The door opened (did everyone in the place have a key to it now?), and Abbi came through with a wooden chair.
“I needed some help,” she said.
“Hope these are okay.”Josie followed Abbi with another wooden chair, and Pamela followed her with a small end table.“We can scrounge up something else if not.”
“That should work,” Card said.“Just put them down there, mind the sigils.”
They did so.Pamela gave Lula a look then checked my expression.
“We’re good,” I said.“Keep the whisky at the ready, though.”
“That,” she said, “I can do.Luck, Gauges.See you on the other side.”
She took Josie’s hand and they walked out, Card shutting the door behind them.He waved his hands to activate the warding spells, then pointed at the chairs.
“Get those in the circle and place them back-to-back,” Card said.“Lula, you want the table in front of you.”
This was it, the point of no return.
I glanced at the door, and for a moment, I tried to imagine what my life would be like if I had made different choices.But no images came to me, because this was the only life I wanted.The one with Lula at my side.
I picked up the chair and stepped into the circle of spells.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
“Got it?”Card asked.
“We’ve gone over it half a dozen times,” I said.“If I don’t have it by now, not sure you asking again is gonna change anything.”
Lula and I sat on the chairs inside the sigil circle, our backs to each other.She had the book propped on the table in front of her.I was wearing the magic glasses and holding the scrying mirror in my hand above my shoulder.
I angled the mirror so I could see the book in its reflection.
“Then begin,” Card said.
“I’m ready when you are, love.”
Lu inhaled, exhaled, and opened the book.It was the same spell we’d last seen, the one that seemed to be nothing but plain ink on the page.
But this time the words made sense.More than that, theintentof the words was clear, like a diagram had been drawn behind the words to show what the spell should be used for.
Card whistled.
“Transformation?”I guessed.
“Yes!”Card said.“Oh, the mirror is brilliant.Okay, can you see the power?It’s subtle, it’s going to be subtle.You might sense it as a smell or a taste or a sound.”
“Black pepper.”
“That’s it.Focus on that.I can’t see lines of power connected to it.I still think this is a lost god spell.Let’s see if it has any juice.”
“You want me to transform something?”
“I want you to cast the spell to transform something.”
“Something small,” Lu suggested.
“The pillow?”Abbi picked up a pillow off the cot where she was sitting.
