"Yes. There are few left capable of making a Dušan such as this." His gaze met mine again. "I suspect your father might be one of them."
"But if the Dušan was made for me, how come that book is so old?"
He shrugged. "Modern paper does not hold magic as well."
"So why in the hell would he even make one for me?" I ripped my fingers from his and stalked across the room, stopping at the window and crossing my arms. The traffic on the street below was a blur, muted by the electrochromic windows, but it didn't matter. I wasn't really looking at it, anyway. "Damn it, tell me what's really going on, Azriel! Why would he contact me—in any way—after all this time?"
"Because you are his daughter."
He said it like that was a complete and obvious answer. I swung around to face him. "A daughter he hasn't bothered seeing for twenty-eight and a half years."
He made a short, elegant movement with his hand. His fingers were long, I noticed absently. Long and strong. "That is but a heartbeat in the life span of an Aedh."
"But if I'm so important in his quest to destroy the world, then why leave it until now to contact me?"
He hesitated briefly. Though there was as little emotion as ever in his face, I felt the conflict in him. Which was as odd as the awareness that throbbed between us.
"Twenty-eight and a half years ago, the first of the dark path portal locks was partially opened. It wasn't forced, and there was no magic involved. Someone used a key." He hesitated, then added, "Three weeks ago, all three were briefly opened."
I blinked. Locks? Key? What the fuck? "I thought the gates were just gates. Ethereal and powerful, granted, but functioning the way all gates function. You know, they open to let a soul in, then slam shut behind."
He crossed his arms and shook his head. The room's half-light flickered across his dark hair, making it shimmer a rich black-blue. "No. There have always been security measures in place to stop those on the dark path from retreating. Every portal contains three interconnected gates, each possessing a stronger lock. One must close behind the soul before the next one opens."
"But demons and things like this soul stealer we're hunting do get out."
"Because enough magic has been gathered—either on this plane or across the other side—to temporarily link the portals and cause a rift."
"So what made the rift three weeks ago different?"