from that now-familiar focal point of power in the region of her chest. Miranda had instructed her to keep her breathing slow and steady while concentrating on her desire to make contact with another world. She said that there were always spirits willing to talk, but that it might take some time.
Donna had no idea how long it took, but the minutes slipped by peacefully until something happened. The smooth surface of the scrying stone was opaque to begin with, but the more she focused the more that changed. She blinked as the inky depths cleared.
A strange-looking girl smiled at her from the mist in the mirror. “Hello,” the girl said.
Donna was so surprised that she just sat there for a minute with her mouth hanging open. She hadn’t known what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t this. And it had happened so easily, too. The others had told her that the first matter made her a seer, but she wasn’t sure she’d believed it. Until now.
The girl’s voice turned mildly petulant. “Are you still there?”
“Yes.” Donna shifted the scrying mirror to a more comfortable position on her lap. “I’m here. What’s your name?”
“Miya. Who are you? Why did you call me?”
Donna licked her lips, glancing nervously at the door. She absolutely couldn’t afford for anyone to come in and mess this up. Interruptions could ruin everything and too much was at stake.
“I’m Paige.” It was the first thing that jumped into her head. Don’t give them your true name, that’s what the book about contacting spirits had said. “I’m looking for something.”
Miya’s face floated closer to the surface of the glass. “Someone called.”
Donna frowned. “I used the scrying mirror. That’s what called you, I think.”
The girl narrowed her eyes. She no longer looked quite so pretty—or benign. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What mirror? What do you want?” It sounded like she didn’t fully understand where they were in relation to one another, or how they were communicating, and there was a hollow quality to her voice that sent shivers up Donna’s spine.
She tried not to think about it. She couldn’t worry about the how of the situation, she just had to use the resource in front of her and figure out whether or not to follow any information she got later.
“I’m sorry if I’ve confused you,” Donna began. She forced a smile. “Do you mind telling me where you are?” The “Instructions on How to Talk to Spirits” came to mind: Always be polite to unknown spirits.
“I’m in the Otherworld,” came the reply.
Of course you are, Donna thought. The demon realm. Hell. She tried to remember to breathe.
Miya pressed against the glassy surface almost eagerly. “Where are you?” she asked.
Give information in return, but not too much. Nothing that could lead a spirit to you later.
“I’m in … Massachusetts.”
“Is that your home?”
Donna only hesitated for a moment. “Yes. It is.”
“Oh.” The girl seemed to think about that for a moment. Donna could tell she wanted to ask more, but perhaps she wasn’t allowed to.
“I need to know something important,” Donna continued. “I’ve been told that only someone very knowledgeable will have this information. You look like you might be the right person for that.”
Use flattery.
Miya visibly preened. Her eyes shone. “I can help you! I know many things.”
Donna bit back a smile. “I need to know what the fifth ingredient for making the Philosopher’s Stone is—the one that is kept secret from all but … those such as yourself.” She didn’t know if she should actually use the word “dead.” Maybe that was an insult.
“Oh,” Miya said, delight practically radiating off her. “You’re an alchemist.”
“Yes.”
“You seem young to be an alchemist.”
“I’m still training,” Donna admitted.
“And yet you’re trying to make the Stone? Already?” Miya’s expression turned sly. “You’re just a girl, like me.”
“That’s true, but why should that mean we can’t seek power?”
Appeal to its desire to be more than it is. Many spirits want to be human. Some used to be human.
Donna pulled herself up straight. Her back was aching and she felt so tired, but she couldn’t stop now. Her eyes felt full of grit and a heavy pounding had started in her temples. Its slow beat seemed to match the pulse of power buried in her chest.
Miya seemed to be considering. She tapped her finger against the glass, and it was almost as though Donna could feel the vibration in her palms. It took her by surprise and she only just managed to