Page 75 of Spit

I didn’t think I would be able to find the infirmary again, but the house was on my side and led me through the winding hallways—and I only got lost once before the moving mansion put me back on track. Fully endorsing my belief that the semi-sentient building somehow sat between dimensions.

I had been out of it the last time I had been in the infirmary/Arlo’s office, recovering from a stab wound. The room was basic, painted a calming green with a disturbing grate in the center of the floor. No doubt for easy cleanup.

Arlo paced at the end of Legion’s bed, glancing up at me when I entered. “Good. You’re here.” He breathed.

Confused, my brow furrowed. “You said he was awake?”

Arlo glanced down at Legion, whose eyes were open, but he was still. “He asked for you. I assume it was because something still ails him. I have flushed the toxins out of his system, but Legion seems to be working the magic out of his system.”

“Ah.” I nodded, finally understanding. My null abilities would no doubt help Legion get rid of any residual magic hanging about, especially if I touched him. I took the seat by Legion’s bed. Arlo continued to pace. “Are you okay?” I asked.

Arlo pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, tossing his head to the side so that his hair flicked out of his eyes. “I’m worried.” He admitted. “There was silver nitrate in his system. A large amount. It shouldn’t have affected him in such a way—”

“Unless it was devil’s silver.” I finished his thought.

“There isn’t any devil’s silver anymore.” Arlo wrung his hands together. “The devil is gone, and he’s the only one with the cursed ability to create weapons that can kill any being—including the gods.”

A thought crept up on me, and I didn’t like it. “What about weapons that already existed?”

“You have a theory?” Arlo’s green eyes sharpened.

“The auction house.” I licked my bottom lip and glanced down at Legion. “What if someone melted down one of the weapons there and used it to drug him.”

“You’d need lab-grade equipment to be able to distill the silver down until it was unable to be tasted in a drink.” Arlo’s nose wrinkled.

“But Magicktek has a lab like that?”

“One of the many places in the Red City that does.” He seemed worried. “Human laws become sketchy once you cross over the walls.”

Arlo paused before glancing at the door again. “There was something…”

“Go.” I waved him away. “I’ll call you if anything changes.”

Arlo rushed from the room, muttering to himself.

Demons always looked perfect in an entirely disconcerting way. As Legion lay on the bed, his eyelids fluttering, I had time to study him like I had never studied a demon before.

His golden skin was without pores. No spots, moles, or dark marks. No dark circles.

I thought about Mr. Bub and how he looked, twisted, starved, and rotting from the inside.

I knew that demons could shape-shift. I had seen it. I wondered what Legion looked like under the artifice. Was he as rotten as Mr. Bub was?

Did it matter?

I sat on the stool next to the bed, waiting for Arlo to return when Legion began to whisper. I couldn’t hear exactly what he said, just the hushed mutterings as he spoke under his breath.

“Legion?” I called his name a few times, but he didn’t notice me.

I leaned in closer.

He was saying my name.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. Bare skin against bare skin.

His eyes snapped open. He grabbed me, pulling me towards him as if I weighed nothing, although I wasn’t slim by any means. With an oof, I landed on the demon’s stomach staring into his wild eyes—there was no iris, no white, just endless black eyes.

I jerked back, but his hold did not loosen.

---