Through a Crimson Veil (28 page)

Conor barely recovered before his father went on to the second part. That was less concrete, but Conor thought he understood the process. “Most demons don’t do this power sharing, do they?” he asked.

Sebastian shook his head. “Most demons don’t perform the bonding ritual at all, making it a moot point. But you’re correct. Even true vishtau mates rarely have faith in each other to this extent.” He paused. “From what I’ve seen, I doubt you trust Mika completely enough for it to work, either.”

Conor scowled. He didn’t like the thought of his fath—this Kiverian—watching them that closely. He asked, “What’s the third advantage you think we have?”

For a minute, he didn’t think Sebastian would go for the change in topic, but with a barely perceptible shrug the demon said, “Well, it’s less an advantage than a positive consideration. If you and Mika are successful with your plan for the Council and destroy the incantation to lower the portal, you’ll most likely only need worry about the pair of
dark demons after you now, and not the entire branch for the rest of your lives.”

“Why? You said the Dark Ones are obsessive,” Conor argued.

“They are, but this is only one option for lowering the veil between worlds, and from what I overheard, it was always considered a long shot. After all, your position as the person who can remove the barrier is only legend. Many Dark Ones prefer more tangible alternatives. The duo assigned to you will remain fixated on Mika’s death and on your invoking the spell, but once it becomes known the grimoire no longer exists, the rest of them should turn their focus to their other plan.”

Conor mulled this over. He hoped Sebastian wasn’t feeding him a line, because he wanted this over, even if shutting the gate meant Mika left him forever. Above all else—even his selfish desire to keep her with him—he wanted his mate to be safe.

Mika had plenty of time to think. The Council had left her in the antechamber for damn near forever now, and that surprised her considering how eager they’d been to retrieve the spell. Maybe she was worrying about nothing. Maybe. Except, something about the guards on the demon side of the veil had left her uneasy. They’d acted…odd, and there had only been three present. Recently, whenever she’d used that portal, there’d always been four. That, on top of this wait, raised her anxiety.

Two other petitioners sat with her, and she unobtrusively studied them. The Nitah woman had given a faint smile when Mika was escorted in the room, but the other, a Elismal male, had ignored her. His snub wasn’t unexpected. His branch wasn’t as strong as they liked to believe, though occasionally there would be a powerful demon born of the type. Elismals thus had a sense of superiority that was unwarranted, but since she didn’t want to start anything, Mika bit back any comment.

With a sigh, she shifted. The small stone room was utilitarian and short on style, but then, why waste resources on making petitioners feel welcome? Even the rug she sat on was thin and worn to the point of offering no ease. Mika’s bottom ached from sitting on the stone floor and she shifted again, trying to relieve some of her discomfort.

It was the waiting. Impatience strummed at her, and she struggled to overcome it. She couldn’t allow her Mahsei nature to distract her from her goal. It was up to her to ensure Conor’s safety, and she wouldn’t fail him no matter how long she had to sit.

Mika straightened when the chamberlain appeared, but he didn’t come for her. Instead, it was the Elismal that received the invitation, and who shot both her and the other woman a disdainful look before leaving. It made sense that they’d summoned him first. Not only was he here before she’d arrived, but his branch was alleged to have ties to the Dark Ones, and the leaders would be leery of offending him.

It wasn’t easy for Mika to curb her antsiness, though—not when she knew McCabe would be worrying. And the longer this took, the greater the likelihood he’d use the gate. He’d absolutely refused to promise that he wouldn’t come after her.

The Nitah went back to her book, leaving Mika to occupy herself with her own thoughts. There was nothing she could do about Conor except fret over what action he might take, and that increased her fear for him. She needed to rid herself of it immediately. If she faced the Council in this state of mind, they’d sense it and use it against her. She had to be cool and confident when she walked into their chamber.

To keep her thoughts from straying to her vishtau mate, Mika considered what he’d discovered about their watcher. It made sense that it was a vampire, perhaps, but his shadowing of them made her wonder if he was working
alone or was part of the interspecies conflict in Crimson City.

She’d like to believe she was jumping to conclusions, but if Conor had heard rumors of humans looking to ally with demons, it was likely that vampires and werewolves had picked up the same information. What better way to make sure a coalition never came about than to reach accord with Orcus first? Maybe the watcher had waited near the portal for someone to be called across. It wouldn’t be easy to trail most demons, but he’d been lucky and she’d come through. Mika swallowed her humorless laugh. She’d been having so much fun playing secret agent at the time, it was unlikely she would have noticed if she’d been followed by an entire army.

But why had he wanted to follow her? She had a guess. Demons were scarce in the human world. Maybe he’d wanted to learn more about them before using the gate. Vampires could do what werewolves and humans could not—cross the veil and survive.

There was no telling with whom Orcus would choose to align, but one thing was clear: Both the Council and the Dark Ones wanted the barrier between the worlds gone. And Mika doubted either human or vampire was ready for the consequences. Both groups thought they’d be able to control her people, but they would quickly learn otherwise.

Mika fidgeted again before she caught herself.
I’m cool and collected. Not impulsive.
She needed to use her humanness, and to retain complete control during the meeting. The irony of her weakness being an asset wasn’t lost on her, but she had to focus on one thing right now—remaining in command. Breathing slowly and deeply, she reined in her emotions. She lost the rhythm when the Elismal stormed through the room, but resumed her calming breaths as soon as he was gone. By the time the chamberlain returned and summoned her, she’d reached a state of composure.

Inside, at the far end of the room, the four councilors were seated on large pillows positioned atop a dais. It gave them the height advantage whether the supplicant remained standing or was allowed to sit on one of the intricately-patterned rugs provided. Hanging behind the leaders was an elaborate tapestry with a human king bowing before a demon council—his lords and masters.

This was only Mika’s second visit to the Council Chamber and it was as impressive this time as it had been the first. High, vaulted ceilings provided a sense of majesty, which was accentuated by the many richly woven tapestries adorning the stone walls. Mika’s gaze absorbed every detail of the lavishly appointed room, lingered on each work of art.

Guards armed with swords were stationed on either side of the platform and at each entrance. Most of the weapons had jewels embedded in the hafts, but Mika knew they weren’t ceremonial. Each guard was a well-skilled soldier, and sworn to obey the Council until death. Curious, she checked their energy sigs. A number of them were Grolird, one was Setonian and several more were Kiverian. The only branch who wouldn’t think twice before starting trouble in here were the dark demons.

Mika continued forward until she stood before the Council, and folding one hand demurely over a fist, she bowed low. She didn’t rise until she was bade do so.

“You have the incantation?” en-Tanith, the Council leader, asked.

“Yes and no.”

One of the councilors shifted angrily at her reply; another scowled menacingly, and nin-Siath, the lone female councilor, glared at her. There was a soft glow in the demoness’s pale yellow eyes which told Mika how poorly her answer had been received.

“That is not an acceptable response,” en-Tanith said. “Either you have it or you do not. Which be it?”

“I have a copy. The original remains with Conor Mc-Cabe. He wishes to make a bargain, and has agreed that I may act as his emissary before the esteemed Council.”

The level of anger in the chamber rose at her words. In her peripheral vision, Mika saw the guards shift, blocking the exits should she be foolish enough to try an escape. This response was not unexpected, although she’d hoped they would give her a chance to speak. Her gaze swept the room, instinctively looking for alternatives should she need to run. There were deeply-set windows about twenty feet above the floor, and though they were narrow, she felt sure she could get through one—if she could only reach it before the guards caught her.

“You told him of your mission?” The question was hissed.

“I did not—my word on it, en-Tanith. There were Dark Ones in Crimson City working to ensure I did not acquire the spell. They enlisted the aid of a human, a friend of Mc-Cabe’s. This man passed along the information regarding my assignment.”

The four councilors exchanged glances, and Mika took another deep breath. She forced her fingers to loosen their grip on her fist; she couldn’t show any trace of nerves.

“Explain further,” nin-Siath ordered.

“One of the Dark Ones confronted me, and because I am so beneath him in power, deigned to answer my questions. He claimed his people are too strong to be enslaved to anyone’s will, and that their goal is to have the incantation invoked and the veil lowered, so that they may rule the Overworld as all demons once did.”

The councilors leaned toward one another to quietly discuss her information. When there was a lull, Mika added, “I told him that, since the Dark Ones are imprisoned in Orcus just as every other demon is, that perhaps they weren’t quite as potent as they like to believe.”

That brought immediate silence, and all four stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. Mika ignored the disbelief. She’d told the leaders this for a reason. They might think she was insane, but demons respected courage. What she’d done had taken guts.

“He was there to kill me. I didn’t think I could make the situation worse by mentioning this—until I recalled their penchant for torture.”

“And yet you stand before us.” En-Tanith sounded surprised.

“McCabe arrived and shielded me.” Not that they cared about her well-being, but they required an explanation. “The Dark Ones want him alive to recite the spell, although I don’t know why it is believed only he can invoke it and not any other half-demon.”

The councilor on the far left—the one who had scowled so furiously at her—spoke up. “The legend is quite specific: only a half-demon who is also an auric will have the strength to implement the incantation.”

The statement brought rebuke from the other councilors. and an argument ensued. While they chastised him for being too free with facts, Mika ran through the legend as she knew it. In the version she’d heard, there was no mention of an auric—but she wasn’t surprised that the leaders had info that the rest of the population did not. There were many demons, particularly those on the lower end of the power spectrum, who felt that they were told no more than what the Council wanted them to know. It had always been this way.

When the disagreement seemed to be abating, Mika put her thoughts aside and waited. Though she was curious how they’d discovered Conor’s abilities, she didn’t dare ask. It would be the same as admitting what he could do, and she wouldn’t verify anything for them. Their spat ended, and they turned their attention to her.

“What type of bargain does he seek?” en-Tanith asked.

She had to be careful here. “In very general terms, Conor McCabe would be willing to trade the spell—and to take an oath never to recite it—in exchange for his safety.”

There was a brief silence. “We must confer. Withdraw to the far side of the chamber.”

Bowing her head to show her respect, Mika backed away from the dais until she reached the farthest wall. She knew they weren’t deciding whether or not to take the deal—they were deciding whether or not to bargain on a
possible
deal. Even if they consented to a discussion, they might opt to decline any pact she’d offer.

They also would try to take advantage of her. But what the strong rarely understood was that the weak could be better at negotiating. They had more need to be. Mika only hoped she was sharp enough to close every loophole this time.

As her wait lengthened, she grew concerned about Conor. What was he up to? Was he becoming impatient enough to cross the veil? There was no hurrying the Council, and if they agreed to haggle over terms, the discussion would be protracted. She couldn’t rush this and miss an opening to help her vishtau mate.

At last they signaled her to return to the platform. “You stated that you have a gesture of his good faith. We would see this now,” nin-Siath directed.

“It’s in my trousers.” Mika didn’t move until she received a nod allowing her to proceed. From the rear pocket of her jeans, she withdrew some folded paper: a reproduction of a few half-pages of the grimoire. She held them up. “May I come forward and hand these sheets to you?” she asked.

En-Tanith’s nod held such pomposity, Mika fought the urge to smile as she passed the paper to him. He glanced down, then handed the sheets to the councilor on his right. It would have been easier to make an electronic copy and
let them read from her comm device, but human technology didn’t fare well in Orcus. If turned on, her energy pack would explode in less than a minute—hardly the right tone for negotiating a truce.

It seemed an eternity before nin-Siath asked, “He is willing to give us this incantation?”

“He is willing to destroy it and all copies.” Conor had refused to bargain unless he was the one to incinerate it.

“We do not trust this.”

She’d known they wouldn’t, but Mika also knew this was a sign that negotiations had begun. “I have the ability to make a tiny portion of the veil transparent for a brief time. McCabe will not cross the portal, but the esteemed Council will be able to watch him obliterate the book.”