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Chapter 51: Take Him To The Hospital

Liam stood up, "Very good. If you could clothe me in darkness or fog, I will make the report while you figure out a way to chase down the flying demon who has Nathanial. Did you encounter anything on the other side of the house?" Geoff looked at him, shaking his head, and Liam felt a soft, cool sensation spread over his body. He looked down and saw clothing remarkably like his favourite Kung Fu clothes, "Very well done, thank you." He flipped off the edge of the roof, grabbed the edge of it and swung in to land softly by the door. It was locked so he just knocked politely. He could hear startled exclamations inside, "Agent Ella, I have my report to deliver. Time is of the essence."

Ella opened the door. Seven Mages stood behind her, including Arrie. All wore the same black suits, all had black fur, and all wore the same style sunglasses. It was rather... unsettling. "Smith. I shouldn't be surprised. What have you discovered?"

Liam nodded, paws clasped behind his back, hindpaws placed in a wide stance, "Demons are present, initial attack constituted of a subtle, but powerful, mind affecting magic. Sexual arousal, to be precise. Initial analysis found that it appeared to be a combination of magics, Demon and an unknown source. Suspected sources: succubus and Tainted Mage, though no further evidence of either has been detected. Mind wards have been applied to all inhabitants of the residence. No further indication of mind affecting magic. All personnel not on scouting duties are barricaded in Nicholas Marks' bedroom in the basement. Initial scouting confirms the presence of Demons, two types encountered: Imps and Infernal Hellhounds. Numbers: down to eighty-six Imps and twenty-six hellhounds. Portal found and neutralized. Location of portal matched last location of one Gordon Ahjee, prior to his removal from premises. East side of the property, south of the pool and privacy wall. Location of Demons: vicinity of pool spreading south into front yard, east side. Injuries and casualties: one incapacitated. Identity: Nathanial Marks. Cause of injury: magic trap that imprisoned his soul, said soul has been removed from premises by flying entity heading north. Agent Jay is attempting to remove spell from this location, while scouting party is preparing to pursue. End report."

The Agents remained silent, Ella nodded, "Very good. It's not my place to give you orders, but I think your parents won't appreciate you running off. Who's in the scouting party?"

Liam paused, glancing at the other Agents, "My two friends and Marks-kun."

Ella's jaw dropped, "Micah!? Nathanial will kill you when he finds out!"

Liam shrugged, "Nathanial may never have a chance to do so if Marks-kun does not help. He has the sight of his grandfather and his magic. We could not have found where Nathanial was taken without him, nor closed the portal. We cannot track Nathanial without him, either. There was no choice in the matter, not if we wished any chance of success. Tyche smile in your favour, Ares grant you victory, Agents."

Ella frowned but nodded, "Hermes watch over you and give you speed, Smith. May Artemis bless your hunt."

Liam nodded and stepped outside, closing the door behind him. He was surprised that Ella appeared to a devout Olympian, or at least knew some of the more obscure blessings. He flipped himself back onto the roof, "Are you ready?"

Micah was leaning against Faelen, paws over his eyes. Faelen was sitting on the roof, staring out over the fog, while Geoff was growling and trying to pace on the small surface. "No, damn it. We have no idea how to chase them. None of us can fly, except Micah."

Liam raised an eyebrow, "Marks-kun can fly?"

Micah nodded, still covering his eyes, "Yeah. Most Fey have wings, or can grow wings. So can I, but it's hard." He whimpered, "My eyes hurt. Just a little, but using Fey-sight is hard, too."

Liam nodded, "Then let us go to my house, I require my sword and taking some medication with us would be wise, as well, in the event one or more of us get injured. I may also require components to free Nathanial when we find him. We can continue to think on the way."

Micah sat up, "Can we run on the fog, again? That was so cool!"

Geoff and Faelen stared at Liam. Faelen spoke first, "You can run on fog? Like across that?" He pointed out over the rolling 'lake' covering the neighbourhood.

Liam nodded, "Yes, but no, Marks-kun. That is very tiring, and I will require all the Chi I can conserve this evening. Let us hurry. Geoff, can you carry Marks-kun?"

Snow appeared on the roof, "We'll carry you, Ancient One. We can bring you there and back quickly. The scent of our alpha is here, we shouldn't leave it."

Liam nodded, "Thank you, Snow." He addressed the others, who were waiting for translation, "Wait here. Snow can get me home and back again more quickly than running. Keep thinking of how to fly." Liam climbed onto Snow's back and lay down to wrap his arms around Snow's neck. Snow stepped forward, his soft, velvety pelt caressing Liam's torso and groin as his muscles shifted. Liam suppressed a surprised groan at the sensation. He stifled a yelp as everything went dark and bitterly cold. They reappeared on the wall surrounding the Marks' property. Another step, and another blast of cold and darkness, sent them to a rooftop two blocks away. Five more 'steps' and they were in Liam's living room. "Most... unusual, but most effective. My thanks." Snow lay down, panting. "I will return shortly." Liam ran upstairs, dressing swiftly as he ignored his half erect penis, and grabbed his emergency bag. It held two pots of salve, his most common components, two packets of his medicine, some money, and other items he found he needed frequently on surprise events like this. He swung it on his back and ran to the basement. He went into his workshop and opened his safe, pulled out Xun's sword and strapped it to his waist. He retrieved a few more components useful in recipes to combat demons and dispel magic, before returning to Snow.

Snow looked up past Liam and suddenly jumped up and backwards, snarling and growling. Liam spun around, drawing his sword and slashing out as he raised his free paw in a blocking sweep. There was nothing there. Snow grumped, "You do not provide much food. We are hungry." Liam glared at the unapologetic dog. "Climb on," Snow said, as he crouched down. Liam climbed on, adjusting himself in his jockstrap, and held on tightly. They were back to the Marks' in seconds. Snow lay down and Liam climbed off.

Liam looked at the surprise on their faces, "He is fast, though it tires him greatly. Have you thought of a way to pursue our quarry?" Gloom settled on Geoff and Micah's features. Micah's eyes were back to their normal gold colour, "Perhaps we should be thinking of riding, not flying under our own power." Snow looked up in alarm. "No, Snow, Geoff should be the one alarmed." It looked like those words did make Geoff alarmed, Snow panted happily.

"Wh-what do you mean? I can't carry all of you, or fly!"

Liam shook his head, "Not as you are, but you can create constructs, yes? Nathanial seemed to indicate you could. He said you were very good at making bats, bats fly. You can create a bat for Faelen and one for me. Create bat wings for yourself, and Marks-kun can fly on his own. If Marks-kun tires, you could make a bat for him, too."

Geoff nodded, uncertain, "I'm still not very good at this. I'm afraid they'll disappear mid-flight."

Liam shook his head, "Make sure they do not. I do not enjoy falling, though I can slow myself enough to avoid great injury. Faelen should be able to utilize the fog below to save himself, as well, but it is not an experiment I would recommend without proper preparations. Begin, Nathanial awaits." Geoff nodded, flexing his back. Two large, leathery, wings burst forth, spreading out into a fourteen foot (four point two metres) wingspan. He focused, his paws quivering as he held them out in front of him, and two giant bats appeared, scrabbling for purchase on the tiny roof. Snow vanished, and everyone else backed up. A huge gust of wind blasted across the yard, blowing away most of the fog on that side of the property, and the door opened beneath them. Ella led four Mages out and they ran at the exposed Demons, wands sending bolts of light at their foes. Liam climbed onto a bat, "Agent Ella, we begin our pursuit. Fare well." Ella waved up at them, without taking her eyes from the charging horde.

Geoff noted dryly, "I thought wands were just fairy tale stuff, like in the Harry Potter books."

Liam nudged his bat and it took off, "They are probably enchanted items, specifically designed for combating Demons. Make haste."

Geoff launched himself in the air, concentrating as he got used to flying. Faelen climbed on the other bat, taking to the air. Micah spun, his cloak changing into a necklace, and sang a few lines of music. Two wings, like dragonfly wings, unfurled from his back, shimmering in the bright moonlight. His eyes were silver pools, again, and seemed to glow as they caught the light. He was most beautiful as he crouched on the roof. Micah sprang forward, his wings flickering before flapping rapidly, creating a faint drone, like a dozen bumblebees meandering across a garden. Micah laughed in glee, "This way!" He darted forward, zipping over Geoff's head.

Geoff tumbled, caught by surprise, "Whoa, careful, Sprite! I'm not used to flying!" Micah laughed and pirouetted in the air.

Snow woofed on the roof, tail held low. Liam waved him over, and Snow appeared in front of him, crouched low on the furry bat, clearly unhappy. Liam called to Geoff, " May we have some sort of harness, here?"

Geoff growled, and circled upward, thinking, "Yeah. Try this." A saddle appeared under Liam and Faelen, and a harness appeared on Snow, straps tying him down onto the bat's back. Snow seemed a little happier as he was held secure. Geoff took off after Micah, as they all gained altitude and went northward.

They flew for quite some time, with Micah getting visibly tired as they flew over Halifax. Faelen growled, "We're close. I can smell her trail, it's that Succubus." They flew out over the Halifax Commons, with Citadel Hill rising up to their left.

Micah pointed ahead, "There, in that building."

Liam frowned, "The Q.E. two? What would a Demon want there?"

Geoff cocked his head, "What is it?"

Faelen answered, "The Queen Elizabeth the Second Health Sciences Centre. A research hospital associated with Dalhousie University, sir."

Geoff raised an eyebrow, "Why do you know that?"

Faelen shrugged, "It's my job to know that. I memorized the map of the surrounding areas, paying a lot of attention to the location of hospitals, clinics, and, well, any emergency services. Anything I might need if you ran into trouble, my lord. If I could find you and catch up as you ran from me."

Geoff lowered his head, looking guilty, "Not now, Faelen. Please? I-I'm having enough problems with Nathanial's soul being kidnapped, and this isn't my fault!"

Faelen nodded, "I am aware of that, sir. I'm reminding you to stay in sight, or close to me at all times! If there's trouble come to me, or go home to Da or Conor, don't go running off somewhere even worse. IS THAT CLEAR!?" The last was delivered as a full volume roar.

Micah yelped and flew to hide behind Liam, and Geoff lost control of his wings for a second, falling a dozen body lengths before catching himself. Even Liam and Snow jumped in surprise, though Snow grumbled happily afterwards. Geoff stared at Faelen, eyes wide open as he panted, trying to catch his breath. "Y-yes, sir."

Liam shook his head, "Now, where in this building are we going? It is large, densely populated, and very well lit. It is also quite secure. We can easily walk in the front doors, but our movements will be very restricted, and we will, as a group, be unable to hide ourselves to sneak about. We can attempt to enter from the roof, but it will likely be locked and trigger an alarm."

Faelen frowned, "How will the Succubus get in? We should try to follow her scent and Nathanial's trail as closely as possible. She came all the way over here for a reason, too. We should call Ella or Jay to get some information, too."

Liam nodded, "Wise. You follow the scent, I will make the call, if they are not still fighting." He pulled out his phone, and dialled.

Jay picked up on the third ring, "Agent Jay speaking."

"Agent, this is Smith. We have tracked the Succubus to the Q.E. two, she has brought Nathanial's soul here for some reason. We are going to infiltrate the building, as discretely as possible, but request information on any reason she would come here."

The line was silent for a few seconds, "Stand by." Liam could hear Jay talking to some people, "Meet us by the front doors, Ella and I will be joining you."

"Stand by." He moved the phone from his mouth, "Agents Jay and Ella seek to accompany us. They wish to meet us by the front doors. How did the Succubus gain entry?"

Faelen shook his head, "Hard to tell. I think that door." He pointed to a dark window on the third floor. It was shattered, wisps of smoke curled out from smouldering drapes, and the faint glow of embers could be seen inside.

Liam cursed, "Hades damn all Demons. Agent Jay, the Demon has already gained entry by blasting in a window. No evidence of a commotion is visible, so she may not have roused any alarms, yet, but she is not attempting subterfuge. We are going in, follow as you can." He ended the call and shoved his phone back into his bag. "Snow? Care to take a peek?" Snow looked at him before vanishing. "Marks-kun, invisibility would be advised." They were swooping down toward the building.

Geoff coughed, "Ah, how do we get in? I can't fly that well."

Liam smiled, "Then fall in." He steered the bat to swoop over the roof and jumped at the wall. He hit the side of the building with a thud and slid down, before catching himself on the window ledge. He hid his presence and swung into the room, followed by Micah. Micah just flew at the window and folded his wings up, landing on the floor a little hard and rolling to a stop. Liam could see Geoff grumble before mimicking Micah. Faelen shook his head and got the bat to fly as slowly as it could, passing by the window carefully, and jumping as hard as he could. He managed to catch himself on the window ledge and hauled himself in.

He was a bit scraped up, and grumbled quietly, "Thanks, guys. You know I'm not good at this stuff. If the fog reached the third story it would've been a different matter. Micah, I can see you."

Micah went invisible. Liam whispered, "This room is empty, there was no one here. The door is closed, so she must have disguised herself prior to leaving. She may not be so reckless, after all. Just in a hurry. Faelen, listen at the door, I need information, primarily what ward we are in. Marks-kun we will need illusions, I will inform you what we need, soon. Snow, you will need to wait here. It will be too bright out in the hall to hide. I may be able to get Marks-kun to place an illusion on you and try to convince them that you are a care dog or a police dog. It is unlikely, though, due to your size."

Faelen's ears twitched, "I hear police talking outside, a very beautiful nurse went in to see a male prisoner and then brought him over to see his female prisoner friend. That was four minutes ago."

Liam cursed, "Hades damn those traitors to Tartarus! Marks, make Geoff and Faelen police officers, and me a doctor. Hopefully they're still there." Micah cast his spells, and Liam nodded, "Snow, wait for us. Hopefully the spell Nathanial cast to protect our minds still works." He opened the door and stepped out, followed by Geoff and Faelen.

One of the four police officers across the hall looked up, her accent sounded like she was from North Dakota, "I thought that room was empty? There's a lot of people walking out of it, tonight."

Liam marched up, flanked by Geoff and Faelen, "Officer, are the patients still secure? I've just been informed they're to be transferred to a CSIS facility, as soon as possible."

The chatty officer, a slim female rabbit, with long ears, shrugged, "No, sir. A nurse brought the male patient... golly jeepers! Why did we let her do that?" She drew her gun and flung open the door behind her, "Freeze! Step back from the prisoner! Put your paws where I can..." She suddenly jumped aside as she fired off two shots, a ball of fire went roaring past her and exploded against the far wall. The sound of crackling fire and crumbling brick filled the air. Liam hid himself and dashed into the room, passing the four dazed officers. Inside the room there was Gordon Ahjee standing next to a tall and dazzlingly beautiful Cobra woman dressed in nursing scrubs. Her hood was flared, exposing a hypnotic pattern of reds, gold, and black. She bled from two bullet wounds, one between her eyes, the other over her heart, but the wounds were healing over as Liam looked down at her open hand. In her palm rested a tie pin, Liam recognized it as the one Gordon wore earlier today. He drew his sword and struck at her, but Gordon somehow sensed him and raised a shield as he cast a spell to turn the leather straps holding Lara into ash. Liam smiled grimly as his sword struck the shield, a smile that turned to an expression of regret. The sword did cut through Gordon's Tainted magic, but it caused the shield to explode. Gordon was flung into the far corner of the room, Lara's bed flipped up, pinning her against the wall, and the Succubus was flung into the opposite corner. Liam focused his Chi into a shield and braced himself, letting the force of the explosion split and pass by him, as well as Geoff and Faelen who were standing at his back. The pin flew up and embedded itself into the broken light fixture at the back of the room. The explosion and earlier fireball served to shatter all the lights inside and outside the room, plunging the room into darkness. Geoff snarled and sent several spears of darkness at Gordon, who responded by creating a wall of light between them, causing the spears to fade out as they hit it. Gordon leapt forward and sent a ball of fire at them, but Geoff countered with his own wall of semi-solid darkness. Liam was thankful the creator of this forbidden magic did not anticipate such a response, the fire was absorbed by the darkness and the acid stopped by the solidity of it. The acid fell to the floor and began eating its way into the tile.

While that happened, Liam was running forward, sword raised, but before he could cross the tiny room Beriatana opened her mouth and hissed a jet of flame at him. Liam grimaced and slashed, hoping to cut a wide enough gash in it to avoid most of the damage, but a dome of glowing green vines sprang up around him. The fire hit the vines and was extinguished. Liam carried his slash through, but the Succubus was gone.

Faelen jumped toward Gordon, fist pulled back to punch, but the bed was flung away from the wall, Faelen spun around, catching it, but the force of the bed pushed him into the other wall. Lara twisted as she dropped to the floor, landing on all fours as opposed to headfirst. She hissed as she faced Geoff, eyes glowing with infernal light. Gordon sprang from his corner, a quickly cast spell causing the floor to collapse beneath Faelen and Geoff. He grabbed Lara's arm and vanished. Faelen clung to the wall and Geoff held himself up with two chains of darkness anchored to the walls. He created a floor out of shadows beneath him and ran to the door, Faelen following. Liam jumped up, grabbed the tie pin, and ran over to join them.

He knelt by the Rabbit, "You are uninjured, I trust, Officer Steinbach?" He ran his paws over her body, checking her Chi. She was bruised and dazed, but otherwise undamaged. He moved over to the next police officer, "Marks-kun? My thanks. You did well, Nathanial would be proud. Speaking of your brother, I have retrieved his soul." Micah was still invisible and didn't make a sound, but Liam thought we has pleased.

Geoff pulled out his phone, "Faelen, are they still around?" He dialled Ella's number, "Ella, Geoff here. The target was the two Investigators, they've been freed, and they're both Tainted. Nathanial's been rescued, though."

Faelen shook his head, "I can't smell them, sir. They didn't leave any trail."

Liam checked the fourth officer, "They are on the first floor, I believe they will be seeking to retrieve their belongings. When I healed Lara it required the use of some of my Chi, which is still inside her. I can follow that, however, the Taint within her is spreading rapidly and will soon consume the traces of my Chi."

Ella had asked, "Is anyone hurt?" while Faelen and Liam were talking. Liam shook his head as he stood up from checking the last officer.

Geoff answered, "No, Agent. Four police officers were nearly toasted, but they're fine. So are we. There's extensive property damage. Liam says that Lara is on the first floor, he thinks they're after their belongings. We're heading down, now. Liam can track her for a short while, hopefully we can pick up their scent before he loses her. Can you do something to keep them from teleporting out?"

Ella snarled into the phone, "Not on short notice, or over this large of an area. I'm calling for backup, we'll try to catch them, too. Be careful."

Officer Steinbach was standing, "What's going on, eh? How'd they get past... ooh, that's a big hole." She had poked her head into the room as she said that, "What caused the explosion? How'd you survive?"

Liam held up his paw, "We do not have time to explain. We must pursue the prisoners, it is imperative they be killed or captured. Preferably killed." He ran toward the stairs, with everyone, including the four police, following. He shook his head as he slammed the door open, "Officer Steinbach, if we encounter our quarry, take cover. Shoot to kill, do not attempt to negotiate, to apprehend, or to otherwise engage them openly. Should you encounter the Cobra, shoot to kill, then empty your clip into her. Reload and empty that clip as well. Do not approach her even after she falls. Reload your gun and when she starts to twitch, shoot her again."

The Rabbit laughed weakly, "It sounds like I'm fighting a horror movie monster, I wish you didn't sound so serious when making a joke like that. And how'd you know my name?"

Liam glanced over as he ran for the door at the first floor, with Snow jumping out of the shadows under the stairwell. Micah and the other three officers were still on the second floor, but Liam couldn't wait for them. "Snow, stay with Marks-kun. Bring him to me as you can." Steinbach saw Snow and jumped back with a scream, "He is with us. We have met before, Officer, you likely do not remember. Please note, I am not joking. I do not joke." He ran down the hall, impressed by how well Officer Steinbach was keeping up, regardless of how slowly he was forced to go due to the close quarters and congestion.

The fire alarm went off, along with an announcement, "There have been a series of explosions in the north-east section of the building. We require all people in that part of the building to evacuate immediately, all other parts of the building are entering lockdown to try to contain the fire. Follow the directions of the hospital staff as we prepare to move all patients to other facilities. Furthermore, police are pursing three armed and highly dangerous criminals. Do everything you can to stay out of their way."

Liam cursed, "Well, we should have an easier time chasing them, but I think they found what they're looking for. They're heading for an exit. Geoff, Faelen, go that way." He pointed ahead and to the left, to an exit door at the end of a hall, "Try to cut them off. They're heading to the south-east."

---

Geoff turned at Liam's direction and dashed down the short hallway. Faelen followed closely, thankful that Geoff wasn't going at full speed. Liam smelt very... well, several things: angry, determined, happy, exhilarated, nervous, and even a little guilty. Geoff was almost entirely consumed by blind rage, tinged with terror. Faelen could understand part of both, he could understand Geoff's fear and anger, if not the degree of Geoff's anger. Liam's anger, determination, and nervousness made sense, but happy? What would make him feel happy? That they got Nathanial's soul back? Maybe. Faelen wished they didn't leave Micah behind, he felt a little nervous about that, but they needed to track these two down, quickly.

They burst through the doors and out into the dimly lit and fog-enshrouded streets. There were lots of streetlights around, but the fog was dense enough to cut down on the illumination. Geoff picked up speed, to the point where Faelen was having trouble keeping up, "Sir, a touch slower." Geoff growled, but slowed down a bit, his hindpaws sliding as he rounded the corner. They ran along the street, the sidewalk was too full of patients to let them pass quickly. Fortunately, the number of people and the fog also meant that the cars were forced to slow down, too. Geoff and Faelen had no trouble at all weaving between the cars, or jumping over them, as need be. They passed to the south of the hospital when Faelen's nose twitched, he could smell Gordon and Lara farther ahead, but no sign of the Succubus. "Sir, they're heading toward the Public Gardens, moving quickly. Liam and the Rabbit have just left the building, behind us. I don't know where Micah and Snow are." Faelen heard a faint droning noise moving in toward them, from above, "Above us!" Geoff sprang to the left, grabbing onto a light pole, and swung up to land on top of it. His ears twitched and he launched himself into the air towards the source of the noise. Faelen suddenly recognised the sound, "Wait, sir! It's Micah!" He focused his power and partially solidified the fog between them. Micah yelped and it sounded like he shot upwards, flying fast. Geoff hit the dense fog and was slowed down, like he hit a large pillow. He dropped to the ground, landing on all fours, and took off toward the gardens, again, not even acknowledging Micah or Faelen.

Faelen heard the sound of hindpaws approaching rapidly, it was the Rabbit and, presumably, Liam, though he couldn't hear Liam's pawsteps. Liam called out, "I lost them! The Taint almost has her!"

Faelen yelled back as he set out after Geoff, "The Gardens!" A bus pulled in front of him as he changed course to cross the street. He jumped up, landed on the roof, and ran down the length of it before jumping to the far sidewalk. 'I can't keep up to Geoff like this. I have to be able to use my powers to move faster. Da said I was a scout-type, and scouts are supposed to be fast. Okay, yeah, I'm already faster than most when manifest in dense fog, but it's still not enough. Jay said Spirits can meld into our element, like Nathanial did, can I do that?' He briefly slowed down and focused on 'feeling' the fog around him. He could see Geoff jump over a twisted pile of metal, the remnants of the gates at the entrance to the park, and he willed himself to Geoff's side. His head spun with vertigo as he found himself running beside Geoff.

The fog was even denser here, as they ran along the sandy walkways surrounded by autumn grass and falling leaves. The faint sound of trickling water came from a few streams up ahead. The peace was broken by Lara's voice, "What did you do to me, Gordon?! Who was that woman?!"

She sounded nearly hysterical, but Gordon answered calmly, "Relax, Lara, my dear. Stop fighting. She's an old friend, nothing more, and she came over to help us, help us with a few problems, actually. That insolent pup stole your magic, and ruined our careers, but Beriatana has promised to help us get revenge. She's also had some issues with the Marks', and was willing to exchange some favours with us, including giving you stronger magic. Just stop fighting it, darling, it seems scary at first, but you'll soon realize how much better it makes you."

Lara choked, "She's a Demon, Gordon!? No! I'll never give in! How could you? How?" She broke off, coughing, before screaming in pain. Faelen and Geoff passed a gazebo and a large grassy area to see Gordon standing in front of Lara on the other side of a small footbridge over a stream, next to a duck pond. Lara was collapsed on the ground, her hospital gown in tatters on her shoulders, partially exposing her. Large reddish-gold wings were growing out of her back, horns were sprouting from her head, and her hindpaws were turning into delicate cloven hooves. A body lay between her and Gordon, torn to shreds, its life blood spilt out into a crimson pool beneath Gordon's hindpaws. "Somebody save me! Kill me! Just don't let me Turn!" She screamed again in agony and despair as Gordon stared down at her in evil satisfaction. His paws made arcane gestures in front of him, blood dripping from his claws.