Chapter 5

  Meredith And The Devil-Boy

  The following day, Meredith stood behind the counter wearing a black robe and matching boots. She watched as a dozen customers bustled amongst the racks and display tables. Cici sat atop the counter on his haunches. The doorbell tinkled as the door swung inwards to reveal a red-skinned, horned fellow. Meredith’s face and heart sank at the sight of yet another visitor from the hells.

  The gangly youth had much smaller horns atop his forehead than the previous day’s devious guest; they only meagerly began to curve backward. It was apparent there was much more growth to be had. His wavy black hair was swept back and fell behind his pointed ears, barely reaching his shoulders. Black eyes with red irises sat beneath sharp, dark eyebrows. Red arms protruded from his tattered cotton tunic that ended in knotted hands with long black nails that came to a point. Equally battered brown leather pants and boots adorned his legs, and a fabric satchel was strapped across his torso. His sharp-featured face bore a relaxed, maybe even bored, expression as his forked tail lazily flicked behind him. Unlike Wallace, the stranger lacked wings.

  The patrons paid him no mind. Nor did Cici, who watched the customers attentively. The young stranger glanced at Meredith and met her inquisitive gaze. A flicker of something, Meredith wasn’t sure, passed across his face before he turned and shuffled behind a freestanding shelf.

  Confusion swept over the young witch.

  ‘Who is this guy?’ Meredith wondered. ‘Why is nobody freaking out like yesterday?’

  Meredith nudged Cici and knelt beneath the counter as if to procure something. She waited for him, kneeling, while Cici remained atop the counter, staring down at her. Meredith frantically beckoned for him. The feline leaped down onto the floor before her.

  “What is it?” He meowed.

  “Not so loud!” Meredith shushed him. “Who is that guy?”

  “Which one?”

  “The red one! With the horns.”

  “I don’t know,” Cici replied. “Just some tiefling.”

  “He’s not another devil?”

  “No, you doofus!” Cici shook his head and cackled.

  “What the hell is a tiefling?”

  “Are you serious? You know what a tiefling is!”

  “I’ve never seen one!”

  “Yes, you have!”

  “Who?”

  “The green tiefling girl at your school!”

  “She was a tiefling?” Meredith asked incredulously. “I thought she was a goat person?”

  “Meredith!” Cici hissed. “Don’t say things like that!”

  “What are you talking about? Her eyes were—"

  “Um, excuse me,” a dull voice interrupted from beyond the counter. Meredith and Cici popped up to see a cloaked patron holding a fistful of dried herbs.

  Meredith helped the customer and those after, but her eyes always shifted to the young tiefling who perused the apothecary ingredients. She looked away at any hint of him glancing towards her. Cici gave Meredith a sly grin and flicked his tail under her nose. She returned a silent scowl. He always had to harass her whenever a boy was around.

  Eventually, after most of the patrons had left, the tiefling strode up to the counter and placed a tied bunch of lavender before her.

  “Hi!” Meredith squeaked a little too enthusiastically.

  “Hello,” he replied sheepishly.

  “Will this be all for you?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Meredith’s heart stirred, and she giggled uncontrollably as she said, “Oh, you don’t have to call me that.” She waved a hand at him. “I’m Meredith. My Grandma is ma’am.”

  “Oh!” The youth flicked his eyes at Meredith before lowering them again. “I should’ve known. Ethel talks about you a lot.”

  Meredith’s cheeks burned.

  ‘Apparently, Grandma talks about me to boys,’ she thought.

  An awkward pause permeated into heavy silence as Meredith twiddled her hair. The boy shuffled on the other side of the counter before Meredith realized they were alone in the shop and that she had a job to do.

  “Oh! Um…that’s five coppers.” Meredith pointed at the lavender. “Would you like a bag?”

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  “No thanks, I’ve got this,” the boy muttered as he patted his satchel and fumbled in his pockets. He pulled out his long-nailed hands and counted the coins in his palm. “Damn, I must’ve dropped one.” He grimaced.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Meredith waved him off and slid the lavender across the counter toward him. “I’ll take just four.”

  “Really?” The boy was taken aback. Meredith nodded. He slid the four copper coins over to her. “Thanks, I really appreciate it! You’ve saved me a lot of heartache.”

  “It’s just one copper coin.” Meredith shrugged.

  “Yeah, well…” the boy trailed off. “Thanks!” He slid his lavender into his satchel and made for the door.

  Meredith’s heart dropped as she watched his flicking tail. A strange longing settled in her chest. She didn’t want him to leave. The tiefling stopped with his hand on the doorknob and turned back to Meredith. “I’m Victor, by the way.”

  “Nice to meet you, Victor,” Meredith said. “I’m Meredith.” She instantly cringed. She had already told him her name. “But you already knew that.” Meredith forced a smile and laugh to hide her embarrassment. Cici’s soft tail tickled the young witch’s chin.

  “Now I definitely won’t forget.” Victor smiled and gave a slight wave before exiting. Meredith watched him through the wide windows. Unlike most other patrons, who flew or teleported, Victor walked away.

  As soon as the door clinked shut, Cici erupted in a fit. His howling cackles echoed in the empty shop.

  “What in the six hells was that?” He laughed. “One cute boy walks in, and your brain turns to mush!”

  “Shut up!” Meredith chided him and folded her arms. “I wasn’t THAT bad! And I didn’t say anything about him being cute!”

  “Ma’am?” Cici’s voice became mockingly shrill. “You don’t have to call lil’ ol’ me that!”

  “Shut it,” Meredith growled.

  “My name’s Meredith,” Cici continued. “But you can call me Meredith.”

  “Whatever.” Meredith shook her head and began to tidy up around the shop. “I’m here to work the shop, not talk to boys.”

  “Perfect,” Cici replied in his normal voice. “Because you’re only good at one of those.” He cackled some more.

  Meredith fished her wand from her dress pocket, flicked it towards Cici, and said, “Narya Telyn Shae Cici!”

  A small, gray cloud began to form above the howling cat. His incessant cackling abruptly ended when he looked up in alarm as a raindrop fell onto his fur.

  “No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-“ Cici darted off the counter and sprinted across the shop as the enchanted cloud followed him and spilled little raindrops along his back.

  Meredith sighed and let her shoulders drop. She hadn’t realized how much tension she had been holding onto during that conversation. So what if she muddled a single social interaction? She did great with the other customers.

  “I’m telling Grandma that you give people a ‘cute-boy-discount!” Cici huffed and howled as he sprinted under a display table, the rain cloud close behind.

  Meredith ignored him and glanced at the clock. It was almost time to close. She counted the coins in the register, restocked, swept up, flipped the shop sign, checked the mailbox—it was empty—, locked up, and called it a day.

  Later that evening, after she had long dispelled the rain cloud, Meredith and Cici dined together in the sitting room, her in the chair pulled up close to the fire and him on his haunches on the rug before the fireplace. Meredith had vegetable soup while Cici devoured dried chicken strips. They ate quietly. Only the sound of distant night critters and the crackling fire permeated the dim house.

  “So,” began Meredith nonchalantly. “What was up with that tiefling? Do all of them look so…devilish?”

  Cici swallowed and said, “Really, Meredith? How do you not know about tieflings?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean what I mean! How do you not know anything about tieflings?”

  “How do you know about tieflings?” Meredith rebuked. “You’ve been with me almost every day of your life, and I’ve never even heard of them! We’ve never covered them at the Academy! And apparently, there’s only one there, who may or may not be a goat person!”

  “And I can’t believe you thought Rebecca was a goat person.”

  “How do you even know her name?”

  “I’m a cat,” Cici stated as if that was explanation enough. “I know things.”

  Meredith rolled her eyes.

  “Then teach me, oh Wise One.”

  Cici finished a bit of chicken before saying, “Tieflings are a race touched by the hells.”

  “And what does that mean?”

  Cici returned to his dinner and refused to speak.

  “Fine then, mysterious kitty, keep your secrets,” Meredith scowled.

  ‘As if he even knows,’ she thought to herself.

  Meredith finished her bowl of soup, sent it to the kitchen, and then stood up to peruse Grandma’s extensive library, which lined the house's walls.

  “Surely there’s an encyclopedia or something here…” She mumbled. “Hello, Thomas!” Meredith waved at the toad in his enclosure as she passed him by. He wasn’t there when she first sat down to eat. Meredith wondered what he got himself into when she wasn’t around.

  “Why are you so interested anyway?” Cici called from behind her. “Is it because you want to relate to that cute tiefling boy?”

  “Shush, you.” Meredith continued hunting amongst the bookshelves.

  “You could just ask Victor next time he comes in.”

  “What? No!” Meredith exclaimed. “That would be so weird. What would I even say? ‘Hey there, Big Red, tell me all about your race!’ Ridiculous. You said his name was Victor?”

  “You could be a bit more subtle.” Cici rolled his eyes. “And don’t act like you don’t know his name. Especially after scribbling his name in hearts in your diary!”

  Meredith whipped around, eyes wild and brows furrowed.

  “Did you read my diary?” Her voice pierced the air between them.

  Silence permeated the room, save for the crickets, the crackle of the fire, and the clattering of the dishes in the kitchen.

  “No.” Cici smiled after a moment. “But I’m clearly onto something.

  Meredith’s cheeks flushed bright red. She scowled at her feline companion before huffing and returning to her search.

  “Anyway,” Meredith continued. “There’s an entire race I just learned about; why wouldn’t I research them? As a witch in this line of work, I should know as much as possible about all the different races. What if a tiefling comes in, and I give them medicine that harms instead of heals? Besides, you said they’re touched by the hells. Maybe I can learn some new information about devils, too. All I really know is that you’re never supposed to make a deal with them. Aha!”

  Meredith pulled out a thick, leather-bound book titled Tieflings, Descent and Ascent, A Summative History. The pair spent the rest of the evening curled up together in the chair next to the fire. They learned of the ancient, awful deal an elven leader made with a devil that plunged his city and all its inhabitants into the first layer of hell, where they were enslaved. Over generations, the elves developed devilish traits until they were no longer elves at all but had become tieflings. Over time, many had escaped and populated the surface, but many more toiled away in hell as slaves.

  Meredith thinks so Cici thinks Meredith thinks so.