Chapter 39: Realms

Realms; Hinkik, A Himitsu

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Every so often, the whispering got a little louder. Ezio mostly tried to ignore it, because focusing on it wouldn’t get him anywhere, to be sure. All thinking about it was doing was making him paranoid.

He stood in the kitchen, watching the teapot do its thing, listening to the sound of the birds chirping, the voices from downstairs, car horns honking in the distance.

Ezio hadn’t been very fond of the city, when he’d first come here, but it had grown on him over time. Now, he imagined living anywhere else would prove to be too quiet for him.

It’d probably also be too easy to breathe in. It wasn’t difficult in the city, not by any means. The air was just different here, and he imagined it wouldn’t be much like that anywhere else.

As strange a thought as it was, he wouldn’t feel very comfortable in his hometown of Mortain. He and Morgyn had never gone back. Some part of him regretted that, because the region was beautiful, and Ezio would like to see it again someday.

All the same, there were some things that were better left buried and forgotten. But he’d never been able to forget Mortain, anyway.

The teapot began to gurgle slightly, and then a melodic tone interrupted the vague peace in the apartment. If Ezio listened, he could hear Drake typing in the other room, but it was soft and quiet. The tune sounded like his phone, and it sounded specifically like Cassandra’s tune. He picked the phone up, glancing at the screen, and then swiped it and held it up.

“Morning,” he said.

“Oh,” Cassandra answered. “I… I wasn’t expecting you to answer. I’ve been getting your voicemail anymore.”

“Yeah,” Ezio said, “sorry about that, I had something going on.” He had a feeling telling her he’d been unconscious for several days wouldn’t go down very well. “Um, what’s up though?”

“Nothing,” she said. “Or, nothing important I guess. I just wanted to hear your voice.”

Ezio blinked, and he wouldn’t admit to it later, but the tips of his ears might’ve turned a little pink. It took him a moment, but he drew a breath in. “Well, um, where are you?” he asked.

“At home, staring at the ceiling,” Cassandra answered. “You know what would be cool?”

“What?” he asked.

“If I painted my ceiling black and then splattered glow in the dark paint on it, to make stars,” she said.

“You know what would be cooler?” he asked.

“What?”

“Mixing the glow in the dark paint and sponge painting nebulas and clouds up there,” he said. “You could do an entire sky up there that turns into a starscape at night.”

Cassandra was quiet for a moment, and then she breathed out. “You are a genius,” she said.

Ezio laughed softly. “Yeah, so I’ve heard,” he said. “I’m not doing anything today. Want to go somewhere?” He hadn’t seen her in a while, and besides, he’d been unconscious for a few days. He didn’t want her thinking he suddenly didn’t like her or something. Life was just complicated, that was all, and the whispering in his head was threatening to further complicate things.

“Absolutely!” she answered, almost immediately. “I mean. Um. Sure. I’m not really busy either. Did you have somewhere in mind?”

Ezio snorted. “Not really,” he said. “Do you?”

“I’m not picky,” she answered. “Well, there are a couple cafes in Windenburg I’ve wanted to try out. It’s a bit of a drive though, so I understand if you don’t want to go that far.”

“Oh honey, I don’t drive anyway,” Ezio said.

“You don’t?” Cassandra asked.

Ezio debated for a moment, and then reached over and turned the teapot off. “Look out towards the front of your house,” he said.

“Okay?” She sounded confused, but Ezio could hear her shuffling around and the sound of footsteps on wood. Then some metallic clanking and the sound of metal rings sliding against a metal tube. Curtains being pulled back, of course. “It looks the same as it always does,” she said.

Ezio pooled his magic, and then disappeared. The phone unleashed the sound of static for a moment, and then it went away, and Ezio looked up toward the upper floors of the Goth manor.

“… whoa,” Cassandra said.

“Windenburg won’t be a problem,” Ezio said.

“Wait, is that how you just show up out of nowhere?” she asked.

“Yeah, sometimes,” he said. “I don’t even have a car.”

Cassandra giggled. “And here I thought we walked everywhere because you were just being romantic.”

“I was being romantic if you want me to have been being romantic,” Ezio said.

“Okay,” Cassandra said. “You were being romantic then. I’ll be down in a minute.”

The line went silent. Ezio turned his phone off, glanced up at the manor one more time, and then shuffled off to sit on a swing set not far away. And he wondered, how long it would be, before this went terribly wrong, too.

He supposed that wasn’t a very good way of thinking about it, but everyone he’d dated before eventually decided he was too much for them. She would, too.

That was why he hadn’t told her, yet. She didn’t know about his heart condition, even though Ezio knew that he couldn’t hide it, not forever. He’d damned well try, if it meant she stayed just a little longer.

He used to wonder what was so wrong with him that no one would stay. He’d stopped wondering after a point.

Ezio wasn’t there very long, watching the clouds go by, swinging just slightly, before Cassandra scurried across the street and wandered over to him. She wasn’t wearing purple this time, but he still almost forgot how to breathe as he looked up at her.

She smiled at him. He stood up.

“Shall we?” he asked, holding his hand out.

She took his hand, and they walked down the street together that way. Ezio waited until they’d made it around a corner, paused, glancing around, and then pulled Cassandra against him and cast transportalate.

Cassandra let out a surprised squeak sound, and then they were behind the library in Windenburg.

“You might feel a little queasy, for a few minutes,” he said, gently tugging her towards the cafe he knew was over here.

“I feel okay,” she said.

Ezio snorted. Well, with as much blood from the five families as she had, it might’ve been more surprising if she didn’t.

“You know, I’m surprised you’re still talking to me,” she said, as they walked.

“Why?” he asked.

Cassie shrugged. “I’m a little weird and stuff,” she said. “A lot of people eventually decide it’s too much to deal with and I can’t really blame them for it.”

That sounded eerily familiar. “I’m pretty weird, too,” he said. “It’d be stupid to decide you’re too much when I am too.”

“I don’t think you are,” she said.

Not yet, she didn’t. She’d change her mind. Everyone always did.

They went quiet. Ezio wordlessly opened the door for her, holding it and letting her hand go. She looked surprised, but went in without him, and he followed behind. Cassandra almost immediately reclaimed his hand, as they stood there looking the menu board over.

“Get anything you want,” he said.

“If you’re sure…” she said.

“I am.” Ezio wasn’t very good at making other people happy, but he tried with her, at least.

“Does this mean we’re dating?” she asked, looking up at him.

That was a weird thing to ask, but then, he supposed it wasn’t. What were they, exactly? Ezio smiled a little, and nodded. “Yeah, I think it does,” he said. “If you want it to.”

“I’d like that,” she said.

“I should… probably tell you about Drake then,” he said.

“Drake?” she asked, tilting her head.

Ezio was quiet for a moment, thinking about it. “He’s… my best friend, first of all. I owe him a lot. We live together, because he decided to follow me to San Myshuno. It’s probably for the best, but, anyway. Morgyn thinks he’s in love with me, and I’m in love with him, and… Morgyn’s probably not wrong.”

Cassandra blinked, watching him for a moment, chewing her bottom lip.

“It doesn’t really mean anything,” he said. “We’ve had years to tell each other it just never comes up and-“

Cassandra wordlessly reached up and rested a finger on his lips. Ezio went silent.

“I’m not upset,” she said. “Kind of sad, for you. I guess that’s one of the things about you I may never understand, and I don’t have to, that’s between you and Drake. Thank you, for being honest with me. I’d like to meet him.”

Ezio blinked. “What? You really are strange, you know that?”

Cassandra giggled. “I know,” she said. “But I want to meet him. Someone that means that much to you, of course I do. We should at least try to be friends, I should think.”

Ezio thought about it, for a moment, and then nodded. “Okay,” he said. “After this?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

No one he’d ever dated had any interest in Drake, until her.

* * *

“This is a really tall building,” Cassandra said, looking up at the brownstone building Ezio and Drake lived in.

Ezio had to admit, it wasn’t very impressive on the outside. Heck, it wasn’t very impressive on the inside, either, but he did love it. Someday, he wanted to move to Uptown, because he thought the views would be great up there.

Sometimes, Ezio would go up there and try to paint it. It never came out right, but he had a handful of attempts. Maybe someday he’d just get a camera.

“Not really,” Ezio said. “There are taller ones in Uptown, big glass and steel buildings, nice looking if you’re into modernity I guess.” Ezio had a love-hate relationship with it, really.

She still hadn’t let his hand go. It was like she wanted to be close to him, wanted to be in contact with him, and it was a weird feeling at the same time as it was nice, too.

As they stepped out of the elevator, Ezio nodded at one of the doors across the hall. “That’s where the Vatores live,” he said. “Lilith and Caleb. We’ve been friends for years, and Caleb is Morgyn’s boyfriend finally. Lilith and I are good friends. I haven’t seen her in a while, wonder how she’s doing…” It’d been awfully quiet over there, really. He decided not to think about it right now.

Instead, he got the front door open, and meandered in. “Drake?” he called. “Have a seat wherever.”

“Thanks,” Cassandra said, shuffling in and looking around. If she was unimpressed by it, Ezio couldn’t tell. As she wandered into the living room, now sans a coffee table, Ezio tapped on the office door and then peeked in.

“Drake?” he called, a little louder.

Drake raised a hand a pulled an earbud out. “Sorry, yeah?”

“Um, Cassandra’s by, and she’d like to meet you,” he said.

“Your girlfriend Cassandra?” Drake asked, looking surprised.

“She’s not-I mean we’re not-“

Drake just raised an eyebrow.

“… that Cassandra, yes,” Ezio said, and then went into the kitchen. He wasn’t going to think about this right now, that was what he wasn’t going to do.

Of course, dating implied they were dating, and boyfriend-girlfriend status sort of went hand in hand with that, and they’d just established they were dating… modern relationships were complicated and he hated thinking about them.

“Do you want anything?” he asked, looking at Cassandra. She’d settled down on the couch. “We’ve got milk, lemonade, and orange juice.”

“Lemonade sounds nice, if it’s not too much trouble,” she said.

“I like mine really bitter,” Ezio said, “so you may have to add some sugar to it.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she said.

Well, if she liked her lemonade as bitter as he did, that solved a few problems, didn’t it? As he shuffled around in the kitchen making up some glasses of lemonade, Drake shuffled out of the office, closing the door gently, and then headed over to the couch.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, holding his hand out. “I’m Drake.”

“Cassandra,” she answered, smiling. “Wow, your eyes are really striking.”

“He’s a vampire,” Ezio said.

Cassandra blinked, glancing at him, and then looked back at Drake. “A vampire? Like a blood-drinking vampire?”

“Uhh…” Drake looked a bit out of his element.

“Oh come on, she’ll have to figure it out eventually,” Ezio said, wandering over and handing her a glass of lemonade. “Drake doesn’t like drinking from people.”

“What else is there to drink from?” Cassandra asked, taking the glass.

“There’s a weird tree that makes fruit that works a lot like plasma, don’t ask me why, I don’t know,” Ezio explained, sitting down. “Usually that.”

“Oh,” Cassandra said. “So vampires are real, and blood trees are a thing. Do you have fangs?” She peered up at him.

Drake looked amused, and then smiled for her, revealing his fangs.

“Oh.”

“Not all vampires do, though,” he said, sitting down on Ezio’s other side.

“The Vatores are vampires, too,” Ezio mentioned. “You’ll probably meet them eventually.”

Just as he said that, the door opened, and Morgyn meandered in. “Hey, how’s-uh hi,” Morgyn said. Just behind the blond, Caleb wandered in with a pot of whatever was on today’s menu.

“Oh, visitors, hey,” Caleb said, shuffling into the kitchen.

“You must be Morgyn,” Cassandra said, looking at the blond. “Nice to meet you finally.”

“Uh, nice to meet you too, sorry, who are you?” Morgyn asked.

“This is Cassandra,” Ezio said. “My um…” he glanced at her, not sure what to call her.

“His girlfriend,” she said.

Oh, okay, that worked. Drake looked at him weirdly triumphantly and Ezio just gave him a look.

“I’m sorry his what? Never mind, right, could you… could you excuse us,” Morgyn said, reaching around her and grabbing Ezio’s hand, pulling him up.

“Wait, hey,” Ezio protested, setting his glass of lemonade on the floor and following the blond to the bedroom. Morgyn closed the door behind them.

“What girlfriend, what?” Morgyn asked. “I didn’t even know you were in a position to be getting a girlfriend, you haven’t dated since the eighties, what is this!”

Ezio looked amused. “Wow,” he said. “Calm down a little. You missed a few things, that’s all.”

“I mean clearly,” Morgyn said. “What about… is… I mean is Drake…?”

Ezio shook his head. “We haven’t really talked about it,” he said.

“You should,” Morgyn argued. “I mean Drake really loves you.”

“He did back then, too, and it worked out,” Ezio said.

“I guess,” Morgyn replied. “You seem to be able to think better today.”

“Yeah,” Ezio said, and then smiled slightly. “She makes it easier to think.” Then, Ezio turned around, opened the door, and went back out. Caleb had settled down at the dining room table, and Drake was saying they had a cat once.

“Mayor Whiskers,” Ezio said, settling back down. “He hasn’t been back in a while.”

“Is he lost?” Cassandra asked.

“Nah,” Ezio said. “He’s in Granite Falls.” Now what, exactly, was in Granite Falls, Ezio had no idea, but he’d sent the cat after Keisha. Maybe Keisha was in Granite Falls.

* * *

Cassandra and Drake got along better than Ezio had dared to hope, but here they were, laughing at each other’s jokes and genuinely enjoying each others’ company. Ezio found that he enjoyed that particular outcome, and couldn’t stop smiling.

“Oh, he used to blow up potions all the time,” Drake said.

Yes, Ezio was enjoying the conversation, even if they were talking about his varying magical mishaps.

“What happens when you do that?” Cassandra asked.

“Usually,” Ezio said, “you crash into something. I hit the wall a lot. Oh, one time, I had one blow up in my face and then it threw me off the second-floor balcony.”

“Did you break anything?” Cassandra asked.

“Yup,” Ezio said. “Shattered my wrist and my forearm. I don’t recommend doing that, it hurts a good deal.”

Cassandra looked thoughtful, and then asked, “You fixed it though, right? With magic?”

Ezio glanced at Drake. Drake shook his head.

“Magic doesn’t heal,” he said. “Well, it probably does, it’s just that no one’s figured out how to make it do it.”

“That’s odd, you’d think that’d be one of the first things magic users would figure out,” Cassandra said.

“I learnt a few years ago,” Ezio said, “how to heal minor cuts and abrasions, but, nothing really substantial.” And he had been trying. Morgyn had, too.

“I want to learn how to do that,” Cassandra said. “Whenever my magic comes. I don’t think magic really has a purpose, if it can’t heal and save lives.”

Ezio smiled slightly. That was a strange mindset to have, but then, he could see why she’d have it all the same.

“Well, first I guess I need to worry about moving out,” Cassandra said, laughing slightly.

“You’re moving?” Ezio asked.

“Not yet,” she said. “I want to, but my parents aren’t thrilled with me moving out on my own. Not sure why. I mean, at least I sleep at night, instead of trying to live on naps like Alexander does. My little brother. He’s allergic to sleeping.”

Ezio snorted. “I don’t think you can be allergic to that.”

“Well, if you can, he is,” Cassandra decided.

Ezio glanced at Drake.

Drake glanced at Ezio. And then drew in a breath. “You know, if you want to move here, I don’t think that’d be a problem.”

“What?” Cassandra asked. “I mean I’d like to it’s just, are you sure you have the room?”

Ezio shrugged. “It’d be some renovating, I think, but we can make it work,” he said. “Drake doesn’t really need a whole room to himself.”

“I could move out,” Drake said.

“What, no,” Ezio said.

“Definitely not,” Cassandra agreed. “I have a couple hundred thousand saved up, if that’d help. Maybe we could move somewhere bigger.”

“Uh, maybe,” with that much, yeah. “Did you have somewhere in mind?” he asked, and then raised his lemonade glass to his lips.

“I was thinking Spire,” Cassandra said.

And Ezio spat lemonade towards the television.

Drake laughed.

“Did I say something?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

“Fine!” Ezio said, and then waved a hand and cast Scruberoo. “Just fine, I’m fine. Wow. I was not expecting that, though. I don’t think I make enough for that.”

“It’s only seven thousand a week,” she said.

Only!

“I make that much,” Drake said. “With royalties.”

“If you’re really concerned, we’d probably have enough space for Morgyn to move in, too. And the Vatores, if you want,” Cassandra said. “And that’d be a bit more income padding if something goes wrong. The gallery is starting to buy my paintings from me. And Drake has royalties, I think it’d be fine.”

Ezio still looked a bit unconvinced, glancing between the two. “I guess we can talk about it,” he decided.

“You’ll love Uptown,” she said. “It’s got the most gorgeous views of the bay at night, and the city lights, you can see everything in San Myshuno. And, it’s not far from the Myshuno Meadows park, it’s beautiful at night, a lot of celebrities have gotten married there.”

“I’ve heard some great things about the skyline in Uptown,” Drake said. “I’ve wanted to go up there for a while, but never had the nerve.”

“You’d love it I think,” Cassandra said. “Most people that go up there do, really. There’s a gym up there too, and food stalls, so it’s not too far from amenities.”

“Might be pretty nice,” Drake said. “Lilith would love living close to a gym, I think. She’s an exercise nut. Not really a health nut, just an exercise nut.”

“One of those people that can’t hold still?” Cassandra asked.

Drake nodded. “Just the type,” he said. “Funny enough, she’s in Britechester for writing. Ezio’s in Britechester too, he wants to be a lawyer. I think this is his last semester though, isn’t it Ezio?”

Cassandra looked over at him. Drake did, too. Ezio had slid down in his seat, and fallen asleep on Cassandra’s shoulder.

“Oh, well,” Cassandra said. “That works.”

“He’s asleep,” Drake said, quiet.

“Yes?”

“No, you don’t understand,” Drake said. “Ezio hasn’t been able to sleep and stay that way for weeks now. He’s been having a long, persistent streak of nightmares, but he doesn’t seem bothered at all right now.”

Cassandra looked concerned, reaching up and petting Ezio’s hair. “Do you think he’ll wake up?”

“I don’t know,” Drake said. “We’ll leave him there. Whatever you did, he’s definitely asleep now. If he doesn’t wake up screaming, you’re a miracle worker.”

* * *

The birds weren’t even chirping, and his hip kind of hurt, but Ezio stretched out on the couch. Something was in his hand, he noticed, and he opened one eye, then the other, and glanced at it.

A necklace he remembered Cassandra wearing a few times was in his hand, and glancing down at himself, he realised he hadn’t changed clothes the night before. That was odd. Then, he didn’t remember Cassandra ever leaving.

He sat up, probably looking a bit confused, and glanced at the kitchen. Drake was in there making tea.

“What happened?” Ezio asked.

Drake looked over his shoulder at him. “You fell asleep on Cassandra,” Drake said. “She stayed as long as she could, but she had to go home. She did leave that.” Drake gestured at the necklace in Ezio’s hand. “If she tried to let you go, you started getting fussy. Leaving that with you was the only way you didn’t.”

Ezio glanced down at the necklace in his hand, and looked even more confused.

“I don’t know what she did,” Drake went on, “but she made your nightmares go away. Even just for this one night.”

It felt like magic. The necklace in his hand felt like magic, but Cassandra shouldn’t be able to do magic. Hers was still bound, and if he was any good at recognising someone else’s magic, he thought it was bound by Bella. Then again, Cassandra’s blood itself was magic, there was so much of it in it. It was entirely possible she’d done it on accident, as a side-effect of existing.

“She’s a Goth,” Ezio said. “Cassandra Goth. Mortimer and Bella’s eldest.”

Drake turned around again, to stare at him. “A Goth,” he repeated.

“Don’t tell anyone,” Ezio said. “Not even Morgyn.”

“Morgyn will find out eventually,” Drake said.

“Yes,” Ezio answered, sitting up the rest of the way. “But it won’t be from me.”

Drake released a breath. “Well, that does explain how she can fight your nightmares off. We don’t think your nightmares are really nightmares.”

Ezio snorted. “Yeah?” he asked.

“I still think there’s a malicious ghost hanging around that doesn’t like you,” Drake said, shrugging.

No, it was a bit bigger than that, Ezio thought. Ghost activity was higher than normal, he’d figured that much out, but he didn’t know why, and it didn’t seem all that related. He wouldn’t know, he guessed.

“How long was I out?” Ezio asked.

“It’s one in the morning,” Drake answered.

Ezio cursed. “I’m going to regret that later.” He did have to admit, being awake at one in the morning for a different reason for once, was kind of nice. Idly, Ezio slipped Cassandra’s necklace over his head. It felt safe to him, and he liked the feeling.

Then, Ezio stood up, and headed to the door.

“Where are you going?” Drake asked.

“Over to the Vatores’,” Ezio said. “To talk about moving in together.”

Drake sighed, and followed him out the door.

Ezio tapped lightly on the apartment door across the hall. It took a moment, but the door opened and Caleb looked confused, and then concerned.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked.

“Just fine,” Ezio said. “Do you got a minute?”

“Yeah, sure,” he said, and then moved out of the way.

Morgyn looked up from the couch. “It’s one in the morning,” Morgyn said.

“I just woke up, actually,” Ezio said, settling down in a chair. “Cassandra left a bit ago, and uh, she brought up something interesting I thought we should talk about.”

“What’s that?” Caleb asked.

“She wants to move us to Spire,” Ezio said.

“Wait, Spire?” Morgyn asked. “Like, Uptown Spire?”

Ezio nodded. “That’s the one.”

“Wow, that’s quite an upgrade,” Morgyn said. “Congratulations.”

“No,” Ezio said. “All of us. Drake and I, and you and the Vatores. All of us.”

Morgyn blinked.

“Wait, why us?” Caleb asked.

Lilith snorted from the corner. “Morgyn, you dipstick,” she said.

Morgyn giggled.

Caleb turned an interesting shade of pink. “Wow, never figured we’d move up there.”

“Given long enough, we could’ve afforded it,” Morgyn said.

“Yeah, I guess so. Hard to imagine,” Caleb said.

Ezio stood up, shuffling over to Lilith and sitting beside her. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

“No,” Lilith answered. “But I’m getting there.”

Ezio drew a breath in, and then reached over and took her hand in his. “Yeah, me too.”

* * *

A loud shriek tore through the silence, and the raven-haired woman grabbed the table by its side and flipped it. She then released a loud huff of annoyance, and fell heavily into a chair.

The other woman, seated across the room and filing her nails, loosed a snort. “Having problems over there?” she asked.

Aine glared at Miss Hell through her lashes, and released a loud breath. “He’s always been a thorn in my side,” she said. “Trust him to figure out how to block me out. Well, even that takes effort and sooner or later he will wear down, his defences will crumble and I will have my day.”

Ezio thought he was so smart, breaking her connection like that. It was mere static, minor interference, and it wouldn’t stop her for long.

How exactly he always seemed to be one step ahead of her, that Aine had no idea about, and presently, no theories. It was always like this, even back when she was still the sage of untamed magic,  he seemed to know what she was doing before she did.

The prophecy was always at the back of her mind. Keisha had told it, and then forgotten it immediately after, as Keisha was prone to doing, and Aine hadn’t thought about it too much, at first. But over time, the paranoia had grown. Some part of Aine thought that Keisha had planted the seeds on purpose, and it would serve her better to ignore the woman’s words.

But Keisha had been right about every other thing she’d told a prophecy about. It stood to reason that she’d be right about this, too.

Morgyn may think herself a boy, but she simply wasn’t. If the prophecy was about anyone, it would likely be Ezio. Ezio always was the more threatening of the two, at least, to Aine.

But Ezio was proving very difficult to kill. Too difficult.

Aine almost wondered if he was the All’s tool now. To punish her for escaping the fate that had befallen every other untamed sage before her. Morgyn would get the brunt of it, no doubt. Aine had escaped it, and the consequences of that choice would fall to Morgyn.

Funny enough, Aine didn’t care much.

Then again, maybe instead of trying to destroy Ezio, Aine should be attempting to use him. He could be a very useful pawn, if she figured out how to do it. Of course, there was that particularly strong desire to protect Morgyn; Aine could theoretically use it to her advantage…

“If you say so,” Miss Hell murmured. “I need help with the Vatore.”

Aine glanced over at her. “So kill her,” Aine said, reaching over and pulling things off the shelf and throwing them into the cauldron. “Isn’t that what you want to do, anyway?”

Miss Hell sighed. “Yes,” she said. “But I don’t think I can. She’s gotten stronger since the last time I fought her.”

Of course. And now Miss Hell wanted a shortcut, as everyone always did. “What do you want me to do about it?” she asked.

Miss Hell shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “I figured you might have a magic something or another that could help.”

Not really. But Aine supposed she could help. She glanced down at the cauldron. The overload potion had given the Embers quite a bit of trouble. If she tweaked it a little bit, she could theoretically overload a vampire with their own psychic abilities, it wouldn’t even take much tweaking, she didn’t think.

“Fine,” she said. “I can help. It won’t last forever, most likely, and Lilith could eventually learn to overcome it.”

Miss Hell smiled. “That’s fine,” she said. “I just need her disabled long enough for me to end her.”

Aine wondered if Miss Hell realised that once they got control of the power nexus under Straud manor, she was utterly useless to her, and, perhaps, would even be in her way…? No matter.

Aine was getting good at pretending to be friends with someone long enough to get what she wanted.

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