A Little Night Magic Page 0,41

your magic, if you get strong enough, you can defeat him. You can take Holly's magic back from him, and then he won't be able to hurt anyone anymore."

I thought on that for a moment, then said, "Yeah, I like my plan better. My plan has European goats in it."

Davina sighed. "Your plan will take forever, if it works at all, which is unlikely. And the longer you hesitate on this, the more damage he's going to do."

"What do you mean?" I said. "You said he could only take me if I was strong. If I just don't use the power, if I don't get strong - "

"Walnuts," she said.

"Walnuts," I repeated, and then made the connection. "Wait. Millie's walnuts?"

"Not Millie's. Cain's. He took her as a conduit, a non-Magical you can run your magic through, but it comes at a cost. He promises them what they want more than anything in the world, and for that they drink a potion that allows him to gain power over them at night. With every conduit he takes, and he could take quite a few, he is able to draw on their life force to stabilize and increase his own power." She looked at me. "Do you know what it is Millie wants?"

I thought for a moment, but it didn't take long to figure it out. "Nick. She was attacking Peach." I rubbed my hands between my eyes, trying to ward off the headache that was forming there. "And I have them all coming over this afternoon for Confessional."

"Well, if it's the afternoon, during sunlight, it should be okay."

"One of my best friends is trying to kill another one of my best friends," I said. "It's not okay."

"Well, if we don't do something, it won't just be Millie," Davina said. "He'll do it to others, to gain power, to frighten you." Davina made a disgusted sound, then looked at me, resolute. "But now, we know exactly what we're up against. If you get strong enough, fast enough, you can fight him. And I'll be here, to help you, all the way."

I stood behind the easy chair, my hand over my beating heart. All I wanted was out. I wanted the power gone and my life back to what it was before. Or, whatever was left of what it was before. But if Cain was messing with Millie, how could I just stand back and let it happen?

Davina went to the coffee table, got my cup, and put it in my hands. "Drink this. Relax. Everything's going to be okay, I promise."

I took a sip of the coffee and almost melted with the decadence of it; real cream, real sugar. I took another sip, then had a thought and looked at Davina. "So ... how are you involved in all of this? What's it to you?"

Davina released a heavy sigh. "Cain and I were both conjurers. We traveled in the same circles. I had known your father, and I went to Tennessee to keep an eye on Holly. I led him right to her." Tears came to her eyes and she blinked them away. "This is my fault. I just want to fix it."

I stood there in silence, staring at her. My head was reeling. It was too much information, too fast, all of it floating like a bunch of puzzle pieces in my head that I was helpless to even try to put together.

"Well," Davina said after a bit. "I have to get going."

I glanced at the clock on the wall and straightened up. "Oh, okay."

She put one hand on my arm. "We'll figure this out. You finish that coffee, and have your friends over this afternoon. You're fine for now, so try not to worry."

"Oh, sure. No worry. No problem." I took another sip of my coffee as I walked her to the door. Damn, it really was good. "When will I see you again? You're coming back, right?"

She smiled. "Of course, I'll be back. We'll figure this out. He won't hurt you; I won't let him."

She gave me a hug and left. I closed the door behind her, sipped my coffee, and decided that I should have stayed in bed.

* * *

I sat hunched on my couch, feet on the coffee table, empty to-go coffee cup on my lap. I was staring dazedly out my living room window that looked directly into Peach's living room window when Stacy walked in, as usual without knocking. I heard her heavy construction boots