Gabriella gave her husband the stink eye. “He doesn’t mean it, Mallory. He’s just a big tease, and his sense of humor is a little warped.”
Antonio feigned offense. “Warped? Me?”
Gabriella smiled at him. “Don’t give me that. You know you are, but everyone loves you just the same. We are a very forgiving family, girls.”
“Good thing—for me.” Mallory let out a sigh of relief.
“Me too,” Kizzy said. Then she focused on Mallory again and smiled. “I’m a witch.”
Mallory’s eyebrows shot up, then she quickly schooled her expression. “Really? A real witch, like with a wand and broom and everything?”
Kizzy laughed. “It’s not like the cliché. I do cast spells, but I don’t own a black cat, fly on a broom, or use a wand. I’m a healer. I can touch people and cure them. But only one per day, or else I’ll deplete my own energy.”
“Oh! You have the perfect job then. An ER doctor.”
“Yes and no. It’s hard to choose between patients. Especially if I get a serious case thatmightmake it on his or her own. I never know who could come even closer to death later on in my shift.”
“Do you actually save people from dying?”
Kizzy smiled. “Well, yeah. All doctors do on occasion. But I can actually pull someone back if they pass away.”
“Wow! No wonder it depletes your energy. I’m glad you didn’t waste your magic on me. I wasn’t crazy.”
“I never said you were. Which isn’t to say magical healing for mental health would be a waste. It’s just a lot more complicated. One doesn’t know if it’s nature or nurture. Curing a DNA anomaly is one thing, but trying to reverse a whole childhood of abuse or neglect—well, that’s getting into strange territory.”
“I was cursed.”
This time, it was Kizzy who looked shocked. “Cursed? That’s awful! Who would do that to you?”
“It’s kind of a strange story, but here goes… My father is a real estate developer. He’s in South America in a rain forest, trying to open a resort on the Amazon River. According to a wizard Dante knew, there was some kind of ritual done down there.
“I guess he ticked off the wrong people. I don’t know why the curse came to me instead of him or my mother, but it did. Or maybe they were cursed too, but in a different way. There were protesters…workers quit… Eventually, they gave up and they’re coming home soon.”
Kizzy looked uncomfortable. “I wonder if… Um, what I’m about to tell you can’t leave this room. Swear?”
Mallory raised her right hand. “I swear.”
Mr. and Mrs. Fierro just nodded.
“There’s a group in South America that my family considers its nemesis. We call them ‘the entity.’ We think they’re based in Brazil near the Amazon. That’s as close as our locator spell can pinpoint them. They must have wards to protect their exact location. But now, if they have to move because of development in the area, they may be risking exposure. That could be considered a threat.”
Mallory was astounded. “Yes, my father is in Brazil—right on the banks of the Amazon River. This group… Are they Northern European–looking?”
“Yes. Northern European. Can you find the spot on a map?”
“I could get close, but I don’t have a physical map. Could pulling one up on my phone work?”
“We have one,” Gabriella sang. She excused herself and trotted off in the direction of the stairs.
“So do you think these guys might be the same group? Your nemesis and my cursers?”
“Possibly.” Kizzy worried her lip while waiting for Gabriella, who returned a little out of breath and laid a framed map of the world on the table.
“Thank you.” Kizzy fell silent as she studied the map. Eventually, she lifted it so it was facing herself and Antonio only, then she touched it, drawing a small invisible circle. “Go ahead and show me where your father is.” Kizzy turned the map around and laid it face up in front of Mallory.
After studying the map’s topography for a moment, Mallory picked out the bend in the river her father had shown her and tapped it. “There.”
Kizzy waved her hand over the map, and her invisible circle turned red, surrounding the exact place Mallory had pointed to.
