Come out of her, you son of a bitch. Nothing happened. From the expression on Eirik’s face and the others, they were wondering what I was doing. “I’m trying to draw out the bastard.”
The others crowded around the bed, watching me.
“Do you feel anything?” Eirik asked.
I was so frustrated I wanted to scream. “No.”
“Do you remember how I blended with you to stop Maliina?” Dev asked. “A soul can force this other being out of her.” Dev’s eyes moved from face to face. “I need my life force drained now until my soul separates from my body. I’m willing to die for her. It’s the only way to help her. I’ll push this other soul out and give her a chance to survive. She could always heal me again.”
Somehow I doubted Eirik or even Mother would allow Celestia to help Dev again.
Chapter 16. The Imp, The Peacocks, And The Gods
“No. You are not going to die, Dev. We need my mother’s warding runes. I’ll be right back.” I raced out of the room, almost bumping into Nara and Rhys. “I need to find my mother.”
“She is in her quarters,” Rhys said.
I raced across the rotunda and pushed open the door to my parents’ quarters. “Mother? Mom!”
A portal opened, and the goddess appeared on the other side. Trudy was brushing her hair. Mother got up. She’d changed into a long-sleeved emerald green dress that hugged her curves and flared at her feet. On her waist was a bejeweled belt with green stones and embroideries, which continued up her chest in a V-shape and became a neckpiece. The same jewels were on the braces around her wrists. A sheer green cloak around her shoulders appeared to be attached to both the neckpiece and her wrist braces.
“Wow, you look amazing,” I said.
She chuckled. “Thank you, dyrr mín. Why haven’t you changed?”
“I’m supposed to?”
“Of course. We might be forced to host the most eligible bachelors from all the realms, but it’s also your introduction. The dress you are wearing is lovely, but it won’t do for the evening.”
“I’ll worry about that later. Right now, you need to come with me.” I grabbed her hand. “I know what’s wrong with Celestia, and we need your help. She’s possessed.”
Her scepter flew into her hand. At the same time, a portal opened straight into Eirik’s bedroom. Trudy and I followed her. Everyone stepped back.
“I don’t know why I didn’t think of that,” I said, feeling guilty. “I’ve been possessed so often I should have seen it, but it never crossed my mind that was the problem.”
“We don’t have or allow possessions in my realm,” Mother said. “Whoever did this is heading straight to Corpse Strand.” She pulled the blanket off Celestia and used her scepter to etch warding runes on her arms and legs. She stepped back and pointed the glowing rock at Celestia’s chest.
“Come out,” the goddess ordered. “I command you to come out of her.”
Nothing happened.
The runes on her side moved faster while more appeared on her normal side. She tried again and again. Eirik and I joined her. We both engaged our locator runes. The same runes appeared on Celestia, but the soul inside her refused to come out. The green crystal on Mother’s scepter changed color, becoming black.
“Mother!” Eirik gripped her arm and shook his head. “That’s Celestia you’re pointing that thing at.”
“I hate souls who refuse to obey me.” The crystal went back to being green.
“I can help her, Goddess,” Dev said, bowing. “I need to die for that to happen. As a soul, I can push out the one draining her.”
The goddess shook her head. “You have a good heart, Druid, but that won’t be necessary. My daughters worked hard to bring you back, so you must honor them by staying alive. I have billions of souls at my command.” She looked at me. “Come with me, ástin min.” She opened a portal to the eastern Resting Hall. We stopped outside the first entrance. “Do you remember how to retrieve a soul?”
“Yes, Mother.”
She handed me her scepter and rattled off a birth time.
“Why him?” I asked.
“We need someone we trust.”
Using the scepter, I created the air runes like she’d taught me and added the dates. They floated to the door, and it opened. Tristan Cooper stepped out, looking more alive than I’d ever seen him. His eyes volleyed between my mother and me.
“Cora, what are you doing here? You’re not…?”
“Dead? No, Uncle Tristan.” I hugged him. “I’m home. I’ll tell you the story later, but right now, Mother and I need your help.”
“Mother?” he asked.
“Yes, Tristan. Cora is my daughter. She and Raine will fill you in later. Right now I need your help with Eirik’s Celestia. She’s possessed by a very difficult and evil soul, and we need you to push it out.” She opened a portal to Eirik’s bedroom.
My eyes went to Raine when I entered, but she was staring at her father with wide eyes. She teared and whispered, “Dad.”
“Sweetheart.” He opened his arms, and she ran to him.
“I can’t believe you are here,” she said, laughing and crying.
“Tristan, you two can sit down and catch up for as long as you want. Right now, we need you,” Mother said impatiently. “The warding runes I etched on Celestia are not working because she can’t engage them. I need you to blend with her.” She was like a drill sergeant. Mr. Cooper followed her instructions, and we all crowded around the bed and waited.
Mother gripped her scepter, and Raine had hers ready. She must have brought it just in case. Eirik carried his mace. The soul wasn’t going to escape.
“Einmyria, go stand by the door. You too, Raine and Trudy,” Mother added. “Lavion, I didn’t see you there. Escort the healers to your quarters. This soul is tenacious, so I don’t want her jumping from Celestia to one of you. Everyone. Tammy, Dev, even you, Son, move back.”
“But I have my warding runes,” I protested.
“I know, Daughter. But I do not want to put you in harm’s way, so humor me.”
I moved to where the others stood and gripped Raine’s arm. Mr. Cooper separated from Celestia first and floated above her, but his hand stayed inside her. What was he doing? Dev mumbled something I didn’t catch, but I was sure he and I were thinking the same thing. Mr. Cooper was supposed to push out the soul. Then I realized he was pulling out one, but the soul’s hand was tiny, like a child’s.
First came the arm, then a lock of curly hair followed with a cherubic face belonging to a baby in a pink dress, white tights, and pink shoes. She couldn’t have been more than a year old. Her eyes were droopy as though she’d been asleep. She yawned and looked at the faces of the people around the bed. I hadn’t even realized we’d moved closer to the bed, where she floated and still gripped Mr. Cooper’s hand.
“A baby?” Mother said with so much annoyance we laughed. “No wonder she didn’t listen to me. Children are impossible.”
The little girl’s blue eyes locked on Mother, and she wiggled her hand from Mr. Cooper’s. She extended both hands toward Mother.
“Mama,” she said.
“No, I’m not your mother!”
The girl giggled, showing a few baby teeth. She floated toward Mother. I’d never seen someone move so fast. We all watched with morbid fascination as Mother pointed her scepter at the child.
“No,” came from around the room, but we might as well not have spoken. She engulfed the baby in a green glow and suspended her in midair, where she rolled and giggled.
“All this trouble over a baby,” Mother mumbled, studying her.
“She’s so cute. Is she a soul?” I asked.
“No, that’s not a soul, Einmyria,” Mother said. “Judging by her clothes, she’s Mortal, a gifted Mortal baby with the power to astral project, and I want her out of my realm.” She reached out, and chubby fingers grabbed hers. “She solidified quickly.”