Page 28 of A Drink of Destiny
“Actually, he just sounds traumatized. I hope they have therapy wherever he’s at,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “I can definitely make you something like that. I’ll have to wait until the full moon, though. Annila’s amulet was easier. It was literally to keep Sharon Claudis from taking her. Yours will be a bit more… complex. Plus, you’ll have to go on a donor’s diet because we’ll need some of your blood to make it.”
“Oh… This might be too much to ask. If it is, just let me know. I won’t be offended. I really won’t. I know how protective everyone is over their magic but I was hoping you could teach me. I’ve made amulets before for lots of things… But this seems complicated.”
“It is a bit more complicated,” I nodded and crossed my legs. “I have to warn you, it’s been centuries since I’ve taught magic. You’ll probably have to ask lots of questions because a lot of what I do is just who I am.”
“Are you better at some amulets because you can influence people’s minds?” Mori asked and I winced.
“Probably,” I nodded. “I mean, I’ve never tested it, but it probably doesn’t hurt.”
“Would that work on people like Sharon?” Mori asked.
“Maybe. Some people are more susceptible to it than others,” I shrugged. “Some people – usually other magic users- fight back,” I said.
“Makes sense.”
“Mori, I think you can totally make something to do what you need. I’ll help you but the best advice I can give you as someone who’s done this for centuries is that you have to learn how to do things your way and that’s usually a lot of improvisation. When you read about the wars and old magic they make it sound like people knew what the hell they were doing but I assure you, most of them didn’t. We wouldn’t have spells at all if someone at some point in the past didn’t experiment.”
“What do I need to do?” Mori asked.
“Find something nice to make it out of since it’s something you’ll wear all the time. If it’s something that’s already sentimental, even better. We’ll go from there. Still work on the donor diet though – lots of iron and protein.”
“Did you put your blood in Annila’s amulet?”
“No,” I shook my head. “I could’ve but I had another energy source but that’s not something I’m comfortable discussing,” I said, trying not to relive the memory of Raiel’s warm, sticky cum falling in heavy globs on my ass. Yeah. That didn’t work and I was hard before Mori spoke again. Thankfully my makeshift sheet toga hid a multitude of sins. “I think Dern’s just gotten inside your head. Honestly, I know your parents. I’ve done magic with your carrier. You know your stuff. You just have to work on your poker face for dealing with guys like him.”
“He’s my friend,” Mori sighed.
“Yeah, but he’s dead too and the dead have their own guidelines,” I reminded him.
“I know,” he sighed again. “I really do.”
“Work on grounding and centering more often. Visit home if you can.”
“We’re going home for Yule. Preston’s staying for sure and I… Well, I’m not so sure about what I’m going to do.”
“You’ll figure it out and we’ll have you set up way before then,” I promised him and gave him a one-armed hug. “Hey,” I said remembering Annila’s offer. “Has Annila reached out to you?”
“No, why would she?” Mori blinked.
“Because she wanted your help in hunting down Sharon,” I said, choosing my words wisely.
“You’d think she’d have asked before she left then,” he blinked bemused.
“Huh?”
“OH! You haven’t heard because you’ve been locked away in here. A couple of days after you guys came here, she packed a backpack and left. She left this long note about how she’d never paid anyone to fight her battles before and she wasn’t about to start now. She apologized for inconveniencing you and said she hoped to be back before Baby Antonio’s first birthday. Nic took it really hard but I think he understands why she has to do it.”
I didn’t tell Mori what sort of money and experience he missed out on when Annila changed her mind. It was probably for the best. If Annila kept Sharon Claudis away from Moonscale London it would probably be the best thing for us all.
Coppery blood filled the air. Mori had bit his lip hard enough to make it bleed.
“What’s wrong, Mori?” I asked, trying not to frown.
“I get it now. Dern showed me how she helped Annila. How Sharon got her away from the scene after she killed Topher.It didn’t make sense. She was patient and kind to Annila. She wanted her help or to at least get her out of the way.”
“You think she plans to attack while she’s away?” I asked, almost standing up, but stayed sitting to hear him out.
“No, well, maybe. What I was going to say is that I think she wanted someone to hang out with while she waited. She saw something in Annila that reminded her of herself.”
