“Myrddin sent me. He understands how dangerous the convergences could be to all of us. You know the great wizard has strong ties to the Hell plane. He has convinced me how valuable you all can be when we work together.”
I swear if that demon had working tear ducts he would have been crying.
“Merlin Satanspawn does not forget us?”
I wanted to tell them that Merlin Satanspawn was an ass, but I understood what Daniel was doing. If any of these demons made it back to the Hell plane, all the lords there would hear was that the king was helping demons and loved Myrddin. So if we got back, he wouldn’t be waiting to kill us all. Nothing out of the ordinary here.
“The Council does not forget you,” Dev corrected. “The king himself is here risking his life to try to fix the problem.”
More and more of the Planeswalkers were dropping to the ground as though they simply couldn’t find the energy to stand a single second longer.
“Why are you attracted to this spot?” Daniel asked. “We made an ally when we first got to this plane. He brought us here.”
“Then he knows about the energy,” the demon said.
“You’re attracted to the energy on this plane?” I stepped in because I didn’t like hiding in the background. I stayed close to Dean. He was the unknown quantity here, but according to Kelsey he might be able to save the Earth plane, and that meant watching out for the kid.
“If you need faery magic, I might be able to help with that,” Dev said, his accent deepening and changing as Bris took the baton. “I can funnel energy into you if you need it. It shall not cost my host a thing.”
The Planeswalker shook his head as another of his brethren sank to the ground. Some looked like they were unconscious now. “No, My Lord. I thank you for the offer, but it is not the same magic. You do not understand how the doors work. It started so long ago that not even my clan quite remembers everything, but we know that there is balance and we play our part. The magic we get from the doors is different, and we carry that magic with us when we walk the outer planes.”
“You pollinate the planes and that keeps the walls up,” Dean said. “That’s what I got from the other demon. But he was confused. He came looking for a specific magic—Fae magic. My magic isn’t Fae, and neither is Erna’s. She’s a witch from Arete. How does the Fae magic bring balance if mine cannot?”
“It is not precisely Fae magic. This magic gave birth to Fae magic.” The demon was starting to struggle to breathe.
“Celestial magic. I think he’s talking about celestial magic. The Fae are closer to our angelic ancestors than other supernatural creatures,” Daniel explained. “Fae magic—even Unseelie magic—is closer to celestial than demonic. Most witch magic comes from the earth around them, so it’s almost considered a neutral energy. Planeswalker, where do you sense this magic coming from?”
He managed to hold up a reedy hand and point a finger toward the cottage, the one I couldn’t see from this side of the barrier. “She is there.”
“She?” I asked. “Is he talking about Erna? I thought you said it couldn’t be her.”
“The goddess. She must accept her place,” the Planeswalker said as he fell to his knees, the last of his clan to begin to fade. “Please. If she does not accept the invitation, if the Summerlands are lost, we are all lost. We will devolve into chaos and only the inner planes will be left, cut off from our unique lives. Tell the wizard thank you. Hell will not care. Hell will love the chaos. We thought ourselves abandoned.”
“King Daniel did not abandon you.” Dev was back in control now. He knelt down beside the Planeswalker. “We will save the Summerlands. Sleep and know that you are protected. The royals of the Earthplane will aid the Planeswalker clans.”
“She must take her place,” the demon said as his eyes closed.
The world around us was quiet again, and we were left with a field of dormant demons.
“Is he talking about Summer?” I asked, already dreading the answer to my question.
Daniel glanced around the field, his hands on his hips. “I have to think there’s some kind of connection. But Dev said she didn’t have any magic.”
“It’s bound,” Dev replied, turning to Dean. “You put the other in the