fresh blood, panting softly as he was dragged forward.
At first glance, he thought they were in a parking deck. They were in a vast space surrounded by
smooth, plain concrete and fat pillars. They were definitely underground judging by the smell of
dampness and mildew. There was a steel door they were brought through that led into a narrow
hallway.
At the end of the hall was another door that led into a large room. There were dozens of candles lit,
and he could smell incense burning that immediately made him nauseous. There was a long table
behind which sat all the members of the council with Father Sanguis sitting right in the middle.
Sanguis was leering at Snod triumphantly as he declared, “Our little wolf has returned.”
Snod bared his teeth, grunting as the hunter on his right kicked the back of his knee and forced him to
kneel.
There was an elaborate sigil painted on the floor with multiple glyphs marked around its border. Snod
had never seen anything like it, glancing desperately over to Frankie.
What is that?
Ephraim had dropped Frankie on the floor, and he immediately curled up into a little ball. His quiet
whimpers were miserable to hear, and his eyes fluttered open to look at the sigil.
Summoning circle...
“Now, there is the matter of your mission,” Sanguis went on, casting a disgusted grimace toward
Frankie. “You said you were able to learn the name of this fiend’s Maker. What is it?”
Snod glared at Sanguis, growling defiantly, “Why should I tell you?”
“Because if you do, I’ll offer you both a merciful death and send you into damnation as if you were
merely falling asleep,” Sanguis soothed. “Continue to be difficult, and what I do to you will make hell
seem like a welcome reprieve.”
“Never,” Snod hissed, groaning as he received a swift crack in the side of the head. It sent him off
balance, and he couldn’t use his hands to catch himself. He toppled onto his face, grunting as he was
promptly dragged back into a kneeling position.
“You want his blood... don’t you?” Frankie gasped, fighting through the agony to glare up at Sanguis.
“You’ve had it before... I can smell it on you...”
Snod stared at Frankie in bewilderment, and he flinched as Ephraim kicked Frankie right in his mouth.
“Quiet, fiend!” Ephraim roared, keeping his leg reared back to hit him again. “Don’t you dare speak
