Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker

Author:Terry J. Benton-Walker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group

PART II

I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it’s for or against.

—MALCOLM X

TWENTY-ONE

CRISTINA

My grandmother might not have killed Alexis Lancaster.

And the Scales of Justice might not have taken Dad.

I have a hunch that the person who might’ve framed Grandma could also be the same person who might’ve murdered Dad for looking into Alexis’s murder.

Dad had used a chunk of his final moments in this realm to pen a letter to Mama, pleading with her to not follow in his path, to let the past alone to keep what remained of our family safe. Mama thinks we should heed Dad’s warning, but I can’t. Whoever’s behind this has done too much—and is still out for blood thirty whole years later.

If my suspicions turn out to be true, it will mean Mama is the rightful Queen of the Generational Magic Council.

And I’m going to prove it.

I scour the details of the letter and autopsy, zooming in on the pics and squinting to make out the finer details and decipher the fairly bad handwriting on the report. By the time I’m on my second coffee, I’ve read so many news articles and blogs that the words blur together on the screen.

As promised, Clem stops by to deliver my pizza and nag me about drinking too much coffee. He also tells me he found Dad’s knife out by the firepit, which is a relief to know it wasn’t stolen for nefarious purposes like my journal. He’s curious about what I’m working on, but I tell him I’ll explain everything once I’ve compiled more information.

I’m thrilled for the distraction of this investigation, so I don’t spend the whole night marinating in grief and anger over my discovery that Oz had been conjuring love spells on me since before we first started dating.

I work until well after the Sun breaks the horizon, spilling hues of bold oranges and reds across the dark sky. It’s not until then that I feel confident with the clues I’ve managed to scrape together, which we’re going to need before we question Justin. After we sic Jean-Louise on him, I doubt he’ll be willing to help anymore. So, we have to make sure we get everything we need the first time.

I also set up a fail-safe in case Clem fumbles convincing Jean-Louise to help us. Clem might be upset with me when he realizes what I’ve done, but there’s no room for error with Mama’s life at stake.

When I finish gathering my notes, I nap for a couple of hours, then drag myself out of bed to shower and dress. Once the initial fatigue wears off, I feel a jolt of excitement about the day.

I’ve carried so much guilt about Dad’s death for so long that I’d gotten used to the weight of it, so much that happiness feels strange. Joyful sparks of electricity zip through my chest whenever I think of the possibility of Mama being Queen someday—of me being Queen someday.

But I can never ascend the throne, not so long as I’ve given up magic.

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