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Kane stared at me. “Is this really your concern at the moment?”
The kammapa continued its gluttony, unconcerned.
“I’m just curious.”
Kane released an exasperated breath. “Stop interrogating me and focus on that. If the creature lives, then we won’t.”
The kammapa continued gobbling down gold bars. “Your boyfriend is right,” it rasped. “You’ve made a foolish mistake. I will roast you on a spit and pick your flesh from my teeth with your bones.”
Okay then. “You don’t even have teeth.”
The kammapa ignored me and swallowed a small mound of silver.
I tried again. “We’d like to settle this without bloodshed. Maybe we can reach an agreement.”
“You can’t,” the creature replied.
Kane tilted his head toward the weapons sack. I plucked a throwing axe from my backpack and gave it a whirl. The blade bounced off the creature’s back, leaving a trail of faint ripples across the shapeless body.
I shot Kane a helpless look. “Any better ideas? What about your cool sword?”
“Blades are useless against me,” the kammapa boasted.
“What if it’s engulfed in flames?” I asked. “You should see it in action. It’s pretty cool. Show him, Kane.”
The demon shook his head. “It won’t work.”
“You won’t know unless you try.”
The kammapa continued eating. “Go on and try, demon prince. I like a good slap and tickle.”
There was nothing in my backpack that seemed appropriate. We couldn’t even choke it. Its form adjusted to whatever the creature shoved down its gullet.
“Argh.” The kammapa’s body started to spasm.
“It’s that metallic taste, isn’t it?” I asked. “It’s gross.”
The creature spat. A small white object rolled across the floor.
A perfectly formed pearl.
I sprinted after it.
“Mine!” I declared. The moment my fingers touched the pearl, I felt the presence that had been missing from the house since my first visit. Bruce’s spirit exploded from the pearl in dragon form. The crimson, green, and gold scales were so vibrant that they appeared solid.
Bruce’s spirit expanded, growing larger than even the kammapa. I’d thought it was strange that I failed to glimpse Bruce’s spirit. It happened, of course—I didn’t always come into contact with a spirit upon death, but given my involvement, I’d expected to see him. Now I understood why.
The floor began to shake, and molten lava broke through the cracks. I stumbled forward as the quaking intensified.
“What’s happening?” Kane asked, unable to see the dragon spirit.
“Bruce’s spirit is creating a volcano,” I said.
“Not the most convenient location,” Kane remarked.
“You might want to cross the threshold for this part,” the dragon spirit said in a voice so deep that the cavern rumbled with each syllable.
“Let’s go!” I told Kane. We dashed to the doorway that separated the otherworldly realm from our own. The kammapa seemed to sense the urgency and started swallowing faster.
