Touch of the Demon 5 by Rowland Diana

Author:Rowland, Diana [Rowland, Diana]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: cookie429, Speculative Fiction
ISBN: 9780756407759
Publisher: DAW
Published: 2012-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Apparently I brooded and pondered so hard I fell asleep. Or perhaps Helori added something to the pygah. Either way, when I woke it was morning, with the sun in glorious display over the water. I could get used to starting my days like this, I decided, though preferably without the whole recovering-from-torture bit.

Helori had put a blanket over me and tucked a pillow under my head. When I sat up I saw that he’d also left a mug of juice and an assortment of fruits and nuts on the blanket for me.

He was out in the water, gamboling in the surf with the unabashed enthusiasm of a five-year-old. I ate and drank a bit, then pulled my clothing off, ran down to the water naked, and dove into the waves.

I swam for a while, reveling in the simple feel of the pull of my muscles against the resistance of the water and the rhythm of the waves. After what was probably half an hour, I came out of the water and took refuge in the shade to prevent the appearance of Red Kara. A few minutes later Helori plopped down onto the blanket beside me.

“I met Turek,” I said as I tugged my shirt and pants back on. “The savik at Szerain’s palace.”

He smiled. “Yes, you did.”

“He was clearly incredibly intelligent, with a strong ability in the arcane.” I frowned. “So, why the hell are savik considered only second-level? And, for that matter, why are syraza only eleventh? Y’all totally kick ass and take names as far as the arcane goes.”

Helori grinned. “Because, the summoner Isabel Blackburn made a note to herself as a numbered list in the margin of a text in 1212 Earth time. In 1352, it was discovered and became set in stone. I don’t even know what she was referencing with the list.”

I blinked, then laughed. “Holy shitballs, that’s hysterical,” I said. “I’d always been taught that the order of demons meant something as far as ability and power.” I laughed again. It felt really good.

Helori joined me in the laughter. “I know! That would mean a savik is less powerful than a kehza!”

“I never met a savik as large as Turek,” I said, still astonished. “The only ones I’d ever summoned, or heard of, were about a third the size.”

Helori reached elsewhere and then set a handful of small cakes before me. “The ones summoned are immature,” he explained as I nibbled one of the cakes experimentally. In texture, it reminded me of cornbread stuffed with savory shredded meat, but the crust part tasted more like buttery bacon than corn. Mmmm, bacon.

“Once mature,” he continued, “they tend to strike their names and claim a new one, which they do not divulge for summoners. They are reclusive and solitary during that stage, and mostly discounted because they do not interact. They are, however, highly skilled with the arcane.”

“I am shockingly ignorant of the creatures I summon,” I said, grimacing. “Why are you lot called

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