Chapter 264: Demon Truths
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 blow, "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."
Right. Forgot about that part. Even Dad wasn't that desperate, I guess.
"Gotcha." I pressed both hands against my jiggling knees, tension making me jittery. "So Dad knows all of this, right?" Sassy shrugged. That was a yes. "Which means none of this really helps us." I offered a sad smile to Liam as his face fell. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way."
He shook his head. "No, you're right. If Harry knows all of this, it means he's already tried everything outside of this."
"So we build an effigy and tell Theridialis he has to come through." I thumped my hands down on the arms of the heavy wooden chair.
Sassy snorted. "Yeah, that'll work."
"I don't see you offering any suggestions." My temper flared fresh, eager for something, anything to distract me from what was happening.
Sass didn't answer, his eyes taking a far-away look. I was about to ask him what he was thinking about when his gaze suddenly widened, a sharp intake of breath telling me he'd come across something in his brilliant brain.
"What?" I leaned toward him, tapping his knee. He jerked his face toward mine, a veil dropping over his expression.
"Nothing." He lurched to his feet like he was suddenly unsteady. "We should head home. You're almost out of time."
Right. Demonicon awaited.
Sassy was out the door first, leaving me to say goodbye to Liam alone.
"Sorry," I said as he came to stand beside me, towering over me, the scent of earth and fabric softener filling the air between us. "He's pretty messed up lately." I sighed. "We all are."
Liam reached out slowly, as if fearful his gesture would be rejected, and enveloped me in his arms. I hugged him back immediately and with strength, pressing my face into the soft cotton of his shirt, breathing in his scent and absorbing his warmth as the green magic we shared twined around the two of us. Shaylee sighed softly, content and I felt a calm which had been missing from my life for, well, forever.
In that moment I knew, if things had been different, if there wasn't a tall, dark and tasty guy in black leather out there somewhere with half of my heart in his hands, I would happily have fallen in love with Liam.
He pulled away gently and smiled down at me, green glitter lighting his hazel eyes. "Everything is going to be okay, Syd."
I nodded with a lump in my throat, Galleytrot's large head suddenly pressing against my lower back, holding me tight against Liam. The big dog then circled us both, swiping first my cheek then my friend's with his very wet tongue.
I dashed at the moisture with the back of my hand before hugging his huge head, resting my cheek on the soft fur between his eyes. "Love you," I said, for both of them.
The doorway beckoned, Sassafras impatiently pacing on the other side. I turned to go, only to hear Liam call out to me.
"I almost forgot," he said as I turned back, one foot through the barrier. "I ran into Beth. She wanted me to give you a message." One of his hands dove into the fur on Galleytrot's shoulder as the dog stood beside him. "Alison is home and she's looking for you."
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