Damn. Talk about taking one for the team! I motioned with my head for Ryan to follow, walking well away from the others to a point near where the ground turned soft and the swamp began. “If he’s allied with a demon,” I said, speaking low and quickly, “it’s almost definitely a syraza or a reyza—eleventh- or twelfth-level demons—since the lowers don’t have enough control or power to be capable of a worthwhile alliance. And the only reason one would ally with a human, even a summoner, would be if it was worth his while. If he was going to get something out of it.” I frowned and stuffed my hands down into my pockets. “In every summoning, a summoner has to give the summoned creature something in return. It’s totally a power struggle, and the creature is bound, but only a small portion of that binding is arcane in nature. It’s all about the honor. During the summoning, after the initial binding, the summoner offers the demon something that would be considered valuable to the demon—enough to satisfy their bruised honor—and what it is depends on the demon.”
“What sort of something are we talking about?”
“Like I said, it depends on the demon. Some of the smaller ones like chocolate or beer. Others like books. Some want information. Others merely want the summoner to spill his or her blood to show their commitment to the summoning. It depends on the demon.”
“Okay,” Ryan drawled. “And what could our Symbol Man have offered this demon in exchange for his help?”
I dragged a hand through my hair. “Power, of some sort. Certainly not here in this sphere, because that would be worthless to a demon below the level of a lord, but most likely a chance at power in the sphere of the demons.”
“Ah. Sort of like the Klingon method of promotion.”
I stared at him blankly. “The what?”
Ryan’s eyes went wide. “You can’t be serious. As over the edge as you are, you don’t watch Star Trek?”
I scowled. “I’m not over the edge, and I do so watch Star Trek. Did. A couple of times.”
Ryan rolled his eyes dramatically. “And here I thought you were my perfect match.” He grinned at me while I struggled for a response. “The Klingon method of promotion,” he continued, “is where you kill your superior to get their job.”
“Oh. Right.” Funny. He didn’t look like a nerd. “Okay, yes, that might be it in a way, though a reyza can’t actually become a lord. It would be like a panther trying to become a tiger. But it could be one of the lord’s generals. Or, more likely, it’s a rival general working for his own lord to bring down this other lord. My aunt tells me that the power struggles in that sphere are constant and devious.”
Ryan frowned. “Is there a way to find out who the demon is?”
I started to tell him that there wasn’t, then paused. There was a way, but, holy shit, it was risky.
“Kara? What is it?”
“Well,” I said, “I can’t tell, but another higher demon—or a more powerful being than that—could probably read the traces on the body and be able to identify it.” I thought about Rhyzkahl’s statement about his mark on me.
“So you could summon a demon and ask it?”
“Er, well, not exactly.” I glanced up at the sky, even though I knew perfectly well that the moon was still a few days away from full. “Higher demons almost always need to be summoned on a full moon, plus there would be the problem of having the body nearby so that it could be examined. That’s in addition to the basic problem of being able to summon and control a higher demon in the first place.”
“Well, that sucks.”
“Actually … I think I know a way to do it.” I bit my lip. “I mean, I can’t summon a reyza, but I might be able to get some information.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Call your Demonic Lord?”
“Not call him,” I said. “I’m not that foolish. But, um, maybe I can get him to come to my dreams again.”
“You do realize you’re talking about taking a nap in the same room as the body?” he pointed out.
I grimaced. Maybe there was another way?
“How do you know it will work?” Ryan asked.
“I don’t. But I’ve asked him questions before. That’s how I found out about the runes on the other victim.”
“Okay, so other than napping in a morgue, it’s pretty risk-free, right? There’s not much he can do to you in your dreams that you can’t just wake up from.”
“Right. Sure,” I said in what I hoped was a convincing manner. Only problem was, it wasn’t true. Promises could be made, debts could be earned, patronages formed. Summoners had to abide by the same code that the demons were held to, or else they could not be trusted. Dreams might not be physical, but they still held great peril. Well, not physical most of the time, I thought as I flexed my healed shoulder.
“I think,” I continued after a moment, “that I might not have to be in the same room as the body if I’m trying to speak to the lord in my dreams.”
“That would make things a hell of a lot easier,” Ryan said dryly.
I gave a halfhearted shrug as I watched the sheriff’s office crimes-scene techs swarm over the area, taking measurements and photographing the body and its surroundings. It would be interesting to see what explanation was put forward for the tracks by the body.
“Well, I’m not certain it’ll work,” I said, “but I’m going to have to sleep at some point anyway, and he made a comment last time about being in control of the reality …”
“So he can whiz you there dream-speed or something.”
“I guess. I hope.” I rubbed at my eyes. “There’s still so much I don’t know. I feel like I’m fumbling along most of the time.”
He gripped me by my shoulders and turned me toward him. “Hey, don’t fail me now. You’ve brought us this far.”
I mustered a wan smile. “I won’t fail you. We’re close. I know it.”
“The killer is resorting to taunting you, which means he’s definitely going to slip up soon.”
I resisted the urge to slump. “I sure hope so.”
He gave my shoulders a squeeze, then released me. “Come on, I’m taking you to bed,” he said, grinning wickedly.
“Jeez, don’t say that too loud,” I said, smiling despite myself. “People will start talking.”
CHAPTER 22
Ryan pulled into my driveway right behind me, getting out of his car just as I was exiting mine.
“I do hope you realize that I’m not leaving your house tonight,” Ryan said before I could say a word. “Not until you’ve woken up from your encounter with this Demonic Lord.”
I allowed my protest to die unvoiced. “I can’t see that there’s going to be a problem. I mean, he’s helped me twice now, and I think he’s going to keep being cool to me since he wants me to call him. But, yeah, having you nearby is probably a good idea.”
He gave me a quick grin. “I’m going to have to start leaving a change of clothes and a toothbrush at your place if this keeps up.”
I smiled and quickly turned away, feeling an unfamiliar flush rising. What the hell was wrong with me? It wasn’t as if I’d never spent the night with a man. Hell, I’d had boyfriends. Okay, not too many, but still. I’d just never had a guy as … everything … as Ryan pay this much attention to me. Smart, good-looking, witty, charming …
Stop being stupid. He’s just working on the case. That’s all this is. He thinks of you as a partner. I jammed the key into the lock of the back door and entered the kitchen.
“So explain something to me,” he said as he followed me in and closed the door.