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Authors: Meghan Ciana Doidge
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shuddered at this question. So that was a yes.
“I don’t like it.” I directed this statement to Kett, who was standing so close to me I could see his magic dancing in his skin. This display always reminded me how far the vampire was from human. He was like animated magic … or maybe the corpse of his previous self reanimated by magic, with its memories and thoughts intact. But ‘reanimated’ wasn’t the perfect word …
“Yes,” Kett answered. “I can see.”
“Tell me what it is. What its function is, dowser,” Blackwell said. “And I will set you on your sister’s trail … if you’re up for it.”
I wasn’t sure if he meant identifying the object or hunting Sienna, but I really wasn’t up for either. Of course, I did a lot of things I didn’t want to do these days.
I reached out and hovered my hands over the circlet. Nothing happened. Always a good start.
I lowered my hand, but at the last second, I chose to avoid touching the circlet. I pressed my finger into the velvet cushion in the very center of the platinum circle. Blackwell really had an unhealthy thing for plush fabrics with heavy napes.
I exhaled. Nothing happened.
I inhaled, about to lift my finger and actually touch the band, when a pulse of multicolored magic spread from carved rune to gem to carved rune all around the circlet.
Then the magic clamped down on my finger.
I screeched and yanked my hand back. The feeling instantly dissipated. The glow faded from the runes.
“What color was the magic?” Kett asked.
“All colors. You couldn’t see?”
Kett nodded. He was just questioning his senses, I guessed.
“But I think the runes and gems color the spell,” I said. “Not the … alchemist who created this.”
“Created what?” Blackwell asked, eagerness edging his tone.
I was fairly certain Blackwell already had his suspicions. But instead of answering, I reached out and pressed my fingertips to the outside of the band, carefully not touching the runes, gems, or inside edge. I lifted the circlet from the box.
I gazed through the circle as if it was a window. The magic didn’t try to grab me again. I hesitated to tell Blackwell any of what I was tasting, but I felt compelled by the bargain we’d struck in the courtyard.
“Hold it like this and it won’t affect you,” I said, turning to pass the circlet to the sorcerer.
He carefully placed his fingers next to mine until he held the full weight of the platinum band.
“It’s deceptively light for something so terrible,” I said.
“Yes?” Blackwell lifted the circlet and looked through it as I had. For a moment, the inner edge caught the reflection of the sorcerer’s eyes, and I had to look away from the yawning chasm of greed I saw there.
“Do you have others?”
Blackwell hesitated, but then said, “No.”
I looked at Kett, who always seemed to know when people spoke the truth — maybe he noted their heart rates — and the vampire nodded.
“What is it?” Blackwell actually seemed to have an excess of spit in his mouth.
I turned away, sweeping my gaze across the parts of the gallery I hadn’t walked through. Drake was leaning against the stand of a smiling Buddha. I almost cautioned him from doing so, but then stopped myself. Obviously, the micro wards didn’t bother the fledgling guardian. His deceptively casual stance was probably for Blackwell’s benefit, because the fledgling was as unsettled as I was. Now that I was looking for it, I noted that a number of the alcoves had their curtains drawn, and a few pedestals were draped with red velvet. It bothered me that Blackwell didn’t have his entire collection on display. I was going to have to walk away, to hand him more power, and take his clue in order to save Mory and stop Sienna.
And that was my ultimate responsibility.
I offered Drake a sad smile. He shrugged in response, bowed his head, and turned to walk back to Kandy at the front entrance.
“You understand that such a thing
“I don’t like it.” I directed this statement to Kett, who was standing so close to me I could see his magic dancing in his skin. This display always reminded me how far the vampire was from human. He was like animated magic … or maybe the corpse of his previous self reanimated by magic, with its memories and thoughts intact. But ‘reanimated’ wasn’t the perfect word …
“Yes,” Kett answered. “I can see.”
“Tell me what it is. What its function is, dowser,” Blackwell said. “And I will set you on your sister’s trail … if you’re up for it.”
I wasn’t sure if he meant identifying the object or hunting Sienna, but I really wasn’t up for either. Of course, I did a lot of things I didn’t want to do these days.
I reached out and hovered my hands over the circlet. Nothing happened. Always a good start.
I lowered my hand, but at the last second, I chose to avoid touching the circlet. I pressed my finger into the velvet cushion in the very center of the platinum circle. Blackwell really had an unhealthy thing for plush fabrics with heavy napes.
I exhaled. Nothing happened.
I inhaled, about to lift my finger and actually touch the band, when a pulse of multicolored magic spread from carved rune to gem to carved rune all around the circlet.
Then the magic clamped down on my finger.
I screeched and yanked my hand back. The feeling instantly dissipated. The glow faded from the runes.
“What color was the magic?” Kett asked.
“All colors. You couldn’t see?”
Kett nodded. He was just questioning his senses, I guessed.
“But I think the runes and gems color the spell,” I said. “Not the … alchemist who created this.”
“Created what?” Blackwell asked, eagerness edging his tone.
I was fairly certain Blackwell already had his suspicions. But instead of answering, I reached out and pressed my fingertips to the outside of the band, carefully not touching the runes, gems, or inside edge. I lifted the circlet from the box.
I gazed through the circle as if it was a window. The magic didn’t try to grab me again. I hesitated to tell Blackwell any of what I was tasting, but I felt compelled by the bargain we’d struck in the courtyard.
“Hold it like this and it won’t affect you,” I said, turning to pass the circlet to the sorcerer.
He carefully placed his fingers next to mine until he held the full weight of the platinum band.
“It’s deceptively light for something so terrible,” I said.
“Yes?” Blackwell lifted the circlet and looked through it as I had. For a moment, the inner edge caught the reflection of the sorcerer’s eyes, and I had to look away from the yawning chasm of greed I saw there.
“Do you have others?”
Blackwell hesitated, but then said, “No.”
I looked at Kett, who always seemed to know when people spoke the truth — maybe he noted their heart rates — and the vampire nodded.
“What is it?” Blackwell actually seemed to have an excess of spit in his mouth.
I turned away, sweeping my gaze across the parts of the gallery I hadn’t walked through. Drake was leaning against the stand of a smiling Buddha. I almost cautioned him from doing so, but then stopped myself. Obviously, the micro wards didn’t bother the fledgling guardian. His deceptively casual stance was probably for Blackwell’s benefit, because the fledgling was as unsettled as I was. Now that I was looking for it, I noted that a number of the alcoves had their curtains drawn, and a few pedestals were draped with red velvet. It bothered me that Blackwell didn’t have his entire collection on display. I was going to have to walk away, to hand him more power, and take his clue in order to save Mory and stop Sienna.
And that was my ultimate responsibility.
I offered Drake a sad smile. He shrugged in response, bowed his head, and turned to walk back to Kandy at the front entrance.
“You understand that such a thing
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