The rainy city, that’s what the locals called it, amongst other names. The one she preferred the most was simply ‘Manc’ that way one could say “I’m from Manc.” before headbutting a Londoner. Also the word ‘Manc’ made her chuckle a little.

  The pitter patter of rain outside the pub soothed her, as she sat right at the window. She had flowing locks of dark hair, purple highlights put in for good measure and her clothes, a bck leather jacket and a dark purple dress were a matching colour scheme. She was slightly pale, too and rather nkly.

  “What’s your poison?” A man asked“Oh, I don’t…”He sat across from her. Tan trench coat, a head of blonde hair, stubble, eyes that had seen years upon years of experience and a sly half-smile.“Constantine.” She sighed, rolled her hazel eyes and groaned “Ugh, look. I’m not here doing anything wrong.”“Never said you were.”He took a swig of his bottle.“Can’t catch up with an old mate?”She chuckled dryly “John, you don’t have friends. And even if you did, I’m certainly not one of them.”“You owe me.”“Of course you want something, what?”“You got your ear to the ground, don’t ya? What can you tell me about Hiry Cass?”“Evil bitch, what else?”

  He grinned slyly and leaned across the table.“Oh come on, you’re smarter than that. Bound to know more.”“Her dark web stuff you mean?”He rolled his eyes “Worse than ‘at. Come on. Spill. No harm in it.” He paused, his eyes going wide for a moment “You’re scared, aren’t you?” “Of course I’m fucking scared.” She hissed, keeping her voice low “I don’t want to be on their shit-list.”“The Mould?” “Why are you even asking me all of this shit? You seem to have it figured out already.”

  He shrugged, taking another drink.“Even I need a second set of eyes sometimes.”“It gets stronger the closer you get to Edinburgh. There’s still magic protecting parts of this city from it, but I don’t know how long it’ll hold. But, the mould wouldn’t affect you. So why the hell do you even care?”“Let’s just say I have a vested interest and leave it at that.”“I just wanted to see the Greyfriars Bobby memorial…” She crossed her arms and groaned, rolling her eyes “Fuck…”“And that’s when you felt it, right?”“Yeah. And since then, I can’t shake the fucking thing. I know it wants me.”

  “I need a smoke.” He stood up from his chair, drink in hand and his packet of Silk Cut cigarettes, heading towards the back of the bar, standing beneath a parasol. She followed. “John.”He lit up a cigarette.

  “You and your bloody dogs.” He tutted“Can you bme me?” She smirked“Faced enough Hellhounds in my day, kinda put off. That’s all.” “I dunno, they can be kinda cute.”“You say that now, but wait till they’ve got you pinned down and they’re tryin’ to tear your throat out.” He smirked“John Constantine, afraid of a little Hellpuppy?” She raised an eyebrow “You’ve done battle with Gods and Devils and all sorts of shit, and you’re afraid of…”“Not afraid, cautious. On guard. It’s why I’ve lived this long.”“Fair enough.” She gave an over the top shrug

  “So, what gives? What do you actually want from me?”“I need a hand in destroying this thing.”“Oh, you can piss right off, John.” She took a swig of her drink “You know damn well this thing is growing stronger. Do you realise what that means? It could consume the whole bloody world.”“Then I’ll run off to another dimension!”“We both know ya can’t go back to Heaven.”

  “Wouldn’t go there. Don’t wanna waste anymore time blowing smoke up God’s ass.” She took another swig.“C’mon. You’re easy to read, Hyacinth. I know you actually care.”She tutted “Fuck.” Her pupils became a swirling bck opal, and started to glow “And you John, do you care? What’s this vested interest of yours?”“Got words with the Mould Queen.” He shrugged “And I’m fond of Edinburgh. Mucous Membrane did a gig or three there back in the day.”

  Her eyes returned to their normal colour.“And when this is all said and done, love. You’ll be able to visit the memorial for the little dog without worrying about the Mould ripping you to pieces.” He grinned slyly, finishing his cigarette.

  She sighed heavily“Just promise me you’ll try not to get me killed?”“I’ll do me best.”

  She felt the buzzing of her phone from within her bra and reached for it, the lights from the screen illuminating her face. “Oh your God.” Her eyes were wide.“What?She showed Constantine the phone screen.

  It was one headline, at least that’s how it started. As she scrolled through her phone, it was dozens upon dozens, but all of them pointed to the same thing:

  Harley Quinn: A Dangerous PredatorThe Truth Behind Environmental Activist Poison IvyHarley Quinn and Poison Ivy EXPOSEDOur Hero exposes the truth behind Gotham’s hottest coupleHero exposes the truth, now Harley and Ivy need to do the right thing and JUST DIE

  “I wouldn’t ‘a known.” He shrugged“They’re not.” Hyacinth shook her head “I got radar.”“Ah.” He lit himself another cigarette “Those two must’ve really pissed off the Mould Queen.”

  Harley Quinn attacked me in a bathroom: Helpless victim tells all.

  The headlines kept pouring out, a stream of word diarrhoea. She put her phone away, rolling her eyes. “Not our problem.” Constantine shrugged “Finish your drink. We’ve got work to do, love.”She chugged it back, lifting a finger towards John and seemingly not needing to stop for air. He tutted with a smirk as she set her gss down and the two walked into the city streets, with Hyacinth opening an umbrel over her head. There was not enough room for John.

  “So, where to, Johnboy?” She pced her other hand into one of the pockets of her dress, her heels clicking on the streets beneath their feet. “Someone else in Manchester owes me. We’re gonna pay them a little visit.”“Eh, John.”“Yeah?”“Not a lot of people know about me. Would you mind…”“Scouts honour.” He crossed over his heart with a smirk“You were never in the scouts.” She scoffed with a smile.“Were you?”“Eh, kinda. Know how Angels are.” She shrugged

  ****

  The rain had grown heavier by the time the two were further across the city, stopping in front of an alleyway between two pubs. John pushed his damp hair back, it dried as he ran his hands through it, as did his clothing. He looked both ways as if he was about to cross a busy street and stepped into the alleyway, vanishing from view. As Hyacinth squinted, looking into the alley itself, Constantine’s arm reached out and pulled her through by the arm. She let out a little yelp but found herself standing not just out of the rain, but in an incredibly busy alleyway.

  Small shops that hadn’t been there before, and dozens of residents. At a gnce, some appeared to be human but with more experienced eyes some features stood out. A glowing set of yellow eyes, fangs, moving tattoos and people breathing out rose petals to name a few.

  “What is this pce?”“Only find it if you’re lookin’ for it. Manc, is very, very old. Lots of secrets.” He smiled slyly, lighting himself another cigarette “Surprised you didn’t know about it.”“I spend most of my time mingling with humans.”“Well, if ya must know. Little gmour spell to keep people out who shouldn’t be here…”“Like you?” An inhumanly deep voice growled, carrying a slight Australian accent.“Bollocks.” John squeezed the ridge of his nose.

  Standing before the two was a rge, broad humanoid. About ten feet tall with huge arms. What stood out about him the most however were his fish-like features. He had a fin-like spine protruding from his back, rge eyes and skin like mixed sand and stone. His eyes were dark, a bck void.

  “Rocky!” John grinned“I thought I told you not to come back here, Constantine.” He loomed over him.“Look, I’m just passin’ through. Need to talk to…”

  Before he could finish his sentence, the fish had sucker-punched him across the side of the face, knocking the wind of John and sending him to the ground. While some of the inhabitants darted away, others gathered to watch.

  Wiping his mouth on his sleeve, John chuckled.“Now is that any way to greet an old mate?”

  Hyacinth took a few steps forwards, a scowl growing on her face.“Are you going to kill John here or just rough him up a little?”“Who the hell are you?” Rocky growled“Stay out of this, love. I can handle ‘im.”“Shut up, John.” He growled “Now, who the hell are you?”

  She tilted her head to one side “I just need him alive. That’s all.”He gritted his teeth at her but she was unmoved by it.“Rough him up if you want. But, go easy.”

  Rocky was in her face now, his teeth bared. She sighed, rolling her eyes which only seemed to anger him more. As his attention was focused on her, he was struck in the back of the legs by John and he hissed in pain as he fell to his knees. Now at Hyacinth’s height, she leaned forwards and headbutted him. The force of the blow opened a gash in Rocky’s forehead, covering him in blood. As he tried to wipe the blood out of his eyes, he was struck in the back of the head by John, knocking him down.

  While Rocky groaned, John rubbed one of his fists, wincing slightly.“I said I had him.” He scolded “I know you did, Johnboy. But he was annoying me.”

  He smirked at that, but before he could light up another cigarette it was blown out of his mouth by a strong gust of wind. It was carried on the wind, nding in the hand of a Demon. She had goat-like hooves, hair like magma and dark red skin. Her wolf-like eyes, although pyful, carried years of experience. She covered herself with a long fur coat, a pointed tail sticking out of the bottom.

  Catching the cigarette, she crushed it in her hand. “Smoking’s bad for you.”“It’s easy to quit. I’ve done it a couple ‘a times.” John chuckled dryly“Mind expining why one of my guys is taking a nap?”“Rocky and me ‘ad a disagreement is all, but it’s all good now. Right Rocky?”

  He let out another groan in pain.“He should’ve behaved himself.” Hyacinth shrugged The Demon shook her head, a half-smile on her face as she stepped towards her. “Let me give you one piece of advice, darling… Keep your distance from this one.” She pointed at John.“Tinevera. I’m calling in that favour.”

  She growled, bearing a set of sharp teeth. “Fuck’s sake. Fine. Follow me.”

  She turned on her hooves and led the two further down the street, stopping at a library. Despite the architecture being old, pcing it as being at least a few centuries old, there were no signs of decay, as if the building had only been finished mere days ago. Stained gss windows decorated it’s exterior.

  Stained gss windows decorated it’s exterior, with two rge metal doors leading inside. They opened by themselves as Tinevera stepped forward. “We can talk privately in here.”

  As the door shut behind them, a long, giant hallway was suddenly illuminated with an army of candles. Bookshelves, towering above all three of them covered almost every inch of the room. Tinevera leaned against one of them, her arms folded.“I knew this day would come.” She sighed heavily“Not gonna ask for much…”“Bullshit.” She hissed. Her eyes met Hyacinth’s “See, this is what he does.” “I know. I owe him too. How’d he get you?”“Got me out of Hell.” She groaned “You?”

  Her eyes faced the ground.“He helped me avoid damnation, too. In a way.” “We need to get into Edinburgh without being seen or heard or even smelled by anyone.” John cut in.Tinevera ughed “Oh, the great John Constantine has lost his touch! A simple gmour spell is beyond him!” Every word oozed with sarcasm“We’re going after the Mould Queen.” Hyacinth snapped

  Tinevera’s smile faded instantly, her eyes filled with fear.“Johh, come on…” She sharply shook her head “Not askin’ you to come with us, love. We just need your help getting there unseen.” “And you think my gmour magic is enough to hide from her gaze?” “I wouldn’t be askin’ if it wasn’t. You both know I’m not one to waste favours.”“Bullshit, John!” She snapped, her body trembling“She’s going to destroy the world, Tinevera.” Hyacinth pleaded “Oh please…Humanity only has a century or two left, tops! Why should we care?” “Destroy’s not the right word.” John sighed, shaking his head “She’s going to corrupt it. All of it. Not just humanity, but everything else.”

  He pointed to the door.“That little street of yours won’t survive. Don’t be stupid, love. The barrier around Manc isn’t gonna keep the bitch out forever. More she spreads, stronger she gets. Bugger me, Tinevera…Demons aren’t untouchable.” “Go the Hell, John.”

  He cleared his throat and stepped towards her. His eyes cold, his face practically emotionless.“I got you out of Hell, I can send you back just as easy.”“John!” Hyacinth snapped, her eyes going wide, her mouth agape.

  The Demon had her back against a bookcase, John’s eyes peering into her own.“See, to the Mould Queen you’re just meat. Corrupting you is all about spreading herself. It’s only personal if you’re a…A certain type ‘a person.”“Or if you get in her way…” She was struggling to keep her voice steady. “And do you know what happens when you get in my way?” “John, stop!”

  He snapped his gaze back towards Hyacinth “Sorry, do you wanna stop the Mould Queen or not?” She marched towards him, shoving him to the side with enough force to throw him against a bookcase and rested a hand on the Demon’s shoulder. “I’m sorry about him. He’s a bellend.” “I-I don’t want to go back there. Please…” Her voice trembled“You won’t. But we do need your help.” She looked at her with pleading eyes “Think about it, if the Mould Queen takes over the pnet, where’s left for you?”

  She looked away, rubbing her arm. “I…I guess. Look. I’m not stupid. I know my magic is less powerful than her. Maybe a few years ago, I’d have been able to get you there undetected but…”“What about the barrier around this city?”

  The Demon’s eyes went wide “I-I guess if I used an altered version of it, i-it could work! But I’m not strong enough to do it on my own. I’d need help. It might take a few days to gather the right people, but…”Hyacinth gave her a warm smile “Do it. Don’t worry about John in the meantime, I’m not letting the bastard out of my sight.”“Before I do. Be honest with me.”“I’m a shit liar, so hit me.”“Can you actually do it? Kill the bitch?”“I wouldn’t be partnered up with that son of a bitch if I didn’t think so.”

  The Demon smiled and as she removed her arm from her shoulder, she ran towards the door, it shutting behind her. With fury in her now glowing eyes, Hyacinth marched towards John, who was currently rubbing the back of his head and grabbed him by the scruff of his coat, lifting him into the air.

  John simply smirked as he stared down at her “Gotta hand it to you, Angel. Did well.”“Jonathan Constantine!” Her bellowing voice carried throughout the entire library, extinguishing the candles, only for them to instantly relight themselves. “I should fy you, right here.”“Aye, but you won’t.”Her eyes returned to normal and she set him down “Wait…” She raised an eyebrow “You…”

  He chuckled dryly as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his packet of cigarettes “Tinevera was never gonna agree to help me, not willingly. But you.” He tutted, the smirk still on his face “The Fallen Angel who takes pity on Demons, who wanted to see the memorial for a damn dog…You can’t help yourself.” He shrugged “She needed to feel safe.”

  As the two walked towards the front doors of the library, she stopped in her tracks.“John?”“Yeah?”“You were lying about sending her back to Hell, right? Just a bluff to make me sh out, yeah?”

  He fell silent as he pushed the door open, lighting a cigarette and taking a long draw of it.