I watch Sel, who looks for all the world as if he’s not listening to a word we say. His eyes are on the rest of the room, the stage, and the world outside our table. “So, does Sel need human energy and aether too?”

“No again.” William’s eyes twinkle. “That’s what’s fascinating about Merlins. They are cambions. Well, this is one aspect of what’s fascinating about them. There’s a long list, frankly….”

“I am right here.” Sel groans loudly and fixes William with a stare. “Please hurry up so you can stop discussing me like I’m a science experiment, William.”

William flushes. “Right. Sorry. Cambions are part human and born on this plane, so they don’t need human energy or aether to survive. But demons are chaos creatures, and chaos favors imbalance. As cambions grow older, their demon blood grows stronger and, even though it’s a very small part of their makeup, if they want to maintain control over their demon natures, they need to consume human energy to counterbalance it.”

“The Oaths,” Alice whispers. “They’re the counterbalance for…” She pauses when Sel shoots her a look, and mouths the final word of her sentence in silence. “Merlins.”

“Yes.” William nods. “Oaths are belief and intention combined. Protecting others from harm is one of the most human things someone can do, the very antithesis to demonia.”

I point to the still-flaming shot glass. “But in the absence of serving an Oath, could aether help?”

William drops his chin into his hand. “Because cambion physiology doesn’t require aether, it acts more like a metaphysical drug. Dulls their physical pain, decreases stress, drops inhibitions. Bringing us back to this shot. My hypothesis is that a limited amount of aether would help temporarily soften the effects of humanity-demonia imbalance, maybe even tangentially restore vitality. A hypothesis Selwyn here seems to agree with.”

Sel taps his fingers on the table. “A hypothesis is an informed guess, not a proven conclusion.”

“Selwyn, this isn’t shameful.” William’s sigh is exasperating, and long-suffering in a way I didn’t expect. “Think of it like an experimental supplement. As your physician, I’d highly recommend a small trial—”

“For all we know, it could accelerate the change.” Selwyn’s fingers clench on the table.

“If that were the case at this dosage,” William says, gesturing to the lounge, “they wouldn’t risk serving it as refreshment in a packed bar.”

“That’s why you get aether-drunk!” I blurt.

“What?” Sel’s ire is electric across my face.

I shrink back a bit. “When you administer the Oaths, you get drunk. Because you’re a cambion.”

“I don’t ‘get’ aether-drunk. I become intoxicated as a byproduct of administering the Oaths, not something I do on purpose.”

I nod to the shot. “But if it helps you now, then you should drink it. On purpose.”