“What’s that?” I ask.
Sophie walks over to inspect the box from up close. She doesn’t touch it, though. “Where did you get this?”
“Where I got it is of no importance to you. Can you make it work?”
“I’m so confused. Can anyone explain to me what we’re staring at?” I butt in.
Sophie looks at me. “This is a lerix box. It’s like a safe… a magical one.”
“So… you need to use magic to open it?”
She shakes her head. “Not exactly. There’s no key, but the box is enchanted. The contents inside are only revealed if you know the correct incantation.”
“Uh…” I glance at Larsson. “That’s what you need Sophie’s help with—to recite the incantation? You couldn’t ask the High Witch or any other mage for hire?”
Larsson narrows his eyes. “The High Witch cannot know about this.”
An alarm sounds in my head. “Why not? This isn’t dark magic, is it?”
“No.”
“What about mages, then? You couldn’t hire a rogue mage from the guild?” Sophie asks.
“No one was able to crack the code, and I have my suspicions as to why.”
“Oh yeah? And are you going to share them with us?” I ask.
He glowers at me, making me feel like an insignificant bug. “Careful now, kid. Don’t mistake my benevolence for weakness.”
Heat spreads across my cheeks. I got cocky there, trying to show off to Sophie.
“It’d be helpful if you did share your suspicions with us, though,” Sophie pipes up.
“I was told the incantation had been keyed to the essence of the object’s owner.”
I scratch the back of my head. “What does that mean exactly?”
“It means that only the owner can open it,” Sophie answers. “If that’s true, then I can’t help you.”
“Perhaps, but there could be a way to circumvent that issue. The owner was a Blueblood vampire female. You’re a Blueblood vampire female with innate magic.”
“Who was the owner?” I ask, very curious now.
“None of your business,” Larsson growls.
Yikes. Touchy. I should keep my mouth shut from now on. He could breathe fire while in his human form and burn me to a crisp where I stand. He needs Sophie, but he doesn’t need me.
Sophie picks up the box, and the symbols etched on the wood glow blue. Larsson leans forward, his eyes wide with interest. “The box is already reacting to you. That didn’t happen with anyone who handled it before.”
“Shh… I’m trying to connect with it.”
Wow. I can’t believe she just shushed the king of dragons, and the only reaction she gets from him is a clench of his jaw. He must want whatever is inside the lerix box badly.
Seconds pass, and I hold my breath. Sophie starts to chant words that mean nothing to me, but the symbols on the box glow brighter, and then suddenly, her eyes glow the same eerie blue. A gust of wind comes out of nowhere, sending the papers on Larsson’s desk flying. It’s comical how he tries to catch them.
Sophie’s hair dances around her face, and her chanting becomes louder. I can sense the magic coming from the box. It’s spreading across the room, giving me goose bumps. The wind picks up speed. Hell, is she summoning a mini tornado?
No sooner does the thought cross my mind than the wind dies out and the magic recedes to the box. I hear a click, and the box opens by itself, revealing a peacock feather inside.
