by Bonnie Lamer
I roll my eyes. “How many words away?”
To my surprise, the Demon stops to count. “Thirteen,” the thing admits.
Thirteen? Really? How ironic. “What happens if you are forcibly removed by someone else?”
A wicked smile curves Tana’s lips. “Both the host and I will die.” There is no way to misinterpret that. Nor the triumphant gleam in its eyes. The Demon is telling the truth. Crap.
22 Chapter
“Xandra!” Mom calls from the door. “There are some things you should see.”
Good. I really need to get out of this Demon’s presence for a few minutes as I’m starting to get frustrated and impatient again. Never a good combination for me. Turning back to the Demon, I smile, “Not that I don’t trust you…wait, I don’t trust you.” I pull more magic and take Tana’s voice away. Can’t have the thing saying those last thirteen words to complete the spell. For right now, it’s best to keep the Demon inside Tana’s body. I see the hurt in Dagda’s eyes, but I harden my heart to it. I would like to think I would do the same thing if it was Kallen in the cage possessed by a Demon. Really, I would.
All of us pile back into the kitchen. Dagda is the last to join us, reluctant to leave his wife to the mercy of the Demon, but he does join us. Kallen reaches out and puts a hand on his shoulder. “It will not hurt her. It is smarter than that,” he assures the Fairy who is both his father-in-law and his uncle by marriage. There is a lot of love between the two despite the fact that there is no shared blood between them. He knows Kallen has his best interest at heart.
Still, Dagda remains unconvinced. “We shall see.”
We should probably change the subject before he goes mad. Turning to Mom and Tabitha, I ask, “What did you find?”
Pointing to several books left open on the kitchen island counter, Mom replies, “Several things.” She moves closer and pulls one of the books to her. “First, I happened to be reading this when the Demon said there could only be seven. Another thing it is telling the truth about.”
Isla and Garren move next to her. “Seven Demons?” Garren asks. “How can that be if the thing said there are at least twenty of them.”
Mom shakes her head. “Not seven Demons. Seven active Demons,” she clarifies.
Brow scrunched, Kallen asks, “What do you mean by active?”
“It has to do with why the Demons were almost completely destroyed.” Mom spins the book around so Kallen and I can read it better, much to the annoyance of Isla and Garren. “Only seven Demons control the collective magic of the whole. The others basically serve as power sources. They can’t wield any magic on their own. The Angels were able to find most of them and destroy them before The Seven fought them back.”
Shaking my head, I declare, “That’s asinine. Why would the power of an entire race be controlled by seven? It seems like the others would rebel at some point.”
Mom shakes her head in contradiction. “They are created to serve. That’s all the others do and they accept their fate, apparently. They gladly serve by propagating then allowing the rest of their energy to be zapped by The Seven.”
“Eew,” I grimace. “Did you need to mention the propagating part? I could have gone the rest of my life without thinking about Demon sex.”
“Trying to be informative,” Mom grumbles, her cheeks turning pink. That’s a nice thing about her not being a ghost anymore. She now blushes as often as I do.
“It is appreciated,” Isla tells her with a censuring look in my direction. Fine, I won’t complain anymore about images of Demon sex etched into my brain. Great, there’s another one simply because I thought about it again. Eew.
“How do they take the energy from the others?” Kallen asks, trying to get off the topic of Demon sex. I suspect he has some unwanted images in his mind, as well. Good. We’re married, we should share in the pleasant and the disgusting.
Reading through the passage, which is upside down for her, Isla is the one to respond. “It does not say.” She turns the page, hoping for more information, but is disappointed by the fact that there isn’t any. She closes the book in disgust. A little too hard because a bunch of dust goes flying into the air causing her to sneeze. It has obviously been a while since someone perused this book.
“You said you found other information?” Kallen says to Mom.
Mom nods and I can tell that despite the circumstances, she loves that she can be helpful in this type of way. A physical way, even if it is the simple act of scouring books and doing research. As a ghost, her assistance was limited in scope. She wouldn’t even have been able to turn the pages herself. She directs our attention to an ancient looking scroll and biting her bottom lip, another trait I come by honestly, she says, “A prophecy of sorts. At least, I think that’s what it is. I can’t really tell.”
I groan aloud. “I really hate prophecies,” I complain.
Kallen winks at me. “The prophecy about you turned out better than expected.”
I’m tempted to stick my tongue out at him. I’m too old and mature for that now, though. I need to come up with an older and more mature alternative, but I can’t think of one right now. “Yes, after millennia of people worried sick over it. That’s why prophecies suck. No one understands them until after they happen.”
“They do tend to be tricky,” Isla admits distractedly. She is busy reading the current prophecy we need to worry about.
“What does it say?” Garren asks, his impatience rivalling mine.
Her brows bunched together, Isla shakes her head. “It cannot be.”
I’m ready to rip the scroll out of her hands. The only thing keeping me from doing this is the fact that the scroll will probably crumble into a pile of dust if I do. Even Kallen is growing impatient with her, and sometimes I wonder if he really knows the definition of the word. Okay, that’s a stretch. He’s often impatient with me and my antics. Can’t say I blame him half the time. The other half, I definitely blame him. “Grandmother,” he says between gritted teeth, “please either read the prophecy aloud or pass the scroll so I may read it to everyone.”
With a sour look in her grandson’s direction, Isla decides to read it herself. “Through generations the seed is planted. A crime never to be descanted. Until the day knowledge is needed, complete discretion to be heeded. Blood diluted yet magic strong, inside lurks the Demon song. A weapon made frail and delicate, the wielder feared morally desolate. The champion of good must take up the fight, for the dark beacon will call them to the light. The only way for hope to prevail, tis this the universe’s last countervail.”
“And that is why I hate prophecies,” I complain. “That makes no sense.”
Placing the scroll on the counter, Isla uses one finger to point at the bottom. “Look to whom this particular prophecy is attributed.”
This cannot be good. Leaning closer, I stare at the place her finger is indicating. I stare harder. I’m hoping that my eyes are simply not functioning correctly. Next to me, Kallen curses under his breath. “He is such a wanker,” he mutters. I admit, this time I agree.
“I could not believe it myself,” Tabitha complains bitterly. “He knew this was coming, and he had vital information to share. Yet, he let himself and Adriel be taken by those vile creatures.”
Okay, I loathe to do it, but I feel like I must defend my friend. “It’s against Angel law to tell us,” I remind her.
Tabitha cocks her head and gives me a look of reproach. It makes me glad I’m not within smacking distance or the back of my head would be sore about now. “Would you keep Angel law in mind if Kallen was going to be kidnapped and tortured by Demons?”
What a stupid question. Of course I wouldn’t. Which is why Raziel is a much better Angel than I am. “I’m only part Angel,” I say feebly. “He’s an Archangel. He has more to lose than I do.”
Getting on the ‘defend Raziel’ bandwagon, Mom says, “He did leave us a clue.” Touching the ancient scroll, she adds, “Centuries ago, apparently.”
“Don’t care how long ago, the bloody Angel still left us at the mercy of Demons,” a voice complains bitterly from the floor. To my surprise, it is Felix who utters these words. He actually likes Raziel. A quick glance at Taz tells me he is rousing, but not quite awake enough for speech yet. Probably a good thing. He would have a lot more colorful things to add to the conversation. None of them happy, joyful words.
“Perhaps we should worry less about when or why he left us this clue, and focus more on how we can use it to save my wife,” Dagda growls. He’s been so quiet, I almost forgot he was here.
“He is right,” Kallen agrees, nodding his head in apology to the King.
We all turn our eyes back to the scroll. Great. Deciphering prophecies, my least favorite thing in the world. “I guess we start at the beginning,” I say. I wait for Taz to make a snarky comment about me stating the obvious, but he must be too groggy still. I glance over my shoulder at him just to make sure he’s alright.
“Do no worry, I am certain he will be back to making disparaging comments in no time,” Felix assures me from his friend’s side. I smile at him. Taz is in good hands. I turn back around and it belatedly dawns on me that Felix knew Taz would make a disparaging remark about what I said. Something tells me that Felix may sometimes be thinking what Taz is saying aloud. Hmm. Not sure if I like that idea. My perception of Felix is suddenly skewed. Nah, I’m thinking too hard about nothing. I hope.
Kallen reads the first line again. “’Through generations the seed is planted.’ It seems a direct reference to Xandra.”
A deep frown etched on her face, Isla says, “That makes sense. Several things had to line up genetically for Xandra to be created.” If she believes Kallen is right, why is she scowling?
“You make me sound like Frankenstein’s monster,” I complain. I get several dull stares and a sympathetic pat on the back from Mom, the only one to get the reference.
“You are not a monster,” Mom assures me.
“Gee, thanks,” I snark under my breath.
Ignoring me, Isla continues. “Except the next line. ‘A crime never to be descanted.’ Xandra’s impending birth was discussed ad nauseam beforehand.”
“Again, feeling the love,” I grumble. This time, Isla gives me a sour look for my comment.
“Maybe he meant the fact that her destiny changed. She was never supposed to figure that out,” Kallen suggests, but his tone implies even he doesn’t believe this.
Neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Kallen, Dagda moves closer to read the next lines. “’Until the day knowledge is needed, complete discretion to be heeded.’ A useless turn of phrase. He is simply stating he will not risk his wings unless absolutely necessary.” Wow, cynical much?
“Hey, that’s a good point,” I say thoughtfully. “Raziel created this prophecy to give us clues before something is resolved. He very well could lose his wings for this.” Guilt washes over me. Was he so certain of my failure without his assistance that he felt he needed to sacrifice himself? Not feeling very confident at the moment. On the other hand, he must have foreseen success with these clues. Okay, I got this. I hope.
Kallen reaches over and gives my hand a squeeze. “I should not have called him a wanker. It appears he is still a good friend.”
Dagda snorts. “If he is going to lose his wings for this, why not simply tell us and avoid all this pain?”
“He may have received permission to create the prophecy,” Isla says somberly, taking away all the perceived heroics of Raziel’s actions. “As it is simply a series of clues as opposed to a statement of what is to come. After all, the Angels and Demons have always hated one another. Perhaps they deemed this a case where interference was necessary for both our and their own survival. They have done such things before.”
“Wankers will do what wankers do,” Taz grumbles. Despite his words, I turn and smile at him. I’m glad he’s awake and aware again.
Wanting to get off the subject of whether or not Raziel is a wanker, I move on to the next part. “’Blood diluted but magic strong.’ That definitely sounds like me. I have a little bit of three different beings in my genetic makeup.”
Without looking up from the scroll, Dagda intones, “Four if this is to be believed.” Despite the lack of inflection in his voice, his words hit me hard.
“You think I have Demon blood in me?” I gasp. I know I sometimes have some pretty evil thoughts, but this is a bit much.
Kallen’s hold on my hand grows tighter. “I do not believe it.”
I appreciate my husband’s undying faith in me and my bloodline, but I seriously doubt Raziel would lie. “What else could that mean, then?”
Not ready to back down from his stance, Kallen points out, “It reads that you have the Demon song within you, not Demon blood. Which could simply mean that you know how to fight them.”
“I am not convinced this is about you at all.” Every eye in the room flashes to the speaker of those words. Garren flinches at the onslaught.
“Explain,” Isla commands in her best High Chancellor voice.
Squaring his shoulders, Garren visibly chafes at her imperial tone but explains anyway. “The very next line indicates it is not Xandra.”
As if choreographed, all eyes move from Garren back to the scroll. We read the next line. A weapon made frail and delicate. Okay, he has a point. Frail and delicate have never been words used to describe me. “Unless…Maybe he meant before I came into my magic,” I suggest, not really believing it.
“That could be,” Isla agrees, but she isn’t convinced either. I believe she is leaning more toward Garren’s suggestion. Wow. Wouldn’t it be crazy if he was the one to figure all of this out? He’s not exactly known for his analytical prowess. Look at me being all judgmental like it really matters who solves this as long as it gets solved.
Ignoring the part about the wielder being morally desolate, I skip to the next part. “But aren’t I the champion of good? The first Demon said that this was all happening because there was too much of a shift in the universe toward good.”
Kallen doesn’t comment on this. He is already on to the next part. “What is this dark beacon? It seems to be responsible for calling the Demons to us.”
“Am I the dark beacon?” I wonder aloud. After all, this prophecy is indicating that I have Demon blood coursing through my veins.
“Not everything is about you,” Taz grumbles, pushing himself to a standing position. “Your vanity could fill the ocean and still need space to comb its hair.”
“I am not quite that vain,” I drawl. “And if you are so doubtful it’s about me, what’s your idea?” I challenge.
Waddling over to me, Taz stares up at me with mocking eyes. “Maybe you should take a nap, your brain might work better, more like mine.”
“Is that your great idea?” I counter snarkily.
“Keelan, you moron. It’s Keelan.”
My heart stutters. It sputters. It comes grinding to a halt for several long seconds. It can’t be. The fact I am even considering that he is correct must mean my brain is not getting enough oxygen. Keelan? Really.
Grasping my shoulders gently, Kallen asks, “What is it? What have you figured out?”
I feel my head shaking slowly from side to side of its own volition. “Not me. Taz.”
Brows drawn in doubt that Taz could have solved the mystery, Kallen glances down at my Familiar. “Okay, what has Taz figured out?”
Taking a deep breath to be certain my brain is getting some oxygen, I spit out, “Keelan.”
There are a few gasps around the room. Specifically, from Mom, Tabitha and Garren. Dagda and Kallen are blank faced as they absorb my words. Isla, on the other hand, suspiciously looks like she may have already come to this very same conclusion. “You knew?” I accuse.
Kallen’s eyes follow mine and he sees what I see. “Grandmother? You believe this to be true?”
With a long suffering sigh, Isla admits, “The idea was forming in my mind before Xandra h
ad her discussion with the Tasmanian devil.”
“It fits.” Dagda’s voice holds no doubt. “It is too much of a coincidence for the Demons to have shown up on the night of his birth for it not to be him.”
I really don’t want it to be true for so many reasons. The primary reason being Alita and Kegan. How in the hell do we tell them that their baby is part Demon? Not to mention, how am I supposed to use a baby as a weapon? The words morally desolate from the prophecy come back to haunt me. I would be morally desolate to do such a thing. It’s unfathomable.
“Alita’s ability to detect dark magic,” Kallen says thoughtfully.
Isla responds to his unasked question. “It could stem from Demon lineage.”
“Wouldn’t one of her parents show some indication that they have Demon blood within them?” I ask.
“Not necessarily. Not if the lineage comes through her mother,” Kallen says thoughtfully. “As a Cowan, her mother has no magical abilities whatsoever. Perhaps it is the magic in Alita’s Fairy blood which activated the latent ability in her family line.”
“And the boost of Kegan’s strong magic gave Keelan an even bigger push,” I add. His reasoning seems sound even if I don’t like it.
“That would explain why the babe was so powerful in utero,” Tabitha adds.
“Okay, say I believe this craziness,” I begin, earning me several annoyed looks. “What good does it do us? There is no chance I’m going to in any way use Keelan to fight the Demons. I mean, look at what happened here just half an hour ago. Taz and Felix almost died when I used them to fight off just one Demon. Now we know there are seven of them I need to fight.”
“Six,” Mom interrupts.
“What?”
“The first Demon you came across, you made it promise to never come after you again,” she reminds me.
Kallen shakes his head. “I do not believe that is how it works.” He is once again looking at the passage in the large tome which discussed The Seven Demons. “I believe that Demon will simply be absorbed back into the fold and another will come forward. If I am reading this correctly, there will always be seven.”