Keeley Thomson (Book 3): Mistress of Souls (24 page)

If it came to it, that would be her opening play.

"Also... I moved everyone into the new house, so no one is at your place anymore. Figured we'd get out of your hair." She watched the other Demon closely, warily enough that it got a slightly baffled look from the blonde.

"I've been out of the stream of information, has something happened Keels? You seem... different. Upset." It sounded genuine, but that didn't mean anything coming from her, did it?

"Um...
Yeah
." She let it sit in the air, in case Darla reacted. Nothing happened except her watching closely for a while. Finally she asked though.

"What?"

"Barb was Xenses, he killed my dad. Charles. Decapitated him. We fought, if you can call him hitting me once half force and nearly killing me a fight. I managed to make a deal with him." She shrugged even as Darla jumped to her feet.

"He
owns
you? I'll... I'll kill him for you, I swear Keels. I won't leave you under his power. Can you tell me where he is? Are you allowed? Is he here?" She looked ready to run off and try, if nothing else.

Keeley shook her head, making a wry face.

"Hey, who's the Mistress of Souls here? You're the one that gave me the name and everything. I took
him,
of course. For a few minutes. In the end I told him to destroy himself and he left to do it, then the link broke, but I don't know if it was a trick or not. We can't really count on it working."

That got Darla to go wide eyed and give her a hug, which she didn't return.

"Best sister ever! You're right though, he probably copied what I did to escape him when he owned me. I killed myself to break the link. I let myself drown in the ocean, in Australia. It was near the time when the first private lifeguards were just coming into being. A man rescued me from the water and pounded on my back until I started breathing again, link broken. I imagine Xen had something in place to try just in case it ever happened to him. Bet that was a shock though, you taking him like that. He had to know you were younger than he was. Freaking hell though. Barb?"

Keeley nodded.

"He was always her though, if that helps. Makes us look bad, being fooled for so long and by we, I mean you mainly, since I only met her a few weeks ago. He knew about me though. Knows. Knows that I'm a baby Demon. He..." She fixed Darla with a stare and grimaced.

"When I had him, I was really weak. I'd boosted my healing enough to survive the first blow, but it took almost everything. Then I grabbed him. Real charmer by the way, I think he was really planning to rape and torture me. The thing is, I told him he couldn't lie to me, no loopholes or struggling, but he still did fight a bit. He also said that you were lying to me and that
he
was my father." She let that drop like a brick, but Darla just shook her head.

"He wasn't lying to you. He was
wrong
, understand me there, but that isn't the same thing as a lie. You're clearly Finias' child. No doubt at all. But Xenses was born insane. When one of us is that far gone it normally shows up in distorted beliefs about reality. If you had him, struggling or not, he probably couldn't lie, not directly. It also explains why he didn't kill you, if he thinks that. He's never had a child. To him he was probably being a good daddy, making sure he didn't destroy you by mistake. Works in our favor."

That got Keeley to glare a little bit.

"Really? He still seemed pretty sure he wanted to kill you, even as he was threatening to rape me. Grew the equipment for it and everything, while we talked. Rather overgrew, if the bulge was any indication. I can't see a lot of benefit there. Not exactly a warm and friendly family vibe. Plus the whole thing where you and Dan may just be stringing me along for some reason. How would I know if that's true or not?"

That didn't get an answer for a long time, but finally Darla, who she still thought of as her sister nodded and moved to her slowly leaning over a bit to hug her.

"You can't. You never can. It's one of the first lessons you know, never trust a Demon. Even ones you've known for thousands of years, that you've had to trust with your life. Worse, I'm your mentor, so I can guarantee you that at some point I'll betray you. It's part of the training. I mean it probably won't be for a while yet, but you can't trust that either. I could do it tomorrow. Maybe I already have? But we also have to learn to work together. Not just you and I, but all the Greater Demons that aren't truly insane. If we don't, the others will kill us all and then the world's screwed." She let go and stood back a bit, looking far too happy considering everything.

"I'm sorry about Charles. I liked him well enough. A bit of a shock to tell the truth. But Xenses does things like that. How's Sherry taking it?"

"Um, not that well. She keeps working frantically, not sleeping enough, trying to hold everything together I think. I'm watching her and not leaving her alone too much, but other than that... I don't know. She's sad. Even though the relationship was over it came as a huge shock and it was a horror. She insisted on seeing him. His head and body. I..."

"Good." The words weren't harsh, but there was a bluntness to them.

"That means she won't have a lot of doubt about what happened to him later. It can be hard on people to just hear about a death and never see it for themselves."

Keeley just sat, unmoving for a bit.

"So, odds are Xenses is coming back for you. Probably me too, but you for sure. Bente said he had others he was trying to get in on the action? That can't be good. I barely survived this last round, and while my opening move will be different next time, I have to assume his will be too."

Darla hugged her again and then sat back down on the sofa with a plopping motion that spoke of exhaustion, so had to be an affectation to influence Keeley's thoughts.

"No doubt. Well, we knew someone would be by to try and kill you eventually. You did good though. Even if you didn't destroy him outright no one that hears about this is going to want to challenge you anytime soon. Not for personal reasons. Of course that means you have to watch for ambushes and multi-Demon attacks instead. It's a war though. One that never really ends. If you kill them now the next Demon might be even worse. There's a balance to our kind, one that's delicate and hard to see, but I think it's there anyway. Not really your worry yet. We try not to get the new kids involved for the first hundred years or so. Not until after they get their feet under them."

She got up and marched to the kitchen, not asking if she could. That would be a sign of weakness. Keeley followed, still wondering if she could trust anything she'd been told at all. It occurred to her that she really couldn't, not without checking it for herself first. Maybe not even then. Not unless the other girl just couldn't lie to her.

Darla was looking through the cupboards, taking things out for a meal.

"I'll cook if you supply the ingredients?" She spoke the words carefully, not implying a bargain at all.

Keeley did.

"Deal."

It got a laugh from Darla, who turned to the stove with an unopened can in hand, It was enough though. For Keeley, the Mistress of Souls. There was a struggle, one just as hard as with Xenses, but after a minute the whole thing locked into place.

"Freeze." Keeley thought for a second, trying to make sure she had everything lined up. She needed the truth and while this wasn't the best way to keep a friend, it was the only trick she had that would get her what she needed.

"OK, betrayed you first. You may only tell me the truth. You will not resist me at all and will do exactly what I say on every level of being until I release you. Do you understand?" She waited but Darla sighed.

"Yes. You didn't have to do this Keeley."

"I did too. Sorry, but I need the truth. Now, when we're done here you're going to go and kill yourself."

That got big eyes and a panicked look until she explained.

"Like you did to break the link with Xenses. Seriously, I'm not that evil. Only in a hospital and with the greatest care you can manage. Make sure you survive it... just break the link. Think carefully about it now and get it right. I'm not keeping you forever, just making sure I can trust you. At least as much as one of us can trust another."

She calmed then, but glared a little.

"Bitch." The word was biting and cold and a little sullen, but not angry.

"Yeah. Kind of. Sorry. Now, what lies did you tell me today?"

There was no answer for a minute, but finally the words started to come, obviously being measured carefully, even if they had to be true.

"I didn't like Charles at all and thought he was bad for you and Sherry. I'm kind of happy he's dead now. It makes it less likely he'll come back and get in my way." She grimaced.

Keeley nodded though, just filling that away for the future. She waited since there was obviously more to come.

"I'm also not planning to betray you. I was just saying that. I need you to be ready for anything. Xenses will probably kill us both now, if he can. If he or someone else replaces me, or takes over my mind, you have to be willing to stop them. Scaring him wasn't a good plan Keels. One way or the other you
killed
him and he has to know that next time you'll make it stick if you get him again, which you can. Obviously. This is a lot more dangerous than I was letting on. On the good side he really isn't your father in any sense of the word. I've always been honest about that part.

I was pretending not to be that worried earlier, but I'm freaked. For him to have pretended to be Barb... that means he had to have help. High level, intelligent help, from someone powerful enough to keep him on task... for years. There are only a few Demons that can do that, but they're all old, powerful... and supposedly on our side. I don't know what to do about it. If we're going up against one of them our only real chance is to get the others in on our side. Everyone that isn't insane. No one has managed to do that for thousands of years. Greater Demons tend to be pains in the ass, as you've demonstrated here.

By the way, after I get free I plan to kick your butt for this. Or do something worse. It's impressive, I have to grant you that, but you aren't allowed to take me against my will. It won't be fun. For you I mean." She glared, but then smiled.

"I'm not kidding either. If I were you I wouldn't let me go."

"How about some leniency if I do? Sign of good faith and all?" It was worth asking after all.

"OK. I can do that. But you still have to be punished."

Of course she did.

"Fine. Just a few more questions, if you don't have anything else to confess?"

Darla pouted a little but waited, clearly done.

"How long did you have the whole thing planned, driving me here to your territory and all that?"

"Six years. That's when the council agreed I should be your mentor. I was pretty pleased that I called the time of your true awakening so well. Within days I think. Of course I was watching you for years, since Finias let me know you existed."

"OK... So who all knew about that? I mean if Barb showed up three years ago, and that was only half a year after you started at Raintree..."

"Finias, Tarsus, Metrial and Gregor. Basically our council. Well, Greg is in charge of this section, basically North America, not technically a member, but just them."

"One last thing then, well second to last. Which of them would let anything slip where the bad guys could hear? If it wasn't you."

She looked a little scandalized by the last bit, as if that wasn't an option. Anyone could make mistakes though. Even her.

"I don't know. My guess is that it wasn't any of us. There must be hundreds of ways to track a Demon and kids are the easiest, but only once they start waking up. Any number of us could have found you anyway if they knew to look, or me, and told Xen where to go."

That wasn't helpful, but was probably true anyway. Keeley waved to the stove and smiled.

"Why not finish making that meal, you'll probably need the energy in a bit." She helped, so it wouldn't be too much like she was using her sister for slave labor. After all, she really meant what she said about punishment and you didn't just spank one of their kind. It would be something a whole lot worse than that. It was worth it though.

Just to know what was really going on.

They were silent, working side by side for a long time after they ate Darla stood, but didn't turn to leave or anything.

"You had a last question before I could go and break the link?"

"Yeah." She stood herself and moved so that she was right in front of her sister eyes locked and steady.

"Do you want me to help you destroy Xenses?"

There was no hesitation at all, she just nodded.

"It's why I got myself put in as your mentor Keels. I want that more than anything in reality. I've wanted it from before you were born or had a name. If you do that, I will forever be in your debt. I don't even care if what follows him into existence is a thousand times worse. He needs to be removed from the Universe."

She nodded, there was true passion for the subject there. It worked well enough for her given everything. Keeley wasn't letting herself feel grief for her dead father, but Xenses would pay for it.

Even if it cost her life to do it.

"Alright. I'm in then." She waved, a little nervous about this next part.

"Now go and carefully sever the link by killing yourself. Do it carefully sis. I need you."

She really did.

Seconds later the kitchen was empty except for her, so she started cleaning, knowing the Sherry didn't need the extra burden just then.

A little over half an hour later she felt the link break between Darla and herself. It was a relief. She just hoped it had been done right.

Smiling a bit she also hoped that her punishment wouldn't be too awful. It probably would, but there was no use worrying about it. In the end Darla needed her alive, at least if she wanted her help taking down their brother.

Their crazy, crazy brother. The sad thing there was that she was going to kind of miss Barb. She'd get over that though. She had a mission now, and a good goal always made it easier to plan. After she was done being tortured she'd have to make a point of training like there was no tomorrow, because that was probably the case.