Page 68 of On Wings of Blood

It was a warning, but a gentle one.

I nodded. “I understand.” I bit my lip. “But now Florence is accidentally making enemies of the Drakharrows. I warned her she should stay away from me. Maybe you can talk to her...”

“No,” Jia Shen said quietly. “I draw the line there. My daughter will choose her own friends. And if there are consequences for her choices... Well, that’s how we all learn. I won’t tell her who to associate with.” She reached out a hand and touched my hair gently. “So red.”

I flushed.

“It must be hard, standing out like that all the time,” Jia said thoughtfully. “You’re brave to be here.”

“So is your daughter,” I responded.

She smiled. “I could talk about my daughter’s fine qualities all day. But you didn’t come to the library simply to discuss Florence. What can I help you with?”

I had thought carefully about how to phrase my request. Jia Shen seemed very kind, but I didn’t want to horrify her by telling her my secret the first time we met.

Wise decision,Orcades murmured.

Oh, you’re still there, are you?I replied drily. She’d been quiet all day.And here I thought my problem might have taken care of itself.

Very funny. Those children need to be taken in hand. When I behaved in such a way as a girl, my Nurse didn’t hesitate to whip me.

I cringed.They’re not exactly children. And that might be going too far.Or was it?But I agree. They’re out of line.

Little privileged bastards each and every one,Orcades said primly.If I were back in my own body, I’d happily deal with them all for you.

I grimaced. I could only imagine what she’d do if she were back in her high fae form. I’d been told my mother had once been a powerful general in my grandfather’s army.

Florence’s mother was looking at me expectantly.

“Um, I’m doing some research into a rather unusual topic,” I blurted out. If only she knew just how unusual. “I’m hoping you can help me find some relevant information. Anything to do with curses, spells... Or, um, magic to do with souls.”

“With souls?” Jia Shen looked thoughtful. “Soul magic? You must mean blood magic. We have a great many texts on blood magic here, of course.”

“Does blood magic involve using souls...?”

“Necromancy does, of course. Blood magic can at times. And necromancy and blood magic are very interwoven. Although, bloodmancy is a House Drakharrow specialty, just as necromancy is often considered the purview of House Mortis.” Jia looked at me expectantly. “You might consider consulting Blake Drakharrow on this topic...”

“No,” I said firmly. “Absolutely not.” I shook my head. “Sorry, Librarian Shen. I don’t mean to be rude.”

She seemed amused. “Oh, you’re not being rude. And you may call me Jia. No, I understand. I suppose I just hoped that Mr. Drakharrow was kinder to you than to the average... Well, it doesn’t matter.” She looked at a nearby row. “I can find some materials for you. Enough to get you started. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, the library is sure to have more. You can always come back and find me another day.”

“Wonderful,” I said, feeling relieved. “Thank you so much for your help, Jia.”

“Of course,” she said, pausing as she began to pull the trolley towards the stack. “Though it would help if you gave me a little more detail on what you’re looking for exactly. You mentioned curses. Has someone you know been cursed?”

“Well,” I hedged. “Not cursed exactly.”

Decidedly not,Orcades harrumphed. Iam not a curse. My presence is a gift.

An unwanted gift,I said, through clenched teeth.I’d have preferred a more typical mother-daughter chat.

No one asked us what we wanted, my mother replied placidly.That’s life. I would have preferred not to die giving birth to you.

I pressed my lips together.Fair point.

I knew it was a mother’s prerogative to mention the pain she’d endured bringing a child into the world. And considering my mother had lost her life doing so, I decided she could complain all she wanted about the experience.

“Does necromancy involve harnessing the soul of someone who has died?” I asked Jia carefully.

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