Bael always felt like it was one step forward, another step back with Six. After they cleaned up the kitchen Maharet started making dinner and Bael was left to wonder what he did wrong. Then it hit him like a punch to the gut.

He looked out at the leaky wreck parked in front of their house. Six lost her family in a car accident. How could he have been so stupid? Seeing Murphy crumpled and damaged must have set her off. Then when Bael disappeared things must have snowballed from there.

If he stopped to think for just one blessed second Bael might have realized what he was putting Six through. But no, instead he let himself get carried away by the feelings coming to him through the traveler's bond like a big dumb brute. Now she was angry at him and he couldn't blame her. He shivered as the first cool evening breeze blew across him. It would be night soon.

Maharet sat down next to him on the wooden porch and handed over a bowl of baked pasta. “So, I ran into a succubus at the coffee shop today…”

“Oh.” Bael took a bite and looked out at the wrecked SUV. If he was in a better mood he would have made a joke about it actually being his raw masculinity that drove Maharet wild. But he hardly felt like joking. “Was it anyone we know?”

“Yeah. It was Lilah’s youngest spawn, Cherry. She really did a number on me.” Maharet gave him an appraising look. “Didn't you two have a thing way back when?”

“A long, long time ago. Before she was with Orik.” Bael said, oblivious to the implications.

“Ah.” Maharet’s tone spoke volumes. “Well I don't think Cherry is supposed to be up here. I remember Lilah being agitated about some scandal and saying she was grounding Cherry for a thousand years.”

“That sounds like something she would do. Excuse me for a moment while I fix something.” Bael set his half empty bowl down and walked over to Murphy. The SUV was leaking oil and coolant into the gutter. His damaged hood protested as Bael pried it open to reveal a destroyed engine. But a golden spark of magic remained.

Bael closed his eyes and forced his mind to become quiet. There were so many things beyond his control. So many things he should have done better. But he could fix this.

The first step was to connect to the spark within Murphy. He could feel it flickering within the engine block. It was weak and fading, no longer capable of sustaining itself. Bael would have to be careful not to smother it. The fact that any spark remained at all was a miracle. (It might have surprised some to learn that a demon believed in miracles. He also believed in mosquitos, that didn't mean he had to like them.)

To his surprise the reason for Murphy's resilience turned out to be something that shouldn't be possible. The barest fragments of what looked like a soul clung to the spark, stopping the magic from dissipating completely. The thin blue and gray threads were like a hot air balloon made of spider silk, catching and retaining what they could. But it wasn't enough. The golden energy was still fading.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Maharet's words came to him. Fire was a living thing. Perhaps souls were the same? Could he reinforce this nascent soul somehow to stop the deterioration? That would buy him enough time to slowly channel his magic into the spark. It might even prevent him from smothering it by accident.

“You were a very big help today, Murphy.” Bael said, watching for any changes in the soul’s web. Nothing happened. The demon began to extend a thin golden tendril of magic. It passed through the spark without harm. Murphy was too weak to metabolize the sustenance Bael was offering.

Perhaps if he focused on reinforcing the soul web Murphy would stabilize enough to eat? But what if it didn't? The blacked out SUV was totaled. There was no denying that. For a brief moment Bael considered getting another one and pretending everything was fine. Maharet's books on parenting said this was a common approach to take when a pet died. But Murphy wasn't a hamster.

“I can't wait until you get better because I have a big can of gasoline waiting.” Bael said, trying a different approach. This time he began to interweave his golden thread with the soul web, strengthening it. “I was thinking we could get you some new tires too.”

Was there a slight flicker of energy within the ghostly gray and blue threads of the web? “Yeah, and perhaps we could get you some upgrades.” Bael racked his brain to try and remember what the security guard at the mall said. “Maybe a Hemi? Or some turbo chargers? Perhaps both?”

He continued to loop his magic around the delicate web. So far it was holding, but the flame inside was still dying and it was beginning to get dark outside. A beam of light illuminated Bael and he looked over at the porch to find Six standing there, holding a yellow plastic flashlight.

“Would you bring that over here and help me?” He asked.

“Sure,” Six bounded down the steps with Maharet trailing behind.

“Six and Maharet are going to help.” He told Murphy. “They want you to get better too.” This time there was definitely a response. The web seemed to be growing as new threads were added. Bael didn't know what this meant but it seemed like progress.

Six climbed up the side of the SUV and aimed her flashlight inside. She wasn't good at keeping the beam aimed at any particular spot but he didn't actually need the light to see. He just liked being around her. Bael tousled Six’s blond hair affectionately then went back to work. The strengthened web was holding.

“Man, you really went fast today. I wonder how fast we were going.” Bael said, adding thicker strands of golden magic now, working quicker. A click within the engine told him that something was happening, but it wasn't enough, not yet. The spark was still dying, unable to absorb the magic it needed to survive.

He looked at Maharet and shook his head. She seemed to think for a moment. “It's alright. I was thinking of getting a Toyota anyway. These domestic brands just aren't as reliable as they used to be.”

Six looked up in shock but Maharet raised a finger to her lips and winked. “Actually I was thinking we might go all electric. Horsepower isn't everything.”

“No, I think we should give Murphy another chance.” Bael said, playing along. “Imagine how fast he could go if we got the right parts!” But besides a weak ticking noise that soon subsided nothing happened. Murphy was too far gone and the spark that sustained him was about to gutter out.