Her concern, Card’s attention, and even Abbi, chewing on her bottom lip and looking worried, made me fill my lungs and exhale slowly.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.Just a little spooked from yesterday.I can do this.”
To prove it, I bent and picked up the witch’s box.
Maybe it was the storm last night, or hearing Lula say holding the book was like holding a living thing, but, well, it felt like something was alive in that box.
Something that wanted out.
“So far so good,” Card said.“Just hold it there a minute, Brogan.I want to set some wards of my own.Abbi?”
“I can help.”She pulled her mortar and pestle from wherever she kept them.
Card said something to her I couldn’t make out.She nodded and walked in the opposite direction around the room, pausing at each corner to do something with the powder in the mortar.
“Still good?”I asked Lu.
“It’s the same as yesterday,” she said.“I know it’s in there.I’m sure it knows I’m out here.But I don’t feel…malice?”
“Don’t tell me you’re gonna start trusting it.”
“No.I’m just not planning to get in a battle with it either.Not if I don’t have to.If we were made to use the book, to wield those spells, I don’t see why it would want to fight us.”
“That’s done.”Card came around to stand at our side, outside the circle.“We’ve put up support for the wards, added cushioning.Dampeners for explosions and stray magic.”
“Not sure explosion was on my bingo card,” I grumbled.
Card grinned.The tattoos on his bare arms and up his neck glowed.“This is magic training, Brogan.There’s bound to be some kind of exhilarating moments.Which is why we’ve padded the room.I promise you.This is safer than most places where I’ve trained.”
“Guy who gets powerful people mad at him?Not sure you’re the shining example you think you are.”
“Says the man who gets powerfulgodsmad at him,” Card noted.“Plus, you have no idea what kind of power I’ve dealt with before.”
His eyes, usually a brilliant green, were shot with flickering fire.
I was beginning to wonder where, exactly, he fell in the powerful hierarchy of the wizard ranks.With that kind of response, I notched him up a few tiers.
“Remember,” he went on, the amenable teacher once again.“I just need you to hold it and turn the pages.Brogan, you’re going to keep your mouth shut.Just put on the glasses—you still have the glasses, don’t you?”
I shifted my hold on the box and drew the glasses out of my shirt pocket.
They were made of bronze, silver, and gold.Card had been working on them most of the night.
“Go ahead and put those on,” he said.I slid the glasses into place.
The room looked exactly the same.So did Lula, Card, and Abbi, but Card assured me the glasses were built with magic that would allow him to see some of what I was seeing.
“Are they working?”I asked.
Card hummed.“We’ll know as soon as Lula opens the book.So, are you both ready?Remember, Lu, you just need to hold it and turn the page.Brogan, no talking.Just look at the page.Got it?”
“Yes,” I said.
Lu nodded, her gaze steady on me.“I’m taking it out of the box.”
She opened the box.She pulled the book out, and unlike yesterday, she was moving slowly and treating it like it was made of glass.Explosive glass.
“Got it?”I asked.
