be with them. Neither do many of those they’ve turned. We allowed the creation of this potion, knowing Jordan would give it to you. We saw an opportunity for the Angels to build our own army on Earth, which is why we allowed it.” Father’s wings lifted slightly from his back. “The Daemoni need to be countered. They must be kept in check. Yes, you can do something.”
“But what? How? I’m just like him now!”
“You are not. Through this, we have given you our own gifts. Gifts of the Angels. You will use these gifts to convert those Daemoni souls that can still be saved. Some are already damned and you won’t be able to help them. But most retain some level of humanity and there is still hope for them. You can teach them how to live a good life, how to overcome their innate desires for human blood and flesh, how to use their magick for good, rather than evil.”
“They will want this?”
“Some will. Others will take convincing. Sometimes you may have to fight.”
“Fight?” Cassandra shook her head. “I can’t do that, Father.”
“You must, my daughter. Just as you saw me fighting that demon, this is a battle you must partake in. You are fighting for God and fighting for souls. If there is ever any reason to raise a sword against another, this is it.”
“I don’t even know how to fight, though.”
“Oh, but you do. We have given you powers, some to help people and others to aid you in battle.” He reached behind his shoulder and drew out a dagger from a sheath strapped to his back. “I made this for you. The vampyres will be the hardest to kill. The Daemoni believe only vampyres can slay other vampyres, but we have provided another weapon to be used against them and all the Daemoni. Silver. Like this blade.”
She stared at the weapon he held out to her, not wanting to take it. A large, purple stone was embedded into the silver and gold pattern surrounding the hilt. It was a beautiful piece of art. She shook her head again.
“I can’t … kill.”
“You must protect yourself and your people, Cassandra.You must protect those who cannot protect themselves. Even if it means killing Daemoni.”
Father pressed the hilt against her palm and closed her fingers around it. The hilt warmed in her hand and the feeling spread upward into her arm. Now that she held it, she couldn’t bring herself to let go. She swung it as she’d seen Niko do while practicing his skills and the feeling felt just as natural as scratching an itch.
She blew out a breath of resignation. “And I must do this alone?”
“We will be behind you all the time, just across the veil, helping when you need it. You will grow your army, though, with those who convert. They will come to your side and fight for you against the Daemoni. You will lead them and later, Andronika will take over.”
Cassandra’s breath caught. “Andronika? Oh, no, Father! Please don’t bring her into this. She doesn’t—”
“It is too late. She already drank the potion, remember?”
“But nothing happened to her.”
“Yet. We have infused the powers of the potion into her blood and bone so that she may pass the qualities on to her children. Then, when it is time, she will change, too. She will receive our gifts, gain her powers and eventually, lead the army you are creating. She will grow it even more and pass it on to her own daughter. Your female descendants will lead this army for as long as they continue to exist on Earth … or as long as the Daemoni exists.”
They walked in silence for several long moments and the more Cassandra thought about what Father had told her, the more she realized what a daunting task the Angels had given her. Why her? How would she ever be able to do this? Hundreds of questions flew through her mind but only one managed to come out of her mouth.
“How do I save their souls?”
“Lead them to the decision to desire it. Share your goodness with them and convince them to change. We will show the way from there.”
Before she could ask another question, Father suddenly stopped and whipped around.
“Our time is over,” he said. “Andronika needs us.”
He nodded to the place where they had started, where Cassandra had drunk the potion in the Earthly realm. Through the shimmery air of the veil, Cassandra saw her daughter and the old woman arguing. Her breath caught as the woman grabbed Andronika in a tight hold. Her daughter thrashed her arms and legs but the woman held her tightly with unnatural strength.
“Andronika!”
Another figure—a very familiar one—darted out of the woods. Oh, no!
“Go, Cassandra,” Father ordered. “Cross through the veil and help her. Then help Niko. He needs you. I’ll be fighting from here.”
An ear-piercing screech cut through the air and two demons, blades drawn, flew at them. Cassandra couldn’t move, her heart torn. She couldn’t leave her father to fight these terrible beasts.
“I can handle this. You must do your part. This is your purpose, Cassandra. Go! They need you!”
Those last three words were what she needed to hear to get her moving. Her heart already pounding in her chest, she sprinted across the field, fighting the urge to look back.
“Don’t worry about me,” Father’s voice said in her head. “I can’t be killed. But the ones I protect need to win their fights in the Earthly realm to survive. Save them, Cassandra. We’ve given you everything you need. Go!”
The clang of metal against metal and a demonic roar rang in her ears as she crossed through the veil and her spirit slammed into her physical body. She gazed over at where she had left Father, only to see blue sky and the field atop the cliff. He and the demons were invisible to her now.
A scream from her other side jerked her into complete consciousness. She sprang to her feet faster than humanly possible and the movement surprised her. In front of her, though, Andronika still fought the witch’s hold and Niko crouched, his muscles taut and fangs bared, ready to charge. Something fell from Cassandra’s hand and landed with a thud at her feet, but she couldn’t pull her eyes away from the scene to see what it was. She didn’t have time to wonder about herself or everything Father had just told her. Her family needed her.
Chapter 14
Is she dead? From his vantage point, Jordan couldn’t tell if the potion had killed his sister. She didn’t move. She didn’t appear to be breathing. Something slammed into his chest, as if someone heaved a large boulder at him, taking his breath away. But nothing was there. Nothing physical. Another useless emotion. How weak of him, to feel grief at the loss of a woman who did nothing but annoy him. Maybe that wasn’t the loss he felt, though. Maybe it was the loss of what he’d had planned. Yes, that made more sense.
At least he still had Andronika. He twitched his finger and the girl flew into Eris’s arms. The witch held her tightly.
And then Cassandra moved.
“Stop,” she yelled, suddenly on her feet. “Release my daughter.”
Eris’s mouth fell open with initial shock, but she recovered quickly. Her eyes narrowed and one of her fingers just barely flicked—not enough to lose her grip on Andronika, but enough to send a flash of light at Cassandra, who threw her hand up to block it. Not only did the spell ricochet off her hand and over the cliff, but Eris’s arms were forced free from Andronika and the witch flew backwards several paces. She slammed against a tree trunk and landed on her backside. Again she gaped. Then she disappeared.
Jordan chuckled. Nice work, little sister.
“Jordan?” she answered in his mind. He started with the shock of it. “You can enter my mind? Is this another of your powers?”
Ah, you can hear me and I can hear you. No, I only wish I had such an ability. It’s not my power doing this.
“I don’t understand.”
You’re doing this, little sister. Welcome to my world.
