Garden of Dreams and Desires - Kristen Painter Page 0,53
felt like crap. The best he could do was nod.
Without another word, she looped his arm around her shoulders and started walking him back to the house.
Chapter Twelve
Morning light spilled through the door as Ian came in from the garden. Giselle was just pouring her first cup of coffee. They’d both spent the night at Zara’s. With them being so close to finishing the preparations for the ruina vox totem, it made sense. And if she was truthful, she worried that leaving Zara alone would cause her sister to crack under the pressure of maintaining the ancillary spells necessary for the chaos magic to be viable.
Wiping out all fae magic would be a triumph, but not if she lost her sister in the process.
He lifted his gaze toward the ceiling. “She still sleeping?”
“Yes. I thought it best to let her get as much as possible.”
He poured a cup of coffee. “It’s wearing on her, isn’t it?” He shook his head. “And that’s wearing on you.”
She stirred in a spoonful of sugar. “She’ll be fine and so will I.” Becoming close to Zara again had made Giselle protective of her, like when they were children, but they weren’t children; they were adults. Giselle couldn’t force Zara to do anything she didn’t want to. Like admitting the strain of the spellwork was too much. Although, it wasn’t like Ian couldn’t see it for himself. “I hope.”
“I could give her some more ink. Increasing her power couldn’t hurt.”
Giselle sipped her coffee. “You can ask her, but she’s already stressed with maintaining these spells… I don’t know if adding pain, however brief the duration, would be the right thing to do.”
“Maybe not.” He set his cup down. The black liquid gleamed with his reflection. He hooked his thumb toward the garden. “We’re ready as soon as she’s up.”
“Who’d you get?”
“Couple of transients camped out by the river. No one will miss them.”
Giselle straightened. One of the reasons they’d been selectively choosing people was to not only pick those who wouldn’t be missed but also those who were of sound mind. “You’re sure they’re in good shape mentally?”
He shrugged. “A soul’s a soul, right? Does it matter if the gray matter is fully functioning?”
With a sigh, she shook her head. “Actually, it might, but at this stage of things what matters more is getting this spell cast so Zara can rest.”
“What’s your plan after the fae are powerless?”
She took another long, slow sip, buying herself some time. Her plans were numerous, but for the most part, they’d only been shared with Zara. And they’d both agreed not to tell Ian about the lightning tree, which would be their first stop. Every witch in the parish would want a piece of that tree for themselves. It was imperative that she and Zara take control of Augustine’s house and secure the tree as soon as possible. She smiled. “Getting rid of the Guardian will be our first priority.”
Ian smirked. “You think he’s noticed his little girlfriend is missing yet?”
“It’s not much past dawn. Augustine doesn’t strike me as an early riser. I’d say not yet.” Besides that, she suspected the senator might be keeping him busy with some issues of her own.
“What’s not yet?” Zara leaned against the open doorway into the kitchen. Dark smudges shadowed her eyes. For a green witch who spent most of her time outdoors, she was terribly pale.
Giselle turned. “We were talking about Augustine figuring out Harlow was missing. How are you? I thought you’d sleep longer.”
“I tried.” Zara smiled weakly. “Holding this spell is like having a loose tooth. It’s impossible to ignore for any length of time.”
“I got the last two souls,” Ian offered. “We can cast them in whenever you’re ready.”
She yawned and nodded. “That would be good. Once that’s done, I can lock the pit. That’ll take some of the pressure off.” She glanced at Giselle. “I know you’re eager to cast the ruina vox totem, but I worry that if I don’t sleep before we do that, I might make a misstep and that could be fatal.”
“Agreed. You should sleep. In fact, I insist. We’ll get these last souls in, then you can go back to bed for the rest of the day. Casting the spell at twilight will only strengthen it. Chaos magic thrives on the in-between hours anyway. How about that?”
“That sounds great.” Zara tightened her robe. “Let’s go do it.”