Chapter 14
Elise walked beside Seth as he circled the clearing and explained the role of his uncle and his own in a way that left her with more questions than answers. He was not a man of many words, and Elise imagined that with a face like his, he rarely needed more than a few well-placed remarks to get by.
Seth and Devon were not there to host the merriment but to witness the rites.
Elise couldn’t stop thinking of the demonic entrance the two men had made.
With steam still clinging to Seth’s cloak and the steady heat of his presence, she couldn’t help but wonder about the man who appeared to be one of Hell’s finest representatives.
“So you are also a…” Elise prepared her question carefully. “Demon?”
“Ha,” Seth laughed. This was the first time there was a hint of emotion in him.
“Sure.”
He walked a couple of steps ahead of her.
Elise looked about for a tail or any other sign of his fiendish nature.
He had no horns after all, and his skin held the shade of muted gold cast on living flesh.
The whole vocabulary of the infernal regions began to stir in her mind, and she grew uncertain of what to expect.
She knew, however, that demon or not, this was a creature of magic and plainly dangerous.
For the life of her, she could not tell if he was offended or simply bored.
Entirely in character, Seth continued to emanate a heat that rivaled the fire.
Elise’s body warmed rather quickly. The air seemed slower to reach her, and before any sweat could ruin the wool of her dress, she resolved to remove the extra layer.
She had two more beneath: a light linen dress and her chemise.
Failing to see any other practical solution, she took a bold decision.
“Do you mind if I…” Elise began, but Seth seemed intent on ignoring her. Seeing no need for modesty, she proceeded to refresh herself. The distraction helped her swallow the fact that she was walking beside someone from a considerably lower department of the world.
“What are you doing?” Seth gasped. “You’re not going to gain any favors with that.”
“What?” Elise lifted her gaze to find something close to outrage on the demon’s face. The notion of what he might have concluded struck her at once, and not expecting this kind of prudery from someone from such condemned places, she found the situation lightly confusing.
Seth continued, “I don’t know what the witches have told you, but I’m not like Devon. I’m not here to entertain every witch who takes an interest.”
“I was warmer than I could bear.” Elise raised her hands in defense. “I was just trying to relieve myself of your heat.”
A flicker of what might have been embarrassment touched Seth’s face. He extended the courtesy of letting the misunderstanding pass, and Elise did the same. At least the ice between them seemed to have thinned an inch, not that it made it any more enjoyable to continue at his side.
Seth kept walking, glancing now and then at the more enticing dress Elise wore.
She had made all her new designs to suit the Bromheim fashion.
This one had a low neckline, trimmed with a ribbon that kept the arrangement just within reason.
She was aware of what her thin limbs and fuller curves had provoked in Metz, but this was a supernatural being.
She greatly doubted he would take any interest in the looks of a mortal.
With this new resolve, and with Seth inspecting her as if she were a rare bug, Elise set out to understand more about the celebration that was about to take place, as well as the relationship between witches and the lower sort.
“Why do the witches need demons for this?”
“It’s not that,” Seth said, looking away.
“Like I already said, we came to witness. Witches are independent magical creatures, but like everything else in the world, magic is a mechanism of many parts. There are functions that need to be performed by others. We reside on the side beyond the shield that separates the two worlds. It’s an arrangement made hundreds of years ago for us to be part of the witches’ rituals. You need us as much as we need you.”
Elise became more and more intrigued with every word coming from Seth’s perfectly shaped mouth.
What especially captivated her was that witchcraft and the magic world had been so hidden from her until recently.
Many more questions flooded her mind, but not wishing to spoil Seth’s sudden willingness to share, she chose the one that mattered most in the moment.
“Do you have contact with the divinities? The ones that are supposed to claim you before you become a witch?”
“Hmm,” Seth hummed. “So you are looking for favors after all.”
Elise saw an unpleasant expression creeping across his face and she knew this had gone bad. But before she could begin to defend herself, Seth was already walking a few paces ahead, saying something that caught her ear enough to keep her lips sealed.
“When the pentagram is drawn, be careful not to stray too close to the center. I can tell you are eager to be claimed by a divinity, but there are some you’ll wish had never found you.”
Elise nodded, still offended and eager to clarify her standing.
“If you must know, I was not trying to get a favor from you. I’m only trying to learn.”
She wished her words would be enough to convince the demon, but he offered no reply.
Had she known the etiquette of Hell, she might have stood a better chance in the debate.
But it seemed to her that the firm delivery of her remark had been enough to soften his expression and even tug at the corner of his lips.
They kept circling the bonfire. By then, Elise had counted no fewer than a hundred witches.
They all looked, in one way or another, envious of her situation.
Seth ignored the attention with ease, as though it were beneath the effort of noticing.
If only they knew she was beginning to wish she had never come to this place, they might have spared her the smiles and the gossiping.
“Do I need a hat like everyone else?” Elise asked, noticing the crowd beginning to set pointed hats atop their heads.
“Only witches are allowed them,” Seth murmured, his dark eyes lingering on hers before he strode ahead toward the clearing to join his uncle.
Morgaine and the others greeted them with teasing grins and a loud shriek.
An old witch who had just joined quickly noticed the dress hanging from Elise’s arms and didn’t fail to remark about it.
“I require initiation as well, love. Why don’t you take me for a walk?” an older woman shouted in Seth’s direction, a few missing teeth generously on display. “Though you should know I favor a light manner of dress, and if you take mine off, you may find yourself surprised.”
Seth blatantly ignored the witch and whispered something to Devon. Elise was by Morgaine’s side by now, and she had decided to remain there through the whole festivity.
In an unexpected turn, and after Devon gave him a solemn nod, Seth walked toward Elise and took her hand in his own.
A tremor ran through Elise in a manner that was difficult to contain.
It was not so much the heat from the demon, but the menacing sort of sensation that invaded her.
It was as if at any given moment the furnace this man was could take her in and consume her in its power.
She recoiled out of pure self-preservation.
Everyone seemed to have paused, as if to experience the moment along with her.
“A pleasure,” Seth murmured, and Elise shuddered.
He must have felt her body’s reaction, for he allowed himself a mischievous smile.
The witches howled again, and this time Elise felt her cheeks grow warm.
“Enough warming and greetings, my ladies,” Devon cut in. “Morgaine? Would you do us the honor to begin the rites?”
“It would be my pleasure,” Morgaine said, her voice dropping to a dangerously low whisper.
She and Devon exchanged a charged look before the demon continued.
“Then, allow me to make an announcement before the pentagram is drawn.”
“As you wish.”
*****
Elise was introduced to a few more witches before they all joined hands around the pyre.
She had learned the name of the spitfire who had offered to take a stroll with Seth.
Elsbeth, better known as Beth, turned out to be in wedlock, though this did not appear to restrain her in any meaningful way.
Her husband, a troll, was a faithful man who in spite of having already shared a hundred springs with her, didn’t satisfy her appetites completely.
In Beth’s words, “any proper witch is always on the lookout.”
Elise took note, and against her better judgment, found her thoughts turning to the duke and to Seth.
She was not immune to male charms. The comparison presented itself with little effort: two equally striking specimens, each unreasonably out of reach in their own way.
Seth’s allure was also his chief inconvenience.
Kurt, for his part, remained just as impossible.
A tug to her hand made her come back to the blazing reality before her. Beth was looking at her with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“You can go with him after the fire is out, darling,” the old snappy witch said. “I saw how he was looking at you. Once the fire is out, everyone is on their own.”
Elise did not know whether to laugh or to protest. The witch said no more.
Morgaine, who was by her other side, was amused to the marrow.
Elise offered a polite smile and waited in silence.
Thankfully, it did not take long for the announcement to begin.
The fire lowered and then thinned until it transformed into several rings.
A surge of heat sent every witch’s hair flying.
Elise and the witches stood between circles of fire, and at the center of it all was Devon with his nephew behind him. It seemed the young demon was indeed here to learn the ropes.
Beth grumbled the moment Seth appeared, the elder witch regarding him with the same enthusiasm one reserves for a pastry behind glass. Morgaine, too, had her eyes on the demons, but it was plain her interest lay with the eldest.
“My beloved wicked ladies,” Devon began. “Your trade is full of the most faithful practitioners of forces beyond your world. Only you can understand the urgency of what I am about to tell you, and only you hold the right answer to the present condition of the mortal realm.”
“On with the compliments!” Beth shouted, startling Elise. “Go on to the favor you mean to ask and be done with it!”
Devon chuckled softly. Then he walked to face Beth, closing the distance to a dangerous gap.
“Excuse me,” Devon said to Elise, as he took Beth’s hand and planted a kiss on the seasoned skin of the witch. “You only become more irresistible with the years, and you know I have always admired that clever tongue of yours…in all its uses.”
The old witch’s eyes shone with excitement, and a small squeal escaped her. The demon, seemingly pleased with the effect of his charms, released Beth’s hand and whispered something in her ear before returning to the center of the circle.
The quick-tongued witch sighed and held Elise’s hand once more.
Elise caught from the corner of her eye Seth shaking his head and Morgaine clearing her throat.
Devon stole a few glances in Morgaine’s direction and then continued with his speech.
“Allow me to be blunt about my agenda this evening,” Devon said, with a wink at Beth.
“It concerns the recent war between Bromheim and Falaine. As you all know, magic is tied to the natural world. Century after century, men have found increasingly artful ways to destroy the beauty of what ought to be left untouched. However, mortals will be mortals, and they will do as they do. My peers and I failed to see the dangers of this latest conflict until we began to notice changes in the currents of the barrier between our worlds. I must say, Hell has never felt this cold, and I fear your magic would not remain untouched by this either.”
A ripple of complaint rose. The grumbling among the witches grew too loud to hear what else Devon had to say.
Elise felt lost. The more she heard, the more she understood, but at this rate she was still trying to swallow the fact that these people were centuries old.
“So what do you want from us? Fight the war?” Morgaine chuckled.
The other witches joined in the laughter, though the amusement passed quickly as the expression on Devon’s face made it plain Morgaine had not missed the mark.
Mirel raised her arms in protest. “Son of a b—”
“Ladies!” Devon interrupted. “I’m not here to force you.
Do try not to shoot the messenger. What I would give to bring you nothing but pleasant news, the sort you have worked so hard, and so deservedly, to enjoy.
I told the others I hadn’t the heart to ask anything of you, yet here I am, performing the tedious duty all the same.
I drew the shortest straw, if you care to see it that way. ”
“Go tell them to fight the war yourselves!” Morgaine rasped. “You don’t command us. Not anymore.”
Devon lowered his head, his features settling into that same expression that was nearly impossible to ignore. The man had the looks, and the knowledge of how to use them. It was the sort of explosive combination that could carry even the most questionable intentions to completion.
“My beautiful Morgaine, the only witch who ever got away. I would give centuries of life if you’d have me for a night. You know as well as I do that what you ask is impossible. I’d have you reigning over all the land, if I had any say in this realm.”
“Careful then, Devon,” Morgaine shot back. “You don’t want to lose your closest ally.”
Silence filled the place until Seth stepped forward and spoke with less ease than his uncle, but with an authority one might expect from a king, no less.
“We are not asking you a favor,” he raised his voice. “We are offering to work together in preserving the balance between the worlds. Fight no war and your powers would be lost in time. Fight now and you won’t regret it later.”
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Beth shouted out of nowhere. “The boy has face and guts. That’s how I like my men!”
Elise laughed as a few joined. Beth’s remark, however, didn’t go unchallenged for long.
“Your husband is uglier than a poorly cooked turkey, Beth, and I’ve seen him run from less,” Mirel rasped. “The poor man has had the trembles since the day he married you.”
The tension eased enough among the crowd that the laughter spread even to Devon. Elise didn’t know if she imagined it or if a soft smile showed on Seth for a moment as well.
Beth grumbled in protest, “Leave Barron alone, you hag. He has his witch to defend him.”