Binding the Shadows (Arcadia Bell) - By Jenn Bennett Page 0,49
unreachable. I hated that Yvonne had that effect on him. I desperately wanted to talk to him in private, but when we got home, Lon asked the Holidays to take Foxglove out back with Jupe. Once he was out of earshot, we stood on the front walkway with the Giovannis.
“How did you do it, Rose?” Lon asked.
“Do what?”
Lon’s eyes narrowed. “You know damn well what I mean. Resist her knack. How did you do it?”
Rose pushed her glasses up. If I had to guess, I’d say she was almost embarrassed. “Oh, all right.” She sighed theatrically, then reached inside her purse and pulled out an object that fit in her palm. It was metal. It glowed softly with Heka.
“A charm?” I said.
Rose was embarrassed. “Just a little one.”
“Mama!” Adella said, peering into her hand. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugged. “I bought it from a magick shop in Portland. The woman who owns it is a witch, and she said she bought it from an estate sale. She wasn’t sure if it would work. But I had it on me last time I saw Yvonne and it worked . . . well, like a charm.”
“Can I see it?” I asked
She handed it to me. “It” was a silver signet ring, the band almost worn through in the back. The front was a flat hammered circle with a magical sigil engraved in the middle. “This is a variation of Solomon’s Seal.”
Lon squinted at it as I turned it in my fingers. “I’ll be damned. I think you’re right.”
“And just what does that mean?” Adella asked.
“King Solomon supposedly had a ring that allowed him to control demons and talk to animals. Whoever made this seems to have adapted it for use on Earthbounds.”
“That’s why I couldn’t hear your emotions when Yvonne showed up,” Lon said.
“When I saw her walk onto the patio, I grabbed the ring from my purse. It only works if it’s touching your skin. That’s what the witch told me, anyway.”
Lon was astonished. “Damn, Rose. Do you know how many hours I’ve spent thumbing through old grimoires trying to find something that would do this?”
“Believe me, I wish I’d had it years ago. More than that, I wish I knew someone who could just get rid of her knack once and for all.” She slid a sly glance my way. “Do I know someone who could?”
“Me? Christ, I don’t know. I’ve never seen a spell that could do that. Plus she’s got—” I gave Lon a questioning look. He told me that, like the Holidays, they knew about the transmutation spell. Yvonne was fond of showing off, apparently.
“She’s got magick in her already,” Lon finished for me.
Magick I never wanted to experience. Her regular knack was powerful enough.
“That would have to be reversed first, I think, and . . .” My words trailed off as I thought about it. Could I? If I could slow time, then maybe I could do this, too. But so much could go wrong. It was like performing a surgery you’ve never done before. Or that’s what I imagined, anyway. Besides, there was no way Yvonne would ever agree to such a thing, so what was the point of thinking about it?
“Just a thought,” Rose said.
I handed the ring back.
“What I’m dying to know is what you heard,” Adella said to Lon. “Spill it. Was she lying about any of it?”
Lon glanced around at all of us. My nerves were jumping, buzzing with dread.
“She was sincere.”
Godammit. I knew it was selfish, but my heart still dropped.
Lon’s fingers grazed the back of my neck. “Being sincere in a moment doesn’t mean lasting change.”
“He’s right about that,” Adella murmured.
Rose sighed. “I’m going to the hotel to talk to her.”
“Mama—”
“I want to know what her plan is. I’m not going to let her spoil Christmas for Jupe.”
“I thought you expected me do that,” I joked lamely. A second after it was out of my mouth, I wondered if it was too soon. But she waved her hand dismissively, almost as if she was embarrassed.
Adella hoisted her purse higher up on her shoulder. “Here’s the difference. If Yvonne shows up for Christmas, there’s a good chance she’ll put everyone in a foul mood. And apparently the only way you could do that is by not showing up, because all Jupe did today was whine that you weren’t with us.”
Ah, crap. I was getting verklempt again. It was like some sort of sensitive housewife had taken over my body