“What?” Jewel frowned. “What doyoumean?”
“You know what he has planned. As bad as you hate it, you must give in to his demands for the moment. But trust that his plans will be thwarted ifyoucan staystrong.”
The young gypsy’s eyes widened as she realized the implications of her mother’s statement. Of course, she thought, once her brain recovered from the shock of seeing her mother as a prisoner. Volcan was going to use her mom as leverage. The bastard was going to torture her mom in order to ‘motivate,’ as he’d put it, the healer to do what he wanted. He didn’t get it. She’d been trying. Her failure wasn’t because of any lack of effort. She just didn’t know how to make it work. Her mom was going to suffer. But no amount of suffering would give Jewel the knowledge she needed. The girl wanted to scream in frustration. She wanted to stomp her foot like a three-year-old and throw things against the wall, but neither of those actions would likely help her in thatmoment.
“How did he find you? Didn’t you know he wascoming?”
Her mom nodded. “I knew, but I also knew the outcome if I didn’t go with him. It was an outcome that I couldn’t allow. So I chose the lesser of the two evils. That’s what a parent does, my precious Jewel. We sacrifice, even though it’s going to hurt. In the long run, it will cause you less suffering, but you will suffer for a time. You can’t see the whole puzzle, and though you may be angry with me at first, in time you will see what I am choosing is forthebest.”
Jewel shook her head. “I don’t like what you’re saying, Mom. What sacrifice? What are you goingtodo?”
The look on her face was full of the love that only a parent could give. “I’m going to do what’s best for you. That’s my job, to always do what’s best for you. No exception, without fail, if it’s in my power. You have and will always come first. Neverforgetthat.”
“A reunion, how sweet,” Volcan said as he appeared besidethecage.
“YOU!” Jewel screamed. She saw Anna jump in surprise. She had surprised herself. Jewel hadn’t known herself capable of such hatred. “YOU FILTHY, ABOMINABLE, ODIOUS, REPUGNANT, MALEVOLENT, DAMNABLE, PIECE OFTRASH.”
“You’ve quite the vocabulary,” Volcan said, seemingly unaffected by her outburst, which only angered her more. “If you put as much effort into your task as you do your tirade of words, you might actually make some progress. But since that has not been the case, then there areconsequences.”
“Bringing my mother into this is not going to accomplish what you hope,” she said through gritted teeth. Her breathing had quickened from her angry outburst, and she couldn’t get her emotions undercontrol.
“I think bringing your mother into this is going to be exactly whatyouneed.”
Jewel wished she had some sort of weapon, a bat maybe, so she could just pummel the twisted man before her. He shouldn’t be allowed to draw breath. Someone like him should not be permitted to take up space on the overcrowded earth, no matter what realm heoccupied.
Volcan threw his hand out, and the door to her mother’s cage opened. “Step out, Gem,”hesaid.
Jewel hated her mother’s name on the fae’s lips, as if he had a right to address her. Her mom was the complete opposite of the vile fae. She was kind and good. She was selfless and humble, and she didn’t deserve whatever was about tohappen.
“Please don’t do this,” Jewel pleaded. Begging was not beneath her, not when it came tohermom.
“Me?” Volcan pointed to himself. “Oh no, my dear. I am not going to do this. You”—his finger turned and pointed at her—“are going to do this. Had you done what I commanded, then you would not be in this position. This is all on you,Jewel.”
She was confused. What did he mean? Jewel didn’t have towonderlong.
“Apparently Anna wasn’t enough practice for you, so your mom will be the next witch added to my army. You will turn her, or you will watch her die a most painful and hideous death. Your choice. Do not fail me this time, JewelStone.”
Jewel heard Anna gaspbehindher.
The breath was sucked from her lungs as she realized what she had to do. Could she really turn her mother into a witch, an evil being meant to follow all of Volcan’s commands? Even if she could, the only reason she and Anna hadn’t been consumed by his dark power was because of their countervailing gypsy-healer magic. Her mom wasn’t a healer. She wouldn’t have the same defense against Volcan’s evil. She felt tears filling her eyes and had to blink to see her mom clearly. She was standing a few feet from the hideous cage that had been her prison, its door resting open. How long had her mother been there, shewondered.
“You can do this, Jewel,” her mom saidgently.
Jewel was already shaking her head. She didn’t want to do this. She didn’t want the evil to touch her mom. “No,” she said, though it came out in a hoarse whisper as she fought the urge to fall to the floor and weep. How had things continually gone from bad to worse to downright unimaginable? Why was this happening? Why did it have tobeher?
“I will not wait all day, Jewel,” Volcan told her, sounding bored, as if he was merely asking her to pass him a section of thenewspaper.
Jewel didn’t know how she got her feet to move, and she didn’t hear Anna moving behind her, but suddenly the other healer was standing beside her, in front of Gem. Jewel’s eyes met Anna’s, and Jewel felt the compassion coming from them. They seemed to say, ”I’m with you. I won’t leave. You don’t have to endure this alone.” For that, Jewel would be eternallygrateful.
Her mom reached out and took her hand and then took Anna’s with the other. Anna wrapped her other hand around Jewel’s free hand, and the circlewasmade.
In her mind, Jewel was chanting over and over,I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to do this. Please make this stop.The words were a tidal wave rising up from her soul and crashing into her mind. She locked her knees to keep from falling to them. Her mother’s gaze never leftJewel’sface.
“It’s going to be okay,” she told herdaughter.
It was a lie. Nothing would ever be okay again, not after this. It was impossible to stop the tears once she started speaking the words for the spell. Anna joined her, and she began to feel the dark magic rise to the surface. She felt their hands heat as the magic began to flow intohermom.
But then something happened, something that hadn’t happened when they’d attempted the spell on the others. Her mother’s voice and memories filledJewel’smind.
