Page 22 of Witchbane
She nodded. “More than uncomfortable. It’s why you’re seeing the decline in his health. The mortal vessel is only meant to hold so much, even when it comes to magical power.”
“I’m going to go boom here,” I asked.
“If you don’t release that power soon. It’s magic of Underhill. Devoured from Underhill. It would have to be reshaped to be useful here. I think that is not in your scope?” She looked between Liam and me. I had no idea what she meant.
“If we bring it back to Underhill and release it there, then what?” Liam asked.
She shrugged. “Underhill would likely reabsorb it. Or corrupt it, shaping it into something it could use. It’s what Underhill does these days.”
“Like the dragon I saw in the ice palace?” I wondered. And the many monsters I’d glimpsed in Underhill. Perhaps not fae but magic crafted to be something Underhill could use? Like guards or something?
“The dragon was a fae. Corrupted by Underhill many eons ago,” the doctor said. “But yes, the corrupt are used by Underhill. For food.”
Gross. Eating monsters meant I was eating fae? Or the magic of the fae? I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know. “If the kitsune gets out here and now, it could really do damage,” I said. It felt huge and heavy inside me. More than the churning of bad tacos or heart attack squirrels, it was draining me and growing more powerful.
I looked at Liam, thinking there was no way I’d bring him with me to Underhill if it meant my kitsune was going to go nuts the second we crossed over.
“I recommend you try to return to Underhill. Release the kitsune. I think that will solve a lot of your problems. Without doing that, I’m afraid you’ll continue to deteriorate.”
“You said you met other kitsunes,” Liam said. “Have any had this problem before?”
“No. Actually, built up power yes, but never at a level that they began to deteriorate. None were part human, either.”
It was a me being really fucked-up thing. I sighed, hating my life. Why couldn’t anything be easy? I had a guy I liked, a home I could learn to handle and now this?
“Are there any kitsune who might talk to us?” Liam continued, “That we can ask questions?”
“Kitsunes can be born anywhere. While the fae may claim they are fae, they are a mix of magic. Usually where a culmination of mixed magic converges. Pantheons, or world structures of magic converging a bit like an oil spill might. Which is what makes them powerful. I don’t know of any still living in this world.”
Kiran was free of the ice, but trapped in Underhill. And no one else to ask. “Fuck.” I really had nothing else to say to that.
“Thank you, Doctor DeMarkus. These are, quite frankly, the most direct answers we’ve gotten from your people,” Liam told her.
“Sebastian is fae. Kitsune or not, part of his ancestry is fae. He is tied to us. I could feel it when he walked in the building. His power is strong. Find a way to fix this before the fae force your hand.”
“Are there are a lot of powerful fae left?” Liam wanted to know. Good question. We’d only met Wesley, who seemed fairly powerful, but how many stood behind him?
“Not as many as you would think. Those who remain play old games of war to see who has the better hand. In reality, here in the mortal world, power is stunted to any not a part ofthisworld. While they still might have power, they are not the deities of legend.”
“Be afraid, but don’t be afraid?” I asked. Because none of that made sense.
“Yes,” she agreed.
“Thank you,” Liam added as he got up and led me toward the door. “Would you be willing to see Seb again down the line? He could use a regular doctor who might know a bit more about him.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “However, kitsunes rarely get ill. They heal better than some of the most powerful fae,” she said. “Once he releases this, I think he’ll be fine. He should probably keep away from the pack and others in the meantime. His power is out of focus, continuing to draw in more energy, while he has far more than he could ever use. It’s dangerous to anything with magic. And even werewolves have some magic.”
That was an unpleasant thought. I needed to get to Underhill and soon. The last thing I wanted was to endanger the pack.
“Is Liam safe?” I asked. Not wanting to accidentally kill him by draining him or something.
She shrugged. “He is your mate. Was he ever truly safe when you are a creature of life and death? Creation and destruction? Was he the best choice for your mate?” She shook her head. “He was chosen by the powers of this world. We can only hope it’s enough.”
And didn’t that sum up my life just peachy? Hoping to be enough for the man bound to me until death do us part. I stared at Liam and prayed I wouldn’t be the end of him.
Chapter 6
We headed out to the car with my mother demanding answers and both Liam and I stewing in brooding silence, heavy with our own thoughts.
