Page 66 of Blood Curse

“What is it saying?” I asked.

“That I ruined the rite.”

“You ended a command.”

“It considers that the same thing.”

“It would.”

“Get out of the water,” I said.

“Gladly.”

She reached for the rim. I offered my hand, then stopped before touching her.

“May I?”

“Yes.”

I pulled her from the basin. She landed against me, soaked and freezing. I kept one arm around her while Elias pressed a clean pad to her palm.

Behind us, the spring made a low sound.

It wasn’t a roar. It sounded like a drain clearing.

The water drew back from the silver leaves. For a moment the basin seemed to empty. Then a black surge burst from the crack in the rock and struck the carving.

Dark water spat over the rim. It hit the grass at our feet and smoked.

“Shit. Move,” Mara said.

We retreated towards the path. Elias snatched up his case and the wrapped dagger with his free hand. He didn’t release Bryony’s injured palm.

The black surge stopped as quickly as it had begun. Clear water rose again, but the silver carving had gone dull. Bryony’s blood no longer marked it.

“It rejected the offering,” she said.

Elias watched the basin refill. “It rejected a forced offering. Yours was freely given.”

“Does that mean I can give it again?”

“After the carving clears. After you recover.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hours?”

“Possibly.”

“Days?”

“Possibly.”

“That’s a deeply irritating answer.”

“It’s the only honest one.” Elias pointed at her hand. “And you aren’t cutting this again until it closes.”