“So what do you want to know? I’m an open book, and anything I don’t know—” Her gaze shifted toward the bookcase, and her lips quirked. “We’ll open a book.”
I twisted my hands together, trying to find the right explanation without having to go into detail about my past. “I’m sure you’ve heard of magic vessels, correct?”
“You mean, a person who can move magic from one place to another?”
“Exactly.”
“Sure. They’re pretty rare, but there’s always a few lurking around, hiding in plain sight. At least, the ones who know about their ability. It’s not symptomatic until they come into contact with magic.” Tessa’s focus lowered to my wrist where my birthmark peeked out from beneath my sleeve, but she didn’t comment on it.
“That’s right. My question has to deal with why a witch would want to use one. They have their own magic. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
Tessa folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the worktable. “Well, it’s fairly simple. You’re right, witches have their own magic, but to varying degrees. Sure, we can learn new spells and try different things, but we’re really only as powerful as we are to start with. Unless there’s a stronger source of magic and a vessel to transfer it. If a witch was looking to grow her power, that would be the way.”
My breath caught in the back of my throat. “If that’s the case, why would a witch want someone else besides the vessel? She always takes two.”
Tessa’s brow arched at my slip of the tongue, but again, she let the revealing detail go unquestioned and simply answered, “Amplification.”
“What?”
“Look…” Tessa pushed away from the table and paced the floor. “This witch is obviously dealing with an exceptionally potent power source. If she wanted to transfer that magic to herself, a vessel alone wouldn’t be strong enough. That’s why she needs two. While there is usually only one vessel in a single family, siblings or other close contacts—frankly, anyone the vessel has a strong connection with—can act as an amplifier. It’s extremely risky to the amplifier because they’re not built for magic to run through them at such a high intensity. It could potentially kill them.”
I inhaled a shuddering breath, realizing for the first time Hendrik’s role in our captivity. A wave of anger burned in my stomach. She’d meant to use me and sacrifice him, and she planned to do the same with Annie and Ethan. Unless we stopped her.
We will stop her.
“I have one more question.” The words scraped the back of my throat, and it almost hurt to ask. “Anyone left behind…for years. Would the witch—?”
“Have them under her control? I’m afraid so. She’d use a spell of some sort, likely causing them to forget those around them and the memories from their life. In a way, I suppose that’s almost a blessing if you think about it.”
I jerked my head, unable to speak anymore around the tightness in my throat. Bowen squeezed my hand and took over.
“Thank you. That’s extremely helpful information. If you can think of anything else that might be relevant…?”
Tessa gave me a solemn look and moved closer. She leaned in, placing her hand on my shoulder, and said, “Always remember that whatever a vessel can give, they can also take.”
A little jolt of magic passed through me, and I felt it gather underneath my skin.
Tessa removed her hand and shook out her fingers. She winked and moved back toward the table, noticing a timepiece perched near a glazed pot. Cursing, she finger-combed the frizzy strands of her hair and winced when her fingers got stuck in a tangle.
“I’m so sorry, but I have to run. Vivian’s waiting for me, and we cannot miss our ride to the magical summit. The invitation is very specific about arriving at your scheduled time, and you really don’t want to anger a supernatural being.” She scooped up the bag of coins Bowen had offered and gestured toward the door. “Feel free to make an appointment for when I return if you have any other questions. Oh, and if you ever need any advice in regard to murder, I’m taking appointments for that too.”
I cracked a smile. “Well, let’s hope that’s never the case.”
She shrugged. “You’d be surprised. Good luck, you two. I hope you find who you’re looking for, and I hope you make her pay.”
Chapter 24
Bowen
My stick of charcoal scratched against the parchment as I shaded in a series of shadows beneath the manor’s new front entrance. I’d been drawing more and more over the past week and had recently started a new series of plans for the manor. It was time to repair the broken structure and give it one of Liana’s trademark overhauls.
At the very least, it was a good distraction from our other problems.
We’d spent the days after meeting with Tessa keeping up our searches and making the rounds in the market district. But it had gone quiet. There were no more sightings of Hendrik or Ethan, which had me worried, and at the same time, slightly relieved. More than anything, I wanted Liana to find her brother and put an end to the witch’s grip on their lives and those around us, but a small part of me savored this time we had together.
There was no guarantee it wouldn’t come to an end once we dealt with Liana’s past. I’d like to think she’d want to continue living at the manor, but there was always the chance she’d return home, back to the life she left behind to come work for me.
So while we waited, I worked on the plans, trying to come up with subtle ways to tempt her to stay.
