Taking a deep breath, because I had a feeling I knew what awaited me, I put my blade to the spell. I recognized the particular currents as the powerful mage’s. I had no way of knowing for sure, but I’d bet this was all him, without the help of a demon. It was far weaker, for one, and more controlled. The spell work didn’t seem as erratic as the stronger spells.
“What do you have?” Callie came around the house slowly, with her hands out like feelers. Dizzy was right beside her, studying the ground.
“Not as much power in this spell.” I finished slicing through. “You know what would be great? If you guys could design a sword that sucks in the power from the spell and stores that. Is that possible?”
Dizzy’s head snapped up. He looked at his wife.
“I have no idea,” she said.
“How is this the first time that has occurred to you?” I muttered, grabbing the rusty handle.
“Most people can’t use swords like that, remember?” Dizzy said. “But…it’s the same principle. Kind of.”
“Maybe it could work with her magic,” Callie said, looking at Dizzy.
“Here we go.” I opened the door slowly, waiting for something horrible to jump out at me. The air was still and stuffy, flavored with a sweet stench. I took a step forward, feeling the clenching of my body that meant something dead and gross was about to enter my world.
Red splatters cut repeatedly across a white chalk line, forming a circle that took up most of the floor space. Within the circle, figures and lines spelled out a complex spell I’d seen in many books. Though the characters lining the edges were different than I remembered, the idea was the same. On one side, nearest the door, there were three more characters just outside the circle. I’d always thought of that as a doorway. My mark was definitely toying with possession, and he’d done it here with a three-or four-level demon. Such a demon was, in essence, middle tier when it came to power, which meant it would give the mage a pretty hefty bump.
At the other end of the shed lay a mangled carcass crawling with maggots. Blood had once oozed from under it, but it had since congealed into a dark, syrupy mess.
“That is super gross.” After identifying the animal as a calf, I snapped a picture of the circle with my phone and stepped outside for a breath of fresh air.
“Is it safe?” Callie asked, peering into the shed.
“You have the power to flatten a house, and you’re asking me if it’s safe?” I chuckled and cleared out of the way.
“Just a small portion of a house, actually.” Dizzy stood near the door of the shed. “That spell took us a couple months of power storage. This is an entirely different situation. We can’t sense power, magic, or spells like you can. You are so much fun to explore with. If it weren’t for the danger, I’d love to glue myself by your side. You know what we should do? We should create a magical obstacle course and walk with you as you work your way through it. Wouldn’t that be a hoot?”
“Is it safe?” Callie asked again, louder.
“It’s safe, but there’s a carcass in the corner.” I vaguely pointed, trying to scrub the image from my mind. Death was one thing, but a twisted body and splintered bones covered in maggots was entirely different.
A moment later they were discussing the circle and the type of incantations used, commenting on the power and ability of the demon the mage had summoned. I’d catalogued most of that and was now thinking about Darius. Dizzy was certain he would turn up at their house looking for me. Dizzy had left a magical note in Latin, something he said Darius would be able to decode, telling him where we’d gone.
I checked the time. It was edging into the small hours of the morning. If Darius had planned to find me, he would’ve done so by now.
“He’s not naturally powerful,” Callie said as she emerged from the shed. “He’s less than middle tier.”
“How do you know?” I matched her pace as she walked around the house, leaving Dizzy behind. The slow pulse of insects throbbed in the night.
“That circle.” She scratched her head. “He had to sacrifice a large animal to reach the power level to use it. I worked backward from there. The ability to pull off the possession confuses me. You’re sure he actually took the demon into himself?”
“Positive.”
“That circle was calling a level-three demon. There are six power levels, with Lucifer himself being the only one at level six. So three is not too shabby. With the sacrifice, he could get it into the circle. That circle was well made. He’s done his homework. Once in the circle, I have every belief he could keep it there.”
“You’re wondering how he got the power boost to get the demon into his body?” I asked.
“Exactly. Usually a possession is more about opening the body, like providing yourself as a vessel to be filled by the god or goddess who chooses you. They choose you, not the other way around. The mage’s initial progression through the circle was aided by the various herbs and other plants he tossed in with that carcass,” she said, vaguely motioning around her. I grimaced, having missed that detail. “But a lower-level mage would need a substantial boost to ingest such a powerful demon. And that higher level would need to be sustained for the duration of the demon’s stay. Otherwise, the demon would overtake the body after a single night.”
The boost was the unicorn blood. It had to be. But I couldn’t tell her that.
“In other words,” I said, “as long as he keeps sacrificing and getting that boost, I have a powerful mage to look forward to. And he’d surely do all that before one of his rallies.”
“Surely. He has to look like he’s all-powerful to attract the power-hungry sheep.” She waved that thought away and shook her head. “The boost couldn’t be vampire blood. It doesn’t work like that.”
“I know.”
“You know what it is, don’t you?”
“I know nothing.”
We walked through the hedge and to the car, a beat-up old station wagon that Dizzy referred to as his “company car.” I had made a plea to take his aforementioned Cadillac, but Callie hadn’t wanted to risk getting it scratched. After seeing what they’d done to the house, I got it.