By the date scrawled in chicken scratch on top, Erinna would have been four at the time.
A year before her mother passed.
There was no clearly useful information in the letter. A basic summons for her parents to assist Iprix in his time of need. Themage would have been bedridden but still awake. No reason was listed, no clear meaning, and it drove Erinna mad.
She pressed closer to Kane to get a better look at the contents sprawled in a semicircle on the floor. A few journals were open to the pages that detailed information about her mother.
Heat radiated from Kane’s body, and Erinna unconsciously drew comfort from the warmth. The Yaga had ignited a dull ache from her Talent.
“Wrap it up, Yarrow. We can’t do this much longer.”
She rolled her eyes. “Maybe if you cared to learn how your deals actually worked, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.”
“But then we wouldn’t have this lovely bonding experience.” He nudged her shoulder in emphasis.
She rolled her eyes but appreciated the levity. His antics were becoming an odd sense of comfort as she waded through the tension of her circumstances.
There was a letter addressed to her mother, a simple invitation to be a visiting professor for a semester. At face value, it was nothing of huge importance, except that Erinna never knew her mother to have any affinity for arcanum, much less a Talent.
Twyla Yarrow had been invited to give a class on modern witchcraft. The letter had been sent from Nama Kellori.
Erinna wished with all her might that she could keep the letter, but one look at Kane and she knew it was out of the question. She tried her best to commit it to memory.
“It’s time.” Kane shifted the contents into a messy pile.
Erinna feverishly took in the rest. From what she could tell, Kenneth was trying to erase everything he could about her northern heritage and perhaps anything that would pertain to the level of witchcraft Twyla was familiar with. It was clear that the Synod of the Everdawn had wanted to outlaw the older practices, and some were keen to punish those who practiced.Iprix had been witchcraft’s most powerful ally in the court before his passing.
Kane’s eyes went bright as he willed a fire to life. Almost as quickly as they emerged, the fire faded to ash and smoke beneath his control, leaving nothing but dust and a scorch mark on the floor.
“Perfect. That seems to be all there was. You Yarrows are careful not to leave a trace of yourselves.” His tone could potentially pass off as respect, but it didn’t pierce through Erinna’s foul mood. The only saving grace to keep her from spiraling was the fact that she could potentially salvage something from the imprint she left on the other pages in the book.
“How do you know that is all you needed to do?” For a moment, she hoped there might be something else she could find. Some small bits of information that were safe from his fire.
Kane shrugged. “I suppose it’s all your father knew about when he made the deal.”
“And you said you would forget?”
Kane tapped his chin in thought. “Yup, I haven’t a clue what was on those pages.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
He shrugged. “I knew the terms before I accepted. Of course, I didn’t think you were that interesting when I made it.”
Erinna shot a glare his way. “So did you take a bit of my father’s power as well?”
“No, I’m selective with the deals that trade with arcanum.”
“I guess I should be honored then.”
“You should.” There was no trace of humor in his response. Kane palmed through a few books and held them out to her. “Look through those. They should have some information about bloodline curses.” Before she could reply, he turned and disappeared into the shadows once again.
Now that he had finished his end of the deal, Kane was likely off to find his beloved maps.
For the first time since entering the library, Erinna felt like she finally had the space and time to go through her spoils. Bits of information had been falling into her lap, and her mind buzzed trying to fit the pieces together.
She pulled out the books she collected. Erinna lost herself in the works of bloodline curses, scoured through Iprix’s notes on the inverse consequences of blessings. But one part in particular caught her eye. Tucked in the middle of a book was a torn piece of paper with scribbles and inkblots. She laid it out. A map of the Great North.
A small scribble in the center of a forest, Erinna swore it noted Starfall Coven, known for their blessings. She pocketed the paper and put the book back in the pile. She thumbed through the rest of the contents.
