Page 96 of A Lady’s Guide to Witchcraft

“However?”

“However, the magic of the portal interfered when your sister managed to make it through. Rather a lot, I’m sorry to say.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that the shields finally unlocked when you fit the amulet pieces together, but they aren’t fully open. Not yet. And I believe that the moon will continue to track you until everything is as it was.”

“And how do we fix the shields?” Briar asked, sounding exhausted. And exasperated. Ethan didn’t blame her. This should be done with. The bloody moon charm was back in the hands of the museum—or near one of its curators, anyway. That should be good enough. Briar should be out of it now. Safe.

“I’m afraid the amulet must go to Holdfast. The Iron Witches work the shields, as you know, and only they can truly fix them.”

“Take it, then, and begone,” Ethan said.

“I can’t. Only Miss Foxglove can. The magic is too tied up with hers—there’s no undoing it now. There isn’t time to unpick the threads. It would take hours, days. And you burned down the Order’s headquarters. They are not feeling patient.”

“They hit her with a truth spell,” Ethan said.

“It was not pleasant.” Briar rubbed her brow wearily and Ethan saw red all over again.

“I am truly sorry, Miss Foxglove.”

She waved it away, but Ethan swore they would be coming back around to that. Violently. “I don’t want the moon charm. I never did,” Briar said.

“And that’s why it has to be you,” Ethan said between his teeth, catching Aidan’s expression. “Because you don’t want it. And every Keeper and Iron Crow does. Fucking hell.”

“But surely they want off the island like everyone else? And they could get to Holdfast much quicker than me.”

Despite the fierceness in her that no one else seemed to truly recognize, there was also a streak of sweetness that it would be his honor to protect for the rest of his days.

“I can promise you that every Iron Crow on this bloody island would hold that damn thing hostage for power or wealth or both.”

She blinked. “Oh. And you?”

“I have enough problems.” It wasn’t the answer she wanted. It wasn’t even the answer he wished he could give her. But it was the only answer at the moment. Especially while they were being watched by his smirking crew and her feral sister.

He didn’t like to think of the way the Iron Crows would come for her now. It would be so much worse. The power in that amulet, the way it could be used to control the shields—the sheer extortion one could have at one’s fingertips… Hell, it was tempting.

But not at this cost. Never at this cost.

Ethan already did not like the way Briar’s cheeks were pale. Her hip was paining her, that much was obvious. And then that fucking truth spell.

She sighed. “I suppose I must go to Holdfast, then.”

“We are going to fucking Holdfast,” he corrected her.