Demonic Dora Read online

Dora must have noticed the shadow over her desk because she raised her head and peered up at him.

  “Oh, hello,” she said.

  Kieron groaned.

  How am I going to get her out of here if she messes up?

  The answer was simple; he would have to get his head cut off instead. He sighed. Being in lust was not easy.

  “The answer, Ms. Carridine.” Kazaik snapped. He curled his bony fingers into fists.

  I’m going to have to do something soon.

  Kieron tried to think of a way to distract Kazaik.

  “Um, the question was about evil, right?” Dora flashed an innocent expression.

  Kieron’s heart sank.

  He won’t fall for that.

  “If pure evil comes from power, how do we attain it?” Kazaik repeated.

  Kieron was about to stand up and shout out the answer, but Dora did the strangest thing. She rested her head on her bag.

  What’s she doing?

  Kieron watched her in awe as she nodded before lifting her head back up and looking directly at Kazaik. “We attain power through hate,” Dora said in a confident tone. She frowned for a moment as if contemplating her answer. “Does that mean if I want to be all powerful, all I need to do is hate something enough?”

  Kieron blinked. It was profound. It was a simplistic answer. It was correct! He glanced at Kazaik. The professor was smiling. Kazaik never smiled, and the smile looked twisted on his face.

  “Good answer,” Kazaik said. “Does drawing on yourself help you listen?”

  “It seems to.” Dora nodded, waving her middle finger at him.

  Did she just flip him off?

  “I’m not often surprised. You’re not quite the idiot I first thought you were.” Kazaik turned on his heel and walked back to the front of the class.

  Kieron breathed a sigh of relief. He stared at Dora in awe.

  How did she know the answer? How did she get away with flipping him off?

  Kazaik turned and faced the class. His eyes burned red as they focused on Dora. “Since our newest student is so well informed, I think she can show us her power. Ms. Carridine, come here please.”

  “Er, what for?” She sounded reluctant.

  “I’d like you demonstrate the use of power. Clearly you have mastered your hate, so it will be a good example for the class to see it in action.” Kazaik’s smile never reached his eyes.

  Aww fuck, he’s going to make her cast a spell.

  Kieron gripped his desk as he watched Dora stand up and walk to the front of the class with her head held high. I hope she knows what she’s doing.

  “What kind of example?” she asked.

  Kazaik pointed to the grimoire on his desk. “A simple curse will do, I think. Can you curse someone here for me?”

  Dora shrugged and walked over to the grimoire. “I can try.” She glanced down at the spell book and frowned. “There might be a problem though.”

  “Such as?” Kazaik raised an eyebrow at her.

  “I can’t read Latin. This looks like Latin.” She slowly flipped through the book. “Is there a translated version I can work with?”

  “What do you mean you can’t read Latin?” Kazaik sounded appalled. “How are you even in this class if you can’t read the language of sorcery?”

  “Um, I dunno?”

  Kazaik shot her a disgusted look. “Bloody new-age witches,” he muttered as he waved his arm in the air and summoned a translated copy of the grimoire from the stock room at the back of the class.

  Dora smiled in awe as the book travelled through the air towards her. She caught it in her hands with a grin. “That was great! Do it again.”

  Kazaik appeared upset by her request. “I will not.”

  “Awwwww.”

  “Don’t ever make that noise in my classroom again.” An expression of abject horror passed over Kazaik’s impassive face.

  Kieron had to hold in a giggle. Dora was confusing the crap out of him.

  “Okay so, who do you want me to curse, and with what?” she asked.

  “Anyone here with anything you like.” An evil smile spread across Kazaik’s face. He obviously didn’t think Dora could do anything.

  Neither do I, Kieron thought.

  “Oh, I don’t need a book for that.” Dora dropped the book on the desk.

  “Really? You are a proficient witch, are you?” Kazaik sounded unconvinced.

  “Yes, I like to think so.”

  “Show us.”

  Dora’s gaze travelled around the classroom until her eyes locked on Kieron. She winked at him. The bubble of panic in his stomach grew.

  Oh no! What’s she going to do now?

  She spun on her heel and stared at Kazaik with anger in her eyes. “Fireknackers!”

  Kazaik’s underwear ignited into a fiery blaze. Shocked students jumped to their feet as the blaze grew around Kazaik’s groin. He peered down as the flames licked around his legs. He didn’t utter a word, but his eyes were watering.

  “Dowzer,” he muttered. The ceiling opened up and several gallons of water fell through the opening, drenching him and dousing the flames. The room fell silent with only dripping sounds coming from the soggy professor. Dark smoke billowed around him, which could have been from the fire or Kazaik himself.

  The bell rang as class ended, but no one moved. All the students were staring in awe at their teacher.

  “A good use of hate, Ms. Carridine,” Kazaik muttered. “Class dismissed.”

  Dora returned to her desk for her bag. Kieron grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the classroom as quickly as he could. All the other students were in a hurry to leave as they stampeded towards the door. The air was pregnant with danger, like a balloon filled with acid that was about to explode.

  “Did I do okay?” Dora asked as they left the room.

  Kieron stared at her hopeful expression, feeling a sudden urge to hug her and strangle her at the same time. “You did wonderfully,” he said instead. He glanced back at Kazaik who was scowling at Dora’s back. “Now we need to teach you to ward off curses before the next class,” he added.

  Dora dropped her bag on her bed with a sigh.

  “Shit!” Pooey cried.

  “Oh crap.” Dora unzipped the pocket and let Pooey out of the bag. “Sorry.”

  “Why not just bash my head in with your fist? It’ll hurt less.” Pooey grumbled as he crawled out of her bag.

  “Sorry, it was a long day. I kept forgetting you were in there.”

  “You remembered when you needed the answers.” Pooey put his hands on his hips.

  “You were a total lifesaver.”

  “I know,” he said.

  Dora sat on the bed next to him. “I think I’m doomed. How am I going to do this all again tomorrow?”

  “You’re starting to sound like me.”

  She smiled. “How do you know so much about magic and evil?”

  “I read a lot.”

  “I guess I read the wrong books.”

  “Try this one.” Pooey dropped the translated grimoire from Professor Kazaik’s class into her lap.

  “How did you get this?” She picked up the book, staring at Pooey in awe.

  “I’m a ninja.” He shrugged.

  “You think I can learn all this in one night?” She flipped through the pages and grimaced at the book.

  “If you can’t, you’re fucked,” he replied. “You’re probably fucked.”

  Kieron burst into the room with his arms filled with books. He wore a determined expression as he kicked the door shut behind him and dropped the books onto the floor. “We need to give you a crash course in evil.” He declared.

  “Do you think we can do it in one night?” Dora winced. It appeared to be an impossible task.

  “We have to,” Kieron replied. He flashed a winning smile. “Don’t worry. You’ll be an expert in evil by the end of tonight.”

  Pooey rolled his eyes.

  Dora rubbed her bleary eyes and yawned. She, Kier
on and Pooey had been awake for most of the night practising evil spells and curses. She was certain she’d memorised at least three books worth of spells, but the spells weren’t powerful enough when she cast them. Even Kieron’s were stronger, which wasn’t a good thing since he’d admitted he didn’t have much power as a demon.

  Kieron gripped her hand as they strolled into Kazaik’s classroom. She glanced up at Kieron and noticed a worried frown knitting his eyebrows together. He had told her about the kinds of things Kazaik did in his classroom, and for the first time, she worried too. She had set the guy’s ass on fire, which probably hadn’t been her wisest decision. According to Kieron, Kazaik was a big fan of revenge.

  Oh, joy.

  Kazaik displayed a pleasant smile when she walked into his classroom. The smile never reached his black eyes. She hurried to her desk and sat down. She glanced at Kieron when he chose the desk next to her. He gave her a reassuring smile, making her feel more secure.

  It’ll be okay. Kieron’s with me.

  “That is not your seat, Mr. Lascher.” Kazaik snapped at Kieron.

  “I … er, but the view of the blackboard is better from here,” Kieron replied.

  “In this class, seats are assigned. Now back to your usual place.” Kazaik waved his hand. Both Kieron and his desk blew across the classroom, smashing into the far wall.

  Dora jumped up to run to Kieron’s aid, but an invisible force slammed into her shoulders and pushed her back down into her seat. She struggled against it, glancing up at Kazaik. Amusement lit up his eyes.

  He’s enjoying watching me struggle like a mortal.

  “Releashai,” she muttered. The invisible force pushing her downwards disappeared. She stood up and glared at Kazaik.

  He appeared surprised for a moment until a dark scowl settled on his face. “I see you would like to demonstrate your skills in sorcery again, Ms. Carridine.”

  She glanced across the room at Kieron, who struggled to his feet as he pulled broken pieces of desk off him. Splinters littered his torn robe, and he had a nasty-looking scratch down his left cheek. He caught her eye and shook his head with a sense of urgency.

  “Sure, why not?” Dora scowled at Kazaik. She knew it was a stupid idea, but he had annoyed her by hurting Kieron like that.

  It’s about time I practised these spells, and here’s the perfect asshole to try them out on.

  “Today class, we’re going to have a demonstration in defence,” Kazaik said, wearing a grim smile. “Come up to the front of the class please, Ms. Carridine.”

  She gritted her teeth and walked towards Kazaik. She shot Kieron a sideways glance. He shook his head with concern knotting his brow.

  Don’t worry. I can do this.

  She smiled at Kieron and straightened her shoulders. She stopped beside the professor and waited to see what he had in store for her.

  “Since you’re adept at the basic skills in sorcery, today we’re going to see what kind of curses you can repel.” Kazaik smiled as he turned to face her.

  “So basically, you’re going to attack me?” Dora narrowed her eyes at him.

  “Yes.” He grinned with devilish delight.

  “Bring it on.” She faced him, mulling over the defensive spells she had learnt. Countering a spell often involved casting a curse of another kind, instead of a lame protection spell. The best defence was offence. Dora knew she could be incredibly offensive if she wanted to be. It was all about the choice of the spell, not the power of it.

  If I choose the right spells, he’s going down.

  “Incinerato!” Kazaik cried. Flames burst out of the palms of his hands and shot towards her.

  She jumped back, narrowly avoiding the fireballs. “Doodlysquat!” she cried out in retaliation.

  A ton of manure dropped through the ceiling and landed on Kazaik, dousing his flaming hands and burying him under a mound of horseshit. She heard a growl from within the pile of manure and suppressed the urge to laugh.

  That was just great!

  The earth trembled under her feet when giant, hairy arms poked through the top of the manure. A massive monkey, wearing Kazaik’s robes, crawled out of the pile of dung. It scooped up a lump of excrement and rolled it into a massive ball.

  “Sizero,” the monkey chattered. The manure ball shrank to the size of a basketball.

  Oh no you don’t.

  “Nothrowpoo!” Dora cried. The monkey fell under her control, and its wicked glare transformed into a blank stare.

  She grinned. “Facepalm,” she said. The monkey splatted the ball of manure into its own face and rubbed it in.

  This is so easy, she thought, feeling a bit cocky.

  “Truform.” The Kazaik monkey growled. He changed back into a man who was dirtied with manure. He spat some of it out of his mouth and looked up at her with a murderous expression. “Guilloti!” Kazaik snarled.

  Dora yelped as an invisible force flung her onto the professor’s desk. Thick leather straps wrapped over her whole body, binding her to the table.

  “Mmmfn.” She tried to cast a curse through the leather gag, but nothing came out. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw the sharp guillotine blade hovering in the air over her neck.

  Oh shit!

  “You see Ms. Carridine, not all curses can be deflected with bullshit.” Kazaik wore a nasty smile.

  Horseshit, she thought.

  “Decaperato!” he cried. The blade dropped. She screamed under the gag, and her heart jumped into her mouth.

  “Haltus.” The blade stopped a few millimetres from her neck. She couldn’t turn her head to look up, but she recognised the voice.

  Lord Lascher stepped into her line of vision, offering a polite smile to Kazaik. “Sorry to interrupt professor, but I need to take Dora and Kieron out of class today—family emergency.”

  “We were just finishing off this lesson. Is it possible for Dora to finish her presentation first?” Kazaik asked. The blade of the guillotine wobbled and touched the skin on her neck. The sharp edge of the guillotine sliced her skin, drawing a bloody line across her throat.

  “I’m afraid not. It’s an urgent matter.” Lord Lascher flashed a warm smile at the professor. “Releashai,” he muttered. The guillotine and leather straps evaporated, allowing Dora to sit up on the desk.

  “Grab your bags kids. We need to get going.”

  She climbed off the professor’s table. “Thanks,” she muttered to Lord Lascher as she walked past him and headed for her desk.

  “Dora isn’t a member of the Lascher family, is she?” Kazaik scowled at her as she picked up her backpack. She crossed the room to meet Kieron in the doorway.

  “She will be soon.” Lord Lascher smiled again. “I apologise for the interruption.” He gave a short bow in Kazaik’s direction before walking towards her and Kieron and leading them out of the classroom.

  “Lucky timing.” Dora smiled at Lord Lascher once they left the classroom.

  “Luck has nothing to do with it.” Lord Lascher grinned.

  “What does that mean?” Kieron narrowed his eyes.

  “Oh, nothing, just you will both be my students from now on. We don’t want Dora losing her head, do we?”

  “No, but what kind of tuition are we getting? You’re not a professor.” Kieron found his father’s help more alarming than Kazaik’s threats. Dora didn’t understand what he was worrying about. Lord Lascher had saved her ass a couple of times now. There was no reason to fear him.

  “You, my lucky students, will have the pleasure of practical training in Hell.” Lord Lascher winked.

  “What, in the punishment sectors?” Kieron’s eyes widened, and his voice was brimming with awe.

  “Yes. I’ve been given permission to let you kids go in there, and I’m allowed to show you true evil. Think of it as work experience.”

  “Work?” Dora lost any enthusiasm she might have had over it when she heard that word. “That er, sounds like work.”

  “Trust me. Once you’ve worked i
n Hell, the word has a whole new meaning.” Lord Lascher told her.

  Kieron nodded with excitement lighting up his eyes.

  It’s gotta be better than losing my head, right?

  “Okay, let’s go to work, I guess …”

  Cheerful music filled the elevator as it dropped through several levels of Hell at breakneck speed. Dora glanced at Lord Lascher. He was humming along in time to the music and tapping his feet. The music was similar to something her grandmother would listen to, and it was making her feel queasy from the sugary sweetness of it. She peered at Kieron. He was swaying in time to the music too.

  She stared at the steel doors in front of her with a blank feeling of disbelief, painfully aware of the Lascher’s both swaying in synchronisation on either side of her.

  It’s like a Brady Bunch nightmare in here.

  She frowned and slyly kicked Kieron in the shin. He yelped and glared at her, fortunately losing his unity with the elevator music. She sighed with relief, pulling an innocent expression.

  “Oww, what was that for?” Kieron frowned at her.

  “Sanity,” she replied.

  The elevator dinged and came to an abrupt halt, causing her to lose her balance and fall against Kieron. He caught her in his arms when she landed against his muscled chest. She glanced up at him, and he grinned down at her. His hot skin burned her fingers through his white shirt.

  Why does he always have to be so hot? She blinked at the thought.

  The contact made her skin heat up too.

  Think clean thoughts. Think clean thoughts …

  “Ahem.” Lord Lascher glanced at them, making a fake coughing sound.

  Dora flinched and jumped back out of Kieron’s reach. She straightened her shoulders in an attempt to hide the burning embarrassment flushing her cheeks.

  Awkward!

  The elevator doors slid open to reveal a large office with grey carpet tiles on the floor and beige wallpaper on the walls. It looked like any other office in the universe with small cubicles lining it in endless rows. Each cubicle held an office worker. Some were human-looking and others were demons, but all were dressed in business suits or uniform T-shirts bearing the company logo. The T-shirts were red polo-shirts with the company logo emblazoned across them. The logo was a picture of a fireball with the words ‘Corporate Hell’ stamped beneath it.