Page 100 of Magic's Rise

“Thank you.” Mel had emailed me the spell for the Hartford Cove barrier, and I’d given him a list of ingredients to gather so we can start working on that today. “We’ll need a stove and good ventilation. Prepare for your house to stink.”

“It’s a lovely day to take the pack for a run,” Griffen says. “It will help dispel some of the tension that’s gathered since the welcome party.”

“And tired wolves get up to less mischief,” Levi adds with a glance at me and Tris.

I ignore the pointed comment and turn to Aspen. “Are you absolutely sure you can’t zap the barrier into existence? I’d rather not cover myself with smelly paste and dance naked in the center of town.”

He stares at me for a long moment as his brain struggles to process. “Yes, I’m sure.”

“Don’t worry, no one will be watching you.” Haut glances at Griffen, who nods.

“I’ll enforce an early curfew for it,” the Alpha promises.

“Great,” I mutter, still not thrilled about the whole nudity aspect of the spell.

Tris rises from the table, his breakfast only half finished. “How about you show me to the kitchen so I can get started? I hope Rowe had you pick up a large stockpot, too.”

“It wasn’t on the list, but I got one, just in case.” Ezra joins him and directs Tris through a swinging door that leads out of the dining room.

Haut stands to follow. “I should supervise to make sure he doesn’t add the ingredients in the wrong order.”

Nodding, I chug the last of my choco-coffee and nab my toast. “Come on, teach. If you’re not eating your waffle, we need to get started, too.”

Aspen rouses himself again and gets to his feet. “Thank you for the meal.”

Levi glances down at his untouched food. “I’ll come by around lunch with sandwiches. Maybe you’ll be a little more awake by then.”

“We’d appreciate that.” With a nod to Griffen, I grab my backpack and steer Aspen out of the cabin.

He leans against my side, limping across the clearing to the meeting house that Levi had given us to use.

Depositing Aspen at the table in the front room, I set my bag down and open it to rummage inside.

I pull out the soiled napkin I had picked up on the night of the poisoning and pass it to Aspen. “Do you think this is a large enough sample to identify the substance?”

His eyebrows shoot up as he takes it. “This is…?”

I nod. “Yeah.”

He glances up at me. “Why didn’t you mention this sooner?”

“Because we haven’t been alone until now.” I peer toward the closed door. “I didn’t want to risk being overheard again.”

“Fair point.” He slips the napkin into his pocket. “I’ll look into it.”

I turn to the grimoires on the table, which are fewer than before. After I copied over Aris’s unlocking spells to my personal grimoire, I’d given the rest of the Rothaven books back to her. There was no reason to hoard them here. She’s dealt with enough of that in her life already.

Likewise, Kaela and Mina’s spell books were returned, so only the blood-thirsty grimoire and the collection of barrier spells Aspen has been studying remain.

I pull the locked spell book over. “How do you want to do this?”

“Divide and conquer. I’ll focus on researching the barrier while you work on opening the Rothaven grimoire.” He rubs his bloodshot eyes. “Unless you need help?”

He’s not in any condition to be helping me right now. He looks ready to keel over at any moment. “How about I try it on my own, and if I don’t have any success, I can ask for some pointers?”

Aspen smiles weakly. “Sounds like a plan.”

“There’s a comfy chair in one of the back rooms.” I gesture down the hall.

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