wake up if someone shoved it in while you’re sleeping.”
“What’s a thrall stone?” Kelsey had finished the second sandwich, but it was easy to see Dean had her full attention now.
He had mine, too. “Yes, I’d like to know as well. And how did you see it inside of Dev?”
Dean sat forward, turning my way. “I took a quick tour when he first got here. It’s this thing I do to read a person’s intentions. And let me tell you that other vampire’s intentions were not pure. Not when it came to Summer. I’m pretty sure the mercenaries would have knocked them out for transport, and I for one am really happy about that. Summer was making a huge mistake.”
I wasn’t about to tell him that being unconscious likely wouldn’t stop Marcus from going to town. He could pull a person into his head, and it was an interesting experience to say the least. “So you looked into Dev’s head and found a stone? I assume it’s not an actual rock.”
“Not a stone exactly. They’re made from the bones of a type of demon with incredible influential powers. You can get it on the black market on the witch plane. Usually the goblins have a couple. But like I said, you have to accept it. I mean I guess he could have been held down and had it shoved into him, but it doesn’t work unless the person it’s being used on is conscious,” Dean explained. “Erna knows all about them. There are planes where thrall stones are used to keep people loyal to the leader.”
“It can’t be that stone because there’s zero way Donovan lets anyone put a stone in his head,” Kelsey said.
“What do you mean by conscious?” Something tickled at the back of my head. Daniel had a connection to the wizard from the moment they’d met, but the real influence hadn’t kicked in until later. I’d chalked it up to him being tied to the sword at first. Now I had to wonder.
“Awake,” Dean said. “It’s usually the way we describe it here.”
“So he couldn’t put it in there magically?” My mind was going back to those days we’d spent in the pocket world with Myrddin. “When we first met the wizard, we were there to get him to take a device off Daniel’s heart. He used a magical form of surgery that included a stasis chamber.”
“What’s that?” Kelsey asked.
“A magical one?” Dean continued after I nodded his way. “It’s something Erna’s used. Only very powerful witches can hold one.”
“Nimue held it,” I said. “She’s…”
Dean had sat back up. “I know who she is. Everyone knows who she is, but she hasn’t walked these planes in…well, not since anyone alive can remember. She’s a myth on the witch plane. There are whole covens who worship her. Are you telling me you actually know her?”
“I’m starting to wonder. She’s spent the last ten years with Myrddin, and she acts an awful lot like Dev and Daniel now.” I’d known Nim as a free spirit. She’d left her long-time lover behind because she’d wanted to have a child. Somehow I didn’t see her setting up a nursery with Myrddin. “That was the day they all changed.”
“You think he slipped these stone things inside them when he was doing the surgery?” Kelsey asked. “Weren’t you and my uncle there?”
“Yes, but it got a little crazy.” I remembered what had happened after Nimue had first taken control of the stasis chamber. “I watched him but I can’t say he couldn’t have slipped something by me. Nimue took control of the stasis chamber and she went into this weird fugue state. Myrddin said he could do anything to her. He stared at her but I’m pretty sure she had no idea what he was doing.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen something similar. Witches use them like operating rooms on the Vampire plane,” Dean explained. “Basically they carve out this piece of an alternate dimension where the rules of physics are different.”
“And if the rules of physics are different then maybe the rules with the thrall stone are, too,” Kelsey said. “You think you took your eyes off them for any period of time?”
“Your uncle got zapped. He tried to go into the chamber to take Dev’s place. He touched the wall of the chamber and I was worried he’d died.” It had been seconds, but I’d been distracted and Myrddin had probably put someone under thrall before. I’d been told he was tied to