Page 47 of The Tracker's Dawn: Sunderverse
“Okay.” I turned toward the cars, pondering. “Which one first?”
“You’ve had these all along, and you didn’t tell me?!” Rosalina exclaimed from the back of the garage, repeating my words.
I glanced back and found her standing in front of a large array of weapons inside up-lit glass displays. There were pistols, automatic rifles, crossbows, swords, knives, you name it.
“How could you?” she said, opening one of the displays to caress a particularly sharp-looking sword.
“It’s Eric’s turn to get jealous,” Jake said, getting Rosalina back for her earlier joke.
Ten minutes later, all the cars were parked outside and the ample floor cleared. Damien knelt in the middle of the floor and set a case the size of a carry-on suitcase in front of him. I hadn’t noticed it before. I’d been too dazzled by the cars, it seemed.
He opened the case to reveal a variety of things lying inside. Candles, matches, several boxes of chalk, a jar of salt, and a wooden instrument I had no name for. He grabbed the latter and used it to make a large circle on the concrete floor. A piece of chalk was attached to one end while the other one was anchored to the center of the shape.
“It’s like a drawing compass,” Rosalina said.
“Exactly,” Damien said. “Though it’s called trammel heads.”
“What are all those other things?” I asked, pointing toward the case.
“It’s just the summoning kit—common to demon hunters.”
“Interesting,” Rosalina said. “The tools of the trade, I suppose.”
“Precisely.” Damien finished crafting the circle. It was about eight feet in diameter and perfect. Next, he pulled out a long ruler from the case and began drawing a 5-pointed star to complete the pentagram. After that, he drew four small pentagrams at each cardinal point and placed lit candles on them. Lastly, he stepped carefully inside the pentagram and drew a strange, intricate circle.
“This is the demon’s sigil,” he said. “Its name is Dregnar, and this sigil represents it.”
When he was done, he stretched to his full height and walked around the finished product. “Help me make sure there aren’t any gaps in the lines. I haven’t summoned a demon in some time, and I’d like to practice without worrying about the imp breaking free.”
“So, the pentagram keeps it... bound?” Rosalina asked, her tone carrying an edge of fear.
Damien took a step toward Rosalina and pressed a hand to the side of her arm. “That is correct, and as long as the pentagram is satisfactory, we’ll be safe. I assure you.”
My friend glanced up at the mage, her green eyes wide in surprise at his sudden proximity. Damien’s hand lingered for a moment too long, and when he pulled it away, he took the opportunity to briefly caress her skin.
As he moved away, Rosalina’s shoulders trembled with an obvious shiver. I met her gaze and mouth, “Oooh, hot!”
She sent death rays in my direction and shook her head. I snickered and so did Jake. Eric, for his part, crossed his arms over his chest and looked annoyed. Only Damien hadn’t noticed, lost in his worry about the pentagram.
Shaking myself, I abandoned all silliness and walked around the chalk drawing, checking each line, placing special care at the points of intersection.
“I think it looks good,” I said.
“I think so, too,” Damien agreed. “What does everyone else think?”
The others took time to inspect the pentagram as well. Everyone agreed that Damien had done a proper job.
“All right,” the mage said, cracking his neck and standing a few paces away from the candle located on the south cardinal point. “Everyone stay a safe distance away from the pentagram and remain quiet during the entire process. Keep in mind that demons are tricky creatures and nothing you see or hear can be fully trusted.”
An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. I had no idea what we were about to see, what type of being we would allow to enter Jake’s body.
Before I had any more time to worry, Damien began the summoning. “From the depths of hell, I command you to come forth. The circle will bind you. The flames will charm you. Dregnar, you are summoned.”
At first, there was nothing, then a thick cloud of smoke materialized in the center of the pentagram. It was small, not any taller than my knees. Its edges undulated as if it would dissipate, but it remained in place.
I frowned. Was that the demon? Or was it hiding under the haze? I had expected some sort of monster with long, clawed fingers and bulging eyes, but this was nothing like that. I threw a quick glance toward Damien. He was squinting at the thing as if trying to see something behind the smoke. I wanted to ask if this was it, but he’d said not to talk, so I just waited.
Across from me, on the west cardinal point, Jake’s silver eyes were also intent on the smoky mass. His jaw was set, and I thought I detected a slight trembling in his lower lip. I regarded him with surprise. I’d never seen Jake scared, but he was scared now—even if what lay in front of us appeared like little more than a patch of fog on a chilly morning.
