Legacy of the Demon

  The dark-haired woman. White robes and pale walls. Bright light.

  No. Disengage. Fly. Be the drone camera.

  A beige-walled room. The dark-haired woman. Not white robes. A white coat. Beyond her, a wall clock ticks.

  Fly back more.

  The bald man is wearing blue scrubs and stands beside a bed. He shines a light into the patient’s eyes. Takes her wrist to check the pulse.

  He looks up as a blond man opens the door. “Nobody knows who she is?”

  Tick. Tick. T-t-t-tock.

  The blond man.

  Zoom in on him. Zoom in on the blond man. Easy smile. Tanned face.

  Zack. No, not Zack.

  Xharbek.

  I opened my eyes and gazed up at the purple and green canopy of the grove tree. “Thanks.” I smiled as the leaves rustled an answering song. Mind clear, I headed inside.

  The kitchen was empty, but a brief search turned up an odd party in the war room. Giovanni sat sketching at one end of the table, while Jill slowly flipped through a thick and ancient book and took pictures of the pages with her archive camera. Between them, Pellini and Bryce cleaned guns.

  Pellini glanced up. “How was Siberia?”

  “Siberious,” I said. “But I was just on the nexus and discovered two things.” I had everyone’s attention now. “First off, Szerain, Zack, Ashava, and Sonny are definitely alive and on Earth. And, second, so is Elinor.”

  Chapter 19

  “Elinor!” Giovanni shot to his feet at my little bombshell. “Is she—” He abruptly clamped his mouth shut and looked to the other end of the table.

  As far as I knew, Jill had no arcane abilities or extra-human powers. She hadn’t moved a muscle or said a word, but everyone in the room knew they needed to shut the fuck up and give her the floor.

  Her eyes bored into mine. “Tell me,” she said in a soft command that even Mzatal himself would hesitate to disobey.

  “I don’t know much,” I said as I took an empty chair. “But I felt Ashava, clear and strong. She’s alive and, as far as I can tell, safe.”

  Jill’s tension melted away, and the spell was broken. “Is she scared?” she asked then let out a small laugh. “No, of course she isn’t scared. She’s tough, and she has her sire with her.”

  I held back a smile at her use of “sire.” She’d been spending way too much time in ancient tomes. “I only had a sense of her for a second, but she didn’t seem distressed.”

  Giovanni flicked his eyes toward Jill—checking whether it was safe to speak—before locking his intense gaze on me. “You are saying that Elinor is on Earth because Szerain is here, and she is entrapped in Vsuhl?”

  “No, I’m saying she’s here in an actual body.” I held up my hand as exultant joy flooded Giovanni’s face. “That’s the good news,” I said. “But there’s bad news, too—namely that she’s in the high security medical ward at the Federal Command Center. Xharbek’s turf. I have no idea how she escaped Szerain’s essence blade, but I suspect she came through at the same time you did. Xharbek must have sensed when she appeared on Earth and scooped her right up.”

  “Pawn or hostage?” Bryce asked.

  “Could be either. Or both,” I said. “Or Xharbek might want her for something else entirely.” I took a deep breath. “On the plus side, I don’t think he knows that I know he has her.” A razor-slim advantage, but I’d take it.

  Giovanni was ready to charge to her rescue on the power of his undying love—which, I had to admit, had served him pretty well so far. Yet as I detailed the levels of security that stood in his way, he sank back into his seat.

  “I will not abandon her to leeches and blackguards!” he insisted.

  “I couldn’t agree more, and we will find a way to rescue her.” I paused. “But I have to warn you, I don’t know what condition she’s in.”

  “She is alive. It is enough.”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t mean she’s . . .” Crap. I didn’t want to crush the poor dude’s spirits by telling him flat out that she might not be mentally whole. But the truth was, her essence had been trapped in an arcane knife for a few hundred years, not to mention having a chunk of it stuck onto mine. There was no telling what mental or emotional condition she’d be in.

  “I understand,” he said quietly. “She may not be the same Elinor I knew before. But she will ever be my Elinor, and I will do all I can to bring her home to me.”

  “As will we. Plus, as much as I want to reunite you two, I have a personal stake in this. I’m hoping that, once she’s physically here, I can find a way to stop the waking dreams.” I gave the group a brief recap of the last few dreams, including the most recent one where Elinor interrupted my attempt to reach Szerain through Vsuhl. “She’s interfering when I encounter people or situations that trigger her.”

  Pellini glowered. “It’s getting worse. And more dangerous.”

  Bryce tapped the table. “Do you have any thoughts on how to spring her from Fed Central?”

  “Possibly,” I said. “Dr. Patel is the head of the medical ward and a hardcore A.C. Gillian fan. She might give me access.” But then I cursed under my breath. “No, that won’t work. I guarantee Xharbek has manipulated the staff to keep me out and/or to alert him. And even if Dr. Patel could get me past the multiple levels of security, that doesn’t help me steal Elinor out from under Xharbek’s nose.”

  “We’ll need to take a less subtle approach,” Pellini said then flicked a glance at Bryce. “Would a frontal assault stand a chance?”

  Bryce stood and moved behind his chair. “To get through the Feds’ security without inflicting significant casualties—while going up against highly trained agents who would not be averse to inflicting casualties—we’d need a crack team of a dozen or more operatives, all of whom would have to be willing to risk federal prison or worse.”

  I raked a hand through my hair. “Yeah, I don’t see us assembling a hotshot team to storm the place.”

  “Mzatal is badass,” Jill said. “Could he pull it off?”

  “If Xharbek wasn’t Elinor’s captor, I’d say yes,” I said. “But he and the other demahnk control the lords with those spiking headaches that zap them for simply thinking about taboo subjects. I’m sure that asshole wouldn’t hesitate to use pain to stop Mzatal.”

  Bryce pulled up recent DIRT updates. “Doesn’t mean you can’t consult him. I’ll find his last location.”

  “Do that,” I said. “I also might be able to pass a message via Mzatal to Helori and see if he’d be willing to simply teleport her out of there.” I frowned. “Only problem is that I don’t know if Helori would act so directly against another demahnk.” My gut told me No, but it was still worth pursuing.

  “What about summoning one of the reyzas you know?” Pellini suggested. “Aerial assault, arcane ability, and pretty damn strong.”

  I shook my head. “Too much risk of the reyza getting killed, and with only twenty percent of Earth-killed demons returning alive to the demon realm, dying could well be permanent.” I exhaled. “Besides, I’m not sure even Gestamar would be able to get through all the security . . .” I trailed off, pulse thumping erratically. “Is there any footage online of the Siberia incursion?”

  Pellini pulled his laptop to him. “There isn’t much. Civilian video from a distance. Let me see if I can—” His eyes widened. “Sweet Jesus. That’s not a demon. That’s a goddamn T-rex!” He stared at me in shock. “Hang on, are you thinking of summoning that?”

  “Not that particular one,” I said. “Mzatal dispatched him with an essence blade, which means he’s dead-dead. He didn’t discorporeate, so he can’t possibly return. But there’s got to be more like him back home.”

  “Don’t you need to know a demon’s name for a summoning?” Pellini asked.

  “Fair point.” I thought furiously for several seconds. “Crap. The only Jonta
ri demon name I know is Dekkak. But demons live a hella long time, which means he might still be around.”

  Jill stabbed a finger at me. “Stop right there, chick. I read that memoir, too. You do remember that bit about how insanely hard it is to summon a Jontari—especially Dekkak? Not to mention that little snafu with the gut eating and mass slaughter.”

  I winced. “Yes, I know, but it’s worth exploring as a possible option.”

  Giovanni smacked his hands on the table. “You can do this binding,” he announced with fierce confidence. “You are the sorceress Kara Gillian!”

  Jill folded her arms over her chest and glared, first at Giovanni then at me. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Sorceress, but do you even know how to do that kind of summoning?”

  “No, I don’t,” I said. “A Jontari binding ritual is completely new to me. The only type of bindings I’ve done have been to enable the demon to stay on Earth, not to actually subdue it.” I certainly wasn’t stupid enough to think I could just wing it, especially with a demon that was sure to be at least the size of Big Turd. “It’s true that with the nexus I’d have the necessary foundation and power to manage it, but successful summonings aren’t just about having enough strength. They require skill, finesse, and a knowledge of the right protections and rituals. Brute force alone won’t cut it.” And if, by some miracle, I did succeed and survive, what then? I shivered as an image filled my mind of Big Turd rampaging through a hospital. How many people would end up hurt or killed during the rescue?

  “It doesn’t matter anyway,” I said with a shake of my head. “Even if I was an expert at those bindings, summoning Dekkak—or any Jontari strong enough for our needs—would still be an absolute last resort. We simply can’t justify the risk of casualties.” I held up a finger to forestall Giovanni’s protest. “We’ll find a way,” I told him. “From what I saw, Elinor is being cared for and is in no immediate danger. I can cope with her interruptions until we come up with a workable plan.” I hoped. Until we retrieved her, I’d be rolling the dice that Elinor wouldn’t disrupt anything critical.

  “Well, I for one thank you for not leaping headlong into suicide,” Jill said then gave a humorless laugh. “Maybe all the information about summoning Jontari was suppressed because too many summoners were being killed off.”

  I chuckled. “There had to have been some successful imperator summonings, or the memoir wouldn’t have warned to build the perimeter with thirty bindings ‘lest the beast break free.’” Yet even as I said it, my humor faded to a frown. “Thing is, nothing about suppressing that knowledge makes sense. We know that summonings were possible. Even of Dekkak. So why scrub that info along with all references to the Jontari?” I shook my head. “I can’t help but think the why matters somehow.”

  “I’ll keep delving for answers in the library,” Jill said, gaze sharp and steady on mine. “But you’re hoping I’ll find info on how to summon one of those things, aren’t you.”

  “No!” I snapped. “I mean . . . shit.” I gripped my hair. “Believe me, I do not want to summon some humongous, brutal demon, because, fuck, I’m happier when I haven’t been torn in half. Summoning Dekkak is a last resort, but even a last resort might come into play.” I let my hands fall to my lap. “So, yes, I am hoping you’ll dig up a copy of ‘Jontari Summoning for Dummies’, and I want you to start looking now so that if the worst case scenario happens, I won’t get caught with my pants down and have to scramble for answers at the last second.”

  She flushed, abashed. “Sorry. I can’t help but worry.”

  I sighed. “I’m sorry, too. And you’re right to worry. I’m grasping at straws here.” I was all too aware that the chances were slim to none of finding nice, clear, step-by-step instructions for how to summon a Jontari imperator, especially since the books had obviously been censored to quash that knowledge. At best we might find bits and pieces, faded with age or in barely legible cramped handwriting.

  “Then you need all the help you can get,” Jill said with a lift of her chin. “The memoir I gave you is the most extensive reference there is on the Jontari. I have a pile of fragments downstairs, though not everything’s in English. I’ve held the admittedly weak hope that we might be able to find someone to translate the languages that are too archaic for you to obtain via the nexus flows.”

  “I read many languages.” Giovanni announced with zeal. “French, Latin, Greek—”

  “Aramaic?” Jill all but pounced on him. “Can you read Classical Aramaic?”

  “A smattering,” he said with a note of hesitation.

  “Can you read it well enough to tell whether it’s about the Jontari?”

  His zeal faded to uncertainty. “It is not my best language.”

  “Wait a sec,” she said. “Remember that Jontari sketch I found? I archived the bit of text beside it.” She popped the SD card out of her camera and fiddled with the computer. The wall screen lit up with an image of a ripped and badly faded manuscript page, but after a few clicks, the barely visible smudges resolved into actual letters.

  Giovanni’s brow furrowed as he puzzled through the remnant of text. “Jontari, yes. Warnings of the physical and magical power of the great beasts. And how it is, ah,”—he cleared his throat—“idiotic for a sorcerer to attempt to bind a Jontari warlord without a . . .” He frowned. “Without a gimkrah? I do not know this word.”

  “Wait. A what?” I peered at the screen as if I could discern the meaning of the word through force of will. “What else does it say?”

  “Only a few words. Without the influence of a full moon, the ritual is doomed to failure, and the sorcerer to death.” Giovanni shook his head. “The remainder is missing. There is nothing more regarding the gimkrah.”

  “Huh.” I steepled my hands in front of my face. “Huh,” I said again. “Can we Google that word?”

  “Sure, but we run the risk of tipping off anyone who might be monitoring our internet,” Pellini said.

  “It’s a risk-benefit scenario.” I drummed my fingers on the table then shrugged. “Eh, I’m the Arcane Commander. Why wouldn’t I be looking for ways to deal with the invaders? But it can’t hurt to muddy the waters. Do a search on a bunch of different weird made-up words and throw gimkrah into the bunch.”

  “On it.”

  “Giovanni, you’re hired as a translator,” Jill announced then turned to me with a fierce smile. “I have books in all sorts of dead languages that I haven’t even touched yet, but the pictures make me think they have stuff about summoning.”

  “And if they’re that old, there’s a chance it’ll pertain to the Jontari,” I said.

  Jill beckoned imperiously to Giovanni. “Let’s get started. I’ve been through too much with this woman to see her get eaten by a demon now.”

  They headed for the basement, each on the same crusade albeit with different motivations.

  “Two hits on gimkrah,” Pellini said, eyes on his screen. “But nothing worth a shit. The first is some dude’s dwarf character in an online role-playing game, and the other is part of the name of a company in Eastern Europe that makes plastic piping. However, I did learn that, according to the Urban Dictionary, a ‘gimk’ is a cross between a geek and a gimp.”

  My lips twitched. “I am indeed the richer for that bit of knowledge.”

  Bryce looked up from his laptop. “No reports of Mzatal since Siberia.”

  “Damn.” I pulled a face. “I assumed Helori took him to another rift. Then again, Mzatal had some injuries, so maybe Helori made him take a break instead.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Oh. Hang on. I’ll try calling the number he called me from.”

  Six rings later, a generic DIRT voicemail told me to leave a message. “Mzatal, call me,” I said. For good measure, I added, “If you’re not Mzatal, please tell him to call A.C. Gillian ASAP.” I disconnected and shoved the phone in my pocket. “Crap. I need expert input on bo
th the Jontari and the Elinor situation.”

  Pellini gave me a long look. “You know what I’m about to say, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do.” I sighed. “And yes, I’ll ask Rhyzkahl.”

  Pellini gave a firm nod. “Good. That saves me the trouble of kicking your ass.”

  Chapter 20

  I stepped outside in time to see Rhyzkahl hurl something across the yard. My stomach lurched as a thousand possibilities crowded in. He found a way to break free. He hoarded enough arcane power to make a weapon. He’s testing . . .

  My thoughts stuttered to a halt as Sammy tore across the grass, seized up a ball, and raced back. He dropped his prize and looked up expectantly. Rhyzkahl glanced my way then scooped up the ball and chucked it away again.

  Dumbass. He’s playing with the damn dog.

  Wearing my best I’m-not-at-all surprised expression, I crossed the yard and reached Rhyzkahl’s orbit just as the dog returned once again with the slobbery tennis ball.

  Rhyzkahl gave Sammy’s head a good solid scratch, which of course only encouraged the silly dog to flop onto his back in hopes of getting a belly rub. I watched, bemused, as Rhyzkahl crouched to provide it.

  “I have a question for you,” I said before I could get too distracted with this heretofore unknown facet of Rhyzkahl.

  “I have little doubt every moment of your existence is filled with questions for your betters.”

  Nice jab. But hard to get pissy at him when Sammy was wiggling in delight beneath his hand. Fine, I’d cut to the chase. “How do I summon a Jontari?”

  He stood abruptly, leaving Sammy to look up at him with a bewildered expression. “You do not,” Rhyzkahl said in a voice that invited zero argument. “You know nothing of the Jontari.”

  I folded my arms over my chest. “Tell that to the ones I’ve killed.”

  He stepped so close to the arcane wall of his prison that it crackled with azure sparks. “Where have you killed Jontari? When?”