Don''t take everyone.
"What?"
The more people, the more victims.
"Oh." Shit. I hadn''t thought of that. Biting my lip, I look over my entourage. Vanessa''s brows raise as she watches me, her breath puffing out in the frigid air.
They''re my bodyguards, but they can''t save me from something magical.
Selene''s thoughtful hum vibrates in my head.
"Marcus, you and..." I scan the faces, settling on a stoic-looking wolf. I think his name is Greg. "You. Stay with me. The rest of you, I need you to be our lifeline."
Vanessa frowns. "Ava, are you sure about this?"
I nod, trying to project more confidence than I feel. "I can sense magic and familiar energies, but there''s no guarantee I haven''t missed something. Or someone."
The other wolves shift awkwardly, as they always do when I speak of magic. It''s still an uncomfortable subject for many in the pack.
"If something goes wrong, you need to get word to Lucas immediately."
Discontent ripples through the group. I can see it in the set of their jaws, the tension in their shoulders. They don''t like the idea of letting me walk into potential danger without them.
"I know you don''t like this," I say, addressing the group''s unspoken protests. "But none of you are able to help with a magical force. I need to make sure the pack is warned if anything goes wrong."
Marcus, ever the professional, takes over. "We''ll check in with Vanessa every ten minutes. Standard procedure."
I turn to Vanessa, holding up my wrist.
"Let''s sync our watches. We can''t afford any miscommunication."
With our watches synchronized, allowing us to contact each other directly, and the plan set, I take a steadying breath. The dark, cloud-like presence I sensed earlier is a little closer now. It''s moving at a sluggish rate, but I don''t know if it will stay that way.
"Alright," I say, squaring my shoulders. "Let''s move out."
I can only approximate its location through Ava''s senses, Selene retorts sourly.
Selene''s irritation seems disproportionate to Grimoire''s words, but maybe she''s just embarrassed. "What''s the purpose of this thing?" I ask.
Grimoire''s turns and bounds through the snow until he makes it to my feet, winding around my ankle in a coquettish gesture. He''s learned that his fox form gets him a lot more affection than his human one, even when he''s a child.
It feels like a taint. Not malicious magic sent with purpose, but more of an aftereffect. Like someone performed larger magic without acknowledging its consequences.
"Larger magic—like what?"
I don''t know. You can''t reverse-engineer magic from a taint.
Rubbing my hands together, I squint at the invisible presence. "What does it do?"
Those who touch it will act differently. More aggressive. Violent. Irritable, too.
Are you saying I''m irritable? Selene snaps.
Grimoire turns his face up to mine, his fox eyes somehow managing to look exasperated as he narrows them against the sun. See?
None of that sounds good. "Marcus, Greg," I call out, "step back even further." As they comply, I retreat as well, putting more distance between us and the dark energy, even as it oozes a little closer to me.
Grimoire rubs his cheek against my knee. This is as good a time as any to learn to purify.
"Purify? You mean, get rid of this... taint?"
He nods, sitting back on his haunches. Exactly. It''s a crucial skill for any magic user, especially one as powerful as you.
I keep my face absolutely neutral, but can''t help the vague thought in my head that purification sounds more like a religious thing. Maybe something a nun would do. Or a priest. Someone wearing black and white, anyway.
No. Why would it be religious? Magic is magic.
God. Sometimes I forget they can read my thoughts.
"Okay. What do I need to do?"
Grimoire''s fox form finally unwinds from my ankle as he walks a few paces away. Then he sits primly in the snow, his tail curled around his paws. Purification isn''t quite as gentle as it sounds, he begins, and I feel a knot form in my stomach.