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Jill beckoned imperiously to Giovanni. “Let’s get started. I’ve been through too much with this woman to see her get eaten by a demon now.”
They headed for the basement, each on the same crusade albeit with different motivations.
“Two hits on gimkrah,” Pellini said, eyes on his screen. “But nothing worth a shit. The first is some dude’s dwarf character in an online role-playing game, and the other is part of the name of a company in Eastern Europe that makes plastic piping. However, I did learn that, according to the Urban Dictionary, a ‘gimk’ is a cross between a geek and a gimp.”
My lips twitched. “I am indeed the richer for that bit of knowledge.”
Bryce looked up from his laptop. “No reports of Mzatal since Siberia.”
“Damn.” I pulled a face. “I assumed Helori took him to another rift. Then again, Mzatal had some injuries, so maybe Helori made him take a break instead.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Oh. Hang on. I’ll try calling the number he called me from.”
Six rings later, a generic DIRT voicemail told me to leave a message. “Mzatal, call me,” I said. For good measure, I added, “If you’re not Mzatal, please tell him to call A.C. Gillian ASAP.” I disconnected and shoved the phone in my pocket. “Crap. I need expert input on bo
th the Jontari and the Elinor situation.”
Pellini gave me a long look. “You know what I’m about to say, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do.” I sighed. “And yes, I’ll ask Rhyzkahl.”
Pellini gave a firm nod. “Good. That saves me the trouble of kicking your ass.”
Chapter 20
I stepped outside in time to see Rhyzkahl hurl something across the yard. My stomach lurched as a thousand possibilities crowded in. He found a way to break free. He hoarded enough arcane power to make a weapon. He’s testing . . .
My thoughts stuttered to a halt as Sammy tore across the grass, seized up a ball, and raced back. He dropped his prize and looked up expectantly. Rhyzkahl glanced my way then scooped up the ball and chucked it away again.
Dumbass. He’s playing with the damn dog.
Wearing my best I’m-not-at-all surprised expression, I crossed the yard and reached Rhyzkahl’s orbit just as the dog returned once again with the slobbery tennis ball.
Rhyzkahl gave Sammy’s head a good solid scratch, which of course only encouraged the silly dog to flop onto his back in hopes of getting a belly rub. I watched, bemused, as Rhyzkahl crouched to provide it.
“I have a question for you,” I said before I could get too distracted with this heretofore unknown facet of Rhyzkahl.
“I have little doubt every moment of your existence is filled with questions for your betters.”
Nice jab. But hard to get pissy at him when Sammy was wiggling in delight beneath his hand. Fine, I’d cut to the chase. “How do I summon a Jontari?”
He stood abruptly, leaving Sammy to look up at him with a bewildered expression. “You do not,” Rhyzkahl said in a voice that invited zero argument. “You know nothing of the Jontari.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “Tell that to the ones I’ve killed.”
He stepped so close to the arcane wall of his prison that it crackled with azure sparks. “Where have you killed Jontari? When?”
Well, that got his attention nicely. The dampening effect of Mzatal’s warding prevented him from sensing the state of the world—apart from the pervasive rakkuhr—and I’d made damn sure no one shared information with him. The less he knew about the his cohorts’ progress, the better. But since I wanted to pump him for information, this was the time to drop a few key details. “Where is right here on Earth, and when is these past two months—sometimes on a daily basis. Your Jontari invasion strategy is in full swing.”
He recoiled as if stung, lordly aplomb forgotten for the moment. “Kara, tell me what has happened.”
I offered a nonchalant shrug. “Oh, nothing too special. Just that ever since Katashi blew a hole in the dimensions, demons have been coming through rifts all over the world.”
A vein throbbed at his temple. “The Jontari are not my allies.”
“Oh, whew!” I said, dragging a hand across my forehead in mock relief. Did he really expect me to believe that the demon incursions weren’t part of the Mraztur’s plan to take over Earth? “That is such a load off my mind. I’m so glad you set the record straight!” I allowed myself a moment of grim amusement at the petulant scowl that crossed his face. “Now that we’ve established that you’re oh-so-very innocent, we can move on to the good stuff: How do I summon a Jontari imperator?”
Composure regained, he eyed me as if I’d asked him how to drain the sea. “An imperator? Impossible.”
“No, it’s not,” I replied. “It’s been done before, and I may opt to go for it in the near future.” Time to play my trump card. “Elinor is on Earth, locked away by Xharbek in a secure facility.” I didn’t miss his twitch of reaction. “An imperator is one possible means of recovering her.”
