Page 45 of Hexes From Exes

“Not at all - have you made any headway?” Cass asked. She was genuinely curious - she wished she could take back copies of the text to Anathamea or even some pictures of them, but it was too risky. The more she and Alice uncovered, the more Cass wondered if these texts weren’t intentionally lost. Cass worried that her promotion wasn’t about merit, but instead to get her far away from whatever secrets the ancient words held.

“Good,” Alice sighed, dropping into a chair. “So, I used the translations you’ve already done to form a bit of a lexicon. Anyway, I think…I think this is more than a demon worshipping cult. I think they’re a sex cult.” Alice sat back with a wide smile on her face, her hands patting the table for emphasis.

“A sex cult?” Cass asked, now absolutely lost. Sure, the words that they’d translated before hinted at some sort of joining between humans and demons but…a sex cult? How did they go from fucking humans in ritualistic ways to completely outlawing human interaction? Cass followed Alice’s translations, starting with what they uncovered last time.

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

Except Alice had annotated “unified” with the words “sexually?” above it. Cass raised her eyebrows at Alice, who just nodded and pointed to her continued translations.

In their unification, demons may gain their own magic, which cannot be taken or destroyed by another. It is theirs, to have until it is spent. When a demon finds a human mate to join with, they possess a power together that ensures greatness.

“You see?” Alice said, nodding to the text. “Joining, unification – I think you were right, this is something sexual! Maybe the leaders of this cult thought by claiming to be demons they could have sex with women, right? Don’t all cults kind of act that way – with men in charge that just want sex and power?”

Cass was only kind of listening, her eyes continuing down the page of translated texts.

In the past, these joinings have been forbidden, as they have challenged the positions of power. If all demons gained this magic, they could not be controlled. They would be like the great demons that once ruled the human realm until they were banished to Anathamea. It is with these texts that we remind demons to rise up and conquer and inherit Earth as it was intended.

“And here,” Alice was pointing to the line Cass had just read. “They forbid the others from having sex, so that only the elders or leaders can do it. Makes sense, right? That’s what that FLDS guy Jeffs did, huh? He stole other guys wives and forbade others from marrying and stuff. It’s sick how these guys all work the same, really…Cass?”

Alice’s concerned voice snapped Cass from her thoughts, which were spiraling. “Yeah, that makes sense,” she said breathlessly. “Any idea on the author of this?” Cass asked. She was leaning forward, trying to find some signature, anything. “Any idea of the time? Like when this was written? Or where it came from?”

“No, I guess we could reach out to that Museum of Wolfred, right? They’re the ones with the similar chemical composition,” Alice said.

Cass almost forgot about that. With the nature of the translations, she was feeling more and more sure that it was a bad idea to submit them. “Mmm, maybe. I just…I haven’t been able to find anything about them. I’ve even asked some colleagues. They’ve never heard of the museum.”

“Weird,” Alice said.

“Maybe it’s some old rich guy? You know, a billionaire that just wants to add it to his collection to rot away in his library?” Cass pressed. She knew how much Alice hated people like that. The first time they met at the estate sale she could practically feel the hostility coming off Alice in waves at the idea of previous texts locked in someones basement without any chance of seeing the shrouded light of a research room.

“Ugh, probably,” Alice agreed, shaking her head. “Well, then we’re at a stalemate. We’ve translated all the readable text, and all we know so far is that this text basically affirms we’re dealing with a cult. Classic behavior. Is that what your research is on?” Alice pressed.

Cass was quiet about her ‘research’, because technically she didn’t have any. Her previous life of ancient artifacts was pulled out from under her and now she was stuck investigating bullshit discharges of magic in Anathamea. “Yes, and no,” Cass allowed, then sighed. She could tell Alice at least a part of the truth.

“The fact is…I was taken off this research some time ago. I was given a ‘promotion’, but it feels…wrong. Like they were trying to steer me from my line of research,” Cass admitted.

“And steal it?” Alice asked, her voice rising a few octaves.

“I don’t know,” Cass replied with a shrug. “I don’t think so. It just…it seemed off. I felt like they didn’t want me to find the answers.”

“Do you think this is the answer?” Alice asked, waving to the paper.

Yes, Cass thought. Old passages from demons long dead, claiming that if humans and demons had sex, then demons would become powerful and roam the Earth. No wonder the council forbade interactions between humans and demons. No wonder the possessions of the last few centuries were met with harsh punishment. If a rumor like this got out, especially now when Anathamea was in a magic crisis…Cass could only imagine the consequences. Jerry wouldn’t be able to keep the portal safe for long.

“Maybe,” Cass said instead. “I just don’t know what to make of it.”

“Do you think,” Alice asked, her eyes lighting up. “This cult still exists?”

Cass looked over the papers. They were old, at least a few centuries old. If a faction of demons existed that believed in the ability of demons to rise up and take the world, they would have done it by now. No, it was very likely that whoever wrote this was long dead, as were most of the demons who’d read the text. That thought sent a shudder down Cass’s spine. She may be the only demon alive that knew this information…

…except the council.

“This is a huge breakthrough,” Cass choked out, looking up at Alice.

“Oh Cass, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to step on your toes, I just got so excited…”

“No, no, please don’t say that,” Cass interrupted. “I’m glad you did this. It saved me a lot of time. It also…I have a lot of questions, I guess.”

“Promise you’re not mad? Or upset? Or, gosh, I wasn’t even thinking,” Alice continued.