Page 46 of The Demon's Spell
I definitely needed more practice.
After dialysis, I met up with Chloe at the Gravestone. We’d agreed to start learning transference together. By charging crystals with our magic, we’d have magical reservoirs to draw from when we were affected by the Waning. Chloe had arranged all kinds of crystals on the meeting table, and she clutched a red stone.
It was strange being alone with her. We hadn’t been alone since the night in Pinewood Manor, when we’d broken our family curse.
Marley was on the table, batting at a crystal that teetered on the edge. Isa jumped onto the table and pounced on the crystal, knocking it onto the floor. The two cats went chasing after it, pawing at it under the table.
I glanced at Chloe’s pile of crystals. “How’s it going?”
She sighed. “I haven’t mastered transference, if that’s what you’re asking.”
I set my water bottle on the table and sat down beside her. I sipped on my water to help with my dry mouth, which was another side effect of dialysis. “Maybe I can help.”
Chloe hesitated, like she too felt the tension between us. “We might as well try.”
I held one hand out to her and took a crystal in the other. “I should be able to act as a conduit and move your magic into this crystal.”
Chloe placed her hand in mine, and though I wanted to yank away from her, I held on. I reached out my magic and searched for hers, but I couldn’t find it. It was like it was secured behind a brick wall.
“This is different from the magic I’ve worked with before,” I said thoughtfully.
“How?” Chloe asked, sounding intrigued.
“I’ve transformed the magic of curses, and I’ve pulled magic out of crystals, but yours is resisting me.”
“That makes sense,” Chloe said. “If the Curse Breaker Cast could take magic from anyone at any time, they’d have taken over the coven ages ago.”
“I’d have to overpower you,” I theorized. “And I’d have to be exceptionally talented to overpower another witch, let alone any other supernatural.”
“So this won’t work?” Chloe asked.
“I think it will,” I said. “But we have to work together. You have to willingly give me your power.”
“I can try.”
I tilted my head. “Just like that? You really trust me?”
“I have to,” she stated simply. “My only other choice is to trust the priestesses. I may not like it, but you’re a better choice than them any day.”
I offered a kind smile. “Okay, let’s see what happens.”
I drew a deep breath and relaxed my shoulders. I reached out with my magic again, and something powerful brushed up against it. I felt a surge of energy, then tingles like pinpricks all over my skin. I tugged on Chloe’s Mentalist powers, and I was shocked by how smoothly the magic moved through me. Energy flowed up one arm and down the other, pooling into the crystal in my hand. The crystal began to glow a slight red, and Chloe gasped.
“I can feel it!” she said. “It’s like casting a spell. I feel my energy leaving me. But it’s calm, too—flowing peacefully.”
I continued funneling magic into the crystal, until I couldn’t push any longer. When the crystal was charged, I severed the connection between Chloe and me. I dropped her hand and lifted the crystal proudly.
Chloe smiled. “Wow! That was so easy. I can’t believe… well, I honestly can’t believe we work together so well.”
I smirked. “We did break our family curse together. This should be a piece of cake.”
“Yeah, but we were so desperate then.” Chloe took the crystal from me and placed it in a black bag.
I eyed her curiously. She seemed so different from the girl I’d met when I first came to Octavia Falls. “Chloe, can I ask you something?”
“Sure, but I can’t promise I’ll have an answer,” she said, without meeting my gaze.
“What happened that night?” I asked. “It’s like once you got rid of the curse, you became a different person. I don’t get it because I’m still… basically the same.”