CHAPTER SIX
"Those who were working with the server, Elton, to kill the Necromancer have been identified and dealt with," Ismael reported to Louis.
“That was fast even for us.” He commented.
“The Raven brothers are very good at getting people to talk.” Ismael smiled appreciatively.
"How is Chef Ried handling the kitchen? Does he need more help?" Louis hated the fact that the kitchen became a point of attack once again.
“Liam is handling it in his usual controlled and thorough manner. He said it should be back up and running in a few days.” Ismael paused and then changed the subject. “Did you know the Necromancer was Wyatt’s beloved?”
"Not until last night." He answered thoughtfully. "My heart went out to him; he came very close to losing that man forever, and I don't blame him for taking the kitchen apart. I would've done worse."
"You have done worse." Ismael reminded him, and Louis gave an uncharacteristic grin.
“What’s the report from town?” Louis got back to business.
"Kass said the patrols, lights, and sound are effective, and whatever the Necromancer did has locked down the feeling of a crawling malignancy. The sense of doom that had been inescapable is now isolated to the locations of the infected and the areas of death and tragedies. He increased patrols in those locations.” He pulled up the report on his phone for reference.
"They have discovered no more revenants, but the shadow did claim two victims last night who had wandered down by the lake. The incident with Atticus and Wyatt at the Pine Ridge Cemetery has been contained. The revenants were destroyed as instructed by Atticus, and Kass agrees with Atticus that there is more there than simple mindless monsters. Someone or something is benefiting from the madness.”
“Do we have a lead on what it is?”
"Not a physical being, at least not yet. Kass and Valarian have encountered such energies in the underworld deep in the darkness. They have described it as a higher level of shadow blight, a coalescing of the power of the separate shadows into one entity.”
“How do we find it?”
"Atticus will complete the ritual cleansing tonight, which will destroy the remains of the blight throughout the city. Once he removes the source of energy, the parasite will become apparent, and he will remove it.” Ismael concluded, but by his tone he harbored doubts.
"Sounds too good to be true. Since when do things work out so smoothly?" Louis, too, had questions. "Have Kass and Valarian sweep the city for signs of this parasite; they've seen it before, and they will recognize any evidence of its presence.”
“Call the dogs out.” Ismael quipped. Louis stopped and turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised.
"Did you really just say that?" Louis shot back.
“Yeah, but don’t tell them.”
“You better hope I don’t tell them.” Louis slapped him on the back. “The hellhounds are our greatest assets.”
“Absolutely agree.”
***
Kass and his brother Valarian searched the town, covering every inch in search of the entity that was feeding on this crisis.
They found slight indications of an energy that was not part of the local supernatural vibe and not directly related to the sudden blight.
It was separate and smelled of the underworld, but it was barely there.
They picked up on the slime trail that it left at the Pine Ridge Cemetery, the vacant warehouses on the east side of town, and the stretch of alley that ran from the Riverside Hotel to the Zen bar downtown.
It popped up in the darkened spaces along the alley in areas silent and neglected in the evening hours, but again, it was very light and barely there.
It was the same entity that Kass and Valarian had seen in the underworld, and it was feeding on the revenants and the blight, giving the creatures a more stable form and instilling them with determination and a twisted devotion to this third form.
"It's here hiding, waiting, probably pissed that Atticus has put the brakes on its all-you-can-eat buffet, but it is strong and getting stronger," Valarian commented as he and Kass stood in Franklin Park, which was considered the center of town, and he folded his arms across his chest.
"The Necromancer is formidable; his skills beyond the veil are unmatched.
He's a powerful sorcerer in his own right, so I have no doubt he can put this down.
My only concern is if the entity controlling this chaos will escape before it can be destroyed.
If it does, it can start this madness somewhere else, wherever evil, however slight, is in the air.
" Kass looked around the small park and then at the city that was filled with light and activity.
"As you remember, in the underworld this entity could form and dissipate within seconds.
The Necromancer may have to give chase."
"He's newly bonded to the guard Wyatt Price, so if he goes after that thing, which he will, Wyatt will follow." Valarian shook his head. "It could end badly for them."
"We will do what we can, and DuCane will do what he can, and beyond that it's in Fate's hands." Kass left it there.
***
"Are you familiar with the entity feeding off the blight?
" Wyatt was confident that his beloved had things in hand, but still he worried.
They'd discovered more about it, and he wasn't thrilled with the idea of Atticus confronting that thing.
"Kass said it's an entity that has come right out of hell.
" He failed to hide his growing concern even as he helped Atticus prepare for the cleansing ritual.
They were fully bonded, which was amazing.
Wyatt never felt so good in his entire life, and Atticus looked pleased as well.
He would so much rather stay in and explore Atticus' lovely body for the rest of the evening.
His hair, the way it draped across his naked body, was erotic and turned Wyatt on constantly.
His body in general was a fucking dream, so smooth and taut and solid yet soft in all the right places.
He was making himself hard, so it was time to shift his thinking back to the situation in town.
"I feel the same way, Wyatt." Atticus lifted his gaze to where Wyatt stood over him.
“Are you reading my mind?”
“Reading was your emotions and the obvious thoughts, and they most definitely reflect my own.
" He finished dressing and filled his pockets with all manner of items, none of which Wyatt had a clue about.
He had a lot to learn about his beloved's life as a Necromancer.
He knew the basics, but there was considerable detail he needed to absorb.
"I know you have concerns; I can feel your worry, but this is what I do.
The Cultus Mortis has calmed the dead, destroyed demons, purified person and property, and attended to all manner of dead, undead, and dead-adjacent emergencies since the beginning of civilization.
It's who I am." He held Wyatt by the upper arms and stared up into his eyes, conveying everything he was feeling.
The bond was working well because Wyatt felt his desire and need to quell Wyatt's fears.
He connected with the Necromancer and saw the plans set forth for the cleansing, and he saw this man's power.
He saw into Atticus' heart and connected with his skill, experience, and the love that was growing there for him.
That contact melted him on the spot. "I will always worry, and I will strive to protect you from all things.
That's who I am." He bent and gathered Atticus into his arms and kissed him long and hard, branding him with his lips.
While touching Atticus' thoughts, he got a glimpse of what to expect tonight, and it looked like it could get messy.
He added an iron dagger to his boot in case the entity needed more than a potion.
Ritualized iron worked on all things metaphysical; it didn't always kill, but at the very least it would slow it down.
The revenants were physical, but the shadows and the entity were incorporeal and would need magic in the mix. He trusted Atticus, and he trusted his abilities, but there was nothing wrong with preparing for the worst.
"We'll start behind the Zen Bar; it was the first concentration of sickness that we identified, and we will work our way across the city as we did yesterday. This will push the sickness toward the cemetery, and that's where we will finish the blight and the entity.”
Wyatt nodded and reached out his hand. Atticus looked at it with a smile and took it. The embrace was powerful. Wyatt realized they had a long night ahead of them and no telling exactly what was going to happen, but he had complete confidence in his beloved.
"Just follow my lead, Wyatt," Atticus told him.
“Always.”
When they reached town, they parked, and Atticus stepped out of the SUV.
He was wearing the burgundy cloak, and Wyatt understood now the meaning of the embroidery and the talismans covering most of the surface.
It was beautiful, and Wyatt could feel the Necromancer's power radiating off it.
He walked with purpose and cut a commanding presence.
The soldiers in the area gravitated toward them as they made their way to the alley behind the bar.
The process was smooth and systematic; the spells and charms placed the previous evening had done their work, weakening the blight and forcing it back to its point of origin.
They walked the path Atticus had marked with his magic.
Lights, flashes, and a heaviness in the air moved ahead of them, causing the darkness to sizzle as it rapidly retreated from the influence of the Necromancer.