She gripped the railing, wood creaking under her palm. She didn’t put the deck away or bother with the glove in her other hand, scanning over and over.
White snow, white snow, white snow. She could make out the exact shape of the drifts, count the trees at the perimeter, but none matched the vision.
She ground her teeth in frustration. The others would be back soon, and she couldn’t offer any explanation. Nor would she be able to get back here without a guard.
Sixth hell damn every cursed bit of ice, she couldn’t make out anything to match her vision. She’d been counting on this. The first few days with Lady Kayara, she’d tried to pump her for information about such a place or any history of Anagenni. The vampiress knew nothing of import—nothing Thea could coax out anyway.
This had to be the right area. She couldn’t squander the chance.
She shut her eye for a moment, the magic draining away. When she opened it, she had to blink away the bleariness.Her deck still in her hand, she thumbed through the options. Disguise magic—useless. Defense magic—unnecessary. She had packed cards for warmth, ones that guarded the elements, but nothing was suitable. One card left with creation magic, weak as it was. And what would she create—a spyglass? It wouldn’t do her any better. She cursed every god she could think of as she thumbed through them all. Wait—this one. Not much better than the enhancement, but maybe it could work. It was a novelty, made by a zoamancer . . .
“Lady Amalthea! There you are.”
Thea tucked the cards quickly inside her cloak, slipping her glove on with the card beneath it. She turned and gave her companions a bland, pleasant look. “I was just enjoying the view. Your kingdom is lovely,” she praised Lady Kayara, like the vampiress had forged it herself.
“Thank you. If you like this view, there’s an even better view over there.” Lady Kayara pointed a bit away.
“Perhaps Lady Amalthea would like to go inside for a bit, given the cold,” Dyna said.
“Oh, I’m quite all right.” Thea didn’t have time to waste. “Let’s see it.”
The vampiress led the way, and all Thea could think about was the card in her hand. She’d never used this magic before.
“Here we are,” Lady Kayara declared. She pointed out different landmarks, and Thea half listened in case there was something useful, and she could reply without seeming utterly oblivious.
At the same time, she activated the card. Magic crackled from her fingertips, shooting up to her head. She hid a wince behind another banal smile at the vampiress, then tried to refocus on the thread of magic.
Tiny shivering paws, a twitching nose. No, not strong enough. She moved the magic on.
Fangs, claws, hunter. The feel of blood on her raw flesh, on her teeth. Stronger. But not suitable.
The magic could only give her one more try.
A rapid heartbeat pounded in triple time, vibrating through Thea.Wings. Yes, she needed wings. It was luck—or Eka’s own hand—that the magic finally locked her in a snowy owl in flight.
The card wouldn’t let her control an animal. It was a creature with its own thoughts and feelings. But it would let her look through its eyes and communicate. The world was fuzzy, the bird focused on any prey unfortunate enough to scurry in its view.
Hello,Thea ventured in her head.
The bird startled.Witch?
I’m a witch. Amalthea. Though this is borrowed magic. Do you have a name I can call you?Time was limited, but that was no excuse for poor manners.
You may address me as Mina.
Mina,Thea thought.I apologize for the intrusion, but I ask for a favor.
And why would I grant a witch using borrowed magic this favor?
“We can look around the town,” Lady Kayara was saying, and Thea followed along, arm in arm as she tried not to trip over her feet. Her vision swam between her human eyes and the owl’s. She had practice with Eka’s superimposed visions, but this was even harder to balance. The magic was unintuitive, and the owl was focused on bargaining. Thea suspected a plea for the greater good wouldn’t mean much to the owl. It was sentient, but it probably didn’t give a hoot about witch-vampire politics.
What do you want?Thea asked.
I want prey.
Okay. Prey she could figure out.Okay, how about mice?She could lure some in the palace, surely.
She could hear Mina huffing in her mind.I can catch mice anytime I like. I want something better.
