“Where are we going?” His tone protested, but he didn’t pull away from my grip on his wrist. We crossed the lobby and hiked up the stairs.
“What would a crime lord do with an old hotel?”
Hunter flashed a brief smile that made my heart flip. “Crime lord, huh? You been binge-watching theSopranosor something?”
“No, but that’s kind of what you said, right? This guy is like Tony Soprano?” We’d stopped on the second-floor landing.
“We will talk to Cobb. He might know more about him, but yeah, kind of like that. And I have no idea what he wants with the hotel.”
“He wants Master Anu.” Nigel was halfway up to the third floor. “Who wouldn’t? One can do anything with the power of the necromancer and the tablet. This way.” He turned and popped away again.
“How does he expect us to follow him when he does that?” Hunter muttered.
The hallway was empty, and we wandered down until the top half of Nigel’s body popped through one of the doors. He gave a quick wave and disappeared again.
“A show-off ghost. Great.”
I got there first and knocked. Nigel opened the door to let us in. Master Anu sat propped up in bed, watching TV in his underclothes. After an initial glance, he returned his focus to his program.
“Master Anu, do you remember us? I’m Hunter and this is Regge.” Hunter took the only chair in the room. I took a minute to peek into the bathroom.
A shaving kit sat open on the sink counter. Beside it, a folding straight razor was next to an old-fashioned round soap brush. A bottle of foul-smelling hair tonic sat in the kit, along with a small tortoiseshell comb. The old man didn’t have enough hair to worry with tonic, but each to their own.
Back in the room, the TV was off and Anu was gibbering away, his dull eyes sparking only occasionally. Beside him, reclining on the bed, Nigel was translating.
“He says he is safe as can be here. And his duty is to guard the sacred words.”
“The tablet.”
“Yes.” Nigel turned to the man, showing him my drawing. After another exchange, he handed the notepad back. “He remembers the men. The noise woke him up. But they left without incident the next morning.” He paused. “Until one came back. Last week. That’s when the demon came.”
“Oh my God.” Hunter ran his hands through his purple-streaked hair.
“Did you say demon?” Gods bless it. Mobsters, ghosts, wolves, and necromancers. Now there was a demon invasion? I let out a sigh. I desperately wanted a nap.
The Master spoke again, gesturing with his skinny arms.
Nigel’s gestures were offhand as he explained. “He says it was summoned. Fortunately, Master banished it almost immediately. He had to use considerable power to return the beast to his place. It took years off his life.”
“And what happened to the man?” Hunter asked.
Nigel translated. “He died. The witch woman too. His friend came and took him away.”
“Who would summon a demon? Is this a modern form of entertainment?” I asked. I’d never seen a demon, but I’d seen enough strange things to believe they existed.
“People do all kinds of weird shit for a taste of magical power, Reg.” Hunter shrugged.
I turned to Nigel. “Ask the Master what happens to you if he passes away.” He looked at the frail man in the bed. It seemed passing away was imminent. During this conversation, even.
The ghost and necromancer spoke again. When they finished, Nigel’s face was almost transparent. Then he shook himself and rematerialized. “The Master is my anchor, my energy. There is nothing to be done for it.”
A light tapping at the window made everyone jump. I relaxed seeing the dark corvid peek in.
“Do not worry, it is just Archie.” I pulled at the casement until I could open the window. Archie hopped onto the sill. He croaked and chittered at me like a scolding mother. I stroked his black iridescent feathers. “It’s all right, Arch. I am fine. What?”
“Vessel. Ghost. Vessel.” The sounds he made were clear as he cocked his head toward Nigel.
After his brief conversation with Nigel, Master Anu glanced at Archie and me. “Family.”
