Page 93 of Princess Avenged

I nod. I face danger all the time. And of course I’ll make sure Ana gets back.

“You understand the importance of getting that demon into its rightful realm, correct?”

I shrug. “Blade’s pretty worked up about it.”

“He’s right to be.” Fear fills Ember’s eyes and she shakes her head. “Zuben showed me some images of what might happen on earth if that demon gains power. But based on what my council told me, those images barely scratch the surface.” She swallows, hard. “Evil exists in our world, we all know that, but our world is predominantly good. Only the most deviant amongst us enjoys hurting others.”

I nod. That tracks, even in my line of business, where I see more than my fair share of what she calls deviants.

“But if the demon gains power,” Ember continues, “that balance will flip. Evil will spread like an infectious disease, advancing rapidly over the earth. Tumors of malice will metastasize in everyone’s minds. Torture, murder, rape. They’ll become as common as eating and sleeping. No one will be able to fight the pull toward the dark.”

She’s exaggerating. She’s got to be. But her earnest expression tells me she believes this.

I’ve seen how Phil’s behaved and saw how easily the demon controlled those DEFTA vampires up on that rooftop. Not to mention the silver cock cage that Rasputin planned to drive into Ana. Even without believing evil could spread on a global scale, I do know the demon can make others act against their wills.

“Sounds bad,” I say, because she seems to be waiting for a response.

“That’s why we need to get Phil out of this realm, and as soon as possible.” Ember’s voice is shaking. “The demon is taking him over, and the survival of the entire world is at stake.”

She believes what she’s saying. And if she’s right…

My unease and distrust are usurped by determination to complete this mission. Not only must I protect Ana, I need to save the world.

“What do you need me to do?”

“Go with them,” she says. “And bring Ana back.”

“That’s all?” She’s asking me to do something I already planned.

She glances down, then up again. “The Council of Magic Keepers thinks Ana will fail.”

My gut contracts. “Fail? Why?”

“First, she doesn’t have the right weapon. Contrary to what I said to the others, the council did not agree with my theory about the translations mixing up dagger with sword. They think the dagger you have was forged by the same weapon maker as the sword she needs, but they don’t think it will kill the demon.”

“So, we find this sword before we go. Is it in Paris?”

She shakes her head. “It’s not in this realm.”

I frown. “We need to find it over there?”

With a shaky hand, she brushes some hair behind her ear. “I don’t know what you’ll face on the other side, not exactly, but I do know it won’t be pleasant. You won’t want to stay long. And searching for a weapon? That would be worse than a needle in a haystack. More like a speck of stardust in the milky way.”

She’s exaggerating again. And she has no idea how determined I am. We’ll find this sword. We’ll kill this demon.

“Anything else?”

She nods. “Once you’ve crossed, the demon will gain even more power over Phil.”

“What do you mean more power?”

“Let’s say that right now, Phil is roughly eighty percent himself and twenty percent the demon?”

“I’d say ninety/ten.”

“Okay.” She shakes her head. “But whatever that ratio is now, it will be reversed over there. The demon will still want Ana, and he’ll still want to cross back to our world once he has her. And you won’t be able to trust anything he says.”

My throat goes dry, but I regain my composure. “I can protect Ana. Plus, I know Phil. Whatever happens, I’ll know if I can trust him.”

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