Then I called in Priest Edes.
Bless the man, he came immediately. In fact, he didn’t even change into formal robes first, which I appreciated immensely, since time was not on our side.
The second he reached my office, I met him at the door and urged him to fall into step with me. “Forgive me. This is an urgent situation, and I don’t have time to play host right now.”
“I quite understand, Your Majesty. Your note indicated you think someone has been dabbling in dark arts?” Priest Edes frowned in concern. “Are you sure?”
“There’s been too many signs,” I said. “We’ve had two possessed people come out of this place, and there’s been…otherincidents, shall we say. I suspect someone is in league with the demon cult—”
He swore and quickly made a warding gesture, alarm spreading over his mobile face. “We haven’t seen any signs of the cult in a hundred years!”
“I know. Trust me, I don’t like the words coming out of my mouth any more than you like hearing them. But that’s what the overall picture looks like. I need you to do your tracking spell and verify if the person staying in the room was using demonic energy or not.”
“Of course, of course! Honestly, we haven’t had a good way to test the spell, although my goddess assured me it works perfectly. This will be a good field test.”
“Then all the better.”
“Can I see the ones possessed as well?”
I should have expected his question, but it somehow surprised me. “Yes, of course. We did use holy oil and tried to undo the possession, but it didn’t really take. James fears they’re too far gone.”
“I think a priest is better suited to that assessment,” he drawled with a wink. “I know he’s more experienced, but he’s not trained in spiritual energy, either.”
Man raised a good point. “I’ll let you handle them. We aren’t sure what to do with them anyway. I feel bad about them standing trial. They’re little better than puppets and can’t even defend themselves. For that matter, I’m not sure if they’re really even guilty, since their actions were not of their own making.”
“Quite so.”
We reached Valentina’s guest room, and I silently opened the door and let him in. My knights took up station just inside the doorway, staying out of the way and letting Edes work.
Now, I wasn’t trained, so I couldn’t see what he was doing on any kind of energetic level, but I watched as he intoned the spelland moved around with his palm flat in front of him, almost as if he were feeling his way. His face started out calm, focused, then gradually twisted into horror. Twenty seconds in and he just stopped, standing in the middle of the room, looking about him as if this very beautifully appointed guest room was the worst torture chamber he’d ever seen.
“Who stayed here, again?” Priest Edes lifted his head to look at me. “Because this person isn’t dabbling in dark arts. This is…worse. Almost as if they’re channeling demonic energy themselves.”
“Princess Valentina of Ascor stayed here,” I answered quietly. Then groaned, slumping forward, the weight of this revelation too much. I’d never thought Valentina innocent, but a channel for demonic energy? How did a fifteen-year-old sink so badly into the darkness?
Wait a second. “How could demonic energy be here? Does that mean the portal’s leaking?”
“Not at all. The seal keeps the demons from freely leaving their realm and unable to actively influence anyone beyond the seal. However, much like we can summon upon the gods for divine aid, so can demons choose to help people. Anyone can call demonic energy into their bodies, if they’re willing to suffer the consequences. Cultists, for instance, did this.”
Ah, this made complete sense. As long as the portal wasn’t leaking. “Then is she a cultist?”
“No, she’d have shown obvious signs. Perhaps she’s a channel, where she’s agreed to use demonic energy for their errands, but only if she’s not affected. A rare agreement, according to history, but not unheard of. Most of the time the channel becomes too deranged by the power and eventually succumbs, but it can take years.”
“Is this different than a cultist?”
“Yes and no. According to our records, most cultists were more like minions. In exchange for power, they did tasks in order to raise the Demon King, eventually succumbing to the very power they harnessed. But a channel can harness and direct demonic energy without it destroying their mind or leaving visible physical marks. Most channels were in cults, true.”
But it didn’t mean you had to be in a cult to become a channel. I heard the unspoken words clearly enough.
There was a scuff at the door, and I glanced up to see James had arrived. He took us in as he crossed to me, quickly picking up on the tension in the room.
“Dearest, what…?”
“She was channeling demonic energy,” I informed him bleakly. “This is worse than we feared.”
“She may have even had a demon in this room. Well, not a demon precisely, but someone hosting a demon.” Priest Edes’s hand was back up and he spun slowly in place, feeling his way through the energy. “The energy is incredibly strong. How she managed to summon a demon with the demon portal still locked down, I don’t know. But I can’t explain this energy in any other way.”
“We didn’t think the demon cult was even active, so we can’t assume we know everything about demons right now.” Much as I would love to pretend otherwise. “James, I did update Lenville before Priest Edes arrived, but I doubt her family will admit if she was involved in dark arts.”
