I didn’t look back. I grabbed Bec, tossed her over my shoulder, and kept going. There was a brilliant flash of light at our backs and then I felt a magic bubble forming behind us.
“Move!” Marduk roared, completely unnecessarily. I knew we needed to be out of range when that thing burst!
I saw things breaking and crumbling around us as we ran.
We didn't stop once we’d cleared the house. We kept running until there was a street between us and the house. Then we stopped and turned in unison to face the danger.
I set Bec down and pushed her behind us as the house collapsed in on itself with a massive crashing sound. The scent of death was strong, but I couldn’t tell if someone had died or if it was coming from the magic he'd used.
After the dust cleared, the house was nothing but a pile of rubble. The houses on either side were mostly collapsed as well.
I didn’t see the stranger anywhere.
“Where did he go?” Bec asked, stepping around to stand next to me.
I shook my head as I scanned the surrounding areas. I didn’t see an aura anywhere, and this guy had one so bright it would show up easily even in broad daylight.
It was the first time I’d seen an aura of that color: muddy brown and sickly yellow with a neon green woven in. It was a disturbing combination.
“Do you think he portaled?” Marduk asked. “It’s an old skill, but some of the druids can still do it.”
“And demons,” I reminded him. “But that guy wasn't a demon. I think he used the void to travel,” I said. I had a bad feeling I knew what this guy was.
“No,” Marduk said, shaking his head with incredulity. “He couldn’t be using the void.”
“Look at the house,” I said.
Marduk focused on the heap of debris that was rapidly going from chunks of wood, shingles, and stucco to powder.
“Is it…is it aging?” Bec asked, stepping out from behind me.
“Yes, I think so,” I said. “It’s rapidly deteriorating, like the bodies.”
“It has to be a casket druid,” Marduk said.
I grunted in agreement. This was bad.
“What’s a casket druid?” Bec asked.
“We should get out of here, I’ll explain as we ride,” I said, picking her up and heading to the bikes. I could feel Marduk’s silent agreement.
It was time to leave. Not only would the noise and collapse draw human attention and authorities, but if the casket druid was using the void to travel, it would be easy for him to pop back into existence right on top of the destroyed house.
The only safe thing was to put some distance between us and him and hope he couldn’t track auras.
Bec didn’t argue and soon we were back on the road and speeding south in the direction of her condo with her clinging to me.
“Talk,” Bec demanded, the impatience in her voice clear through the speakers in my helmet. “What’s a casket druid?”
“Most druids harvest naturally occurring magic,” Marduk said. “They form groups and will work together to imbue an object with magic for a specific task or purpose. It’s a low-risk way to gather power.”
“So a casket druid does what, steals cadavers or something?" Bec asked, then she gasped. “Does he kill people to get power? Is that what happened to Leif and the other two people?"
“No, blood druids are a whole separate group, and they aren’t any more powerful than regular druids. They’re simply psychopaths that like killing,” I said.
“Right, no humans needed. Then how does a casket druid get his power?” she pressed.
“They collect powerful objects and use them in spells,” Marduk said. “Some animals are focal points for void magic.”
