Blood Bound: A Junkyard Druid Urban Fantasy Short Story Collection (Junkyard Druid Novellas Book 4) by M.D. Massey

Author:M.D. Massey [Massey, M.D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Modern Digital Publishing
Published: 2019-12-27T05:00:00+00:00

21

Crowley looked down at the boy walking next to him. “You were smart to come with me.”

“What would have happened if I’d stayed? Would I have ended up like Rhone?”

“Perhaps you’re not as dense as you first appeared.” The wizard glanced around before fixing his gaze on his companion. “Stick close, and you might live to see tomorrow.”

“That’s a joke, right?”

“No, I rarely jest.” Crowley headed for the pedestal that held the grimoire, and the boy scurried along beside him.

“My name’s Theo,” the boy said.

“I don’t need to know your name,” Crowley replied. “And you don’t need to know mine. You won’t remember anything after this is all done, anyway.”

“Why not?”

Crowley stopped in front of the book, arms crossed. “Quiet. I need to think.”

“You gonna steal that book? Why not just smash the glass and go?”

Crowley kept his eyes on the book and stand, busy finding the various alarm spells and traps that protected it. He set his mouth in a grim line as his eyes followed the various weaves. It would take some time to determine what they did and how he might defuse them.

“First off, there is no glass. What you’re seeing is an illusion.”

Theo rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I can see it right there. Look, if I rap on the glass—”

“Don’t!” Crowley reached out to stop him, but it was too late. The boy’s hand touched the grimoire, triggering a silent alarm spell. “Well, now you’ve done it.”

“Whoa, that’s weird. I swear there was a glass case around that thing just a second ago. Then I touched it and it disappeared.”

The wizard grabbed him by the shirtsleeve, slowly pulling him away from the book. “Don’t touch anything else, not unless I tell you to do so. It’s fortunate that he’s been feeding children to that lidérc, because most of the grimoire’s protection spells are attuned to adults and not children. That being said, if you had tried to abscond with the book, you’d have been fried on the spot. Regardless, he’s now been alerted to our presence. No doubt he’ll arrive shortly to investigate.”

“What do you mean, fried? And who’s been feeding kids to—what did you say again?”

“A lidérc. It’s an imp that feeds on a person, slowly stealing their soul in exchange for temporary magical power. It normally kills its master over time, but apparently Richard found a way to make a deal with it. He’s likely been feeding it children to keep it from killing him. Rather ingenious, actually. Why no one ever thought of doing such a thing before is a mystery.”

“You’re saying that Gaz dude is a la dork.”

“Lidérc. It’s Hungarian for incubus.”

“Now there’s a word I know,” Theo said. “Medium fiend. Neutral evil, shapechanger, AC 15, 12d8+12 hit points, and resistant to just about everything but magical weapons. Draining Kiss is their deadliest spell. Not to be messed with, unless you have a lot of protection from evil scrolls.”

Crowley’s brow furrowed. “I only understood about half of what you said, but yes, they are dangerous if you have no knowledge of defensive magic.

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