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The information Casimir had disclosed earlier about ghosting non Shadows was suddenly in the forefront of my mind. “Have you ever experimented with ghosting other non Shadows to see if their magic counteracts your shift the same way?” I inquired.
“Yes,” Draven nodded. “Though, not many. Only my mate and her sister succeeded.”
“Maybe the answer lies in their genetics,” Casimir guessed. “Beings like Lyric, Kree, and Raven have a broader gene pool. The answer could lie somewhere in the fact that there are different powers from different factions in their makeup. Something about the combination makes it stronger in some ways. Or maybe they carry a similar genetic trait. We should have Hugo investigate.”
Draven’s chin jutted slightly in consideration. “You might be onto something. I’ll speak to him later.”
“Great plan. So we’re finished here?” Phalen tested hopefully.
“No,” Draven shook his head. “Raven, earlier you said something about control?”
Chapter 22
Raven
“I did,” I replied to the Shadow Lord. “Taking control of another’s mind is extremely difficult. It’s also an abominable practice, so please know my intention is not to become some sort of dark witch looking to enslave others to do my bidding.”
“I’m not worried about you turning on us like that, if that’s your concern. Delete that thought from your mind,” Draven emphasized, “and attend to what’s critical. You could be onto something with this. What are the main obstacles? Pushing commands into another?
“I think giving commands themselves isn't the challenging part. Practically speaking, getting close enough and being powerful enough to use the magic to infiltrate and subjugate another definitely is.”
“Like performing a demon’s furatus?” Phalen guessed.
“Mmm, no, I don’t think so. A furatus is like giving the soul of another an unavoidable directive, right?”
“It is,” Phalen confirmed. “The demon performing it has to physically touch the other being’s soul. They can do all sorts of nasty things once they have a hold of it.”
“But the being on the receiving end of the furatus could still have access to their own mind?”
“They could,” Casimir chimed in. “Maybe it’s more like a witch’s compulsion spell. Would that be easier for you? Less of a risk?”
“Compulsions aren’t what I would call easy, but they don’t require so much power as they do finesse. They’re sort of like erasing a memory, only in reverse. You plant something and the person acts on it, yet they still have their full sense of self. If done correctly, they will believe the compulsion is an original thought or act. For it to have the best chance of success, the compulsion can’t be too far out of the spelled-one’s character. The caster isn’t usually involved for more than the time it takes to place the compulsion. They have no control over how things go after that. I could use one, but I would have no guarantee of how and when the compulsion would be acted upon, only a general range of time.”
“So I was right?” Lyric declared more than asked. “This magic goes beyond mere influence and into literal puppet master territory.”
“Yes. It’s something I’ve never personally attempted because I’ve always believed it to be an appalling violation. Also, I might not even be capable of it. I’m working off of several conversations I overheard and–”
“And you trust in something you randomly overheard?” Phalen criticized without any real bite in his tone. “I know you’re a walking lie detector but surely you have more to go on than that.”
Absently, I wondered what it took to truly upset the comedic Shadow. The head of the Shadow Army had to have a ruthless streak in him somewhere to hold his position.
It would be heedful to give him some degree of confidence.
“I eavesdropped on a conversation between my mother and a younger witch whose grandmother was fae–Unseelie, if I recall correctly. Her grandfather was a Dianic witch. Apparently the witch’s mother, whose ancestry was obviously similar to my own, had done something terrible and paid the ultimate price for it. I don’t know the specifics of the crime, but I do know it involved her mixing her dyadic powers, which tend to fuel one another, to completely control someone powerful. Circe tried to get me to attempt it once, just to see if I could.”
“I hope karma kicks her right in the va-jay-jay,” Lyric muttered. “How did that great parenting decision go?”
“It didn’t. I staunchly refused and Father backed me up so it was dropped.”
Lyric placed her hand over her heart. “I cannot believe the universe paired Brokk with that female. I suppose it had to happen so you could be born, but still. She sounds like such a manipulative opportunist.”
“That’s because she is. And of course she wrote down the witch’s sad account for her own gain.” Many witches were like that, seeking and hoarding every bit of knowledge and power they could get their hands on, just in case it was ever needed.
“One day, she gave me her notes to read. I should have burned the cursed pages instead of throwing them back in her face after I’d poured over them. I thought it wise to at least know as much as she did. I know enough to give it a go, but that’s about it.”
Phalen stepped forward. “Well, there’s only one way to find out.” He spread his arms wide, grimacing. “Go ahead, Raven. Cast your woeful spell and make me your bitch.”
“Oh, I like that better than puppet,” Lyric approved. “We’ll call it the Bitch Spell. No. The Little Bitch Spell—LBS! Phalen is gonna get the LBS! It sounds like an acronym for a venereal disease. Ha! Wait,” she turned to me, “is there already a term for it?”
