curse to move souls,” Trent prompted, and my jaw clenched.
Sure, now you’re all political businessman. What happened to my vengeful warlord elf?
Benny’s brow pinched to make the tiny wrinkles on his forehead deepen. “Ah, can we have a moment?” he said to his security.
“Sir,” the large man said. It was the first time he’d spoken, and his voice was surprisingly deep, mesmerizing with its elven lilt and cadence. Almost like music.
“I’ll be fine,” Benny said. Lips pressed, Benny turned to me. “Will I be fine?”
I nodded guardedly, and Trent gave me an encouraging smile. See? I can do political, too.
The large man hesitated, then stepped into the hall and shut the door.
Benny’s soft shoes scuffed the cold cobbles. The champagne was making inroads via the mortar lines, and the scent of alcohol was strong. “I wish you hadn’t destroyed so many,” he said, eyes on the broken glass. “They aren’t cheap.”
“Neither is Jenks,” I said.
Benny’s lip twitched. “Jenks said Landon taught you the curse to move souls from one body to another,” he whispered, clearly nervous. “It’s the dewar’s most precious knowledge. Everything else is written down, but that one, because of its nature, has been passed by word and deed.”
Its nature. I grimaced. It was black magic, foul and immoral. If they got caught with it, someone would be jailed in Alcatraz.
“I’ll let you both out and quiet the assault charges if you agree to pull Landon’s soul from his body and put it into a newborn,” Benny added. “Before the Order turns him into a zombie.”
And with that, everything changed.
Horrified, I drew back. “You still use that curse?” I said, appalled.
“Why?” Trent said shortly, and Benny’s attention flicked to him.
“Landon’s soul is almost gone,” Benny said uncomfortably. “But it will regenerate. If the baku takes him, all his latent wisdom will go with it. His soul lineage stretches back nearly a thousand years. We already lost his predecessor’s soul when he committed suicide. We can’t afford to lose another. But more important, if you perform the ceremony, Zack will have the knowledge.”
“Ceremony? It’s black magic,” I said hotly. “We’re not going to show Zack how to do an ancient elven black curse. I won’t do it.”
Benny hunched into himself. “I’m told it’s a spell, and what is the difference between this and what you did for your vampire roommate?”
“Ivy and Nina?” I said, insulted that he’d bring them up. “Nina was dead,” I said hotly. “Ivy is holding her soul, not moving in and destroying it. It’s not the same thing.”
They would let us go, but the cost was morally too high. Elves are just the other side to the demon coin, I thought, not for the first time. “You do know that the curse destroys the original soul, right?” I said, words fast and angry. “The one that belongs to the baby?” I turned to Trent, my lips parting when I realized he was trying to balance the scales of morality. “No!” I said loudly. “I may be a demon, but the only way I can sleep at night is if I say no when no needs to be said!”
Silent, Trent scrubbed his face with a hand. Suddenly I realized that if he did this, his pull with the dewar would be restored. Damn it to the Turn and back. Why did it always have to be the hard way?
“Landon has compromised himself with his continued association with the baku,” Benny continued, talking now to Trent since he hadn’t said no yet. “The baku has eaten Landon’s soul to where he can be taken at will. The only reason it hasn’t is because it wants you dead as well, thereby increasing its political reach once it is in Landon. If the Order doesn’t cage the baku in Rachel, they will cage it in him. We can avoid both if you relocate Landon’s soul to a new vessel.”
“Do you even hear yourself?” I said, one hand on my hip, the other gesturing wildly. “Relocate? Vessel? You are destroying a baby’s soul. Even demons don’t do that!”
Benny’s eye twitched and he steadied himself. “If you rescue Landon’s soul, the Order will turn his empty body into a zombie to capture the baku. Landon will be free to be reborn. Rachel will not be forced to become a zombie. Everyone wins.”
I looked at Trent. Benny had it wrong. A body without a soul couldn’t hold the baku. Hodin had said so, and he would know. “Everyone wins?” I echoed, not