What Lay in the Dark

17. Vanishing Trick

"Egan," Michael called. "This was inside his pillow case." Michael put a book on the table. Egan looked up from a box of divination tools and books belonging to Samuel. 

"Why did you look in his pillow case?" Mikayla frowned. 

"If you badly need to keep something away from everyone," Michael answered. "You sleep with it under your pillow." 

Egan opened the book. "It looks like a diary, but it's all written in runes." 

"Let's see," Michael walked around the table. "That's the Malachim alphabet."  

"You can read it?" Egan asked. 

"Yeah," Michael sat down on a chair. "But it doesn't make any sense." 

"Write it down," Egan suggested. "I might be able to decipher it." 

"Do you have paper?" Michael asked Mikayla.  

Mikayla opened a cupboard and passed Michael a couple of sheets of paper. "I don't really know I'm comfortable with you reading my boyfriend's diary." 

"Are you afraid I'll find out about the kinky stuff you get up to?" Michael grinned. 

"I'm more concerned about his privacy," Mikayla said sternly.  

"I don't really think your boyfriend has much care about everyone else's privacy the way he enters and exits people's heads." Michael began writing.  

Egan said, "That's Latin." He looked to Mikayla. "I didn't think Samuel spoke Latin?" 

"He can't," Mikayla replied.  

"I'm guessing Mr. Amazing here can read it, though," Michael muttered. 

"You'd be right," Egan replied, taking another piece of paper and scribbling on it; translating what Michael transcribed from the runes. 

"I don't get it," Mikayla muttered. "Why runes and Latin?" 

"Because he really didn't want us to find whatever's in this book," Egan replied. "Try one and we might've been able to work it out. He never expected us to do two." 

Egan stopped writing. He passed the sheet to Michael. Michael quickly read Egan's translations, looked up at him and then at me. 

"What?" Mikayla asked. 

Egan said, "Mikayla, Samuel's abilities increased significantly a while back. Didn't they?" 

"Yeah. Just after Ailia got here." 

"The same time he met his spirit guide," Egan muttered. 

"A spirit guide without a name," Michael looked at Egan.  

"The battle at our house," Egan looked up at me. "What was he doing when you found him?" 

"He was just standing there," I thought back. "Eyes closed." 

"I didn't get hurt until he disappeared," Egan muttered. "That demon had no hold over me until Samuel got close." 

"When we went to find the circle from the demon summoning," Michael said, "Samuel was already there." 

"He never intended to be there when we arrived," Egan realised. 

Michael flipped through the book and an object fell out. An old school I.D of Samuel's, covered in dirt. 

Egan looked at Mikayla, then at me. 

"What are you two saying?" Mikayla asked. 

"We've been trying to find out who summoned Ailia's demon," Egan muttered, he looked back to Mikayla. "He was here the whole time."