Chapter 127 - March On, Recruits

"Why are you so cheerful all the time, Ghost? There's total chaos out there. People might be dying," I grumbled at him as we walked up the stairs. The man's positive attitude was a significant source of annoyance when my own mood was somewhere at the point of "cold terror".

But since annoyance was better than that, I embraced it with gratitude. That gratitude, though, didn't extend to the Ghost.

"That's just how I am nowadays." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Just no bad feelings. I think, maybe I even made it to myself on purpose, you know? Elder made me consult with psychologists when she realised, but they told me I have all the good judgement despite all that. Like now. I know we have to put that demon away, and I wish I knew how."

Damn, and now I felt bad about being insensitive. A bit better when I realised that if what Ghost said was true, then he was physically impossible to offend. His smile still irked me, but I refused to lay it on him anymore.

Elena came to her office almost at the same time as we. She opened the door in front of us and walked inside in brisk, anxious steps. She didn't sit down, instead choosing to stay up and put a hand on a cabinet as if for support.

"Diana, Ghost," she nodded at us. "Since every minute counts now, I will be brief. I've got reports about the survivors of Eternalroot Coven. A few teams were already sent to help the ones who cooperates and round up the ones who doesn't. It appears that only the members directly involved in the summoning knew about it until the demon broke out."

I raised a hand in a drilled from childhood gesture to call for attention. "May I ask a question? How the hell did they contain a five-storeys-tall demon at all?"

Elena shrugged. "It might have an ability to change its size, or Eternalroot has a sub-space where they hid it. A part of what I want from you is finding out exactly that. Ghost, you are the most experienced witcher in our coven, and your specialisation is healing and restoration. From what I heard, this might be very useful on the place. And you, Diana… Currently, you are the only arch-witch in the city. We've sent a call for help to Princess Sofia, but there's no say of when she will arrive if she ever will—she isn't obliged to help our city, not when the demon is already out. If there's anything to learn from the demon's victims, no one will see it better than you."

I swallowed. I just knew where this was going. Damn, I didn't yet exploit Nightingale's resources, and they were already sending me to war. What's more, I had no intention of refusing, even if Elena offered me one. People needed my help, maybe even my help specifically.

"You won't come alone, of course. I will gather our best to escort you two. There will be teams from other covens, and right now, we are fully cooperating with them. Our first priority is to find the information necessary to neutralise the demon, and if the other witches will forget about it, you have my permission to use whatever means necessary to remind them. Questions?"

"Is this place where we are going is far from the where the demon is now?" I asked.

"It should be safe enough. The demon had been wandering stably away from it. It doesn't seem to return to the spots where it has been already."

A slight relief. Tiny one, even. I wished JJ was here… The thought hit me like a bucket of cold water. JJ! He must be with the Circle right now, as I assumed everyone's appearance at it was mandatory. And that meant Christina too…

I didn't know if I should worry more about myself or him.

"It's been a while since I was in the field," Ghost chirped and stood straighter. He turned towards me with a boyish grin. "Ready to go when you are, Diana."

"I'd like to have a dozen minutes to make a few calls, and then I'm ready," I said. Everyone must be on the verge of panic. I had to calm down at least the people I could.

"You can make them while the team gathers. The rally point is the guard's resting lounge. If that's all, go."

⠀⠀

Ghost knew where our rally point was, so I was free to blindly follow him and at the same time start with my calls. When I got out the phone, I saw I had several missing calls and much more missed messages. I must've not heard the former under the noise in the main hall.

My grandpa called me again after I dropped his call. Then Rita called too, and when I didn't reply, sent me several Vkontakte messages with posts about the demon and a single question "WTF is THAT?"

Panda straight out sent me a message, but hers was much less panicked. "Diana, there are weird things happening in the city. You shouldn't wander around at the time."

Finally, there was JJ. He called me thrice, but didn't leave a message. I wasn't surprised—JJ wasn't much for typing on tiny touch-keyboards of smartphones. He probably didn't have time for this.

I called him first, just at the time we came to the resting lounge. It was small, but had a stash of candy bars and bottled drinks (non-alcoholic) where I could see them, and while I waited for the long series of beeps to end in an accepted call, I caught one to restore my energy. I knew I would need it. Nearby, Ghost did the same and moved away, giving me some privacy.

I was jittery from nerves when the call finally connected. "Diana," was the first thing JJ said. His use of my given name was as clear of a show of seriousness of the situation as the tension in his voice. "I was afraid you won't call back."