Another step, and he stopped, the sharp angle of his chin making it clear that he had no intention of retreating any further. Fine.
I took one of my throwing knives and sliced my forearm, wincing at the sharp pain. Then I raised my hand, pressing it against Beatrice’s ward. She was powerful. But if there was one thing I was good at when it came to magic, it was breaking wards. Likely because there was no true elegance to ward breaking. You simply had to pit your will against the ward-setter and see who came out on top.
Brute force for the win.
If I didn’t have enough power to break it, I’d end up with one hell of a headache, and I’d lose any element of surprise that we had. Beatrice would know we were onto her, and she’d immediately hide any evidence tying her to the witchweed.
I attempted to use my power with my shield up, but it was like brushing a feather against a steel door. After what Selina had told me, I knew I needed to practice, but now sure wasn’t the time. I dropped my shield and the ward glowed in front of me– a translucent magenta which hung around the house and swirled as if alive.
Oh yes, Beatrice was powerful. But I’d broken Samael’s ward just a few days ago. If I could break one of his, I could break this one too.
Beatrice’s ward bit at me, as if unhappy that I was messing with it. I closed my eyes, gritted my teeth, and concentrated, pulling my own magic from where it was stored, far beneath my shield.
It came easier than it ever had, but it still felt like attempting to suck a thick shake through a straw. The effort gave me an instant headache, and I planted my feet, pushing harder.
POP
I fell forward, but Vas was there, reaching out to catch me.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Now that the ward was gone, all that was left was some old-fashioned breaking and entering. I reached into my utility belt, pulling out my kit. Within a few minutes, the door swung open, and Vas was let out a low whistle.
“Remind me not to lock up anything important around you.”
Beatrice’s home had been ransacked. But if that had been the case, the ward wouldn’t have been in place— whoever had broken in certainly wouldn’t have bothered to set the ward behind them.
The power had been shut off, and I breathed through my mouth as the scent of rotting food assaulted my nose.
Her living room was small but homey, but clothes were strewn throughout, a half-packed suitcase lying open on her coffee table.
“Someone was in a hurry,” I muttered. Behind me, Vas was rummaging through her kitchen.
“I don’t know what witchweed looks like.”
“It’s a weed the color of eggplant,” I said and left him to it, making my way into her bedroom.
Another suitcase, this one empty, but there was a pile of clothes on her bed, still attached to their hangers— as if she’d been meaning to pull them off and pack them. My witchweed-buying suspect was on the run.
“She knew we were coming for her,” Vas said, his gaze scanning the room.
“Yeah. I’m too late. I need to report this to the Mage Council. If someone’s planning unsanctioned Forget-Me spells, they need to know.”
We spent another five minutes poking around, but shockingly, nothing jumped out at me and announced it was a clue.
By the time I was standing outside Samael’s tower, I’d gone over a number of possibilities in my head. Someone had tipped Beatrice off, and Gary was my prime suspect. But it made no sense— the guilt he felt for selling witchweed had been written all over his craggy face.
Who else knew I was looking for the witch? I wracked my brain, but I just couldn’t put it together.
Vas left me in the lobby. “I need to go take care of some business,” he said. “Good luck for your lesson.”
My stomach churned uneasily and the anxiety pissed me off. I squared my shoulders and stalked toward the elevator, where a demon was waiting for me. Recognition flashed through me at the white-blonde hair tumbling over his shoulders, noting his ice-blue eyes. I’d seen this demon before— the night I stole the dagger from Samael.
“Witch,” he acknowledged.
“Demon,” I replied, striding past him into the elevator. He let out a snort and got in with me, pressing the button for the 75thfloor.
