Heretics book 3 - The Apocryphile Press

THE KINGDOM :: 269
“Yup, ten o’clock.” Brian worked part time as a research
specialist at the Graduate Theological Union Library.
“Well, while you’re there, see what you can find out about
this,” and with slow, dramatic flourish, he placed the Ring
of Solomon on the table in front of him.
“What the fuck?” asked Terry. “That’s not—”
“It is.”
“Ho. Ly. Shit,” breathed Dylan. “Have you put it on?”
“Are you fucking nuts?” asked Richard. “I don’t know
what it does or how it works.”
“That’s what you want me to find out, then?” Brian asked,
slapping Dylan’s hand. “Save some bacon for Sue.”
“Exactly,” Richard said. “We know that demons have to
obey it, but we don’t know how or why. We don’t want to
break our vows out of ignorance any more than we do from
volition.” Nods all around confirmed their commitment.
“What good is it if we don’t kn...can’t use it?” Dylan
asked, scowling at Brian.
“At least Dane doesn’t have it,” Terry said. “And hey, how
the hell did you get your hands on it, anyway?” Terry asked.
Richard blushed, his eyes skittering back and forth like a
cornered cat. “You didn’t...” Terry looked at him with his
disappointed look. “You whore,” he said.
Kat’s brows knitted as she attempted to follow the conversation.
“What am I missing?” she asked.
“Simple. Richard went to a sex club last night, because,
oh, I don’t know, his friends weren’t enough support for his
fragile self-image, apparently.” Terry glowered at him.
Richard betrayed no other visible sign of shame besides his
color, which was now approaching chartreuse. “Dane was
there. I stole the ring while he was boinking,” he explained.
“I also took this—” he set Dane’s leather bag on the table.
“Unfortunately it doesn’t appear to contain anything of
import. I thought maybe you could have an energetic look at
it, just to be sure, Terry.”