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Emotion squeezed my
chest. “That’s my house.” Mzatal was on the nexus, in contact with my sigils. “Can you see anything else?”
“Nope, that’s it. All gone now!” He continued past me up the steps.
I followed. “How do you know he was sad?”
“I just know,” he said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Why was he sad? My worry ratcheted up a few more notches. We needed to finish up here and get the hell back to Earth ASAP.
A bellow came from off to our right. I looked to see a reyza swoop toward us from atop the column, the basalt pillar Mzatal used for arcane training.
“Incoming,” Pellini said, hand on his weapon.
“And it’s not large enough to be Gestamar,” I said, shading my eyes.
“Summoner,” the reyza boomed as he overflew us.
“Kehlirik?” I called back in surprise. “What are you doing here?” Kehlirik was one of Rhyzkahl’s demons, and the first reyza I’d ever summoned. With his amiable personality and passion for popcorn and Earth novels, he’d become my favorite demon to summon. Despite his ties to Rhyzkahl, I considered him as close to a friend as any demon, apart from Eilahn. In fact, not long after Rhyzkahl betrayed me, he’d offered me subtle help during an ugly battle with the Mraztur.
“We good?” Pellini asked.
“I think so,” I said.
Kehlirik landed nearby, on an outcropping beside the palace entrance. “After the Sky Reaper clans overtook Rhyzkahl’s realm, Gestamar and Ilana gave sanctuary to many of his sworn demons.”
I grimaced. “It sucks that you were driven out.”
“It is done. It is past.” He shook out his wings then folded them close. “We are here.”
“I’m glad to see you safe and unharmed.” I scanned the cliff and sky and palace roof. Not another demon to be seen. That was unusual. “Where are the others?”
“Ilana is at the southern pole with the anomaly, and all others are on patrol,” Kehlirik said. “I watch here. Mzatal’s realm is well protected by arcane means, but he is away, and the Jontari are relentless.”
“I am grateful for your service, honored one,” I said. “I will see you again when we leave.”
Kehlirik gave a soft whistle of acknowledgement and took flight, buffeting us with his powerful upstroke.
“Let’s get this done so we can go home,” I said to the others.
We continued through the open doorway of the palace and stopped in the central atrium. With all the windows gone, the floors abruptly ended in open space eighty stories above the rocky sea shore. Not a place to be wandering around at night without a flashlight. “Turek, Giovanni, and Michael. I need you to stay here, please.”
“I’ll guard,” Michael said. “Don’t worry.”
“Good deal,” I said with a smile. “Make sure no one gets too close to the edge. Turek, could I speak to you for a moment?” The demon dipped his head in assent, and we stepped away from the others. “Rhyzkahl gave me a description of the gimkrah, but I don’t trust him. Do you know what it looks like?”
Turek let out a low hiss. “A transparent sphere with a nucleus of pulsing crimson, caged with bands of makkas.”
Huh. Rhyzkahl hadn’t lied—about that much, at least. “Thanks. Pellini and I will be back soon.”
“Kara Gilliannnn!”
A faas streaked across the room to excitedly twine around and through my legs like an oversized meth-crazed cat, sending us both into a chaotic tumble of limbs and blue fur.
“Jekki!” I squeezed him in a hug as he snuffled my face in greeting. “I didn’t expect to see you here. Kehlirik told me all the demons were gone.”
Jekki snapped upright, quivering in outrage. “Dahn dahn dahn! Protect allllll inside. Tend Mzatal. Tend Janice Massi!”
