Styak responded with cautious surprise over thinly veiled avarice.

"Power for me? More for you to squeeze, you mean."

"Of course," Parry agreed, his voice drifting amused over the memory-scape. "But the stronger you are, the stronger we are. Obviously."

"Obviously," the cat nodded, looking a touch shifty. "What did you have in mind?"

"You're something new to me, Styak. I've been a demon many times, but never a parasitic one like you."

The cat harrumphed and frowned. "I'm in spirit form because I've been banished from the Hells. In the mortal world I have no power without a host. I'm not a parasite by nature."

"Alright, I get it, and I have to say, you've made that lemon into pretty good lemonade. I can tell you use my power as much as I use yours."

"I never!"

"Styak, we consumed five hundred mana casting that [Word of Consecration]. I don't have those kinds of reserves, not at this low level. You must have been squirreling away my magic for days, probably while I was sleeping."

Parry wasn't sure if real cats ground their teeth, but this one did. "Fine, you caught me. I'm going to continue the practice, so get used to it."

"Definitely! I'll even contribute. I don't have the ability to store excess mana like that, it's going to come in handy. In any event, let's strategize together. I've wondered, had you managed to overtake my mind when we first met--while I was undergoing the Ritual of the Second Step--what would have been your plan?"

"That's a very personal question."

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

Parry burst out laughing. "Says the demon living in my soul. Come on, trust works best if it flows both ways. I won't be offended."

"If you must know, I intended to slaughter the soldier and enslave the shaper, forcing him to construct items of power for me to consume. A few decades of that and I'd have strength enough to undo my banishment and return to Hell."

Parry winced mentally. "Slow and horrific, but simple and efficient. Wait, consume? You grow from eating mana?"

The cat cocked its head adorably. "What else have I been doing with your memories? How do you think I digest them?"

"I honestly hadn't made the connection. Memories are mana?"

"Not in any substantive way, but they are of the spirit, so I can eat them. I metabolize any magic, though for as long as I'm stuck on this awful mortal plane, I can only do it from within a host."

"To what limits?"

That elicited a feline grin. "None."

It was Parry's turn to get excited. "At what efficiency? And what do you do with the mana? Can you store it indefinitely or does it decay? I know you can draw sigils with it, what else? Can you cast spells? Of what class? Demonic only?"

Styak held up a paw. "One thing at a time."

"Sorry," he took a long breath. "I'm not used to this level of novelty. I've never been or even heard of a mana-eating demon before. Manaphage?"

The cat smiled. "We are rare and represent a potential threat to the powers in Hell."

"I guess I can see why you were banished."

Styak snarled, temper changing in a flash. "You know nothing of me, human, do not presume!"

That caught Parry by surprise, reminding him that Styak was neither a calico kitten nor entirely a friend. For a moment, he recoiled at the idea of this monster living in his mind and traveling with him--a creature happy to murder his family and worse.

"Understood," Parry offered, forcing at least the semblance of respect into his voice, refusing to express fear.

Mollified, Styak lick-groomed its paw. "The kind of mana matters. The more it differs from the native infernal magic of the Five Hells the more difficult it is for me to digest but the more I gain. This is just one reason we venture into the mortal realm and embrace conquest."

Parry thought about it. "Eating sacred magic must be the best. I mean worst? I mean, best."

"Deadly for me, yes, but delicious beyond compare if I survive it."

The boy smiled in his own mind, a plan taking shape. "Imagine how fast you'd grow if you ate, say, a Divine Heart?"