by Patti Larsen
I heard my door open, but ignored it. I couldn’t ignore the person who sat down beside me, disturbing the bed a little. Not when he spoke up, at least.
“I’m sorry.” There were tears in Sassafras’s voice. “You were all right to blame me. This is my fault.”
I sat up and hugged him, the furry blanket between us, remembering in a surge of emotion how, no matter how rotten or upset or hurt I was, Sassafras was always there for me when I was growing up. “No,” I said, “it’s not. You tried to save Dad, Sass.” I pulled away a little, for the first time accepting he was who he was now and finally coming back to myself. My demon hummed her unhappiness and reached for him at the same time. “Thank you.”
His slumped shoulders straightened a little. “I have an idea,” he said, soft and tentative as if he feared speaking it aloud.
I felt a shudder move through me at the very thought of a plan. “Did you tell Mom and Dad?”
Sass shook his head, scowling again. “They are lost in la-la-liar land,” he said, his old sarcasm returned. I took it as a good sign. “We’ll have to try it on our own.”
“What’s the plan?” I almost leaped from the bed, eager to give it an immediate go.
Sass paused for a long moment, fingers twining in the blanket. “Syd,” he said, as if I hadn’t asked him a question first, “did you like me better when I was a cat?”
Tough question. “I’ve known you my whole life,” I whispered. “I don’t care what you look like.”
His lips quirked. “Liar,” he said. “Thanks.” His shoulders twitched as if he were throwing off something he didn’t like very much.
“The plan?” I jabbed him in the ribs.
He twisted to the side away from my fingers. “The plan.” His eyes glowed amber, the deep brown on fire for a moment. “We contact my father.”
“Um, I hate to burst your bubble,” I said, “but Dad’s been trying to get in touch with Theridialis all along. Hasn’t he?”
Sassy nodded. “And I was helping him,” he said. “But our power was so divided, we couldn’t get through.” I remembered Dad asking me to join him in the basement once, just once. He refused to tell me what he wanted or why. He tried to link my power to his. It worked fine, but whatever he was attempting failed and he’d sent me away with a scowl on his face.
“Is that what he’s been focused on?” I thought about all the time Dad spent in the basement. “Trying to reach Demonicon? I thought he was looking for a way to get his power back.”
“The only way he can do that is to connect with another demon,” Sassy said. “But without an effigy for the demon, made with his help, it takes a massive amount of power to summon one who isn’t expecting it.”
“I opened a gateway,” I said, “when we were fighting Cesard.”
“With the magic of three very powerful forces at your disposal,” Sass said. “Not even the family has that much magic to offer.”
“The Wild.” I shook my head at my own impulsive outburst. “Wrong kind of power.”
Sassy nodded, glum. “If my father is aware we’re trying to reach him, he may be able to help us part the veil. But I wasn’t connected to him, not since my transformation,” there was so much bitterness in his voice when he said it I winced, “and banishment.” He hugged himself and met my eyes. “But the moment I returned to human form, I felt it return.”
I stared at him in shock and a little anger. “You can feel your father and you didn’t tell me? Or them?”
Sassy looked away, a flicker of guilt on his face. “I wasn’t sure at first,” he whispered. “It’s been over a hundred and fifty years, Syd, give or take. Besides, I had no idea what any of this meant, not really. Not until your father and mother decided to give up.”
I wasn’t the only one who thought so, then. “Sass,” I said, “why are you bothering to tell me?” His head snapped around, face full of anger as I went on. “You could have just stayed quiet and kept what you have.”
“Thanks a lot, Syd,” he snarled. “Nice to know what you really think of me.” He lurched to his feet, but I was faster, grasping his arm and pulling him back down beside me.
“Sass,” I said. “It’s an honest question.” I let him go, but instead of leaving he remained, eyes locked on the carpet. “I remember what it felt like to be demonless. I would have done anything to get my power back. I can’t imagine it’s any different for you and your natural shape.”
He shrugged. “I’m used to it,” he said. “Being this way… it’s almost wrong somehow.” Sass looked up again, no longer angry. “You’re right, it is an honest question. But I’ve spent most of my existence protecting and guiding your family, Syd. I’ve lived with, loved and lost so many Hayle witches, sometimes I wonder if I can stand to go through it again.” He turned away, but not before I saw the tears well in his eyes. “I’m bound to you, to all of you, for better or worse. I’m not about to quit on you now.” He snuffled and swiped his sleeve over his eyes. “Unlike some demons I know.”
I’d known it, his history, the fact he’d been with us so long, was aware of it my whole life. But it only now struck me how terribly sad his life must have been, watching girl after girl be born, grow up and die, only to be replaced by yet another to claim his heart.
“Okay then,” I said, a huge lump in my throat. “Theridialis it is. Do you think your dad can help?”
Sassy made a face, wry but with a hint of amusement, the last of his sorrow fading.
“I may not think much of his parenting skills,” Sassafras said, “but my father is the most brilliant demon on Demonicon. If he can’t help us, no one can.”
***
Chapter Ten
Before we headed downstairs, I paused at my desk, an idea forming, fed by my demon side. She hissed a suggestion at me I hadn’t considered. Sassafras watched as I pulled open my top drawer and dug around inside, led by her prodding. He scowled as I exclaimed a soft, “ah-ha!” and pulled out what I was looking for, my demon humming in happiness at the sight.
“Where did you get that?” He frowned at the crystal I held up, the last of the light barely registering on its shining surface, the barest flicker of amber magic showing deep inside. I’d never noticed anything like it before.
“My demon,” I said. “Took it from Demitrius.” I'd forgotten all about it. She’d been trapped inside it, kept prisoner by the insane leader of the Chosen of the Light, only breaking free of the bubble of power he’d kept her in with my help. That same night Demitrius met his fate, the Wild went back to sleep in our yard. I'd emptied my pockets before bed and found it. “I tossed it in there,” I gestured at my desk, “when I couldn't get it to do anything.”
“What makes you think you can use it now?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “That's sorcery, Syd. You're a witch.”
“I know that,” I shot back while my demon chuffed at him. “This isn’t exactly my idea.” Amazing how she could manage a mental eye roll. “You said we need a big power source. Maybe we can find a way to use this together.” He looked fairly skeptical while my demon urged me on. “It's worth a shot.”
Sass rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine, whatever. Are we doing this or not?”
Cat or boy, he was still a smart ass.
Sass and I thundered down the stairs on the way to the kitchen. As we reached the bottom, I had a sudden thought, freezing in place, which meant he ran right into me.
“What the… Syd!”
I half turned, eyes meeting his in the growing gloom of the stairway, the last of the sunset showing through the living room window. It lit his scowling face with oranges and reds, making him look demonic.
“We can’t tell them.” I whispered it. “Not yet.”
He nodded sharply. “Wasn’t planning on it.”
I found myself flushing with embarrassment. My first intention had been to blurt it out to both of my parents. “Fine,” I snapped. “Let’s go.”
Before we finished the walk down the hall, I felt t
he wards stir as the kitchen door opened. Someone turned on the light, the sudden brightness washing over me, making me blink as Sass and I entered the room to find Uncle Frank standing there.
Nothing had changed with his appearance, but the feeling of him had altered. My magic reached for him automatically, just like always. Instead of shoving me away like he’d been doing since his affliction, his vampire power embraced mine a moment before shutting itself off again.
Definitely a step in the right direction. I went right to him and hugged him while Mom rose from where she sat next to Dad, a pinched and worried look on her face.
“Mother?” There was little hope in her tone. Uncle Frank hugged me back, body cold. He hadn’t eaten yet. I looked up into his face as he spoke, seeing the weariness in him despite his undead stamina.
“Nothing yet,” he said, voice a deep growl, the melted and deformed side of his face writhing as if still in pain. I refused to look away, sending him as much love as I could. He met my eyes with his one perfect blue one, the other a weeping mess of red and bubbling white. Uncle Frank actually twitched a smile at me before turning his attention back to Mom. “She’s leading me on quite the chase.”
Mom nodded, sinking back into her seat. “I’m sorry you have to do this alone,” she said, one hand reaching for Dad’s as if she wasn’t aware she was doing it.
Uncle Frank shrugged, arm falling away from my shoulders. “I hear you have more than enough troubles of your own.” He nodded to Dad. “Harry, I’m sorry.”
Dad smiled back, that steady calm I was beginning to hate with a passion smoothing his face. “I’m not. It’s as it’s meant to be, Frank.”
Uncle Frank frowned a little, as if he wanted to protest, argue, but he didn’t say anything. Probably because he didn’t get a chance. About two seconds after Dad stopped speaking, the wards twitched again as the kitchen door flew open and a second vampire rushed through.
Sunny looked out of breath for someone who didn't need to breathe. Her long, blonde hair flowed around her in disarray, face tight, lined with concern. The moment she saw Uncle Frank, a low cry escaped her, but her worried expression eased at least.
He half turned toward her before ignoring her presence and focusing on Mom again.
“I hate to add to your troubles,” he went on, “but the Dumonts are definitely up to something, though I couldn't find out exactly what.”
I felt a quiver of guilt run through me. Hadn't Quaid warned me months ago they were working on something? I only now remembered because Uncle Frank mentioned it and kicked myself I hadn't told Mom. Mind you, it was obvious the Dumonts were constantly up to something and since Quaid didn’t give me anything concrete to go on, it’s not like I held back some huge important secret. Besides, I'd been pretty distracted since he told me, what with the Sidhe Gate opening and the world almost ending and all.
Mom simply shrugged. “It's clear they won't stop now until they've either destroyed us or forced me to destroy them.” She sighed as Dad gently stroked her hand. “But thank you, Frank. Are you going back out to search for Mother?”
“As much as I feel like I'm chasing my tail,” he said with some of his old, boyish humor, “I don't see what else I can do. I'm pretty sure she won't let me find her at this point, but if something does happen, I want to be available to her if she needs me.”
“Not tonight.” Sunny's tone was so firm it startled me. I wasn't the only one. Uncle Frank finally turned around to face her, as if shocked to remember she was there.
She stepped forward, all flawless vampire gorgeous again, and took his face in her hands, her fingers gentle on the damage done to his skin. “You need rest and blood to sustain you,” she said, tone so intimate I felt like I was intruding on a very private moment. “But more than that, my love, you need your clan. You've been away so long and we miss you.”
Uncle Frank's shoulders stiffened when she touched him, but I watched him relax just the tiniest bit from the prolonged contact. When the last word passed her lips, he nodded slowly, his own hand reaching out, slow and tentative, to touch her cheek for an instant. I held my breath, knowing I was witnessing something precious, the beginnings of repairs to my uncle’s shattered heart. He dropped his hand and turned away from her, but she was smiling now and I knew then she would do everything she could to bring him back to us. “I guess it will have to wait,” Uncle Frank said. “At least one night. I'll keep you posted.” His blue eye met mine, the hint of a smile there before he caught sight of Sassafras and it widened. I realized then he had been so focused he never noticed the dark-haired young man standing at the entrance to the kitchen. Instead of saying anything, he saluted Sass who raised his hand in answer before the two vampires headed for the door. Just as they passed the wards, the creaking screen still open wide, they shuddered into shadow and vanished.
I jumped as the door slammed shut, no longer supported by their presence.
Mom leaned back in her chair. “I can't worry about her,” she whispered and I knew we were hearing her private thoughts spoken aloud. “I just can't.”
Dad tugged on her hand as he stood up. She rose with him, mind still far away, a puppet controlled by the soft touch of his grip. “She'll be fine,” he said into Mom's hair as he embraced her. “She's your mother, after all. Ethpeal can take care of herself.”
Mom nodded into his chest before perking up, her coven leader persona, the one I despised because it masked how she really felt, falling around her. She smiled brightly at me, beaming out her need for me not to worry. “Your father is right,” she said to me as if I was the one who was concerned. Honestly? I really wasn't. Gram was an Enforcer before she took over leadership of our coven, survived the attack of a crazed witch and her family, endured seventeen years of insanity punctuated by occasional returns to lucidity to warn us and protect us.
Oh yeah. Gram wasn't the one I worried about. The Dumonts, however, had a lot to fear.
Mom and Dad drifted from the kitchen. For a moment they paused by the basement door and I felt a surge of disappointment. But Dad actually chuckled.
“Old habits,” he said before heading for the hall and the staircase.
Sass and I stood there in silence, eyes locked on each other, as we listened to them talking all the way upstairs, not moving until we heard their bedroom door close. The moment we did, we both moved, the sound freeing us from our frozen position.
He was closer, but waited for me to precede him down the stairs, holding the door for me. I felt the tingle of family magic through the soles of my bare feet as I stepped down onto the cold concrete and approached the pentagram.
I fingered the crystal in my pocket, feeling the pull and flow of energy oozing through it, how my demon hummed with happiness now that I held it in my hand. I was right about one thing at least. There was tons of power in it. But accessing it... that would be the tricky part.
Unless my demon had her own plan. No doubt.
“Okay,” I said, feet firmly planted in the middle of the pentagram, butterflies rising from the bottom of my stomach to beat against me in growing agitation. “Now what?” I had reason to be nervous. The last time I'd done this I'd scared the crap out of myself. Mind you, I was still under the influence of Gram's magic and the geas she'd put on me to keep me from absorbing the power she'd forced on me. Maybe this time would be different.
The butterflies disagreed. Surprise, surprise.
“You'll have to close off your other two powers, I think,” Sass said. “They might interfere.”
That thought made me want to throw up. “Are you guessing? Because if you're guessing, you can forget it.” I'd been powerless before, thanks. Unlike Dad, I'd fought tooth and nail against it and never wanted to be cut off from my magic again. I couldn’t bring myself to believe he would turn down the return of his power if we gave him a chance to gain it back.
“Just do it,” Sass said. “Don't be such a baby.”
Ooh. He knew my buttons, all right. Stupid, nasty, a
rrogant... I sighed and reached within. Shaylee was sullen, but agreed. My witch magic fought me a little, but my demon was thrilled to finally be in the driver's seat, so she shooed it behind a ward and suddenly, just like that, I was flooded with the power of Demonicon.
It felt completely different to only be immersed in demon magic. There was a fiery tang in my mouth and my veins seemed to burn, my whole body tingling, skin ablaze with it. It was exhilarating and kind of scary all at the same time.
I turned to Sass who had an angry look on his face. “What? Am I doing it wrong?”
His lips whitened into a tight line. “Never mind,” he said. “Now, reach through the veil.”
I knew what he meant and how to do it. I'd done it before, after all, any time I'd drawn Dad forward and into his effigy. This was different, though. I was trying to open a doorway between planes with absolutely no connection to the other side, nothing to grasp onto. I only had my power to open the way.
I focused on how I'd felt in the cave, flooded with the energy of Torsh and all the stolen magic he'd taken from Cesard and the vampire virus. I didn't have access to nearly the strength I did then.
I shook my head as I leaned into the sticky, thick membrane separating the two planes. It was like battling a wet, flexible curtain of rubber swallowing any attempt to break through. “I'm not strong enough.”
Sassafras's power joined mine as his hand slid over my fingers. I felt my power surge forward, catch the edge of the curtain. For the first time I was drawn toward it, instead of fighting it, as though the other plane recognized me at last and called me home.
I opened my eyes, turning to Sassafras to tell him the good news, that it was working, when my fingers flexed around the crystal in my pocket and my demon finally acted. Would have been nice for her to warn me, to tell me just how much of her power lived inside it.
