Chapter 46: Demon Magic
It wasn't until Sassy cried out and I felt the presence of my father I grasped the full extent of what Batsheva planned. She floated the granite effigy of Haralthazar into the circle before closing it tightly behind him. His statue settled in the pentagram, cold and lifeless, but an open vessel for his presence.
Sassafras cried out again, ending in a hissing, snarling growl. He pulled himself free of Meira's arms and dragged his horribly damaged cat body toward the statue, useless back legs lurching along behind him.He worked his way forward with his front paws, claws tearing at the dirt as he went. I wanted to cry at the trail of fresh blood he left behind, to throw a fit, curl up in a ball and make it all go away. But I didn't. I watched our brave and broken Sassafras as he gathered the last of his strength and used it to get to Dad.
The statue warmed, the stone becoming flesh, real, and I knew why they kidnapped Sass. They needed a demon focus, someone to channel the unfamiliar power through, to bring my dad across, unknowing, trusting the feel of Sass, so they could trap him. I knew I was too late to stop that, a whole day too late. He had clearly been under their control since the twins were attacked. That's why Mom hadn't been able to feel him anymore. Batsheva probably used that very surge to fuel what she was doing and form the cage that now held my father prisoner. I wracked my brain as he grew more and more real.
There must be something I can do, I thought. Anything!
As Dad's face became mobile, it twisted into a mask of pain.
I'm not sure what Quaid thought he could accomplish, but I was very grateful to him for trying. He spun and threw his power toward his mother, but not at her. He sent a focused beam through the connection between her and the statue. If he was stronger, had a little more time, I know he would have succeeded.
Two things happened at once. Dominic, in the background, struck Quaid in the back of the head with his fist, knocking him to his knees while Batsheva siphoned the homeless energy into herself.
She had the nerve to laugh.
"Bad boy," she said to Quaid who lay groaning on the ground. "You will be punished later."
Because of Quaid's sacrifice, I now had the seeds of an idea but no way to carry it out. From Mom's face she knew what I was thinking. She wasn't any better off than me. I had to find a way to make it work.
"Can you feel it, Miriam?" Batsheva glowed like a small star, her whole body swelling and retracting with the flow of it. "Can you feel my victory at hand? With Haralthazar's magic and that of the Hayle family at my disposal, I am far more powerful than you ever were. But wait," she laughed, "do you know why I chose your precious brother and his aberration to seal the circle?"
"So you could access that source, too," Mom whispered.
Batsheva laughed.
"Oh, but that's not all," Batsheva went on. "No, not nearly. There is one other kind I need, one more type of magic to make me complete, all powerful, immortal."
The big black dog that was Jared Runnel let out a sharp yelp and collapsed.
"Batsheva!" He howled at her, twisting in pain on the ground as her power wrapped around him and started to feed. "What are you doing?"
"What I intended all along, dog," she hissed at him. I knew it was true as much as he did. No time for I told you so. She never meant to free him, only to absorb his life force like she was taking ours and keep it for herself. He howled like a wounded wolf and continued to struggle.
"The token of the Sidhe," Mom said. "This cannot happen." She pulled herself to her feet. I knew she was about to try something, anything, to stop Batsheva. She would fail and most probably die in the process.
"You cannot," Mom said. "I will not let you."
Batsheva laughed again, the light so bright I had to squint to see her.
"You have nothing, are nothing. I have taken everything you were, Miriam. It's all mine now, mine and you will never be able to stop me!"
Mom gathered her remaining power. It felt pitiful compared to what she once commanded. I was amazed she was still able to tap in at all. I fed my own waning strength to her but she pushed me away. She threw what remained of her at the bond holding the vampires in thrall.
I knew she was right, knew our best bet was to break the circle, to escape. Still, I couldn't help trying to come up with another way. Maybe it was wishful thinking in a terrible time of impending doom.
I met my grandmother's eyes. Ethpeal Hayle, unbowed witch who defeated the Purity coven and saved her family, looked back at me. She reached out and touched Meira's forehead.
"Your sister," she whispered, "looks like a demon but feels like a human."
I bent over her as I felt my mother struggle above me, trying to understand what Gram was saying. She touched my forehead.
"You look like a human," she said.
I was confused and desperate and wondered if she was really in there after all. But her stare held so steady, so full of intent, I knew she was expending the very last of her own energy to keep herself present long enough to get her message across.
I was just a little slow on the uptake.
"Gram," I whispered. "I don't understand."
"How do you feel?" she asked.
It seemed like such a weird question I focused on it. How did I feel? How did I feel?
It hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt like a demon. As the struggle for reality left her, I hugged her and whispered, "thank you" in her ear. Gram dissolved back into insanity.
She tried to warn me all along and I didn't listened. She wanted me to pay attention, but I was too busy or too angry with Mom or too wrapped up in my own crap to get it. But I understood it now.
I felt like a demon and she was pissed off big time.
Mom collapsed, spent, her efforts wasted. She crumpled to the ground, still alive and conscious, but barely.
Batsheva laughed again. Jared, Galleytrot, writhed next to her, the light fading from his huge red eyes. His met mine. There was desperation there, and, finally, a promise.
Time to act.
The demon roared her approval.
***
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