The Catalyst of Corruption (The Final Formula Series, Book 4) (14 page)

Ian looked over at me, though I only caught the movement out of my peripheral vision. “Yes.”

I closed my eyes. He was willing to let her die rather than tell me anything about ash alchemy.

His shoulder brushed mine as he walked past me.

I opened my eyes to frown at his back. Did he really think that using ash alchemy would corrupt me that much? Certainly, he wouldn't let Elysia die to protect me. There had to be more to this.

“Ian—”

“Alchemy can accomplish amazing things, but you know there are limits.” He kept his back to me and opened the cabinet beneath his workbench.

A knock sounded and I jumped. I eyed the short hall that led to the back door.

“Whoever has come to call is among the living,” Ian said. In other words, it wasn't Alexander.

“Not that I expected your brother to knock,” I muttered and headed for the door. Reaching it, I rolled up on my toes and looked through the peep hole. Cora stood on the stoop.

Flicking the deadbolt, I pulled open the door. “Hey, Cora. Come in.” I stepped back to let her enter.

She wore the typical fitted blazer and dark slacks, looking every bit the no-nonsense businesswoman—right down to the briefcase she carried.

“Is Elysia in?” she asked while I pushed the door closed. “I have some papers for her to sign regarding the adoption.”

“She's here, but she's not up to signing anything.”

Cora's dark brows rose in question, but she did the lawyer thing and let me continue without any prompting.

“I had to knock her out. Again. It turned out my new boss was a lich. When Elysia discovered that, she tried to take him and was a little too successful.”

“She reaped another soul.”

“Yes.”

Cora sighed and glanced up the hall toward the lab. A frown appeared when she noticed Ian. “This adoption process has been an uphill battle from the start, but now, I'm starting to have personal reservations.”

“So is she.”

Cora's attention returned to me. “In light of that, perhaps she would be interested in an alternative.”

“An alternative to adopting this baby? You're not considering kidnapping, are you?”

“Should it concern me that your first solution is to turn to the criminal element?”

That hit a little too close to home. “Probably.”

She smiled. “Well, my solution isn't anything illegal. I thought I would offer to adopt him.”

I stared at her, stunned.

“You don't like the idea?” she asked.

“It's not that. I'm just speechless.”

“That's possible?”

I made a face. “On the rare occasion.” I grew serious. “You would do that? For her?”

“And him. If there are any lingering effects from the effort to save his life, he should be raised by the magical.”

“If any magic influenced him, it was Old Magic.”

“I assume that Elysia will wish to continue to be part of his life, as long as she is able.”

That sobered me. “At the rate she's going, I don't know how much longer that will be.” I glanced toward the lab. Ian had moved to the hood to plug in a stir plate.

Cora watched him. “What are you two working on?”

“Another
remedy
to stave off the inevitable.”

Her gaze met mine. “Rowan told me he broke it off with you.”

I turned away. “I guess you got your wish.” I didn't try to mask the bitterness in my voice.

“It was never my wish to see him miserable. And I know you don't believe me, but I don't wish that for you, either.”

Glancing over my shoulder, I arched an eyebrow.

“I've been trying to chase you away to protect him, but I think you see any confrontation as a personal challenge.”

“I'm a little competitive.”

It was her turn to lift a brow.

“But you didn't always feel this way.” I faced her, unwilling to let her off the hook that easily. “Admit it. There was a time you wanted to remove all my bodily fluids.”

“Well, yes.” She smoothed a lapel. “Then I saw what you were willing to risk to save us. And I also saw what you mean to Rowan, what you still mean to him.”

“This really isn't helping.”

“You've suggested, more than once, that you would find a way to cure him.”

“There's something I'm looking into.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

I wanted to tell her. I needed someone to confide in. “How far would you go to save him?”

Her eyes of multihued blue held my own. “A lot farther than he would let me—or you.”

Did I take her into my confidence? Did I tell her just how far I was willing to go?

She reached out and took me by the shoulder. “I know you're hurting, but don't do anything foolish, understand?”

So maybe she wasn't willing to go that far.

“Yeah. Sure.”

She didn't look like she believed me. “Let me know how Elysia's doing.”

“I will. Thank you, Cora.”

She nodded, then let herself out.

I frowned at the back door for a moment, then returned to the lab. Imitating Ian, I walked to my workbench and began pulling out some equipment.

“It's good to see you and Cora getting along,” Ian said, breaking the silence.

“I'm no longer a threat to her brother.”

He turned to look at me.

“No. That's not fair.” I sighed. “She stopped to see Elysia about the adoption.”

“Good news or bad?”

“As far as the legalities are concerned, she didn't say. I shared my bad news first.”

“About Elysia's latest reaping?”

“Yes. Cora had a counter offer.”

Ian gave me an expectant look, but didn't ask.

“She offered to adopt him.”

Ian smiled. “I think that would be an excellent solution.”

“Because you believe there is no hope for Elysia.”

“I will not teach you ash alchemy. Find another solution.” He turned his back and returned to work.

I frowned at him for one long moment, then did the same.

Chapter 12

I
held up the indigo solution
to the light, checking for any suspended solids or other inconsistencies. I found none.

“Looks good.” Ian stood across from me at my workbench. He had given me the basic formula, designed to drown out spectral voices. It was blood alchemy, requiring the blood of a powerful necromancer. Doug had been kind enough to give me a sample. Then I had added my blood. I had the ability to imbue my own blood with the properties of my choosing. I was the azoth. In alchemical terms, the azoth was the universal medicine or the universal solvent. As it turned out, it wasn't so much an ingredient as an ability.

“Of course.” I set the vial on the counter. I had no doubt that the potion would work, but Elysia wasn't a common necromancer. The potion may need some tweaking to get it adapted to her. I would have to test it.

Wondering if Elysia was awake, I glanced at the clock. I was surprised to see that it was after four. James would be back soon. The Elemental Offices closed at four-thirty.

As if my thoughts had summoned him, the back door slammed as someone walked in. I faced the hall and smiled as Era stepped into the room.

“Hey, Addie.” She returned my smile, pointedly ignoring Ian. “What are you brewing?”

“Something to help Elysia.”

“I brought something, too—or someone.” She stepped further into the lab, then gestured behind her. “Come on.”

A moment later, a young man followed her into the room. He was a cute kid with an unruly thatch of golden-brown hair and a shy smile, but when his eyes met mine, there was a knowledge in his gaze that seemed too old for his apparent age. It reminded me a bit of Marian, Rowan's eight-year-old seer.

“Addie, this is Blake,” Era said. “He's part of my ghost hunting group—when he's allowed to join us.”

I smiled. “Do you have an early curfew?”

“It's not so much that,” he answered. “My parents are picky about the locations they let me visit.”

“He's a medium,” Era spoke up.

Ian grunted, and I glanced over at him, but he added no further comment.

“And a powerful one,” Era added.

A little color showed in Blake's fair cheeks. “Era.”

“Well, you are.” Era turned to me. “Is that ghost still bothering Elysia?”

“Possibly. I was just going to check on her.” I turned to Blake. “What can you do about it?”

“I can talk to it, find out what it wants and why it's still here. Sometimes, just finding someone to listen is all a spirit needs to move on.”

“And if it won't?” I asked.

“There are things I can do. Wards can be placed on the house or a cleansing can be performed. It depends on the spirit, what it wants, and whether it was ever human.”

“What do you mean ever human? Are there really demons?”

“Among other things.”

The hair on my arms stood up. “That's disturbing.”

“Yes.” Something in his expression said it was even more disturbing when it wasn't just a concept, but an actual thing you had just come face to face with.

I turned to Ian. “What do you think?”

“It could work, depending on whether the young man knows what he's doing.”

“Of course he does.” Era glared at Ian.

“If he fails,” Ian continued, ignoring Era's outburst, “the only person he hurts is himself.” He turned back to his workbench.

I let the matter go and showed Era my vial. “Well, I've got a solution, too.”

“Bad alchemy pun,” Era said.

“Sorry. Shall we go see if she's up?”

Era agreed and I led them upstairs.

 

It turned out that Elysia
was up. She had been up at least long enough to change her clothes and join Doug at my dining table. There were sandwich fixings spread over the surface, but they weren't eating.

Doug rose to his feet. “You have the potion? Did you—” He fell silent as Era and Blake followed me into the room.

“Era brought her friend over,” I said. “This is Blake, and he—”

Elysia gasped and sprang to her feet. “No!” She tried to run past us, but Doug was in her way.

“Ely?” He caught her against him.

“No!” she shouted again and started to thrash.

“Jesus, she's possessed,” Blake said.

“Are you sure?” I gripped the vial, watching Elysia try to break free of Doug's hold. Her remedy was only designed to drown out the voices. It wouldn't do anything for a full-blown possession.

Elysia threw her head back, catching Doug in the face with her skull. I flinched at the crunch and Doug cried out, releasing her, blood already gushing from his nose.

She once more ran for the stairs, but only went a short distance before she was literally lifted from her feet and slammed against the wall. She grunted on impact.

“Easy,” I said to Era. “That's still Elysia.”

“What just happened?” Blake asked.

I glanced over at Era. Her brow wrinkled, but she didn't answer him. I suspected that she hadn't told him she was magical.

“It must be something the spirit is doing,” I said.

Blake didn't look convinced, but he didn't argue. Instead, he moved toward Elysia, his steps slow and careful.

Though she couldn't move, her wide eyes remained on him. “I won't go back. I won't go back.” She kept whispering the phrase over and over.

“You're a necromancer,” Blake said to Elysia. I suspected her pale eyes gave her away. “This is bad,” he added.

“Because Elysia is a necromancer?” I asked.

He looked over, his eyes wide. “She is?”

I suddenly realized that he hadn't been talking about Elysia. “The spirit is a necromancer?”

“How is that bad?” Doug demanded. The words came out muffled around the wad of napkins he had grabbed off the table and currently held to his nose.

“Necromancers have powerful souls. They can possess the living easily. They maintain their living personalities and override the host. It is said the truly powerful can eventually drive the souls of the possessed from their own body.”

“Hardly,” Doug said. “I have seen them momentarily take the dead, but they're rarely in their right mind and soon lose interest.”

Blake gave him a frown. “You can communicate with spirits, too?”

“Hell's blood,” Doug muttered, still holding the napkins to his nose. “He's a damn medium. No wonder she's so stirred up. He needs to leave.”

“He can help,” Era said.

Doug turned his frown on her. “This is my area. He leaves. Now.”

“That'll do,” I said, walking over to Blake. “Can you…de-possess her?” I asked before they could argue more.

“Exorcise her.” He smiled faintly before sobering. “And no. It won't work.”

“I thought you said you could help.”

“She has a talisman. We must take it from her first.”

“A talisman?” What the heck was that? “Where?”

“On her person,” he said. “It's touching her skin. We need to remove it, and the spirit will be forced to go with it. Then I can do something about it.”

“Uh-huh,” Doug muttered.

I gave him a frown before turning back to Blake. “Tell me about this talisman.”

“It's here.” He pointed at her chest.

Elysia was wearing a pair of pajama pants and a V-neck T-shirt. I saw no evidence of a necklace.

“In her bra?” I asked.

Blake shrugged, his cheeks pickening. “I guess.”

Elysia's wide eyes were now on me.

“Um, sorry about this.” I lifted up the hem of her T-shirt. “What am I looking for?” I asked Blake.

“Something that doesn't belong.”

“Turn away,” Doug said to him.

Blake obediently complied.

I was about to tell Doug to do the same, but when I looked over, he had already turned away.

With no choice but to continue, I reached up beneath her shirt. As someone who frequently hid a few vials in her bra, I had a good idea where to look—or feel, in this case. Doug and Blake may have looked away, but I wasn't comfortable pushing Ely's shirt up so I could see what I was doing. Of course, doing this by feel might be more violating.

I found a hard lump just above the hem of her sports bra. Slipping a finger and thumb inside, I pulled it out.

Elysia gasped. “Addie?”

I closed my fist around the talisman and quickly pulled my hand from beneath her shirt.

“Hey, you back?” I asked.

“Um, yes. What were you doing?” Elysia tugged her T-shirt back in place. Since she was able to move, I assumed Era had released her.

“Copping a feel,” Era said.

My cheeks heated. “Getting this.” I held up the item I had taken from her. It was a stick, perhaps an inch long, and weathered like a piece of driftwood. Then I realized it wasn't a stick at all.

I gasped and dropped it, taking a hasty step back as it clattered against the hardwood floor. It was a finger bone.

“That's mine.” Elysia bent to retrieve it, but Blake moved faster. He snatched it off the floor and quickly moved away from her.

“You don't want this back,” he said. His fist closed around it and the cords in his neck stood out as he clenched his teeth. Was the ghost affecting him?

“Give it here,” Elysia took a step toward him.

“Ely, don't.” I wrapped an arm around her waist before she could go after him. “Here, drink this.” I offered her the vial.

“What's that?”

“It'll help. Trust me?”

She eyed the vial. “I don't know what's happening to me,” she whispered.

“I know. That's why I made this for you. Please take it.”

“Take it, Ely,” Doug encouraged her. “It will help you.”

Elysia frowned at him. “What happened to you?”

“You.” He pulled the napkin away from his nose, checking to see if the bleeding had stopped. “Please take the potion.”

She bit her lip, then took the vial from me.

I held my breath as she downed the potion. How much would this help her? Would it—

She tipped back her head and drew a deep breath. A pause, then she bent over and gripped her knees. “Hades' blood.”

“Elysia?” I gripped her shoulder.

She straightened and gave me a little smile. Her eyes, though not her natural shade, were much less faded. “Wow. Head rush.”

“How do you feel?” Doug asked, moving to her side.

“Better. Not as…on edge.”

A thump sounded behind us, and I turned to find Blake on his knees.

“Blake?” Era knelt beside him.

“I need to take this back,” he whispered. His fist was still clenched around the finger bone.

“Who's he?” Elysia asked.

“Medium,” Doug said, his derision evident.

“Back where?” I asked Blake.

“Wherever it came from.”

“Music Hall,” I said.

Blake looked up, his hazel eyes widening. “I can't get within a block of that place.”

“What's he talking about?” Elysia asked.

“You took a bone from Music Hall,” I said. “The accompanying spirit has been possessing you.”

“Oh.” She didn't seem surprised. Leave it to a necromancer to just take that in stride.

“I can take it back,” I told Blake. After all, I knew right where it came from.

“It could affect you.” His knuckles were white where he still held it clenched in his fist. Was he fighting it now?

“I'll do it,” Doug said. “It can't get through my defenses.”

Blake frowned. “What makes you so sure? It's taking everything I have to keep it in check.” He spoke the last through clenched teeth.

“I'm a necromancer,” Doug said.

Blake pulled in a breath.

“Is there bad blood between necromancers and mediums?” I asked.

“Or is Doug just being an ass?” Era added.

Doug gave her a dark look.

“Yes, there's bad blood,” Elysia said. “Not in general, just in Cincinnati, where the Deacon rules.”

“Doug,” Blake repeated. “Doug Nelson.” Blake shoved himself to his feet.

“Correct.” Doug held out his hand. “Give me the bone. It won't affect me.”

“No.” Blake's chin came up. I was impressed. The kid might be nearly as tall as Doug, but Doug could easily make two of him. “You might be safe,” Blake continued, “but no one else is. Not until it is returned.”

“I know right where it came from. I can return it.”

“They'll let you just walk in Music Hall?” Blake looked skeptical.

“Have James take you,” I suggested. “You'll be in and out, and no one the wiser.”

“Good idea,” Doug agreed. “Will you call him?”

I checked the clock on the oven. It was after four-thirty. The Elemental Offices should be closing and the Elements heading home.

“He's on his way,” Elysia said.

I glanced over at her.

Her eyes met mine.
I'm getting better at this
.

I stiffened, remembering the way she had shouted at me in Steadham's office. Or had that been the spirit possessing her?

There
. She nodded at a spot behind me.

I turned in time to watch the portal open, and an instant later, a green-eyed hellhound jumped through. Wow, had Elysia felt it before it opened? I had no feel for such things. I could just see a portal if I happened to be looking in that direction.

“Sweet Jesus,” Blake gasped, scrambling backward until his butt bumped into the back of my living room recliner. He reached up and wrapped the hand not holding the bone around the charm on his necklace, though I didn't see what it was. Perhaps he had some kind of talisman, too.

James lifted his head, his upright ears tipped in Blake's direction.

“This is Era's medium friend, Blake,” I told James. “Blake, this is James. He's a shapeshifter.” That was always the easiest explanation.