Free A Prison of Worlds (The Chained Worlds Chronicles Book 1) by Daniel Ruth Page B

but it's hard to tell since I only
saw it for a second.”
    This
seemed to quiet her down for a moment.  “You seem fairly knowledgeable about
magic.”  She grudgingly admitted.
    “It's
what I do these days.”
    “So
how would you go about summoning a demon,” she asked. 
    I
could see where this was going but at least we were past the one syllable
answers.  Awesome!  I had guessed right about the stereotypical magical cheap
labor.  I have to admit they are superior to werewolf thugs on the minion power
scale.
    “Well,
that depends on if I was a verbal type caster or a circle user,” I paused to
let her fill in the blank.  She just stared at me so I sighed and continued.  “If
he's a circle user you're screwed.  Ritualistic magic isn't as flashy or flexible
as verbal magic.  It can take hours or days to cast and the ingredients are
expensive and rare... however it's also great for slowly gathering and focusing
huge amounts of energy.  It's perfect for summoning demons from Hell and
there's no real limit on the time or place.  Although they will make energy
gathering better or worse.”
    “And
if he's a verbal caster?” she asked dryly.
    “Then
he's going to have to scrimp and save for every jot of energy he can get,” I
said with a grin.  “That kind of magic is great for waving a hand and tossing a
fireball or zapping someone with lightning, but people that do that usually
don't have the deep resources that circles naturally build up throughout the
procedure and store during the ritual.”
    “So
if he's limited, how is it going to work?” she asked looking intently into my
eyes.  I seemed to have captured her attention for the moment.
    “Well,
he's going to have to do this where the walls between the worlds are weakest
and at the highest magic flux.”
    “Which
would be...”
    “At
the crossing of ley lines during the solstice or equinox,” I said confidently. 
I thought of something.  “Does he sacrifice people for energy?  If he's a blood
mage of some type he may be able to gather energy at a weaker node.”
    “Node?”
she asked in a confused tone.
    “When
ley lines cross, energy pools in the flows and you get nodes.  Various cultures
also call them other things but let’s just call them nodes.  The more lines
that cross, the more energy and the weaker the fabric of space.”
    “Are
there any in the city?”
    “A
few.  The biggest is in Minerva Memorial Public Park.  I doubt he'll be able to
use that one unless he can find a way to get a few days alone.”
    “Any
others?”
    “A
lot of smaller ones but he'd have to be pretty powerful to make use of them.”
    “He
is pretty powerful,” she said quietly, almost talking to herself.
    “If
you can give me an idea of his powers I probably can be more specific,” I
offered.
    After
almost a minute of silence, during which the desserts arrived and I started
shoveling the food in my mouth, she began.  “He appears to be a caster.  I
never saw him use a circle or found one in his manor houses once he abandons
them.  He does do that flashy magic you mentioned.  Fire, lightning... wind.” 
Her voice became more contemplative. “I usually fight his minions, he has his
reasons for not confronting me.  Although lately it seems easier to track him. 
I have heard that he is a shapeshifter, but he doesn’t seem to be limited to
one animal form nor have I actually seen this.  He also usually stays in his
human form.  All I have is hearsay on that.”  That last part was disturbing. 
It automatically opened up the possibility that he wasn’t human and one of a
slew of greater supernatural beings.
    “Okay. 
Start with his minions.  He blows them up so he must have some tricks.”  I was
personally wondering how you would blow a person up without a death circle.
    “His
followers are all devoted to him, sometimes mindlessly so.  I have seen them
throw themselves into suicidal situations without a thought.  The