Jak hunkered down beside me. "Anything?"
His voice was little more than a whisper. Maybe he felt the closeness of something, too. Azriel? Can you hear me? There was no response. Obviously, the magic was broader than he'd suspected. I shook my head and said, "You?"
"Just rats and rubbish."
"Yeah." I pulled the satchel around and gave him a couple of Ilianna's little blue bottles. "Put these in your pocket. If there are hellhounds here, pop the cork and use the water. It'll deter them."
"So holy water really does work?"
I glanced at him. "You investigate paranormal events and happenings, and you don't know this?"
"Reporters are natural skeptics. Until I see it, I don't believe it."
"You haven't seen ley lines or the gates to heaven and hell, yet you believe in those."
He raised his eyebrows in amusement. "No, I believe you believe. I'm still holding out for proof."
I snorted softly. "You may regret that."
"Yeah, I usually do. It never stops me, though."
A truer sentence had never been uttered. I rose and padded forward, still drawing in the scents around us, trying to find some hint of the magic I sensed was here. It might not be related to the ley line, but something was definitely going on in this place.
We followed the loading bay to its end, then carefully went up the steps and headed to the left. Several doors lay ahead. I paused and glanced questioningly at Jak. He hesitated, then pointed to the one in the middle. It was as good as any, I supposed.
I reached for the handle and felt the shimmer of . . . not energy, something else. Something darker. I said, "Be ready. Whatever is going on, I think it's happening on the other side of that door."
He nodded, his expression a mix of excitement and wariness as he drew Ilianna's knife. I hoped like hell he'd use it if we got into trouble.