Touching each card in turn, she recites her spell, our prisoners screaming in agony as the binding magick works its way into their systems.
Seven swords reclaim your power
Eight shall forge your cage
Before the Nine, weak minds shall cower
Ten defeat the conquered mage
Bound to bodies by the swords
Silver blades of thirty-four
Each an hour keeps the wards
Until your souls return to shore
She repeats the verses three times, then unstoppers the vial, pouring its contents across the Tarot cards. Following her instructions, I quickly slice my palm, spilling my blood onto each card.
It instantly binds with Professor Broome’s potion, the mixture turning the viscous silver of mercury. Sliding over the cards, it follows the path of the swords, fully coating each blade. When it reaches the tenth sword in the final card, the entire set bursts into flames, burning to a fine white ash that’s swiftly carried off by the breeze.
The screams of agony cease. Casey and Janelle pass out cold once again.
Silence descends, and the professors and I let out a collective sigh of relief.
“Did it work?” I peer inside the cage. The bars still glow the eerie silver-blue of Ani’s fire magick, but the women trapped inside appear unharmed and, more importantly, harmless.
“They’re completely neutralized,” Professor Maddox confirms. “No magick, no soul-swapping. Once they awaken again, they’ll follow your command and yours alone.”
“So they can walk out of here tonight?”
“Only if you order them to do so. Your blood ensures that.”
“What about the cage?”
“It’s no longer necessary—Ani can break his spell whenever he’s ready. The women simply cannot leave without your express permission. Not until the binding spell wears off.”
“When does that happen?”
“Thirty-four hours, times three,” she replies. “‘Silver blades of thirty-four. Each an hour keeps the wards.’ I recited the spell three times, so that means you’ve got…” She taps her fingers on her lips, doing the calculations in her head. “A hundred and two hours—just over four days. I know that’s not much time, but that was all I could manage. After our spell to call the river, my reserves were pretty tapped.”
“You did great,” I assure her, thoroughly impressed with her quick thinking and excellent spellcraft. “Once Stevie and the others return from the dream realm, Ani can disable the fire magick, and we’ll relocate the prisoners to a more… secure location for questioning.”
“Questioning?” Professor Broome eyes me warily.
“I’ll need truth serum, if you’ve got it,” I say. “As well as Devil’s Fire.”
Her eyes widen, then narrow. “You’re going to torture them.”
“Not if they cooperate.”
“And if they don’t?” Professor Broome asks.
I shrug, but don’t elaborate. Despite my earlier reservations, I’m now fully on board with bringing the professors into our circle of trust, along with Isla and Nat. But that doesn’t mean I’m signing up volunteers for the dirty work that comes next.
I won’t subject them to that.
“Keep in mind, Dr. Devane,” Professor Maddox continues. “That spell is a hard limit. When the clock strikes a hundred and two, they’ll be able to yank their souls back at will, no longer obligated to you. You need to do everything you can to extract the information we need before that happens—”
