The Riddle Of Magic

Chapter 16: Dreamers' Cantata

Solving the Riddle of Magic had been the greatest boon of Alastor's existence, though it had cost him everything.

He had no regrets about doing so. It had opened paths to powers he couldn't have ever dreamed of in life. Nox Magia had enabled him to become the Radio Demon, who struck fear into the hearts of demonkind.

Offering that power to another had been a delicious game, because in the end he knew the deal was his to control. He had set their arrangement up with the greatest of care to lead the Princess of Hell to that door of power, allowing her to glimpse it, but never to open it.

Of course, that was before they'd begun experimenting with Transfer.

Now he wasn't so certain of what control he truly had.

He could feel the urgency still, coursing through his blood. It coiled in his belly, the visions from before having driven him from his quarters straight to the roof, where the solitude of the last quiet of night could let him breathe.

The breeze ruffled through his hair as he pondered the dream, trying to work though it with detached logic and willing his body to relax.

Transfer was the last spell Alastor had finalized for the game. The blowback from a miscast would be severe, though not as devastating as Heal (he hadn't been joking when he had told Charlie why he'd left that spell off her lesson plan. She would most definitely not be able resist the temptation to help others and would almost certainly spoil the secrecy of their game).

The deer demon glimpsed movement near the front of the property, and saw the princess leaving on her own, heading up the street.

His feet practically moved on their own to follow her, and he caught himself right as his fingers had twitched to pull the energy for Phase.

What was he doing? Following after her like some desperate fool?

She had felt so solid in his arms. Her lips had been so warm.

His shadow was staring at him, blue eyes blazing with suspicion.

"It's nothing. Just blowback from the spell," Alastor assured it, turning to watch the demoness leave, but she had already gone.

It was just magic affecting his dreams, that was all. Transfer had bled some odd madness between the two of them, twisting up their thoughts of each other.

They worked together. Lived together. Had battled alongside each other, and were now bound in secrecy together.

Of course they were close.

Dawn came and the sky reddened, the color reminiscent of eyes that he couldn't get out of his head. Alastor Phased back inside, making his way to the Managers' office.

It was going to be a long day, considering that tomorrow was Extermination Day.

He was going to have to reinforce the barriers, make sure everything here was airtight.

It occurred to him that he'd never held a building as large as the hotel during any previous Exterminations.

Alastor worked through the economics of Nox Magia, tabulating the cost for the barriers. He did the math again once he was done, calling the blue-faced spectre to triple-check his work.

It was going to be difficult work, and everything was going to depend on the Exorcists' behavior. He wouldn't be able to sustain the barriers if they were sieged the entire day.

But what were they going to do? How would they act?

He'd often been alone for Extermination Day, bound away in his tower. The Exorcists would appear before his barriers - drawn to his strength, at least, from what he could tell. But they wouldn't typically linger as he stayed out of sight.