Us All” lecture at Hex Hall last year. I also remembered Mrs. Casnoff saying that if the Brannicks and The Eye ever teamed up, we were screwed. “They’re like white witches, aren’t they?” I asked.
“Descended from one, yes. They don’t have any powers anymore, not really. They heal more quickly than regular humans, and there’s still the odd bit of magic that surfaces in some of them. Mild telekinesis, precognition, that kind of thing. Their numbers have diminished over the years, but they have a new leader, Aislinn Brannick. Apparently, she’s a great deal more ambitious than her predecessors. And now it seems she’s reached out to The Eye.”
My magic buzz was completely gone now, and I leaned against the windowsill. “Why? I mean, what changed to make them team up and get so serious about killing us?”
“Nick and Daisy,” he said flatly. “The knowledge that someone has started raising demons for the first time in sixty years has put them on edge. But of course, most Prodigium are equally distressed that one of our kind is part of their ranks. The entire situation is…well, I’m afraidtense doesn’t begin to cover it. Combustible, let’s say.” He got up, coming to stand in front of me again. “Sophie, do you understand now why I will do anything to convince you not to go through with the Removal?”
Great. More about my duty, and great responsibility coming with great power and all that. “Sure,” I said, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. “It’s like you said the other night about Alice: demons make pretty awesome weapons, and if there’s a big war coming, you guys will need me, right?”
Dad stared at me, frowning, and I tore my eyes away from his, biting the inside of my cheek.
“No,” he said at last. “That’s not it at all.” He touched my shoulder until I looked at him again. “Sophie, I would never use you as a weapon. I want you to have your powers so that you’ll be safe. The thought of you completely defenseless against The Eye and the Brannicks?” His voice shook on the last word. He cleared his throat. “It terrifies me.”
I blinked against the sudden stinging in my eyes. “But if I went through the Removal, they wouldn’t be after me anymore, right?” I hadn’t meant for it to sound so much like a plea.
Dad shook his head. “It wouldn’t matter if you had your powers or not. You’re still my daughter. At least with your powers, you can defend yourself.”
My hands were trembling, so I shoved them into my pockets. My fingers brushed the gold coin, and I jerked as though it had burned me. Dad glanced down, and I quickly said, “Why didn’t you just tell me that in the first place?”
His eyes met mine. “Why haven’t you told me the truth about you and Archer?”
“We were just friends,” I said. “How many times do I have to say it?”
When he didn’t say anything, I rolled my eyes. “Okay, so I liked him. I had a crush on him, and—” I wasn’t sure if the heat in my face was from embarrassment or anger. “And yes, one time we kissed. But it was just the once, and about ten seconds afterward, I found out he was an Eye.”
Dad nodded. “And that’s it. That’s the whole story.”
Why oh why wasn’t there a giant hole in the floor that I could plummet through, preferably to my death? “Yeah, that’s it.”
“Well, that’s something,” Dad said, running a hand through his hair. “At some point, I want you to add that to your original statement.”
We were quiet for a long time before I wiped my sweaty palms on my dress and said, “Is there anything else horrible happening that I need to know about?”
Dad gave a humorless laugh as he ushered me toward the door. “I believe that covers all the current horror.”
Another question suddenly occurred to me. “What about Nick and Daisy, Dad? I know you said you didn’t want to use me as a weapon, but—”
“Never.” His voice was quiet but steely. “What was done to them was a crime, and whoever did it is responsible for the dire situation in which we now find ourselves. Which is why finding out who changed them is so important.”
We paused on the landing. “What do you mean?”
“There is one other way to rid a demon of his or her powers besides the Removal. That’s for the person who originally performed the ritual to reverse it. Obviously, it’s too late for the two of us, since we’re third- and fourth- generation demons, and our maker is long dead. But it’s still possible for Nick and Daisy.”
I thought of them last night, so forlorn, talking about magic “pounding” inside their heads. “They’d like that.”
“I know,” Dad replied. “And I’m also hoping that doing so will…well, if not appease The Eye, at least remove some of their drive.”
I looked at Dad. I mean, really looked at him. His suit was probably a size too big, and there were deep creases, like parentheses, on either side of his mouth. He was a handsome guy, sure, but he seemed more exhausted than I’d known a person could be.
“Look,” I said. “Don’t get super-psyched or anything, but maybe…maybe we could do this again tomorrow. You know, the demon yoga thing.”
Somewhere in the house, several clocks began chiming. They rang out three times before Dad said, “I would like that.”
We walked down the stairs in silence, and after making plans to see me at dinner, Dad headed back to his office while I went to my room to check my e-mail.
There was a reply from Mrs. Casnoff, but all it said was, “Thank you for informing me.”
I leaned back in my chair and rested my crossed forearms on top of my head. She didn’t seem all that concerned. That had to be good, though. Especially since the last thing I needed was Elodie’s ghost hanging around. I already had enough on my plate.
The gold coin was heavy in my palm as I pulled it out of my pocket. I studied it for a long time before getting up and slipping it in my bedside drawer.
chapter 19
Later that afternoon, I went in search of Jenna. It wasn’t hard to find her: she and Vix were still hanging out in the garden. When I approached, shading my eyes against the bright sunlight, they were sitting side by side on the edge of the fountain, their shoulders touching, bare feet dangling in the water. I half expected to see cartoon hearts floating over their heads.
“Hi,” I called out, giving a particularly lame wave.
Jenna twisted around to look at me. “There you are!” she exclaimed, eyes bright and cheeks flushed. “Where have you been all morning?”
I kicked off my sandals and sat on the other side of her. The water in the fountain was cold enough to make me wince. “Hanging out with Dad mostly. You know, doing the father/daughter bonding thing.”
“Your dad is a wonderful man,” Vix said, leaning past Jenna. Her voice was low, and like Jenna’s, held just a little trace of a Southern accent. She was also ridiculously pretty with big green eyes and silky brown hair. No wonder Jenna was so smitten.
“Well, he’s definitely my favorite person on earth right now,” Jenna said, reaching down to squeeze Vix’s hand. “How cool was he, flying Vix out here?”
“So cool,” I murmured in reply. I wondered if it had even crossed Jenna’s mind that Dad had brought Vix here to distract her. Something about the starry look in Jenna’s eyes told me no. “It’s great to finally meet you,” I said to Vix. “Jenna talks about you all the time.”
She laughed. “Same to you. And of course, your dad was always talking about you, so between him and Jenna, I feel like I already know you.”
Man, first Cal, then Lara and the other Council members, now Vix. Did Dad have a blog about me or something? “My Daughter Sophie and Why You Should All Follow Her and/or Marry Her.”
“So what did you and your dad do?” Jenna asked.
I hesitated, but Vix pulled her feet out of the water. Bracing her hands on the edge of the fountain, she spun
