Magic Undying (Dragon's Gift: The Seeker #1)(7)

Please know what to do about this poison, Connor.

Nix and Del helped me stagger up to the glass door. Massive windows on either side revealed the warmly lit interior of our favorite hangout spot. Mason-jar lamps and artwork of questionable quality completed the very hipster-Oregon picture, and it was perfect. I just hadn’t thought I’d be in this condition when I saw it next.

By the time we stepped through the door, my head was spinning slightly.

“Del!” Claire hurried toward me, weaving through the small tables that cluttered the coffee shop. “Oh my gosh! You’re back. How?”

“She’s injured.” Nix turned to the back of the shop. “Connor, get out here!”

“I’ll shut the shop.” Claire hurried behind us and locked the door, then turned the closed sign.

At night, P & P switched from being a coffee stop to serving craft beers and fancy whiskey. Fortunately, no one had yet stopped in for their evening drink besides our new friend Emile, who sat in the corner. I smiled wanly at him, or tried to, at least.

“Come, come.” Claire’s British accent had grown thick with worry. She guided us over toward my favorite corner of P & P, where the comfiest chairs were clustered.

Emile sat in one of them, gazing at us with concerned eyes. He was an Animus mage who had the power to communicate with animals. Two black and white rats—Ralph and Rufus—sat on his shoulders. I grinned at the sight of his furry little companions.

“Hey, guys.” My voice sounded hoarse. The poison was really kicking in now.

“What’s wrong?” Connor’s concerned voice drifted from the other side of the shop.

He hurried closer, and I squinted at him through my blurring vision. His dark hair was flopped over his brow, and he wore a band T-shirt dusted lightly with flour. Today it was Jump, Little Children, a band I’d never heard of. As usual.

I clung to that inane detail, as if the normal would push aside the fact that I was succumbing to some mysterious poison.

Connor was about five years younger than my twenty-five, but he was a potions mastermind. I wouldn’t trust anyone more when I was in a pickle like this.

He knelt by my side, inspecting my wound. “Looks like death didn’t treat you so well.”

“I’m back, aren’t I?”

His gaze met mine. “And we’re going to keep you that way.”

I grinned, then winced.

Connor frowned as he leaned his head down and sniffed at my wound. He reared back, his eyes wild.

“What is it?” Panic laced Cass’s voice.

“Ubilaz poison.” He surged to his feet, then darted away, running through the door to the back of the cafe.

My heart thundered. “That sounds bad.”

“You came back from the dead,” Nix said. “This isn’t going to get you.”

“Though we’re going to want answers on how you did that,” Cass said.

“Yeah. Handy trick,” Claire added.

“Neato,” Emile added.

They were trying to distract me. I didn’t know what an Ubilaz demon was, but it must be bad.

I tried not to hyperventilate while waiting for Connor to return. Ralph and Rufus hopped off Emile’s shoulders and climbed onto mine, sniffing at my cheeks. Their little whiskers tickled.

“Ralph and Rufus have always been fond of you,” Emile said.

I grinned. I was fond of them, too. Fond of all animals. “They’re not saying goodbye, right?”

“Nah.” Cass shook her head. “You’re too stubborn to die.”

“And it’s not like dying stuck to you the first time.” Nix grinned.

“I’ve got it!” Connor cried as he hurried out of the back of the cafe, holding up a small vial of dark green liquid. He knelt at my side and poured the stuff over my wounds.

It sizzled and burned, and I yelped. Ralph reached up with little paws and patted my cheek.

When I glanced down, the wounds were knitting themselves back together. Blood and poison had soaked into my once-lucky shirt, but my flesh looked entirely healed.

“Am I better?” I asked. It sure didn’t hurt anymore, and I suddenly felt a lot stronger.

“No. Definitely not.”

I jerked my head up. “What do you mean?”

His dark gaze was serious. “I’ve never seen an Ubilaz demon before. They aren’t supposed to be able to leave the Underworld. But you can buy their poison on the black market for use in potion making. It’s one of the strongest there is.”

“Strongest as in deadly?” Cass asked.

“No,” Connor said. “Worse. It’s old school horror. In diluted forms, it does other things. But in pure form? It’ll turn you into one of them.”

“What?” I jolted up in my chair, and Ralph and Rufus tumbled into my lap. “Turn me into an Ubilaz demon?”

He nodded. “That’s what’s supposed to happen. The transition is slow. It’ll take about a week. But there’s an antidote. I can make it if you can get me some of the demon’s blood.”

Relief coursed through me, turning my muscles to jelly. “So I just have to get you some of its blood.”

“Yeah. Or another Ubilaz demon’s blood. Doesn’t matter. And you have to take more of the potion I poured on your wound. Drink it every day, and it’ll delay the effects of the demon’s poison until we can make the antidote.”