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But there was something else. Something not so good. I could hear it in his voice and see it in the troubled expression playing across his face.
“You aren’t telling me everything. I want you to be honest with me. No more surprises.” My decisiveness returned after the little jaunt into maudlin-land and I sucked in a deep breath. “Smoky, I can’t afford to be worrying about us when I’m facing down demons and ghouls.”>One . . . two . . . three . . . holy hell! One moment I was standing there, dagger out, waiting to see what would happen and the next, an explosion rocked the area in which we were standing, sending us all flying. Blown off my feet, I landed a good two yards back on the grass.
I scrambled up, checking to see if anything was broken, but by now my clothes were so heavy with water they’d cushioned my fall. Looking around, I tried to see if something had slipped through. Nothing . . . nothing . . . and then I saw Wilbur. He was on the ground, clawing at his neck.
“Wilbur—help him!” I raced over to his side.
Menolly got there before me. She went down on her knees and frantically started waving her arms over him. “I can’t see what’s got him.”
“I can!” Morio shoved her aside.
Startled, Menolly hissed, but recovered quickly and crouched next to him, ready to help.
“What is it?” I knelt on the other side of the necromancer.
Morio waved his hand across Wilbur’s neck and whispered something. The outline of a gremlin came into view. Originating in the Netherworld, gremlins were implike spirits. While not fully demonic, they were dangerous and fed off psychic energy. The Yodalike creature splayed its wide hands across Wilbur’s head, while its feet were wrapped around his throat.
“What can we do? How do we kill it?”
Delilah motioned me aside. “I don’t know what can, but I know who can. Move back, everybody.” She spoke so forcefully that everybody stopped to stare at her for a second before scrambling back. As she closed her eyes, her energy shifted. And then, before we could say a word, the air around her rippled and she transformed into her black panther self, but she wasn’t alone. The misty outline of a golden spotted leopard stood beside her.
“Arial!” I let out a small gasp.
“Who’s that?” Morio said, his eyes wide.
Menolly glanced around, looking frantically from side to side. “Who’s who? What are you talking about?”
Chase and Trillian looked just as confused, but Roz said, “I see her,” and Vanzir added, “So do I.”
I turned to them. “Our sister—Delilah’s twin. She died at birth but she keeps watch over Delilah in her Were shape.”
Trillian blinked. “So it’s true.”
I turned back to Delilah and Arial, who grabbed the gremlin in their mouths, one on either side. The creature was screaming, struggling to break free, as it loosened its grip on Wilbur. Menolly dashed forward and dragged him away from beneath the gremlin, who was now one big chew toy for the two big cats.
Arial and Delilah proceeded to play tug-of-war with the creature, which I really didn’t want to watch but couldn’t help myself—it was like a train wreck, impossible to look away from—and then Delilah let go and Arial vanished, the limp gremlin in her mouth.
Delilah padded over to Wilbur and licked his face, then gazed up at me. I dropped to my knees beside her and threw my arms around her neck, planting a big kiss on her nose. She let out a soft growl and then rubbed her head against me, purring loudly. As soon as she started her singing, I backed away. Within a few seconds, she was herself again, crouched on the ground, shaking her head. I helped her up, steadying her as she blinked.
“Is he okay?”
“He will be,” Trillian said. He and Chase were kneeling by the necromancer, checking his pulse and pupils. Wilbur seemed to be coming around and they pulled him to his feet.
He rubbed his throat, wincing. “That hurt like hell. What the fuck was that critter?”
“A gremlin. I’m surprised you haven’t dealt with them before, being a necromancer,” I said.
“Oh, I’ve dealt with several beasties from that realm, but never one of those. Are they common?” He stretched his neck, rolling it from side to side. “The thing had one hell of a death grip, I’ll tell you that. I feel like it was trying to suck out my soul.”
“There are a number of creatures who feed off psychic energy,” Vanzir said, stepping forward. “I’m one of them, but I don’t have to in order to live, so I do my best to curtail the desire. But gremlins and small creatures of the sort need it to survive. And yes, they are common. People who wake up feeling tired all the time but can’t find any reason, or who feel drained when they go certain places, often have encountered gremlins without ever realizing it.”
“Any way to keep them out of the house? I should ward against them,” Wilbur said.
“We’ll talk protection spells a little later,” I broke in. “Meanwhile, Delilah saved you and the thing is gone.” I turned to Iris. “Was that all that broke through?”
She nodded. “Yes, I felt one rush at the gates, so to speak, and that was it. But we shouldn’t tarry. We have no idea how long it will be before the Bonecrusher realizes that her spell isn’t working, and we don’t want to be here when she arrives, wondering why.”
“Maybe we do,” Vanzir said. “Maybe we should stake out the area—what better way to find out where she’s at?”
