by Emma Dean
Mika shuddered, wondering how that had even happened.
“I’d say anyone with the strength to take on his demon witches,” Morgana stated, crossing her arms over her chest. “Witches can no longer stay neutral. We were never meant to be. Like everything and everyone, there are varying degrees of good and bad. True neutral falls into evil when evil acts are witnessed, and nothing is done about it.”
“I also heard what the previous Head Witch did and said,” Mircella admitted. “And the Council’s orders never really sat well with me. You won fair and square and you’ve never done anything against the rules. So, why the huge push to keep you from your rightful position as Head Witch? Was it your age? Or was it because you were so clearly not neutral?”
“They don’t like dark magic.” Mika shrugged as if it didn’t bother her, but deep down it really did. No one wanted to do the work required to make sure people weren’t using the dark magics unethically, so instead they simply chose to create a stigma against using it. “And they really don’t like blood magic. I assume because anyone, including shifters and humans, can use it.”
“Then how is it your specialty?” the dean asked, leaning forward with genuine curiosity. “How does that work?”
Mika sliced her palm across the sword and watched the blood well with a detached feeling. “There are some spells that can only be done with my blood.” She whispered the spell that would project her memory for everyone to see. Mika flinched when she saw her brother again. “I can access the memories held in blood, and I can control it – a lot like elemental witches. Do I have permission to show you how?”
Mircella watched Mika’s memory play out, hesitating for only a moment. Then she nodded. “As long as there is no permanent damage.”
“Pain isn’t a requirement,” Mika murmured, concentrating on the dean’s blood. Her fingers wiggled and the dean reached up with wide eyes and pulled her hair out of the bun. Then she forced the dean to shake out her raven hair and flip it over her shoulder. “I can’t control your words, but I can force you to use your own magic.”
Just a thought and a twist of her fingers…Mika summoned a witchlight with the dean’s power through her. More specific spells were difficult, and she couldn’t control such complexity with more than one person.
It’s why she’d only been able to use raw power with Cassandra’s twelve.
A second later she released Mircella and the blood dream.
“That was so weird.” The dean shook out her hands. “I see why they’re terrified.”
“Well, I’m the last one as far as I know. I haven’t had the time to search for more, and I’m terrified that if I do, Azrael will piggyback on my spell and get to them first.” Mika vanished Excalibur and stood. “So?”
“Bring me proof so my ass is covered, and we’ll talk to the students tomorrow.” Mircella stood. “They are my first concern.”
“Those who decide to stay…I’ll do my best to protect them, but at the moment no one is safe. If I fail, Azrael will rule over our plane.”
They studied each other and Mika smiled slightly. “I’ll have Dagon bring you the books and the proof tonight.” She reached out, waiting to see if the dean would trust her.
Without hesitation she took Mika’s hand, even after seeing what it could do. “I look forward to it.”
Dagon took a step away from her after they’d teleported. He hadn’t wanted to bring her here, but Mika needed to talk to Eisheth. There were some things she needed to understand before making her next steps.
“Mika darling,” Eisheth said, glancing from her to Dagon. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
She inspected his pristine, white loft. It was nice for November. The Southern California weather was so mild most of the time.
“I spoke to Emily, my other cousin.”
The demon actually blushed. “Yes, well. Considering what she told me we decided not to tell anyone. Don’t worry though, love. Kenzie is the only one who actually knows who she is.” He shrugged and closed his book. “Are you here to yell at me?”
Well…
She had been.
Now Mika didn’t know what to think. She slumped into one of his armchairs and Dagon refused to move, still looking uncomfortable.
“I want to yell at you, but I’m too tired.”
Eisheth chuckled and snapped his fingers. The cup he handed her was tea, not alcohol. Mika sniffed the fragrant drink, and then took a sip. It was relaxing and slightly sweet.
“We almost lost today,” Mika told him, holding the cup close. “And it was just a test run.”
“The Morrigan told me you helped her get a lead on Azrael’s whereabouts,” Eisheth said carefully.
“Why me? Why us? Why not all the powerful demons and gods Lucifer has access to? Why not you and the angels? I don’t understand why this is my burden to bear.” Mika set her cup down on the coffee table and sighed, running her hand through her messy hair. “Why not someone more powerful?”
“The angels are a bunch of bastards who forsook earth a long time ago,” Eisheth snapped. “They’re worse than useless and resent humanity. They hate what they consider ‘abominations’ which would be, you guessed it, paranormals.”
“Why?”
“They are not the Christian god’s creations.” Eisheth shrugged. “Most shifters were gifted their animal forms by other gods. Witches are offspring of the gods as well – or created by them. Depends on the god or goddess. They do not like what they call the ‘mutations.’ So, that rules out anyone and everyone in the heaven realm.”
Mika blinked, trying to absorb all that.
Dagon took a step closer to her, as if he sensed some of the tension in the room lessening.
“The demons and hellhounds under Lucifer have already been dispatched. But it’s pointless. They can only patrol hell except where Lucifer has been given permission to show his presence on this plane. As you know, Azrael is not in hell any longer.” Eisheth stirred his tea and took a sip from it, raising an eyebrow at her.
“Then why not Jess?”
“Or Kenzie?” Eisheth countered. “Both are capable.”
“Exactly.” Mika considered the demon. “But Kenzie might not be able to transfer the gift of Death, and Jess is a godkiller. She can’t transfer power either.”
“Right. There are others who may be more powerful than you, but you are one of the few people who can bottle that kind of power safely.” Eisheth sipped his tea and shrugged a shoulder. “Do I wish that it could be someone else? I suppose. You’d be at risk regardless. Now you hold the power of Head Witch, and you have the allegiance of at least one flock of ravens. Do you know how many ravens it took to take down the Armenian empire ruled by the King of Kings back in the day?”
Mika shook her head, feeling stupid.
“From all reports, it only took six.”
She picked up her tea and drank it, letting the warmth calm her. “And I have nearly five thousand. But they can’t kill demons.”
“That’s easily rectified.” Eisheth stood and disappeared into one of the rooms.
Was it really as easy as he thought it was? Demons were hard to kill.
“What about demon glass?” she asked.
“Only if the obsidian is imbued with the right magic,” Eisheth called back. When he reappeared, he had a scythe in his hand, one that looked a lot like the reaper, Khalida’s. “A true scythe forged in the fires of hell can kill a demon. They say it’s because it holds the properties of the very stuff that made us. And with our creation, we can be destroyed.”
Mika took the scythe from him and considered the blade at the end. “This isn’t obsidian.”
“It doesn’t have to be obsidian darling, all that you need is the right spell on an item that can hold power. Any crystal will do. So will hell-forged iron or blessed silver. To make those items even stronger you can dip them in the river Kokytos.”
“Kokytos?” Mika frowned, twirling the scythe like a bo staff. The way th
e blade was curved helped balance it. It was perfectly crafted, and she relished in the way it obeyed her. “This is amazing. It’s perfectly balanced despite the edge.”
“It was forged by Hephaestus, of course it’s perfect.” Eisheth sat on the couch and poured more tea, one leg crossed over his knee at the ankle. “The river Kokytos is where lost souls are found in hell. Humans used to think if they weren’t properly buried, they’d end up there, but really, it’s all up to the individual and the state they’re in when they die. Those who can’t find the will to move on will end up there.”
A god made this scythe.
Mika grimaced as she wondered if she could get a god to make her five thousand more.
“I still don’t get it,” Mika told him, finding the runic trigger. She pressed it and the scythe snapped closed into a small baton just like she’d seen Khalida do. “What does that river have to do with your creation?”
“Almost all demons were human once,” Eisheth murmured. “Lucifer took those souls and gave them new life. He tried to give them new purpose, hoping that if they died again, they would be satisfied and could move on. Lucifer may not be a creation god, but he’s still technically a god by most standards. He can make whatever he wants for the most part.”
“Hellhounds were created with the river Phlegethon,” Dagon told her. “The river of fire.”
“And reapers?”
“The river Styx of course.” Eisheth gave her a small smile. “The runes needed to undo a demon are heavily protected, but I’m sure Lucifer will give them to you. There is also the spell of banishment. It will send all demons back to their birthplace – hell. Which will then be Lucifer and Jess’s problem.”
“And what about you?” Mika asked, tossing the scythe to Dagon. She could only wield one weapon after all. Maybe Excalibur could kill a demon, maybe not. She’d have to test it out. “What are you going to do?”
Technically Eisheth wasn’t ruled by Lucifer. He was ruled by Samael, who’d been suspiciously missing.
“Samael and Lucifer don’t particularly enjoy each other’s company, but I’m working on him,” Eisheth admitted. “I’m here on earth for you. I’m the…let’s say the ‘go between.’ I can come and go as I please for the most part, so more than anything I’m the messenger.”
“You’re more than that.” Mika sat down next to him on the couch, leaning into her demon father. “Emily told me that you are the reason our reality hasn’t fallen into an apocalypse already. More than once.”
“Yeah, she likes to remind me of that too.” Eisheth put an arm around her and squeezed. “The weight of the world on my shoulders. No big deal.”
“No big deal.” Mika sighed. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing a good job.”
“You are too, darling.” Eisheth kissed her forehead and then turned to Dagon. “You’re treating her right, hellhound?”
Good lord, could no one mind their damn business?
“Just so you’re aware, Mircella De Rosa, the dean of the University of Morgana has promised to give me the island once I prove it’s mine.” Mika stood up and shook out her hands. She needed to get back to the eyrie before Corbin sent out a search party. “I’ll be moving the Collective there as soon as I can. The dean and I are going to give the students a choice tomorrow. You’re welcome to a room there of course.”
Eisheth grinned up at her. “Well, well. It seems we’ve come full circle. I remember the Morrigan telling me something similar not too long ago.”
Mika rolled her eyes. The demon had a warped sense of time.
She glanced at him, wondering if Eisheth knew what the Morrigan had given her.
Did he know she was immortal now? Or had the goddess kept that a secret?
Technically only Dagon and Morgana knew the truth.
Mika decided not to say anything on the subject. The fewer people who knew, the better. Especially when Azrael was trying to find out what gifts she had.
“If you can come by in the next week or so and help me set up the wards and whatever else we can, I’d appreciate it.” She reached out and took Dagon’s hand in hers. “Things are going to be weird for a while.”
Eisheth nodded, his face serious. She’d only seen that look a few times and Mika wondered what he knew that she didn’t. Hopefully he wouldn’t keep anything from her that might help.
Maybe she was just on edge, paranoid for no reason.
“I’ll be there, darling. Don’t fret. This place can get lonely.”
Dagon didn’t hesitate. He whisked her from the almost balmy L.A. loft back to the eyrie in a single breath.
When they landed on the platform, she looked up at those gates, remembering the first time she’d seen them.
Mika ran her hand through her hair and sighed. “Let’s go see who’s left alive.”
13
Things definitely could have been worse considering. Only two ravens had died from the fall. Not because of the height, but because they’d landed on rocks.
It was awful.
Mika felt guilty, she felt as though she should have been able to prevent that, but things were never easy.
“Mika, please talk to me,” Corbin practically begged. “You haven’t said more than two words since you’ve been back.”
“I told you, I’m completely healed.” She went down the infirmary hall again, checking each room to see who was mending and who was ready to be discharged. Not everyone had made it out of the fight unscathed.
“I know. Obviously, you’re fine, but you were gone for hours.”
Only hours? It had felt like days.
“It’s a lot, and I don’t want to repeat myself. If you can grab everyone – all the Heads, the coyote Alpha and whoever he considers Second and Third, Kenzie and the chaos, and Emily and her raccoons. All of them need to be there. Any word from Lucifer or Jess?”
“I texted them,” Dagon told her, hovering. He gave Corbin all the room the raven needed, but he hadn’t once left her side. “I’m still waiting for a reply.”
“What else can I do?” Corbin asked, clearly at a loss.
“Bring Lucien and Ethan home.” Mika turned to him, wishing she could tell him more. She kissed him softly. “I’m going to check on everyone in the infirmary and then take a shower. Ask everyone to be in the Administration room in two hours?”
Corbin’s hands rested on her waist and he stared down at her, clearly conflicted.
“This is a mission,” she reminded him. “A job like any other and we all have to do our parts.”
He nodded then and kissed her one more time. “Don’t leave this eyrie without letting me know first.”
She checked the next room. This is the one she was looking for.
“Please?”
Mika gave Corbin a half-smile. “I promise I’ll let you know if I need to go anywhere. Dagon’s a snitch anyway.”
The hellhound glared at her. “I am not.”
“You definitely are when it comes to Mika.” Corbin smiled then and slapped Dagon on the back. “But that’s why I like you.”
She watched Corbin turn and walk down the hall, stopping to talk with the various healers and nurses before disappearing around the corner.
“I’m not going to ‘snitch’ about what I know,” Dagon said, following her into the room. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“I know.”
Mika sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at Audrey. As a witch she didn’t have the same healing properties that shifters did. Everything on her chart said she was healing nicely though.
A witch had patched what she could, but said the rest was too complex. Audrey was waiting on the Head Healer, but why wait when Mika could do it herself?
She summoned her witch blade and made a long cut down her arm. One word and a bowl appeared in her other hand, catching the blood as it dripped down her hand. It wouldn’t take much, especially since the Morrigan had made her into something more than just a witch.
Tipping the
bowl to Audrey’s lips, Mika muttered the incantation from one of the books on blood healing.
The spell would take the power and strength from her own blood, and then use it to heal whatever was broken – much like the way her body naturally healed when she ingested someone else’s blood.
Audrey’s eyes fluttered open and Mika breathed a massive sigh of relief. She threw herself on Audrey and hugged her tight. “I was so worried about you.”
“You’re bleeding all over me.” Audrey hugged her back anyway. “Did we win?”
“Barely.” Mika pulled back and checked the healing wounds. “Are you okay?”
“Demons are hard to kill.” Audrey winced as she sat up, but it looked like the worst of it was better.
“I’ve got a present for you.” Mika turned to Dagon and the hellhound tossed her the scythe. “Don’t open it in here though.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Audrey jumped up from the bed and twirled the small baton. “Is this what I think it is?”
“A true scythe. You can definitely kill demons with it.”
“Wait, what about you Dagon?”
The hellhound shrugged. “I can kill demons with my bare hands.”
“Well.” Audrey sniffed. “Aren’t we special.”
Mika grinned, feeling the stress and panic fall away as she watched Audrey be a total dork. “I love you, Audrey.”
“Oh shit, what’s wrong?” Audrey sat on Mika’s lap and wrapped her arms around her neck with a worried look on her face. “Are you dying? Is someone dying?”
Mika shook her head. “You almost died, stupid.” She hugged Audrey again, hating how close things had been. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”
“Dude, you saved like fifty ravens from a terrible death. How were you supposed to know they’d predict the circle? And so what if they can make portals? We adjust and figure it out.”
Mika stood, picking up Audrey, laughing at her sister’s shriek. “You’re the best.”
