Daemons Are Forever

“It’s not like we haven’t been here before,” Molly said kindly. “Remember when you were infected by the strange matter, and we both thought you only had a few days to live? We didn’t sit around crying our eyes out; we just got on with business. We survived that. We’ll survive this.”

“How do you feel?” I said. “I mean, really; do you feel any…different?”

“I can feel…something else inside me,” she said slowly. “Like after a large meal. A feeling of… heaviness. As though there’s more of me now. My standard magical protections are containing it, for the moment.” She smiled briefly. “But then, I would say that, wouldn’t I? If I were already a Loathly One drone, in mind as well as body.”

“No,” I said. “I’d know the difference. I could tell if you weren’t…you.”

“Yes,” she said. “You probably could.”

“Let’s talk about something else, just for a while,” I said. “Give us a chance to sneak up on the main subject, maybe catch it by surprise.”

“All right. What did you have in mind, Eddie?”

“Well…what was all that business with Heaven and Hell, and I’ve been around?”

“Ah,” said Molly. “Yes … I suppose that had to come out eventually. You’ve been very good, Eddie, really you have; not asking too many questions about what I did, and what I promised, to gain my magical powers. Possibly because you were afraid of what the answers might be. Well, relax, sweetie, I haven’t sold my soul to anyone. I made a series of pacts and deals down the years, with various Powers. Some Infernal, some Heavenly, a few alien… And I paid for my magic with years off my life. Don’t look like that, Eddie; I never wanted to grow old anyway. Now, of course, it would appear the whole question has become irrelevant. My various debtors were paid with years from my putative old age, and now it seems more than likely I won’t get that far. The thing growing inside me will take me long before my allotted time.”

“Not while I’m here,” I said. “I’ll never give up on you, Molly. There must be something we can do. This is Drood Hall; we work miracles for the world every day. I have the right to expect one small miracle, just for you. You know … I could get you a torc. Strictly speaking, it’s forbidden for anyone not of Drood blood, but I’m sure Strange would help. I probably wouldn’t even have to explain why. He’s very understanding, for an inexplicable other-dimensional being.”

“It’s a nice thought, Eddie, but I don’t think it would work. The torc didn’t help Sebastian, except to help him hide his condition.”

“Okay, scratch that idea. How about the Armourer? He’s created enough wonders for the family; he can create one more for me. For you.”

“But then we’d have to tell him everything. How much can we trust him? I don’t want to end up in a cage, like the others. Not while there’s still work to be done.”

“Do you feel up to fighting in the field?” I said.

“When I don’t, then you’ll know there’s something seriously wrong. Physically, I feel fine. No different at all. My magic is insulating me from whatever changes are begi

“What’s it saying?” I said, as casually as I could.

“Smoke crack and worship Satan. No, I can’t tell. It’s too far away. It doesn’t sound like anything…bad.”

A sudden rush of helplessness ran through me. I wanted to get up and run around the room, overturning the tables and kicking the chairs out of the way. I needed to be doing something, anything…but I made myself sit there, quiet and calm. I couldn’t let Molly see how worried I was. So we just sat there, together, facing each other across the empty table.

“What are we going to do?” I said finally. “We can’t tell anyone. We can’t trust anyone. Not with this.”

“We stay calm and focused,” said Molly. “Actually, I think I’m coping with this rather well, don’t you? I thought I’d be having panic attacks by now, and hyperventilating into a paper bag. You’re the one who looks like you might break down into hysterics at any moment.”

I smiled briefly. “Never could hide anything from you, could I?”

Molly put out her hands to me, and I took them both in mine. She looked at me earnestly. “I need you to be strong for me, Eddie, so I can be strong. We can beat this. We can.”

“You know,” I said, just a bit wistfully, “when I saved the family from the Heart, and put an end to all the old evils, I really thought things would improve. I should have known better. What are we going to do, Molly?”

“We destroy the Loathly Ones, and all their works,” Molly said firmly, squeezing my hands hard. “And along the way, we keep our eyes open for something we can use as a cure. Failing that…you kill me, while I’m still me. Before I become something we’d both hate.”

“I couldn’t do that,” I said.

“You have to, Eddie. Just in case I’m not strong enough to do it myself.”

We looked at each other for a long time, holding onto each other the way drowning men clutch at straws.

“Why haven’t you turned me in?” Molly said finally. “Why haven’t you told everyone that I’m infected, and a danger to the family? You know you should. It’s your duty.”

“I’ll decide what’s my duty and what isn’t,” I said. “The most important thing for me is to save you. I brought you here, made this possible, so it’s all my fault.”

“Oh, Eddie. I never knew anyone so ready to blame themselves for everyone else’s problems.”

“I will do whatever it takes to save you, Molly. If you believe nothing else, believe that. There has to be an answer.”

“And if there isn’t?”

“Then I’ll make one.”

We talked some more, but didn’t really say anything. Just the normal, reassuring things you say when you’re afraid in the dark. And in the end we had to leave so I could go about my business. My whole family was depending on me, not just Molly. And I’ve always known my duty to my family. Damn them. I sent Molly down to the Armoury, to Uncle Jack. She could talk about the problem to him, in general terms, and see what he had to say.

And I… went to see my grandmother.

According to Harry, she was ill, too ill to see anybody, but that was an old trick where the Matriarch was concerned, and she just didn’t feel like talking to anybody. So I made my way up to her private suite on the top floor, and wasn’t all that surprised to discover two more of Harry’s overmuscled thugs standing guard outside the door. They took one look at me approaching and both of them armoured up immediately. It would seem word had already got around as to what I’d done to the other bullyboys. I strolled up to the two guards, armour down, doing my best to radiate casual unconcern. They both moved slightly but definitely to block my way.

“Sorry,” said the one on the left. “The Matriarch is not to be disturbed. We have our orders.”

“Not to be disturbed at all,” said the one on the right. “Under any circumstances.”

“I just said that, Jeffrey,” said the first guard.

“Well, I never get to say anything,” said the second. “You’re always leaving me out of things, Earnest.”

“Look,” said Earnest, “can we please talk about this later?”

“You never want to talk about anything, you.”

Earnest sighed loudly behind his golden mask. “You’re not still mad about that party, are you?”

“Party? What party?”

“You are; you’re still mad about it.”

“You went off and left me all on my own!” Jeffrey said hotly. “You knew I didn’t know anyone else there!”

“I’ve said I’m sorry, haven’t I? What else can I say?”

“You could let me do the threats. You never let me do the threats.”

“That’s because you’re no good at them,” Earnest said patiently.

“I could be! A bit of practice, and I could be very good at them!”