The everafter or at least the part that Rachel had seen was like an underground city, an underground Cincy. And the building Rachel and Al were headed to looked like a regular warehouse albeit a decrepit one.
"This is the place?" Rachel said with a doubtful voice.
"Yes my witchy student," Al replied.
"Whoever stays here doesn't look like they could afford to pay for the rooms you stay in now let alone pay enough to make these curses worth the risk," Rachel said.
"No one would stay in this place if they had a choice, you are correct; they reside here out of necessity, to avoid jail or banishment. Newt and those other disciplinary sorts won't find them here." Al said as he put his hands on the side of the warehouse as if looking for something.
"What are you doing?" Rachel asked.
"I'm looking for a hidden door," Al replied.
"How are you going to find it if it's hidden?"
"Do you witches not conceal openings and seal them with magic?"
"Yes we do." Rachel said as she thought back to the concealed room in which she, Ivy, and Edden found Denton's body as well as the remains of the undead that had killed Kirsten, Art. This also made her think about the curse she used to seal the door forever. The heat had been so intense that it melted stone and metal. The smut on her aura had increased because of it but the most distressing thing was how easier it had been to take on the imbalance.
"Ah here it is," Al said. Then he muttered some Latin and an opening appeared.
"Let's go," Al said.
Al stepped through the opening and disappeared. Rachel took a deep breath and followed. The opening closed behind her.
The inside looked like a nightclub. Rachel was startled until she remembered walking into Dali's office for the first time. Dali had transformed his office to look like a beach. So maybe scene changes are normal. Taking a closer look Rachel noticed that it looked like a sleazy nightclub. And this nightclub was filled with demons dressed like old time mobsters.
"I'm sensing a theme. I thought you demons wore robes and stuff? Except for you and Dali," Rachel said.
"If you don't care about laws you won't care about conforming to society's dress code," Al said.
Rachel looked around again. Most of the demons were in groups doing what looked like gambling. Others were sitting and drinking various colored liquids and snorting lines of what looked like brimstone. And sprinkled among them were scantily clad women: human, witch, elf. They were dancing to music only they could hear. Their movements were mechanical and their eyes vacant. Just like Ceri's eyes before I made Al give her soul back. Rachel realized. Rachel clenched her hands into fists and started to stride forward. Al grabbed her arm and jerked her back.
"Careful my itchy witch, we can't afford to have you cause a scene," Al whispered.
"No price is enough to make me ignore how they're being treated," Rachel whispered back incensed.
"I was not referring to money. I was talking about our well being. There's no way we would stand a chance against this many demons some of which have familiars," Al said.
"We?" Rachel questioned.
"Yes, we. You're my student. I'm responsible for you. Do you know what would happen if you were injured or killed while you were with me? Newt wouldn't kill me she'd keep me alive, for awhile first."
Rachel gulped. "Let's call Newt now then."
"Lower your voice," Al hissed. Al tightened his grip on Rachel's arm. "Newt wouldn't be able to catch them all. Then the ones that got away would come after me, us. Besides what do you think happens to a familiar whose demon gets jailed, killed, or banished; they're killed."
Rachel went cold.
"You don't have a scrying mirror on you anyway. Rachel, let it go. If you start something they'll wipe out the both of us. But they might use you first.
Rachel shuddered. "Let go of my arm." Al hesitated.
"Let go," Rachel repeated.
Al released her arm. "I'm glad you saw reason," Al said.
"Al we're going to talk after this is over," Rachel said.
"Yes I expect we will. But for now put on your party hat," Al said.
Al strode across the floor heading to the biggest group with Rachel following. As they crossed the floor, the demons they passed turned to watch them. By the time they reached the group all conversation had stopped. The back of Rachel's neck was prickling from the feeling of so many watchful eyes and she closed the distance between her and Al.
"Capo," Al boomed. "Long time no see. What 's it been one hundred years?"
"Two hundred years. Since that lost souls incident," Capo said.
"Yes well that was bad business all around. So how have you been?" Al asked.
"Oh so so, you know not everyone has an official in their pocket. We expected to see you here with us after that uncommon stupidity charge," Capo drawled.
"I just managed to get away; it took some fast maneuvering not because I have an official in my pocket. I don't have any officials in my pocket. In fact empty pockets are why I came to see you," Al said.
Rachel groaned inwardly. The tension in the room was palpable. And Al's making bad jokes. Rachel surreptitiously reached for her gun containing sleepy-time potions at the small of her back. Then Capo smiled. It was an evil smile but the tension dissipated at its appearance.
"I twisted the curse you wanted, guaranteed to work. I made six vials worth," Al said reaching his hand back to Rachel for the vials.
It was then that Capo first focused his attention on Rachel. As Rachel looked at Capo red goat slit eyes, it was like she could sense the evil emanating from him. She broke eye contact and reached into her pockets for the vials. She handed the vials to Al.
Al gave Capo one of the vials. Capo held the vial by two fingers and held it up to light examining it. "Ahhh," Capo sighed. Then Capo looked back at Al.
"How do I know it works?" Capo asked.
Al put his hands to his chest to give the impression of being offended. "I was twisting before I was a hundred," Al said.
"Yes and how many centuries has it been since you personally twisted a curse yourself. I don't see your elf familiar, Ceri was it. I had heard you lost your familiar with the ability to spindle ley line energy in her head. Your new familiar here looks too green to know much," Capo looking at Rachel.
Rachel opened her mouth to protest but Al spoke first.
"Your opinion of my skills wounds me. Familiar or no familiar my skills never diminish. And the witch beside me has considerable skill.
Rachel's eyebrows rose at Al's unexpected compliment of her ability.
One of the demons next to Capo sneered. "You treat your familiars like pets. Teaching them curses and spells like you would teach a dog tricks. All the while you grow soft, "Uale said.
Al's eyes narrowed into slits. Then he looked around at the mindless dancers. "Looks like you make your familiar perform tricks, too."
"Familiars are tools. Making it dance merely amuses me. How you treated that elf familiar was disgusting," Uale said.
Al turned back to Capo. "Well don't worry my skills are as sharp as ever. Now do you want to buy them or not?" Al asked in a cold voice.
Capo stared at Al for a few moments in silence. "I'll buy them if they work, though not on your word alone. I'll test one vial on her," Capo said pointing his finger at Rachel.
"Oh hell no," Rachel said taking a step back.
"You are not testing it on her," Al said.
"Well why not?" Capo asked. "It's obvious you just got her. She's not even broken in yet. If I damage her you can include the fee in the cost. You know if this works you can expect future business from me."
Rachel started sputtering. She couldn't believe Capo was talking about buying her like she was a object.
"Sorry, this witch is off limits. You'll have to test it on someone else," Al said.
"Who?" Capo asked. "I'd be a poor boss if I experimented on my people using them as guinea pigs." "These familiars are little more than puppets," Capo said waving a hand at the dancing girls. "There would be no way to tell if it works if I gave it to one of them."
"You'll just have to find someone else then because as I've said the witch is off limits. Like you suggested you can pay me extra and I'll go find someone and bring them here," Al said.
Rachel thought furiously. Am I just going to stand by and let Al snatch some person, drag them to the everafter and use them to test a curse which might have some unexpected side effects? And if the person does manage to survive they'll be given over to this gang of demons as a familiar. Like those poor women. Already her fear caused her to ignore that injustice. Rachel wondered whether Ivy and Jenks would be ashamed that she stood by or thankful that she hadn't rushed into a fight where the odds were against her.
Rachel started to get angry at herself. This isn't like me. Arggh, not taking risks is hard to live by. Rachel made a decision. Al and I made those curses perfectly and Al wouldn't let anything happen to me.
"Wait, you can test it on me," Rachel said.
Al's head snapped around.
Capo clapped his hands. "See! Wonderful!" Capo said.
"Rachel what are you doing?" Al asked.
"I won't stand by while you snatch someone and drag them to the everafter to be at the mercy of a gang of demon thugs," Rachel said hotly.