like bringing your own carving knife to the Bates Motel.”
 
 “Nonsense. You won’t carry it around in a belt sheath.” She set down the
 
 knife and snapped her fingers. With a spark of magic and a twist of mist, an
 
 object appeared in her hand.
 
 “Your car keys?” I asked.
 
 “I store them in the ether. Along with my favorite wand, the Demonic
 
 Tutelary Texts of Degobraxis the Infernal, a purse, and a few other important
 
 or handy items.”
 
 My jaw dropped for a number of reasons.
 
 Seeing as I didn’t immediately protest, my aunt clapped her hands.
 
 “Casey, get my ethereal inscription kit.”
 
 “Uh…ethereal?” I stammered.
 
 “The ether is a place between places. What’s important is—” She
 
 snapped her fingers, and her keys disappeared. “It will be very hard for
 
 Kahanov to find the knife, and if, for some reason, he ever gets his hands on
 
 it, you’ll be able to dismiss it at will. It’s not foolproof, but I’m guessing he’ll
 
 never suspect you have it.”
 
 Casey returned with a red leather satchel and handed it to Laurel. She
 
 opened it and pulled out a tiny vial of ink and a brush. “Give me your hand.”
 
 I did as she ordered, and she began painting little magical symbols on my
 
 palm. Her nutmeg signature rose into the air, and electricity flowed through
 
 my skin until my hand was vibrating with power.
 
 I sat perfectly still, almost breathless, afraid that if I wiggled, she might
 
 mess up a symbol and blow off my fingers or something. Finally, she sat
 
 back. “Okay, the next step is to memorize the knife in every detail. You’ll
 
 need those details to call it back to you. Tell me when you’re certain you can
 
 imagine it exactly.”
 
 I traced my eyes over every inch of the Soul Knife. The bronze dagger
 
 was so patinaed that it was nearly pure green. The lancelet blade had a raised
 
 ridge down the center and was inscribed with fine runes, though none of the