Chapter 267: Family First
I tossed and turned for a while, the moonlight pouring in my bedroom window making it almost impossible to sleep. At least, I blamed it on the moonlight. Much better than admitting I couldn't get the crumpled disappointment on my mother's face out of my mind.
I hated letting her down.
One thing I knew, I wasn't waiting any longer for some window of opportunity dictated by Theridialis. One look at my father was enough to tell me I had to cross over with Sassy right away so he could be tested. Meira was fading quickly, her demon power feeding Dad's life force. Her dear little face looked older, lined, her skin sinking into the crevices around her bones.
I wanted to go back right away, but Mom talked me out of it.
"Not after sundown," she said, face pinched with fatigue and worry. "Never after sundown. Promise me."
Whatever. I had a feeling her fear was grounded in superstition and not fact, but agreed anyway if just to make her feel better.
So sleep first. Yeah, right. Sleep. Like that was happening. I'd passed out the night before and had a great rest, but for some reason it just wasn't working for me tonight. Maybe I'd adjusted to the shift in planes already. The idea actually worried me a little. I'd always feared my power, even outside Gram's implanted influence. The things I'd been able to do, the magic I'd commanded in times of stress and conflict, always raised worry in my parents, too.
What was it Dad said once? That I had no edges... whatever that meant. I'd never asked him and now I was starting to wonder.
My speculation shattered to the tune of the soft song of my computer. I lurched out of bed immediately and rushed to check. The screen glowed, Skype up and waiting. The little pen bobbed up and down, from Quaid's profile.
Quaid. Everything else faded away while I sat there in anxious silence, face nearly pressed to the screen, waiting for the pen to stop moving and the message to appear.
It never did. The little eraser raced across the line and the pen fell silent. Whatever he'd been trying to communicate, the precious words he'd tried to send me were gone.
And so was he. I felt a thrum against the power connecting us, as if someone tested it, pushing against it to see how strong it was. I fed the link without thinking, keeping it safe and alive, only then realizing I'd probably given away something very important.
But no, maybe not. The power thread settled, returned to normal. I still felt Quaid on the other end, same as usual. Maybe it had been Quaid trying to get through to me? Still, the fact he'd failed both by mundane and magic means sent thrills of fear for him racing through my body, raising goosebumps on my skin.
I sat there for a long time, waiting for him to try again, resisting the urge to reach back down the connection to see if I could speak with him. If he was unable, I'd only be wasting my time. And if he'd been found out, if the connection between us was left on purpose, seeking him out could very possibly lead me into a trap.
I had to put my family first. I had to. Dad. Mom. Meira. Sassy, even. For the gazillionth time I told myself Quaid had chosen his path. This was his decision, to play the complacent Dumont son. I'd asked him over and over to stop the charade and he'd refused.
So why couldn't I make myself turn away from the silent computer screen?
When the monitor flickered and went dark, the computer returning to sleep, I sighed and returned to bed.
Morning found me impatiently pacing the kitchen floor, waiting for Mom to get up. The moment I felt her rise I ran upstairs, meeting her in the hallway.
"I have an idea," I said.
Grim, she nodded. "We have to do something." No desperation, only a quiet resolve.
"Bring Dad downstairs." I turned and headed back down as I finished speaking. "I'm going to take him to Demonicon with me."
The air in the basement felt confining, dank, pressing in on me as I forced myself to stand still in the center of the pentagram, gathering my power. Sassafras had followed me silently, emerging from the living room to pad down the stairs behind me. He now stood off to one side, arms crossed over his chest, his favorite scowl plastered on his face. I ignored him, choosing instead to put all of my attention into what I was about to attempt.
It could work. It could. If I could bring Dad across the veil... Theridialis could do his tests there, on Sassafras with Dad present. It was our best hope, really our last option. As much as I knew the portly demon on the other side was determined to save Dad, I was fairly sure no matter what he found out over there would do little good unless I could bring Dad with me.
It was so hard not to rush to help Mom as she used her magic to carry Dad down the wooden stairs. I forced myself to look at Dad, to study the thin and waxy look of his skin, the sunken appearance of his eyes and cheeks. How Meira stumbled behind them, one hand pressed to his forehead, her amber demon magic flowing into him. I could see it did little good now, that the renewing energy was doing nothing to bring him back, only suspending the inevitable.
Mom floated Dad into the pentagram, laying him down at my feet before stepping back. I gestured at Sassafras who sighed and rolled his eyes before moving forward to take my hand.
"This won't work," he snapped.
"Says you," I snapped back. "We're trying it. So shut up and help me."
Mom looked incredibly helpless, so strange for her. Meira slid into her embrace as the two of them simply stood, forced outside action, relegated to watching. I could only imagine how hard that was for Mom.
I gathered my demon power, feeling Sassy's reach for me, my free hand wrapped around the sorcerous crystal in my pocket. As I reached for the edge of the veil, I bent quickly and pressed the stone against Dad's bare skin and willed him to come with me.
The veil ripped apart, almost gladly this time, as though it finally recognized and welcomed me. I looked up, now in Demonicon, Sassy still firmly gripping my hand with my outstretched arm hovering over empty air.
Turned out Sassy was right. I hated it when he was right.
No Dad.
I almost quit right then and there. Despair rose in my body, my demon softly howling inside me, hot tears rising in my eyes. But the steady grip on my hand kept me anchored, the continual flow of magic wrapping me up and supporting me. I looked up at Sass, knowing then his sullen anger had nothing to do with me, with my family, but only his own circumstance and the fact he felt so very guilty.
I didn't think as I stood, but wrapped my arms around him and hugged him so hard I felt his ribs under my hands. Sassy hugged me back without comment, just as hard, as if to tell me he was grateful I understood at last.
When we pulled apart, I turned slowly to face Theridialis. The portly demon watched with a gentle smile full of so much sorrow I knew he got it, too.
"I tried to bring Dad." I shook my head. "Sass said it wouldn't work. I should have believed him."
Sassy's hand squeezed mine in a little thank you. "Was worth a try," he whispered.
Theridialis gestured to us. "Come in, come in. We have much work to do. Sassafras, if you would?"
I felt my friend hesitate and turned him around to face me. "For me," I said softly, "as much as I don't have the right to ask. And for Mom. For Meira and every Hayle witch you've ever cared about. And for Dad."
Sassy swallowed hard, looking away from me before nodding once, sharply. He glared at his father. "Tell me what to do."
It was the hardest thing, sitting there, hands clenched together between my knees, watching as Theridialis ran his tests, the same one's he'd run on me, over and over again while Sassafras grew more distressed and my need to pace took over.
"Enough!" Sassy finally pulled free of his father, staggering back, clutching at his stomach as if the most recent attempt had injured him. "Enough. It won't work this way and you know it."
Theridialis didn't acknowledge what Sassy said, but I guessed he didn't have to.
Strike three.
Sassy ran from the room, brushing past me. I grabbed for his hand, trying to stop him, to tell him it was okay, but he refused to let my energy in even as he jerked free of my grasp and stormed out through the heavy metal door.
"Let him go." Theridialis sagged to his stool, rubbing his red face with both hands, sighing deeply as if the act would expel the sadness I saw in him. "He's correct, of course. My son is many things, and brilliant is one of them."
I approached the older demon, but couldn't bring myself to sit down. "What else can we do then?"
He shook his head slowly, whole body seeming to deflate in defeat. "I'm sorry, Sydlynn," he said, "but I've done everything I can. There is nothing more to try from here."
I wanted to latch onto his wording, to treat it like hope, but as he met my eyes, I felt that kernel of the possible die.
"If you would," he said with great dignity and calm, "I would like to cross over with you to say goodbye to my very dear friend."
A sob escaped me, just one. Just one. I couldn't afford another.
"What about Dad's family?" They deserved to know, didn't they? My grandmother... Mom said to stay away from my paternal relatives, but I couldn't imagine they would want to miss this.
Theridialis shook his head. "I've told them nothing," he said. "Best to let them think he's already gone, as has been supposed for months now." He managed a small smile. "Your grandmother never did approve of his mortal wife, Sydlynn. Inviting her across would only set a fire best left unlit."
Okay then. As sad as it was for Dad, I was suddenly grateful it would be just us in the end.
I turned and headed for the door. The metal handle was cool under my hand, the intricate scrollwork of a twisting vine coming alive as my skin warmed it.
"Take your first left," Theridialis called after me. "Then to the balcony. It was always his favorite place."
***
