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Phaedra stared into her cup. “Okay, say you’re right. Say my coven cursed the demon and trapped it in Bone Lake. Now what?”
“Now I want to release her.”
“Her?”
“I think the demon is female.”
Phaedra gave an adamant shake of her head. “No, absolutely not. How can you even consider showing that monster mercy? Think of all the damage she’s done.”
“She’s still doing it, only on a more limited scale.”
Phaedra looked at me out of the corner of her eye. “Is this because of Kane?”
“What does this have to do with Kane?”
“You think because your prince of hell is reformed, that every demon is capable of change.”
“First, he isn’t my prince of hell. Second, that isn’t the reason.” At least I didn’t think it was. I wasn’t that naive, was I?
“I don’t remember every detail about the demon, but what I do remember is terrifying. That creature brought pain and suffering to my family. They were at their wit’s end.”
“These are the same witches who were more than willing to sacrifice innocent people to boost their bank account. Do you really think they would’ve cared about cursing a deadly demon to remain trapped in a local lake where humans camped?”
Phaedra clapped her pink cheeks. “Oh, gods. You’re so right. Tell me what I can do to help.”
Relief swelled inside me, but I pushed it aside. There’d be time for feelings later. Right now I needed to focus on the task at hand.
“If it’s your family’s curse that keeps her locked in the lake, then you can probably undo it.”
Phaedra closed her eyes momentarily. “I am so tired of cleaning up their messes.”
“I get it. I do. And I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important. This isn’t about sparing a demon. It’s about saving future innocent lives.” And about releasing the spirits trapped there with her, although I couldn’t explain that part to Phaedra. Although she was becoming a reliable presence, she wasn’t quite in the inner circle. That level of trust took time, at least for me.
“I don’t understand,” Phaedra said. “If we release the demon, don’t we risk putting more lives at risk? If you plan to kill her, then you don’t need to undo the curse. Just kill her right there in the lake.”
“If it were that easy, don’t you think your family would’ve done it?” I knew from experience the Bridger witches weren’t opposed to murder to get what they wanted.
She returned to the kitchen to refill her cup with the warm winter tipple.
“The brew is phenomenal. If this witch business doesn’t work out for you, you should consider bartending at the Devil’s Playground.”
“Thankfully, I’ve built up a reasonable clientele. I wasn’t sure it would be possible after the incident.”
The ‘incident’ involved the attempted domestication of a deadly supernatural creature called a culebrón that would’ve resulted in the sacrifice of Ashley Pratt.
“The few of us who know the details know you weren’t involved.” I took another sip. The taste was heavenly.
“I still have access to the coven library.” She nodded in the direction of an adjacent room. “If they used a curse from one of those books, I can find it.”
“I can’t pay you, but we can barter.” I had no idea what I had to offer, but I’d figure something out.
Phaedra stared at me. “Why on earth would you pay me? This demon in the lake isn’t your responsibility.”
“It isn’t yours either.”
“It is if my family is to blame for it, and even if they didn’t curse the demon, I’m a resident of Fairhaven just like you. I want this to be a safe place.”
I swallowed the last of the delicious spiked tea with regret, resisting the urge to request a second glass. Never mind. My stomach was warm and full, plus I had a potential solution to the Bone Lake problem. Things were looking up.
