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“Perhaps that’s part of the problem. You should be able to vent if you need to. Trust me, I understand the benefits of simply exploding all your emotions onto someone else before you drown in them.”
I wiped my cheeks of any residual moisture, straightening my spine. “No, I’m fine.”
Glancing over the grimoire, her notebooks and crystals scattered on the coffee table, I refocused on my task. “What can you tell me about the talismans? Everything I’ve scoured seems to contradict using them for personal gain.”
“It depends on the talisman. If the magick within is corrupted, which I’ve only heard of happening with the Bled witches, it becomes violent and reactive, but that doesn’t mean all talismans are like that.” She watched me carefully, as if she wanted to dig more into my vulnerabilities before thinking better of it. A mischievous grin replaced her dour frown. “Not exactly the straightforward response I know you crave.”
“Am I that easy to read?”
“It’s getting easier.” Her bright laughter filled the dank room. “There’s so much I could teach you, Jade. But let’s start with the talismans. What exactly do you want to know?”
I bit my lip before asking, “Is there a way to track the Bled talismans? I came into contact with one in Alexei’s Court and could feel its pull whenever I was close. Are there witches who actively seek them out, despite the danger they possess?”
Genevieve didn’t gape or blink at the mention of my findings, but her nose pinched inquisitively.
“Of course you can. Or at least, spirit witches like my mother can. Alistair hordes the Bled talismans, but every now and then, one will turn up unexpectedly. I like to think the witches knew their fate and made preparations to preserve some of their legacy.” She stood, dusting her hands as she grasped the perfume bottle once more.
As I approached the coffee table, I could feel the licks of magick emanating from the bottle. She twirled it with none of the caution I always showed the powerful objects.
“This isn’t as powerful as a Bled talisman, of course, but we can practice with it all the same. We can cast a spell to identify the magick placed on the liquid inside, but if I had to guess, it’s a simple love potion. The wearer becomes the most desirable creature to ever exist, luring their intended prey closer to their web.”
“Of course,” I managed through my apprehension. “A classic.”
She snorted, flipping through the pages of her mother’s grimoire. “Here we go. My mother and father would go on exhibitions across Europe whenever word of a talisman got out, of Bled origin or not. She would document each object carefully, along with field notes from her travels.”
She pointed to an image of an ancient-looking coin. “This is a silver dollar they recovered from a small Swedish fishing village a decade ago. My mother detailed the strange phenomenon the mortals experienced, and she tracked the coin to a villager who hoarded it aboard his vessel. It ensured only his crew could find the best fishing locations, creating a monopoly of sorts.”
I shook my head in surprise, wondering just how many talismans were scattered across the globe, with mortals none the wiser to the power they meddled in.
Genevieve began transcribing the steps her mother took in tracking down the coin, and with every word, frustration built inside me.
“But I’ve tried using my spirit affinity to search for the similar magick within talismans,” I huffed, “and it doesn’t always work. Only if the power is immense or I’m wearing—”
I cut myself just in time before I revealed the Amulet of Davorina, but Genevieve didn’t seem to notice my slip.
“Let’s try it,” Genevieve retorted, grabbing the perfume bottle once more. “I’m going to hide this in the woods, and you’re going to practice tracking it.”
Before I could respond, she dashed back out of the apartment, throwing over her shoulder, “Give me a five-minute head start and meet me at the edge of the road.”
Alone, I glanced over at Genevieve’s well-lived-in space once more. I collapsed onto her only chair in the kitchen, lost in my thoughts. If I somehow tracked down the staff, it still left me with the conundrum of what to do with it once I found it. I didn’t think I could continue tampering with the curses in good conscience without understanding the magick better, but without Genevieve and her grimoire, I was lost.
Did other covens truly work with dark magick despite the dangers? And if so, why was Grandmother so afraid of using it?
“Jade?”
I jumped from the table and rushed out of the apartment at Genevieve’s call.
She leaned against the ivy trellis surrounding the staircase, her boots now muddied from her adventure through the thick bracket of trees. “Just let your spirit magick out and follow the trail of the curse. With my air magick, I’m not able to feel the etchings of dark magick quite like you can, but after years of practice, I can detect traces. I find it easiest when I open myself completely, like in meditation. No blocks or concerns clouding your mind.”
She walked down to the grass and held open a curtain of wisteria for me to enter the realm of greenery. I followed, hesitantly taking a few steps.
“Your absolute focus should remain on keeping your mind empty,” she urged me forward. “Then, you’ll feel the spirit magick searching for you. My mother always said spirit affinities are vastly different from the others. That she felt connected to her magick beyond any casting other witches and warlocks used.”
Easier said than done.
Meditation had never been my strong suit, but as my breathing slowed, I let my eyes fall shut, desperately seeking that peaceful calm. Of their own volition, my legs started moving, walking deeper into the woods with my eyes still firmly shut.
Like a third eye, my magick seemed to understand when to duck to avoid overgrown bushes or sidestep a fallen tree branch. My earth magick remained at the fore, with only the gentlest wisps of spirit magick trickling from my well of power.
