Shrugging, I said, “Save the admiration until I actually have magic. That’s a big if. I still have to go through the Spellrend, which will be a bigger hurdle than I think even Cirrian can imagine.”
Moments of contemplation were broken by us taking sips from our glasses or standing to pace the room in a manner that to an outsider would have looked choreographed. Passing each other, exchanging looks, lips parting to speak and the other offering feedback before the question could be answered. Of course Amelia had known there was more to the Raynard story. How could I be so naïve to think she wouldn’t?
“I could ask the kinborn witches,” I suggested. “Jamillah’s belief that they should have found me long ago proves there’s some type of connection.”
“Could it be because they’re both lineage magic?” Amelia provided. “When there are similarities, it’s easy to confuse the two. Elemental and verdant witch magic feels the same to me because of their connection to earth.”
That was possible, but there was more to it and I wanted to investigate. Maybe my theory was fueled by my fascination with the kinborn witches and their magic.
“Rumor has it they’re the only witches whose magic isn’t collected when they die. But that’s the extent of what I know of them. They’ve done a substantial job gatekeeping information about themselves. I guess that’s what makes them powerbrokers of magic.”
“And the reason Madoc is so fascinated by them,” I speculated.
“Are they cute?”
I nodded. “They’re pretty people. Even the mentor. But she’s in her sixties.”
“That won’t stop him. That man doesnothave a type. If he’s ever the reason we are at the brink of a war with another coven again, I’m going to make him a eunuch.”
A hearty laugh exploded from me despite Amelia’s glower. Madoc’s liaisons, lack of discretion, and infidelity had been the source of some political backlash that led to Amelia, Rachel, andeven his sister Mave suggesting locking him in a kennel and only releasing him to eat, shower, and occasionally help with spells.
“Do you believe your mother knows what I am, or she just wanted my magic?”
“I don’t know.”
“My magic is locked, so would she be able to use it?” The complexity of my feelings for Vina was dwindling. She was willing to kill me for magic she might not even be able to use.
“She wouldn’t have tried to steal it if she didn’t have a way to do so.”
I recognized the look of regret and embarrassment. “You can’t carry the sins of your mother,” I told her.
“That’s not it. I should have warned you.”
“It wouldn’t have changed anything.”
She studied me for a long moment. Although she was espousing the merits of rejecting her mother and all she stood for, Vina was slowly sliding up my list of potential resources. Maybe I could barter something worth more than my magic. Use her flaws to my advantage.
“I wouldn’t look to Vina as an option, Kara,” Amelia said before I could even breathe the suggestion.
“I’m desperate.”
“Desperation breeds poor decisions. She made a deal with a demon to use their magic to curse you, talked some poor soul into executing it, and was willing to kill you to steal your magic.” She frowned at the wine bottle. “I need something stronger than this.”
If the idea that her mom was willing to sacrifice her daughter’s life for my magic hadn’t occurred earlier, it must have at that moment. I followed her into the kitchen where she rummaged through the cabinet where I stored the harder liquor. We weren’t day drinking, but our afternoon drinking felt wrong. Grabbing two large glasses, she added a few cubes of ice to each,opened a can of cranberry juice, added a few splashes and the orange juice she pulled from the fridge, and filled the rest with vodka, in a poor imitation of a Madras.
She took a long drink. “Your boyfriend killed Diehle, so we can’t ask him about the spell. He would have been a resource even if it wasn’t his demon magic she used for the curse.” Returning to the living room, she dropped onto the sofa.
“I thought witches hated demons. She took a risk dealing with one.”
“It wasn’t much of a risk for her. With the magic of a whole coven, she’s a force. She’d only need a small amount of their magic to perform the curse. Like the way Jonah gave you some of his to perform the spell. You got the advantages of using his magic, which returned to him once the spell was completed, but you would’ve dealt with any consequences of performing it. So, if anything had gone awry, like it did when they initially tried to remove the curse, it would have been you on the floor unconscious and unbreathing. My mother wouldn’t risk her magic, so I suspected she made a bargain.”
I hadn’t even questioned whether Diehle had helped with the curse, but it wouldn’t surprise me to know that he’d acquired two debts from the same situation. From her expression, Amelia’s mind was racing with the many possibilities because she’d popped up from the sofa and was pacing the floor, taking mini sips from her glass. Her mouth was twisted to the side in thought. “I don’t think Diehle helped her,” she finally said after minutes of deliberation.
“Because?” I waited for an answer.
“Because I think he’d be dead.” She inhaled a big breath and eased it out through pursed lips. “I know Vina did the curse because she taught me the spell to prevent her being located. I refuse to do it because I don’t want anyone to die trying to locate me.”
“The people in your coven who tried to remove the curse aren’t dead.”
