Psychic Company: Case 03 - Amon Pt.5
"Then let it be that Emily Lehr is the final owner of the Horn of Gabriel. May it rot within your corpse when you die."
Everyone stood stock-still, a mix of astonishment and fear circling around them. Fabian was the first to react, racing out of the room to fetch support. Tension broken, the rest of them headed for the containment cell.
Shredded talismans littered the floor and the mechanical device used to keep the glass box closed had been broken and tossed by the wayside. Within the now open glass box, Emily loomed over a hunched over Oliver, the miasma emanating from him practically hissing.
"Emily!" Willoughby called.
She looked up and said, "Stay back. I'm handling it."
"Are you planning on using Gabriel's Horn?"
Emily pulled out the pendant from within her gown, not saying a word.
The pit of Willoughby's stomach fell. He looked over at the others, frozen in place. They all knew that, with the talismans gone and the glass box open, getting closer was extremely risky. The corruption they were exposed to just standing there was enough to alter their thought patterns for a while. He locked eyes with Jamie, who seemed to read his desire to do something, but wavered. She turned to Guinness, pleading with her eyes.
Guinness felt the eyes on him and sighed. "Nothing can be done from our end. We're not prepared to handle this. If Emily wishes to waste whatever power the Horn stored until now on a half-assed job—then the fallout, the responsibility, is hers alone."
Jules stepped forward. "To hell they're doing this alone."
"Jamie," Guinness said firmly, "restrain him."
The witch guiltily did as she was told, pulling strings of golden light from her sleeves with her fingertips. With a flick of her wrist, they wrapped around Jules and yanked him back toward the door, kicking and screaming the whole way.
Emily kneeled down and they all watched as she pressed the Horn of Gabriel into Oliver's chest. It sizzled as she closed her eyes and whispered a prayer to Gabriel, whatever aspect was alive and good and willing to help. "I'm sorry for using this gift for something so selfish," she said. "Something that might not even work. But I have to do something. At the very least not let him shoulder this burden alone."
A distant, weak voice echoed within her mind. Feminine, small, gentle. A child. "A word of warning to you, Emily," it began, "The Horn's power isn't strong enough for a full purification. However, there is a way to save this man."
"I'll do anything."
"Do not agree to what you do not yet know," it chided. "You must first absorb my Horn, then weaken his body with your power and purify his soul so it is free of Amon's corruption. Whatever is left of both of them, you must lock within yourself, and fight with all you have against the corruption. The man you love will be alive, but you will forever be tied to each other—and to Amon. Oliver may hate you for this, and Amon is sure to lash out at you, but the Horn's power will keep you safe. Do you still wish to continue?"
"Yes."
"Then let it be that Emily Lehr is the final owner of the Horn of Gabriel. May it rot within your corpse when you die."
And with that, a swirl of wind moved through the room. Emily cried out in pain as the pendant melted into her palm and she felt an immense strength within her that she had never felt before. She looked straight down at Oliver and screamed as strong as she could, blasting away bits and pieces of the shimmering blackness that had engulfed his visage. At last she saw his bruised and battered face, and leaned in, purple and black marred his features, like a canvas painted with pain. She urgently leaned in, purifying his soul with a kiss. The taste of blood and bitterness lingered on his lips—a reminder of what he had endured. His body melted into her shadow and she fell to her hands and knees, sobbing.
Hours later, Emily stared blankly down at her blanket covered legs. She had willingly returned to her room in the ICU. At first everyone was worried she would be emitting terrible amounts of corruption and miasma—after all, she did absorb a demon—but that wasn't true. All previous signs of corruption were gone and according to scanners she was all good.
A nurse poked her head in the room and said, "They're ready for you."
"Let them in," Emily replied and a whole team of people came in. Agassi, Morales, Ortega—the three CAMUS doctors—Vasquez on vidcall, Guinness for his recent conversations with demonologists, and Javier Sanchez, the half angel from Office 5.
Roberta Morales, the doctor for Office 4, stepped forward with her tablet and said, "I have the results of our tests. They concern Oliver, so I want him to be here for this, too."
"He is," Emily insisted.
Sanchez laughed, amused by Emily's smartassness. Everyone looked at him as he clarified, "Morales just wants to see him."
"He can hear everything I can, anyway," Emily mumbled. "You guys've already gawked at us enough."
"I want him here," Morales said.
"Close the curtains," Emily said, giving in. As soon as Agassi pulled the final curtain shut and all sunlight was eliminated from the room, Oliver emerged from her shadow, scaring both Agassi, Ortega, and Vasquez.
For the most part, Oliver's changes were only visual. His hair was now white instead of black, and his skin was very pale. A smeared pattern of charcoal rippled across his skin like a current.
Morales looked down at her tablet and frowned. "About the voice you heard," she began and tapped her screen. "We don't have any records of Gabriel aspects right now. Are you sure you heard a little girl's voice?"
"I wouldn't say it was a little girl," Emily said. "Just sounded like one."
"Sure." Morales wrote something down and then looked back up at the pair. She turned to the half-angel and said, "Before I go over our results, I want Sanchez to take a look and give some initial thoughts."
Sanchez was pensive for a while, looking back and forth between Emily and Oliver. "It's a strange aura. If I focus, I can sense the touch of the divine—that would be Gabriel's influence, as well as the deific side of the aspect you encountered. However, beneath it all is the deep chill of Amon's demonic energy. Emily, have you discovered any new abilities?"
"Not yet."
"Try to stay positive for now. Negativity will feed Amon's demonic energy," Sanchez said. "I assume the Horn is what keeps the demon at bay?"
"That's what Gabriel said."
"What did they say?"
"That the Horn's power will keep me safe."
"That's true. The Horn of Gabriel itself is a holy relic that should be capable of bestowing blessings, should the angel deem a person worthy. I suppose you were chosen, not simply as the beholder but as the final owner."
"Gabriel said the Horn will... rot within me when I die?"
Sanchez smiled. "Their choice of words, not mine. Imagine this: you throw an apple on the ground in a garden, where it decomposes. Eventually, its nutrients are sucked up by the other plants in the garden, right? Now imagine the Horn of Gabriel as the apple and you are the garden. Your body will suck up all its power, more than it already has. I advise you to prepare your final resting place well so that no one may take advantage of you while you're gone."
"I'm curious about the Horn of Gabriel," Vasquez interjected. "Is it physically inside her and does she draw on its power, or has it merged with her?"
"Our scans can't pinpoint a singular area where the divine energy is coming from, so we believe the Horn has simply merged with her somehow," Morales said.
"Ah, you did say you had some results, Morales. Please, enlighten me," Vasquez replied, a little annoyed.
"Gladly," Morales said smugly. "Oliver and the god-demon aspect of Amon are somehow within Emily, along with the Horn of Gabriel. The deific and demonic energies coexist for now, balanced by inhabiting two bodies—as was Guinness' theory—but the further Oliver is from Emily and the Horn, the stronger Amon's hold over him will be. Guinness, could you share with us what you learned from your spiritual consultation?
"Of course," Guinness said and did a little bow as he stepped forward. "I've spoken with a few visitors, lending them my eyes to examine both Oliver and Emily. They told me the partial exorcism Emily conducted with the Horn worked, but only because she took on some of the burden." He gave Oliver a special glare, the kind saved for those he considered insubordinate. "You're lucky to have someone go so far for you."
"It's too bad no one will do such a thing for you," Oliver said and everyone—except Emily—was caught off guard by the change in his voice. There seemed to be a dual quality to it, as if two separate individuals were speaking at once. The sound had a soft reverberation that felt like it was entering people's thoughts directly.
"That's interesting," Sanchez said.
Quickly regaining his composure, Guinness said, "I have Fabian. I don't need anyone else to go so far for me." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, we noticed some residue of an old spell on you."
"Jamie's?"
"No. Much older. I told Morales and we examined Jules to make sure. We think it's a protective ward to keep your mind safe from corruptive influences. Do you know anyone who could have casted it?"
The only person Oliver could think of was his mother. He felt a sense of loss because he couldn't ask her directly.
"You have someone in mind," Guinness noted.
"My mother."
"Ah. I've read your file but haven't had the chance to look at her's. She was the one responsible for your being raised in that cult, correct?" Guinness glanced at Agassi as if for confirmation. "Do we know if she was a spellcaster?"
"We—don't know," Agassi said.
"I see. In that case, based on what we do have, let's just say she wasn't. But someone must have done it, and they likely cared for you a great deal. Such a long lasting ward is exhausting—and to cast it twice?" Guinness clicked his tongue. "In any case, only your mind was protected. The corruption of your body is extremely extensive. You'll likely never touch a living thing again or step out into direct sunlight."
"Can I touch Emily?" Oliver asked.
Guinness turned to Sanchez who answered, "I don't recommend it, but you can." Oliver immediately grabbed Emily's hand and kissed it.
Sanchez turned to Emily and said, "Also, I recommend you go for regular purification. Especially since you and Oliver... well, you know."
"All right," she replied. "Is that all?"
Morales cleared her throat. "Ortega, you said you were concocting some tinctures?"
"That's right!" Ortega pulled out several glass bottles topped with droppers and placed them on the bedside table. Emily counted five total. "These are for the both of you. They're extracts meant to aid in silencing Amon's voice. You'll still feel him there, there's nothing that can help that, but at least with these you won't have to listen to him. One drop of each, every day. I'll send you more every month so don't worry about running out. There are some other things I'd like to try when I get back to Mérida, though, so I'll be in touch."
Morales checked her tablet. "I think that's everything. You'll both be staying here until your new powers manifest, but don't worry, you're not prisoners. It's just a precaution in case something goes wrong."
"Like what?" Emily asked.
"For now, that's not something you should worry about." Morales smiled at the two lovers. "But we'll keep you updated. See you soon, Emily, Oliver."
With that, everyone except Agassi and Sanchez left the room. The half-angel leaned over, touched Emily's head, and gave her a quick blessing. "Take this for now," he said. "It should help until you get back to Office 3."
Emily smiled up at him. "Thanks, Javier."
Sanchez gave a little nod and then left.
Being the only one left, Agassi took a seat at the foot of the bed. "You two are my responsibility, now," he said.
Emily and Oliver smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Agassi," Oliver said.
But then Agassi switched gears real quick and said, "Don't give me that! I'd smack you both if it didn't give me corruption. I can't believe you two would take such risks—to save each other. What was the point, even?" He sighed. "You both realise things will be different from now on, right?"
They both nodded.
"Good." He stood. "I hope neither of you regret your decisions anytime soon. Or ever, for that matter."
And then it was just the two lovers, left alone in the room with their thoughts and with each other. "We didn't really get a chance to talk, what with all the tests and stuff, so... I'm sorry."
"What are you apologizing for?" Oliver rubbed the back of Emily's palm with his thumb.
"Um, well, I kind of wasted your sacrifice to save me. And I turned you into this." She gestured up and down to Oliver's form. "I don't even know if it was the right decision. I just felt so guilty. I had to do something."
Oliver was quiet a few minutes and then said, "To be honest, I didn't think beyond saving you. I knew that by accepting Amon I was basically accepting death. I don't feel like it was a waste because look at us. We're both alive!"
Tears welled in Emily's eyes. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"
Oliver smiled. "I won't pretend to know what it'll be like for us from now on, but if you're willing to go through with it, whatever it is, then I am, too."