This Spell Can't Last by Isabel Sterling

Author:Isabel Sterling [Sterling, Isabel]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf, mobi
ISBN: 9780593327029
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2020-04-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

It takes Tori a solid ten minutes to convince Coral and Lexie to let Veronica and I help. After, it takes another twenty minutes to explain their plan to us. When they’re done, though, I’m still not entirely sure I understand exactly what they’re trying to do.

They want guaranteed protection from the Blood Witch, who has been trying to either kill them or drive them out of the city, depending on which Caster tells the story. I felt so foolish asking for constant clarifications that I eventually stopped. Lexie explained that the first phase of the Casters’ plan is to identify and capture the Blood Witch. After that, she veered into all sorts of technical potion-making talk that I didn’t understand.

And despite all their explanations, I’m still not entirely sure why the two Clans are at each other’s throats. You’d think a city this size would be big enough for both of them.

Apparently, it’s not.

But Veronica wants us to help, so we try. I sketch what little I remember of the Blood Witch’s face, but lips and the tip of a nose aren’t much to go on. Veronica tries to scry for the Blood Witch using a deep bowl filled with water, but she won’t even let me watch. She claims it’s because Lady Ariana made her promise to keep the advanced magic a secret from me, but she doesn’t let the Casters watch either. I wonder if part of her is worried she won’t be able to do it. It hasn’t been that long since she’s learned, and I doubt she’s practiced much yet.

In the end, whether through V’s inexperience with scrying or something the Blood Witch has done to cloak their presence—if that’s even possible—Veronica’s efforts are as useless as mine. The Casters thank us when we leave a little after two A.M., but I can’t help feeling like we’ve accomplished nothing.

When we make it back to the hotel, we ride the elevator in silence.

Silence is a funny thing. It can be warm and comforting, filled with promise and the electricity of knowing the other person loves you beyond words. This is a different kind of silence. It’s heavy with dread and half-started thoughts, ideas killed before they could reach our lips.

I hate this feeling. Hate watching Veronica leave with barely a wave. I know she’s disappointed we couldn’t do more to help the Casters, maybe even embarrassed that the Blood Witch remained hidden from her newbie scrying attempt. It feels like she resents that our lives will be back to normal in less than twenty-four hours. Like she resents me for wanting to put all this behind us and go home, and I don’t know how to fix it.

When I get to my room, Gemma is still asleep. I slip in the door and ease it shut with a quiet snick. My eyes adjust to the dark, and I smile when I can see my best friend. Her blonde hair is mussed, and she sleeps with her mouth hanging open.

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