“Which is…?” asked Dylon.
“I can mete out several punishments including the sentence of death,” Remy replied. “Trust me, none of them is pleasant.”
Oracle continued. “As Mystia can attest to, it is very hard to summon a demon, yet in all these cases witches who are not particularly skilled in magic have done it, some even twice. That is simply not possible unless they have help. Mystia suspects that another magic user…a stronger one…has helped magic users whose souls have been sullied by greed. And if that is the case,thatmagic user is the one responsible for the increase in the appearance of demons.”
“She’s right,” Carson said. “The two witches Remy found confirmed it. They said a magic user helped them.”
“Yes, and from that point on, Mystia has been searching for a magic user with enough power to be able to summon multiple demons.”
“Why would a magic user need an abundance of power to get a demon to appear?” asked Cody.
“The summoning drains magical power, some of which is never regained,” Brady replied. “That’s another reason most magic users won’t do it. No one wants to willingly give up any of their magic.”
“Exactly,” Oracle said. “It was the one thing that did not make sense when the witches told Remy about the Black Shadow helping them and others to acquire demons. The power a magic user would have to have in order to summon so many demons…”
“Would have to be equal to Remy’s power as the Ruler,” murmured Carson.
“That is right,” Oracle replied. “So you can understand the frustration Mystia grappled with in her search for the Black Shadow.”
“It wasn’t until I learned Gerard was a demon masquerading as a magic user that it began to make sense,” Mystia explained. “A demon has his own magic that cannot be depleted in the same way a magic user’s can.”
“How come?” asked Cody.
“Demons possess only black magic,” Brady said. “Using it in a summoning spell…an act of black magic itself…won’t affect the demon’s power.”
“Wait a minute,” Dylon said, “am I understanding you correctly…demons can do summoning spells?”
“No, only magic users can do them,” Mystia explained. “However, Thelgos can do so because he’s also a magic user. That’s what makes him so dangerous because he has all the magic he acquired when he drained ten or more magic users, as well as his demon’s black magic. So summoning demons would hardly affect him at all.”
Frowning, Dylon said, “Thelgos acted as a conduit between the afterlife and life on earth. Who knows how many demons are on earth right now? What’s to stop another demon from copying Thelgos? If it happened once, it can still happen again, even after Thelgos has been returned to where he came from.”
Before Oracle could respond, Brady jumped in, locking his eyes with hers. “If I’m not mistaken, Thelgos won’t be able to do anything after the Fates and gods are finished with him.”
“Is that true?” asked Remy.
“I do not know what will happen to the demon, but I can assure you that he and any other demons he has summoned will no longer be a threat to our world and that includes the mystic realm,” replied Oracle.
“Do I have your word on that?” asked Remy.
“Yes…and more importantly, you have the word of the Fates and gods,” Oracle said. “Do you have any more questions? If not, may I have the demon now?”
Remy looked at Carson and, after seeing his nod of agreement, turned to Oracle. “He’s all yours. Do you want me to remove him from the light sphere?”
“No, leave him there. It will make it easier for Mystia to transport us,” Oracle replied. “The Fates will take care of the rest. Oh…and one other thing, the bomb Zohar planted has been removed, according to the Fates…a gift from the goddess, Hecate.”
Smiling, Remy said, “Please give her my thanks. She has taken a big weight off my mind.”
“I will,” Oracle promised. Moving over to the light sphere containing Gerard, she looked at Mystia. “The Fates are waiting for us.”
“Just one more thing before we go,” said Mystia. “I won’t be back…at least for a while. The Fates have requested my help in locating the rest of the demons and the magic users who are working with them.”
“I assume the Fates will take care of the demons you find,” Remy said. “Will they also handle the magic users who are using black magic?”
“No, they’ll be your responsibility,” Mystia replied. “I will escort them to you where you may decide their punishment for breaking the laws regarding the use of black magic.”
“Got it,” Remy nodded. “Carson and I, along with my brothers will be at the Blackwood Pack house for the foreseeable future while I undo the damage the previous Ruler allowed to happen to the mystic realm.”
Reaching out, Brady touched Mystia’s arm, drawing her attention to him. “I’m sorry for my outburst before…I shouldn’t have…”
