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Yes. Her mental tone was grim. You’re right—even if our spells did hold up against his assault here, they won’t in that clearing. He’s had time to plan and we’re doing this on the fly. But we have little other choice if we want to save Aiden and defeat this bastard.
I’m betting the spirits are not guaranteeing success.
They never do. But a small chance is better than none.
“I get the distinct feeling I’m missing out on a major part of this conversation.” Blume’s comment was edged with annoyance. “What step is dangerous?”
I glanced at him. “Using the wild magic. Carrying it with me into Waverley’s protection circle.”
Blume blinked. “Is something like that even possible? I thought that stuff could only be controlled and guided, but not ever used.”
“In theory, a strong enough witch—be they of the light or of darkness—can call upon it to boost the strength of their spellwork, but I don’t know of any who have tried and survived.”
And given that, how much more dangerous was calling it into my body going to be? Could human flesh and bone even withstand such a force?
Blume frowned. “Why not? Don’t witches draw from the energy of the world as a matter of course?”
“Yes, but the source of the wild magic is the deeper recesses of the earth. Its volatility is what makes it impractical for spells.” As demonstrated by what had happened to my spell in the cemetery. The presence of wild magic had turned a simple diversion into something far more dangerous.
I rubbed my arms against the chill seeping deep into my bones. That chill wasn’t only fear, but the suspicion that even if I did survive the next few hours, things were never going to be the same for me, magic-wise.
“But why? The source is ultimately the same—the earth and all that lives on and within it.”
“Think of magic as electricity,” Belle said. “If you touch your tongue to a battery, it will at best give you a mild shock. Do the same to a live wire, and it will kill you.”
“And wild magic is the live wire?”
She nodded. “The stuff here is also without the protection of an authorized witch, and that makes it even more dangerous.”
His frown grew. “Why?”
“Because it seems to hold an odd sort of sentience,” I cut in. “We have no idea why, but I suspect it has something to do with Gabe.”
“Impossible. Gabe has a warrant out for his arrest. He wouldn’t be stupid enough to remain within the reservation.”
“That might be true,” Belle said. “But it doesn’t alter the fact that something—or someone—is influencing the magic here, and an authorized witch such as Gabe is the only person who could.”
He shrugged and glanced at his watch. “We’ve under two hours to make arrangements and meet Waverley’s deadline. What do you need from me?”
“Given you won’t bring Redfern out of hiding, we need a photo of him,” I said. “And a set of his clothes.”
Blume nodded. “Anything else?”
“No, but we do need to ensure there’s no one watching this place. If there is, our plan could fail before it even starts.”
“I can take care of any followers.” Blume glanced at Belle. “Although I thought you said there was no one near.”
“There isn’t, but telepathy does have range limits.”
“Then you’ll need to become Redfern out in the forest rather than here, just to be certain no one suspects.” He glanced at his watch again. “I’ll be back in fifteen with the stuff you need.”
Which gave us enough time to make a pot of herbal tea designed to boost strength and clarity, and grab something to eat.
He returned with not only the items we’d requested, but also a black carryall. He didn’t explain the latter and neither of us asked. We simply went into the reading room, locked the door, and then got down to business of not only creating some serious magic, but also some very unmagical vampire impediments.
They might be a last resort, but—if instinct was to be believed—they could also be the difference between surviving and not.
Blume rose as we walked out forty-five minutes later. “I called the rangers while you were in there doing your thing. Tala has assigned two extra people to watch the Redferns, just in case this is a diversion. She and Mac have done a run around the immediate area—there’s no one watching the café.”
