Mine to Spell (Mine #2) (5 page)

Or perhaps not. His answer is to bear his teeth in a hungry jeer which rids my remaining control. With one fluid motion, he slices my wrist. My blood immediately flows, red and bright. The world sways at the sight. I struggle to hold on, to figure out what’s going on, what he’s doing, but focusing is growing harder.

My blood wells until it starts to drip. Instead of reaching the ground, he catches it with a powder blue spell like the one he’s using to hold me. Then he does something even stranger. He slices his own wrist open. He uses the same spell to stop his blood seeping from his wound.

The dizziness from all the blood helps to chase away my fear but also muddles my thoughts. I only know that this is bad. Very, very bad.

Yellow streaks grow throughout the spell holding my blood. The spell pulls my blood toward him. And something else starts to tug, something deep inside. My magic. He’s taking my magic. Panic claws at me.

As the strongest wave of dizziness attacks, I know I have to do something before it’s too late. The world is darkening around me, trying to force me to succumb, but it hasn’t taken me yet. I slam a spell at him. I’m so far gone, I don’t even recognize what spell it is, but it flings him across the room and plasters him there.

I crash to the floor. Without him hovering, there’s no spell keeping me or my blood in place. The blackness creeps further over my vision, but I can’t give in. Not now. I hold whatever spell I’m using on Edward steady and focus a second spell toward closing my wound. I push my power into it, willing the blood to return into the wound and heal quickly so I can deal with the issue that is Edward. And a much bigger issue: exposing my long-kept secret to one of the worst people possible. My master.

I open my eyes and discover no blood in sight. The wooziness remains, but at a manageable level. And he didn’t manage to steal any of my magic. After several deep breaths, I pull myself together enough to stumble over to Edward. He’s bound against the wall, whimpering, my bronze spell forcing him in place.

Blast. I didn’t mean for that to happen. Then again, I don’t know what I meant to happen. His grin has been replaced by wide-eyed shock. Well, the plan to become his possession is ruined far beyond repair. Might as well go all the way.

I gather my eager magic for a spell father always used on Serena when she was younger and would try to run. The spell ripples from me and surges straight toward him. Its golden flare is streaked with red, hot and fiery, as it encircles his wrists. They are almost like an extension of me, feeding off my fear, tightening around him so he can’t hex me again.

He lets out a whimper as I use the spell to lift his hands above his head. He struggles against it, attempting to shove his wrists free, but they hold. A silvery spell darts from his hands. It bites into my chain spell, trying to weaken it.

The weakening is tiny, barely anything at all. Yet if it continues, will it be enough to get through? How long can I hold this spell anyway? I don’t know enough to stop him. But if I cover his hands, sort of bind them, maybe that would stop him? It’s worth trying. If I don’t do something, I’ll end up back under his power, and my magic will mean nothing to me and everything to him.

And worse—what will the council do to me? To my sisters? Will the council think they are involved? I have to fix this.

The red streaks flare brighter as I propel the spell out harder, making the bands thicker and heavier until they are big enough to wrap around his hands. My folly may be the undoing of my sisters. This will be enough to keep him from sneaking free. It has to be.

He struggles again, faint flashes appearing from his fingers beneath the gold and red, but nothing happens. It seems, for now at least, he can’t do anything other than grunt and squirm about. Feigning a confidence I don’t feel, I lean over until my face is inches from his.

“
This is what we’re going to do. You are going to release your ownership of me, just like Chancellor Zade did with Serena and I will go free.” He starts to say something, but I interrupt him. “You made it clear earlier you know all about it. There’s no escaping this. Do you have servants?”

He doesn’t respond.

“Do you?” I yell, fear sounding so much like anger.

“
Yes,” he croaks out.

“
How many?”

“
I don’t know, lots. Over fifty.”

Thank the magic. “We’re going to gather them all together and you will tell them of my freedom. Then after I leave, you will tell everyone you know,
everyone
, that you changed your mind. That you didn’t want me but didn’t want to tarnish me because I’m just so nice.” His eyes tighten, but I press on. “That you gave me my freedom and no one is to bother me.”

He starts to shake his head. I tighten the already snug spell on his hands and wrists, emphasizing my control.

“You will do this. And then you will never, ever speak to anyone about what I can do, or I will make sure they all know, with vivid detail, how easily I overtook you. Do you understand?”

His face goes pale and finally he gives the slightest of nods.

“Good.” I hope. If my threat doesn’t work, I don’t know what fate will befall me and my family. “Take us to your servants. And if you make one wrong move, we’ll be right back here going over this again. Only next time, I won’t be so kind.”

Once more he nods, his lips giving a strained twitch. I release him from the chain spell but keep my hands up, ready to clamp them back in place.

He shrinks away and without a word leads me through the house. I follow, not trusting him, but having no other choice. If he should do anything contrary to what I asked, I’m ready to act however may be needed. Even if it means being harsher than a chain spell. At least I think I am ready.

We move from one hall to another, to another. How anyone can stand living in such a labyrinth is beyond me. I’ve no idea if we’re going anywhere useful or not. Though, perhaps that is the point. Wandering does afford plenty of time for thinking. Or rather, worrying. Mostly about what a terrible mistake I’ve made. What if he doesn’t keep quiet? What if he tells others about me? What will happen?

There’s no way to know. Besides, what other choice did I have? He was trying to take my blood. Thinking about it is making my head spin again. My thoughts are jumbling, piling up in a mass of worry. I need to focus on getting out of here. Then I can figure out what damage my actions caused, and if there’s anything that can fix it.

After a while of walking and turning down halls, we finally stop. He has led me to the kitchen. Makes sense. There’s always someone in the kitchen. It’s larger than I’ve ever seen, with an unfamiliar-looking electric cooktop, long counters, and two sinks. Six servants turn to him, their heads, whether the tarnished bald or not, lowered. They were all hiding in here, I suppose.

He addresses the closest servant—a male, lower class. “Gather everyone here as quickly as you can.”

Though Edward doesn’t sound as confident as when he was at Serena’s house, if I hadn’t hexed him myself, I wouldn’t have any idea what he’d just been through. My threat may be enough to make this happen with the servants at least.

The retainer scurries away, presumably to tell the others the latest order. The others return to their task. We wait in silence, me standing a little behind him, ready to bolt or cast a spell as soon as it’s needed. Every so often, one of the servants shifts or grabs another cooking utensil, but they don’t do much, either. They must be frightened of him as well.

When no one returns, I start to wonder if he somehow tricked me. Did he give some sort of signal to the servant and I didn’t notice? Something that said for him to bring the closest law officer? And do what to me? I don’t know. However I do know I don’t want to find out. I was watching the entire time.

While I’m hesitating over what to do, one of the doors opens. I jump and bend my knees to run. But it’s not a law officer. It’s a tarnished servant. I relax some, but stay ready to run.

The servant is out of breath but hurries to the center of the kitchen and stands with his back straight, arms at his sides, head lowered. It’s the fact that he’s out of breath that finally clues me in. This house is big. Of course it’s going to take time for everyone to gather together. From the way the servant is acting, it would appear they’re coming as fast as they can. I’m such a ninny.

Still, I don’t let down my guard.

Servants continue trickling in, slowly at first, but soon the kitchen is crammed full of them. Yet, somehow they manage to give both Edward and me a large berth. They’re pressed against each other so tightly, it’s a wonder they can breathe. Where were they all when I first arrived and so desperately wanted to see another human?

Finally, the original servant he sent off says, “We’re all here, master.”

There are so many of them. More than Zade has running his home, and he has a lot because he tries to protect and help as many lower class and tarnished as he can. This is what I need to hope that Edward giving my freedom will be accepted—a room full of witnesses. The biggest relief doesn’t just come in their numbers, but that most of them are lower-class men. Their word will be accepted more than the women, and especially the tarnished.

But gossip will spread from everyone gathered. Hopefully, across town or wherever I travel to. I don’t even know where I am, let alone where to go. There’s no time to panic about that now. I have to finish dealing with this first.

“
This is my latest acquisition, Cynthia.” His voice sounds strangled. I’m no longer hexing him, so why is he so agitated? “She is—That is to say, I am going to…”

He looks to me with a sort of begging look on his face. What is this for? Does he really believe I’d succumb to that? He must be a complete dunce. There’s no chance I’m not taking my freedom. I scowl at him. It’s then he does something a warlock never does,. He lowers his head.

“I am going to set her free.” His voice cracks. “I don’t wish to own her but don’t wish to tarnish her. She shall be as free as any warlock, just as her sister Serena.” It almost sounds as if he is in tears as he turns toward me. “Now get out.”

I want to remind him to keep the second half of my demand, but I don’t want the servants to hear. That would be worse than saying nothing at all. Instead, I nod and move to leave. Only I have no idea where the entrance is. I’m lost. Of all the times I’ve been grateful I’ve perfected faking my emotions, none have even come close to this moment.

I smile at the closest servant, a man with a thin scar on his right temple. “Would you please show me the way out?”

The servant looks startled, then turns toward Edward for permission, but my owner of not even a day has already departed.

Once the servant realizes the master is no longer here, the uncertain look leaves his face. With a most solemn expression, he says, “I’d be honored.”

The rest of the servants must also feel it would be an honor as well, because as I’m shown out, they all follow. All of them. It can’t be easy or comfortable traveling after me though such a confined space. Still they come. Quietly, yet gently moving with me through the maze of the house.

When we reach the entry, the only area familiar in this place, the servant I asked for help says, “I would offer you a carriage, but…”

             
“I will manage. Thank you.” I face everyone. “Thank you all.”

             
They nod, eyes bright as they watch me leave. With my head held high I step out of the house, walk down the lane and out onto the road. Once I'm out of sight of the mansion, the reality of what just happened slams into me. I’m free, free as any warlock. The dirt is hard beneath my shoes as I do a running sort of skip down the road that would make my younger sisters proud. I’m as light as air, and happier than I’ve ever been.

I break out in a full run, pushing myself as fast as I can. The stretch and burning in my legs is as good as casting any spell. Then my foot slips in a hole. Suddenly I’m falling, down, down, down—I slam into the packed earth. Pain splits up my knee, hands and face. I lay on the ground, letting the pain eat into my reality.

              What am I doing? It’s late at night, and I’m alone, running in the middle of the road because I don’t have an owner anymore? It almost sounds nice until the other side of that freedom crushes in on me. I have nowhere to go, nothing to wear but this dress, which is probably torn and dirty, though it’s too dark to see for sure. I’ve nowhere to eat, nowhere to sleep. This freedom came with a price I didn’t even know I would have to pay.

             
I roll onto my back and stare mindlessly at the stars above me. What did I just do? What have I done? Naturally, I want to be free, but I should have thought about the consequences of my actions more. Not only am I left with nothing, but I haven’t an idea whether or not Edward will stay true to his word. If he calls for law officers to retrieve me, will it matter if a group of servants saw him release me? Even if there were so many of them?

What’s worse is not what may happen to me, but what I’ve done. I wrap my arms around myself. I’m just like father.

The thought makes me ill. What I did to Edward is exactly what father would have done. If I had done something wrong and Serena stepped in to save me from punishment, he would have punished her. Perhaps he would have taken it further, but the concept is the same. How can I be just like him? My stomach roils until I’m scrambling to the side of the road, heaving.