“My Serpents, I will not have you drowning if your magic ever fails you.”
“Why would our magic fail us?” Katya’s voice is just as slight as she is. That of a girl who’s always needed to live quietly.
“Because even magic isn’t infallible. Besides, I’m certain you’ll both be quick learners. Once you’ve mastered swimming, we’ll start bloodcasting lessons.”
“Bloodcasting?” they gasp out in unison.
Here, I assumed the news of our blood magic had spread, but apparently not.
“We Serpents are so much more formidable than Crows.” Agrippina adds a wink that makes her mate cock a brow, Aoife smile, and Cathal…Cathal doesn’t react, evidently elsewhere.
“Off we go, my sweets.” Asha winds her arms around the twins’ backs and rakes them down the winding path, chattering all the way.
Aoife leans forward and plants her elbows on the table, her long black braid flopping over her shoulder. “Zendaya, I know it’s no my call, but maybe we cancel invitation we spread. Though we Crowscanensure safe passage of contenders, Agrippina is right.Sífairhavea lotpower.”
Cathal studies the spoon he toys with, the iridescent mother-of-pearl handle casting shards of color over his heavy-lidded stare.
What’s wrong, mate?I ask.
He glances up, sets down the spoon. “Though there’s power in numbers, the amount of magic you now wield can be dangerous without guidance.”
“We wouldn’t be converting just anyone to Naagaism,” Agrippina butts in. “We’ll have rigorous criteria. If they don’t tick all the boxes, we’ll send them on their merry way.”
“So you will turn away starving children with no prospect back in their homeland?” Cathal challenges her.
Her lips press together. “We’ll give them coin. Right, Daya? We can do that?”
“Of course.”
Cathal blows out a breath he seems to have held on to since we left for the beach. “I just worry you all may end up choosing with your hearts instead of your heads.”
“We are f-five!” Enzo exclaims. “If we’ve any ch-chance at being taken seriously, we c-cannot stay f-five.”
Cathal reclines in his seat, but there’s nothing relaxed about his posture. “So you’d prefer to balloon your numbers and risk that your extraordinary anddangerousmagic land in the wrong hands?”
“Th-That isn’t what I s-said,” Enzo snaps.Day, you once said this decision wasours. Please let it stay ours.
I keep my gaze on his a long, long while. “Aoife, let’s change our invitation process. Everyone can put in a request for consideration, but they must send in a written application.”
Agrippina twists her lips. “Most humans are illiterate, Daya.”
“If they’re incapable of writing, the application can either be penned by another, or one of us will travel to meet?—”
“No,” Cathal says. “Until Shabbe’s secure and an antidote is found, you are safest here.Allof you.”
“Then a Crow can interview them,” Agrippina suggests.
“We’re stretched thin already,” Cathal says.
Agrippina plucks a candied orange rind off the top of the curd dish. “Lorcan can surely spareoneof you?”
“Wecanask, Cathal,” Reid offers.
Cathal’s eyes twitch.
This solution displeases you.I reach over and brush his muscled thigh that jiggles from nerves. I’m almost surprised when he slips his arms out of their tight knot and scoops up my hand to twine our fingers.Why?
Do you know how many dead bodies were found? The last count was over three hundred. Three hundred in under one week. And we’ve only announced it in Luce,he adds.
