.. horrid. "I landed a blow on him with the instrument, the mace, though I could not invoke the magic in it."Azer snorted then, every inch the aristoc...rat. "More likely you threw it at him and ran. If you had it in your hand, it should have triggered on the blow. Where is it now?" The demand was sharp, pointed."One of the others, those who had sworn before your arrival here, claimed it, and triggered the change upon himself," the voice from the small cloud returned."Willingly?" Azer said, with a. ’ It would be raining. Fuck it was raining like it would never end. The streets were empty ahead and behind, far as eyes would see. He walked in the door, after another long day, jeans and button down soaked solid. Keys jingled softly as they fell atop a small wooden table. The apartment felt voluminous in its silence. He had left two weeks before, traveling again for work. Flying across the country& working 18 hour days was beginning to take its toll. It had already cost him friends, and his. “I usually get here about 6:30 in the morning, you want me to just have Jen with me over here and let Bobby come over?”“Yeah, that will work, we brought my pickup down this time and he can drive it over, she won’t know who it is. I’m not going to tell him she’s there either, I’ll make up some story about needing you to call me.”“Damn Murphy, I love this shit.”We hung up and I had to laugh. My dad used to say that all the time and I picked it up from him, now I’ve said it so much, we’re all. That’s a good combo, if you ask me. Did you notice the jet-black hair and coal black eyes?” I grinned.“His mother’s?” Stacey asked.“Exactly. Michelle was always the classic raven type of beauty. Dark hair, dark eyes. Pale skin. Lovely. Very pretty in her youthful way. I can only imagine how ravishing she must be now, in her thirties, a woman in her prime. I’m not even sure what she’ll say to me, what Jack Junior will say to it, either. There is something else that you should know. The.