by M. J. Scott
"Where do we need to go?"
"Pacific Heights. Not too far at this time of night." I wanted to touch him, offer some comfort and get some in return, but my hands stayed by my sides. "Look at it this way—you got what you were paying me for," I said, forcing a smile.
I didn't even get a flicker of a dimple in return.
"This isn't exactly the outcome I wanted," he said. Our eyes met, and for a moment I wondered whether he was talking about more than just the game and the demon. Whether he might be sorry about what had happened to us.
But it wasn't the time to ask. I turned away from the window, and the man, and got ready to tell the Cestis how we might just have a demon on our hands who had figured out how to get all the power it ever wanted.
Chapter Seventeen
A grim-faced Ian let us into his apartment. His expression didn't bode well for our welcome, so I positioned myself between him and Damon before I made the introductions.
"Ian Carmichael, this is Damon Riley."
Damon held out his hand, but Ian made no move to take it. "Let's save the introductions until we're all together. It’ll save time," he said, sounding tired.
The other members of the Cestis were waiting in the room with the round table, looking somewhat more bleary-eyed than they had when I'd left earlier. Ian made introductions and everyone took a seat, this time two facing five.
"What's so urgent that we all have to get up in the middle of the night?" Lizzie asked cheerfully. She wore a skintight thigh-skimming mini in slinky black silica-silk that suggested she'd been out rather than home tucked in bed.
"We have a theory," I said slowly when Damon remained silent. "About the demon and gamers."
"Go on," Lizzie said
I launched into an explanation, hoping I wasn't losing them in the technical details of the filter and what it did. When I finished talking, they were silent, their expressions ranging from carefully blank to worried to downright curious.
Lizzie was the curious one, and she broke the silence. "You mean the demon can contact people through the games? That's kind of—"
"Horrifying," Cassandra interjected.
I had to agree. Worse, their reaction didn't seem to indicate that the idea was completely impossible. "We don't know if we're right. That's why we came to you. We need to test the theory."
Ian drummed his fingers on the table. "How exactly?"
"Could you tell if my psychic barriers were lowered while I was playing a game?" I asked.
Antony was the one who answered after another round of looks passed between the five witches. "Probably. Damon might be easier, given he's a normal." He looked at Damon. "You are a normal, right?"
Damon nodded firmly, mouth set.
Antony continued. "Good. You’ll be easier. Maggie, you might be able to keep yours up by instinct just because you're thinking about it."
I glanced at Damon. I hadn't expected him to be the one who had to take the risk. Given his views on magic, I had no idea if he'd agree. "Will you try?"
He looked reluctant, shifting in his seat. Despite the clear unease, somehow he managed to seem like he was taking up a lot of space. Full on master-of-the-universe battle mode. Well, it was his company at stake.
"Will you be able to shield me from anything else that might be watching?" Damon asked.
"Yes," Ian said. "No demon will reach you within these walls." He frowned. "When was the last time you played this game of yours?"
"Not for a while," Damon admitted. "The last few weeks have been busy."
"What difference would that make?" Radha asked.
Ian peered over the rimless glasses perched on his nose. "We don't know how long this has been going on. He could already be tainted."
"So we test him," Lizzie said. "But it's a good point. The demon might’ve made contact with others." She looked directly at me. "Like Nat."
Okay, so Lizzie, at least, had fully grasped the situation. Still, I clung to the small hope that the Cestis would prove the idea wrong. "Nat only played the game in question once."
"Is there only one game with this filter?" Antony asked.
Damon shook his head. "There are other games with similar tech. But we've refined it in this new game. The older ones are less sophisticated."
"And did Nat play other games?" Antony said.
I nodded. "She's a semi-pro gamer. She plays Righteous games all the time."
"Plus she played at a Dockside club," Damon added. "If she was taking drugs or something, then she could be even more susceptible to the filter. Those clubs don't exactly have a reputation for keeping their tech clean."
I gave him my best “thanks a lot” look. But I couldn’t argue the point. I had no idea what games Nat might have played at Unquiet when she’d been there without me. "If the demon had lots of people under its power, wouldn't you have noticed something by now? That would give it power, wouldn't it? So there should’ve have been incidents? People doing whatever it is people possessed by demons do?"
Cassandra nodded. "She has a point. There haven't been reports of anything that would indicate demon activity other than the imps. And those attacks were focused on Maggie."
There was a rumble of thunder from outside the window and we all jumped. Mother Nature weighing in with sound effects. Just what we needed.
"What would indicate demon activity?" I asked.
"Usually the first signs are increased violence. Assault. Domestic violence. Crime spikes. That kind of thing," Radha said. "But I've heard nothing from any of the Bay Area healers that there's anything unusual happening."
Another clatter of thunder underscored her words. Lizzie flinched again, then giggled. "Maybe we can limit the timeframe a little. After all, the demon was bound to Maggie, so let's assume it only learned about the filter through her. When was the first time you played the game, Maggie?"
"The day I went to interview at Righteous. But there were game testers who were having some issues before then. That's why Damon hired me."
"What sort of issues?" Cassandra asked with a frown.
"We had some people testing the game who got depressed or anxious. There were a few incidents," Damon said. "But that was before I hired Maggie."
Cassandra's face relaxed. "So that could be unrelated, or it could be a different side effect of the game."
"This game has the latest version of the filter though. So maybe it reached some sort of critical point in how it affects people. I thought maybe that’s why the testers started having problems, like maybe they were prone to depression or something beforehand and it made it worse," I offered.
Radha nodded. "That could be true. If this filter weakens their barriers—"
"Let's focus on Maggie for now. When was the first time you noticed Nat acting strangely?" Lizzie asked.
"After I had my chip removed," I said. "The next day or so. She said she'd been out gaming, and I thought maybe she was just tired, but she was acting oddly."
Lizzie bounced on her toes, the movement at odds with her serious expression. "My guess is the demon latched on to another familiar energy field as soon as it could after its bond to Maggie broke. If Nat had been using one of these other games, maybe her resistance was lowered. And if it got her then, who knows what it's done since. It could be getting stronger by the minute."
Damon held up a hand. "Wait. We don't even know if this theory is right yet."
"If a demon gets enough power, it can manifest in our world," Cassandra said. "The last time that happened—" She broke off and looked at Ian. He flipped his hand at her as if to say, “Go on.” "The last time that happened here was a decade ago."
Her words landed like a gut punch. I couldn't breathe, like all the oxygen had been sucked from the room. "A demon caused the Big One?" Several hundred thousand people dead. My grandparents among them, even if Gran hadn’t been an immediate fatality. Millions and millions of dollars in damages. Countless lives ruined. My home destroyed.
"A demon did all that?"
My voice sounded distant—too high and too tight.
Cassandra nodded. "Yes. That's why the Cestis is currently based here. We're still cleaning up some of the mess. When it broke through, all sorts of things came with it."
I didn't even want to imagine. My fingernails dug into my palms, and I had to force myself to unclench my hands. I hadn't even noticed that I'd curled them into fists.
"We can't let it happen again," Antony said into the silence that had descended on the room. "Last time we got lucky."
"How did you kill it?" I asked.
"Not kill. Send back. The short answer is we didn't." Ian's voice was bleak.
I stared at him. A demon had come through to our world, and the Cestis hadn't been the ones who'd sent it back wherever the hell it had come from? Then what had?
"Excuse me?"
"It managed to fry itself when it got too close to an exploding substation," Antony said shortly. "Thank the powers."
I gaped at him. "It blew itself up? How—"
"This is all well and good, but we still don't know if we're right. We should focus on testing this theory," Damon interrupted. All six of us looked at him, but he didn't back down. "I want this tested. If you're going to ask me to recall half my products, I need proof."
"Right," Ian said. "That's reasonable." He rubbed his hands together. "Let's get on with it. I assume you have one of these game systems with you?"
Damon nodded toward the metal case he'd brought with him. "It'll take a couple of minutes to set up."
Everyone stood, most of the Cestis moving to circle Damon, watching what he was doing intently. I guessed none of them had ever gamed.
Lizzie came over to me instead. "I looked for Nat again," she said with a frown. "Still nothing but the darkness. More darkness. She's in trouble, Maggie. I'll try again after this. Maybe I can look for demon trace."
"What happens if it's possessed her?" I kept my voice quiet to keep myself from shrieking. Nat. If the demon had her, it was all my fault.
"That depends on how far gone she is. If it's only been a few days like you say, then she could be fine."
"And what happens if it's longer than that? Or if the demon has gotten to others via the games? Could it really build enough power to break through?"
Lizzie shivered. "Let's hope not."
"We're ready," Cassandra said from our left. "Lizzie, come help me shield. Maggie, you stand by Damon. You know how to get him out of that thing if we need to." She looked at the game system as though it might bite.
I did what she asked, and Damon settled himself back in one of the chairs. Across his lap lay a portable chip interface attached to a lead. He'd rolled up his sleeve to bare his chip.
As he reached for the lead, I grabbed his arm. "Wait."
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"It's just . . . ." I paused, feeling stupid. I was worried. Worried about this man who now had even more reason to never want to see me again after all this was over. "Are you sure you can shield him?" I asked Cassandra.
"Yes. He's safe."
I took a deep breath. "Okay." I let go of Damon's arm but leaned forward so my face was close to his. His eyes were shadowed and wary, and I wondered if he saw the same strain on my face. I wanted to kiss him, but I knew it would only confuse things more. "You so much as move a finger and I'm yanking you out," I said softly.
His mouth twitched slightly. "Just don't rip my arm off," he said, then snapped the lead in place and closed his eyes.
"Shield him," I snapped at Cassandra. She nodded. I couldn't see anything, but my skin buzzed as power flowed over it.
When the telltales on the console went green, I nodded at Ian. "Okay, he's in, and the game is active. Someone read him so we can get this damned thing over with."
"I'll do it," Radha said. She reached a hand toward Damon, resting it on his head.
I held my breath and waited.
After just a few seconds, Radha lifted her hand. "That was easy. I could slide right in."
"Good." I hit the button to shut the deck down.
"What happened?" Damon said, opening his eyes.
Cassandra patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry to say that your theory is correct."
"Not necessarily," Lizzie interrupted. "We don't know what his shields are like without the game. He might be someone who's naturally open."
Damon looked alarmed at the thought. "What does that mean?"
"Merely that you might be more receptive to magic than some people."
"How do we find out?" I asked, trying not to snap the words out.
"The easiest way is to get Radha to try and read you again. See if she can get in as easily a second time when you're not hooked into the game."
"Fine. Do that." He settled back in the chair and closed his eyes. His face looked relaxed, but his hands were clenched in his lap.
Radha raised her eyebrows but put her hand back on his head. Again it only took a few seconds before she sighed. "I could do it, but it was harder. I'd say the game definitely lowers the barriers. So the demon may have possessed others. It could be stronger than we think. Or here already."
"Fuck," Damon cursed at the same time as Ian said, "We'd know if it had come through."
"Maybe," Cassandra said. "With enough strength it could hide itself. And it could be anywhere."
"It has to be here in San Francisco if it wants Maggie," Lizzie protested. "I could scry—"
"And have the demon notice you? No." Antony shook his head. "Not a chance."
Damon was silent.
"You have to issue a recall on the games," I said to him. "Any that have recent versions of the filter."
His eyes were flat, face grim. "I know."
"I'm sorry." I couldn’t even imagine what a recall might do to Righteous. Whatever happened, I was to blame.
"Sure you are." He rose. "If you'll excuse me, I have some calls to make." He headed for the door and I followed him.
"You're just going to leave?"
"No, I'm calling my lawyers and my PR team."
I caught his arm.
"What?" He jerked free. "I'm doing what you wanted, Maggie. But I worked hard to build Righteous. It's my life. Don't expect me to be happy when you make me burn it to the ground."
My throat was on fire, and guilt and pain warred in my gut. "Is it going to be that bad?"
"Who knows? Can't imagine that people will be that keen to play games that screw with your brain."
"Can't you fix the filter?"
"In time. Maybe. If I can afford to after this. Go back to your witch friends, Maggie."
"Don't go like this."
"I—" He cut off when a datapad started to ring. Mine, I realized, then scrabbled through my purse trying to find it.
Nat’s voice on the other end of the phone sent a chill down my spine.
"Maggie?" The words sounded hoarse, as if she'd been crying. Or screaming.
"Nat, where are you?" I flicked the call over to speakerphone. Damon turned on his heel and moved fast toward the room where the Cestis were still gathered.
"Maggie, you have to come get me." Her voice hiccupped with a suppressed sob.
I tried to sound calm even though I wanted to throw up. "Tell me where you are. I'll be right there." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Damon barrel back out through the door, five witches hard on his heels.
Cassandra reached me first.
"Tell me where you are, Nat," I repeated.
Beside me, Cassandra sucked in a breath, shaking her head at me. I ignored the warning.
"Nat? Tell me where you are."
"Vista Point. You know where."
Marin County. The other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Too far away. "Are you okay?"
"Yes." Her voice still shook. "But you have to come quickly."
"Nat, what's going on? Tell me and I can help you."
"I'm sorry," she said.
"Sorry for what, sweetie? I just want to know where you are. We've been worried." I hear
d a quiver in my voice and paused, sucking in a breath, afraid that any show of nerves or stress on my part might send her running again.
"I didn't mean to. It was too strong."
"What was?" My hand gripped the datapad hard enough to hurt. Across from me, Damon was deadly still, his attention solely focused on the call. "Nat, are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm sorry," she repeated. "Just come."
The line went dead.
"Try the call trace," Damon said immediately.
My hands shook as I tried to hit the right combination on the keypad. "It's a public base. Right location though. Marin County."
"Okay, let's go get her."
"No," Cassandra snapped.
Beside her, Ian and Lizzie nodded. "It has to be a trap," Lizzie said.
"How do you know?"
"If she was free to come to you, she would. She said, 'It was too strong.' What else can 'it' be but the demon? That would explain the darkness I felt, if it's controlling her."
"Does it matter? I'm not leaving her there for some demon to amuse itself with. It's not her it wants anyway."
"Which is exactly why you shouldn't go anywhere near her. It's bad enough if it’s been feeding from the games and has enough strength to make Nat do what it wants. It may have come through already if Radha is right. We can't let a corporeal demon rebind a witch. It would be near invincible with access to your power."
"I don't care. She's my best friend. My family."
"You're risking everyone's families if you go," Cassandra said.
"I don't care," I repeated. "You have no authority over me. I’m not part of your stupid Cestis and I didn’t agree to live by your rules."
"That doesn't matter. If you break our laws, we will be the ones who judge you."
"Fine. Judge me. Do whatever you need to. After Nat's safe." Anger was building inside me, my skin shimmering with power.
Lizzie touched my arm. "Maggie, it doesn't have to be like this. We can go get Nat."
"You're all witches too. How is that any better?"
"The demon wouldn't be able to bind us as easily as you. We have defenses. And we've fought a demon before."
"But you didn't stop it. How would you stop it now?"
Lizzie's eyes dropped and she bit her lip.