The Girl with the Uninvited Ghost: Pandemonium Cozy Mystery #1

Chapter 42

"We need to check out your uncle's study." Mahogany stood and grabbed her wine glass. "If a demon is responsible for the murderers, we need all the help we can get."

Evelina pulled another bottle from the wine rack in the kitchen. "I'm not sure all the books in the world will be enough for two humans, a stereo-amplified ghost, and a wingless Fae to defeat a demon," Evelina said as she opened the bottle and drank straight from it.

"Nestor was able to defeat Ereuthalion," Mahogany said.

Tony shook his head. "Who?"

"Similar to David and Goliath," Evelina said, filling Mahogany's glass. "But Ereuthalion had Areithous's armor, which was pretty beefy."

"True. Well, we'll have to arm ourselves with knowledge and hope it's enough." Mahogany took a fortifying gulp of wine. "To the armory." She pumped her fist in the air.

Tony and Evelina blinked at her, their expressions blank.

"The study? We're arming ourselves with knowledge." Mahogany sighed. "It's a metaphor."

"This way." Tony led them to the back of the tiny cottage. Well, at least it looked small from the outside. Several rooms lay at the back, which was unaccounted for from outdoors.

"A pocket spell," Evelina said. "Nice. I should have a space witch work their magic at my place. I'd love to have a bigger closet."

"Space witch? Now there's a comic I'd read," Tony said. He turned a metal dragon-shaped sconce on the wall ninety degrees and rapped on the door three times. "I love this part," he said and opened the door.

Instead of drywall and 1980s decor, the room Tony stepped into appeared to have been sheered off of a medieval castle and slapped onto the cottage. Large gray stones comprised the walls and floor. Twenty or more thick oak shelves loaded with books leaned hither and tither against the walls, looking as if they were held together with dust and luck. A large rickety wooden table stood at the room's center. Stacked atop were books so massive they covered half the table's surface. One lay open. Etched upon the right page was a detailed drawing of a griffin, while calligraphic writing filled the left.

"Wow," Mahogany said, gazing around the study. "Your uncle went for authentic."

"Oh, it is authentic," Tony said. "We're in a Romanian keep 600 years ago."

"What? Can we take vacations to Romania anytime we want?" Mahogany said. She approached the table and turned the immense vellum page of the open book. A sketch of a hairy creature standing on two legs, holding a staff, appeared on the right page. A detailed account of the beast, on the other. "Grugach?" Mahogany read the entry title aloud.

"They're like wild elves," Evelina said, moving to stand beside Mahogany.

Mahogany nodded. "There's a family of them living in the old mill at the edge of the woods."

"Sadly, no free Romanian vacations for us. The spell only extends to this room," Tony said.

"Figures. Is there a demon section?" Mahogany said. She dropped the vellum page and gazed around the dusty tomes.

"And freezing spells," Evelina said. "While we're at it."

"Good question," Tony said, gazing around the room. "If there's an organizational scheme, I haven't discovered it yet."

Evelina bit her lip and looked around the room. "This will take days, weeks even to go through all of this."

"Maybe I can help," Guy said. He glided into the room to one of the bookshelves and disappeared into it. Pieces of his t-shirt and locks of his messy hair poked out between the book's spines and covers.