Quentin nodded.“Like Glenn,” he said, recognizing the name.
When Quentin set him down, Grevin gave a bubbly cough of blood.
“Hang in there, Grevin.Quentin would be upset if you died on him.”Jaks pulled a phone out of his pocket and pressed a few buttons.Soon, he was speaking to someone on the other side.Based on what he heard on this side of the conversation, it must be the doctor.
Quentin waved a hand and removed the crusty blood from Grevin’s clothes and skin.Fresh blood quickly seeped through the cloth.
He spent the rest of his energy trying not to panic.
There wasn’t much he could do, but he could make his friend more comfortable.He had never felt so useless since his mother’s cancer diagnosis.Another wave of his hand removed Grevin’s shoes.Not that it mattered if Grevin got any dirt on the covers while he bled to death.He squeezed Grevin’s disturbingly cold hand, then sat in a chair out of the way.He didn’t want to be in the doctor’s path.
His ass barely met the cushion when a tall vampire with blue-black hair and an imposing manner stalked into the room.“What happened?”
Jaks turned to the newcomer.“Grevin is a necromancer.We believe someone attacked him to release the demon he had summoned.”He waved a hand to indicate the blood seeping through Grevin’s shirt.
Dr.Wesson growled.“Necromancers always think they can handle demons.He wouldn’t be the first to be proven wrong.Do you know what he summoned?”
Quentin opened his mouth to defend his friend but stopped when Jaks shook his head.He was right.Now wasn’t the time for an argument.Not when Grevin needed help.He bit his thumbnail as he thought over potential suspects.Jaks smacked Quentin’s hand away from his mouth.“Stop that.”
Ignoring Jaks, he spoke to the doctor.“We felt demon energy around the house, so it must’ve been a high-level demon, but Grevin wasn’t in any condition to provide a name.I’m going back there to secure his house and see if I can figure out what happened.He might have left notes behind.”
Luckily, Grevin had just sold his last litter of hellhounds.Quentin had had enough of supernatural canines for a while.
“What can you determine from an empty circle?I thought you didn’t progress very far in your necromantic studies?”Jaks leaned against the wall beside Quentin.They were both trying to stay out of the doctor’s way.Dr.Wesson might be a good therapist for Glenn, but he appeared to have little tolerance for necromancers.
“I didn’t, but a lot of ritual magic has crossover.If I can find the name, it will be easier to return it.We also must verify that what he summoned is what he got.Grevin doesn’t usually call high-level demons.He always says they’re too much trouble and want too much for their information.”
“Why don’t you go do that now?It’s going to be a while before he wakes.I’ll stay with Grevin and let you know if there are any changes.Be careful.Whatever escaped might return.If it does, I want you to teleport the fuck out of there.”Jaks kissed Quentin’s forehead.“I’ll call you if anything happens.You don’t want to see him like this.”
Quentin opened his mouth to argue but stopped himself before he spoke.Why was he arguing again?This is what he wanted, and if he didn’t leave now, Jaks might assign him a guard.He’d best make a quick getaway before his lover got any ideas.“You’re right.”He kissed Jaks.“I’ll see you soon.”He didn’t know how much healing Grevin would need, but he suspected it would take time to put him back together.Necromancers didn’t have super healing as far as Quentin knew.
Jaks grabbed his arm before he could escape.“If you see or sense anything dangerous, leave.Don’t stick around to be mauled or stop to test out one of your new inventions.I should probably assign you a guard.”
Damn, Jaks knew him too well.
“No.I’ve got this.Another person would just trample on the evidence and leave their magical signature behind.It’s better if I go alone.I promise I’ll come back immediately if I sense any danger.”He barely waited for Jaks’s nod before teleporting.
Worried for his friend and any possible demons running free, he landed directly in Grevin’s kitchen to avoid the creepy darkness outside.He might be able to protect himself, but there was no reason to tempt fate, especially if it really was a demon king running free with someone’s help.He wasn’t demon-proof.Apparently, neither was Grevin.
With careful steps and his magic buzzing beneath his skin, Quentin returned to the ritual room.His stomach churned as he skirted around the puddle of Grevin’s blood, a horrifying testament to his friend’s injuries.
After staring at the runic circle, he realized he’d never remember the details, not with his memory.He should’ve brought a sketchbook to copy the runes.He didn’t find any paper on the bookshelf in the corner, but he did take a minute to admire Grevin’s bowling trophies.He’d never seen his friend bowl, but from his trophy collection, it appeared it was a successful hobby.
“Idiot,” he muttered when he finally recalled his camera phone after ten minutes of searching for a piece of paper.He pulled it out of his pocket and took pictures from every angle.He would compare them to what Grevin had planned to summon when his friend was up to talking.When, not if.He refused to think of a scenario where Grevin didn’t heal.His friend’s injuries had been bad, but not terminal, he hoped.
The circle was in pristine condition, except for a single smudge breaking the line.Unfortunately, that was all it took to crack the protection.Whoever had attacked Grevin knew where to weaken the defenses.They either knew Grevin’s usual runic configuration or were quite skilled in runes themselves.Quentin identified three different runes to prevent escape.Only one of them had been damaged.
Some of the runes made no sense to Quentin when combined with others.“What were you up to?”Although his rune studies had been advanced, necromantic runes were a whole different beast.After ten minutes of staring at them, he decided it was another thing to ask Grevin.A glance around didn’t reveal any handy reference books that would decode the necromantic runes or any notes about what Grevin’s had been up to, handily lying around.
He put his phone away and went to investigate the door.Someone had to have broken Grevin’s ward to enter.Even if they had permission, their magic should’ve left a shadow behind.After casting several spells on the entrance, he had to admit he had no more knowledge than when he first arrived.The concentration of brimstone had rendered detection spells useless.Even his best tracking spell fizzled beneath the concentration of demon magic.
“Maybe I’m just looking at it wrong?”He focused and brought his inner sight to the fore.The door washed away, and everything magical popped into high relief.Bright, too bright.The glow from the entryway overwhelmed Quentin’s magical sight.Too many colors, too much intensity.Whatever had passed that way had been stronger than Quentin could register with his limited magical sight.
He quickly shut it off before he became blinded.
“Well, that was no help,” he muttered.“Maybe the magical police will have better detection devices,” he muttered to himself.He didn’t dare cast any more magic, or he would leave a trace and come under suspicion himself.He didn’t need a visit from the cops.
Jaks certainly wouldn’t appreciate an interrogation.
