Page 41 of Dead and Gone

Rowan's brow pinches. "How would these gems work? The mole doesn't contain magic."

"I don't need the mole. If I place them into the Redridge pocket watch, then?—"

"You stole that too?" I interrupt. "Good grief. How?"

Alistair runs a hand through his hair and stares at the floor. "The cabinet with the watch inside was unlocked."

That'sthe connection. The indents on the image of the watch Rowan showed us must fit the tiny gems. I admit I'm impressed by Arthur Redridge's ingenuity hiding his family magic, but this still doesn't answer my more significant question. Who took and hid the eyes recently, and why?

I tip my chin. "Corrie does not possess the real eyes. I do."

Alistair's eyes bug. "You?"

"Not on my person so if you're considering attacking me to retrieve them, you'll only find broken fingers. Yours."

"How do you have the eyes?" Alistair asks. "Did Corrie and her lowlife friends sell them toyou?"

"We found them… somewhere. Corrie never had the Redridge gems because another person took and hid the mole's eyes before the museum theft," says Rowan. "Likely a witch who could actuallyusethem."

Yes, butwho? I need to get to the curator asap. Alistair is a good source of information, but we are wasting our time.

"This is all very enlightening, but we've places to be." I step back, my voice calm. "My father must be informed. I will give him the rubies, and you must bring me the pocket watch and spell book."

"They're mine!" he snaps, breaking away from Grayson, his hands balling into fists. "The gems belong to my family."

"Correction: theybelongedto your family," I reply, voice cold. "You're entirely incapable of using them safely. Do you even realize what would happen if you tried casting that spell? You might kill yourself or people around you."

Alistair opens his mouth, but no words come out. For a moment, his confidence falters, his gaze darting between me and Rowan. Grayson seizes his arm again, forcing him forward to meet my eyes.

"That type of spell amplifies the caster's mind," I continue. "If by any miracle you performed the spell successfully, your thoughts, desires—everything you are—would flood into anyone nearby. Imagine it for a second, Alistair. All your petty insecurities, your anger, your fear, unleashed and tangled in other people's minds. The spell did not help Arthur Redridge and would not assist you."

His lip trembles, and his defiance wavers. "I need them," he whispers, his voice cracking. "I need them to?—"

"Feel powerful? That type of spell always backfires. That's likely how Arthur accidentally revealed himself."

Alistair swallows hard and extends a hand to me. "Please. I'll be careful with them."

This person is unrelenting and obsessed, a state which is unlikely to change soon. I donothave the time to deal with this deluded human—we need to quieten Alistair and get out of Corrie's house.

"Very well."

"Violet," whispers Rowan in shock.

Stepping forward, I drop the beads back into Alistair's palm and then reach out to his disturbed mind. "You're holding the Redridge gems now," I say, my voice soft but firm, as I weave my magic into his thoughts. "You'll use them in your rituals and spells, and they'll bring you success."

He looks down at the glass in his hand, then at me, smiling broadly. "Yes. The Redridge gems belong to me. Thank you."

"But you won't say a word to anybody that the gems are in your possession. In fact, you can't remember where they came from. Perhaps you found them with your grandfather's spell books?"

His confused expression grows as my words pull tight around his consciousness. "I wouldn't want anybody else to get a hold of my gems."

"But you will bring Violet Blackwood the spell book and pocket watch."

He looks around and whispers conspiratorially, "That's okay because I can take photos of the spells. She won't know."

I sigh. "Give me the house keys. Now."

Alistair created a placebo effect on himself once before—the incantation and runes 'improved' his school grades. In truth, Alistair's belief in the spell likely caused him to work harder and achieve higher grades. Will the Redridge gems give Alistair the confidence to assert himself? Lead him to believe that people change their attitude to him due to magic?

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