“What kinds of spells are you talking about?” She had to be careful here. “Glyphs and potions and incantations?”
“Any of those can serve as an opening, though charm makers are usually safe enough. They’re too weak to be of much interestto demons, which is why we generally leave them alone. Those who can work blood magic are targeted more often. There are very few humans who have enough fae blood to do more than that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Witches work by will and word, the glyphs and incantations serving as the word. Full fae were able to cast spells by will alone. There were once humans with enough fae blood to do the same, but they’re all gone now.”
That couldn’t be right. She’d always been able to talk to the trees and both of her parents were human. She didn’t even know any incantations and Tilly said she was hopeless with glyphs. Besides, hearing the trees had nothing to do with casting spells. Tracking something by blood was more of a blurred line. She wasn’t really casting a spell when she did that. It was more of a trick that allowed her to tap into her other senses.
“Is that what happened to the fae?” she asked. “The demons went after them first because they had more magic?”
Casrian’s mouth thinned. “The fae were deceived. The queen had been stricken with a wasting illness and the king became desperate to find a cure. He was the one who breached the veil to the shadow world where demons make their home. He called upon a demon to heal the queen. By all accounts, she was healed. Her body, at least. But the king didn’t see the creature that had taken up residence within her skin until it was too late. The prince heir died killing the abomination his mother had become and the corruption spread. The remaining fae died when they attempted to seal the breach between worlds.”
“But it isn’t sealed.” It couldn’t be. There were still witches in the world.
“Demons can no longer cross freely of their own will, as they could when the breach first opened. They must be summoned.”
“No one is summoning demons on purpose.”
“You’d be surprised.”
She leveled him with a skeptical look.
He shrugged. “Some people pursue power whatever the cost. Others reach beyond what they can hold and are snared. There’s no way for a witch to know how close she is to the line that will send her tumbling into hell. It’s better to cast no spell at all than to take the risk.”
That last was a warning.
“Don’t you have any relics to send the demons back where they come from? Or that will keep them from coming here altogether?”
“The Church is working on it. The scholars at the Academy. Until they find a way to sever our connection with the world below, this is the way it has to be.”
They fell silent for a time, watching the moth dance among the sparks above the fire. Another moth joined the first, circling, drifting closer and then away. She could hear the soft rush of their wings over the fire.
She felt the witch hunter glance her way. “You still have time to go back if you want to,” he told her. “If you set out for Toam in the morning, you’d be out of the woods before dark. You’re unlikely to meet any bears going back. We’re only at the edge of the witch’s influence now, and you could go around that patch of corruption. It would be safe enough, safer than continuing on.”
“We have a deal. I can’t go back now.”
“I’ll get you your two hundred cord. And you have my will if I don’t come back. You get paid no matter what happens.”
“I agreed to help you find your men and guide you to the fort.”
“I don’t think you realized what you were getting yourself into. You’re just beginning to see it now, aren’t you? The bear.” He lifted his chin toward the woods. “This place. You can go back. I’ll figure it out even if you just point the way.”
She slowly shook her head. “There’s no way you’ll make it to the fort without me. I know how to get us through the woods even with the rot. And I’m a good tracker. I’ll find your men.”
She was the best chance he had. He almost sounded like he wanted her to go. It was a little insulting, honestly.
They watched the fire and the moths. It was strange to see more than one of the great moths at a time. Usually, you’d just catch a glimpse as they drifted by at the edge of the firelight. At least that’s how it was in the summer. She’d never been out in the woods overnight this time of year. Maybe this was when they mated.
“Why not turn back and take the money?” he asked, seeming genuinely curious.
She gave him an annoyed look. “I made a deal, and I’m going to hold up my end of it. I don’t back out of things when they get hard. Bargains are sacred things in Toam. Really, they’re the only currency we have. Just because I’m poor doesn’t mean I don’t have a sense of honor.”
He grunted.
He probably didn’t believe her. He’d made his opinion of Toam and its residents clear enough. But she was telling him the truth. If she was lying to anyone, it was herself. Because it wasn’t just about the money. She needed that two hundred cord even if he thought it was nothing. But she wanted to help him too. She didn’t like the idea of abandoning nine men out here when she might be able to help save them. She wanted to help the trees. Clear the rot so the woods could heal.
Now,thatwas something she couldn’t tell Casrian—that she could feel the trees’ pain. He’d probably brand her on the spot.
