“It is. A very rare flower that can kill you. As long as I use the right words. Words I’ve memorized. So, once again. Tell me everything you know about the vortexes in Ordinary, and why they’re hurting Delaney. And then tell me how to stop them.”
She licked her lips, and I saw what might have been the first open and honest expression on her face: fear.
Good.
“Very well,” she said, softly, eyes riveted on the flower. “The vortexes are triggered by demons. From the Underworld. There is a knowledge, that Bathin, the Lost Prince,” and she didn’t say that like it was a good title, “can be found in Ordinary. There are many demons who would like to find him.”
I ignored the flip of my stomach and the kick of my pulse. More demons hunting for Bathin scared me. I could brush my fear off as being frightened for Ordinary, but that wasn’t true.
It wasn’t Ordinary I instantly feared for. It was Bathin.
Stupid heart.
“Does he have a price on his head?” I asked.
Xtelle shrugged. “As much as, yes.”
“He’s been here a year, and we haven’t had any vortexes. Why now?”
“It could be many things. You did tell the crossroad demon that he was here.”
“I didn’t have to tell her, she knew. And he stood right in front of her and threatened her. So it’s not like he was hiding out.”
Xtelle didn’t look impressed.
“Why now?” I lifted the flower which I held by the stem. If I snapped my fingers and incanted the spell, I’d find out if the fear on her face was real.
“You said it yourself. Bathin has been here a year. Inside Ordinary.”
I waited. There was something more I wasn’t piecing together. “His presence is drawing demons?”
“Yes.”
Yes, but that wasn’t all. “Him being here for a full year is drawing demons?”
“Yes.”
That wasn’t all of it either. I tipped my head back and stared at the ceiling for a second. What was I missing?
Then it hit me. “He’s had Delaney’s soul for a year.”
“Yes.” This, in a whisper, her gaze locked on mine.
“Now her soul is damaged. She’s the bridge to Ordinary. It’s made…holes. The damage to her soul is…punching holes into Ordinary. So vortexes can open. So demons can walk through. She’s a broken bridge.”
She didn’t say anything, and I almost snapped my fingers. Almost.
“The longer Bathin holds her soul, the more vortexes will open because Delaney will become more vulnerable,” I said.
She didn’t agree or disagree, but I knew I was right. I had to be.
“Those scissors,” she said casually, “do you still have them?”
“You know I do.”
She nodded. “Let me give you some advice. No, don’t look so surprised. I am a very old being. I have seen this world rise and fall and rise and fall again. Cultures, civilizations, peoples. While you might be more than human, you are still very human, Myra.”
“And?”
