“Does this mean we’re going back home, Mr. Witch?” Therese asked.
“I suppose it does,” I agreed, regarding her. “I’ll have to ask around about a hangman’s toe before you see your father, however. I have a feeling he wouldn’t recognize you in your current state.”
She giggled. “Father isn’t particularly observant.”
“Nevertheless, I think I’ll return you the way I found you.”
Freya sent me a sympathetic smile. “Are you ready then?”
I gazed around the deck of the ship. Captain Mary had stepped out of her cabin to watch us go. My eyes settled on her briefly before I glanced back up at the sky. The Blood Moon.
Blood magic would be its strongest tonight. Blood magic. Any blood witch who took advantage of tonight …
Sometimes people are exactly who you think they are.
My eyes snapped back to the captain. As she read something in my eyes, she nodded.
“Callum?” Freya’s voice was concerned. “What is it?”
I closed my eyes. The red goat’s head on the man’s cloak. It was the same as on the man who’d been helping Erik in Greenland, the one who’d been tortured.
Erik.
Erik was exactly who I thought he was. A blood witch. A blood witch who’d been very interested in Auggie upon meeting him, as if he’d already known about him.
“Gods,” I whispered as I realized the implications.
Freya straightened as I turned to her. “Auggie didn’t sell his soul to the Devil at all,” I said. “Lucifer sent him here to be sacrificed. By a blood witch.” I swallowed. “By Erik.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The only thingI couldn’t figure out was why Auggie specifically was a necessary sacrifice. But if Erik was a client of Lucifer’s, who’d sold his soul in a bargain for power or something equally deplorable, then Lucifer would be obligated to see to his needs.
He positively reeks of righteousness and goodwill.
I chewed on my lower lip as a carriage conveyed us back to the address of Auggie’s “aunt.” If I’d looked for the signs, I would have realized sooner. Auggie was not the sort to sell his soul for selfish reasons, so I’d conjured other excuses and used alchemy as a scapegoat when I couldn’t find another.
There was a reason virgin’s blood was required for some potions. It was more potent. Better for certain spells. Of course, we didn’t go around sacrificing virgins. Rather, they usually donated their blood for coin. But that still didn’t explain Auggie’s specific involvement here. It had taken resources to get Auggie to New York, while there were plenty of virgins here already, certainly. They would do just as well for the blood sacrifice, wouldn’t they?
“I never liked that Erik,” Narcissa told us. “And not only because he doesn’t appreciate the majesty of black cats. He has a face like a rat’s. It made me want to scratch it off.”
“I wish you had,” I muttered, watching the streets pass far too slowly. It was pitch-black outside now. I consulted my pocket watch. 9:00 p.m. Who knew how far along the ceremony would be by now. Of course, midnight was still hours away, and that was likely when the ceremony would begin, reaching a fever pitch at 3:00 a.m. to achieve the ultimate height of power. The witching hour. But I wanted Auggie to be well away from Erik’s hands with plenty of time to spare. “Can’t this blasted coach move any faster?”
“I apologize,” Freya said across from me, arms folded over her chest. “I should have considered beyond what he was capable of with the blood witch curse hindering him.”
I sighed, shaking my head. “I was wrong about many things. I thought I was better off on my own. Away from the villagers, away from everyone really. I couldn’t have done what I’ve been able to accomplish these past weeks on my own. I needed you. All of you.”
I chanced a peek at the others but couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes. Auggie had understood the strength of friendship and community. He’d sought out knowledge to help lift his people up. I was ashamed of my lack of empathy over the years. Perhaps in time, my isolation would have led me to become as bad as Ambrosia or the Ice Queen. But people bring out the best in each other, lift one another up. I’d gained new insights with this strange group of friends.
Therese put a hand on my shoulder, and I leaned into it before I realized how slimy it felt, then pulled back with an appreciative smile. “That was very nice of you to say, Mr. Witch. We know you’re doing the best you can. You’re adapting very well,” she told me.
I nodded. “And you were particularly persistent in trying to reach me, pestering me all day, every day.”
Therese chuckled.
Freya shifted in her seat. “Still, you were right about Erik. I’ve seen signs of trouble during my travels with the Council. I know better than anyone how unpredictable witches can be. Yet, I suppose a part of me still wanted to hope for the best in witches, especially after my ordeal with Ambrosia. I don’t want to believe that all witches are capable of such horrible things.”
“They’re not,” I assured her, patting her hand consolingly. “It can be hard to overlook the worst examples, but I’ve seen a lot of kindness during our travels as well. From witchesandhumans. Now, we just have to reverse our blunder, before Auggie pays the price.”
