I ignored his offer. Sitting in Theodore’s mind was like dancing on a spiderweb above a tar pit. One misstep and I’d go from in danger to dead.
Around the corner of a collection of pillars sat Caleb and Tara. They were locked within the confines of a pentagram similar to the one that held Theodore when I found him weeksback in London. Only this pentagram was held together by a pillar at each of the five points.
“Does this mean I get a reprieve from my timeout?” Theodore asked, a sadistic smile on his face at seeing his sister and the boy he had attempted to kill on their knees.
“Why have you brought this boy, Moire?” Amara asked.
I knew that name from the list of Celestial Coven members I’d identified.
Name: Moire
Branch: Enchantment (Spell Craft)
That explained who was puppeteering Katherine, but it still didn’t explain how the enchantment witch hijacked Katherine’s mind.
“Don’t tell me you’ve grown attached to this girl’s life.” Amara chuckled.
“It is not this witch’s life that intrigues me, but the presence of this boy’s existence.” Katherine gestured—correction, Moire gestured—to Caleb. “Recognize your sacrifice?”
What?
The confusion and fear of that question spiked anxiety in Caleb and Tara as well. It was difficult to fully glean their thoughts while hiding in Theodore’s head. Unlike them, his mind held intrigue over anything else.
“Impossible,” Amara said rather flippantly.
“I know the abomination’s magical frequency,” Moire said, dehumanizing Caleb’s very existence. “Who do you think coordinated your arrangement with Hell?”
Amara stared into Caleb’s frantic green eyes.
“How is the goddess to ascend if you don’t fulfill your arrangement?” Moire asked, accusatory and demanding.
“I do not understand.” Amara tilted her head, studying Caleb, taking in his every feature. “The old gods never showed displeasure with my sacrifice. They didn’t call out and demand a correction.”
“Why would they?” Moire snapped. “Your failure would be more entertaining. Our failure.”
“So, this is my dead baby brother?” Theodore asked, cutting right to the question dancing in everyone’s mind.
Caleb stared wide-eyed in stunned confusion. Tara went to speak, but her mind was a hurricane of questions.
I supposed Caleb looked somewhat like Theodore and Tara, but not that much. None of this made any sense.
“There is only one answer.” Amara opened a blue portal, dragging a body through. “Tobi deceived me.”
Tobias Whitlock’s corpse collapsed on the ground in front of Amara.
“Dad,” Tara spoke softly, choking up at the sight of his body splayed out.
“I always knew he was soft,” Amara said. “But I had no idea he’d go to such lengths to fool me.”
“And you wish to waste time clarifying with him?” Moire had a pointed expression, visibly annoyed with Amara.
“I do,” Amara replied. “The more answers I have, the more likely I will be able to rectify this error with the old gods above and the demons below.”
Moire huffed.
“Prepare the necessary spell,” Amara commanded of Moire, who reluctantly flipped through the pages of her grimoire.
“What are you doing, old hag?” Theodore asked.
