to travel fully stocked. I'm not taking any chances with you or your safety." She stopped at the doorway and turned to face me. "You can change your mind at any time."
"I'm not going to." I slid past her and turned to face her just as she pulled my front door shut behind us. "Where are we going?"
"Well..." She stepped out to the edge of the porch and glanced around. "We need a clear space, outside where we can catch some moonlight."
"I know just the place," I said, and led the way.
* * *
We walked the path to the clearing by the falls in silence. I kept my eyes ahead, listening to Davina's steps behind me to make sure she was still following, but I didn't look back. All I wanted was to get there and get this magic out of me, once and for all. I didn't care if I projectile-vomited pea soup for a week, this exorcism was going to happen. Still, even as my resolve held firm, my dread grew with every step we took. Whatever it was we were doing had killed my sister, and it was going to at least hurt, and likely a lot. But once I didn't have the power anymore, Davina could get out of town and Cain wouldn't have anything to stay for, and then everything here would go back to normal. I could go back to my job at CCB's, and I would be smart enough to be grateful for my boring, normal life.
"It's just a little farther," I said as we came to the last part of the path. We made our way up the incline to the clearing by the falls. I stopped and turned to see Davina surveying the area, her face inscrutable even in the bright moonlight.
"Running water," she said, sighing as she surveyed the brook.
"Is that bad?" I asked.
She shrugged. "I can work around it." She raised one hand into the air, fingers splayed as if she was feeling for energy, and breathed deep. As she exhaled, she curled her hand into a fist that gleamed blue in the moonlight and whispered a few words that I guessed were in the Latin arena - if ever I'd been out of my depth, this was the moment - and then she dumped her backpack on the ground. I looked around.
"So ... how exactly does this work?" I rubbed my hands up and down my arms, which had gone to gooseflesh. "Is it some kind of rite or something? You don't have to cut me or anything, do you?"
"No, no, nothing like that," Davina said, rummaging through her bag. "I'm going to give you something to drink, and you drink it. I'll do the rest."
"That's it?" I said.
"That's it." She unzipped her backpack and began to unpack it. Vials of this and canisters of that, a leather book thudded to the ground; the thing was full to busting and who the hell knew what all she'd brought?
You really think she's going to spit that power out once she gets it? a voice inside me said. The voice was mine, but I squelched it. I didn't need doubt right now. I'd made my decision, and I was moving forward. It wasn't like I was swimming in options; I wanted that magic gone, for good. Davina wouldn't let me die, I was sure of that.
Pretty sure, anyway.
I watched Davina, who was focused entirely on her supplies. She pulled out a tall metal canister full of white powder and poured it in a wide circle, mumbling more of the Latin-ish stuff as she did. It looked a lot like the stuff Peach put on her carpets to vacuum. I tried to focus on that instead of the increasingly creepy feeling I was getting. It couldn't have been later than two in the morning, which meant I'd have no magic to draw on if anything went wrong. Not that a random woodland creature was going to be of much help if anything went wrong ...
And that's when I shook my head. Davina was my friend. She was helping me. She was strong, and she understood what was going on. And like she'd said, if it got bad, we'd stop. All I had to do was say the word, and she'd stop. I was sure.
Pretty sure, anyway.
She finished pouring the circle, then stood in the middle, closed her eyes, and spoke a few more words. She opened her eyes again and they