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But I nod in agreement anyway, hoping it doesn’t come to that.
Elio takes the lead, and I struggle to keep up as I drown in the cloak I’m wearing. I stumble over the fabric a few times before figuring out how to walk with it, and I have to keep pushing the hood back so I can see where I’m going. Azarius brings up the rear, walking just far enough away to avoid tripping on the cloak.
The three of us are an odd sight to behold. Two monsters dressed in sleek business attire, and a kid playing dress up in a sheet of black fabric. I don’t know what monsters deem weird or appropriate in this realm, but I sincerely hope none of them peer out their windows wondering what the hell we’ve got going on.
Or worse, stop to ask us what we’re doing.
We move quietly, slipping between two buildings onto a street that’s just wide enough for a few people to walk down, and make our way deeper into the city.
Our next stop: Ignatius’s house.
ChapterFourteen
Elio
Getting to the city of Havec was half the battle.
Making it through the city to Ignatius’s house unscathed is what I’m most worried about. Unfortunately for us, he lives in the city’s center, so there is no easy way to get there but through the grid of streets.
However, we did choose the right time to come because there are very few monsters wandering about. Less monsters means less of a chance we’re found out.
Less onlookers.
Less eavesdropping.
When the suns are high in the sky, most monsters sleep. We aren’t nocturnal by nature, but over time we’ve collectively shifted in that direction due to the Malevs. Malevs move and attack at night, so we have to be able to defend ourselves.
Maybe once we drive all the Malevolents back into the mountains, we can get back to our old sleeping habits.
I glance back over my shoulder after every turn to make sure Devyn and Azarius are still on my tail, and every time I do, I get a fresh whiff of the nesda juice clinging to Devyn’s skin. Thankfully, it’s still potent.
Even with me walking slowly, it’s hard for her to keep up in the cloak. I should have sliced the bottom off at Rafe’s to make it easier, but it’s too late now. Besides, she’s not complaining, and it keeps her disguised.
Honestly, she’s been a good sport about this whole excursion, all things considered.
I just hope that all of this is worth it in the end.
Ignatius and I go way back, but I wouldn’t exactly call him a friend. A close acquaintance at best. He studied under my grandfather when we lived in Theev, back before the city was overrun by demons and their Malevolent offspring.
We’ve continually bumped into one another over the years, always keeping tabs on each other. It’s good to have people you know nearby, just in case, and there’s an unspoken agreement between us: should an emergency arise, we have each other’s backs.
While I always imagined coming to him eventually for help, this is hardly the emergency I envisioned.
I hope he’s still as open-minded as I remember him being.
Ignatius lives in a long beige house made from clay and stone. It stands out from all the other buildings in Havec, which are made from the same dark materials because he had the clay and stone imported from another city. There are various potted plants lining the full length of the building and reflective circular windows that look like mirrors. An enormous emblem is painted on the door, covering most of the dark material, and I recognize it instantly.
It’s the warlock’s mark of protection.
I can’t use marks, but I have a book that belonged to my grandfather with tons of marks in it, along with their meanings. Essentially the mark of protection prevents anyone with negative intentions from entering.
“Could he be any more conspicuous?” Azarius mumbles as he takes it all in.
“Don’t give him any ideas,” I say.
I approach the door, momentarily nervous that the mark will deem harboring a human as negative intentions, and knock three times.
Nothing happens at first, so I hope I’m in the clear.
