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“Aren’t there any counter-indications in small letters?” I mutter. “Do not fuck if you have a mole on your butt, or something?”
“She has a mole on her butt?”
“No.” I shrug. “I mean, I have no clue. It was an example.”
She gives me a long-suffering look. “Why did I agree to help you again?”
“Because Ophelia betrayed your trust?”
“Right. I need to remember that. Well, she kisses them. Touches them. Maybe she uses the items she took from them to complement that.”
“Maybe.” I hate how jealousy burns like acid in my chest at the thought of her kissing and touching them. “What else is there? Anything that’s actually useful? Any mention of her plans?”
“You mean apart from the Golden Moon ritual? Let’s see. ‘The conduits must be pure of heart.’ Wait, no. ‘Light of heart.’ What does it mean?”
“The opposite of heavy of heart?” I hazard. “Unburdened by… I don’t know, grief, or worry, or guilt.”
“Let off the weight of guilt? Does it make sense to you? I thought you said they’re innocent.”
“I do think that,” I say. “But guilt isn’t always deserved.”
“You speak in worse riddles than these symbols,” she grumbles. “Okay, last lines. ‘The relative blood—no, the blood from a family member will augment the Queen Witch’s power, added to the vessel during the ritual.’ See this little curlicue here? It turns the word “relative” into a more generic “member of the family”—”
I cut her off. “She will need my blood for the ritual?”
“If she feels she needs more power… I guess so. Well, thank God you’re not really related to her.”
“She told you that, huh? She knows very well that I am.”
Vanessa snorts. “What are you saying? You really are an Apollinari?”
“Looks like our mothers were sisters.”
Vanessa narrows her eyes at me. “For real? Why didn’t you say so? Then your power should be strong, even though you never had training. Maybe your magic only needs some pushing to develop and… Why are you smiling?”
“No reason.”
Except that in the final hour, Ophelia won’t try to keep me away. She’ll bring me right into the ritual because she needs my blood to complete it.
I’ll be right there to kick in her teeth.
The copied page from the diary doesn’t offer up any more secrets after that. But Vanessa wants to see me use my magic in action, so we sit on the floor of my room.
“I’ve never tried it like this,” I admit. “My instinct told me to go out.”
“Touching the elements themselves helps, your instincts led you true. Especially the earth which contains all the elements in various forms. But the energy passes through the bricks and mortar. The only way to lessen the influence of magic is to put a block between yourself and the ground—like wood. Wood is a good block.”
“Like my bed?”
“Yeah, the bed is a good one. It cannot stop strong magic, mind you. But it can lessen its effect. Now try.”
I sit cross-legged on the icy floor, shivering, and press my palms on the tiles. Some fire element would be useful here, I think, to warm this place up. But better try another element, since Vanessa can say she was already here.
Not that I have to prove myself to her or anything.
Only… I sort of have to.
“So I hate to ask this, Van,” I mutter, closing my eyes, “what about your plans to punish the boys? I can’t believe you’d just give up on that because Ophelia betrayed you.”
