“Some witches, however, were not fully committed to the cause. Some witches rebelled, because they saw the closing of the portals as a great opportunity lost. To have access to other worlds, to new realities, to learn their secrets… it was not a gift to be discarded so rashly.”
“You were one of them,” Phillip breathes. “Weren’t you?”
“No. This was long before my time. I always have, however, shared their opinion. So, when I was given the Gift of Immortality, I took it upon myself to gather scraps of anything the dissenting witches left behind. I took it upon myself to collect as many artifacts as I could that were linked in any way to sorcery.”
“And what did you discover?” I ask.
“The ancient witches were not able to sever the connections between worlds completely. A few, they eliminated… but most, they simply masked. They did not have the raw strength required to close the portals.
“The masking spells, however, had to be maintained. So they created objects called torrials that did exactly that. But the dissenting witches… they also created objects of power. A counter to the torrials, called contra’ torrials, are used to summon creatures out from other worlds.
“Using a contra’ torrial requires blood magic. The sort that you activated when you let Eleira’s blood drip onto this book.”
Phillip has gone an even paler shade of white. “I had no idea.”
“Clearly.” Mother looks to me. “Now get Eleira to my rooms. Hurry. Don’t let any others see you—you don’t know what they might attempt if they saw Eleira like this.”
“Oh, I have a very good idea,” I say darkly.
I also know, that until Eleira wakes, I won’t leave her side… and the other vampires would be fools to try anything against me.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
SMITHSON
“There’s been a complication,” my Queen informs me.
I stand with my back rigid and my arms clasped behind me. I show none of the discomfort I feel at being summoned personally by the Queen so soon after my little talk with April. “Yes?”
“A demon has been summoned. It’s loose in The Haven now.”
I blink, caught completely off-guard. “A demon?”
“A Narwhark, to be precise.” She peers at me. “You have experience with those, don’t you? In your… previous life?”
“You mean my time with The Order.”
“When you hunted down clan after clan of witches, yes,” she says. Her voice is flat, emotionless. “When you burned so many of my sisters.”
“I put all that behind me the day you turned me into a creature of the night,” I vow. I go to one knee. “I am eternally grateful for the gifts you have given me.”
“Hmm,” she considers. “Charming. Now get up. I don’t like to see the Captain Commander of my guard groveling.”
I hide my scowl and rise. “I’ve… only heard rumours of demons, my Queen. The Order never considered them anything more than folk stories. Meant to frighten children and old folk. Not to be taken seriously.”
“Then you don’t know about the role witches played in cleansing the world of such demons?”
I shake my head.
“Interesting. Perhaps if you had, you wouldn’t have persecuted us so.”
“That was a long time ago,” I say. “I know who I am now. If you brought me here to question my loyalty—”
She smiles a grim smile. “Whatever would give me reason to do something like that? You’re not feeling guilty over something, are you?”
“I have nothing to feel guilty for,” I lie.
“So you say, so you say.” She sighs and sits. “Demons are real. The Narwhark is real. And it’s loose in The Haven.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Keep order amongst the vampires. The Narwhark is unpredictable. It is much like us—a predator. But it kills without discretion. It’s wounded now and hiding. A search would be useless. Even our vampire capacities won’t help find it. Only a powerful witch has any chance of stopping it.”
“So it falls onto you.”
“It does. But we have to wait for it to reveal itself. In a few days it will go for the humans. They are weaker, there are more of them, and they make for vulnerable prey.”
“You want me to protect them?”
“Oh, no.” Her eyes shine. “All I want is for you to be vigilant. When the Narwhark strikes, I will be the first person you inform. But—” she raises a finger, “—knowledge of the demon is not to leave this room. Only you and I and my two sons know of its existence. That’s how I want things to stay. There is no use causing a panic.”