Page 21 of Ashes and Lilies
I glowered at Miles, mentally adjusting some of the niceness points he had accumulated.
How could he not see it? I was one thousand percent certain Kasai was a demon latching on to Damen’s life force. “He has to be possessed!” I argued. “That entire relationship reeks of demonic entanglement.”
Miles’s hands were over his face now, and his shoulders shook. It took me a moment to realize he was laughing at me. Meanwhile, Julian stared at me—but this time with amusement.
I wasn’t sure what to think. Clearly, they weren’t monks, which meant I needed to reevaluate some things. But simultaneously, their complete disregard for Damen ticked me off.
“So, I was wrong about your celibacy, but that doesn’t change the danger that Damen is in,” I snapped, unimpressed with them both. “How can you not be suspicious? Kasai is a talking bird with a strangely seductive accent. Plus, it was brought into this world by a summoning ceremony. What else could this be?”
Miles and Julian both looked at me with equally disbelieving expressions. My heart, which had been pounding from urgency, began to calm.
I had gotten through.
“Kasai talks?” Julian sounded slightly awestruck. “You heard it speak—out loud?”
Miles leaned forward in his seat. “That’s what she just said. How else would she know about the seductive accent?”
I pouted. This conversation wasn’t going my way, and I glared at my lap.
“What does it sound like?” Miles sounded genuinely curious.
“What does it being able to talk mean anyway?” I asked,choosing to ignore Miles’s question. I’d already told them what the shikigami sounded like.
“Well,” Julian began, letting out a breath, “the reason that Kasai can talk is because, with you here, Damen is stronger. Your presence allows him to provide more support and energy to his shikigami, making it stronger. I believe we’ll see the group of us reaching new heights we’d never otherwise be able to achieve alone now that we’re whole.”
“Oh,” I said. I suppose that made sense. Damen had said something similar. But, “Whatisa shikigami?”
“It’s a familiar,” Miles repeated Damen’s previous explanation but then continued when I only looked at him. “A shikigami is a spiritual collection of energy from the Underworld who, after being summoned by an onmyoji, pledges loyalty in exchange for the ability to remain in this realm.”
“So…” How could they not make the connection? “It’s a demon that has latched on to Damen’s life force?” I repeated.
Neither one of their expressions changed.
“Well,” Julian responded, not quite as confident as before. “Damen has never quite put it that way. He says they’re weapons. After all, it wouldn’t be in the best interest of a shikigami to kill its summoner—it would cease to exist in this realm until summoned by someone else. The shikigami needs the onmyoji to survive.”
“But I suppose it could feel demonic,” Miles conceded. “Or look that way from the outside.”
I bit my lip and looked away. This topic stirred a memory hovering on the edge of my subconsciousness. I pushed my fist against my chest as my skin began to burn.
“What are you thinking about so seriously?” Julian’s voice pulled me from my thoughts as he rubbed his thumb in circles over my other wrist.
“Finn,” I answered, ignoring how Julian ground his teeth. “He has a shikigami, too, doesn’t he?”
Miles answered with a nod. “But he hardly ever summons it. I doubt that he even has the strength at this point. He’s been avoiding his quintet for a long time, and if the most recent display of his temper is anything to go by, he needs his controller before he can do anything.” Miles ended his statement while looking pointedly at Julian.
“Fine!” Julian pressed his hand to his forehead. “I’ll talk to him again.”
“Who?” I asked, looking between them.
Julian sighed. “My brother, Anthony,” he replied. “He’s my Er Bashou, and Finn’s controller. It’s his job to keep Finn in line—like it’s mine to control Damen.”
“Er Bashou…” I repeated. I’d heard this phrase before—from Rosalie.
“It’s the term for the quintet grouping of Officers below us,” Julian answered. “After them is the Jiangjun group, the second-in-command, and then the Tongjun quintet, the third-in-command. All Proxies—comprised of the Elders and Paragons—are also ranked in one of those three groupings.”
“Overall, that means we have fifteen individuals from our generation who are Officers,” Miles added. “And thirty more Officers, called Proxies, split between the Elders and the Paragons. They are all meant to support our roles.”
“So, your brother is your Er Bashou, and Finn is Damen’s?” I asked. “Are Officers always related to you?”
