“You’ll be able to quickly search for the information you desire, rather than being overwhelmed by too many thoughtsand memories,” Chloe explained. “You can force them to tell the truth if you so desire, or you can learn it yourself without them ever suspecting a thing.”
“This sounds really useful,” Marcus remarked. “There’s got to be a special trick to it.”
“The trick is to use their own mind against them,” Chloe explained. “Before we proceed any further, I’d like to assess where you’re at. I want you to demonstrate your mind-reading abilities on me. Somewhere in my mind, there is the name of a girl I once called a dear friend. Find her name.”
Marcus cleared his throat. “All right. I’ll give it a shot.”
“Use the wand, and direct your magic,” Chloe encouraged. “When you’re ready, speak this incantation;By the goddess’ light and candle fire, illuminate the information I desire.In time, you will learn how to perform the spell without speaking the incantation out loud.”
“All right, I’ve got this,” Marcus said; more to himself than to any of us.
Usually, he seemed so apprehensive when trying a new spell, especially one so powerful. Today, he seemed really confident in his abilities. Marcus began muttering the incantation under his breath.
I felt his magic swelling over the room. Though he directed his power at Chloe, I could feel it tingling over my skin. This spell was a lot, even for Marcus.
Several moments of silence passed. Kallie and I waited, but neither Chloe nor Marcus said anything. I must’ve been holding my breath, because I had to remind myself to inhale.
After a full minute, Marcus breathed a sigh. “I can’t see it. There’s too much information.”
“I could feel you poking around in my mind,” Chloe said. “You were flipping through my memories, trying to figure out on your own which one was important. You’re trying to labelthese experiences for yourself, but you cannot rely on your own discernment. You’re trying to observe, when you mustcommand. You must rely on the subject’s mind, because it’s already cataloged and labeled these experiences. It already knows what information is important. Once you’re inside, you must order the mind to bring the information to the surface. Forget about your own experiences and what you believe to be true, because you’re not in your own mind anymore. You need to become a part of the subject’s mind, until the subject is no longer the master of their own mind, butyouare their master.”
“Oh, I think I get it!” Marcus said brightly. “Can I try it again?”
“Certainly,” Chloe responded.
Magic swelled over the room again, and Kallie leaned over to whisper to me. “Marcus isn’t moving. He’s gone into some sort of trance.”
“Oh, wow,” Marcus didn’tsoundlike he was entranced, but I trusted Kallie that it must’ve looked that way. “I can see things more clearly. It’s a lot more organized. Now I just have to find what I’m looking for… Was her name Lily— no. That’s not it. Hang on.”
We sat in silence for a while. Marcus kept pushing, never once giving up or criticizing himself for not getting it right away. He was more determined than ever.
Then Marcus snapped his fingers. “Got it! Her name was Gwen— no, Camille!”
“Well, which is it? Gwen or Camille?” Chloe replied harshly.
Marcus hesitated. “It was both. You loved them both dearly, and they turned their backs on you.”
Chloe clapped her hands together. “Marcus, you did it! And it was so direct, I couldn’t even feel you poking around.”
“It worked!” he cried in relief. “But man, that’s a powerful spell.”
“I want you to try it on one of your friends,” Chloe pressed. “As demigods, they’ll be harder to read, and therefore, more similar to our warded vampire friends.”
“I thought Marcus couldn’t read demigods,” Kallie pointed out.
“He should be able to if you open yourself to him,” Chloe said. “As long as consent is provided and you let him in, he’ll be able to see what’s inside.”
“No,” Marcus objected. “I know I need to practice, but I’d rather not read Kallie’s mind. I hope you understand, but it’s kind of a respect issue.”
That was putting it lightly. Digging around in someone’s head, when you were their ex and things were already fragile was definitely uncomfortable. There were times I’d been in Ava’s mind when we’d been broken up, because I couldn’t help it, and it had been damaging to us repairing our relationship. Marcus didn’t want to put this new friendship with Kallie on the line, even if he needed to practice this spell.
“Thanks, Marcus,” Kallie said, almost in relief. “I appreciate that.”
“You need to practice,” Chloe insisted. “Someone has to be willing.”
“Try it on me,” I quickly offered. “I’m up for it.”
“You sure you want me inside your head?” Marcus teased.
