Page 42 of Witchbane
Nick sat back on his haunches, seeming to take a minute to decide where to begin. “The kitsune is a creature of power. You know this right? It absorbs power like a battery.”
“Yes,” Liam agreed.
“Except the kitsune is greater than that. It’s like the sun, powering all magic or none. It will continue to grow and absorb magic until the magic is used or it explodes. The last time you let it free, you called monsters to you, ate them, devouring the power of Underhill, and Underhill cast you out.”
“Did you witness that?” Liam asked.
Nick nodded. “Some of it.”
“I don’t remember most of it,” I admitted.
“I think Underhill tried to corrupt you.” He paused as if thinking how to phrase it. “You became something other than the kitsune. That is what ate the monsters and began draining power from Underhill. That’s why it kicked you out.”
Was it the corruption of Underhill churning inside me? Some monster waiting to burst forth in a bloodbath of final destruction to anyone around me? No wonder the forest god had locked it away.
“I’m about to explode and destroy the world?” I said, half joking.
“Partially.” He shrugged. Nick paused and glanced back at the doorway, but no one was there. “You’re resisting the change because you’re afraid of it taking over again.”
That much was true. I didn’t want to turn back into a ravaging beast.
“It’s always hungry, but I don’t feel like I’m the one holding it back.” The ice barrier felt real enough, though I’d seen from using magic how easily broken it was.
“Personal barriers, layered with physical ones. You haven’t had a need great enough to force you to set it free. Your fear holds it back behind the barrier something else created. The hunger… that’s part of being kitsune. It will always crave magic.”
“He’s holding the kitsune back unconsciously?” Liam clarified.
Nick nodded. “It is likely. Then when the fae tried to separate the two of you, the kitsune took control, decided the only way to save itself was to feed, store power, and become unstoppable. Unfortunately, that means that the destruction of Underhill was accelerated when his other half was unleashed. And Seb fears hurting you, and perhaps me. Because of that, he’s got a lock on the power.”
“The forest god said you were chosen for me,” I told Liam. “But I’m not certain the kitsune recognizes that.”
“We are mates,” Liam said. He was more sure that the bond was enough than I was. “I think Nick is implying that you need to trust our bond and your kitsune to recognize that bond.”
I sighed. If the kitsune had been like my fox, with me my entire life, part of me, instead of a separate entity demanding control, then it would be that easy. But how to explain that without sounding like I was possessed by a demon?
“We’ll figure it out,” Liam assured me. He looked at Nick. “Underhill is dying? All the smoke and monsters are not normal, but an end of days sort of thing?”
“It’s been collapsing in on itself. Section by section. There’s a map in the library we’ve created over the years. Places we can no longer travel at all. The monsters began to move in one direction, Underhill devouring them to try to survive. It herds them to feed, driving them inward, but it’s a slow death march. There is no going back.”
I gaped at him. “I didn’t mean to…”
“Doesn’t matter. Kiran saw this coming a millennium ago. He predicted the kitsune would bring destruction and rebirth to the fae. They thought it was him, and they cursed him, locking him in ice. You don’t tell the powerful their end is nigh; they get cranky. But he is not a blend of the old and the new. He is an echo of the past.”
“What does that mean?” Liam asked. “A blend of old and new? Seb is part fae and something else that makes him new?”
“Yes. A mix of the new world. The melting pot of creatures not met by the early fae. Bound to a wolf because that was the best fit for his magic. Kiran would have been bound to some fae, as that would have been the match for his magic. Different worlds require different blends of solutions. Mixing the magic from another dimension created something beyond prediction,” Nick waved at me. “Essentially an entirely new creation. It was bound to happen eventually. It’s how all worlds come into being, new life begins somewhere.”
That was a lot of philosophy. How was I new world? “I don’t understand.”
Nick shrugged. “Rest a bit. Give the sanctuary a little time to settle your magic. Your heads will be clearer. Then come across the hall. I’ll show you the map. See if we can better explain.”
“Liam is no longer a wolf,” I said. “Is he safe here? Behind the wards?”
“Yes. Maybe stay on the higher levels of the palace. There are some fae taking refuge here. Not many, and most of them aren’t dangerous. But best not to tempt fate. Get some rest, let the sanctuary settle the power a bit, though I feel it pulling at our energy too. We have a little time, perhaps we can direct this?” He put a hand on my shoulder; it was cool, comforting, and making me tired.
“Are you making me sleepy?” The tug was too strong to be natural.
“Rest a bit,” Nick said. He waved at the nest he’d made, soothing the blankets down over Liam and me, and drew a symbol in the air. Nothing I recognized, but it made me curious.