Page 25 of Flowerheart

“But the blessing?”

“Right,” he said, “your magic wished him ill, so you must wish good things upon him. Think of a strong, affirmative statement. Something, like, ‘May you...’” He waved his hand at me. “It’s better if you’re the one to come up with the spell. The syntax should be unique to you. That’s why it needs to be spoken in your voice, after all. It wouldn’t work ifmywords were coming out of your mouth.”

I wished Papa all the best in the world. I wished for him the peace he provided to me with encouraging words and consoling hugs. The confidence to know that he would live a long, happy life at my side. The freedom of a life unhindered by this curse. My mother had left him with loneliness and fear and doubt. Now that I was grown, I wanted to give him everything she had taken from him.

“May every beat of your heart be filled with peace, confidence, and freedom,” I murmured.

Xavier’s eyes twinkled. He nodded. “Beautiful. A blessingis so difficult to cast because one must deeply love, or convince themselves that they love, the person they bless. Concentrate on your love for him, and you’ll feel, with unshakable certainty, that the thing you wish will come true. Hold on to all of that peace, confidence, and freedom withinyouas you prepare to give it to him.”

I placed myself in the chair across from him and shut my eyes. In my mind, Papa sat before me. I let my shoulders go slack and took slow, deep breaths. For once, my magic felt like a part of me—not some foreign body, not a creature warring against me. “May every beat of your heart be filled with peace, confidence, and freedom.”

I opened one eye, as I used to do when I played hide-and-seek with Xavier. “Is—is that enough?” I asked. “Could I have lifted his curse just now, without knowing it?”

“No. You must lay your hands on him. And as I’ve said, you must train your magic to be able to carry out your will.”

“How will I know when I’m capable of that?”

“When you say the blessing, if your magic does as you say, you’ll feel it in your hands.” He flexed his gloved fingers. “It feels like your hands are made of stardust. They’ll sort of fizzle and burn. It’s very strange.”

I cocked my head, my eyes narrowing. “You’ve cast a blessing before?”

“Yes. Once.” His voice was soft.

“What sort of blessing was it?”

He huffed through his nostrils. “You’re very inquisitive, Miss Lucas.”

“Impertinent, you mean?”

He shook his head. “You’re like me. You’re curious.” Xavier rose to his full, excessive height, stretching his arms and rubbing his eyes like a child waking from a nap. “Come, I’ll show you some books on blessings. I’ve used them before.”

I trailed behind him up the winding stairwell, which was punctuated every now and again by sunlight filtering through its tiny windows. “Shall I guess who you blessed, then, or shall you tell me?” I asked.

He sighed, stepping onto the second-floor landing and then turning to face me. “I propose a game.”

My brow furrowed. “A game?”

“Yes. If you wish so dearly to know all my secrets, you must first share something about yourself.”

I scoffed. “I must? And I’m to gofirst?”

Xavier rolled his eyes. “All right, then. I blessed Inés before she left for Álbila.”

He made for the library, and I trailed behind him as fast as I could.

“And why did she—?”

Inside the library, he stopped me with a raised hand. “We had a bargain.”

“You already know everything about me. Red hair. Wild magic. Nosy. Can still beat you in a footrace.”

As I ticked things off on my fingers, he fished around in his jacket pocket, removing a gold band.

“Whose was this?” he asked.

My heart sank. A book flung itself off one of the shelves.

Xavier raised an eyebrow. “Now I’m evenmorecurious.”

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