Grenadine Dreams

5. The Collector

5. The Collector

{Janus}

Janus Bergman was perhaps the palest man sunbathing on the isolated beach of Thailand's southern coast. But thanks to the tutelage of his personal trainer and stylist, he had established a reliable base that could withstand almost any sun-dominated climate.

Except for Australia. I won't be back there anytime soon.

The outback expedition was overrated and the kangaroos did not impress him as wildlife nor as a delicacy. He returned from that trip with a terrible sunburn, including burning unmentionables. Thank God for djinn or else there would have been no way he could show his face to his board members the next day.

Djinn and demons alike, it seemed, were the source of Janus's success as well as his prolonged life.

I suppose I should thank them for landing me a spot on this dreadfully boring beach.

From behind his shades, Janus watched while demons floated along and passed through the stacked membranes of reality. Most hung out between the Sixth and the Tenth, but every now and then a young, naive demon would wander into the impossibly thin Fourth. Searching for a way beyond the claustrophobic plane, the demons always crashed against the Third, which sorcerers like Janus commonly referred to as the Known.

Most entities were too weak or unlearned to break into the Known. After severely injuring themselves against the barrier, they would scuttle backwards through the higher planes.

Janus had a little something in store for the demons that did manage to get through. Located next to his beach recliner was a lure – a device that attracted and trapped rogue demons. That day Janus had decided to disguise it as a beer growler. When the lure reached capacity, he didn't plan to release its contents to the appropriate planes or bind the demonic souls to mundane objects. Instead, they would return home with him to Chicago as souvenirs to someone very dear to him.

I'm supposed to be on vacation and instead I'm thinking about the very thing that I needed a break from.

Still, he hoped that this catch of demons would be enough to satisfy the one they were meant for.

"American?"

Janus lifted his eyes to the bikini-clad tourist who was blocking his sun. He didn't like to interact with people when he was traveling, but his boredom was inescapable and this woman was easy to look at.

Janus sat up straight on his recliner to make room for his guest.

"German." He supposed a compliment should follow, so he offered one about her bikini and how appropriately it suited her.

The woman took a seat and folded her sun-bleached hair behind her ears.

"Your English is very good," she complimented.

Janus smirked. "So is yours."

Janus spent the next few minutes chatting with the tourist about travel and their reasons for choosing to visit Ao Nang. He let her lead the conversation and didn't tell her that this was his fourth time flying to Thailand to visit this particular beach.

"Are you drinking?" The woman eventually asked, gesturing to Janus's growler.

He shrugged apologetically. "It's empty."

From inside the bottle the demons wailed in desperation, but their cries fell upon deaf ears. The tourist was, however, perfectly capable of hearing the ringtone that suddenly blared from Janus's cell.

He excused himself as soon as he saw the caller ID.

"I need to take this."

"Of course."