Rory’s skin was starting to prickle. “I don’t even know what your magic is.”
“Enervation.” At Rory’s blank look, Sebastian added, “I can weaken magic.” He gave Rory a suspicious look. “Most magic.”
Rory tried not to squirm too obviously. “That’d be a handy power if you were a witch-hunter.”
Sebastian smiled without humor. “It would, wouldn’t it.” There was something heavier in his tone, but the next moment, Sebastian had dropped his hand, and the prickling sensation disappeared. “Unless it’s a witch like you.”
“My magic’s not that special,” Rory protested. “I couldn’t even see you in the past.”
“That’s different. That’s because of this.” He held up his left hand, so Rory could see the swirling tattoo on his inner wrist, intertwining lines of colors over the pulse point. “Isabel’s magic joined with mine. The tattoos act like a whirlpool, trapping magic around me like one of her paintings.”
Sebastian leaned closer. “But it doesn’t explain why my magic doesn’t weaken yours. You fell to Isa’s painting; what’s strengthened your magic since then?” He cocked his head. “Does it have something to do with how you stopped Gwen’s tidal wave?”
Rory hunched into the wall. “Who says I did?”
“Something stopped it. You were the only one on the beach with her when the guards ran away.” Sebastian considered him. “The guard told us you see history. That you scried the amulet Gwen used to move the tide.”
“You mean, the amulet that’s yours now?” Rory said hotly. “The Zhangs have your cousin’s painting too, you know. Why not steal that back when you stole that amulet relic?”
He scrunched his nose. “Stole it?”
“Yeah,” Rory started hotly—and then cut himself off as Hyde’s footsteps echoed just outside the office.
A moment later, Hyde loomed in the doorframe, hands behind his back. “Ready to earn your keep?”
Rory huddled against the radiator as Hyde came into the office, brushing past Sebastian. He knelt in front of Rory and held out the box in his hands.
Rory blanched.
“You know what this is.” Hyde smiled maniacally. “The pomander relic.”
Rory stared at the box, sweat beading on his brow. Having the box open at the library over in Midtown had given him a vision all the way on Central Park West and 75th.
A vision Arthur hadn’t immediately woken up from.
Hyde ran a claw over the lid of the box with a grating scratch. “Did Sebastian tell you Gwen’s hired hand said you see the past? Did she tell you we believe him?”
“Go to hell,” Rory bit out, like he wasn’t starting to shake. “I’m not scrying anything for you.”
“You’re not going to have a choice.” Hyde reached for the lid. “If I put this on you, you’re going to fall into its history whether you want to or not.”
If Rory reached for his magic, he could find that link to Arthur, the one that would lead him out of even a relic’s past. It was still fainter than it had been, like it had gone into hiding after the pomander—
Like his magic didn’t want to be a path to hurting Arthur.
Rory lifted his chin. “You put that on me, I’m not gonna give you its secrets.”
Hyde pointed with his claw, an inch from Rory’s jugular vein. Rory flinched before he could stop himself. “You’ll give me whatever I want,” Hyde said, with quiet menace. “Every man thinks he’s a tough guy until he actually faces pain. And I am very good at pain.”
Rory swallowed.
Sebastian stepped between them. “Where is the sense in having him scry now?” he said sharply. “Wait ’til London.”
“I’m done waiting.” Hyde reached for the lid of the box. “They’re only just starting to board our ship. Plenty of time for him to take a peek.”
“Hyde, wait—” Sebastian started.
But Hyde cracked the lid of the pomander’s lead box.
