“Some taken,” I said, turning to Erik. “What do you mean? What ramifications?”
“I wasn’t able to reach Dex,” Erik answered. “It seems he is avoiding any organized group at the moment.”
“That would make sense,” I said, looking at Jessikah. “The Black Orchid threatened him and the Golden Circle if he interfered with their mission.”
“Talin alluded to the destruction of the Golden Circle as well,” Jessikah said. “It would makes sense that Dexter has gone into hiding.”
“You don’t know Dex too well,” I said. “He’s not big on hiding. He leans closer to the ‘raze everything to the ground’ method of doing things.”
“I did manage to contact LD,” Erik said. “He’ll be here shortly. Also, Cecil left your automotive atrocity outside. Make sure you take it with you when you leave, or it’ll scare away everyone.”
“The Dark Goat is not an atrocity…she’s a work of art. An artrocity, if you will.”
“If that art was designed to maim and kill, then yes, it’s art. Right up there with the Night Warden’s abomination. What was Cecil thinking?”
“Cecil is a man with a plan,” I said. “How soon before LD gets here?”
“Why?”
“Is this the strongest null room you have in the club?”
“Why?” Erik asked again, with an undertone of urgency. “I just had the lower floors redone, Strong. It cost a fortune and shut us down for weeks.”
“Yes or no?” I asked. “I need to test something.”
“No,” Erik said. “Whatever it is…no. Test it elsewhere.”
“It should be safe,” I said. “You yourself said Kali set me straight; my bonds are untangled.”
“I also said she set you right in the scariest way possible,” Erik replied. “We don’t know how your body will react to this change in your signature.”
“I’m pretty sure it’ll be fine,” I said, moving my tenderized body around slowly. “I’m still sore, but I don’t intend to unleash any Club-destroying energy.”
“Oh, forgive me, Mage Strong,” Erik answered, heavy on the sarcasm. “I hadn’t realized you graduated top of the class in energy manipulation from Imaginary U.”
“I’m just going to materialize Ebonsoul,” I answered with a glare. “Should cause no destruction and minimal energy expenditure.”
“Those sounds like famous last words,” Erik answered with a sigh. “If you sense anything is amiss, you stop, understood?”
“Understood,” I said with a nod. “You may want to give me some privacy for this…just in case.”
“Just in case of what?”
“Nothing, nothing,” I said, quickly raising a hand. “I just prefer doing this alone, in case it doesn’t work.”
“Your hellhound stays here,” Erik answered, glancing at Peaches. “You need to get him some training.”
“We tried that,” I said. “It didn’t go so well.”
“Try it again. He gently mangled through one of my chairs. A Gehry Power Play. It has been reduced to abstract art. I expect it to be replaced.”
“I’ll add it to my to-do list, right after facing homicidal mages and walking Monty back from the brink of darkness.”
Erik shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“You do your test in here,” Erik said, adding some curses under his breath. “I swear, Strong, if you destroy this room, I’m holding you personally responsible.”
“What else is new?”
“LD will be here inside the hour,” Erik said. “Conduct your test when he arrives…not before. At least that way he can prevent any major destruction.”
“Got it, and thank you…for everything.”
“Thank me by leaving the club the same way you found it: intact,” he snapped. “Let’s go, Miss Orchid. You have some things to learn while Strong is trying his ‘test.’ Some of it may actually be beneficial.”
Erik, Jessikah, and the Harlequins stepped out of the room, leaving me alone with my hellhound.
TWENTY-TWO
“You chewed one of his chairs?” I said, looking down at my sheepish hellhound. “Why?”
<It looked chewy. He had many of them. I didn’t think he would mind if I gently bit one of them.>
“How much of it was left when you were done?”
<I stopped when he turned red and started talking loudly about me turning his Power Play to trash. I thought it was for chewing. It was soft and chewy. I was worried about you being hurt.>
“I’m okay now, but that is…was a very expensive chair,” I said, holding back a small laugh and keeping a straight face. “I’m sure he was upset.”
<If you get him some meat from the place, he will be happy again. I know I would be.>
“It’s not that simple,” I said. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll get him another one of his froufrou chairs. Right after we help Monty.”
A gray circle of energy formed on the floor next to us. I made sure we moved out of the way. It increased in intensity until I had to look away. When I could see again, LD stood in the null room. It spoke to the level of his power that he could teleport into a room designed to negate all runic energy.
“Hola, hombre,” LD said, giving me the once-over as he stepped out of the circle. “You look like you’ve been playing in traffic and lost…a few times. What happened?”
“Kali.”
“Where’s Farsight?” LD asked, looking around. “I keyed into your location. Why are we in a dungeon?”
“Jessikah is with Erik,” I said. “I needed someplace safe to put this thing on.”
I showed him the ring.
“So, when are you planning the trip to Mordor?” he asked with a grin.
“Oh, ha, ha,” I said with a grimace. “This thing hurt like hell…worse than hell.”
“How many uses does it have?”
“Three,” I said. “Which would mean something if I knew how to use it.”
“You’d better learn quick,” he said, serious. “Things are developing quickly, and you don’t have the luxury of the extended training version. This is more like the crash course—emphasis on crash.”
“Kali said as much. I need to learn how to use several things, and I have no idea how to do that, except to think differently about energy.”
“That makes sense,” he said with a nod. “I have bad news and worse news. What do
