Page 40 of The Hocus Pocus Handbook

First, put on the jewelry. It might seem like such a simple thing, but objects have power. Objects that matter to us, charged with emotional weight, possess even greater potency. This is why I gave you the earrings I made. Think of them as a talisman charged with my love, or you can look on them as armor. While you’ve never been enamored of such things, the court ladies use their pots of paint as a sort of armor, concealing their true faces and presenting what they wish the world to see. It’s another sort of glamour, my darling gem.

As for the candied ginger, it’s tasty, good for you, and it bolsters the heart and mind. You’ll feel it warming you from within, emboldening you and readying you for whatever the world brings. Nibble it slowly, or gulp it in one bite. That’s up to you. Your choices matter.

Thea

While the others are busy, I perform the spell for luck and light; I need all the help I can get.

As soon as I finish, inspiration strikes. Tara. We’re near Summer, and she’ll unquestionably be useful. Plus, I haven’t seen her in ages. She’s a young hobgoblin who boarded with Da and me for several seasons while learning about our customs. When Tara went home to Summer, I missed her terribly, but we’ve kept in touch, and we visit as often as can be arranged in the wildlands, even when the climate is politically sensitive.

Lately, that’s all the time, as Lord Liskaal is convinced something is brewing—that someone is scheming against him. For all I know, that’s true. But I don’t give a damn who rules in the four courts. I just want to live my life. Yet they insist on making it my problem.

At least I have a direction now.

“Let’s head toward the Summer Court. No more portals.” I glance at Kerboros, hoping he doesn’t take this personally. “We don’t know why your magic is compromised. We can’t risk using it until we figure out the malfunction.”

“A reasonable precaution,” he says.

Thank goodness.

“Everyone feel ready to continue?” I ask.

In answer, Zeph falls in step with me as Kerboros sets out following Rosa. She seems to be willing to scout, but he might not trust her reports. He’s known for coldness and suspicion even among the skeptics in the Winter Court, which makes the soft moments we’ve shared even more special and rare. I remember the way he clung to me, battling terror, and the way I held him back, as if my arms alone could keep him safe.

Suddenly, I realize that Zeph is addressing me. “Have you spent much time in the Summer Court?” they ask.

I shake my head. “My travel is strictly monitored by the Lord and Lady of Winter.”

The rulers don’t trust me, and they keep me tied to court through my bond with Da and their need of my ability to keep hostilities in check through passive exploitation of my abilities. That’s why I haven’t even been allowed to spend all the time I’d wish in the wildlands. I have…a quota to meet, I suppose.

“Why?”

Zeph is displaying an unusual amount of interest in me. “Why are you so curious?”

Kerboros likely thinks I trust everyone too quickly, but it’s more that I’m wary yet I don’t display it. It’s safer that way. Better to be judged as happy-go-lucky and not a threat than someone who needs careful observation.

“You’re famous. Stories have circulated outside of Winter about your pranks—and how preciously you’re held by Lord Liskaal.”

“That makes it sound like he adores me,” I say, shocked.

“Is that not the case?”

“Oh, good light. If that’s the current rumor, I’ll be lucky if Lady Valnevi doesn’t skin me alive. No. Emphatically no. He doesn’t see me as a love interest.”

“Ah, so you’re available. What about me, then?” Zeph wheels in front me, walking backward while maintaining intense eye contact.

They hold the fervent look as they slow their pace, letting me get closer. Closer. Then they take my hand, and—we both dissolve into giggles at the same moment. They literally can’t sustain the seductive expression, and I’m tempted to ruffle their hair.

“No. I don’t think we have any spark at all.”

“Alas, I feel the same. I don’t think I can seduce you.”

“Did you want to?” I ask, mildly curious.

They make a vague gesture, spinning to face forward and quickening their step. “It occurred to me that it might be convenient.”

“You’re so strange.” If I sound mildly offended, it’s because I am.

“Ignore me. That’s the advice Rosa gives everyone, and it’s usually the best course.”