The reyza set the book down. I saw with amusement it was one of the Harry Potter titles. “He wishes to open a gate that will allow him to summon at will, without need to store potency.”
“Holy shit,” I breathed. That was a summoner’s wet dream. I loved and cherished my storage diagram—which I intended to rebuild as soon as possible—but even that had its limits. At the most I could summon every few days, unless I wanted to wear myself out, constantly channeling power into the diagram. But to have unlimited access to the demon realm.…Anyone who had that would end up pretty damn powerful. “How did he learn about this?”
“From papers left behind by his grandsire and granddam—instructions given to them by the demonic lord to whom they were sworn.”
A cold chill of foreboding went through me. “You mean Szerain, right?”
Kehlirik nodded.
“What were Szerain’s plans?”
“I am oathbound. I cannot answer that question.”
I tucked my thumbs into my pockets and nodded. I was getting used to this sort of questioning. “Would his plans be detrimental to this world?”
“That is subjective,” he replied. “But I would conjecture that one such as yourself would not be pleased with the possibility of widespread destruction and upheaval of the current society.”
I swallowed. “Yeah, good conjecture there,” I muttered. “Why does Raymond Bergeron need a summoner?”
“Because the abilities of a summoner are required for the initial opening of a gate,” he answered. He tilted his head. “And if that summoner is bound into the gate by another summoner, it can then be opened and closed at the second summoner’s will.”
Figured. “And is he doing this with the goal of impressing Szerain and perhaps calling him?” I eyed the demon with a knowing smile and he gave a soft hiss of approval.
“I do not know his mind,” the reyza answered. “But there are other lords, and I’m certain you are able to conjecture the benefits of owning a gate.”
I shoved my hand through my hair. I could definitely conjecture what would happen if a sociopath like Tracy ended up with it. “If I destroy this,” I lifted my chin toward the diagram in front of me, “will it make it impossible for the gate to form?”
“No,” Kehlirik replied. “This merely refines and concentrates the power drawn from the portals.”
I frowned, disappointed.
“However,” he continued, “destroying it will cause the power flows to be weaker. It is far more likely that a skilled summoner could dismantle an unfocused gate.”
That was better. A lot better. “Did Raymond Bergeron screw up by not telling you to keep quiet about all this?”
The demon stood and spread his wings, baring his teeth in an unmistakable grin. “He did.”
I had the feeling the demon didn’t care much for Tracy/Raymond. Laughing, I retreated to the kitchen and found an empty plastic pitcher. After filling it to the brim with water, I returned to the door of the bedroom. “Just so we’re clear,” I asked, “you’ll only attack me if I enter the room, right?”
“That is correct, little summoner.” Clearly he knew what I was up to, because he shifted to the far corner of the room and shielded his book with one wing.
“Awesome.” I let fly with the pitcher of water toward the diagram, smiling in vicious satisfaction as the chalk lines blurred and melted into each other. I couldn’t feel the arcane, but I knew there was no way that diagram was still active.
I set the pitcher down and gave the demon a respectful bow. “My thanks, Kehlirik.”
“It was my honor, Kara Gillian,” he replied, bowing his head in response.
I started to leave, but then paused and turned back. “One more thing…would the wards surrounding this house prevent me from being summoned?”
The demon shook his head. “Those protections are far more specialized.”
Oh well, that was probably too much to hope for. “Okay, then, are you prohibited from altering the wards protecting this house?”
A deep rumbling came from the demon. “I am not.”
I flicked a glance to the book he was reading. “There’s this TV show that I think you’d really like.” I said, thinking of the space cowboy thing Ryan had strong-armed me into