Page 79 of Princess Avenged

I fight to gain clarity.

“So, we need to get through this portal,” I say. “Get the demon out of Phil. Find the right sword. And then stab the demon in the liver?” It sounds impossible.

Circe shakes her head. “The demon will not leave his host. He cannot be removed without killing him.”

“So, you’re saying we need to pierce the host’s liver?” Blade says. “Phil’s liver. We need to stab Phil.”

Circe tips her head to the side. “That is a somewhat complicated question. At the moment, the host and demon are both joined and separate,” she says. “And once the host and demon cross to the other realm, their relationship will change. It’s difficult to say whose liver it will be.”

I let this information vibrate through me, fighting to stay brave and objective, fighting to concentrate so I don’t forget any details. “So, you’re saying someone needs to cross over with Phil and stab his liver.”

“Not someone.” Circe looks into my eyes. “You. Princess, it is you who must wield the sword. The demon can only be slain by the one he marked as his mate.”

“What?” Blade takes my hand. “Ana has to stab Phil?”

I turn toward him, and concern is plastered over his face. “Can’t someone else do it?”

Circe shakes her head. “Princess Anastasia, this is something only you can do. To rid our world of this demon, to save the entire world from darkness, you must cross through the portal with this demon. And then, using the marked sword, you must pierce his liver.”

“Is there no other alternative?” I ask, breathless.

“The only alternative is sending the demon alone, and then permanently closing the portal, so he can never cross back. If the demon returns, he will gain so much power, there will be no way to stop him. Darkness will fall over the earth, as it has on the other side.”

Great. I squeeze my legs to keep them from trembling. Not only does this quest sound impossible—where do I even find this magical sword?—the other realm does not sound pleasant. I must be brave.

“So, where is the portal? And how do we open it? And where do I find this special sword?”

Circe turns toward Ember, her eyes opening with alarm. “I understood that you had already acquired the weapon.”

“We have a dagger with the right markings,” Ember tells her. “Perhaps the texts were translated imprecisely?”

Circe starts to shake her head no, or at least that’s how it looks, but she stops herself. “It is possible that the weapon is a dagger, not a sword.”

My mind continues to spin as I search for questions to ask. The news Circe delivered is massive, and yet it seems like we have even more to know than we’ve learned.

“You okay?” Blade asks, and I turn toward him.

“Where do we find the portal,” Zuben asks. “How to we open it? How do we go through and come back again?”

Circe stands, and the chair she was sitting on vanishes. “This part is the most difficult of all. The most carefully guarded secret. Only Ember can know.”

I stand. “But I’m the one who has to go through the portal!”

Circe nods. “That is true, Princess. But only a magic keeper can open and close the portal, and I have told you all that I know.”

“Everything?” Zuben asks, as if suspicious.

Circe nods. “Now, if you three will excuse us, I have more to discuss with Ember.”

Blade, Zuben and I head back toward the stairs that lead to the lookout point. After about ten steps, I turn back, and there’s no trace left of Circe or Ember, no trace even of the large rock shelf we were on.

Chapter

Thirty-Three

Ana

The plane floats up to the dock, meeting it perfectly, and the others are there to great us. Everyone except for Phil.

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