Savage Beauty(54)

Eye of wolf, watch for me

Eye of blind man, keep me hidden

Dragon’s egg, prepare my heart

Spirit, guide me

Tongue, quiet my foes. Let them not speak spells against me.

Siren, help me beguile

Rose, make me immune

And Umbilis,

Sever our tie for good

“Mother moon hear my cry

With this potion break our tie

Sever the bond we sisters bear

And help me wield both fire and air.”

A slow clap startled me. “Very good, Luna. Very good.”

I looked into the cauldron and saw that the water had reduced down to a thick, dark soup. Malex handed me a ladle. “Bottle it, and when you’re ready to strike, make sure you break it in an area she can’t escape from. She must inhale the vapors for the spell to work. You may have to hold her, but don’t use your elemental power. The fire could consume the spell and the air could dilute its potency. And either you or Aura has to release the spell. Since you are both bonded, it must be by one of your hands that you are severed.”

“Okay.” I took in a deep breath and blew it out. “I’ll be careful. What about the other spell?”

“The full moon is coming. We have to call for it to attack the sun during the day.”

That’s fourteen nights away. “That’s too long,” I argued. “Phillip might not have that long to live.”

“She will not let him die. If you know anything about Aura, it’s that she likes to use others as pawns on her board. Phillip is no pawn; he is her Knight and he will protect the Queen, because he’s the only thing standing between you and her and she knows it.”

He was right, but was I willing to take the chance? I bit my thumb nail. I’d thought of ending her tonight, but I couldn’t do that. I wanted her awake, lucid, and looking into my eyes when I ended her. I wanted to lean in and whisper in her ear that I’d told her I would have my revenge, that she would finally pay for taking away everyone I ever loved, and that she would rue the day she ever set eyes on Phillip of Grithim. She would regret turning me into a monster, because I would take my time showing her how fierce a monster I’d become.

“She won’t kill him, Luna,” Malex interrupted my murderous thoughts. “Think about what she did with William. She could have ended his life while you slept, but she waited until you were both awake before striking.”

I couldn’t let the same thing happen to Phillip. The space between me and my sister was the deadliest spot to be in, but if she hurt one hair on his head, I’d draw out her torture. I would make her last hours on earth a living nightmare, and not just a sleep walk.

“You can watch over him at night,” Malex suggested. “If he gets worse, you can cut her down in her sleep. It isn’t the way you want to fight her, but sometimes to win, you have to fight dirty.”

What if she agreed to heal him? I thought to myself. But she wouldn’t. I knew my sister. She only knew how to cause pain. She didn’t know mercy. And if I hesitated for a second, I would lose him. But maybe there was a way to trick her into healing him.

Malex went off in search of the right magical tome, located in the back of the room along a wall full of texts so old, the spines were worn ragged and the words completely rubbed off.

“Are you sure you want this spell? It’s very powerful,” he asked, plucking a book from his collection.

I put the cork on the bottled potion and held it up near the torch. In the flickering firelight, the dark fluid was alive, writhing and undulating inside the glass. “I’m sure. I don’t want to attack when she’s sleeping if I don’t have to. I want her to be awake for what I have planned.”

He smiled. “That’s exactly what I would do. Now,” he cracked open the book, “let’s read about this spell. It’s in the language of the fae, so I’ll have to translate, but the words and magic must come from you, daughter of the moon.”

We sat together on a long couch, the book resting on his legs until he read the entire section about calling for the eclipse.

The book’s power had my hair standing on end. “How can you even stand to hold it, let alone read from it?” I asked, my teeth chattering.

“My heritage, I suppose,” he answered, not outwardly affected by the magic at all. He reached out and took my hand and I watched as he guided it to the open pages. When my skin hit the parchment, I cried out. My flesh burned and froze all at once. Excruciating pain seared a path up my arm, through my shoulder, and pierced my heart, making me gasp. I tore my hand away.

“Magic,” he said, “always comes with a price.”

“If I call on this spell, what price will I pay?” I asked warily.

He smiled. “None. You are the moon’s daughter. It is expected that children will ask things of their parents once in a while. The spell is powerful, but the words are simple. I will give them to you and you will repeat them after me, precisely.”

“For a favor?” I asked.

He shook his head. “This is freely given.”

“Why?”

“Because with Aura gone, it will ease your mind. You and I can spend time together.” I opened my mouth to make sure he knew that we would only ever be friends, but he beat me to it. “As friends, of course.”