She lifted her eyebrows as an invitation to ask.
“Why did you curse Fibbersnap Inn?” The question was like a net that had been holding up my fear, and now that I’d asked it, the fear came crashing down. I didn’t want to know, but it was too late.
Jasmine opened her mouth to speak but paused, searching both of our expressions. “It wasn’t me, but honestly, Cassian, I don’t understand why you’re fighting so hard to uncurse it when you don’t even want to be there,” she said.
“If it wasn’t you, then how did you know I moved the rune stone? You couldn’t have learned about that from Willo, because she didn’t even know.”
Jasmine’s mouth fell open. “Wh—I didn’t—you tricked me!”
I clenched my jaw, livid at her audacity to be angry withmefor catching her in a lie. “How could you do that to me? We’re family.” My voice wavered beneath the question.
“How could you take my birthright from me?” Jasmine asked. Her desperation made her appear unkempt, with messy hair falling over her shoulders and around her pale face. “Youknewit was always supposed to go to my mother. It’s not fair that I lost my parentsandthe inn, and it’s not fair that I lost the innbecauseI lost my parents. All to go to you, and you’resoungrateful!”
I shook my head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know you better than anyone, Cassian!” she yelled, gripping the desk behind her like it could stop her from slipping out of sanity. “You thought you were being so generous pretending I was a co-owner, but that meant nothing. It’s supposed to bemine.”
“Don’t you see what you’ve done? I’m sorry the inn didn’t go to you, but now you’ve lost me too.Andmy parents!” I said.
Her eyes widened, spilling tears down her face. “I—I’m sorry, Cassian. Don’t—” She ran to me, and I stepped back. Sterling stepped between us, but she shoved him aside to cling to the front of my shirt, falling to her knees. “I’ll take the curse away. I’ll take it back. I’m sorry. We can work it out.”
Sterling pulled her off me. “That’s enough, Jasmine,” he said, reaching for his shackles.
Jasmine struggled to get out of his grip, but he was stronger. “No! Let me go!” When she spotted the shackles in his hand, she shrieked and let out a blast of magic that sent both Sterling and me across the room.
My back hit the wall hard enough to knock the wind out of me. Sterling crumpled onto a sitting room chair on the other sideof the room. I scrambled up to reach him, still out of breath. “Sterling!” I coughed, struggling to inhale. “Are you okay?” I asked, finally taking a sharp breath in.
Sterling groaned. “Don’t let her get away,” he muttered.
Jasmine hadn’t gone anywhere, watching us with huge, crazy eyes. I’d never seen her like this before.
“Jasmine…” I said, standing slowly and lifting my hands.
“Don’t move!” Jasmine pointed at me as if her finger were a weapon, and then she pointed at Sterling. “If either of you comes any closer, I’ll make Sterling forget about you.”
I didn’t dare move. That was a kind of pain I didn’t want to experience.
“You can’t do that,” Sterling said in a hoarse voice. “You’re not a trained witch.”
I turned to shoot him a pleading look, shaking my head. Her lack of training wouldn’t stop her from trying. Whatever she cast would be worse than the real spell. He could forget a lot more than just me.
“I-I mean—” Sterling stammered.
“Isreme Cassian Fibbersnap!” Jasmine yelled, flicking her finger at him. A white blast of electric magic shot forward.
I jumped in front of him to absorb the blast while holding a single word in my mind. I only had to remember to say it. As the spell hit my body, I began to forget why that word was so important. I was forgetting where I was andwhoI was, but I knew one thing. I knew to say, “Efle!”
The white blast of energy flowed from my palms toward Jasmine, hitting her in the chest. She staggered back, landing on her butt while blinking hard.
I watched in horror as my memory returned, and I fully understood what I had done. I deflected the spell back at her. Jasmine wouldn’t remember me.
Maybe she had cast it wrong. Maybe she wouldn’t forget. But deep down I knew that the way I had forgotten myself meant my cousin was gone.
“Jasmine?” I asked, voice shaking.
Jasmine looked around the room like she could not understand it. Her confused eyes finally found me. For a moment, I thought she remembered me, but then she said, “H-how do you know my name?”
Jasmine had forgotten me.
