“So wherever he shows up, death and destruction follow,” I said.
“That’s the nuts and bolts of it.” Oz slumped back, yawning as he pushed his hair back from his forehead. “This demon’s bad news, even by demon standards.”
“It sounds like he’s perfectly capable of causing chaos on his own,” I muttered, eyes skimming over the papers. “So why does he need to team up with a wraith?”
Oz nodded, finger tapping on the table as he surveyed the pages. “That’s what I’ve been wondering,” he said.
Sam and Elias strolled into the room.
“Has he been up all night again?” Sam asked after one look at Oz. When I nodded, Sam shook his head. “You’re going to—”
“—kill yourself, yeah,” Oz said. “Drake’s already given me the spiel.”
Elias shrugged, all too aware that arguing with Oz about his sleeping habits was almost as effective as arguing with a brick wall. “Wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t gripe to you about it. What have you got for us?”
Oz filled them in, going over the same bits of information he had relayed to me. Elias rubbed his face, a low growl escapinghis throat as he looked out the window. Sam scowled down at his fingers as they curled into fists.
“That’s about the worst it could possibly be,” Sam said.
“So what’s his endgame?” Elias asked.
“My guess? He’s drawn to natural sources of magic, such as the underground spring,” Oz explained. “Which is probably why he’s here.”
“He wants it. He more or less told us as much,” Elias said.
“So he thinks that teaming up with the wraith will help him here,” Sam said.
“That’s my assumption, yes,” Oz said.
Snorting, Sam said, “They, what, plan on sharing?”
I shook my head. “That can’t be all there is to it. There’s more going on there than just a simple team-up.”
“I have to agree,” Elias muttered, scanning the pages. “Think about it. The wraith isn’t going to share with Azaret, and Azaret won’t share the power with it. It doesn’t make sense.”
“You heard what it said at the oasis: It’s expecting a double-cross,” I said. “My guess is they’re going to turn on one another the second they get what they want.”
“The question is which one is going to come out on top?” Sam muttered.
“I’ll bet fifty on the wraith,” Oz said.
“My money’s on Azaret,” I responded.
Elias pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let’s not make bets about which evil supernatural creature is going to take over our town and the underground spring to wreak havoc on the desertwith their newfound power. Because if we do our job right, it’s not going to come to that.”
“What’s the plan, then?” I asked.
“Figure out more about Azaret, what his plan is,” Elias replied.
“What do we do about the pack?” Oz asked.
Elias let out a low breath as he rubbed his face. “Difficult to say,” he said. “I think we need to plan for a potential evacuation, but I don’t want to alarm anyone by suggesting it just yet.”
“For now, I’ll do some more digging,” Oz said. “The rest of you guys should start coming up with the exit plan.”
“Thought I was the one who was supposed to give orders,” Elias quipped.
Oz shrugged, then yawned. “Just trying to expedite the conversation,” he said. He reached out and grabbed a book. “Now, go and do your thing.”
