“I don’t like that man,” Rafe muttered in my ear as we followed Horace through the throngs of people emptying out of tents and funneling towards what looked like a huge pile of sticks.
“You and me both, Rafe.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Why can’tIquestion him about the murder?” I hissed to Miss Elva as we fell behind Horace, his horns visible among the crowd of people heading for the ritual space.
“Child, that man is not going to give you any information.”
“Do you think he did it?”
“I think he’s just about capable of anything. Horace is bat shit crazy.”
“I tried to read his mind.”
Miss Elva swung her head to look at me.
“What did you find?”
“Nothing. Not a thing. No memories, no thoughts. It was like a yawning abyss of nothingness.”
“He blocked you,” Luna said, overhearing our conversation.
“I blocked him,” I corrected Luna.
“Blocked him from what?” she asked.
“He tried to send some sort of energy at me. Actually, I got the feeling he wanted totakefrom my energy. Youknow, like a psychic vampire? So I blocked him the way Mom taught me when I was younger. He knew it, too. I sent it back at him and he didn’t like it.”
Luna and Miss Elva stopped, giving each other looks before turning to me with matching postures, their hands on their hips.
“What?” I asked, genuinely confused.
“Child, you sure know a lot more magick than you are letting on about,” Miss Elva said, clearly annoyed with me.
“No kidding. What the heck, Althea?” Luna asked, perturbed.
“I do?”
“Yeah, that’s some higher level magick there. Blocking is one thing. Sending it back at him is another. I think Abigail and I need to have a talk,” Luna said, speaking of my mother.
“I honestly didn’t know I was doing magick. I thought that was just something you did to protect yourself from people stealing your power,” I exclaimed. I was really beginning to get annoyed with everyone keeping me in the dark on things.
“Explain to me how she taught you,” Miss Elva demanded.
“Right now?” We were nearing the edge of the circle, and I realized that huge pile of sticks was meant to be for a bonfire of sorts.
“I think we’re going to need it,” she said and I whipped my head around, watching as Horace began to circle the pile of sticks.
“You think he’ll take your power?”
“I think he’s going to try,” Luna agreed.
“Don’t you know any protection spells?”
“We do, but you already beat him at his own game. So I want to know what you did specifically,” Luna said.
I thought back to what my mother had taught me when I was younger.
