Текст книги "Touch of the Demon"

Автор книги: Diana Rowland

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Текущая страница: 31 (всего у книги 31 страниц)

“Summonings do that to me too.” I quickly wiped my own eyes. “Missed you.” I gave him a hug, then looked around the room. Zack looked both queasy and relieved. Tessa still stood pressed against the wall, eyes on Ryan and me. I grimaced inwardly. Forgot all about her. Crap.

Yeah, Tessa and I were definitely going to have a long talk later on. About many things. I met her eyes, held my hand out while silently urging her to not ask, to not shatter this fragile Ryan.

Tessa swallowed visibly, then pushed off the wall and straightened her shoulders, settling her usual confidence and attitude about her like a mantle. She moved to me and took my hand, and I pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Thanks,” I said, voice suddenly hoarse.

“Always,” she murmured. “Now take care of your other business here.” With that she gave me a proud smile, then turned and headed up the stairs.

I exhaled, then looked back over at Ryan. “So, did you bring donuts?” I asked, trying to restore some sense of normalcy.

He blinked, still trying to get his bearings. “Yeah, upstairs.” Ryan’s shaky smile spread into a grin. “You think I have a death wish? Get you back from the demon realm and not have any donuts for you?” He rolled his eyes. “You’d kill me.” He lifted a hand to my face. “You’re really back. God, I was so worried.”

I bit my lip to keep it from trembling. “Yeah, I’m back.”

“Ryan,” Zack said, fully back into his easy-going surfer boy/FBI agent persona. “I need to talk to you for a few minutes after you give Kara her donuts.”

Eilahn chimed softly. “And Kara has had a very long and trying day,” she told both men. “She needs to bathe and to rest.”

“Yes, mom.” I rolled my eyes, yet at the same time a deep relief speared through me. I wasexhausted, and I needed time to process everything before facing Ryan again. I also doubted that Zack truly needed to talk to Ryan. More likely he wanted to make sure that Szerain was fully locked down. My mind shuddered away from that thought as I tucked my arm around Ryan’s waist.

“C’mon, bitch, gimme my donuts,” I told him.

He laughed, draped an arm over my shoulder in an unsettling echo of Mzatal’s gesture. “My god, you’re cranky. I knew I should’ve had them waiting down here.”

“Yeah, thought you were smarter than that,” I said, then made a tsking noise. “Forgot. You’re a fed.”

He laughed again and gave me a squeeze as we climbed the stairs together.

Chapter 43

Eilahn bundled me upstairs and bandaged the gash on my arm, though the bleeding had long stopped, and it already looked as if it was closing on its own. Once that was done she helped me into the bathtub and kept an eye on me as well, which was a damn good thing since I ended up falling asleep. Would’ve been an ignominious way to die, especially considering all the shit I’d managed to survive thus far. But she got me out, dried off, and into bed, and by the time I woke up late the next morning, I felt almost coherent enough to make all the decisions I knew I needed to make.

One thing I knew for sure was that I had to get back to the demon realm as soon as possible, which meant summoning Mzatal tonight. It was only a matter of time before the hunt for me began—whether to kill or capture—especially now that I had Vsuhl. I wasn’t safe here, and none of the people close to me were safe either. I needed the shikvihr and everything else I could absorb so that I could become the badass I needed to be and return here as soon as possible. I had a pretty strong feeling that Earth was where I’d be able to make the most difference with the shit coming down. Therefore, I was going to be working and studying as if the fate of the world depended on it. Which, y’know, it did.

However, a plannedvisit to the demon realm meant I could actually take some of the stuff with me that I missed while there before. I spent the next couple of hours running errands and shopping with Eilahn—now in human form—and Zack. Both stated quite firmly that I was not to be more than five feet away from either of them at any time, and I was to complete my errands as quickly as humanly possible and then get my ass back behind strong wards.

Around noon I headed home to discover that Tessa, Carl, Jill, and Ryan had taken over the place and were deep in the throes of readying a Welcome Back celebration. Eilahn and Zack didn’t look the least bit surprised, which led me to believe they’d been willing accomplices.

I was surprised to find a handful of presents for me, held patiently from Christmas, a month past. The best was my lovely leather coat, which had been either thoroughly and professionally cleaned or replaced outright. I apologized for not having anything to give to anyone, and everyone lovingly teased me for my failure to do any shopping before Christmas, so it was all right.

Jill gave me a fierce hug as soon as she got me alone. “If I start bawling it’s only because I’m pregnant and hormonal and has nothing to do with how worried I was about you.”

I grinned and hugged her back. “Of course not!”

She pulled back, then narrowed her eyes as she searched my face. “You’ve been well-fucked within the last couple of days.

Mouth agape, I stared at her. “How do you dothat?”

Jill snorted. “It’s my only superpower.” She leveled a frown at me, but I saw the dark worry in her eyes. “Bad shit happened to you, didn’t it.”

I simply nodded. I had a sweater on that hid the sigils, but Jill had a way of seeing beyond the physical.

Her jaw tightened. “Rhyzkahl?”

I nodded again.

She glowered. “Fucker. You can tell me about it later. Come on. Let’s eat cookies until we burst.”

After presents and cookies I went hunting for Tessa. I finally found her on the back porch, sitting in the porch swing with her boyfriend Carl, their hands entwined. As I stepped out he leaned over, kissed Tessa on the cheek and stood, then surprised the hell out of me by taking my shoulders and kissing me on the forehead before heading inside. I blinked, nonplussed at the utterly unprecedented and unexpected show of affection, then sat in Carl’s spot beside Tessa.

“I’m so glad you’re okay, sweets,” Tessa said, then turned a piercing look on me. “You are okay, aren’t you?”

I thought back to all the shit that had happened—the escape, the betrayal, the torture. But she hadn’t asked if I’d had a lovely time. She wanted to know if I was okay.

“Yeah,” I said, smiling, knowing it to be true. “I’m really okay.” A comfortable silence fell as we gently rocked. Snatches of voices came back to me; the voices I’d heard in the seconds before I was summoned—Ryan and Tessa.

Are you sure it’s the right time?

“How’d you figure out how to do the storage diagram and get me back?” I asked. “And for that matter, how did you know when?” The chances of me accidentally being at a hotspot if she was trying randomly were approximately zilch.

“Would you believe me if I said it was a dream?” Tessa asked. She gave me a soft smile.

I chuckled. “Actually I think I might.” I’d had enough dream sendings to know that some could be very real. I thought back to my corny wish. I want them to know I’m safe.Well, they sure as shit knew it now. How the hell did thatwork?

“So,” she said after a brief silence. “Ryan’s a demonic lord.”

“Yeah.” I grimaced.

Her mouth pursed. “Well that’s just damn weird.”

I burst out laughing. Yep, that about summed it up.

She told me that Ryan and Zack had all but moved into my house, which I’d rather suspected from the contents of the fridge. I was more than fine with it. I told her about Katashi and his treachery, and my tutelage under Mzatal. I also told her that Rhyzkahl had turned out to be a colossal dickknuckle, but I didn’t go into detail, and she didn’t ask. My sweater covered the sigils, but I had no doubt she’d seen them when I’d arrived.

“Aunt Tessa,” I said, “I know this is going to sound like a really off-the-wall question, and I hope you don’t get mad at me for asking, but…”

“What is it, sweetling?”

Sheesh, there was no diplomatic or easy way to ask this. “Have you ever had a baby?”

A shadow of old grief passed over her face. Her hand tightened briefly in mine. “Oh, goodness, what a question.” She gave me a sad smile. “Not long before your father died I had a baby, but he was stillborn.”

A weird chill stole through me. The blond hair, the grey eyes. “I’m so sorry,” I said, since that was the expected response. “Um, was Katashi…?”

She let out a peal of laughter. “Oh, dear heavens, no!” She smiled, shook her head. “It was a brief fling with an American living in Japan. He left before I even knew I was pregnant, and when the baby died I saw no reason to contact him and let him know.”

Something seemed off about the way she said it, as if she was reciting a story instead of drawing from memory. I was willing to bet a year’s paycheck that her baby hadn’t been stillborn, but I had too many questions of my own to begin to poke at her version of things.

“And now I have you,” she said, patting my hand. “The daughter of my heart.”

“Goddammit, Tessa,” I muttered. “Now you’re making me cry.”

She laughed and pulled me close, and we rocked in easy silence until the others called us in for dinner.

When evening came Tessa and Carl took their leave, and Jill and Zack went to the guest bedroom to take a nap. I found Ryan doing cleanup in the kitchen, took him by the hand and tugged him out to the front porch. He followed without question, but concern darkened his eyes.

I sat down on the steps, waited for him to do likewise. The night was cool and humid, and a mosquito buzzed nearby. “I have something I need to tell you.”

The worry on his face deepened. “What is it?”

I exhaled. He was notgoing to take this well. I didn’t have to be a mind reader to know that. “I have to go back.”

Ryan stared at me. “Are you insane?” He shook his head in denial. “Kara, you’re not going back there. Really, that’s crazy talk.”

Yep. That was about the reaction I expected. “I’m not safe here, Ryan. Not yet.” I met his eyes. “They’ll come after me, and come after the people I love.” The Szerain in him would understand that part. “Mzatal is training me.” I paused. “We’re working together.”

A liquid keenness touched his eyes. He drew breath to speak, then released it. “Shit.” He ran a hand through his hair and shifted. “There’s so much I don’t know. Tell me what happened.”

There seemed to be a faint difference in him. Or was I simply imagining it? Maybe it was pure delusion on my part, but I thoughtthere was a touch more Szerain to him.

I gave him a quick and dirty rundown, not going into much detail on the parts that could possibly upset him, such as the torture. Or the bit about my profound connection—and really great sex—with Mzatal. I suspected Szerain would be pleased for me and completely unthreatened, but I wasn’t sure if Ryan would handle it as well, and I didn’t want to say anything that could hurt him.

And, holy shit, but it was weird to think of them as two separate people. Which they weren’t, I knew. Which made it even weirder.

I told him about the fight at Szerain’s palace, and how everything went to complete shit, and how I damn near destroyed the world. I debated telling him that the west tower was pretty much gone, taking with it Szerain’s studio, chambers, and all of his memories of humans and demons captured in sculpture—and decided against it. Nothing he could do about it submerged, and it would likely hurt like hell. “And then Tessa summoned me.”

Ryan let out a low whistle. “Wow, so when you left, every thing there was still falling apart?”

“It’s part of why I need to return. I chalked the patterns for the ritual and fed power into the storage diagram this morning,” I told him. “I’m going in a few hours.”

His brow still creased with worry, but he gave a slow nod. “It’s weird. When you first said it, I was like, fuck no. But now it feels like the right thing to do.” Then he frowned and gave me a sharp look. “Wait. How the hell will you get there?”

“I’m going to summon Mzatal,” I told him. And I knew without a doubt that I could.

I almost laughed at the shift of emotions on his face. Ryan seemed relatively nonplussed about that, but Szerain was surprised. “Summon Mzatal? On your own? As simple as that?”

I grinned. “Yeah. ’Cause I’m awesome.”

Ryan laughed. “Yeah, you are.” He shifted to face me. “I missed you,” he said, voice suddenly rough. “I was worried sick.”

“I missed you too,” I said, reaching for his hand to give it a squeeze. “I’m working out a system to send messages back and forth. I’ll probably have Tessa summon a particular demon periodically who could carry mail for us.” I gave him a rueful smile and shrug. “It’s better than nothing, I figure.”

“Wait.” Comprehension flared, and his eyes narrowed. “How long are you going for?”

I hesitated, grimacing. “I don’t know,” I told him. “Probably not until I do the shikvihr initiation, which could be about six months.” Or more, I added silently.

“ Six months!” Shock and grief etched lines in his face. “Kara, you can’t be gone for six months. What about your job, and Tessa and…and everything?”

“And you,” I said quietly. Sighing, I dropped my head into my hands. “I—” My throat tightened. “I’m submitting a letter of resignation to the police department.” That had been the most difficult decision, but I knew I had no choice. At least this way I stood a chance of perhaps getting my job back someday. “And I’ve already talked to Tessa and Jill.” I didn’t have to tell him that the conversation we were having right now was me saying goodbye to him. He knew that.

“Wait.” I lifted my head and looked over at him, frowning. “Hasn’t anybody wondered where I’ve beenfor the past two months?”

Ryan gave me a faint smile. “Tessa covered that. She told everyone you had a family emergency and had to be away for a while.” He paused. “I also talked to your Sergeant, Cory Crawford. I filled him in since I figured it’d be easier to tie up all the loose ends with his help.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That must’ve been an interesting discussion.” Cory had found out about my arcane connections by accident, and had never really been able to wrap his head around the idea. He tolerated and accepted it, but it was damn clear he was never going to be comfortable with it.

Ryan gave a low chuckle. “He actually surprised me. He only had one pained look, and then…” He sobered. “He was worried about you. Like we all were.”

“I tried to get a message home, but it never worked out,” I said quietly. “But I promise I’ll keep in contact as often as possible this time.” I looked up at him. “I’m sorry. I wish I could do more. I don’t want to leave you, any of you,” I said, voice cracking. “But I don’t have a choice. If I stay here someone will come after me.” I pulled the collar of my sweater down and touched the sigils on my chest. “I’m a weaponized summoner. And they’re not going to let me roam freely.”

Ryan shifted to look down at my chest. He lifted a hand, touched the sigil near my throat with the tips of his fingers and went very still. For a brief instant his eyes flickered with ancient potency. Then he blinked, and they returned to normal. “Kara,” he murmured, fingers still on the sigil. “I am so sorry.” The words echoed in my mind, and I knew the sorrow came from Szerain.

I leaned in and kissed him. He returned the kiss with a gentle passion, lifted his hand from my chest to the side of my face. Where our other kiss had been desperate and fierce, this one was tender and spoke more to the hope of a future yet to come than a fear we might never see each other again. I slid a hand up to his neck, deepening the kiss before gently breaking it.

“I don’t want to leave you,” I said softly.

He held my face cradled between his hands as he looked into my eyes. “You will come back,” he replied with the faintest undercurrent of potency.

“No power in the ’verse can stop me,” I said, smiling.

He chuckled. “I’ll make a nerd out of you yet.” He stroked his thumb along my cheek, gazed at me as if trying to memorize my face. “They know not what they have done.”

“They fucked with the wrong bitch,” I said. I kissed him again then sighed. “I need to prepare.”

Pain flickered behind his eyes, but he gave a nod. He stood, gave me a hand up, and together we headed inside. “Do you need any help?” he asked. “Packing? Anything boring like that?”

“I’m pretty much already packed,” I said. I’d done most of that earlier in the day. I knew I really didn’t need to bring any clothing—which felt strange—though I did pack new running shoes, a couple of sports bras, and my favorite pair of jeans. If the zrila could duplicate any of those I’d be happy. But once those were in the duffel I proceeded to fill it with more esoteric items like coffee, fashion magazines, feminine supplies, sunscreen, and more coffee. “I’m bringing an absolute buttload of coffee,” I said with a wry smile.

“Good. I’ve been around you when you haven’t had any.” He gave a low laugh. “Do the entire demon realm a favor and bring lots.”

“I’m dangerous enough, right?” Then I winced because it was true.

“Yeah, you got it going on.” He still smiled but was having a harder time hiding the worry. “When’s the big moment?”

“Not long. Maybe twenty minutes.” I shrugged. Then I grew more serious. “You want to—” I barely stopped myself from saying “see,” “—meet him, don’t you?”

He shifted. “You mean Mzatal?”

“Yes, Mr. FBI suspicious guy. Mzatal.”

A scowl curved his mouth. “Well, shit, Kara, you’re going off for half a year or more with one of these lords.” A hint of jealousy flared in his eyes that I knew was Ryan’s and not Szerain’s. “I don’t exactly have a lot of faith in them, y’know?”

Well, now I knew I was right not to mention getting jiggy with Mzatal. “I do know.” I smiled. “Which is why I’m going to let you come downstairs for the summoning if you want.” This wasn’t the first time I’d invited him to witness a summoning, but this time I had the ulterior motive of reassuring both Szerain and Mzatal that all was as well as could possibly be. That made the unknown risk of having the two demonic lords in the same room worth it. I hoped.

“Really?” He sounded like a kid who’d been told he was going to Disney World.

“Yeah, but this is different, Ryan.” I kept my face as sober as possible. “This is a demonic lord. You have to be totallynaked for this.”

Ryan tilted his head in thought, shrugged, and then began unbuttoning his pants, grinning. I burst out laughing.

“I should totally let you meet Mzatal in the buff,” I told him. “That’d teach you.”

“It might intimidate him,” he said with a laugh. “Best not to antagonize him.”

I snorted. “With your ego perhaps.” This was what I would miss the most—the camaraderie and easy banter. Would I still have that with Szerain? I didn’t want to think about it.

“Okay, let me finish getting my stuff together,” I said. “Then you can carry it downstairs for me.” I gave him a sidelong glance. “That’s really why I’m letting you come: to carry my shit.”

“At your service, Miz Gillian.” He gave a mock salute. “You have anything ready yet?”

“The big duffel in my bedroom,” I told him. “I just want to grab the rest of the fashion magazines I bought for the zrila.”

Ryan headed off down the hall while I busied myself getting the last few things that I could think to bring.

A moment later I heard a groan. “Jesus, Kara,” I heard from the bedroom. “Is your whole house in here?” He hauled the duffel out of the bedroom, staggering comically under the weight.

“If you want to head to the basement with it,” I said, “I’ll be down in just a few to get things started.” He gave a nod and tromped down the stairs.

I grabbed a few more things and was about to head downstairs myself when Zack came out of the guest room and quietly closed the door behind him. I flicked a glance behind me to make sure that Ryan was already downstairs, then leveled a slight frown at Zack. “Are you going to let him be present for the summoning?”

He gave me a small nod. “I’m not sure it’s the best idea,” he said. “But then again, it just might be.” He shrugged. “Better if I’m close by in any case.”

I smiled in relief. “Thanks. Makes me feel better about it too.” I headed to the kitchen, trusting him to follow. I grabbed the bag containing the rest of the coffee. “What happens now with your oath to not talk about Szerain’s exile?”

Zack shrugged. “I won’t speak directly of that which is not known to you, but it’s pointless to avoid what’s already clearly revealed. If I’m named kiraknikahlfor something as asinine as that, so be it.”

I snorted. “Sounds reasonable to me,” I said, then took a deep breath. “I can sense Szerain more now.”

Zack leaned against the kitchen doorway, folded his arms across his chest. “Kind of like putting the lug nuts back on the wheel. Sometimes you forget to tighten them all down.”

“Hunh. Hate it when that happens.” I gave him a slight smile, then sobered. “You’re Rhyzkahl’s ptarl.”

He gave me a single nod. I stayed silent for several heartbeats while I tried to figure out what I wanted to say. “Has he ever done anything this—” I gestured to myself and the sigil scars, “—extreme before? Did you know he…?”

“I knew Rhyzkahl had chosen that path,” he replied in a voice heavy with pain. “It is part of the reason I am here, rather than there.” He shook his head. “But he has travelled far along it in the years I have been on Earth.”

“Did you know he had such designs on me?” I asked, eyes intent upon him.

His eyes dropped to my upper chest, and the pain in his eyes seemed to deepen. “I did not know he had come to this. I swear it, Kara.”

My gaze stayed on Zack for a few more heartbeats, then I nodded. “Y’all need to watch out for Katashi and his people.” I gave him a quick rundown of the Katashi and Gestamar summonings and our subsequent retrieval of the reyza.

His eyes went distant, troubled. “That complicates matters much,”

“Ya think?” My mouth tightened, but then I blew out my breath.

Zack’s focus came back to the room, though a hint of the faraway still remained. “Jill,” he said, scrubbing a hand over his face in a very human gesture. “Her risk is compounded with this.”

“Jill is pretty damn special,” I said, then smiled. “And I’m glad she has you.”

“I would not change it,” he said, echoing my smile. “And while you are gone, I will watch over Tessa and Ryan to the best of my ability.”

I exhaled softly. “Thanks. I don’t know how long I’ll be away,” I said. “I mean, it could be a long time.” I shook my head. “There’s bad shit going on and it’s too dangerous for everyone until I have the shikvihr.” I ran my hand through my hair, grimaced. “But I sure as hell need to be hereto get a handle on what’s going on with Katashi, and who—if anyone—is working Earth-side to counter or fucking help him.”

“I agree. You need the shikvihr and you need to be here.”

“Yeah.” I sighed. “Sort of mutually exclusive.”

“No need to give up so easily,” he said with a sudden grin. I started to ask him what the hell he was talking about, but he spoke first. “You’re near the shikvihr first ring culmination, yes?”

“Um. Yeah,” I said. Damn. Did I have it tattooed on my forehead?

“Bust your ass and nail the first three. With focus, you could do it in a month,” he said. “Because the third is a powerful energizer, you’ll need a week or so to integrate it before beginning training on the fourth.”

An ember of hope flared. “You’re thinking I could spend the time between the third and the fourth here? Would it be, um, smart?”

Zack laughed. “ Ithink so, but I’m biased.” He laid a hand on my shoulder. “Talk to Mzatal. Tell him my opinion is that the third ring, your innate abilities, and Eilahn and me keeping tabs on you are sufficient for you and the rest of us to be reasonably secure for short periods.” He shrugged again. “I mean as secure as anywhere. Everything’s in flux now.”

“That would be awesome,” I breathed. “Best of both worlds.” I knew enough to expect things to be hot both here and in the demon realm, but it would sure be nice to spend some of that time on Earth. “Thanks, Zack.” I swept my gaze around the kitchen. “I guess I’d better get going.”

He caught my arm and turned me to him, cradled my head in his hands and touched his forehead to mine. “Be well and be strong, Kara Gillian.”

Tears pricked at my eyes. I gave him a quick hug, then gathered the last of my things and headed downstairs.

Eilahn had slipped down to the basement while I wasn’t looking, and was crouched quietly by the wall with a small bundle atop a cat carrier containing Fuzzykins. I’d roused Eilahn early from stasis, and though she assured me she didn’t need to return, she would need more rest than usual for a bit. Ryan sat cross-legged on the floor, not far from my storage diagram. I double checked that I had everything, all the while hoping to hell there was still a demon realm to summon Mzatal from.

I stepped forward and examined my chalk and blood diagram, assuring that every sigil resonated properly. Shikvihr, here I come.Satisfied after a few adjustments, I glanced over to Ryan. “Remember to stay away from the diagram. And it’s best to just sit.” I dismissed a flicker of worry about whether it was a good idea to have Mzatal and a suppressed Szerain in the same room. Zakaar was a heartbeat away.

“And I might stayas well, but no promises,” Ryan said, grinning, though there was an anticipatory tension about him.

I rolled my eyes, smiled. “That would be a really really good idea. Sit andstay.” His only answer was a snort. I turned my full attention back to the diagram and the task at hand. Drawing power and focusing aspects, it only took a few minutes to get the portal set. My pulse quickened.

“Mzatal.”

A cold wind arose, bringing with it the scent of sulphur and ozone. The diagram flared, and the air seemed to shiver and compress, as if an unheard sonic boom passed through the room. The sigils went dark, and a heartbeat later I saw a figure with a long dark braid crouched in the center of the diagram.

Mzatal drew a rasping breath, a shudder passing through him as he lifted his head. He looked like hell. That was honestly the only way to describe it: pale, disheveled, and wearing the same clothes he’d had on when I last saw him, blood and all. But the relief that flowed across his face as his eyes rested on me wiped away some of the exhaustion and strain.

“Kara.”

“Hey, Boss,” I said with a smile as I grounded and closed the portal, and dropped the protections. “You look like shit. Miss me?”

Mzatal drew another deep breath and stood. “Much, zharkat.” His eyes went past me, and I realized Ryan had stood and taken a step forward. I looked back at him, frowning.

“Ryan?” I said, calling to that part of him.

Mzatal’s gaze remained on him. “Peace, Ryan,” he said, name flowing like a command. “Peace.”

Ryan visibly settled, and I hoped that meant that everyone was nice and chill. Ryan looked from Mzatal to me. “You’re really going,” he said.

I stepped to him and pulled him into an embrace. “Yeah, it’s time. I’ll be back before you know it.”

He wrapped his arms around me, held me close. “Don’t get yourself into too much trouble, okay?” His voice broke a bit on the last word.

“Who me?” My voice seemed to have the same unsteadiness. Must be something in the damn air. “I never get into trouble. I’m boring.”

He snorted and buried his face against my neck. “Right. And I’m never moody.”

I hugged him hard, then kissed him lightly before letting him go. “You’d better write. Tessa has her instructions.”

He very reluctantly released me. “Yeah. Write. I will.” His eyes went to Mzatal. “Don’t you fucking hurt her.”

Mzatal gave Ryan a sober nod. I hid a smile as Eilahn and I gathered our things, including a disgruntled Fuzzykins, and moved to the center of the diagram. I trusted Zack to take care of everyone and everything. I looked up at Mzatal. “Missed you, Boss,” I murmured.

He smiled, but there was a strained and worried edge to it.

“Mzatal? What’s going on?” I asked. “The destruction stopped when I was summoned, didn’t it?”

“Yes,” he said. “There are still residuals. But the unraveling ceased.”

I didn’t need my cop-vibe to know that something was seriously wrong. Unraveling of the world ceasing sure sounded like a good thing to me, but Mzatal wasn’t exactly jumping up and down about it. Tension hung over him like a cloud.

“Mzatal,” I said in a low, urgent voice. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“They have Idris.”

I felt as if I’d been doused in ice. I didn’t need to ask who They were. The Four Mraztur.

I reached for Mzatal’s hand and gripped it tightly. “Let’s go home, Boss,” I said, lip curling. “We have work to do.”