I confessed. “I’m worried about finding the Crystals of Harmony in time. We’re no closer to finding the alicorn stone than we were a few weeks ago, and I’m worried it’ll never show.”
“You’ll find the crystals when you’re meant to find them,” Babcia said reassuringly. “Trust that all will come together at the proper moment.”
“And then there’s my mate,” I finished with a sigh. “We’re still estranged. I want to be with him, but things are so complicated.”
“Men are strange creatures. He’ll pull his head out of his rear eventually,” Babcia said, waving her hand.
“It’s more than that.” I hadn’t told anyone this, but I trusted my grandparents— and I loved Arthur. They’d keep this secret safe. “He’s been possessed by a demon. We’ve tried to get rid of it, but nothing we’ve done has worked.”
Bapa looked up from this week’s edition of The Annual Arcanea, while Arthur lunged back.
Babcia was the only one who didn’t seem surprised. She removed the cauldron I’d used for brewing the spell and put a new one on before she sat back into an armchair and got to chopping vegetables.
Arthur was gaping. “I didn’t know Ethan was possessed.”
“We’ve tried to keep it quiet, but it’s getting harder. The demon is killing him from the inside out,” I said. “Babcia, Bapa, do you know a way we could free him?”
My heart jumped in hope as Bapa asked, “What kind of a demon is it?”
“A leshane.”
Bapa frowned, and my heart sank again as Babcia shook her head. “If your mate’s been possessed by a forest leshane, we can’t help you. That’s something beyond even our power as Unseelie. A minor demon would be easier. But something like that is damn near impossible to exorcise.”
Shit. If my grandparents, experienced as they were, didn’t think there was any hope, it really was dire.
“You cannot save someone if they don’t want to save themselves,” Babcia said, catching the look on my face. “Demon possession always drowns the host in sorrow. If your mate has any chance of surviving, he’ll have to do his best to get the leshane out himself. Just mind you don’t let Ethan drag you down with him.”
I let my shoulders drop. “It’s just a lot to carry. I feel like I’m on my own.”
“Sounds like you’ve got some energy to clear,” Bapa offered.
“Energy?”
“Every being on this earth is energy. Positive, negative, and in between,” Bapa explained. “It can change depending on what you think, what you feel, what kind of environment you’re in. You can’t control another person’s energy, but you can guide your own.”
“And you can clear it,” Babcia added. “It’s just like cleaning any other space. As fae, we are energetic beings that use our magic to pull from the gods, from nature, from each other. The mating bond is the strongest energetic connection a fae has. The cords that bind you and your mate affect both of you. If Ethan is possessed, you will feel the demon’s negative energy, and be influenced by it.”
Though the information was new, the notion wasn’t quite a shock. I was disabled, so I suffered from fatigue often, but I felt a tiredness now that had nothing to do with my illness. I could tell the leshane was draining me as much as it was my mate. “I don’t want that monster influencing me.”
“That’s where your Unseelie magic comes in.” Babcia gestured for me to sit in front of the hearthfire. I sat cross-legged on the rug, and she placed a bowl of salt in front of me, as well as a white candle. “This clearing spell will help to lift some of that negative influence.”
“I’ve done this before,” Arthur said. “It’s simple.”
“But not always easy,” Babcia offered as she handed me a match. “Light the candle, and place your hands into the bowl.”
I did so. The grains of salt filtered through my fingers as I buried them deep in the bowl. The candlelight flickered off my face, casting shadows here and there.
“Close your eyes. Feel the energy of the earth through the salt,” Babcia said. “You are a faerie, connected to the earth. Do you feel its energy pulsing through the grains?”
I used my illusion magic to reach out and connect. The salt felt very grounding— like roots had sprung out of me, securing me to dirt. It also felt very pure. There was no right or wrong to the salt. It merely existed.
“Use your Unseelie magic to call to the surface everything that’s been weighing