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But then no one comes to the door, and panic flares in my chest. If we came all this way for Ignatius to not be home, Devyn and Azarius will never forgive me.
They might kill me and walk back to Rafe’s.
Refusing to give up, I knock three more times, a little louder each time, and wait a full minute on the doorstep.
“Come on you son of a—” I whisper under my breath before hearing a distinctive click from the other side of the door.
The handle turns and the door opens a crack before Ignatius’s head pokes outside. His skin is bubblegum pink, which is impossible to distinguish in the green hue surrounding us, and he wears his black hair cropped short, the same way he always has. He wears a billowing pair of pants with no shirt, and a pendant the size of my fist hangs around his neck on a chain.
“Elio.” He gasps, his eyes growing wide at the sight of me. “What are you doing here, my friend?”
He glances over my shoulder to observe my companions.
“I need a favor,” I say.
His eyes jump back to me, and I can see the skepticism in them. “What kind of favor?”
I look both ways down the street, searching for any sign of monsters. There aren’t any in sight, but I don’t dare say anything out here.
“If you’ll let us come in for a few minutes, I’ll explain everything. Trust me on this one.”
He hesitates, but ultimately opens the door to let us in. I motion for Azarius and Devyn to follow before stepping over the threshold, and we are immediately dumped into a kaleidoscope of color.
I’ve been here before, so I know what to expect, but the look of disbelief on Devyn’s face beneath her hood is priceless.
“What a lovely place you’ve got here,” Azarius says, looking around as fast as he can to soak it all in.
We’re standing in a living room with three couches, and each one is a different color. Several shelves line each of the walls, laden with various trinkets. Some are collectibles. Some are art. Some are warlock instruments hiding in plain sight. It’s always been a bit of a hazardous mess, but it looks like Ignatius’s collection might have doubled since the last time I was here.
Maybe even tripled.
Marks are painted on all the walls. Marks for strength, clarity, silence, and power. Being a warlock makes you a target for powerful monsters who seek to use them as pawns, but Ignatius does a damn good job protecting himself.
“Come in and have a seat,” Ignatius says, gesturing to the cluster of sofas. His pink skin is vibrant now that we’re inside. “I’d offer you something to drink, but I’ve just gotten back from a six-month hiatus on Earth, and I haven’t stocked the kitchen yet.”
I wave a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry, we’re fine.”
Devyn and Azarius sit together on the couch to the left, igniting a twinge of jealousy in me that I quickly extinguish, and I sit on the one to the right that’s covered in twenty too many throw pillows. Ignatius takes the last one and folds his hands in his lap.
“So, what is this favor you want to ask of me?” Ignatius asks, his eyes slowly floating between the three of us.
“To be honest, it’s a little complicated,” I admit, leaning into the mountain of cushions behind me. “Have you heard any rumors floating around among the monsters right now?”
He cocks an unnaturally thin eyebrow in my direction. “There are always rumors. Be more specific.”
“Sure.” I drape one of my arms along the back of the couch. “It involves a Malev being killed several miles South of here near that patch of dead woods.”
Ignatius purses his lips. “I can’t say that I have.”
Well, that’s a pleasant surprise.
Maybe Ross overestimated the reach of the rumor.
Or Ignatius is lying, which I hope isn’t the case.
There aren’t many people I trust in this realm, and he’s one of the only ones I feel like I can count on aside from Azarius.
“There’s a rumor going around that a human came through the portal and killed a Malev,” I explain, pushing past the alarm bells ringing in my ears. If I expect his help, I have to be honest, but it feels like I’m directly defying Rafe’s orders. He told us not to speak of it, but here I am. Speaking of it. “There was human blood and a weapon found at the sight.”
