Page 71 of Insidious Monsters
Morning camein a blink and Telarion slept deep.
I carried him with me to breakfast, resisting the urge to wake him up so we could talk. He was entitled to his rest.
The conversation would have to wait till later.
I was finishing up my cereal when Nandi burst into the kitchen, hair in disarray, face still slightly puffy from sleep.
I dropped my spoon into the bowl with a clatter. “What happened?”
“Devyn just called. The van transporting the mystics to the asylum was in an accident last night. It swerved off the road and into a ravine.”
“Oh no! Is everyone okay?”
She shook her head. “They’re dead. Everyone in the van is dead.”
“Fuck.”
She plonked her butt in a seat and reached for my coffee mug, taking a huge swig. “The guild is investigating. The cams on the front and back of the van show there was no other vehicle on the road.”
“They think the accident was caused by magic?”
She nodded. “Or the Holy.” She raked her fingers through her hair and gathered it up into a messy bun. “He’s out there and he just made sure the last three people who could identify him are dead.”
“Call Celine. Do it now.” I pushed back my chair. “I need to hit the road, but you text me as soon as you’ve spoken to her. She must have some idea why this guy has such a boner for you.”
“I’m no more powerful than any other mystic,” Nandi said. “I don’t get it.”
I gave her a hug and kissed her temple. “I love you.”
“I love you more.”
I left her to her phone call and set off to find Quentin. I had an eldritch guy to summon and some questions to ask.
* * *
Quentin wasextra solemn on the drive to Silent Hill Trail. I left it for about twenty minutes but then had to ask.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Okay, that was nice and straightforward. Want to share why?”
He exhaled through his nose. “I wish I knew. I just have this…feeling. A bad feeling.”
“You say that as if you’re not used to having bad feelings.”
He blinked sharply. “I don’t usually. I just get the job done.”
I couldn’t help but feel partially responsible. “Things have been a little crazier than usual since you got assigned to me.”
His frown deepened. “That’s just it. It’s no more crazy than usual. I had a charge who was infected by an aberrant before, remember?”
Ah, yes, poor Stefan. “But you didn’t have to work with him and his aberrant, did you?”
“No.”
“And there was no haunted house that ended up being a mimic and almost ate your charge, was there?”
