Page 96 of The Demon's Delight
“What happens when it gets to completely opposite where it started? How and why is that happening in the first place?”
“Good questions, but I’m afraid I don’t have any answers for you.”
“What about my hair. Any idea why it’s turning white?”
Her head tilted to the side. “When did it start?”
“A few days into our journey.”
She shrugged. “Perhaps a side effect of your mating bond waking up. Access to more or new powers can cause changes like that.” Her eyes went squinty. “Was there anything else left for you like the horse?” Ophelia asked.
I retrieved the strongbox and brought it into the living room. Imogen gasped when the box opened and the obsidian blade dagger was revealed.
“May I?”
“Sure.” I handed it to her. “It’s not mine, I took it from the place I’d been held captive when we escaped.”
“Oh, I disagree.” Imogen smiled widely. “It’s definitely yours.” She handed it back to me and I accepted it by the handle. The weight felt off though, the grip too large.
I shook my head. “It’s not comfortable.”
“We can work on that. If you don’t mind parting with it for a bit, I can take both this and your knife back to the forge with me.”
“I have no attachment to it.” I set the dagger in the box and moved around some of the papers, pulling out the sheet that Seir had taken from Sal. Under the paper was the little obsidian chip ring I’d told him I liked. Sneaky demon. My heart squeezed, and I allowed myself a little private smile as I looked at it.
“Seir said someone can help me with this? It’s the letter my mother left with my aunt.” That title for Sal tasted bad now. I resolved to finding something else to call her in very short order.
Ophelia leaned in for a better look. “Yes, our lovely Greta is part fae and understands the language very well.”
“She can go to d’Arcan, right? Since the necklace works?” Lovette asked.
“Yes. And I think she should, after we try a few things.” The smile on her face made me nervous for the first time since we’d met. “Would you mind sitting here in front of me, Hailon? On the floor. Take the necklace all the way off first, if you please. I’d like to use my hands on you, if you don’t mind.”
I did as she asked, both stone kin sisters leaning in with curiosity as the older woman gently put her fingertips against my scalp. There was no sensation from her touch other than warmth. She tapped and pressed, frowning in concentration as she stared into my eyes.
“Put the necklace in your hand.” I obeyed, clasping it tightly. “Can you send out your healing magic with the stone against your skin?”
I closed my eyes and tried what she suggested. My magic was right there waiting when I went to draw on it, full and vibrant. I pictured it like a glass of water, and this time, it was so full it was mounded over the rim but somehow not spilling. I’d never felt it as clearly or as fully before.
“Do you need any healing, Ophelia?” I asked, the hum beginning to irritate, like there were bugs wriggling under my skin.
She chuckled, the sound raspy and dry. “Of course I do, my dear. Comes with the territory for my age.”
“It feels like I need to purge some of my magic. I’ve never felt it so full. Do you want me to use it?”
“Not yet. Drop the necklace.”
I did, and the relief was immediate. My magic felt normal, no more overwhelm. The hum was gone, and I felt like I could take a deep breath. “Feels like it usually does.”
“How odd.” She frowned and picked up the stone herself, examining it again. “It’s an amplifier, but it needs to be tempered. Perhaps it was calibrated for whatever null came before you. Imogen, the dagger please?” Ophelia put the obsidian dagger in one of my hands and the necklace in the other. “Try now.”
Heart pounding, I closed my eyes and reached out again but immediately pulled back. It was as though I’d been burned, my power a pan on a hot stove I’d grabbed the bare handle of. I dropped both items, unable to speak and panting.
“Sorry, sorry.” Ophelia put her fingertips back on my head and soothed the sting away. “Not together then, noted.” She thought again. “If you don’t try to access your healing ability with the dagger, what happens?”
Lovette hopped up again, and I held the dagger loosely in my hand.
“I can’t find my magic at all,” Lovette frowned. I set it down again, and she shifted with ease.
