The energy expenditure is—it's barely possible, and only then if—" Blankenship's eyes bug out as he tries to explain what he did.
"Hush." Chloe leads Blankenship to her Subaru hatchback. "Bomomsay Clestenrogo, join me at the department. We must examine Bob before we release him to hospital."
You realize that you may not get to let Blankenship live. If he's suffered a breakthrough—if an alien intelligence hides behind his eyes—it's both of your duties as practitioners to destroy the husk. You remember the pictures from the Stockholm breakthrough, two bodies turned into charcoal, a third twisted and broken by the magic that stopped it.
The reminder dampens Alex's frantic thoughts. "You will continue to hide my presence, yes?"