me. “So if we assume the imps weren’t after anything in your safe, and my magic has already been stolen, why did they break in today?”
Dimitri tugged a hand across his forehead. “I don’t know.”
“Did you use that Skye stone to track me?” I asked. “Maybe they need it to use what they stole.”
“Impossible,” Dimitri said. “The stone is merely a conductor. We use them to capture words and emotions—the things we put out into the universe.”
Diana broke in. “In English, what he means is that our magic isn’t about focus objects, but rather, how they’re used.”
Now I was officially confused. “Let’s bring it down a notch.”
Dimitri took my hands. “I employed protective magic to track you.” He smoothed a wisp of hair away from my face. “I wanted to watch over you and learn whether you could be the person to save my sisters. I used my mother’s stone to channel my energy, but it was only a tool, not the source of anything. Dark powers wouldn’t use a Skye stone.”
“Oh yes?” I asked. From my experience, dark powers would use anything that would suit them.
“A dark-magic practitioner or any creature with a strong enough tie to the evil arts would use their own conductor.” He grew somber. “Lizzie, it’s important that we retrieve the protective thread. Whoever stole it could use the connection to harm you or manipulate you in other ways.”
My stomach sank. “How so?”
“They’ll try to direct you, to guide your feelings.”
“I can fight back,” I said, hoping I was right.
“It’s more than that,” he said. “They’ll use it to rob you of yourself, to dilute your free will.”
Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the mule. Now what the heck was I supposed to do about that?
“At least it hasn’t happened yet,” Diana said, trying—and failing—to sound optimistic.
We were in trouble.
My magic was gone. We didn’t know where to find it. And the big question still hovered over our heads: when would whoever had it use it?
Dimitri thought for a moment. “Perhaps Amara can help.” He glanced at Diana. “Is she here?”
“Not right now,” Diana said, “but later, yes.”
“Amara?” I asked.
“You’ll meet her tonight,” Diana said.
“Be on guard,” Dimitri added, only half-kidding. “It’ll be an experience.”
Dimitri returned everything to the floor safe and secured it once again. While he cleaned up the slime and re-spelled the office, I gathered up my mom’s wooden box and let Diana show me my room. Pirate followed a few feet behind, sniffing at the corners of the hallway.
I knew what he was doing.
“Pirate, I don’t want you floating again.”
“Aw, but Lizzie—If it was demonic you’d know about it and I always wanted to be able to jump really, really high and this is kind of like that and I don’t see why—”
“Pirate.” For all my powers, I wasn’t particularly crazy about magic, especially the kind I couldn’t control.
He mumbled to himself the rest of the way, something about the unfairness of being a dog.
Diana led us from Dimitri’s study to the second floor of the building. The white hallways left plenty of room for all three of us to walk side by side if we’d wished. That is, if Pirate hadn’t been ten feet ahead with his nose to the ground. At least he was where I could see him.
“Amara and her brother are staying in these two bedrooms,” Diana said as we came to the rooms closest to the stairway.
“Oh,” I said, pausing outside a yellow painted door, unable to think of anything else to say that wouldn’t be downright rude.
Diana guessed. “I think Dimitri assumed they’d be gone by the time you two returned,” she said, touching a conspiratorial hand to my arm. “I don’t blame them for wanting to stay. They come from the Dominos clan, which is very large—and loud.”
Dimitri had mentioned the Dominos clan. He’d pledged himself to them when his clan all but died out. He’d also asked for
Dimitri tugged a hand across his forehead. “I don’t know.”
“Did you use that Skye stone to track me?” I asked. “Maybe they need it to use what they stole.”
“Impossible,” Dimitri said. “The stone is merely a conductor. We use them to capture words and emotions—the things we put out into the universe.”
Diana broke in. “In English, what he means is that our magic isn’t about focus objects, but rather, how they’re used.”
Now I was officially confused. “Let’s bring it down a notch.”
Dimitri took my hands. “I employed protective magic to track you.” He smoothed a wisp of hair away from my face. “I wanted to watch over you and learn whether you could be the person to save my sisters. I used my mother’s stone to channel my energy, but it was only a tool, not the source of anything. Dark powers wouldn’t use a Skye stone.”
“Oh yes?” I asked. From my experience, dark powers would use anything that would suit them.
“A dark-magic practitioner or any creature with a strong enough tie to the evil arts would use their own conductor.” He grew somber. “Lizzie, it’s important that we retrieve the protective thread. Whoever stole it could use the connection to harm you or manipulate you in other ways.”
My stomach sank. “How so?”
“They’ll try to direct you, to guide your feelings.”
“I can fight back,” I said, hoping I was right.
“It’s more than that,” he said. “They’ll use it to rob you of yourself, to dilute your free will.”
Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the mule. Now what the heck was I supposed to do about that?
“At least it hasn’t happened yet,” Diana said, trying—and failing—to sound optimistic.
We were in trouble.
My magic was gone. We didn’t know where to find it. And the big question still hovered over our heads: when would whoever had it use it?
Dimitri thought for a moment. “Perhaps Amara can help.” He glanced at Diana. “Is she here?”
“Not right now,” Diana said, “but later, yes.”
“Amara?” I asked.
“You’ll meet her tonight,” Diana said.
“Be on guard,” Dimitri added, only half-kidding. “It’ll be an experience.”
Dimitri returned everything to the floor safe and secured it once again. While he cleaned up the slime and re-spelled the office, I gathered up my mom’s wooden box and let Diana show me my room. Pirate followed a few feet behind, sniffing at the corners of the hallway.
I knew what he was doing.
“Pirate, I don’t want you floating again.”
“Aw, but Lizzie—If it was demonic you’d know about it and I always wanted to be able to jump really, really high and this is kind of like that and I don’t see why—”
“Pirate.” For all my powers, I wasn’t particularly crazy about magic, especially the kind I couldn’t control.
He mumbled to himself the rest of the way, something about the unfairness of being a dog.
Diana led us from Dimitri’s study to the second floor of the building. The white hallways left plenty of room for all three of us to walk side by side if we’d wished. That is, if Pirate hadn’t been ten feet ahead with his nose to the ground. At least he was where I could see him.
“Amara and her brother are staying in these two bedrooms,” Diana said as we came to the rooms closest to the stairway.
“Oh,” I said, pausing outside a yellow painted door, unable to think of anything else to say that wouldn’t be downright rude.
Diana guessed. “I think Dimitri assumed they’d be gone by the time you two returned,” she said, touching a conspiratorial hand to my arm. “I don’t blame them for wanting to stay. They come from the Dominos clan, which is very large—and loud.”
Dimitri had mentioned the Dominos clan. He’d pledged himself to them when his clan all but died out. He’d also asked for
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