by Patti Larsen
A mystery for another time. I had enough to worry about. Besides, Mom closed herself off from me, so I knew I wouldn't get more from her anyway. I could easily ask Theridialis when I returned to Demonicon.
And there was always Sassafras.
I left the room, pausing just inside my bedroom door, mind whirling. I felt Sass brush past me, watched him sink to the end of my bed, head down. I went to sit next to him, hands on my knees. It was odd seeing them human again.
“Did he...” Sass paused then rushed on. “Did he ask about me?”
What? Who? Oh. Oh crap. I hesitated before answering. “We didn't really have time to talk about anything but Dad.” Weak? You bet.
Sass didn't buy it. “You had time to talk about your grandmother and coming to visit,” he snapped. “You don't have to sugar coat it.”
The mention of sugar made me remember the delicious drink with something akin to an addictive craving, but I figured asking him what it was called probably wasn't the best thing to do at the moment. “I'm sorry, Sass,” I said, reaching for his hand. He jerked free of my attempt and stood up.
“Never mind,” he said. “Not like it matters.” He stomped out of my room and disappeared down the stairs.
Great. Just freaking great.
I'm not sure how I managed to sleep, but it came surprisingly easy. All that traveling between planes must have worn me out. It was weird to wake up though, to a bright sunny day and consider I had to go to school.
It was an easy decision not to go. I'd had enough faking normal and if my passing out in uninterrupted sleep was any indication, I needed to be fully rested for my visit to Demonicon so school could take a flying leap.
I spent a leisurely couple of hours just hanging out in bed, reading a squishy romance novel and munching on a half bag of chips I found stashed under my desk. It wasn't until almost lunch I finally got up and shuffled down to the kitchen in search of a more substantial meal.
I found Mom making sandwiches and quickly helped, handing Meira hers, crusts off, just how she liked it. She smiled at me, a little wan and tired. Mom's hands were shaking as I turned back, her fake smile barely surviving as she met my eyes for only an instant.
She fled with lunch, retreating to her room, presumably to feed Dad. I sat next to my sister and squeezed her hand. It was only then I felt how drained she was and my guilt surged.
“Are you okay, Meems?” How could I have left her all night to sustain Dad? Was I nuts?
But she just shrugged. “I couldn't sleep,” she said around a mouthful of peanut butter and jelly. “That's why I'm tired. It's okay, Syd. I can handle it.”
What was with us Hayle women having to be all tough and such garbage? “I know you are,” I said. “Did you have to help him much?”
She shook her head. “I really didn't,” she said and I believed her, feeling relief. One thing Meira could never do was lie to me. “But he kept waking up which meant Mom didn't sleep so I didn't either.” She yawned, a huge expression, showing off the remains of what she'd failed to swallow. “I'm going to sleep for a while. He should be okay for a few hours without me.”
My ten-year-old sister sounded so grown up all of a sudden. I hugged her before watching her pad her way, still in her pajamas, out of the kitchen and up to bed.
I finished my sandwich and returned to my room to find Sassafras sitting on my bed again.
“Can we go outside?” He stood the moment I entered and started pacing. “I just need to get out of here for a while.”
I was feeling a little cabin feverish myself, now that he mentioned it. I reached my power out to Mom and connected.
Sass and I are going to the park.
Mom's instant anxiety made me wince. But to her credit she eased off and got a grip.
Not too long. Be safe.
It was the park. Not like life threatening stuff happened there. Well, okay, fine. Not on a regular basis. We won't be long.
I grabbed my old soccer ball on the way out, just on a whim. It was a good decision. An hour flew by while I taught Sassafras how to play. He was actually laughing and so was I. Amazing how refreshed a little fun could make me feel, even in the middle of so much tragedy.
We (Sassy) finally tired of kicking the ball around and retreated to the swings. I pushed off with my toes, breathing deeply of the fresh air, turning my face up to the sun and pretending for a moment my family was okay.
Sassafras's voice shattered my happy bubble. “You need to know what he's like.”
“Who?” I stopped swinging, leaning against the chains, watching as Sass spun himself slowly around in a circle.
“My father.” He let himself go, spinning back as the chains unwound only to start all over again. “It is dangerous for you to go to Demonicon. But not because of your family.”
“Then why is Mom so worried? Dad?” Watching him swing around was making me feel dizzy.
“Oh, don't get me wrong.” He stopped and met my eyes. “Your grandmother is a force to be reckoned with. And if she gets her power on you... I don't know, Syd. She's always been disappointed Harry didn't give her demon grandchildren. She might try to keep you.”
I guess that would worry Mom and Dad a little. “And staying too long? Will I be trapped?”
He shrugged. “No one really knows. There have been lots of pairings between humans and demons. But the offspring just stay on their own plane.”
“But it has happened.” Why else would they be afraid?
“There's an old legend,” he agreed at last. “About the sunset, on either world.” I realized then when Dad was here in his mortal form, not just as his effigy, it only happened a handful of times, and rarely at night. In fact, he only did so once. The night he was taken captive by the Chosen.
“Okay, good to know. Now, about your dad.” I kept my tone no-nonsense so he knew I was taking him seriously. That I was on his side.
It seemed to work. Sass straightened and nodded. “He's a scientist first and foremost,” he said. “Remember that. He might care about Harry, but he really has no idea what love is, Syd. My father will do whatever he can, whatever it takes to get the job done. Even if it means risking you. Or Harry.”
So weird. I totally didn't get that vibe from Theridialis at all. The opposite in fact. It made me wonder two things: if time had softened the old demon or if Sassafras's memories were skewed by years and anger.
The answer was probably both.
“I know what I'm talking about.” He must have sensed my hesitation. “My parents, both of them, are scientists. I was an experiment, Syd. A combination of viable DNA. They wanted to see what they would produce together. They never loved me and never will.” He scuffed his sneaker over the divot worn in the path of the swing, a scowl on his face as he stared at the puffs of dirt he raised. “I never even really saw my mother. He raised me. She just showed up from time to time to see how their project was progressing.”
I wanted to hug him, to tell him it was okay, that we loved him and he didn't need them. My anger at his father grew, making me reach out and take Sassy's hand. He didn't pull away, but he didn't look up, either.
“It's their fault I turned out the way I did,” he snarled. “Why I was banished. And it was my father who chose my punishment.” He pushed off from the swing, striding away a few steps before turning back. “So remember when you go back, who you're dealing with. A demon who could abandon his own son on the streets of a human city, stripped of most of his power, trapped in the body of a lowly cat. Remember that, Syd.”
“Why did he do it?” Sassafras had never told me, or anyone else as far as I knew, why he was punished this way.
It was the wrong question to ask. He shot me a glare so full of anger I wished I could take it back.
“You didn't hear a word I said.” He chopped one hand down, as if cutting me off before driving both hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “Fine, you'll see. You'll learn. Don't come crying to me when it all goes bad.”
I
stood, moved toward him. But before I could reach him, I caught a flicker of motion out of the corner of my eye. My head whipped around and I found myself watching Liam approach slowly, as if sensing he was intruding.
“Hey,” he waved to both of us. “Missed you at school, thought I'd check in and see how you were.”
I filled him in on the latest while Sassafras stood there in sulky silence. Liam seemed to take it all in with little surprise. When I finished he started nodding.
“I've uncovered some really interesting stuff,” he said. “If you two can come to the library, maybe it can help?”
Sass didn't say anything, but I felt his energy shift a bit, out of the darkness in which he hid. That made me feel a little better at least.
Mom, Liam has some information. I need to go to the library and I'm taking Sass with me.
Her hesitation told me volumes. Another hour. You have an appointment.
Thanks for the reminder. My sarcasm was inevitable. Glad to hear you're on board at least.
She didn't respond. In fact, she cut me off.
Nice going, Syd.
I forced a smile at Liam I'm sure told him everything was not at all fine at home and gestured.
“Lead the way.”
***
Chapter Thirteen
The moment we entered the Sidhe library, Sassafras grabbed a book and buried his face in it, barely looking up at us or even acknowledging Liam and I were there. I wanted to smack him, but a grunt and swipe of the tongue from Galleytrot warned me off. He curled his huge body up under Sassy's propped feet, as if guarding my friend from something.
Liam didn't seem to notice the discomfort of the moment or, if he did, was too kind to say anything. Instead, he leaned over a piece of what looked like parchment, the corners thick and frayed, an actual quill and inkpot sitting nearby.
He flushed a little when he saw me looking and shrugged.
“Seemed appropriate,” he said. “Besides, for some reason all of my regular pens dry up after only an hour or so in here.”
Sidhe magic and tradition. Talk about being trapped in the past. It was a wonder Liam's laptop worked. Speaking of which, we weren't exactly in Kansas anymore. The cavern we sat in wasn't really under town hall, but in another place entirely my brain had tried to decipher a few times only to finally shy away when I realized passing through the barrier very likely meant I left the world I knew behind.
So, how was Liam getting WiFi?
Shudder.
Thankfully he started talking and distracted me from the confusing and disturbing side effects of magic and the real world.
“I've uncovered some really fascinating stuff about demons,” he said, eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. He was perfectly suited to the life he was born to live. I didn't know anyone else who could get so worked up over research. “How they arrive here, their connections to the people who raise them, that kind of thing.”
Sassafras snorted behind his book, but didn't go on so I ignored him as Liam gestured at the page before him.
“Did you know the only way for a demon to cross is through an effigy?” He was talking to the daughter of a demon, but I was embarrassed to admit I'd spent my formative years ignoring everything to do with magic and the demonic. I'm sure I should have known.
“Not quite,” Sassafras corrected him, voice muffled behind the pages of the heavy book in his hands.
Liam's gentle smile cut the edge of Sassy's arrogance. “Here's the deal. An effigy is built, rough and crudely human shaped, out of one of three specific materials: wood, stone or clay. The wood effigy is meant to be burned, a sacrificial creation.” He tapped the paper with the tip of his finger. “Clay is a temporary crossing, but is meant to be used to strip the demon of power and keep it trapped.”
“And stone?” Vague memories stirred.
“Stone is meant for demons the humans want to ally with. A more permanent arrangement.” He shrugged. “Like your family.”
“Again, not exactly,” Sassafras said.
I sighed loudly enough that his hands twitched on the cover of the book and he fell silent. “Go on, Liam.”
“So, traditionally, demons and humans worked together. It wasn't until recent history humans were convinced demons were evil and had to be killed.”
“The church,” Sassafras snarled. “Made burning demons popular.”
I shuddered. There were a few reasons we stayed hidden from the rest of the population. Partly because we knew if normals were aware of us they might try to use us in some way. But also because history taught us to be wary and careful. Normals tended to attack and destroy that which they feared or misunderstood. And while I knew human kind had come a long way since the fall of the Roman Empire, I was under no illusion it meant they wouldn't devolve into a ravening horde with the right provocation.
Liam nodded. “Sassafras is right,” he said. “Demons became vilified, treated as evil and were slaughtered by the thousands as their followers were either hunted down and slain themselves or brainwashed and turned against them.”
Made a huge amount of sense. “So the church came up with the other two ways to create effigies?”
“Yes, exactly, Syd.” Liam sat back, fingers steepled under his chin. “And because of the great power it manifested, they also convinced all magic users blood magic was evil.”
I started at that, lurching forward like he'd punched me somewhere precious. “What?”
Liam looked only slightly startled at my reaction. “Blood magic was always a huge part of magical manifestation,” he said. He leaned forward again, leafing through a book at his side with a slight frown between his brows. “The easiest way to connect with demons was through the use of blood power.” His eyes met mine. “Think about it, Syd. When your parents created you, they created a creature of flesh, bone and blood. It's the source of life, of all energy in the human body.”
I felt like I was going to throw up all over his pretty piece of parchment, his floppy quill pen, and the beautiful carvings on the top of his desk. I could feel my bile rising, my heart pounding in my chest, the denial of what he said tearing through me like a wild fire, like—
Like magic. Just. Like. Magic.
I looked away, panting, to see Sassafras watching me with cold calculation.
“Now you know the secret,” he said. “That medieval witches, working for the church, cast their own blood magic power over all of your kind to ensure you would never, ever use it again.”
Oh. My. Swearword.
I swallowed a number of times, sagging back into my seat, feeling a cold sweat rising on my skin. “Keep going.” The words came out rough and rasping over a throat of gravel.
Liam didn't say anything about my condition, just went on.
“Once the demon accepts the connection with the human group, he or she steps through into the effigy which then takes on their shape and appearance. It is then infused with a portion of the demon's soul, sealed forever inside the stone.”
“Or wood. Or clay.” Sassafras dumped the book into his lap with an exasperated sigh. “So if the demon is betrayed, the effigy smashed or burned, a part of their soul is destroyed.”
My heart wrenched, helping me forget what I'd heard, the churning in my stomach. “Dad,” I whispered.
Sassy grimaced. “Yes,” he said. “That's why there's no way to know if your father can be healed, Syd, or if he can ever go home. What makes him a demon might be gone already.”
Okay then. I pondered this for a long time. “So if demons were being killed, why did Dad willingly come to our plane?”
Sassafras shrugged, draping one arm over the back of the chair. “It's been centuries since the murders happened,” he said. “Demons and humans began to seek each other out again. The church has lost a lot of power since those days. They perfected not only the slayings, but the capture of power. But those arts were lost, at least as far as we know.”
“Even in your time,” Liam said softly, as if cushioning a bl
ow, “when you were banished to this plane, the church still had a firm hold over the population.”
Sassy didn't comment. “Your mother didn't summon Harry here, if that's what you're thinking.” His dark eyes locked on mine and I could almost see the cat he had been deep inside them. “He was here already, part of a group of demons experimenting with the reconnection. He met your mother at college and, well, the rest is what it is.”
Somehow I felt better knowing my mother hadn't had anything to do with raising my dad. “It takes blood magic to summon one, doesn't it?”
Sass didn't blink or nod. Answer enough.
“Does Mom know about this?” I hugged myself, feeling dirty just talking about it. Whatever power, presumably demon in origin, the church witches used on us, it lasted for literally generations.
Sass looked away, eyes dropping to the book in his lap though I knew he wasn't reading. “Does it matter?”
“So why didn't Dad just build an effigy and call Theridialis?” The portly demon joined us before, but he’d been connected to Dad, through his statue and unable to act without Dad’s presence. Could the reverse be true? Would it be possible for Theridialis to build Dad a new effigy, on Demonicon and pull him back that way?
Stupid, stupid. It seemed simple!
Not so simple.
“It's not like you can target a demon, Syd.” Sass blew out a gust of air, eyes rolling. “Basically you build an effigy, infuse it with blood magic and tap on the veil between planes. Then you wait. Either a demon answers or they don't.”
“Yeah?” I looked back and forth between him and Liam. “So?”
“So,” Sassy said, one hand dropping to scratch Galleytrot's ear, the great dog letting out a low moan of happiness as he did. “Your father has enemies.”
My dad? Enemies? It was so hard to wrap my mind around any of this. How short sighted was I, ignoring entirely Dad had a life beyond the one he lived in short spurts here with us on our plane? “So if one of his enemies came through...”
“It could be very bad, Syd,” Sassy said, no bitterness in his voice any longer, just sadness. “Not all demons are good guys. We have our weaknesses, our sociopaths. And besides, even if my father did come through by some miracle, Harry knew it would mean trapping a part of his soul here forever.”