“There are a few different spells here,” Kallie said, sounding thoughtful. “An Unseelie spell is going to be difficult, but I can definitely pull off this illusion spell. I’ll create a glowing arrow that should point us toward the key, similar to Ava’s compass. It says here in my mother’s notes that one of her friends created it, so we can trust it.”
I heard a strange sound, a distinctive hum that rose and fell in pitch as it moved through the air. I felt the magical arrow spinning with my Air magic, trying to hone in on something nearby. Something swished through the air, and I noticed the heat of the glowing arrow from where I stood.
“Kallie…” Marcus said, warning her. “It’s getting too hot. You should call off the spell.”
“The key is nearby, it has to be!” Kallie exclaimed in excitement. “The arrow is getting excited. I bet it’s—”
“Kallie!” Marcus shouted, but his voice was cut off as the arrow gave a high-pitched squeal.
An explosion blasted us backward as the arrow shattered. I landed flat on my back, squashing Rishi’s tail beneath me. He yowled loudly, and I rolled over to free him.
That was not fun, Oberi complained as he clambered off of me.Thanks for being my pillow!
He stepped on my face as he got up. I grumbled and pushed him away.
Kallie coughed as she righted herself. “I don’t know what happened! The spell was working fine.”
Marcus groaned as he got to his feet. “Clearly, the easiest spell isn’t going to work, because the keys are too strong. We need the heaviest spell we can get.”
“Definitely,” Kallie agreed. “The spell must’ve backfired because it couldn’t overpower the magic inside the key.”
“How do we perform the other spell?” I asked.
“It’s an Unseelie spell,” Kallie said. “There are two different types of fae magic— Seelie magic, which is known as light magic, and is pulled from inside of you; and Unseelie magic, which is known as dark magic and pulls from objects around you. Unseelie magic was banned in my country until my mother came into power. She’s a powerful Unseelie fae, and so was her brother. I know some of that power was passed on to me… though I’ve hardly dabbled in Unseelie magic.”
“Why?” Marcus asked, and I agreed. It wasn’t like Kallie to avoid something that gave her power.
“Because it’s very dangerous,” Kallie admitted. “I’m,,, afraid of it.”
Kallie never admitted to being afraid of anything. That told me Unseelie magic wasn’t anything to mess around with. But that must be why the compass wanted us to try it, because it was the closest to demigod magic we had right now.
“My mother insists that I’m strong enough, that I’ve got talent,” Kallie continued, seemingly speaking her own thoughts aloud. “Most fae can’t perform Unseelie magic, because you’ve got to have it in your blood and be descended from ancient dark fae.”
Her voice became soft as she turned away from us. “My brother’s a natural at it. He can cast Unseelie spells without breaking a sweat. But it’s not so easy for me. I’m different— people have considered me a monster and a freak since I was a child. I don’t want to make that reputation worse. I’m worried about the dark magic taking over me and turning me into something I’m not. Something I can’t control.”
“That sounds like what happened when you tried to kill your brother,” Marcus mused. “Did you use Unseelie magic against him?”
“I believe so, but I can’t remember,” Kallie confessed. “I think I must’ve cast an Unseelie spell to gain revenge, and it took control of me. That’s why I lost my memory of that night. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me. I haven’t touched Unseelie magic since, because I don’t want to lose myself.”
“If we want to find the keys, we’re going to have to make some tough choices, Kallie,” I reminded her.
Kallie sighed. “I know. If Ava can do what she did for all of us, I can do this for her. Just… promise to bring me out of it if I lose control, okay?”
“We won’t let you lose yourself. Not ever,” Marcus promised.
“Then let’s do this. Hold this, Charlie.” Kallie handed me the grimoire.
“How does it work?” I asked.
“I need to prick my finger and read the incantation as I bleed onto the petals of a flower.”
I reached into Oberi’s fur and pulled the flower off his ear. “Here’s a flower.”
“Thank you,” Kallie said. “I can create a solid pin with my illusion magic no problem. Let’s get started.”
We sat on the floor, and Kallie placed the flower between us. She drew a sharp breath as she pricked herself. “Fae ancestors of the briar, lead me to my heart’s desire.”
Something happened. Wind picked up and began spinning around us in a vortex around the room. I tried to manipulate it with my Air magic and failed.
