“Shut up.” Louise’s face was as red as a tomato. “Just ... shut up!”
I looked from one to the other, then shrugged as Louise sat next to Saline. The box felt suddenly very heavy, as if it contained secrets beyond imagination. I wondered, suddenly, if I was making a mistake. If they told anyone else what I’d brought to school ... it wasn’t illegal to own an Object of Power - the sword strapped to my back was hardly illegal - but people would ask questions. I was walking around with a small fortune in my bag. They’d want to know where I got it.
“I’ve been thinking,” I said, as I sat down. “And ...”
“Always a bad sign.” Louise’s eyes narrowed. “What were you thinking when you allowed Francis to rejoin?”
“That he deserves a second chance,” I said, bluntly. I’d spent enough time second-guessing my decision to allow him to rejoin. I didn’t want her snapping at me too. “And that’s not what I called you here to discuss.”
I rested the box on my lap as Louise scowled at me. “Saline is ... odd,” I said. “She’s bright, but slow. Powerful, yet ... she has trouble shaping advanced concepts and grasping spellforms that a second-year should be able to handle. And all of this started fairly recently. She wouldn’t have got through the lowerclassman exams if she hadn’t been able to pass them.”
“We know,” Louise said, impatiently.
“It’s not uncommon for magicians to peak, to reach a limit to how much magic they can channel,” I continued. “But that wouldn’t affect their comprehension. They should still be able to follow the spell notations and suchlike, even if they can’t craft a spellform or cast a complex spell.”
“So you said,” Louise snapped.
Saline put a hand on her arm. “Let him finish.”
“I think Magister Niven likes you,” I said, to Louise. “He’s very forbearing with you.”
Louise coloured. “Get to the point.”
“I think someone cast a curse on Saline,” I said. “Not one that kills or controls, but ... one that impedes her ability to cast magic and work spells. I saw a handful detailed in a book of curse-reversing spells. Once it embeds itself within the victim’s magic, it’s very hard to detect and harder still to remove.”
“And you think someone cast this spell on Saline?” Louise said. “Why?”
“If we knew who cast the spell, if there really is a spell, we might know why.” I looked at the box, resting innocently on my lap. “Saline? Do you know who cursed you? If anyone cursed you?”
Saline shook her head, wordlessly.
“It isn’t easy to remove such a curse,” I said. “A skilled Healer would have to be hired. And one hasn’t been hired” - and I thought cold thoughts about that - “and so ...”
Louise scowled. “Can you remove the curse?”
“No,” I said. “But we can cheat.”
I opened the box and removed the spellbreaker. It was surprisingly small, for a device of such potential. It looked like a piece of clockwork, with three tiny silver discs arrayed together ... there was no magic on it, as far as I could tell, but it felt ... odd ... against my bare skin, as if it was just waiting. There was something curiously crude about it, as if it had been put together by an apprentice. Cat would have done a far better job. Perhaps that was why it had been overlooked, when Kirkhaven Hall had been abandoned. My ancestors might have reasoned it was broken and simply not bothered to check.
Odd, I mused. If nothing else, they could have melted it down for silver.
“This is a spellbreaker,” I said. “It breaks spells. All spells.”
Louise shot me a sharp look. “Is it safe?”
“It should be,” I said. I’d run the calculations myself, twice. There shouldn’t be any real risk to us. Or to the school. Any spell caught within the area of influence would fade away, as if it had never been there at all. There should be no risk of a magical backlash or feedback loop that might prove deadly. “Saline? Do you want to take the risk?”
Saline looked pale, despite her brown skin. “How will it feel?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Lie flat on your back, place it on your chest and spin the disc.”
I watched as Saline stared at the spellbreaker, her expression torn between a queasy kind of fascination and outright disgust and fear. I understood. An Object of Power, in the wrong hands, could do a great deal of damage. A spellbreaker could make the difference between life and death. Someone who depended on magic to keep them alive would be doomed, if they stepped within the area of influence. The device was small, but alive with the potential for good - or evil. I understood, suddenly, why so many people had been terrified, when they’d realised the truth about Cat. Her mere existence was a harbinger of something that might bring their world crashing down.
Saline reached for the spellbreaker and took it, holding it as gingerly as a live scorpion. I glanced at Louise, then motioned for her to stand up and step away as Saline lay on the hard, wooden floor. I wanted to be closer, but ... I didn’t want to be too close to the spellbreaker when it activated. I was afraid, too. I wasn’t sure what Cat had done, when she’d stopped the Crown Prince and Stregheria Aguirre, but it had terrified me at the time. Now ... I hoped I was doing the right thing. The theory was sound, everything should work ...
Saline’s voice shook. “I’m ready.”
Louise took my hand and squeezed it. I blinked in surprise, then realised she needed comfort and reassurance. She was as nervous as Saline, as I ...
“Spin the first disc,” I said. The Object of Power was very simple to activate. Isabella’s notes stated that it worked for somewhere around five minutes, then simply stopped. Sometimes. She didn’t know why. “Now.”
Saline touched the disc, lightly. It took her two tries to get it to move, but the effect was immediate. The world seemed to darken, as if it was going to sneeze; I had the weird sense of something rushing past, even though the air was still. I couldn’t help myself. I stumbled back until I hit the far wall, dragging Louise with me. I couldn’t take my eyes off the scene. Saline was there ... and she wasn’t there ... her form blurring and not-blurring and ... my head spun, unable to make sense of what I saw. The room was growing darker, the light spells we’d cast slowly fading... I kicked myself for not extinguishing them myself, first. They were just a waste of magic now ...
I heard Saline cry out - Louise squeezed my hand so hard it hurt - and then the effect snapped out of existence. The room was dim, so dim that I couldn’t help wondering if my eyes were failing before I realised the truth. The room was dim because the light spells had dimmed, where they hadn’t failed completely. I cast a pair of spells, then winced at the light. There was something wrong about them, as if the light was digging into my very soul. I blinked furiously as I inched forward, half-expecting to run into ... something. Saline was lying on the floor, crying.
Louise ran past me and knelt beside her friend. “Saline? What happened?”
I followed, more carefully. There was nothing physically wrong with Saline, as far as I could tell, yet ... there was something. She looked somehow ... lesser. Her hair had come loose - I felt dirty for even looking - her face was streaked with sweat and ... her hand was pawing the air in front of her. I couldn’t tell if she was going into shock or ... or what? I wished, suddenly, that I knew more about healing. Perhaps I should have asked Rose to join us too.
“Take it,” Saline gasped. Her voice was light and breathy, as if she’d run a marathon. “Please.”
I picked up the spellbreaker and looked at it. There was ... something ... an aura, perhaps, surrounding it. I felt uncomfortable even holding the Object of Power. I put it back in the box, sealed it with a handful of charms and returned it to the bag. I wanted never to look at it again, but I knew I’d have to remove it eventually. Maybe we could find a way to use it for the Challenge.
Saline shook, her entire body dry-retching. “I thought ... it was him!”
“Him?” I was instantly alert. “Who?�
�
“Uncle Redford,” Saline said. She retched again, violently. She didn’t throw up, but that seemed to make the retching worse. “He ... he cast a spell on me and ... and ... I ...”
She swallowed, hard. I watched, feeling a surge of burning rage. An uncle casting a spell on his niece ... there was no way that could possibly be good. If he’d damaged her ability to use magic ... why? And if he’d wiped her memories too ... what in thunder had he been doing?
“I didn’t remember,” Saline said. She sounded like she was pleading, although I wasn’t sure who she was pleading with. “I didn’t know what I’d forgotten, what he’d made me forget, until the spell broke.”
My anger grew stronger. I wanted to kill her uncle. I wanted to hurt him, I wanted to make him suffer before I killed him. The sword hummed its agreement, its presence suddenly very strong. I could draw the blade, march to Saline’s house and behead her uncle before anyone even knew I was there. I was halfway to drawing the sword before stopping myself. I needed to know why.
“I just couldn’t think,” Saline said. “My thoughts ... they didn’t come. I couldn’t think and I couldn’t ...”
I forced myself to think rationally. What had her uncle been trying to do? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. He’d done a lot more than merely suppress her memories ... dangerous, I told myself, if he’d been abusing her. I felt sick at the very thought. There were all sorts of dark rumours about some of society’s outcasts - the stories about Reginald Bolingbroke were too outlandish to be credible, I hoped, although no one quite knew how he’d died - and some of the rumours ... I felt my stomach churn. I told myself that some of the stories had to be false. They had to be. I knew that Isabella was not well on the way to becoming a warlock ...
Saline sat up. “He wanted me to fail the exams,” she said. “He told me that and ... I forgot. How did I forget?”
“The curse wouldn’t let you remember,” I said, tonelessly. A curse cast by a blood relative ... yes, it would go unnoticed, unless the caster got very unlucky. “Why?”
Saline looked down at her hands. “I don’t know, but ... I had an apprenticeship lined up, for when I graduated. It was a family thing ... I don’t know the details. But if I didn’t qualify, his daughter would be next in line.”
Louise hissed. “That petty?”
I shook my head, slowly. “The right kind of apprenticeship could open a lot of doors,” I said, dully. “It might pay off for him.”
I couldn’t believe it. And yet ... I’d never heard of anyone outright cursing a relative to ensure that someone else got an apprentice, but I could see the logic. The awful logic. It was one hell of a risk, but ... if it worked, it would bring vast rewards. And, once the apprenticeship was claimed, the curse could be quietly dispelled. There would be no evidence left. No one would ever be able to prove what Saline’s uncle had done.
Except us, I thought, vindictively. She got all her memories back and then some.
Saline raised her hands and cast a spell. I saw magic sparkling in the air, taking on shapes and forms as she cast spell after spell. I had to admire her control, now the curse was gone. Magic danced around her as she stood, power flickering in and out of existence. The aura left behind by the spellbreaker evaporated. She smiled at me, holding out her hands. I took them and allowed her to swing me around. Her laughter echoed through the room.
I stepped back as her power slowly faded. “What do you want to do?”
“Nothing, yet,” Saline said. “I need to think.”
“You can’t let him get away with this,” Louise said. “Saline ...”
“I know,” Saline said. “But I have to decide how best to handle it.”
I cocked my head. She sounded different ... I scowled, inwardly. Of course she sounded different. The curse was gone. It was no longer influencing her thoughts or tampering with her magic or ... anything. I saw her smile grow even wider and grinned back at her. She was so happy. I wanted to reach for her, to let her pull me back into the dance.
“Don’t tell anyone, not yet,” Saline said. She looked from me to Louise and back again. “I need to think.”
“You’ll be safe here, for the moment,” I said. Saline’s uncle wouldn’t notice any change in her until she went home. By then, she’d have a plan. I hoped there’d be a place for me. I would be delighted to help her send him to his ancestors. “And we will respect your decision.”
Louise didn’t look happy, but she nodded.
“Thank you, both of you,” Saline said. “I ... thank you.”
“It was Akin,” Louise said. She sounded annoyed with herself. “I never thought of using a spellbreaker.”
Saline turned to me, her eyes shining. “Akin, I ...”
She leaned forward and kissed me. Hard. I felt my heart begin to pound as I felt her breasts, pressing against my chest. It was the kind of kiss that Cat could never have given me, not when we were chaperoned ... I forgot that Louise was there, as I fell further into the kiss. I wanted it, I wanted her. I wanted ... I wanted it never to end. I wanted ...
I pulled back, breaking contact. Saline stared at me; her face stunned, her chest heaving. She knew I wanted her, she knew ...
“I’m betrothed,” I said, quietly. “Saline ...”
Bitter shame and guilt overwhelmed me. Ayesha McDonald had kissed me by force, but this ... I’d wanted her as much as she wanted me. I could have done it, too. I hated myself, in that moment. How could I blame Francis for making out with Lindsey, despite the risk? How could I blame him when I’d come so close to making the same mistake? Maybe I had made the same mistake. I hadn’t tried to escape when she’d kissed me.
Saline stared at me. “Akin ...”
“I’m betrothed,” I repeated. Cat was going to kill me. Her family was going to kill me. My family was going to kill me. “We can’t.”
“Why not?” Saline stared at him. “I ... I like you, you ...”
My heart twisted as I saw tears in her eyes. I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss the tears away and ... I told myself, firmly, that I couldn’t. Not now, not ever. Saline would find someone else and ... I hoped she’d be happy. The new Saline ... maybe she’d date Francis. I had the odd feeling they had more in common, now, than either of them would be happy admitting. Maybe ...
“Never mind,” Saline snapped. She wiped the tears from her eyes, then wrapped a glamour around herself. It was so strong that even I couldn’t see through it. There was no sign she’d been on the verge of crying, only a moment ago. “Just ... never mind.”
She turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. I watched her go, feeling utterly conflicted. My thoughts ran in circles. I’d wanted her. I’d come far too close to throwing everything away for her. I’d ... Francis was going to laugh his head off, when he found out. He’d make very sure I never forgot what I’d done. And Cat ...
A moment later, Louise slapped me. Hard.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I tasted blood in my mouth as I stared at her, shocked.
She’d slapped me. I couldn’t believe it. My thoughts ran in circles as I reached for my magic, my mind unable to quite comprehend what had happened. I’d never been slapped before. I’d rarely even been hit. Francis and I had traded blows, but ... normally, disputes between magicians were settled with magic. And Louise had slapped me ... I knew lower-class women were allowed to slap men, but upper-class women? They used magic.
“You utter ...” Louise sounded furious. I could feel her magic boiling, as if she was on the verge of losing control. I’d never seen anyone her age on the verge of a magical temper tantrum. “Akin, you utter ... louse.”
She drew back her hand to slap me again. I stepped back, hastily raising my hands. If she slapped me again ... my jaw throbbed, reminding me that she packed a punch despite her small size. I felt something trickle down my chin. I hoped it was blood.
“She likes you,” Louise thundered. “Liked you. And you just rejected her ...”
I stared at her in shock. “I didn’t ...”
“Of course you didn’t,” Louise snapped. “Men! You’re all the same! You don’t see what’s under your very nose! Saline was in love with you and you ... you pushed her away.”
“I ...” I caught myself and started again. “She’s not in love with me ...”
“You showed her kindness and understanding and patience,” Louise said. “You helped her, you taught her ... you even figured out what was wrong with her and cured her! She fancied you, you ... halfwit! And you pushed her away. You ...”
She raised her hand. I reached for my magic, my mind reeling. How had things gone so bad so quickly? I couldn’t believe it. I’d never had any reason to think Saline liked me, to think ... I would have felt like I was taking advantage of her, if she’d kissed me before the curse was dissolved. I’d helped her, yes, but ... I would have done it for anyone. Francis was right, I supposed. I liked people who needed me. Saline really was my type.
(The Zero Enigma Book 6) The Family Pride Page 29