Page 21 of Witchbane
There was a knock on the door, and after a second or two it opened. The woman who came in looked ordinary enough. A sweep of blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, a few pieces trailing over her face, as if escaping the restriction. She appeared to be in her late thirties or early forties, wearing a white coat and scrubs beneath, and to most she’d look like everyone else. But there was a ripple around the edges of her. At least in my sight. Nothing as substantial as what I saw when I looked at Wesley, but enough to tell me at least some of what I saw was glamour. But then the fae didn’t age. It made sense that if she wanted to work among humans, she would have to appear to age as normal. I didn’t work too hard to peel back the edges of what she wanted to show me. No need to know if she was a giant tentacle monster in disguise or something.
“Hello, Sebastian,” she said. “I’m Doctor Johanna DeMarkus.” She made her way to the chair at the computer and sat down to type a few things in. She looked over the screen, seeming to pull up some history. “Wesley has provided a great deal of your history. It’s not available to the normal staff.”
That was good news. “Okay.”
She turned from the computer to look at me. Oddly, it wasn’t an uncomfortable stare like I had expected. It was more one of concern. “I’ve seen the comments and the records. Reviewed them this morning after your appointment was made by your… human? Mother. No record of her having fae abilities, but we will worry about genealogy later. I want to hear from you what is happening.”
I shrugged. “Not sure it’s a medical issue, really. I’m having trouble sleeping, and when I do sleep, I don’t feel rested. Was a little queasy this morning. And I’ve been opening portals to Underhill in my sleep,” I added the last in a bit of a rush.
“He’s also losing weight. Eating well-balanced full meals, but losing weight. Other than this morning, to my knowledge, he has not been physically ill,” Liam added.
She stared at me a moment longer, then got up. “Up on the table. I want to listen to your heart and lungs. Ask you a few questions while I look you over.”
I got up and went to the paper-covered exam table, sitting on the end. She shined a light in my eyes and up my nose, in my ears, then listened to my lungs and heart. It all seemed very mundane. But after a moment I felt something from having her hand on me. Almost a pull from her to me. Was I draining her energy too, like Wesley had warned me?
She didn’t seem alarmed.
“What is…” I started, not sure how to frame the question. “Magic?”
“What are you doing to release energy regularly?” She asked stepping away.
“Um?” I looked at Liam, not sure what she meant. “You mean like sex or regular activities?”
“Not physical energy. Magical energy. You’ve absorbed a lot. I can feel it churn inside you when I touch you. Like a planet revolving around your kitsune core. You’re not the first kitsune I’ve seen in my life. Usually, they don’t hold this much power.”
“It’s stuck,” I admitted. “I met this forest god and he sort of did something to my kitsune. I can’t let it out.”
That made her frown. I frowned too, and so did Liam. We were frowning fools. “That shouldn’t be possible. Very few beings have power over the kitsune. You guys are true wild magic. Disruptors of a sort in that a lot of spells either don’t stick at all, or don’t work right on you.”
“The last time I was in Underhill I went sort of nuts because I didn’t have Liam there to ground me. I ate a bunch of monsters,” because I remembered that, even as gross as it was, “and Underhill kicked me out. That was where I met the forest god. I tried to pull power from him too. That’s when he bound up the kitsune. It was like he stuffed it all inside and put a deadbolt on it.”
That had her silent and thinking for a few minutes. She folded her arms across her chest. “Elementals do have a certain blunt edge to their power.”
“Like a mallet,” I agreed. “Nailing the door to my kitsune shut.”
“All that energy that you fed on in Underhill, and all that you receive from being part of the pack,” she motioned to Liam, obviously aware of what he was, “is sitting inside you, building, unused, like a bomb waiting to explode.”
When she put it like that… “Fuck. That doesn’t sound good.”
“Think of it like a werewolf who never changes. How long do they live before the wolf drives them mad fighting for release? It’s not a surprise you don’t feel right. You need to find a way to release the kitsune before it devours you from the inside.”
“Ominous much?” I griped.
“How do we release his kitsune? I’ve been unable to find a way to contact this forest god who bound him.”
“The ancient immortals in general are fickle creatures. It probably wouldn’t be safe for Sebastian to release it here anyway. Better he does it in Underhill rather than the mortal plane.” She returned to the computer, and I hopped down off the table to rejoin Liam. “Magic is more complicated here than in Underhill. Rules, boundaries, and the guardians dictate to whom. If they don’t want your power released here, it’s likely they believe it will tip the balance on this plane.”
“My control of the portals isn’t great. I’m afraid if we go through, we’ll be separated or can’t get back,” I told her.
“We have requested help from the fae several times, but no one seems willing,” Liam added.
“More that they have been commanded not to help,” she said.
“Fuck,” I said again. Angry at the whole beingnot fae enough for the fae. “Is this another test or something?”
“The fae are known for their tests. Especially of the young.” She huffed out a breath. “I do, however, think a lot of your issues stem from the kitsune being bound. Think of yourself as magically constipated.”
“That sounds uncomfortable,” Liam said.