Page 34 of Spirit Storm

Then the two of them look to me.

“Uh… Poppy Hallowind, New England chapter, and… I guess I’m here because I’m blood-bound to the demon breaking the lockstones, and can see his actions through our bond.”

Yeah, that’s the party-stopper I expect it to be.

Freya looks appalled.

Henrik looks like he might choke.

“And these are the other members of our Life and Death Brigade.” I gesture to each in turn. “We have Wylder for plant magic, Asher is my guardian angel, Rowan manipulates shadows, and Orion is an ice witch but also a shifter.”

Finished with the introductions, I fall quiet.

Freya is still staring, her mouth hanging open. “Blood-bound to the demon. How the feck did that happen?”

“Long story, actually. I kind of inherited it after my mom fought Tharuzel back to the Hell Realm five years ago. He marked my bloodline, so one of us needed to take the hit. It was either me or my younger sisters, so I volunteered as tribute.”

They both stare at me as if that’s not quite computing. Then Henrik shakes his head. “Did you say you see his actions through your bond?”

“Sometimes, yeah.”

“When she’s sleeping,” Asher adds. “Because her mental shields aren’t as strong then.”

Well, that’s what Tanner thinks, and it’s plausible, so we’ll go with it.

Freya leans forward in the seat opposite me. “And you came here because…”

“Because when I told Garrison what I saw, he told me to pack a bag and be ready to come help.”

“Garrison,” she repeats.

“Yeah… Garrison Stonehoof.”

She looks blank.

“Seven-foot-tall rift minotaur? Badass bison guy with a shaggy brown mane and long horns?”

Still nothing.

“High Chancellor of the Order of the Arcane? Any of this sounding familiar?”

She blinks and seems to shake herself out of whatever mental musings had taken her captive. “I’m aware of who Chancellor Stonehoof is, love. I guess I was just confused about you telling him about a dream you had and him sending you here.”

I shrug. “He’s the boss, right?”

She looks at Henrik and nods. “Aye, he is. All right, let’s start there. Tell me what you’ve seen and what you already know.”

And so, I do. I tell her and Henrik first about the dream where Tharuzel was in the ritual chamber of the Ireland cave, and how triumphant he felt when that lockstone broke.

Then, I recount the power surge that hit me when the lockstone in Denmark broke. And how weird it was because I wasn’t even asleep at the time.

Henrik raps his fingertips on the surface of the table. "My chapter has maintained the lands of the lockstone for centuries. I regret to say we were sorely unprepared for your demon."

I scrunch up my nose. “He’s not my demon, but I hear what you’re saying. It’s hard to prepare for a monster like Tharuzel.”

His smile disappeared. “It is.”

I look between the two of them, but they both seem to be stuck in their heads. “So, I feel like I’ve done all the talking. When you first came in the room, you said, ‘two more Descendants of the Nine’. What did that mean?”