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I grimaced. “I, uh, summoned a reyza to remove the wards. I needed access to the house and library, and Tessa Pazhel is … indisposed.”
To my surprise, the little demon straightened on its back four legs and puffed out its chest. “Yes yes! Take reyza to remove wards mine!” It hopped up and down, warbling. “Yes yes, agree to terms. Do work again. Pretty-work!”
Sheesh. I’d forgotten what a pain in the ass it was to listen to a faas. Sentence structure wasn’t terribly important to them.
“Agreed,” I said, and handed over the offering. The demon tucked it into one of the pouches at its belt, then waited for me to drop the bindings and protections.
I did so, then gestured toward the doorway, but it was already hopping in that direction. “I think the most important thing is to secure that portal in the library,” I said as I followed it down the stairs.
It let out a horrified squawk and spun to face me, nearly causing me to lose my balance and tumble down the stairs. I grabbed at the railing as it glared at me. “Portal not ward?” it shrieked.
“Um, the reyza took down all the wards. I don’t think he knew that the portal was there.”
The demon bared its teeth, and this time there was no mistaking it for a smile. This was definitely an expression of menace, though I was fairly certain that it was not directed toward me. Fairly.
“Reyza know portal,” it growled. “Feel it strong, know it. Uncovered to use or tell other use. Push through.” It turned and bounded the rest of the way down the stairs and down the hall to the library before I could take a breath to ask it what the fuck it was talking about. I scurried after it, a not-good feeling settling into my gut.
I entered the library to see the demon crouching before the portal, spines on its back flared out and tipped with red. I stayed in the doorway. I’d never seen a faas that angry and upset before.
“What do you mean, push through? There were some creatures here earlier—”
It spun to face me. “Creatures kind? What like?”
“They were small”—I held my hands up, about six inches apart—“with wings and a stinger.”
Zhergalet snorted. “Hriss. Pest. Came through self. Pushed not. Eat scrap feelings.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling as if I was continually several steps behind the demon’s thought processes. “Scrap feelings?”
It fluttered its hands. “Potency. Excess sucks up. Tired you become is all. Pest to swat. Worry little about hriss. Worry more if pushed big through portal.”
I licked my lips. “You … would worry if something big was pushed through? How big? And pushed from where?”
“Big like me not me though. Demon push hard to do. Lower creature push not so hard.”
“Big like … a dog?”
It cocked its head. “Dog what is?”
I held my hand a couple of feet off the ground to show the height. “Black, four legs, long face, mouth full of teeth, tail …” Okay, that could describe half the taxonomy of earth, but apparently the little demon understood my description. It hissed and shook its head.
“Bad bad. Kzak. Not come self through. Push only.”
I was starting to get a headache from trying to understand it. “Okay, it’s called a kzak. And it was pushed through. Why? From where?”
Zhergalet wagged its head. “Kzak sent damage cause. Hurt and kill. One dangerous some. Pack dangerous very.”
“Wait. They’re sent … to a specific target? Like an assassin?”
It nodded, hopping up and down. “Yes yes!”
A shiver of cold ran down my back. The dog thing had been sent. After me? Or after Ryan? “Kehlirik would definitely have known the portal was there?”
“Reyza know he would. Valuable knowledge. Take back status gain.”
I scowled, feeling oddly betrayed even though I knew it was stupid to feel that way. Kehlirik had done precisely what I’d asked him to do—remove the wards. In the process he’d discovered the portal, and when he returned to the demon world he’d either used that information or sold it to the demon equivalent of the highest bidder. Then the portal had been used to send a kzak after … someone.
I wanted to sit down and hug my knees to my chest, but that wasn’t a luxury I could afford at the moment. It had to be after Ryan. Had to be. Kehlirik didn’t like Ryan, and maybe there were others who felt the same way. Besides, who in the demon realm could possibly want to hurt me? Rhyzkahl? I couldn’t fathom any reason he would do so, especially since he’d stated often enough that he didn’t want me to risk myself.
