I didn’t know if Echo was my familiar—he didn’t talk like Cordelia did—but if he was, his magic would enhance my own.
It was worth a try, and I could use the moral support.
Echo grumbled and fluttered down, landing on my shoulder.
“Thanks, buddy.”
He nestled down, and I scanned the words of the spell. Once I had a feel for them, I rested my free hand on the cuffs and began to chant the words, low and soft.
Echo perked up, and I felt his magic flow into me, a tiny spark, but it was enough.
Between the two of us, the spell began to work. Beneath my hand, the cuffs glowed, vibrating with power. When I finished reciting the words, the cuffs returned to normal.
A frisson of excitement raced over me. “It worked.”
Echo made a soft purring sound, then launched himself into the air. Satisfied, I put the book back on the shelf, then shoved the cuffs into the back pocket of my trousers.
I had no idea how long the cuffs would restrain Hades—my spell would fade eventually—but, hopefully, I’d have enough time to find the key to the library and get the hell out of here.
My stomach grumbled, and I pulled out the last protein bar, eating it as quickly as I could. I’d never eat another protein bar in my life, if I could help it.
Sated—mostly—I looked at the clock.
Late afternoon.
Too early to put my plan into action. When it came time to run, I wanted it to be under the cover of night. I turned to the plant I’d been practicing with, grateful to find it still there. Hades hadn’t taken it.
His mistake.
An idea flared.
I hurried to it and inspected the vines. Sticking a finger into the dirt, I dug around a bit to find the roots.
Yes.
It was a succulent, as I had thought.
I didn’t dare take the entire plant or Hades would notice, but a succulent could be propagated by snapping off a bit of the plant and letting it root on its own. And if I used my magic to give it a boost . . .
Voila!
A plant.
Maybe this idea was insane. But I had the time, and it could be my last good deed before I departed. Kerala had said I could be good for this place. I hadn’t been able to save those in the village square—largely because I was pretty sure they shouldn’t be saved—but I could bring a bit of greenery to Hades’ miserable domain. The pomegranate tree wouldn’t be the only living thing here.
Carefully, I snapped off a few small sprigs from plant and put them in my pockets. Then a few more. Before long, I had dozens, and the plant was looking a bit sparse.
I touched it and called upon my power, feeding a bit of life into the plant. The vines grew, twisting and curling until it looked as good as it ever had.
From the ceiling, Echo watched me. I grinned up at him. “What do you think?”
He just stared, unimpressed.
“Suit yourself.” I turned and left, making my way through the castle to the back, hoping that Lucifer wouldn’t follow me. He might put a crimp in my plan.
About halfway through the castle, I felt the vague presence of Lucifer, but he made no contact.
At least I’d made it to the armory without him seeing me. That had been the most important bit. For whatever reason, the cocky devil didn’t show himself. Maybe he was having a bad day.
Finally, I reached the garden and slipped outside. Lucifer followed, and I debated trying to lose him. It’d be impossible, probably. The only time he didn’t shadow me was when he thought I was with Hades.
Fingers crossed he didn’t tamper with my plants. From my brief conversations with him, I thought he might like them.
So I ignored him and snuck behind one of the large stone statues—ugly thing—and crouched down low to poke at the dirt.
It was soft and loose. Good drainage, probably.
I looked up at the sky, wondering about rain. And sun.
Maybe the plant wouldn’t make it. But I’d try. And anyway, it was local. Certainly not from Earth. I figured it had a fighting chance.
Quickly, I pulled a sprig from my pocket and stuck it in the ground.
“What are you doing?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of the voice. Pressing a hand to my chest, I looked up into the curious eyes of the apothecary. “You scared the hell out of me.”