Page 18 of Hexes From Exes

“And yet they didn’t publish it,” Cass added.

“You’re sounding like Eric,” Alice groaned.

Cass smiled a bit. “Is that so bad? I’m just worried. It sounds fishy. I would hate it if something happened to you guys…”

“Happened to us?” Alice interrupted with a laugh. “This isn’t the mafia, it’s just some ancient texts. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Cass had a very good idea of the worst that could happen. Instead, she just smiled and shrugged. “Let’s just get more information together, okay?” She bent down over the text, covertly inhaling the smell of Alice’s hair in the process. It always smelled like strawberries and cream, which elicited a sensation of joy in Cass.

“This passage has been eluding me,” Alice admitted.

Cass looked it over, racking her memory for the latest list of words she’d managed to translate. Since she was removed from the research department, her access to the lexicon was revoked. She had to do things the old way – comparing texts that she did know, mixed with her memory of the lexicon that was growing weaker and weaker as the years dragged on. She’d had a break when she discovered an old text on her laptop from the start of her research into the demon texts and was able to extrapolate a bunch more words.

Cass pulled out her own stack of papers and rifled through them. “I’ve been doing some more translating,” she said, comparing her paper to the passage. They puzzled over it for awhile, finally translating the paragraph.

The magic that comes from the human realm is the strongest, as humans and demons are considered halves of a whole. Demon magic is strong with humans, as human magic is strong with demons. Unified, they create a greater magic, which can both make and undo.

“Maybe you’re right,” Alice said, leaning back in her chair, cracking her back with a sigh. “This does sound like a worship text, or at least something religious. You’re sure that word is ‘demon’?” Alice asked, tapping on the word daemogallus.

Cass nodded, “Yeah, it makes the most sense - daemon is used in Latin, and gallus was used in Sumerian, so the word being a mix of the two fits with the rest of our research.”

“Technically, a daemon is a guardian spirit in Latin,” Eric said from the doorway. Their heads both snapped toward him. Cass didn’t even hear him come in - she’d been so absorbed in their work.

“You guys have been in here for hours,” he said, plopping down in the chair on the other side of Cass.

“Have we?” Cass asked.

“Yeah, and most people don’t delve deeper into the word because it looks so much like the English word for demon, so they assume it’s synonymous. It’s not.” He leaned over Cass, sending goosebumps down her arms at their closeness. If she pushed away, she’d just be leaning closer toward Alice, a thought that was both distressing and welcome.

“Wow, that’s a weird passage,” he remarked, settling back onto his chair.

Cass sighed, realizing she’d been holding her breath.

“Cass thinks that these texts may be related to a group that worships demons, or tries to summon them,” Alice said suddenly. She gave a half-hearted smile to Cass. “Sorry, I couldn’t hold it in any longer, especially after this translation.”

“I told you it was fine to tell him,” Cass said, glad that Alice was at least on board with her thoughts. Maybe this would help them to understand the gravity of what they were getting into, that if they weren’t careful and the demon council somehow found out…

She couldn’t think about that.

“Well, this does sound like worship, or at least like a religion. Half and whole, getting magic by unifying. What do you think they mean by ‘unified’?” asked Eric.

“It’s not a direct translation, the word was clunky but it made the most sense,” Alice admitted. “Cass wanted to use ‘conjoined,’ but we settled on unified instead.”

What Cass didn’t want to admit is that she understood the word to mean something else, something more sexually explicit. It was another warning bell that rang in her head when she realized the gravity of translating these texts, in contrast to the laws of Anathamea.

Cass knew she was cutting her time here close, she needed to get back to Anathamea before someone noticed she was gone. They didn’t have cameras in Anathamea like here on the human realm, but that didn’t mean no one was watching her.

“I’ll see what else I can figure out,” Cass said, shouldering her bag. She’d scribbled down a few other passages to decode at home. She didn’t dare take pictures or create an electronic trail. She didn’t trust that no one would hack her phone. Handwritten was best, if she needed to get rid of it, she could simply magic the entire collection on fire in a matter of seconds.

“When will you be by next?” Alice asked.

Cass tried not to read too much into her words, tried not to over interpret a sense of longing in the phrase. She shrugged. “I’m not sure - my schedule is so crazy these days. Is it still okay that I pop in unannounced?” Cass asked.

“Any time,” Eric said, smiling at her.

Cass left the building and headed to a quiet area to portal back to Dread, trying not to replay Eric’s smile and Alice’s request to see her over and over again.

Chapter Eight