Chapter 3

When Laurel met one on one with Jennifer, she explained that she wanted to spend the summer learning about demons: how to protect against them, to bind and banish them, and if necessary, how to control them. This, they both realized, would require that she also learn how to summon them safely. Jennifer assumed that Laurel’s motivation stemmed from her high school experience, when she had been manipulated by a succubus to perform a ritual for her. Jennifer had been one of the mages who had assisted Laurel’s mother in the unprecedented teleportation spell that allowed her to rescue her family.

Laurel didn’t mention her far more recent demon experiences, at college: the demon-sex-plant that she had summoned and that had been stolen from her, and then the incubus that she had summoned to help destroy the plant. The incubus was still at large: she had been unable to control it so instead they made a deal. Now he was living in a sorority house, its sisters his willing harem. Summoning demons, Laurel knew from experience, wasn’t that hard; it was controlling them that she needed work on.

After a few days, social groups began to form, routines were established, and people revealed their characters. Summer practiced yoga every morning in the house’s main foyer. She obviously wanted to be seen by everyone. And who could blame her? She had a strong lean graceful body, perfect in every way, and a beautiful face to match. Summer had copper-colored hair - another reason to be jealous. People sometimes called Laurel a redhead, but the truth was her hair was way more brown than red. Summer’s hair was done in a medium bob cut, like a lawyer might have: a haircut that told people to take her seriously. Laurel had never dared wear her hair short: on her slender body she worried that she’d look too much like a boy.

Toria - not “Victoria” and not “Tori”, she insisted - was from a very old magical family around Greece and Italy. She had classic beauty: big dark eyes, long shiny black hair, long legs, and an hourglass body. Her family, once influential, had recently parted ways with the coven that controlled the Mediterranean, and she delighted in telling people about her family’s political rebellion.

Chelle, Laurel’s very tall roommate, was her only friend so far, so when she waved at Laurel from down by the lake one evening, Laurel joined her.

“Do you know this one?” Chelle asked, beginning a spell by dragging a thread in a large circle on the still surface of the water. “It’s called the Fisherman’s Lens.”

She sprinkled salt over the circle and then worked a spell with words and gestures from a tradition unfamiliar to Laurel. Finally, an image appeared on the lake, upside-down and distorted by the ripples. It showed two people kissing.

“What is this?” Laurel asked.

“It’s a makeshift telescope. See?” Chelle pointed across the lake and up the hill, where, far in the distance, two specs that must have been people acted in concert with the lovers in the lens. The magical lens could only practically be viewed from one angle, so Chelle and Laurel took turns spying on their classmates.