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She holds out her palm face up, and Aediva hesitantly extends her left hand.
Lia casts me a panicked look, but I nod in encouragement. The hag won’t hurt the kid. If anything, she can help.
The hag gently cradles Aediva’s hand and traces her fingertip over the back. Slowly, a black stain rises to the surface of Aediva’s skin.
I recognize the symbol as a match for those burned into the bones of the sacrifices that came before her. Anger simmers through me for what Berdherst had planned for the poor child.
“This is a nasty spell.” The hag strokes Aediva’s hand again, and the symbol vanishes. “But it can’t reach you here.”
“How do you know?” Aediva’s bottom lip trembles. “Bad men keep finding us.”
The hag leans closer, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “Because such things are made for mortal worlds, and we’re not there anymore.”
Aediva looks around the decked-out room. “Then where are we?”
“Anywhere you want to be.” The hag waves a hand toward the ceiling, and the white paint darkens into a night sky filled with thousands of stars and galaxies. “We could even visit the Purple Glowy Planet of Awesomeness, if we wanted to.”
“They really can’t find us here?” Uncertainty fills Lia’s voice.
I don’t blame her for doubting. We had already failed to keep her and the children safe twice.
But the hag nods with confidence. “It’s safe to drop your shields, dear. No harm can find Aediva here. And her magic will remain under control while inside the Library.”
Hope brightens Aediva’s big, blue eyes. “I won’t hurt people?”
“On my honor, you are safe, even from yourself.” The hag holds up three fingers and crosses her heart. “Now, go join your friends.”
Aediva looks up at Lia, who nods, before slipping away to join the others.
Lia’s worried gaze follows her. “I’m not sure all that candy is good for getting them settled for the night.”
I have a little concern of my own when Alaska offers Orianna a big blue gumball.
“No fear,” the hag whispers. “It may look and taste like sugar, but it’s actually vegetables.”
Lia shakes her head, looking overwhelmed by all the wonders of the Library.
“Can you remove the mark from Aediva?” I ask.
The hag’s face creases with regret. “Unfortunately, that’s not in my wheelhouse. That’s for you witchblood to figure out. But so long as she’s here, the spell will register her as dead, so it will be a moot point soon enough.”
My heart trips a beat. “What do you mean?”
“Much is happening right now.” She beckons for us to follow her to a table of computers.
The monitors turn on at our approach, and in one, I watch Pen and Marc being walked through a metal detector in handcuffs. The one beside it reveals Mayn packing up her desk, while another shows Sharpe sitting in a jail cell.
Darius stiffens. “We must return to them.”
“Cool your panties. You’ll be back with your sweethearts soon enough.” The hag makes a winding motion with her finger, and Mayor Berdherst appears on the screen. “There’s the scum bag.”
The monitor shows a silent, black-and-white video of the mayor yelling into his cell phone.
“What’s he saying?” Lia leans closer. “Why isn’t there sound?”
“Only I get to know everything.” The hag smacks her lips. “But he’s throwing a tantrum at all the money he’s losing right now as his favorite stocks crash.”
She reaches out to pat my arm. “Good job cutting off the influx of power. I knew you could figure it out.”
