Denny looked at it. “More company?”
“Iris is awake. She just got out of the shower and will be down any moment.”
Denny ate some more Witches’ Brew. “How is she?”
“Better. Once the realization that she's a witch sank in, she fell right to sleep.”
“So you told her?”
“Everything. So much of her life began making sense to her once I explained it all. I believe she was relieved to know she isn’t going crazy, though she panicked a little once she recognized what it all meant. Her life will never be the same. Ever.”
Denny heard the echo of Rush’s words.
Wrapping her long fingers around a mug with a witch on a broom that read “I never know witch way to go,” Cassandra sighed. “The majority of us all feel slightly crazy when we first discover the supernatural within us, until we understand that nothing is happening to us. It takes some hours to get used to it, while others spend years trying hard not to. She just happened to be the former.”
“So, what are her plans? Will she go back to Boston and join a coven there?”
“I’m hoping she joins us here. We could use another seven.”
“And you’re that much stronger than the others?”
Cassandra barked a laugh. “Oh love, it’s no competition. If it came right down to it, I could crush Brianna before the first words of her spell even left her mouth. We sevens are capable of so much more magic––more power, more spells––and, you’ll appreciate this. Sevens have the ability to call demons.”
Denny’s spoon paused in mid-air. “Call demons? Why on earth would you ever do that?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t. They’re far too unpredictable and frenetic. Some call them to do their bidding. Some call them simply to see if they can.”
“Could you––could you––”
“Call Magyar? Heavens no. Only a true seven High Priestess of Hecate can summon a mid-or higher-level demon, and I am not she.”
“Who is?”
Before Cassandra could answer, Iris came into the kitchen.
“You look rested,” Cassandra said, rising to place another bowl in the microwave.
“I can’t believe I slept so hard for so long.” Iris stretched. “I feel so refreshed. Even my ribs have stopped hurting.”
“One can never really rest in a hospital. You were over-tired and over-medicated. I’ve balanced both of those issues. Please. Sit. The coffee was just poured.”
Iris settled into the chair across from Denny. Her bruises had faded a great deal.
“You do look much better,” Denny said, laying a hand on Iris’s wrist.
“Cassandra put some ointment on my face last night. I can’t believe how much better they look.” Iris pulled her mug to her with her free hand. Her knuckles were scraped and bruised.
“Looks like you got some good licks in yourself.” Denny nudged her chin toward Iris’s hand.
“Oh, I fought like a woman possessed, I tell you.”
Cassandra laughed.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing.” The microwave dinged and Cassandra set the bowl in front of Iris and handed her a spoon. “No questions. Eat up.”
Iris tasted it. “Oh, yum. My mom used to make it like this.”
“You don’t say.”
Iris ate another spoonful before turning her attention to Denny. “I don’t know how to thank you for saving my life in the hospital. If you hadn’t been there––”
“You’re welcome, but this isn’t over yet. We still have one crazy-ass demon out there who wants you and I don’t imagine foiling him once is enough. He’ll keep coming.”
“I thought you said I’d be safe here.”
“You will be. Here. But you can’t live out your life hiding in this house. We have to end this. We have to find a way to defeat him.”
“We?”
“No, I. I have to. What you have to do is stay safe and learn from Cassandra and the others here.”
Iris looked at Cassandra. “It’s a lot to take in, but I’ve always known I was…different. I just never imagined witchcraft was the reason.”
“Well, now you know you are not merely different, but different and powerful. When you have started with your training, you’ll never have to worry about another demon coming at you. Trust me. They’ll give you a very wide berth.”
Iris ate some oatmeal while Denny finished hers completely. “The caco wanted a baby so it could what? Rule the world?”
Denny watched Cassandra put her empty bowl in the dishwasher before whispering, “So it could kill me.”
Iris raised her eyebrows. “You? Why you?”
“Well, me and others like me.”
Cassandra sat back down. “The offspring of a demon and a seven would have greatly enhanced powers. One of those powers would be able to easily summon higher-level demons.”
“And how would that kill you? You’re not a demon.”
Denny glanced at Cassandra, who nodded once. “She can’t know the severity of all of this if we start withholding information from her now. We have to tell her everything, hunter.”
“Tell me everything. Don’t treat me like a little girl, because I’m not. You’re not a demon, right?”
Denny inhaled deeply. “No, I’m not, but I’m...a...well...” Denny looked at Cassandra.
“Go on, Hunter, you’re among friends.”
Denny blew out a deep breath. “I am not a demon, but I am possessed by one. I am a demon hunter. A legacy demon hunter to be exact.”
Iris set her spoon down. “You’re possessed?”
Denny nodded. “Like you read about.” Denny explained her possession and the Hanta, and how the Hanta had saved her. The entire time she spoke, Iris said not one word. When Denny finished, she looked to Cassandra.
“And that’s how she knew someone was coming to get me.”
Cassandra laid her hand on top of Iris’s. “Yes. It is why Denny was able to feel the demon, Magyar, at the hospital and step in to protect you.”
Iris looked over at Denny. “Is it…is it scary?”
“Sometimes. It’s a recent development in my life. I’m just now learning how to live with it. So yeah, there are times when it’s really scary.”
“Can you control it?”
“Not all the time, but I’m getting there.”
“Can you defeat Magyar?” Iris asked. “Can you keep it from harming me?”
“I believe I can. Can and must. It will be back. I have to get to it before it gets to us.”
“Us?”
“Oh yes. Us. It knows I will protect you, knows it will have to go through me to get to you. He is probably sending for the cavalry as we speak.”
Iris looked from Denny to Cassandra and back. “Cavalry? We’re not just going to sit around waiting for it, are we? I mean, we’re going after it, right?”
“Not we. Me. Hunting is what I do. Not you. You’ll stay here where it’s safe. You’ll learn from the other witches, and you will stay out of harm’s way. Understood?”
Iris looked to Cassandra.
“Iris, people’s lives are at stake. This isn’t a game. If the hunter says you stay here, you stay here.”
“Fine. I will.”
“Good.”
Iris turned to Denny. “Again, thank you, Denny. I...how will I ever repay you?”
“Become the best witch you can be.” Denny smiled into her coffee. “The world needs more good witches.”
“I guess I could do that.”
“Excellent,” Cassandra said, her eyes narrowing. “What now?”
“Now, I need to call in my own troops and see what I can find out about Magyar. Once I get more intel, it’s hunting time, baby.” Denny got up and walked with a slight limp with Cassandra to the front door.
“Thank you for taking such good care of me, Cass. My leg feels much better than it would have.”
Cassandra held her hands out. “These are miracle workers. You remember that nex
t time you get your ass kicked, demon hunter.”
Denny stepped into Cassandra’s embrace and kissed her deeply, their lips connecting as if they’d been kissing for years.
“Can I come back even if I’m uninjured?”
Cassandra nodded. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”
“Well, look what the wind blew in.” Ames opened the door for Denny. “Nice limp. Get that skiing?”
Denny grinned as she pushed past him. “Funny guy. I’m actually trying to do my job. I’m after a demon who goes by the name of Magyar.” Denny went straight for the kitchen. “Got any banana nut bread?”
“You know I do. Glad to see your appetite has returned.” Ames followed her into the kitchen where he went about getting coffee.
“Yeah, I’m pretty hungry these days. Seems like I can’t eat enough.”
Ames cut and heated a thick slice for her as the smell of chicory filled the air. “Magyar, huh? That’s nothing but trouble there.”
“I came here first, Ames, I swear.”
The microwave dinged and he handed her the slice. “I know. Now tell me what happened.”
As Denny told him Iris’s tale, he fixed their coffee and handed it to her, not once interrupting. When she finished, he said, “Come on. Bring your bread. I think you have the wrong idea about your Magyar.”
Once they were down in the training room, Ames pulled a large, leather-bound tome from his favorite bookshelf. It looked ancient with its cracked leather spine and faded title.
He flipped through the pages until he came upon an archaic drawing of a demon. “Okay––See here? His name isn’t Magyar. A Magyar is what he is.”
“How can you be sure?” Denny peered over his shoulder. The book was so old, it was actually hand-copied.
“A Magyar is a Hungarian. Your demon is a Hungarian demon known as a Liderc.”
“A Liderc?”
“Yes.” Ames spelled it out. “There are several varieties of them, but yours is known as a satanic lover, or ordogszereto.”
“A what?”
“An incubus. The male demon that lies with women in order to father a child.” Ames looked up from his reading. “Sound like your guy so far?”
Denny nodded. “I have to deal with this demon before he gets more powerful or decides to bring his pals into the mix. Tell me what I need to know to hurt him bad. To blow him to smithereens.”
“I can try.” Ames read the book and gently turned the fragile pages. “It tends to move at night, and there is often a flash of light before it appears. It can assume human form or possess a body. Burning incense and birch branches will prevent it from entering the house. Oh, wait. Here’s what you need to know. It haunts cemeteries and must disappear at the first crow of a rooster at dawn.”
“My kind of demon.”
Ames read some more. “One last thing. You can’t outrun the Liderc demon. They are lickety-split fast. You’ll have to go toe-to-toe with it if it catches you before you catch it.”
Denny considered this. “Okay. So I could find it in a cemetery and take it out there.”
“That would be a sound plan if it was alone. You run the risk of him and his buddies being there together. Where is Iris?”
“I left her with the women at the coven.”
Ames looked surprised. “Well done. Using the witches as allies is smart. Very smart. It looks like you’re back.”
“I’m getting there. It felt really good to help Iris out of the hospital.”
“Yeah. I hear it’s addicting, so be careful.”
Sipping her coffee, Denny closed her eyes. Cassandra’s lips floated into view. When she opened her eyes, she wasn’t surprised to see Ames looking at her.
“You’re better. Different, but better. Glad to have you back, Goldy.”
“So does that mean you’re ready to kick my ass?”
Ames shook his head. “Not today. Not with your leg. The training you need is in these books.” He handed her a stack, the ancient one on top.
“Oh, wait,” Denny said. “There’s one more thing I almost forgot. He had a crossbow made of light.”
Ames stared at her. “Are you sure?” He made a beeline for another book. This one was so old, the spine was cracked and the pages were very yellowed.
“Positive. He had me dead to rights, but Cassandra managed to freeze the trigger or something.” Denny shrugged. “I don’t know what she did, but she saved my hide.”
Ames flipped through the book on ancient weaponry until he found a drawing of a crossbow with light all around it. “Is this it?”
Denny leaned over and looked. “Yes. Yes, that’s it.”
Ames ran his hand across his face. “This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all.”
“What?”
Ames looked up from the book. “Only the highest level Liderc possesses the skills for the Balestra di luce.” He looked up from the book. “It says here that the Balestra’s bolt pierces the body but when the shooter yanks it back with the rope attached, it rips the demon from the host body.”
Denny’s hand flew to her chest. “Oh. Ouch.”
Ames continued reading. “Once the demon is extracted from the body, both host and demon are momentarily vulnerable to both physical and spiritual attacks. The pulled demon is usually shot through the head with the light bolt, which acts like electrocution, destroying the demon.”
“Wait. The Liderc can actually destroy my Hanta?” Denny ran her hands through her hair. “Looks like I have a way out of all this, huh?”
Ames shook his head. “Says here the spiritual disruption usually kills the host because of the unpredictable nature of the Balestra’s bolt.”
“Unpredictable?”
“Yes. The bolt could pull your essence out as well, leaving you dead or catatonic.”
Denny blinked. Ames stared at her. Together, they said, “Catatonic.”
“You don’t think––”
Ames held his hand up to continue reading. “Those who remain alive after such a psychic break will remain in a catatonic state until such time as they perish from complications, or are reunited with their essence. The latter of which has been recorded only once.” He looked up. “It happened in the eighteenth century, when Edmund Murphy was successfully reconnected with his spirit.”
Denny was pacing now. “Okay, wait. Wait. Does this mean that this could be why my mother is in her catatonic state?”
“Well, I would say it’s possible, except for one large and looming issue.”
“How the Hanta made it back to her.”
Ames tapped his finger on his chin as he thought. “Exactly. It is entirely possible that your Hanta, once ripped from your mother, actually attacked and destroyed the shooter before it could be killed.”
“If that were the case, it would have re-entered her––”
“Keeping her alive.”
Denny stopped pacing and stared at him. “Wait. You think it––”
Ames held up his hand. “If––and this is all just conjecture, Goldy––if your mother’s essence had been ripped out as well, she most likely would have died.”
“But she didn’t because...because the Hanta jumped back in her and became her essence?”
Ames blew out a deep breath. “It’s possible. Anything is possible. Something kept her alive, didn’t it?”
“Which would explain why the doctors couldn’t figure out why she never recovered. Her body is healthy but nobody’s home.”
“Nobody appears to be home, Goldy. As you well know, Gwen is in there, but she is disconnected from her body. This could have happened when the Hanta left her.”
Denny took the book from Ames. “So how do we move from conjecture to fact?”
“Well, first things first. We need the name of the Liderc you’re hunting. His real name.”
“Why?”
Ames tapped the top book. “Because we need his history––to know how old he is. As a Magyar demon, he will know the past history of
his flock of Lidercs as well as all other Hungarian demons. You have to know the demonic history to be fully armed, Goldy. Historical knowledge is more valuable to you than today’s information. It’s all in there as well as in the lair. You find out the name of the demon and you own him, but understand, demons are not forthcoming about their names. They won’t just give them up.”
Denny nodded. “I understand that, but if I can get his name and learn his history, then we would actually know, one way or the other, whether or not my mother was a victim of this––”
“Soul reaping, yes. That’s what they called it in the fourteenth century when there was a lot of that going on.” Ames gently took the book back. “And therein lies the issue. To find anything out from the demon means you cannot kill it.”
“Fine.”
Ames shook his head. “Not fine, Goldy. To contain a demon of his level requires––”
“Powerful witches?”
Ames cocked his head. “For starters, yes, but there’s so much more to it than that. Don’t jump the gun. A lot of lives are at stake here.”
“I have witches, Ames. Good ones. Powerful ones. Summoners.”
“Are these witches willing to risk their lives? Are you willing to risk your friends’ lives? Lidercs and other incubi are nothing to play with. You back this one into a corner and it will kill you and everyone else in the room.”
“Ames, I saw Cassandra successfully prevent it from getting a shot off. Is that powerful enough?”
Ames tucked the book back into its place. “It’s a start, but if we’re going to do this right, and hope like hell we won’t lose any of our people, here’s what we’re going to have to do…”
The slim ray of hope that she might be able to get her mother back fueled Denny like nothing else could. All she could think of was how lost her mother felt when they met on the spiritual plane. If Gwen was only lost then maybe Denny could help her find her way back.
A dream that now held a grain of reality.
After Ames laid out his plan, they made phone calls, trained without doing the physical actions, and studied everything they could about Lidercs.
When Denny was too mentally weary to continue, Ames made a taco salad dinner before sending her home to continue her education. That meant showering, changing, and returning to her lair and her mother’s journal.
The Demon Within (The Silver Legacy Book 2) Page 13