Page 8 of Demon Hunger
“How worried should I be about my… condition? I was told that going through those portals too many times can cause madness.”
“Indeed. That is a possibility, but your spit only turned orange after applying a revealing potion.”
I waited for her to elaborate, but the way she looked at me suggested she expected me to know what that meant.
“Um, what color should it be?” I asked.
“Clear, of course.”
Of course.
“And what is the worst color it could be?”
“Black.” Her tone had a heavy dose ofduhin it.
I figured that meant I was somewhere in the middle. “What is it called… the condition?”
“Schizonevima.”
Oh, great! I am a schizo.I frowned.
“It’s from the Green, meaning split spirit,” Megan elaborated. “At any rate, I need you back in a week to test your sputum once more. If there are no more trips, things should improve gradually. Anything else?”
“Yes, are my classmates and… Professor Veneres all right?”
“They don’t tellmeanything. You have to ask the director. You’re free to go.” She turned on her heel, and as soon as she was gone, I rushed out from under the sheets. I was wearing a gown, but there was a change of clothes on the night table. I suspected Jenna had brought them, which meant she was all right. But what about Zach, Sage… Drevan?
Anxious to find out what had happened, I dressed and left the infirmary, swaying a bit as my mind slowly cleared.
“Come in, come in.” Director Darrold Grant waved me in from behind his desk as I poked my head into his office. “I’m glad to see you’re awake and looking better.”
It was early—6 AM to be precise, according to all the clocks I passed on my way here from the infirmary. I hadn’t expected to find the director at work, but he was already behind his desk, surrounded by piles of paperwork.
“Thank you. I feel all right,” I said, noticing his crumpled shirt and loose tie as well as the dark rings around his eyes. Maybe he was still here because he’d never left.
“I’m glad to hear that. I also just received Healer Megan’s message about avoiding travel through portals.” Grant looked embarrassed, as if the situation was somehow his fault. “I’ll make sure to pass that information along to Drevan and to impress how delicate the situation is.”
“I guess that means he got away from Jophiel last night?” I asked, holding in a breath.
“I can only assume. We haven’t heard from him yet.”
“Oh.”
A heavy pressure settled in my chest, but I tried to ignore it. “Is everyone else fine?”
“Thankfully, yes.”
“Zach, too?”
“Yes. He healed in no time. You know shifters.”
“What Drevan did was irresponsible,” I blurted out.
“Well,” Grant steepled his fingers and leaned forward, “perhaps it was a bit unorthodox, but it was a great lesson for the class.”
Was he serious? I was about to go on a tirade about succubus bitches and asshole angels, but the Director spoke first.
“Under the best of circumstances, such risks would be unnecessary. Unfortunately, these are not the best of circumstances. We need as many students to level up as fast as possible. We can barely keep up with the high number of demons that are popping up everywhere. Just last night I quelled eleven, and there were similar numbers for my colleagues. A year ago, it was maybe one a week. Sometimes none. And it’s the same everywhere. The reports from The Delegacy are disturbing, to say the least.”
