Now of all the days in my un-life, I wished that at any point I had read more of the material Dusty provided me on magic. A soft hissing sound sat in the background, barely audible over the heartbeats pounding through the room. Alex cocked his head and pointed behind me where the body of the demon had been.
"Hey, what's that?" He asked, still reeling from the shock.
"What's what?" I turned and froze.
My eyebrows raised as I saw burning scarlet lines igniting. The release of magic which dispersed had set off a rune ward that had mostly faded with time. It wasn't until I felt the temperature spike I knew what was about to happen. The sigils flared, blinding me as I yelled out to the room.
"Get down-!" My voice poured through the increasing thrum of ancient power before everything went dark.
I'd had some mornings in my time, and today marked one of the worst. Dust caked my nostrils. The aroma of burnt corpses surrounded me, meanwhile my head throbbed. Trust me when I tell you that undead headaches are on another level. I stood up, attempting to look around before the wall of darkness met me in all directions. Patting my pockets, I found my phone and pressed the power button. The flashlight would have helped but all that blinded me was a cracked screen, lit up but lacking display.
Note to self: draft a strongly worded email to Samsung—because apparently their phones don't come with a 'survives supernatural nonsense' setting.
I mumbled a few curses under my breath, finally landing on one of the spells I could remember. "Ignis divina..." I inhaled before muttering, "...before I face-plantus." A small orb of blue spirit flame manifested before me, revealing that which lay hidden beneath cover of darkness. The chamber was old, limestone floors and a ceiling that stretched beyond the measure of my light spell.
All around lay the bodies of the vanilla mortals that hid in the warehouse, wreathed in rubble. Nothing stirred, the silence cut deeper than the claws of the demonspawn as I looked for Alex. I wandered to the far end of the room where a corridor led deeper into the complex. The nixie had said something about what sings beneath the depot, metaphorical or not I would kill for music right now. My leg burned with a sudden pain, the magical burns leeching into my awareness. Vampires had a rather high regeneration rate, but magic seemed to be one of those weaknesses that cut through; especially fire.
The walls of this corridor were etched in sigils and markings I could not recognize, along with language that was ancient and forgotten. Upon reaching the end, I was met with a door. Beautiful and glimmering in the blue light of my spirit flame. I reached a palm out to push it open, pulling my hand back swiftly as the skin on my palm seared. The door, was made of silver.
I let my arm retreat into my jacket, shouldering the door with care to not let my skin make contact with it again. Whatever was down here, it was to be hidden from the supernatural. Most in my communities would not be able, or willing at that, to even try to pass through the threshold. The door opened to a stairwell that crawled down into the depths further. Torches lined the walls and ignited as I walked, giving me the ability to dispel my flame.
The room at the foot of the stairs was a time-worn lab. Different spell components lined the shelves and walls in glass jars and preservation boxes. A large circle was inlaid on the floor, apparently made of some sort of metal. The table in the center of the circle had components laid out, as if a spell had recently been practiced. A lock of blonde hair was tied with some herbs and a divining crystal sat in the center.
Ophira had been here and had cast a spell. She wasn't here now which meant either she found what she was Looking for or something went wrong. Divinomancers are mages who use a magical power called Looking to see beyond veils and find objects or people...or other things. Looking is similar to my Hunter's Sight when I change, but usually required a spell to activate. I collected the components and stowed them in my jacket to safeguard them until I could ask Dusty more what they might be used for. On the nearby pedestal, an open book with drawings of gemstones scrawled with the same lettering that lined the hallway. I took the book as well and decided to make my exit.
I still needed to find Alex or his body if he had not survived. A way out of this cellar was also in order. I returned to the chamber where I had fallen here and began searching the bodies. Charred beyond recognition were most of the corpses. I was drained and exhausted, making it quite the strain to initiate the activation of my powers. Scanning the room with my red-tinged sight showed no signs of life. I didn't see it--I heard it. A faint breathing followed by the slow heartbeat of a dying human. It came from a pile of rubble in the dark corner of the room.
Hurrying over, I began digging through the stack. I threw chunks of lumber and stone aside until I found him. Alex lay dying, injured, and gasping for air. His eyes did not open and blood stained his shirt. He had been a nice man, young as I was yet without the wear and tear of reality. He didn't deserve to die like this and I only wanted to help.
"Down there!" A voice shouted from above.
A flashlight swept the room from a hole in the ceiling I had not seen in the darkness. I slid to the side, narrowly avoiding the beam as the sound of sirens and foot steps came into perception. I didn't have time to answer questions or do much, but I knew I could not let this man die like this.
So I did the only thing I could think of in my panic.
Something taboo.
Something that could earn me another death sentence.
If he survives the turning process I will have to find him when he gets out of here, but I needed to hide or leave. What's another capital offense anyways?