Page 16 of Mending Mayhem

“You don’t have to help.” Ember dropped into the chair and crossed her ankles on top of the desk. “But there’s no other way to do it. I refuse to sacrifice a living being.”

“What is the punishment if your Higher Power catches you?”

She shrugged. “A few years in prison at best. At worst, we could be killed…or stripped of our magic and banished to Arkansas.” Her body shuddered.

“You would take that risk to save another witch’s life?”

“And to save yours. As long as you behave yourself, that will be the last time you go to the dark prison. You’re starting to grow on me.” Her breath caught as if she didn’t mean to say the last words aloud. “Like a fungus, I mean.”

She peered at her arm, where my mark glowed a soft red, and ran her finger over the sigil. The sensation felt like warm silk running through my psyche and caressing every inch of my nonexistent body.

“Mmm… I like that.”

She jerked down her sleeve.

“I’m not sensing a phoenix spell in either of these.” Ash returned with two grimoires clutched to her chest. “I’ll double-check to be sure.”

Ember stood, giving her sister access to the desk. “If you don’t sense it, it’s not there.”

“I still need to look. It’s a forbidden spell, so it could be cloaked.” She opened one book and pushed the other toward Ember. “Check this one.”

Ember flipped through the pages, running her fingers over each entry. I felt her psyche open to the energy around her before she focused it into the grimoire. Her magic called to me, my demonic form begging me to take it as my own.

But the man in me didn’t simply want her power. I wanted everything. Her body, her heart, her soul. My raging fury cooled to a slow simmer, but I had to be certain of her intentions before I extinguished it completely.

“I believe I can remain inside you for two weeks without burning through your form. If you focus on finding the amulet, you can summon Discord and we can lift the curse without risking your life and your magic.”

She sighed. “Not a chance, Your Royal Pissiness. I did this to you. I’m going to make it right.”

Hope sprung alive inside me once more as she perused the pages, ready to risk everything to save me from the dark prison. Perhaps her words were true. Maybe my skull’s destruction really was an accident.

“I don’t sense any cloaking magic in this one. Trade?” She closed the book and turned it toward her sister.

“Nothing in here either but check again.” Ash handed her the grimoire. “Better safe than sorry.”

“What about you? Do you feel anything that could be masking or cloaking a sinister spell?” Ember turned the page.

“I’ll give it a shot,” Shade said.

“Mayhem?” Ember turned another page. “Do you feel anything through me?”

I focused on the coarseness of the parchment beneath her fingertips, searching for energy in the ink. “I do not.”

She stepped away from the book, and Shade flipped through the pages. “I highly doubt we’ll find one on the witchy web.”

“It’s worth a shot.” Ash typed on the keyboard. “I’ll use a double-encrypted browser to search.”

Her fingers flew across the keys as she chewed her bottom lip. A few minutes later, she slumped in her seat. “Nothing. No one would advertise it if they had one.”

“I’d bet my left boob someone in Boston does. We can’t risk breaking into their library again, but do you think you could sense the spell if we walked the streets? Maybe we could borrow one from a dark witch.”

“You’re overestimating your sister’s ability. Take me to their High Priest and allow me to burn through him. It will solve two of our problems.”

“Zip it, dude.” She tapped her temple.

Ash inhaled deeply, a look of uncertainty furrowing her brow before she wiped it away and nodded. “If there’s a phoenix spell in Boston, I’ll find it.”

“Fabulous. Another side quest.” Ember rubbed her forehead. “I hope we can at least battle a beastie along the way.”

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