Mine to Fear (Mine #3)(15)

No wonder he didn't want me around to give him one more thing to worry over. Too bad. There’s good I can do. I know it. Enough of just teaching girls how to spell their nails. Well, I'm not entirely done with it. Wouldn't want to go without style, but I'll work on it in addition to better spells.

With that thought to embolden me, I enter the room pretending like this is exactly where I was sent. An idea has to come to me. If not, well, it can't be any worse than scrubbing toilets and hot laundry rooms. “I'm here to help. What would you like me to do?”

One of the servants, the only male of the group says to me, “Clean the windows. And do a good job. The Grand Chancellor likes the light shining behind him as much as possible.”

“Of course.” Perfect. Not only does it get me in here, but it is a lot better than what I was doing before.

I help myself to the pile of cleaning supplies and get busy on the windows. Only, not too busy. I take my time scrubbing every speck I see, and not just the ones I see, but ones that aren't really there. Even though I'm going to such lengths, the others are taking just as long while keeping the talking to a minimum. He wasn't kidding about how clean the Grand Chancellor likes it.

Shining the tabletop and scrubbing the floors with such vigor, it's easy to believe they take the threat of the Grand Chancellor coming seriously.

But it hampers my time alone. So when I'm certain they're all focused on their own tasks, I swipe my hand on the edge of the glass, leaving a smudge. I purposefully avoid it while I tackle the rest of the windows.

I'm on the bottom of the last window, the last one I have to do, other than the spot I'm pretending I don't see. Thankfully, the others are finally packing up their things. I thought they'd never get there. I can still make something happen, and I think I know what.

One of the servants leaves the room, but the male servant who told me what to do asks, “Are you almost finished? The rest of us have other duties we need to attend to.”

Technically, so do I. “Yes, I think I'm done.” I step back and pretend to scan the window. “Oh, drat! I missed a big ol' spot.”

My voice is too fake, but all the same, he shakes his head at me, like the only thing he realizes is I'm an incompetent Envadi servant. I move to the spot and take my time not just cleaning the spot, but everything around it.

“Finish up then. We can't stay to help,” he says.

“That's fine. I'll manage it.” I turn to see his reaction, but he and the remaining servant are already gone. Guess my job really doesn't matter to them at all.

I continue puttering around for a minute, in case they decide to return. When no one appears, I quickly swipe down the spot and dive under the table closest to the window.

After studying the room, I think this is the best place to hide a voice-activated spell so no one can see the flash when it activates. Of course, I'll have to focus on calming myself down, leaving as little emotions as possible to show when it does activate. It will be perfect. Or at least, there's nowhere else to hide it so it will have to be perfect.

I search the bottom of the table for the best nook to hide it in. The legs meet the table every foot or so, but the corners have two legs that meet together, creating more of a nook. It needs to be as small as possible, tucked back beneath other parts of the table preferably. Even then, there's a chance it may get caught and that would be bad. Very, very bad.

Poor Annabelle and Councilman Daniel would probably get in trouble for it, even if the warlocks know it's not from them. I'm certain they need to protect the meetings at their house. One more reason not to get caught. I can't bring that down on them. But if I let the opportunity go without doing something. I'd regret it too much, even if it means taking a risk. It's a risk I'll keep taking as long as I'm here. Maybe I won't need to find a new place to work after all.

Finally, I spot a small nook hidden behind one of the legs where it joins the table. Perfect. Now, to make a spell that's activated by Zade's voice. I think that will work. Maybe. It may mean missing some details if he doesn't speak right away, but hopefully it also means it goes undetected. Unless they search for spells in the middle of their meeting. There should be no need for that. I hope.

I take several, deep calming breaths, trying to clear as much emotion as I can. Only, as soon as I start to think of the spell I need to do, emotions flood through me. Memories mixed with giggling and scoldings. Zade and I used to use a spell similar to the one I'm about to cast to listen to Mom and Dad talk. We always wanted to find out what sort of presents and surprises they had for us.

Of course, we were always caught. I've learned a lot since I was a girl, though, so no point getting stressed about that. Especially after working with Cynthia. She's one clever spell caster.

As much as I'd love to continue reliving these memories, I force them away. This is no time for nostalgia. Clear and peaceful. Nothing but the task at hand.

I gather my magic and oh so slowly, it winds from my hand toward the spot underneath the table where the legs meet. A tiny, tucked away corner. As it reaches the spot, I think of Zade, of the sound of his voice. The warm, comforting sound of a friend. The harsh temper of a protective big brother. The ache of him telling me his fears.

All of it comes out, tinting the clear spell with yellows, reds, and blues. Thankfully, they're faint colors. Once I set the spell to remain off until his voice activates, the colors will disappear until then.