“You’ll run off and try to get involved. Then you’ll either get yourself injured or have to summon a demon worse than that hel. You’ll then offer it a whole building in the prison to mark as its territory.”
“I won’t,” Eva protested. “Last time, they found me. I didn’t run off. I’d rather know what I’m up against in case anything similar happens.”
A low rumble came from his throat as he considered. “It was one of the seventy-two.”
“The pillars?” Arachne asked from her position beneath Eva. She had her arms locked tightly around Eva as she sat in the spider-woman’s lap. “What are they doing out of the Void?”
“You tell me,” Devon growled.
Eva’s seat jiggled beneath her.
“Why would I know? I don’t keep tabs on other demons. To my knowledge, they never leave. Not unless some teenager learned one of their sigils and specifically summoned one. They usually kill the sorry summoner, but bouts of boredom have caused them to humor the summoner on occasion.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
The two stared daggers at each other with Arachne winning on account of her extra eyes.
“Rather than what is it doing here, how did it get here?”
Devon ceased his pacing and kicked one of the armchairs around to face half away from Eva. He plopped down in the seat.
Eva was not amused. This was her furniture. Sure, she didn’t pay for it. She didn’t have a clue where Arachne got it. That didn’t mean her master could just walk around damaging her property.
Before she could protest his actions, Devon said, “no idea. Possibly a beacon.”
“That,” Arachne said, “or someone didn’t have proper shackles around the summoning circle. Whichever pillar it was just decided to stick around instead of going back.”
“So,” Eva said to break the brief silence, “what’s the plan.”
“Did you not hear me, girl? I said to stay out of it.”
“I agree,” Arachne said with a pat to Eva’s chest. “If the nuns did something to garner the ire of one of the pillars, we don’t want to get in the middle of it.” She gave a throaty chuckle. “Besides, who cares if it rampages through a few of them. I only wish I could join in.”
Eva added a hint of disapproval to her voice as she said, “Arachne.” Only a hint.
“Just let everything play out until we see some motives or actual hostility directed at us. Do not interfere.”
Agreeing to that might not be possible.
Despite her ire for Sister Cross, especially after recent events, the woman was Shalise’s mother. Even if Shalise herself was unaware. Allowing her to get hurt wasn’t something Shalise would forgive.
Probably.
Never having friends certainly put a damper on how to handle situations like this. Eva didn’t know what the societal norms were for when a friend’s loved ones were in danger.
“Spencer!”
Eva jumped in Arachne’s arms. Arachne tightened her grip and Devon jumped to his feet with his ring hand out.
“Spencer,” the voice shouted again.
There was only one man who would dare call her by her last name. Eva sighed and pried herself out of Arachne’s grip. As she neared the entrance to the women’s ward, a circulatory system came into her sight.
Wayne Lurcher.
“Stay here,” she said as she walked out of the building.
Neither her master nor Arachne followed her orders. Both followed at her heels. Her master likely followed to protect his investment. Arachne needed no explanation.
“Yeah, I thought I’d find you here you little troublemaker.” Wayne Lurcher half slouched against the gate leading to the women’s ward courtyard. His heart rate didn’t shoot up nearly as much as Eva expected despite Arachne and Devon being plainly visible at her back.
The alchemy professor wasn’t finished. “You think it is okay to just up and disappear from your infirmary bed? Now you’ve got me out of my nurse ordered bed rest, freezing my butt off on a Sunday morning because Zoe is indisposed and no one else has a clue where you might be.”
“Glad I could help get you out of whatever stuffy hospital they had you stuck in.”
Wayne Lurcher smiled. Or sneered. It was so difficult to tell without proper eyes.
“So you are a diabolist. Zoe hinted as much before she stopped telling me anything. Those accusations that nun leveled your way sealed the deal.”
“Not really a diabolist.”
“Oh? I suppose that’s an elf then?” He thrust an arm at Arachne. His arm swung to point at Devon. “And what’s he? Some incubus?”
“Please,” her master scoffed. “Incubi have a skin tone ranging from blue to midnight black. They have a little spaded tail and horns. I’ve never seen one wear clothes, either,” he said with a tug at his trench coat. “I am a humble demonologist.”
“So what’s the deal then,” Wayne Lurcher said, completely ignoring Devon. “You rile up the nuns and get me injured? I show up to save you and you’re the cause of all this?”
“I did nothing of the sort. Whatever Sister Cross was on about, I had nothing to do with it. That’s why I’m here,” Eva said with a gesture back to Devon, “we’re trying to figure out what is happening.”
Wayne Lurcher let out a low growl. His fists clenched and unclenched as he grit his teeth. “And what is happening?” he asked after a minute.
“There’s some damn scary shit going down in your town. I’d get the hell out of there if I were you.”
Eva turned her head back to give her colorful master a look. She wasn’t sure it had the same effect without eyes. Not that she’d ever intimidated her master with a look.
Wayne’s eyes continued their focus on Eva. “What kind of things are going down?” He sounded cowed, slightly.
Eva shrugged. “He’s the demonologist. I’m really a lot more normal than you might think despite the company I keep.”
“To put it short,” Devon said, “a demon ranking in the seventy-two–those are the big ones no one should be crazy enough to mess with–attacked some of the nuns. There was one death for sure, though I believe the demon allowed its other target to escape.”
“Escape? The nun said kidnapped.”
“That just means the missing nun hasn’t returned to the sisters.” Devon shrugged his shoulders. “Or she got hunted down later and no body has been found yet. I lost the trail somewhere in the alleyways near the house.”
“You said Zoe Baxter was indisposed,” Eva said, “is she hurt?”
“She says she’s fine, but she’s been holed up in her office since yesterday. She hasn’t come out even to speak with her students,” Wayne sighed lightly, gaze drifting off to the side. His eyes snapped back to Eva. “Not that she needs your insincere concern.”
Eva crossed her arms and tilted her head to one side. “Why would you think that? I genuinely like Zoe Baxter.”
Devon gave her an odd look from behind her back. He clearly did not agree.
The four stared at each other. Arachne started drumming her sharp fingers into her legs. The clicks were the only sound in the quiet prison.
“Did Zoe actually know about all this?” He waved his hands around, mostly towards Eva and Arachne. “About your hands?”
“She did. She had a chat with Arachne,” Eva gestured to her silent companion. “She’s even keyed into my wards in my home now.”
Devon took half a step back. “What.”
Eva waved him off. “My home. I decide who comes and goes.”
“That.” Wayne pointed. “Arachne?” His hand pressed against his forehead and slid down his face. “Your pet tarantula. That thing lived in the dorms?”
Arachne let out a low growl. “Used to. Not anymore.”
“Because of the nuns,” Eva clarified. “I don’t think they’d take too kindly to her.”
A silence descended on the group again. Devon apparently got fed up with it. Without a word, he turned and slunk back into the women’s ward.