Page 64 of Cast in Shadow
I cast him a grateful look for the change in direction. “Realistically, we should be able to handle her on our own. The tricky part will be if she manages to touch the veil and something in the Alius reaches back.”
Dennis’s eyes darted around the room, his long fingers twitching with the need to research something. “Are you sure?”
“About her plan? I’d say ninety percent. About what’s waiting on the other side? That’s a solid one hundred.”
“Maybe shewantsto be possessed?” Shay asked.
I gave my head a small shake. “I doubt she even knows it’s a risk.”
“She wants power,” Nguyen answered.
I gave him a little nod. “The Alius is like the holy grail of power. Tapping into that magic is a whole different level.”
In theory, it would make her one of the most powerful witches in our realm.
In reality, that wasn’t how it worked. The realm itself was dripping with magic, but a person couldn’t just touch the veil and absorb that power.
When I’d reached out, passing through the veil hadn’t been part of the plan. Hell, I hadn’t even known it was possible for a human to cross that barrier. I’d acted out of a desperate need to stop feeling hollowed out inside. And yes, I was secretly hoping the magic of the veil would just sort of take me. I had this vision in my head of it breaking me down into my base elements and returning me to the universe like scattering stardust.
If I’d known the real danger, I never would have risked it.
Or, hell, I might have tried it sooner. It wasn’t like I was in my right mind back then.
“If I’m right about what she’s up to, with the way her humanity is slipping, we’re all in trouble.” I went on. “The demons on the other side are powerful. Enough so that some of them could give the Brethren a run for their money. And they have all the time in the universe to watch and wait for someone foolish enough to make contact.”
They were all watching me now, listening in rapt silence.
“If one of them manages to dig into her mind when she’s in the throes of the spell, it could use her to claw its way into our world.” I tapped my temple. “Like an anchor.”
“But didn’t you say you went through the veil the other way, into the Alius?” Shay asked. The amount of awe in the question was a little worrying.
Swirling my whiskey, I took another small sip. “I did, but only because the demon that was waiting for mecouldn’tget in my head.” When it tried, my instincts rebelled at the intrusion, doubling down on my internal walls.
That demon hadn’t just pushed and nudged the way Emerson did either. It stabbed and clawed ruthlessly at my mental barriers, trying to thrash its way into the very core of my being. I had experienced some truly terrifying moments in my time but never anything so uniquely violent as that battle.
“It took everything in me to hold it at bay. The creature wouldn’t let me go. No matter how hard I fought, I couldn’t break free. But I knew I couldn’t let that thing loose in our world.” I might have been a miserable, heartbroken, shell of myself at the time, but that wasn’t the world’s fault.
“You drove it back through the veil,” Nguyen said. At least now there was no ire tinting his brown eyes. Just cold, hard understanding.
I nodded once. “Megan is already losing the fight to keep the darkness she summoned from consuming her. You can see it in the footage. She might still be wrestling for control, which Emerson thinks is the case, but even if she gets a handle on it, I doubt it’ll be enough to stop what’s coming if she makes contact.”
“Why not?” Shay asked uneasily.
“Because I’ve been in that battle. Magic alone won’t be enough. Our best bet is to lure her somewhere isolated and end her before she reaches out to the Alius.”
Nguyen finally grabbed his whiskey neat off the table and held it up by the base of the glass, looking at it thoughtfully. “What happens if we don’t get to her in time?”
“That’s where things get a little less clear. If a demon does come through, some ancient texts say the witch will essentially become a sacrifice, feeding the demon. Others say the demonwill take the witch’s body as host, subsuming her soul and magic. I can’t say for sure. I’ve never known anyone who’s seen it happen.” Like so many other nightmares in my world, I’d only ever heard stories.
Dennis let out a sharp breath. “A demon with the magical abilities of a rogue witch?”
I shrugged. “It’s one possibility.” And not much of a stretch considering what Emerson and some of the others could do.
“Can you pull it out of her?” Shay asked. “If the demon takes over her body, is there a way to pull them back apart?”
“Maybe. If it works like possession, then yes, but separating a demon from a human requires a stronger demon.”
“Which is why you want Emerson involved,” Shay said, nodding. “But if he’s that strong, why wouldn’t he just kill Megan with the demon inside her?”
