For all that Ryka’s experience in Purgatory had been limited to southern New England - except for one trip South - he was truly an ideal travel companion. For starters, needing only one plane ticket was a boon. This time, Kyle splurged on first class so he could stretch out. If he was going to have to hold his knees to his chest, he didn’t want it to be so the airline could screw him.

The biggest perk by far, though, was having an incredible translator available at all times. There was no language - alive or dead - that Ryka didn’t know. No app was ever going to be as accurate or efficient as having a translator living in Kyle’s head. Coaching him through conversations or, when that was too complicated, simply talking through his host, ensured that Kyle was never trapped behind a language barrier.

Kyle was starting to think he should have done this a lot sooner.

They had spent the summer bouncing between casinos and the Cape, all the while awaiting a payout from the insurance company for the fire that had claimed Kyle’s house.

It had timed out that just when Kyle again became desperate to move on, the money came through and they had nothing left tying them to the area. Although Kyle had been eager to send in his resignation, as August came to a close, he found himself aching with regret for his lost career. He had planned on teaching until old age forced him to retire, but he should have known that once he made that contract, that dream was forfeit.

As happy as he was to be with Ryka and have no obligations, it still felt wrong not to be heading off to meetings, prepping his classroom, or making final tweaks to the syllabus.

Knowing his host was hurting, Ryka suggested they go overseas. And so, on what should have been the first day of school, they boarded a plane for Europe.

Never having traveled much, Kyle was excited about their trip. And they’d found a lot to enjoy: the pub scene in England and Ireland, the food in Greece and Italy, and the sights along the French Riviera.

Not all of it was pleasant, though. Medieval cities under the shadows of towering cathedrals left Kyle feeling like he was suffering the flu. Aching bones, pounding head, and profuse sweating. If he hadn’t known better, he’d have thought he’d caught something. And unfortunately, there was little Ryka could do to help.

So they’d moved on quickly from those places, wending their way haphazardly through the continent. By the time they found themselves in Germany at the beginning of December, Kyle had hardly put a dent in their casino winnings.

Looking over a map, Ryka had urged him to come here, and seemed content to linger once they arrived. With nowhere else to be, Kyle didn’t have a good reason to argue for moving on.

And even if it was for a holiday he couldn’t safely celebrate, he had to admit Germany at Christmas was stunning. The holiday markets were bright and beautiful, especially with the backdrop of snow-dusted mountains. He would have loved to see more of them, but many, like the one in Cologne, were set up on plazas just outside massive cathedrals. And some of those were imbued with enough faith to keep him from getting any closer than a quarter of a mile.

Sinner though he was, he could still partake of the offerings at a safer distance: copious amounts of wine, beer and sweets. And Ryka had found plenty to satisfy his appetite, too. Tourist-laden areas were rife with pickpockets, scammers and worse, and Ryka found them all with ease. Most didn’t get to walk away from their encounters with a hungry demon.

As the second week of December approached, Ryka suggested they make their way to Munich.

“I’m assuming there’s a reason you picked this city. So what is it?” Kyle asked, tossing his suitcase onto the bed at their new hotel.

He’s coming, was the ominous reply.

A discomfiting thought, that someone Ryka knew was soon to arrive. “Who is?”

There was a pause, his brain itching as Ryka searched through all his memories, trying to find what he needed to properly explain. He kept the name they gave him here – Krampus.

“That sounds sort of familiar.”

Look it up. I’m not telling you something that I found in your head.

***

It turned out Kyle didn’t need to remember on his own - the city told him itself. Alongside all the usual cheerful holiday decorations were advertisements for the annual Krampus Night. A nighttime march through the city, with the participants all dressed at the titular monster. Demon, rather, Kyle realized. A demon that punished bad children.

Much like his parasite had. I’m a big fan of his work.

Cringing, Kyle set down his mug, grateful they were still safely in their hotel room. “How much of the myth is real? The dragging kids to Hell thing?”

This one’s pretty spot-on. Sometimes he just scares the shit out of them, but sometimes ….

Appetite gone, Kyle pushed aside the room service tray. How close had it come to Ryka harvesting the souls of his students?

With his head being shared space, there was almost always an answer. Even when he’d probably be better off not knowing.

You know I wanted to. But you would have never forgiven me for that.

“Thank you for your restraint, dear.”

***

All that restraint went right out the window on Krampus Night.

The dark settled in early in the winter, and the streets filled up once the sun was gone. From his hotel window, Kyle had watched the crowds gather, and it was quite the sight. Hordes of revelers decked out in furry, horned masks massed just outside the building.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

We should check it out.

The next time Ryka said it, it would be an order. With a sigh, Kyle stepped away from the window. Used to having to try to fit in, he reached for his coat, but Ryka stopped him.

No need tonight.

Already, Kyle didn’t like where this was going. But go they did, Ryka getting his feet headed in the direction of the door. “I can do it on my own.”

It was a quick elevator ride to the lobby, then they stepped right out into the bustling streets. He nearly got taken out by a bag laden with whipping rods as a man turned to chat to his friend, also in full costume.

Ryka grumbled and suggested they find a quiet corner. And Kyle knew his anxiety hadn’t been for nothing. Come on, let me have this. Halloween was a bust this year.

There was no arguing with that. There had been no corn maze for Ryka to haunt. Which certainly would have been a better way - at least in Kyle’s opinion - for him to get a meal. “Fine.”

It wasn’t easy, but they located a quiet, poorly lit alley. Trying a new approach, Ryka reached for the back of his neck before finishing the transformation, ripping out the section of Kyle’s t-shirt where his wings grew out.

Hoping for the best, he let them open. And breathed out a quick sigh when they didn’t get tangled or rip the shirt to shreds.

Oh, now you’re trying to save my clothes?

“It’ll look more like a costume this way. You don’t want too much attention, do you?”

Well, no. But everyone out there has masks on.

Unless he stole someone’s - which Ryka briefly considered - there was only so much to be done. Shaking his head so his hair fell over his face, he coiled his tail around his right leg so no one could step on it, folded up his wings, and stepped out into the street.

***

As Kyle had expected, they got a lot of looks. Even among this motley group, Ryka attracted attention. Maybe because for a change, he was the least monstrous looking thing around. No matted fur, no goat-like visage. What attracted stares were his wings - no matter how close he held them, they were clearly enormous. And so very life-like, in the eyes of those they passed. He brushed off all the gawking, ignoring glances and turning aside attempts at conversation with frosty glares. Everyone took the hint, something for which Kyle was very grateful.

Ryka only needed to skim the crowd to know that the one he was looking for wasn’t present. He’d thought Krampus enjoyed dropping in on the night named for him, and in this city. Surely he’d know that there was another demon in his territory. Surely he’d come looking. But he hadn’t yet.

It wouldn’t hurt to wait for a bit, though. Just on the off-chance. And there was no better way to wile away that time than with a beer in hand. They poured them big in this part of the world, and Ryka certainly appreciated it. Kyle might be the one left stumbling when Ryka eventually retreated, but that was a problem for later. And maybe not even a problem, because Kyle sometimes got horny when he was tipsy.

Busy calculating how many more drinks he could consume before his host became incapacitated, Ryka barely noticed the hulking figure approaching him at the bar.

“You’re a long way from home, imp.”

If Ryka was surprised by the sudden arrival, he didn’t show it, instead flagging the bartender for two more drinks before returning, “Aren’t we all?”

“Still a wiseass. But more incubus than imp now.”

Finally, Ryka turned so that Kyle, too, could get a look at the infamous Krampus.

At first glance, the legends weren’t far off. Shaggy mane, long horns, beast-like face somewhere between goat and bear, cloven hooves and a long, fur-tipped tail. But just like all the revelers, Krampus was in costume, too.

When the beers arrived, he pulled off his mask, revealing a surprisingly human face. Weather-worn, like Pike’s had been, with some fine wrinkles, and a scruffy graying beard. But he had red eyes that shone with an ember glow, pointed ears, and when he spoke, Kyle caught glimpses of a forked tongue. The nearly-two-foot-long horns were his, and judging by the way he deftly perched himself on the adjacent stool, his satyr’s lower half was no costume, either.

“More than you know.”

Krampus chuckled. It wasn’t as pleasingly deep as Ryka’s, Kyle thought, which earned him just that.

“Not roaming alone, I see.” A knowing smile, and Kyle could feel Ryka beaming in response. He hoped the bartender didn’t catch that dangerously toothy grin. “Is he the one you’ve charmed, then?”

“He is.”

“Not that you’d ever seek permission or approval, but I’d give both if it makes you glad, imp.”

Kyle so badly wanted to ask what their relationship had been. Ryka was clearly relaxed and happy to be chatting with someone who seemed to be an old friend. Or maybe a mentor, judging by the way Ryka boasted to him. “You’ll definitely approve of this one.”

“Oh?”

“He was a teacher.” The “was” stung, but Kyle couldn’t focus on the ache. Krampus had tilted his head back and was cackling in truly demonic fashion.

“I can only imagine the little monsters he attracted with you. You punished them well, I hope.”

“As much as he could tolerate.” To save his host any judgment, Ryka quickly continued, “How’s your hunting been?”

“Quite good.” For the first time, Kyle noticed that Krampus kept one hand always on the strap of the basket slung over his left shoulder. In the folktales, that was the vessel he used to transport naughty children to Hell. As Kyle heard no screaming or struggling, and the basket was really only big enough to fit a toddler, he had to assume it was empty. Or that it was souls, and not bodies, stuffed inside.

Ryka helped him get the answer he didn’t really want. “How many do you have now?”

“Only ten.” Definitely souls, then. “Care to join me for some sport?”

This was quite a change from their previous encounters with other demons, the Hell Hound especially. Kyle worried Ryka would take him up on the offer, but he declined. “I’ll leave them all to you. I’m just chasing tail tonight.”

Kyle didn’t think that was at all necessary to divulge, but Krampus certainly got a kick out of it, barking out another laugh. “An equally good pastime. But I’m off to enjoy mine. You know how to find me; visit again, imp.” With that, he polished off his drink, put his mask back on, and disappeared back into the crowd.

Ryka threw back the dregs of his own beer, paid, and left as well, meandering back in the direction of the hotel.

‘Imp,’ huh?

“He knew me way back when.”

I gathered as much. You developed your strong affection for children thanks to his influence, I take it.

Ryka snorted. “How’d you guess?”

So, was he a friend, or …?

“Are you asking if I fucked Krampus?”

I am not asking that. At all. I meant-

“I know, I know. He’s friends with that incubus I knew, so I saw him a lot. Well, when he wasn’t up here.”

You didn’t want to catch up with him a bit longer?

“Nah. I know how to track him down if I want to again.Besides, you wouldn’t want me to tag along with him. You hated what I did to your kids; I really don’t think you’d want to see how he works.”

Well, thanks for that. And for never showing up to school with a soul-basket on your back.

“He’s the only one who can pull off that look.” There was a pause, and Kyle braced himself, knowing exactly what was coming next. “Now are you ready to go back to our room so we can pull off these pants and have some fun?”