Merlin nodded.
The simple motion tied my gut into knots. I’d known for over a week that I’d have to contend with the black magic running through me, but timewalking practice had pushed that chore to the back of my mind. I hadn’t expected to have to try today.
And yet . . . if Merlin was right, and the spell concocted by the witches-turned-demons gave us more tools to fight our foes, then we needed to try. Particularly if the black witch we sought out turned on us.
Morgan was seeking out someone powerful enough to teach us how to guard our minds. If they betrayed us, we would need protection sooner than we thought. And if this spell was as old and little-known as Merlin claimed, it was ideal.
“Let’s do it,” I said. “Or at least try to make our black magic appear. If anything, this could give us a head start for when Morgan finds a witch to tutor us.”
Eva nodded slowly, hesitation written all over her face.
Merlin nodded and picked up the book. “Very well. Let us move to the godswood. You’ll be safe from alerting any nearby demons to your presence.” He turned to the others. “You three come with us.”
Everyone fell in line, tromping through the woods. The walk was faster this time, probably because I was dreading what I’d agreed to do.
When we arrived at the edge of the godswood, Merlin pointed to a small clearing outside the stones. “Alex, Diana, and Hunter, continue practicing the druid spells we’ve been working on over there. I’d suggest working with the freezing one. It’s the simplest. When you get one to work, move on to the wing-sealing spell. Many demons have wings, so it could be of great use.”
“When? Don’t you meanif?” Diana muttered, clearly bitter that she hadn’t nailed the druid spells yet.
“You will master them eventually,” Merlin assured her. “The magic of the old gods is difficult. It deals with a more removed part of yourself, something that magicals of your time have not had to access for many generations. But they can do it still, and the more tools you have to fight the devils, the better off you will be.”
Alex, Hunter, and Diana nodded and split off to work. When they were gone, we stepped into the godswood.
Unlike last time, a strange sensation rippled over my skin as I entered the sanctuary of stones. Not a chill, per se, more like cold water running slowly over my skin.
I paused and turned to face my best friend.
Eva’s blue eyes were wide as they met mine. “Did you feel that too?”
“Yeah, that’s new.”
Merlin grinned. “You have not accessed your demon magic yet, but it appears that Morgan is right—it’s been awoken by you seeking it out. That is a good sign for this experiment.”
“And the godswood reacted to our demon magic?” I asked, still confused. “Shouldn’t it throw us out or something?”
Merlin shrugged. “No one knows. But it didn’t, and that’s all that matters. For now, you’re safe in here.”
He faced Eva. “I’d like you to start with this.” He turned the page so we weren’t looking at the illustration of the ugly demon any longer, but an almost blank page with two paragraphs on it.
His finger landed on a word. “Read this.”
I joined Eva in squinting at the annoying, loopy text. “Bind a demon’s power? How does that differ from therelligospell?”
“It says here,” Merlin pointed further down the page, “using this black magic spell willnotbind the demon to an object, say a lamp for an ifrit. That is whatrelligois for. This spell binds the demon’s powerswithinthe creature. Makes them easier to kill, I suspect.”
I bit my lip. “Does this apply to the royals?”
Disarming Ishtar, Lucifer, Xaphan, and the Furies would give us a huge advantage in the fight to come.
“I’m not sure, but it’s in this book for a reason,” Merlin replied. “Unfortunately, we have no demon around to test it on, but that is not necessary. For right now, I simply want to see if this spell, which was cultivated for a melding of witching and demon magic, will help draw out your black powers.”
Eva gulped. “Okay. I’ll go first.”
My best friend stepped forward to get a better look at the page. She mouthed the awkward word and then moved away, turning so that her body faced the expanse of greenery before us.
My palms began to sweat as I watched her and wondered if this would really work.
Eva held out her hands. They were trembling. Silently, I sent strong vibes to my friend.
