightly newer desk lamp, the base of two swivel chairs, all the silverware, including a giant novelty spoon that I didn’t remember being stored here.
I walked over and scratched the dragon pig’s head. “Hey, good job keeping an eye on him. Spud is outside. He misses you.”
The dragon pig yawned, showing way too many sharp teeth, then stood. It looked over at Amy, then back at me.
“No, I got this. We got this. Go ahead.”
The dragon pig hopped down off the pile, pulled the giant spoon out of it, then trotted toward the door, dragging the spoon along the ground. With a small poof of smoke, the dragon pig disappeared.
I turned to study our prisoner. He didn’t look the least bit rumpled or inconvenienced.
“Delaney and all the other Reed sisters,” he said. “How pleasant to finally see you again.”
“We saw you yesterday, Amy.” Jean positioned herself between Myra and me and the demon. “I’m surprised the dragon pig didn’t eat you.”
“Yes, well. We did have a long conversation. Not a big talker, that dragon. Has a bit of a temper, doesn’t it?”
“Run me through your demands again,” I said.
His eyebrows rose. “I already told you, in private, what I want.”
“Refresh my memory in front of my sisters. We’re all in this.” I folded my arms over my chest. Jean and Myra crossed their arms too.
He glanced at Myra, then Jean. He seemed to make a decision and stepped back from the bars to pace, hands behind his back. “I am requesting you break the contract between the King of the Underworld and the Queen of the Underworld.”
