Page 48 of Grimoire Omens

I halted. “Is that really a good idea? In the two times I’ve used my magic, I summoned demons and knocked someone out.”

“It can be something simple like floating a rock or conjuring light. The simple fact you’re using your power will act as a beacon and draw Gryvak.”

“If that were true, then shouldn’t he have shown up at the hotel last night?”

“He might have and decided against attack. Could be he didn’t feel prepared.”

“And if he doesn’t come? Maybe he’ll decide I’m not worth the effort.”

“He’ll come.” A grim certainty.

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because Gryvak craves power. If he wants to rule over Earth, or even parts of it, he’ll need many legions of demons.”

“Will he, though? I mean he could just decide to mind-fuck anyone he needs to serve him.”

“Gryvak has likely already concluded that would be too risky, as the human consciousness is very good at fighting the compulsion. The stronger the will, the less likely a compulsion or orders will stick. He’ll need an army that is loyal to him.”

I spotted the unfinished building in the distance, surrounded by a chain link fence topped with barbed wire with signs plastered saying Danger. Do Not Enter. No Trespassing. Trespassers will be prosecuted. Most of the signs also had graffiti that included many dicks.

Entry proved easy since Ulseere pulled out his sword and sliced us a hole to pass through. The plywood covering the main entrance also didn’t stand a chance against a determined elf. Once indoors, he created a ball of light, not that there was much to see. Dangling wires. Exposed beams. Drywall that hadn’t even been taped and also held more graffiti dicks. To my chagrin, there were stairs. Lots of them. I huffed and puffed by the fifth floor, not exactly promising, given there remained another thirty or so flights to go.

Ulseere offered to carry me, which, while tempting, meant he saw me as a pussy, not to mention, it didn’t seem right to make him do all that work. I needed him in fit fighting form for when Gryvak showed. My lack of cardio led to us taking many breaks. Each time I sat and rested—doing my best to convince my heart we weren’t dying—Ulseere would massage my legs and feet. A glow surrounded him as he kneaded my aching muscles, the magic soothing the tightness and aches. To my surprise, I didn’t collapse—or die—and made it to the roof!

Only to realize something horrendous.

We’d forgotten to bring any food.

13

“What’s wrong?” asked Ulseere upon seeing my stricken expression. He immediately put his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to slay. Super-hot, but it wouldn’t feed me.

“We forgot snacks. And drinks.” In the grand scheme of things, not the worst thing, but tell that to my belly. Stress made me hungry.

His lips twitched. “I am fairly certain you won’t expire.”

“Don’t be so sure of that,” I grumbled.

“I can fetch us something to eat. It won’t be dark for at least another few hours,” he noted, glancing to the sky.

He said I, indicating he’d go solo. Guess he knew I wouldn’t manage to climb down and back up again. “Is it a good idea for me to be alone for that long?”

“The descent will only take a few minutes, and only slightly lengthier for the ascent.”

“You might be able to do the stairs faster without me, but according to my phone, the closest place with food is a good twenty-two-minute walk.” Even as I pointed out the tiny food spot on the map, another text from Flo arrived.

WHERE. THE. FUCK. ARE. YOU.

Flo had been resorting to all caps, a sign of her agitation since she usually preferred proper spelling and punctuation. Flo’s nonstop attempts to call and text led to me putting my phone on silent early in our trip. Apparently, my reply of, Talk to you after we defeat the evil prince wasn’t an adequate explanation. Since we usually shared locations as well, I’d also turned off the Find Me feature, lest she use it to track me.

“Our wait could be prolonged if Gryvak doesn’t immediately take the bait,” Ulseere stated. “Apologies for my poor planning. I should have thought to bring sustenance.”

I rolled my eyes. “Dude, I forgot too.” And then it hit me. “Hold on. I’ve got an idea.” I might not have my credit card on me, but I did have it saved on some food delivery apps.

Would the delivery driver accept an order for such a strange and remote location? They would if they wanted the generous tip I added to our food order.

Once I finished and checked out on the app, I smiled. “In thirty minutes, we’ll be eating pizza and wings and breadsticks.” Which I’d ordered, along with some water bottles and bags of chips covering dinner and a late-night snack.