“Meet back at Evie’s.” Cliona’s eyes began to glow. She reached for the body and disappeared.
The ground beneath us rumbled. Ari’s eyes glittered. “Mommy Dearest has arrived,” she sang. “Unfortunately, we won’t be there to greet her.”
She waved her hand, trailing silver sparkles from her fingertips. A moment later, we were gone.
“What the hell is this?” Evie shrieked, waving her hands like a madwoman. “Is she DEAD? And why does she smell so bad?”
Rowan stood behind her, his strange new eyes glowing in multiple colors. “Cliona,” he said in a measured tone. “Why exactly did you bring a glowing corpse into my Keep?”
The goddess straightened. “This,” she said, gesturing at the body, “is an active spell.”
Evie blinked. “That’s even worse, right? It’s bad enough you brought a corpse here, but the last corpse with an active spell was a bomb.”
I winced.
“Relax,” Cliona said. “She’s no bomb.” Cliona’s lips twisted. “She’s actually something worse.”
Rowan let out a bark of laughter.
“Mom!” Evie’s eyes began to glow. “Explain yourself!”
“This woman is the link to Sarah. As long as this spell is active, we have two things. First, is a way to keep tabs on Sarah. Second, is the ability to track your mother.”
Realization struck me. “This is why her soul is still there. She’s feeding Sarah’s life force.”
Ari closed her eyes. “I’m glad I didn’t sever the thread. Sarah would have dropped like a puppet with her strings cut.”
“But she wouldn’t have died,” Mom added. “She would have been a living, breathing automaton, not a single original thought in her head.”
“Would Ethan notice?” I asked.
“Maybe,” Cliona said. “Sarah could still hold conversations, but she won’t ever start one. She can answer questions, but won’t perform any basic actions needed to survive, like eating or bathing.”
“Would she starve to death?” Ari asked.
“No,” Cliona said. “I’m inclined to believe Sarah is neither living nor dead. She’s something like a ghoul right now. But if the spell powering Sarah’s life force breaks, Sarah will revert into something like an unrotting zombie.”
“Gross,” Ari said unhelpfully.
“Nothing is proving easy with this one,” I muttered.
Cliona smiled. “But there’s good news. Great news, if you’re inclined to overlook the corpse sitting in your front yard?—”
“I am not,” Rowan growled.
“Your mother no longer has the body, which means she no longer has control of her spell.” Cliona’s grin widened, the sight of it a touch maniacal. “We now have the upper hand.”
The wards boomed like a thunderclap, sending a ricochet of magic spiraling through the Keep. Evie snarled and spun, her long dark hair flowing behind her.
My mother stood at the edge of the Emberwood wards, dark magic flowing around her like smoke.
Chapter
Nineteen
“You think you’re so clever, daughter,” she said.
To be fair, I wasn’t the clever one at all. Ari took that honor. But the fae stepped up beside me. “Wasn’t hard to see what you were hiding behind those wards, witch.”
