Demonglass (11 page)

I
stopped myself just before I reached into my pocket, but it still felt like the coin was burning a hole in there. My mind flew in a million different directions. How could Dad know that Archer was there last night? Did he know I’d taken the coin? Archer had said he’d use it to find me. Maybe Dad wanted to use it to lure him here.

But before I could have a mental breakdown, Dad said, “I know it’s uncomfortable to talk about, but it’s very important that I have a clearer understanding of what happened last semester.”

“Oh,” I breathed, hoping it didn’t sound too much like a sigh of relief. “I told you. Mrs. Casnoff made me write a statement to the Council a few weeks after it happened. Everything’s in there.”

“I read that. And neither I, nor the rest of the Council, believe it contains the entire truth.”

I made a sound that I’d like to say was a cry of indignant outrage, but it was actually closer to a bleat. Probably because Dad was right: that stupid statement didn’t even begin to touch the whole truth.

“Your entanglement with Archer Cross—”

“We were never
entangled
,” I spluttered.

“Listen to me!” Dad snapped, and I shut my mouth with an audible click. He lowered his voice as he continued. “Did you see Archer at Shelley’s last night?”

For just a second, I thought about lying. But there was something in the way Dad was watching me that indicated he already knew the answer. Lie, and this whole thing would just get that much worse.

“Only for a minute.” I said the words in a rush, like the faster I got them out there, the easier it would be. “But Dad, he protected me from the other Eyes. He could’ve given me to them, or killed me himself, but he didn’t. And I think there’s something weird with him being in The Eye, because he’s still using magic—”

Dad grabbed my shoulders. His grip wasn’t all that tight, and it’s not like he shook me or anything, but something in his gaze made the words dry up in my throat.

“You can never see him again. I’m saying this both as your father and as head of the Council. It is
imperative
that you have no further contact with Archer Cross.”

I knew all of that. But there was something about having it actually said out loud that physically hurt. “I get it,” I said, looking down. “I’m a demon, he’s an Eye. If we got together, think of how awkward family holidays would be. Magic and daggers flying around, knocking over the Christmas tree…”

Dad didn’t crack a smile at my joke, but I couldn’t blame him. I think the fact that I practically choked out the words killed some of the humor.

“It’s more than just that,” Dad said, releasing me and stepping back. He sighed. “Sophie, Archer Cross is perhaps the greatest threat Prodigium have ever faced.”

I stared at him. “Okay, I know that The Eye freaks everyone out, but I saw them in action last night, Dad. They’re not
that
scary, and Archer’s one of the youngest ones.”

“Yes, but he’s also a warlock. In the past, The Eye has used the element of surprise and sheer numbers to hunt us down, much like what you saw last night. But if they were also capable of using magic? We’d lose the only advantage we have. The idea that L’Occhio di Dio could recruit one of our own is terrifying to Prodigium. It’s why Archer Cross has to be found, and dealt with.”

“You mean killed,” I said flatly.

“If that’s the Council’s ruling.”

I walked over to the nearest window. It was warped with age, distorting my view of yet another garden. This one wasn’t nearly as pretty as the others. The fountain was covered in moss, and one of the stone benches had cracked in half.

Dad came up behind me. In the glass, I watched his hands hover over my shoulders before coming to rest at his sides. “Sophie, I know this is difficult to understand, but these are very dangerous times for us. When we arrived, you asked why the Council was here at Thorne Abbey instead of in London.”

“Lara said there had been some ‘unforeseen events,’” I said without turning around.

His eyes met mine in the window, our faces wavy. “Yes. Namely, that L’Occhio di Dio burned Council Headquarters to the ground two months ago.”

Now I did turn around. “What?”

“That’s why there are only five Council members here at Thorne. The other seven died in the attack.”

Even though I hadn’t know any of the Council members, I felt his words like a punch in my gut. I couldn’t think of anything to say but, “Why didn’t we hear about that at Hecate?”

Dad turned away from me and walked over to one of the tiny gilt-and-velvet chairs that lined the walls.

He sighed as he sank into it. “Because we’re working very hard to keep that knowledge secret. If it got out, it would cause panic, and we simply can’t afford that right now.”

He looked back at me. “Can I be brutally honest with you, Sophie?”

It would make a nice change,
I considered saying. But I looked at his sagging shoulders, the naked fear on his face. Taking a deep breath, I nodded. “Please.”

“Do you remember the war we talked about, between The Eye and Prodigium? It seems we are on the verge of another, but one that has the potential to be far, far worse. The Eye did not attack Council Headquarters on their own. They had help from the Brannicks.” He paused, his eyes searching my face. “Do you know anything about the Brannicks?”

“Irish girls, red hair,” I replied, remembering a picture of them from Mrs. Casnoff’s “People Who Want to Kill Us All” lecture at Hex Hall last year. I also remembered Mrs. Casnoff saying that if the Brannicks and The Eye ever teamed up, we were screwed. “They’re like white witches, aren’t they?” I asked.

“Descended from one, yes. They don’t have any powers anymore, not really. They heal more quickly than regular humans, and there’s still the odd bit of magic that surfaces in some of them. Mild telekinesis, precognition, that kind of thing. Their numbers have diminished over the years, but they have a new leader, Aislinn Brannick. Apparently, she’s a great deal more ambitious than her predecessors. And now it seems she’s reached out to The Eye.”

My magic buzz was completely gone now, and I leaned against the windowsill. “Why? I mean, what changed to make them team up and get so serious about killing us?”

“Nick and Daisy,” he said flatly. “The knowledge that someone has started raising demons for the first time in sixty years has put them on edge. But of course, most Prodigium are equally distressed that one of our kind is part of their ranks. The entire situation is…well, I’m afraid
tense
doesn’t begin to cover it. Combustible, let’s say.” He got up, coming to stand in front of me again. “Sophie, do you understand now why I will do anything to convince you not to go through with the Removal?”

Great. More about my duty, and great responsibility coming with great power and all that. “Sure,” I said, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. “It’s like you said the other night about Alice: demons make pretty awesome weapons, and if there’s a big war coming, you guys will need me, right?”

Dad stared at me, frowning, and I tore my eyes away from his, biting the inside of my cheek.

“No,” he said at last. “That’s not it at all.” He touched my shoulder until I looked at him again. “Sophie, I would never use you as a weapon. I want you to have your powers so that you’ll be safe. The thought of you completely defenseless against The Eye and the Brannicks?” His voice shook on the last word. He cleared his throat. “It terrifies me.”

I blinked against the sudden stinging in my eyes. “But if I went through the Removal, they wouldn’t be after me anymore, right?” I hadn’t meant for it to sound so much like a plea.

Dad shook his head. “It wouldn’t matter if you had your powers or not. You’re still my daughter. At least with your powers, you can defend yourself.”

My hands were trembling, so I shoved them into my pockets. My fingers brushed the gold coin, and I jerked as though it had burned me. Dad glanced down, and I quickly said, “Why didn’t you just tell me that in the first place?”

His eyes met mine. “Why haven’t you told me the truth about you and Archer?”

“We were just friends,” I said. “How many times do I have to say it?”

When he didn’t say anything, I rolled my eyes. “Okay, so I liked him. I had a crush on him, and—” I wasn’t sure if the heat in my face was from embarrassment or anger. “And yes, one time we kissed. But it was just the once, and about ten seconds afterward, I found out he was an Eye.”

Dad nodded. “And that’s it. That’s the whole story.”

Why oh why wasn’t there a giant hole in the floor that I could plummet through, preferably to my death? “Yeah, that’s it.”

“Well, that’s something,” Dad said, running a hand through his hair. “At some point, I want you to add that to your original statement.”

We were quiet for a long time before I wiped my sweaty palms on my dress and said, “Is there anything else horrible happening that I need to know about?”

Dad gave a humorless laugh as he ushered me toward the door. “I believe that covers all the current horror.”

Another question suddenly occurred to me. “What about Nick and Daisy, Dad? I know you said you didn’t want to use me as a weapon, but—”

“Never.” His voice was quiet but steely. “What was done to them was a crime, and whoever did it is responsible for the dire situation in which we now find ourselves. Which is why finding out who changed them is so important.”

We paused on the landing. “What do you mean?”

“There is one other way to rid a demon of his or her powers besides the Removal. That’s for the person who originally performed the ritual to reverse it. Obviously, it’s too late for the two of us, since we’re third- and fourth-generation demons, and our maker is long dead. But it’s still possible for Nick and Daisy.”

I thought of them last night, so forlorn, talking about magic “pounding” inside their heads. “They’d like that.”

“I know,” Dad replied. “And I’m also hoping that doing so will…well, if not appease The Eye, at least remove some of their drive.”

I looked at Dad. I mean, really looked at him. His suit was probably a size too big, and there were deep creases, like parentheses, on either side of his mouth. He was a handsome guy, sure, but he seemed more exhausted than I’d known a person could be.

“Look,” I said. “Don’t get super-psyched or anything, but maybe…maybe we could do this again tomorrow. You know, the demon yoga thing.”

Somewhere in the house, several clocks began chiming. They rang out three times before Dad said, “I would like that.”

We walked down the stairs in silence, and after making plans to see me at dinner, Dad headed back to his office while I went to my room to check my e-mail.

There was a reply from Mrs. Casnoff, but all it said was, “Thank you for informing me.”

I leaned back in my chair and rested my crossed forearms on top of my head. She didn’t seem all that concerned. That had to be good, though. Especially since the last thing I needed was Elodie’s ghost hanging around. I already had enough on my plate.

The gold coin was heavy in my palm as I pulled it out of my pocket. I studied it for a long time before getting up and slipping it in my bedside drawer.

L
ater that afternoon, I went in search of Jenna. It wasn’t hard to find her: she and Vix were still hanging out in the garden. When I approached, shading my eyes against the bright sunlight, they were sitting side by side on the edge of the fountain, their shoulders touching, bare feet dangling in the water. I half expected to see cartoon hearts floating over their heads.

“Hi,” I called out, giving a particularly lame wave.

Jenna twisted around to look at me. “There you are!” she exclaimed, eyes bright and cheeks flushed. “Where have you been all morning?”

I kicked off my sandals and sat on the other side of her. The water in the fountain was cold enough to make me wince. “Hanging out with Dad mostly. You know, doing the father/daughter bonding thing.”

“Your dad is a wonderful man,” Vix said, leaning past Jenna. Her voice was low, and like Jenna’s, held just a little trace of a Southern accent. She was also ridiculously pretty with big green eyes and silky brown hair. No wonder Jenna was so smitten.

“Well, he’s definitely my favorite person on earth right now,” Jenna said, reaching down to squeeze Vix’s hand. “How cool was he, flying Vix out here?”

“So cool,” I murmured in reply. I wondered if it had even crossed Jenna’s mind that Dad had brought Vix here to distract her. Something about the starry look in Jenna’s eyes told me no. “It’s great to finally meet you,” I said to Vix. “Jenna talks about you all the time.”

She laughed. “Same to you. And of course, your dad was always talking about you, so between him and Jenna, I feel like I already know you.”

Man, first Cal, then Lara and the other Council members, now Vix. Did Dad have a blog about me or something? “My Daughter Sophie and Why You Should All Follow Her and/or Marry Her.”

“So what did you and your dad do?” Jenna asked.

I hesitated, but Vix pulled her feet out of the water. Bracing her hands on the edge of the fountain, she spun around so she was facing the other way. “I think I’ll go unpack,” she said. “I was so excited to see Jenna that I just threw my suitcase in my room.” She grinned, two dimples appearing in her pink cheeks. I noticed the bloodstone around her neck, glinting in the sun. “Come find me later?” she asked Jenna.

“Okay,” Jenna replied before shyly leaning over and brushing a brief kiss on Vix’s lips.

We watched Vix practically skip back to the house. I bumped Jenna with my shoulder. “Your girlfriend is soooo dreamy.”

Jenna turned back to me, her face glowing. “I know!” she squealed, and we both laughed.

When we’d settled down, Jenna pushed her hair out of her eyes and said, “Okay, so there are some deep thoughts going on in that head, Sophia Alice Mercer. What’s up?”

“What’s
not
up is a better question,” I told her. “Things are getting…intense with The Eye.”

Jenna watched me. “How intense?”

I sighed and kicked out one foot, sending up an arc of water. I didn’t want to tell her about Council Headquarters, or the dead Council members. Apparently that was so secret even Vix didn’t know about it, and she worked for the freaking Council. “Intense enough that Dad really, really doesn’t want me to go through the Removal.” I wiggled my fingers at her. “It seems demon powers might come in handy if a bunch of people decide to kill me.”

“Don’t say that,” Jenna said sharply.

“Sorry,” I replied, laying my hand on her arm. “I just…I’m really freaked out.”

Her expression softened and she covered my fingers with her own. “I know. The joking in the face of death thing kind of gave it away. But, Soph, please tell me this means you’re for sure not doing the Removal.”

I had to look away as another image of Alice crouching by Elodie, her silver claws puncturing Elodie’s neck, filled my brain. But then I thought of Dad’s face, so sad and scared. For me.

Squinting up at the top of the fountain, I took a deep breath and thought of my first night at Hecate, giggling with Jenna in our room. I flicked my hand, and immediately, the water turned bright pink. “Nah,” I said. “If I didn’t have powers, how could I do cool things like that?”

I’d meant to make Jenna smile. And she did, but it was pretty wobbly, and there were tears in her eyes as she reached over and hugged me. “Yay.”

“Yay,” I agreed, squeezing her back.

When we pulled apart, Jenna scooped her hair off her neck with both hands and tilted her head back, eyes closed. “Did your dad say anything about Nick and Daisy?”

“He—” I started. Then I caught a blur out of the corner of my eye, and something landed in the fountain with a resounding splash, drenching me and Jenna in a wave of pink water.

Nick surfaced, tossing his head back and sending droplets flying. If a demon and a vampire both staring at him with identical looks of “WTF, dude?” bothered him, he didn’t show it.

Instead, he gave his usual creepy grin and asked, “Did one of you lovely ladies say my name?”

“Yeah,” I said, glaring at him as I wrung water out of my braid. “We were just saying, ‘Man, I wish Nick would fling himself into the fountain like a nut job and totally ruin our clothes.’ So thanks for that.”

“Sophie’s right,” Daisy said, coming to stand next to the fountain. Apparently, wherever Nick was, she was right behind. “Tell them you’re sorry.” Her words might have sounded sterner if she hadn’t been looking at Nick like he was something tasty to eat. God, they were weird.

Nick sloshed through the water until he was right in front of me and Jenna. “That’s actually why I came out here, my darling,” he said to Daisy. “Sophie, I was a jerk to you yesterday.”

He didn’t actually say “jerk,” but another word that was way more accurate. I just raised my eyebrows and waited for him to continue.

“I’d heard all these rumors about you and that Cross guy, and I got the wrong impression. But the way you dropped those Eyes last night…” He shook his head. “I was wrong about you. And I hope we can start over as friends.”

He thrust his hand out at me. I hesitated before taking it. There was something about Nick that was like being around a wild animal. He was smiling and friendly now, but it felt like at any minute he could turn snarling and scary again. It reminded me of…well, Alice.

Still, I put my hand in his, meaning to shake it. But as soon as we touched, I felt magic crackle over and through me, so strong that I tried to jerk my hand back. But he held tight until, finally, the crackling sensation stopped. My hand slid out of his, and I leaped up from the fountain. “What the hell was—”

Then I looked down and realized I was completely dry. Not only that, but my demure black dress had been replaced with…well, another black dress, but this one was a lot shorter, sparklier, and also rocking a very low neckline. Even my hair was different, transformed from a soggy braid to silky brown waves.

Nick winked at me. “That’s better. Now you look more like the Demon Who Would Be Queen.” He heaved himself out of the water and grabbed Jenna’s hand. Within seconds, she went from drowned rat to hottie, her soaked clothes replaced with—what else?—a pink sundress. Of course it showed a lot more skin than anything Jenna would have picked for herself.

“Oh, lovely, Nick,” Daisy said, rolling her eyes as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

“What?” he asked once he laid a smacking kiss on her cheek. “They look better like that.”

Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed Nick’s free arm. His wet white T-shirt and jeans rippled, and suddenly he was wearing a Day-Glo yellow tank top and acid-washed jeans. “And you look better like this.”

I wasn’t sure if it was the ridiculous sight of Nick in those clothes, or the fact that I’d done a spell so easily—with absolutely no explosions—but I could feel my lips curving upward in a smile. As Daisy hooted with laughter, Nick narrowed his eyes at me. “Okay, now you’re in for it.” He waved his hand, and suddenly I was sweltering. When I glanced down, I saw that it was because I was now dressed like the Easter Bunny. But with the flick of one fuzzy paw, I’d transformed Nick’s jeans and tank top into a snowsuit.

Then I was in a bikini.

So Nick was wearing a particularly poofy purple prom dress.

By the time he’d turned my clothes into a showgirl’s costume, complete with a feathery headdress, and I’d put him in a scuba suit, we were both completely magic drunk and giggling.

My clothes shifted and slid until I was wearing a blue T-shirt and Capri pants. I sagged back to the edge of the fountain, the stone hot against my palms. Nick stood over me, back in his regular clothes. “Truce?” he asked, and I knew he wasn’t just talking about our magic duel.

I shaded my eyes. “Yeah,” I replied. “Truce.” Something about Nick still bothered me, but as buzzed as I was feeling, it was hard to remember why.

I tipped my head back, sighing as my hair brushed the back of my arms. Magic rushed over and through me. With the water splashing pleasantly and the sun warm on my face, the threat of The Eye seemed very far away.

Someone’s thigh brushed mine, and I opened my eyes to find Jenna sitting next to me. Nick and Daisy were sauntering back to the house, their arms around each other.

“You look like yourself again,” Jenna said with a soft smile.

I closed my eyes. “I
feel
like myself again.”

We sat there for a while in companionable silence. “I remember the last time I saw you this happy,” Jenna said.

Dropping my head onto her shoulder, I said, “Yeah, the day you got to come back to Hecate was a happy occasion.”

She snorted. “No, not that day. You were happy to see me, but you were also all freaked out and sad. I was thinking about the night before the All Hallow’s Eve ball. Remember, we raided the kitchen and you turned all the mashed potatoes into ice cream sundaes?” She giggled at the memory. “And all the beets into maraschino cherries. God, I think I gained ten pounds that night.”

“I was trying to cheer you up.” That had been right after Chaston had been attacked, and most of the school had blamed Jenna for it.

Jenna rested her cheek on the top of my head. “I know,” she said. “And it almost worked. But you were in such a good mood that night. Seriously, you were like, glowing.”

That was because just hours before the kitchen raid, I’d been on cellar duty with Archer. On that particular night, one of the pieces of magical junk we were supposed to catalogue was a cursed pair of gloves that had a tendency to fly around like a demented bat. We’d chased those darn things for twenty minutes before wrangling them into a jar. It had taken both of us to hold the lid on, which meant we’d been standing very close to each other, our hands overlapping. I could still feel how warm he’d been, pressed against my side. We’d laughed through the whole thing, and I remembered how badly my cheeks ached as I’d smiled up into those dark eyes.

“If the spell on these gloves means I get to be this close to a pretty girl, I’m totally stealing them,” Archer had said, waggling his eyebrows at me. We’d laughed again, and Archer had just been a boy I liked, and I’d thought the only secret between us was just how
much
I liked him.

This time when I closed my eyes, it was to keep tears from spilling onto Jenna’s shoulder. “Yeah,” I finally said. “That was a good night.”