Page 89 of The Tracker's Dawn: Sunderverse
When Velthgrek appeared, it still had six legs, fur, and one huge eye, but this time, he resembled a cat, a large one, black like a panther, but kind of cuddly-looking. It walked within the boundaries of the pentagram, waving its tail up in the air and purring loudly.
I watched my sister carefully, trying my best to read behind her chilled façade. To her credit, she kept most of her cool, though her eyes got wide when Velthgrek peered up at her with curiosity. Her mouth opened as if to say something, but she quickly bit her lower lip. She wasn’t the kind to hold back when it came to piping in with witty comments, but I was glad she heeded Damien’s advice to stay quiet.
“Velthgrek, show us your true form,” Damien ordered.
Unlike the last time, Velthgrek obeyed right away, turning into a cloud of black smoke that hung in the air like car exhaust.
Carefully, the mage lowered the box into the pentagram using his magic while Lucia appraised him curiously, probably wondering how good he was with his telekinetic skill.
“Get in the box,” Damien ordered as soon as it settled on the floor.
Again, the demon obeyed right away.
Next to me, Jake flinched as the tendril of smoke went in through the hole. Sometimes, he seemed to have ice in his veins, but unknown things unsettled him. I’d noticed this for the first time when we went to Elf-hame to hide the rhabo cure.
I reached for his hand and twined my fingers with his. He squeezed reassuringly but never took his eyes off the box.
Damien glanced at Lucia. “Ready?”
Lucia nodded.
“Don’t let it get out.”
She nodded again, her eyebrows scrunched up in concentration. Her fingers twitched at her sides, but she didn’t lift her hands.
The mage turned to the box and commanded, “Velthgrek, get out of the box!”
I held my breath as the box vibrated. I expected it to explode again, but instead, it went completely still after only a short few seconds.
Damien blinked in surprise then nodded in approval, looking impressed. “Very good. Now, draw the demon out.”
Lucia raised an eyebrow, the only indication that she was switching gears. Right away, the smoke snaked back out and hovered in midair.
“Beautiful, you make it look easy,” Damien said.
I released a pent-up breath, also impressed by how smoothly and safely everything was going.
“Now, the real test.” Damien walked to Jake, pulled a pocket knife out of his pants pocket, and handed it over. “I need some of your blood.”
At the word blood, the demon’s essence expanded and contracted, making me jump. It vibrated in place for an instant, then shot toward Jake. Rosalina gasped. Eric cursed, and I crouched, bracing myself. The demon’s essence crashed against an invisible wall as it reached the pentagram’s perimeter.
I puffed my cheeks and blew out in relief.
This time, Lucia’s hands jerked toward the demon. Slowly, they moved as if pulling on a rope and led the demon back to the center of the pentagram. There, it floated, rapidly inflating and deflating like an anxious, beating heart.
“Good job, Lucia,” Damien said. “But it’s about to get harder, so brace yourself.” He stared pointedly at the knife in Jake’s hand, then gave a quick nod.
Jake unfolded the knife. Its edge glinted as he pressed it to the palm of his hand and cut himself without even flinching. Blood pooled quickly.
A small sound came from Lucia as she dug in her heels and bent her knees, no longer looking like this was a walk in the park. Her mouth pressed into a thin line, and her eyes narrowed in concentration. The demon was still floating around the middle of the pentagram, but it was putting up a fight and it was slowly inching closer to the outside of its invisible enclosure.
Damien produced a small porcelain bowl out of thin air and held it in front of Jake, who made a fist over it and squeezed. Blood trickled into the bowl. The mage nodded when he deemed it enough. Jake flexed his hand as the wound quickly closed.
The mage turned back toward the pentagram. His sharp copper eyes appraised the demon’s position.
“Pull it back some,” he instructed Lucia.
She inhaled sharply, took a step back, and pulled her hands toward her chest. Her fingers trembled with the effort, but the demon’s essence drew back.
