Dad wrapped his arm around her shoulder comfortingly.
“Thank you,” Mom sniffled. “Amethyst is lovely too.”
Mrs. Rhines nodded. “Thank you.”
For the first time, I noticed that she smelled cold—like menthol. I’d never experienced that with another ghost. Or maybe I just hadn’t noticed it.
Mr. Rhines floated over. “We’re here at the request of our daughter, although we cannot stay for too long. We haven’t been ghosts long enough to tolerate this plane for extended periods. But Amethyst tells us you need something done and she’ll require our help. However, I must ask, are you ready to bind yourself again?”
His ghostly white gaze pierced me, and although I’d been waiting for this moment for days, I hesitated.
“Yes,” I said after a moment of silence. “Have you found someone who Eva and I can trust?”
Louise had done a fine enough job back in the 17th century, although I couldn’t say that I had liked having her in my head. She’d been too lazy for me to totally trust her.
Mr. Rhines nodded. “We conducted a thorough search and asked for many opinions. The witches we found will suit your needs. You might even recognize their names.”
My gaze shot to Amethyst, and her lips quirked up.
Recognize their names? Are they famous?
“Who are they?” I asked, electricity dancing across my skin.
“If you can believe it, they were both in our year,” Amethyst interjected, her tone wobbly, as if she were nervous. “Their mind powers aren’t as strong as some witches who lived full lives and practiced, but my parentsassuredme they were keen for the job.”
“They’re also naturally talented, and have an excellent reason to want to be in your head,” Mrs. Rhines said. “Both will work harder than those other ghosts you bonded with. That matters quite a lot.”
I cut a glance back to my parents. They looked intrigued, but from how Mom was biting her lip, I knew worry was simmering in her gut, just like in mine.
My eyebrows arched, and I turned back to the ghosts. “Go on . . .”
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
“No way,” Hunter said, sounding like a high surfer dude.
“Efraim and Tabitha?” I gaped. “But . . . even if they had a natural proclivity toward mind magic, theremustbe better choices.”
I was so confused. La Voisin had made sure to choose mind witches who were renowned. The spirit worker who had planted them in our heads had even mentioned that both mind witches had been powerful. So why would Amethyst’s parents think it would be okay to choose such young witches?
“And by ‘better,’ I mean more experienced,” I clarified, because no one had answered me yet.
Amethyst glanced at the ghosts of her parents. “Mom? Dad?”
Mrs. Rhines glided forward. “It’s an unconventional choice, I admit. But part of the reason we were gone so long is that we were researching. The ghost plane has a wealth of knowledge. Many powerful witches of the past agreed that a mind witch’s power is less important than their connection to the cause. Louise, who we met and were not impressed with, by the way, only wanted to live again. So she was not a good choice. And Claude, while a better option, missed his wife too much to separate across realms, straining his connection with Eva to breaking when you entered Faerie. You need ghosts who will stick it out.”
Mr. Rhines approached me. “You have to admit that, as Efraim and Tabitha have living family and friends, they have a lot to lose.”
Amethyst nodded. “Yeah, plus, revenge. I’m certain they want revenge.”
“But . . . are you sure? Wouldn’t it be better to have someone with a little mind witch training? I mean, did theyevertrain in it?”
Amethyst’s mother clapped her hands. “We forgot to mention that both of their parents had been training them up a bit before they came to Spellcasters. Parents often do that, you know. To give their child a leg up.” She glanced to the side of the room.
Headmistress Wake and Diana had entered the room without my notice. Diana looked unsurprised by the information about Tabitha, but was throwing her mother nervous glances. No doubt she had known about her best friend’s illegal practices and hadn’t told her mother.
“Not too much, mind you.” Mrs. Rhines added. “Seeing as witch law forbids mind magic until a witch reaches the age of twenty. They only taught them little bits here and there, enough to get the juices moving.”
Headmistress Wake shrugged. “There’s nothing to do about it now. They’re no longer with us. And if their abilities will help us win this war, I’m all for it.”
