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Amusement twitched my lips, but before I could say anything, Belle said, Go there, and this dish of lasagna will end up in your lap.
Whatever happened to the motto of doing no harm to your witch?
Doesn’t apply when said witch is about to be evil.
I grinned but managed to restrain my evilness and, once Belle had placed the tray on the table, began serving everyone. The conversation moved on to other matters, but once the lasagna was eaten and dessert served, Monty leaned back in his chair and said, “Tell me about every encounter with the wild magic.”
I did so, only omitting any mention of the second wellspring. He’d no doubt find it once he’d been here long enough but we—Katie, Gabe, and I —could deal with the consequences of that when it happened.
“I’ll do a search through the archives and see what they have on wild magic—and don’t worry, no one is going to think twice about such a request given I was ordered to investigate the stuff.” His sudden grin was wide and filled with anticipation. “I have to admit, I’m rather looking forward to being the witch for this reservation now.”
“Meaning you weren’t before?” Belle asked, eyebrows rising.
“Well, no. I took it because I was bored to death with spell logging.”
“I’m sure there would have been a multitude of options open for Frederick Ashworth’s oldest—”
“But not, as you well know, for one whose power was deemed less than desirable.” He half shrugged. “I just needed to go somewhere different than Canberra. Something with a little more life and a little less restriction.”
I snorted softly. “It’s always wise to be careful about what you wish for—especially when it comes to an area in which a major wellspring has been left unprotected for a year.”
“Ashworth and Eli were filling me in on all that on the way up here. I hate to say it, but it’s probably going to get worse before it gets better.”
“That much we figured—”
I stopped as energy surged into the room. Its feel was bright and sharp, and filled with an odd sort of cognizance.
Not just wild magic, but the portion controlled by Katie.
And with it came an odd sort of urgency.
She wanted me to follow her. Now.
Monty drew in a sharp breath. “What the fuck is going on? That’s wild magic, and yet not.”
“You were told some parts had gained awareness. This is one of those parts.” I thrust to my feet. “It wants us to follow it.”
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know, but I’ve learned not to ignore it.” I ran behind the cake counter, pulled my purse out of the hiding spot, and tossed my keys to Belle. “You’d better drive.”
Monty thrust upright and swung his coat off the back of the chair. “Don’t think you’re going to leave me behind.”
“Not a chance—you’re the official witch here now, so you can goddamn deal with whatever horror we’re about to be shown.”
“Sounds like you’re expecting the worst.”
“That’s because when the wild magic turns up, it usually is.” I grabbed the backpack—which we hadn’t yet unpacked—and ushered him out the door.
“Where are we heading?” Belle asked, as she carefully reversed out of the parking spot.
I hesitated, and silently called the force that was Katie to me. Her energy rushed through me, but the intensity of it was not as fierce as previous times. Either she was learning control, or I was getting used to being inhabited—however briefly—by wild magic. But even so, everything around me suddenly seemed brighter—sharper. I could clearly smell Monty’s aftershave—it was musk based, with hints of orange, lavender, and geranium. Could hear the distant thunder of an oncoming storm, and feel the electricity of it in the air—a sharp force that had the hairs on my arms standing on end. Heard her words in my mind, faint compared to the other sensations, and yet nevertheless clear. And then she left.
But I had my directions.
“Left at Hargraves, and then continue straight down.”
“And how the fuck do you know that?” Monty said from the back seat. “The wild magic went through you—I saw that much—but please don’t tell me it’s aware enough to give directions.”
