“Blood?” Daniel asked, and he didn’t sound happy.
Bryan shrank back a little but continued. “This smells like blood, like a lot of different kinds of blood.”
Daniel didn’t look any happier. “That’s why this damned place smells like death and bad magic.” He pointed to the side of his bag, which I still had beside me. “Emma, hand me the knife on the side. I’ll do it.”
I pulled out the hunter’s knife from the side pouch, then slid the blade free from the sheath. The metal reflected in the light of the candles, and my stomach flipped, but I knew what I had to do. This was my mission, not Daniel’s. It had to be my blood.
Clutching the handle tighter, I drew the sharp edge against my palm and watched as my blood bubbled free. It was unsettling, painful, and scary, but this was better than watching the man I loved hurt over my crazy mission. Even if he wouldn’t have ever agreed to me doing it.
“Emma!” Daniel shouted.
Yep. He wasn't happy. I ignored him as I pressed my palm to the dark stain on the stone.
Like magic—heh, just like magic—the wrinkled spot on the wall transformed into a face. Something ripped behind me as I inched back from the wall and climbed to my feet. Someone, Daniel, I was pretty sure, grabbed my hand and wrapped it while I stared at the woman’s face on the wall. To my surprise, she looked kind, not at all what I'd expected.
“You have given me an offering, and your offering was pure,” she said, her voice aged but clear. “What do you wish to ask the great Cyrene?”
I released a slow breath. “I need to know if I’ve been spelled to give up my powers.”
She didn’t hesitate before she answered. “Yes. You have been spelled, but nothing can force you to give up her powers. They can, however, be forcibly taken.” I tried to absorb her words as she continued. “You must find the true karma the thief deserves. Look past the deceit. Before the full moon.”
As I gaped at her, trying to figure out which of the dozen questions flashing through my mind I should ask, the face in the wall faded away.
I turned to the others, hoping they had a clue what the witch’s words meant, but they looked at me with sadness. We hadfourdays.Fourmeasly days to find out how to look past the deceit and save my powers.
15
EMMA
We walkedto the car in silence. Since the witch’s words, no one knew what to say, which was troubling. I was new to the magical world. They were not. If they thought there was a problem, there was a problem. Plus, this crew was used to dealing with random, crazy crap. Heck, it was what we did for a living most days. They didn't know how to fix this.
The band across my chest tightened another notch as panic tried to set in. I was going to lose it all.
“Emma?” Carol’s voice was hesitant.
I stopped walking and looked at her, waiting.
“Your powers, Emma, I don’t completely understand how they work, but can you tell what kind of karma people deserve?”
Everyone stared at me while I tried to explain something I didn’t completely understand. “When I use my powers, the powers know what a person deserves. Often, I also know, when I’ve seen what they’ve done, good or bad.”
She nodded. “Do you think you can try thinking of the woman to see if you can tell what kind of karma she deserves?”
I hadn’t considered that. “It’s worth a shot.” My mind was in chaos right now. It was no wonder I hadn't thought of the simplest solution.
In the middle of the woods, halfway to the car, with everyone looking at me, I closed my eyes and thought of the horrible woman. I took my time calling my powers forth, even though I wasn’t sure how they'd respond. I'd never tried to use my powers in this particular way. It was like walking toward a giant moon in the sky, but having it get farther and farther away the closer I got to it.
“Take a breath,” Carol whispered. “Think about all the many times your powers steered you right. When they punished someone who deserved it and rewarded someone who earned something good.”
So, I did.
I breathed in the cool night air and let my mind wander. I thought about all the times my powers had helped me, guided me, and showed me the way. How they'd protected me from harm and kept me safe from danger. A warmth grew inside of me—a warmth of power. A spark that slowly grew into an inferno. I opened my eyes and looked at Carol. "Okay."
“Now,” Carol continued. “Think of that woman. Think of her face. Think of her clothes. Picture her the best you can.”
I called up my memory of her in the woods. The brown cloak, the white hair. The no-longer-faceless face that I'd seen in the woods when she'd nearly killed the gnomes. Wrinkled, sharp nose and chin. Ice blue eyes.
“Do you see her, and do you also feel your magic?”
