me out."
"What do you mean
life-force?"
"Every living breathing
thing carries energy. When I became king after my father died, I could touch a
human subject to heal them. That's why you're glowing at the moment. You are
absorbing some of my happiness." He gave her a boy-like grin, which was so
different from his usual countenance. "But using energy transference can
be dangerous and I have not practiced it for thousands of years. I fear I have
lost so many of my skills. Although I can take what it is that gives them life,
taking too much can be dangerous."
"Use me if I have tired
you," Rachael urged him, thinking of Phoebe. "I have to do
something."
"I can't. On a single
person it can be deadly. You'll become exhausted, too lethargic to move, some
humans even drop into a coma. It is better to move within a crowd and absorb
their mass energy; that way no one is harmed, unless I take too much and then
it can make humans sick. They will simply believe they are tired, due to the
hardship of the day."
"But you don't have time
to waste. You told me that yourself. You have to defeat this demon. If it means
helping to save Phoebe, it will be worth it."
His smile vanished the moment
she mentioned Phoebe's name. Instead, he gazed at her, his expression grave.
"You don't understand what you're asking me to do."
"I want you to do this. I
love my friend and I know you'll be careful not to drain me dry."
His gaze dropped to the floor
and he wouldn't look her in the eyes. "Damn it, Rachael, never offer me
your life-force to bring down a curse. I will find another way."
His voice sounded so solemn,
so mournful as though he feared the temptation of what she was offering him.
"Perhaps we could climb the High Line stairs. It's an unused rail track
and the garden on top of it is in full sun," she said.
"I will wait until noon
when the sun is at its strongest but even that may be too slow in this cold
country. Our country in our past lives radiated heat for most of the year. It
was not populated with complicated humans like this city. The energy was simple
and clean."
She watched him wishing he
would take up her offer to use her as a source of power. "But that's
several hours away and you barely have the strength to walk this room."
"I must use these
precious moments to track Phoebe." He looked down and opened his clenched
fist. Inside it, he held Phoebe's necklace. "I cannot sense where she is.
The demon must have used his cloaking powers to protect her essence, which
means he has garnered great strength in the short time he has been here."
"Then how will you find
her?"
"There is another way. I
will use Envy to track the demon. Envy was wrought from the mountain of Har
Karkom, the seat of Agrat's demon queen mother. All humans have their own
scent. You would recognize your loved ones if they were standing close, even if
you couldn't see or hear them. In a similar way, all cellular energy has a
signature and Envy will trace Agrat's. It will be simple for Envy to find him as there are few of his kind in this dimension. Use a
demon to track a demon."
"What if he harms
Phoebe?"
"I will order him not to
harm her. Most demons are simple killing machines, but Envy has more capability
and great demonic power. He can be used to weaken a human enemy, to send them
into madness. When my father was king, all living creatures served him,
including the demons inhabiting the earth plane. As the eldest son, Agrat was
their General, but after he betrayed my father, I became their commander and
they serve me still." His smile was grim. When he paced his wings trailed
along the ground, his lower feathers turned up as they scraped the carpet. His
shoulder blades were hunched as if he were having difficulty with the weight of
his wings.
Even if Envy found Agrat's
lair, what if Galaden didn't have the strength to match the demon? Her psychic
sense pricked. It seemed odd to her that he would put his trust in the demon,
Envy, for assistance. Her heart
"What do you mean
life-force?"
"Every living breathing
thing carries energy. When I became king after my father died, I could touch a
human subject to heal them. That's why you're glowing at the moment. You are
absorbing some of my happiness." He gave her a boy-like grin, which was so
different from his usual countenance. "But using energy transference can
be dangerous and I have not practiced it for thousands of years. I fear I have
lost so many of my skills. Although I can take what it is that gives them life,
taking too much can be dangerous."
"Use me if I have tired
you," Rachael urged him, thinking of Phoebe. "I have to do
something."
"I can't. On a single
person it can be deadly. You'll become exhausted, too lethargic to move, some
humans even drop into a coma. It is better to move within a crowd and absorb
their mass energy; that way no one is harmed, unless I take too much and then
it can make humans sick. They will simply believe they are tired, due to the
hardship of the day."
"But you don't have time
to waste. You told me that yourself. You have to defeat this demon. If it means
helping to save Phoebe, it will be worth it."
His smile vanished the moment
she mentioned Phoebe's name. Instead, he gazed at her, his expression grave.
"You don't understand what you're asking me to do."
"I want you to do this. I
love my friend and I know you'll be careful not to drain me dry."
His gaze dropped to the floor
and he wouldn't look her in the eyes. "Damn it, Rachael, never offer me
your life-force to bring down a curse. I will find another way."
His voice sounded so solemn,
so mournful as though he feared the temptation of what she was offering him.
"Perhaps we could climb the High Line stairs. It's an unused rail track
and the garden on top of it is in full sun," she said.
"I will wait until noon
when the sun is at its strongest but even that may be too slow in this cold
country. Our country in our past lives radiated heat for most of the year. It
was not populated with complicated humans like this city. The energy was simple
and clean."
She watched him wishing he
would take up her offer to use her as a source of power. "But that's
several hours away and you barely have the strength to walk this room."
"I must use these
precious moments to track Phoebe." He looked down and opened his clenched
fist. Inside it, he held Phoebe's necklace. "I cannot sense where she is.
The demon must have used his cloaking powers to protect her essence, which
means he has garnered great strength in the short time he has been here."
"Then how will you find
her?"
"There is another way. I
will use Envy to track the demon. Envy was wrought from the mountain of Har
Karkom, the seat of Agrat's demon queen mother. All humans have their own
scent. You would recognize your loved ones if they were standing close, even if
you couldn't see or hear them. In a similar way, all cellular energy has a
signature and Envy will trace Agrat's. It will be simple for Envy to find him as there are few of his kind in this dimension. Use a
demon to track a demon."
"What if he harms
Phoebe?"
"I will order him not to
harm her. Most demons are simple killing machines, but Envy has more capability
and great demonic power. He can be used to weaken a human enemy, to send them
into madness. When my father was king, all living creatures served him,
including the demons inhabiting the earth plane. As the eldest son, Agrat was
their General, but after he betrayed my father, I became their commander and
they serve me still." His smile was grim. When he paced his wings trailed
along the ground, his lower feathers turned up as they scraped the carpet. His
shoulder blades were hunched as if he were having difficulty with the weight of
his wings.
Even if Envy found Agrat's
lair, what if Galaden didn't have the strength to match the demon? Her psychic
sense pricked. It seemed odd to her that he would put his trust in the demon,
Envy, for assistance. Her heart
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