Across the Veil: Open Eyes (Book 1)

Chapter 25: Game Plan

 Willow didn't know what to expect. She'd seen hollywood portrayal of possession... but a mortal 'merging' with a Demon? That was something she never would have thought of.

As soon as Memphis, or Menticordon as it seemed his name was, grabbed Moira's hand, his spectral form seemed to dissipate into a mist that engulfed the Faerest. Her head tilted back, eyes glowing a bright purple hue as the mist disappeared into her body, as if she was inhaling air. The room practically sparked with magical energy. The lights flickered and went out.

She then lurched forward, grimacing. Her form seemed to flicker. For a moment she looked like Moira, then she had long, feral fangs, then the fangs were gone and she had a set of long, curved horns. Her hands shifted between claws and human hands with abnormally long fingers. Even her hair changed between Moira's usually short, fluffy hair and a ghostly version of Memphis' own long, wavy locks.

Finally, the energy in the room settled. Moira seemed to settle back into her normal form. She was breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath. When she looked up again, she looked the same as before, but her eyes were... sharper with a reddish tint to her irises. They seemed to glow faintly in the dark before the lights turned back on.

"Moira...?" Willow began, "Are you... Okay?"

Moira's expression softened, "I.. think so. It feels strange. Menti's power is... I can't really describe it." She looked at her hands and flexed her fingers, tiny sparks of energy dancing along the tips. "I could do some damage with this." she said after a moment.

Her expression turned sharp and in a mischievous voice that Willow was not wholly sure was Moira's own voice, she chuckled, "Yeah. This is power."

"I think Memphis was breaking through on that last one." Savio said, keeping his distance from the newly possessed Moira.

Moira blinked, looking surprised for a moment. Then, as if someone whispered something in her ear, she relaxed a bit. She turned to address Savio directly, "Don't worry. I have enough control that Menti can't be an..." She chuckled, "'Giant fucking ass' as you put it?"

Savio froze. He eyed her suspiciously, "I thought you needed eye contact to read minds."

This time when Moira spoke, her eyes were playful, but her grin looked mischievous, "Not anymore, it seems... Or at least when Menti and I are working together."

Slowly, a smirk appeared on Savio's face. Whatever he was thinking, it looked like he was trying to get some kind of reaction.

Moira's eyes flared with purple light for a moment. She quickly shut them and braced herself. She muttered something under her breath in the Fae tongue. After a few seconds she relaxed. "Savio..." her voice was controlled, "As much as I enjoy irritating Menti... I don't think it's a wise idea to poke fun at him while he has access to my powers." She offered a small, amused smile, "Plus I'm the only one that can joke about him being a softy toffee... Not sure if that's because he tolerates me, or if it's because he knows he can't really possess me like an average mortal."

She rolled her shoulders. It seemed like Memphis was trying to get used to the new body. Unlike his former body, this one was much shorter and a fair bit rounder.

Willow's eyes lit up. All she could think was how cool that transformation had looked. Moira seemed to pick up on the thought and smirk. Willow could guess that both the Faerest and the Demon were amused by the thought.

Moira's hands clapped together once dramatically before she clasped them together, "Now that we have a fighting chance... Let's plan some shit."

That was probably Memphis. At least he seemed eager.

"A thought..." Willow said quickly, "What if any of the Hunters recognize me? If they were coming after Rayne and I before... Maybe some are specifically watching out for us?"

Moira grinned, "Not a problem!" she turned to Nina and Blake, "You two are good with makeup and costumes, yes? Think you can make Willow look a bit less like Willow?"

The Drake and Harpy jumped slightly as the Faerest-Demon addressed them. They both looked at Willow before nodding. Nina assured them all that within three hours she and Blake could have Willow looking different enough that people wouldn't immediately recognize her.

Rayne was tasked with finding some blueprints online for the lodge. Maybe they could get a better idea of the layout of the building beforehand. Then Savio would know where the security office was so he could get in there later.

When Savio asked about any guards who would surely be in the office, Moira grinned a deep, dark expression as she simply stated to leave that to her... Or more likely Memphis judging from her expression.

The clock was on and they had only a matter of hours to get into the lodge. Everyone knew their jobs. They just had to hope that everything went according to plan.