Knight slumped into the sofa, his gaze nervously darting to his palms. “Oh, fuck me...”
Jake swallowed and squeezed his hand on Knight’s knee when he saw his friend’s face go from bright red to ashen. “There must be better ways than that. Can’t we just dig up the stones?”
Magpie shook his head. “They’ve been fed, so they’ve put down roots. It’s too late for that. All I know is that a ruby the size of Pigeon Heart will give us a fighting chance once the ritual is finished—”
“So what’s the next step?” Knight repeated his question, but Magpie approached him with a snarl that made his teeth seem sharp like a tiger’s.
“Do not interrupt me, boy! I don’t have all the answers. I haven’t been a part of Baal for over three hundred years, and he never finished the ritual last time. He and I have very little contact. His stench makes me sick.”
Vars, who’d so far just listened, leaned forward, letting go of Jake. “Is there anything, I mean—anything—that you could tell us? Like... why a ruby? Is this some kind of magical st—”
“Rubies create a focus for our energy. Pigeon Heart is the most powerful I know of, and we absolutely need it in our hands,” Magpie said, pacing with increased agitation. “If I am to use the little power that I’ve gathered efficiently, I need that gem to be its focus.”
Jake let out a nervous chuckle. “Is it like… his kryptonite?”
Magpie groaned and leaned against the window. “No. Despite all the power he has on the other side of the mirror, the only way he can affect the world right now is through pacts with humans, or by sending creatures like me or Azog into your world.
“For that, he needs a human element, rubies, and an immense amount of power that he doesn’t want to go to waste. Even the gargoyle within you, Jake, is constructed around one. Baal cannot enter this realm in his true form until the ritual is finished. What you see of him now is only a shadow, but his real power is immeasurable. Maybe, just maybe, if I put all I’ve got into the Pigeon Heart, it will stop him, but I need that ruby. It’s the purest large gem I know of.”
Knight rubbed his face with the same hands that had possibly doomed their world. The tension became so thick Jake could barely breathe. In the end, Magpie spoke, already on his way out. “Go home today and speak to Gray. Do not hesitate to contact me. Have a safe trip.”
With that, he was gone.
Jake groaned and put his head in his hands. “It’s too complicated.”
Vars pulled him close, cradling his head in the warm safety of his neck. “It’s fine. We just need to act fast and make sure no other pacts take place until then.”
Knight looked up. “Easier said than done. The clubhouse is swarming with people during every single party, and it’s not like we can just stop throwing them. Every person that comes over—whether they’re a trust fund kid who wants a bit of a kick or a junkie living from day to day—can be approached by Baal while they are on club grounds. It’s an impossible situation. I can’t even call Beast about this, because without Vars around, Baal might overhear the conversation.”
Jake still found it all hard to comprehend and could hardly believe all this had been going on right under his nose. Ghosts, demons, time travel…
Knight patted Jake’s back before getting up. “Get my bike ready and let’s go.”
“Come on Knight, you want your bike cleaned? Now? There’s better things to do,” Vars said.
Knight’s eyes shot up, and initial surprise was quickly replaced by a frown. “He’s still a prospect. And so are you. Do not school me,” he said through gritted teeth, but his face was still a bit pale, hands clasped together.
Knight was nervous, and Jake didn’t blame him considering the mysterious ritual had last time been halted by someone like him losing his hands.
“It’s okay, Vars, I can do it,” Jake said quickly, but it was a bitter pill to swallow. After all this, he was still just “prospect”? Good only for cleaning mud off wheels?
Vars grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the sofa. “Enough of this. Come on, Knight. We’re all together in this shit. He should have gotten his patch long ago. Leave him be.”
“He’s clearly not ready for a patch if he can’t speak for himself! And who’s gonna shine Joker’s boots now? You?”
Jake groaned, looking up into Knight’s stormy eyes. He could damn well speak for himself. “Joker can shine his own boots.”
Knight laughed darkly. “Oh, yeah? You can tell him that yourself tonight.”
Vars opened his mouth to speak but Knight halted him with a gesture. “Enough of this. You might be our accountant, but you’re still a prospect. We’ll see what Beast has to say about all this bullshit!”