last two times we had it, you drank it,” I said.
“Even in the dungeon?”
I shuddered at the thought of the grisly cell which the mermaid king kept Matt in for weeks. I hoped never to experience that horror again. “You don’t remember, but Vane poured it down your throat.”
Matt stared at the empty snake. “Since Vane holds my power, only he could drink it.”
“Now no one can,” I said, waiting to be chastised. It didn’t come. Matt’s lips curled down, his expression seemingly equal parts anger and desolation. It was much worse than any reprimand. My hand reached out to touch him, but I dropped it halfway. “What do we do next?”
Matt sighed. “We fix this mess.”
Your mess. I heard the sentiment in his tone even though I could no longer hear his thoughts. Would I ever do anything right in his eyes? I wished I didn’t care. Despair jackknifed through my already lowered spirits, and I tried not to let it turn into resentment. It took real effort to stick out my chin. “What brilliant plan do you have up your sleeve?”
“Nothing brilliant,” Matt said with a faraway look. “I intended to find the Healing Cup all along.”
“The Healing Cup? Do you think it really exists?” Grey asked, his voice hopeful. We thought we’d found the precious item once already.
Matt nodded. “Lelex told us the Fisher King came to him. There is no way he could have survived the wound Vane gave him without it. I absolutely believe it exists.”
“Rourke doesn’t have much time left,” said Grey. “We could spend forever trying to figure out where it is.”
My eyes narrowed on Matt. “You think you know where it is, don’t you?”
Matt inclined his head.
“But you’re not going to tell us,” I added.
His expression hardening, he took the now empty metal snake from my hand. “I’ve found that things work out better that way.”
Gia came down the courtyard steps, her long red hair shrouding her face. “Right, Merlin. Nice try. So, where is it?”
“We’ve been over this before,” I said. “This concerns all of us. I’m the sword-bearer—”
“Who no longer has a sword,” he pointed out.
“And you no longer have any magic,” I retorted before I could stop myself.
Matt’s expression froze, closing us all out. Light dimmed above us as night closed down on the sky. Movement sounded from inside the house, and the wizards streamed indoors. I watched the throng of people, their mournful faces as they leaned on one another. Under the expansive sky, however, Matt and I stood alone. Apart.
Emptiness made my stomach hollow. I tried again. “Matt—”
“As you pointed out, I’m sure I will learn to make do without magic.” Turning on his heel, he started walking away. “It has been a long day. I suggest you get some rest. You have a flight early tomorrow. The cars are leaving at first light.”
In a few short strides, he crossed the courtyard and went into the house, while the rest of us could only stare after him.
“I really want to know where we’re going,” Grey muttered.
“I’m pretty sure Marilynn made the arrangements for him,” Gia said.
She and I both winced at the same time. Marilynn did not like either one of us and she worshipped Matt. We wouldn’t get any help from her. For a brief second, I met Gia’s gaze and her demeanor thawed. It was fleeting, and a stony mask fell over her face, shutting me out.
Grey snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it. He doesn’t have any magic. Gia can spell him to tell us—”
“Can you spell the greatest wizard in the world?” she murmured.
I let out a small bark of laughter, edged only slightly with hysteria. “You can today.”
***
“I’m going back inside,” I said, one hour later.
Grey nodded.
Moonlight shone down on the dark house. The power was out. A nightly occurrence in this part of India we were told. The sky still grumbled and rumbled, trying to make up its mind about the storm. In the bubble of momentary peace, we sat out on the front lawn, alongside other wizards. They built a small bonfire in a pit at the front of the house and sat around it, trading stories. Grey, Gia, the gargoyles, and I sat with them.
Sitting on a log beside Grey, Gia continued to stare into the golden flames of the fire blazing before us. In the mystery of the night, in a certain slant of the firelight, I could almost see Blake’s ghost, a shadowy form, sitting on Gia’s other