Page 331 of Castings & Curses

“Oh, that’s Boris,” Sam told her. “He’s been around for a while. He works for the Rebels and, for what it’s worth, he never wanted the assignment they just gave him. He used to be human but he disobeyed an order and they turned him into a lizard. He still likes girls though…”

Turning to Boris, Sam asked, “You weren’t inappropriate with my sister, were you?”

As Boris shook his head, Moni piped up, “Well, he had a date last night and I don’t think it went well because he murdered her!”

Sam looked aghast. “Bad, Boris!” he said to the creature, as the creature managed to look contrite and hung its head.

“Sam, you have a lot of explaining to do,” Moni told Sam in a serious tone, “We thought you weredead. Wemourned you! Especially me, although I always felt you might be somewhere far away. And you are! Why didn’t you try to escape?”

“I actually tried—what was the count, Boris? One hundred and eleven times,” Sam replied. “Fortunately, my captors are patient. And because I had abilities they could capitalize on, I’ve pretty much been given the royal treatment. I’ve been treated like a Prince here. The only thing missing has beenyou, Antimony!”

Moni let his declaration sink in for a few moments. In all her wildest imaginings, she never thought Sam would have been treated well by his captors, but what he was saying made sense. Why would they harm him and damage the very potent magical energy they wanted to harvest from him?

As if to answer her next question before she asked it, Sam continued, “And now that we are together, everything I have been able to do on my own, all the Spells and Conjures, will have exponentially more power when combined withyourenergy, because we are twins!”

Seeing her look of puzzlement, he continued, “We have a special Energy of Intention, Moni. Whatever we agree onhasto happen, and nothing can prevent it! It’s like we are living batteries, chock full of magical energy. Having you close to me can double it. Here, Moni, give me your hand and I’ll show you!”

Feeling slight trepidation, Moni took Sam’s hand. It felt smooth and cool in hers, and she remembered that he’d always had cooler hands. Of the two of them, she was the hothead, the one with sweaty palms.

“Cold hands and a warm heart,” he’d always joked, teasing her that maybe it meantshehad acoldheart. But that was then, this was now.

A soon as their hands joined, she felt the current that they were spontaneously creating. While she watched, Sam pointed over to an ornately carved desk that Moni surmised must belong to him.

“Think about elevating the desk now,” he told her in a hushed voice.

As she concentrated, she saw that the desk rose immediately from its position on the flagstone flooring, rising upward rapidly until Sam called out

“Whoa, that’s enough!” at which point it floated down as easily as it had risen.

Moni was impressed. Even though she was one of the best at telekinesis in her classes, transporting material objects had never gone that smoothly and effortlessly, especially objects as heavy as that desk had been.

“The Rebel Elders will be so very pleased,” Sam said, sighing happily.

Moni was still grappling with her thoughts and emotions. It had never occurred to her that Sam might not want to return with her to school. She rather suspected that he had Stockholm Syndrome. That he had been entrenched in Bavaria with his captors for so very long that he now felt completely at home.

Sam was pointing at a huge portrait hanging on the opposite wall over a massive fireplace, featuring a dark robed, distinguished looking male figure in formal robes with silver hair and a goatee.

“Thatis one of our relatives, Moni. Our Great Uncle Sebastian Crocket. I believe that’s why I was named Sebastian .It’s a family name. I think he favors us a bit! It’s no wonder I feel at home here .It is a place where we are surrounded by the vibes of our relatives, egging us on to be the best Magicals that we are able to be!” Sam smiled at her, a beatific smile and then turned to stare dreamily at the portrait of their great, great, great relative that provided a dignified and imposing presence to the room.

But all Moni could think was, “FUCK!”

* * *

Moni decidedthat she wasn’t giving up on her mission, and she wasn’t giving in to whatever delusional spell that her twin seemed to be under. She decided that he was as good as brainwashed, probably needed to get back to America, to Pitchfork Prep Academy, and after he spent a drunken boys night out with Broody and Luca and got laid by some trampy little witch who knew her way around a male body, he might be right as rain. Or at least decide he would rather not be confined and used as an energy battery for the Rebels any more.

“Can we talk privately?” she asked him.

“Moni, anything you have to say, I’m sure you can say, it isn’t like we’re being censored,” Sam told her. “Anyway, didn’t you notice that the walls have ears?”

“What are you—” Moni started to ask, scanning the pale granite slab walls surrounding them, plain with the exception of a formal portrait hung strategically along its expanse. But as she looked upward, she noticed a whirling liquid looking thing on the ceiling and recognized that the Rebel Clave was using hydromancy to listen in on their conversations.

“We can, however, talk outside, if you would like,” Sam told her, noticing her look of alarm. He slipped his hand into hers and walked with her to one of the blind corners of the space that turned out to be an opening onto a small outside terrace.

“Isn’t it a beautiful town?” Sam asked, throwing one arm out in an expansive gesture.

Moni stared down at the many buildings, large and small, the green rolling hills and distant mountains and waterfalls, and had to admit that the town was quite scenic.

“It is lovely,” she told him, meaning it. “But I don’t want to live here forever, Sam, and neither would you if you could spend just a little while back in America with me… All of my friends are ready to welcome you with open arms. Broody and Shady are brother and sister, and Luca, well, Luca is-is—”

---