A shiver ran through me as understanding dawned. Ishtar wasn’t actually here, she wasn’t even trulypossessingAmethyst. She was controlling a ghost—a soul who lived in Hell—to do her dirty work.
And wards conjured specifically to keep out demons didn’t do crap against ghosts.
Amethyst cracked her knuckles. “I can see you’ve caught up. I always knew the blood of Morgan would be intelligent. Merlin got all the credit for his genius and ability. The people of his age revered him,” Amethyst snorted. “But truly, Morgan was the gifted one. She would have outshone Merlin, had her time been more receptive to a woman’s intelligence.”
Amethyst turned her head, and her gaze landed on the far side of the room, where Alex and Kira sat. “They say humans have become more progressive, but really, not that much has changed. You saved that boy and fought a legend for your rank, but few believe you deserve it. Like in the past, the blood of Merlin once again outshines the blood of Morgan.”
Anger bubbled inside me at her cheap shot.
“Nice try. Alex and I are a team. You can’t come between us.”
“I’ve noticed. Your devotion to one another is quite irritating.” Amethyst’s eyes darted to my talisman and she wrinkled her nose. “Now that we’ve covered all the formalities, let’s get to business.” She gestured to the tarot deck.
I spread the cards out in front of me—albeit shoddily. I simply couldn’t find it in myself to care what the cards looked like when the queen of Hell sat in front of me.
Unfortunately, at that exact moment, Professor Videns passed by again. He glanced down at my pitiful spread and shook his head. He was about to come over to correct my poor tarot work when a hand shot across the table and began reshuffling the spread.
“Nice try, Odette! But you have to be more fluid than that when prepping for a read,” Amethyst said in her own voice.
I jerked back, shocked by the shift, and my gaze latched on to her. My friend’s eyes were clear, but the tense line of her jaw told me that the demon was still there, hiding inside her and calling the shots.
“Okay,” I said, playing along. “Like this?” I grabbed another deck and mimicked her.
“Much better,” Amethyst said. She peered down at her spread. “Oh! And I see something interesting! Do you mind if I read your future real quick?”
Appeased, Professor Videns moved on. For the first time since the term had begun, it disappointed me to see his back.
“Wonderful performance.” Ishtar’s voice grated me like nails on a chalkboard. “But clearly, you’re no ace at Tarot. Perhaps it’s better that I ensure no one disturbs us.” She pointed to the crystal ball, which lit up.“I realize that you’ve already met some of my children.” Amethyst’s eyes glowed red.
I gulped, remembering the tunnels in Portland, and how many demons we slaughtered that day.
“However, we’ve grown since then. Let me show you my clan.”
Horrifying images were already unfolding in the crystal ball. Armies of the dead and vicious-looking demons marched down a black, rocky path. Devils with pronounced canines, wide black wings, and glowing eyes flew overhead, shooting fire at their kin down below. Hellfire rained everywhere, and occasionally, an eruption would shoot up from the ground, gobbling up a body in its way.
It was a grotesque sight and how I imagined Hell looked every day.
“As you can see, we’ve amassed quite the army. Lucifer and I have discovered a way to raise the dead who have joined us, and, as you know, we are procreating.” Amethyst placed her hand on her flat belly.
The implication was clear, and a question arose in my mind.
The royal demons of Hell didn’t procreate often because every time they did, a bit of their magical essence transferred to their babe. By creating children of her own blood, was Ishtar growing weaker? I hoped so, but didn’t dare ask.
“Of course, our minions are still producing children too. We’re bolstering our forces in preparation for when we burst through your ancestor’s enchantment on the Hellgate.”
My mouth went dry. The Hellgate. Its location had been lost for centuries. Although no one knew for sure who had closed it, now I did.
Merlin and Morgan. And if they had been the ones to close it, I guessed that their bloodline had to be the ones to open it. It made perfect sense. We knew that they wanted to enter our realm en mass. If they didn’t need the power of our bloodlines then why were the demons so fixated on Alex and me?
“Oh, don’t worry,” Amethyst said, every syllable dripping with Ishtar’s malice. “At first, we thought you two would be necessary to open the gate. But now that we have allies, that’s no longer the case.”
I snapped out of my revelation, and put on a stoic face so Ishtar didn’t think that she had gotten the better of me.
“About those allies,” I gritted my teeth. “Are they ever going to show themselves? Or are they just going to keep hiding? You know so much about us, it seems unfair that we’re left in the dark.”
“In the dark,” Ishtar chuckled. “That’s rich, coming from someone born on this plane. Someone who drips sunlight from their skin. Someone ignorant to the eternal darkness of Hell.” Amethyst shook her head. “No, blood of Morgan, I will not tell you any of our secrets. You shall have to figure them out for yourself.”
Suddenly Amethyst gasped and began to tremble violently. My heart went into overdrive. Was Ishtar going back on her promise? Was she harming my friend?
