Garden of Serpents (The Demon Queen Trials #3)(17)

“Not hard?” Kas’s eyebrows rose. “He’s a witch, not an ordinary mortal. Do you have any idea how dangerous the most powerful witches are? Those from the greatest generations long ago?”

Outside, the sky was growing darker, shadows sliding across the sun.

Legion frowned. “Are you scared of mortals?”

“I am.” Shai’s eyes flashed. “And if you’re not, you’re underestimating them. Have you heard of la sorcière de Brocéliande?”

“Who was she?” I asked.

A cold tingle of magic shivered over my skin as I sipped my coffee. Outside, a light rain started pattering the windows and sliding down the glass in rivulets.

Shai leaned forward, her mahogany eyes gleaming. “She was the most terrifying witch who ever lived. In the fifteenth century, she singlehandedly killed an entire army of demons in Rennes-le-Chateau. She blamed them for murdering her family, and she had them ripped to pieces by ravens, and their flesh crushed under stones.” Lightning split the darkness outside, and rain started to hammer the windowpanes. “She absolutely loathed demons.”

Thunder boomed, and Kas startled. “Is that you, Shai?”

She shrugged and picked up her coffee. “I wanted to add a bit of atmosphere.”

Legion shrugged. “Well, she’s dead now. That’s what mortals do. They die.”

Kas met my gaze. “Until they’re raised again by a Lightbringer.”

“I’m not raising la sorcière de whatever,” I said. “Alaric is wily and powerful, but not insane and murderous. The demons who compiled the trials didn’t want the whole city slaughtered. We’re supposed to find the best leader, not end the demonic species.”

The rain still pattered against the windows, a gentle sound.

“And you think you can win this?” asked Legion.

“It’s possible,” I said. “I’ve heard Orion use invocation spells before, but I don’t think he’s spent much time actually practicing magic. Magic didn’t work in the dungeon, and he had no one to learn from once he’d freed himself. And I have you all to help me. Orion doesn’t understand the concept of asking others for help, or even preparing for anything.”

“Raising the dead always works best in the wilderness, where magic is most powerful,” said Shai. “Learned that freshman year.”

I nodded. “So I’ll go there to practice.”

Kas rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, looking worried. “Before you practice raising the dead, let’s just go over some of the basics, shall we?”





*



Fog wound between the large, sinuous oak trees in the Elysian Wilderness.

To start, I’d been practicing the name Alaric with the correct pronunciation. “Alaric,” I said for the twentieth time.

“More emphasis on the Ala,” said Legion. “Pronounce it like German.”

It was adorable that he thought I knew German.

In a black buttoned coat, Shai stood with her arms folded, leaning against the trunk of a gnarled oak. “She’s almost there.” She flashed me a wicked smile and walked closer, crunching over the leaves. “Can’t we try out some real spell magic? I want to see what she can do.”

“What do you have in mind?” I asked.

The breeze washed over us, lifting curls of Kas’s blond hair. “There are three types of magic that we practice,” he said.

Shai cleared her throat. “Excuse me, Kas. I was about to show off.” She lifted a finger. “So, we’ve got medicine—when we use natural materials in magic, like the blood you’ll be putting on your forehead. Then there’s thaumaturgy. Only demons can use that, not mortals. That’s the innate, elemental power that you have, like when you explode with fire. And then finally, invocations. Using language to draw on the magic of the gods and channel it to your will.”

I wasn’t entirely sure I’d taken all that in. “So can I try raising something from the dead?”

Shai stood directly in front of me. “Magic is connected to emotions,” she went on. “If you’re dead inside or apathetic, you won’t be able to use your elemental fire magic. When I want to control the weather, I think of something that pisses me off, like how my mom forgot to mention that I might be a demon because she’s deeply committed to conformity among the mortals.” She smiled brightly.

I nodded. “Okay. I’ve got plenty of intense emotions to choose from.”

With his hands in his pockets, Kas took another step closer, crunching over the leaves. “Everyone’s magic has a different feel to it. Mine is smooth and silky,” he said, “like ribbons gliding over my skin.”

Legion held up his hand, and I watched as dark silvery magic played about his fingertips. “Mine feels ice cold.”

“And mine vibrates.” Shai held up her hands to the side of her mouth to stage whisper. “Now you know why I’ve been practicing so much.”

I cracked a smile. I already knew how my elemental magic felt—hot and bright, just like Orion’s.

Legion gripped a thick book of spells, the spine etched with gold letters. “As a demon, your spellcraft is all about trying that innate power you have and using language to create something new. The pronunciation and syntax are key, but you have to have a clear intention, too. You’re taking a raw force—your innate power—and shaping it to your will.”