Chapter Six: Old Friends, New Problems

~ Marie ~

Her eyes snapped open as she tried to get her bearings. What time was it? Her eyes went to the alarm clock. Once she found it, she jumped out of bed and grabbed whatever clothes she could get her hands on. Marie had gone to sleep at four this morning after she couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore. Now she was going to be late for her appointment. There wasn’t enough time to get something to eat. She would just have to get something later.

Marie was glad to see that she was the first one to arrive. She made her way to the back of the building and leaned against the back door to wait. The only magic being used was hers. No sign of anyone from Westfall either. Connor arrived while she was deep in thought. He carefully jogged up to her while carrying two paper cups.

“Am I late?” He passed her a cup and she opened it up to take a sip of coffee. He was one of the few people who knew she drank it twenty-four seven. Connor was dressed the same as yesterday in jeans and a t-shirt but this time he carried his tool belt. A large array of knives hung off his belt and wrapped around his waist.

“No. Just on time.”

“Is the bribe working?” He grinned as he took a sip from his own cup. “Lead the way.” Marie walked into the building as Connor held the door for her. The difference was felt immediately. It was much better than it had been before.

“It was worse than this?” Marie nodded as she opened the door to the stairwell door. With the room sealed off, this floor would be cleared of miasma within a week. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the higher floors. There was such a dense concentration of miasma that if she waited for it to go away on its own it would take months, maybe even a full year.

As they climbed the stairs, she made sure to let him know ahead of time of any holes or weak areas. When they came to the missing step, she used magic to reinforce the step above it and jumped. It took longer than before but eventually, they reached the last landing.

“Did you find anything about the demon?”

“I’m still looking into it but…” She trailed off. How much should she say? Marie did a quick sweep of the building. No spells were active besides hers and there was no one else in the building. She glanced at him but he smiled back as he waited patiently. Connor was someone she had known for a while and he was someone she could trust. Just in case she activated a minor privacy spell to keep her words from being heard by anyone further than ten feet. “I was only able to figure out two of the script used. Blind and Powerless.” Before she fell asleep last night, she had found another script. Unfortunately, she had also finished the journal. She would need to look elsewhere for information regarding the last two script as well as the demon’s name.

“Why would anyone use those?” Marie shrugged as she opened the door and went through. She mentally prepared herself as she strode down the hallway and stopped in front of the door. Up to this point, she had kept her magical senses closed but for this she was going to need to keep her senses open. With the miasma weaker than before she might actually find something she missed before.

Marie pressed her lips together as she opened her senses then released the seal on the door. Miasma gushed out like water breaking out of a broken dam. It flowed over and past her. She tensed at the sudden rush of nausea. Her coffee threatened to come back up and she hadn’t even entered the room yet. She tried to keep her breathing even as she stepped back to let him through but something must have shown on her face because he patted her shoulder, in sympathy, before moving forward. Marie took a couple of deep breaths before entering the apartment.

She made her way to the back room and stopped in the doorway. Connor was kneeling down in the center of the circle, running his hands over the scorch marks. He sighed with resignation before turning to her with a frown.

“Don’t tell me you opened yourself up when you first came here.”

“I’m fine.” Opening yourself up on top of a summoning circle was dangerous. A person exposed themselves to a lot more miasma that way but it was the only way for her to tell if the circle was open with all that miasma flooding the room. Connor sighed as he shook his head. She leaned against the nearest wall to watch.

“You need a partner.” He turned to the knives at his waist. One was carefully chosen and unsheathed. Connor balanced the blade tip on the ground.

“Why?”

“Someone to stop you from being so reckless.” He grinned for a moment before his expression turned serious. She stayed silent as he began to chant. The blade began to glow bright red and flash in time with his chants. Faster and faster the glow flashed until it merged into one continuous glow. There was a bright flash of white light before the room went dark and she found herself staring at the ceiling.

What?

She was staring at the ceiling with no idea how she ended up on the floor. Not only was all the miasma gone but all her energy had been sucked out. Connor entered her field of view, worry clear on his face.

“Are you okay?” He offered his hand to her as he inspected her for any signs of injury.

“I’m fine.” She got up with his help since she wasn’t sure she had the energy to stand on her own. Her energy was already starting to come back but she was still pretty tired. She leaned against the wall for support. “What was that?”

“Sorry, it shouldn’t have affected you.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he frowned. “There shouldn’t be any lingering damage but if something happens— .”

“I’m fine. What did you find?” He gave her a lopsided smile.

“Nothing.” He scratched his chin as he glanced back at the scorch mark. “Well, more like nothing that makes sense.” Connor crossed his arms as he turned his attention back to her. “How can a demon come through and touch our side yet not come through? It just doesn’t make sense.”