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“Making any progress?”

Paige sucked in a deep breath, unsure of what to answer.

She shook her head. She had to go with her gut. “I think we need to go to Egypt.”

“What happened to Bulgaria?” Dewey asked as he poured a blue powder into his bowl and stirred.

“Mmm, I think we may need to go there, too, but…I had Egypt circled before when I researched the wand. And there are a few references to crystals. I’m thinking the Crystal of Increased Energy may be in Egypt. Now, I’ve just got to track the Holigramium.”

She tossed her notes to the side and climbed to her feet. “I shall return!”

“Don’t be too long,” Dewey called after her. “This is almost ready!”

“Okay,” Paige shouted, waving a hand over her head as she darted out the door and down the stairs.

She hurried toward the BookTron and tapped in Holigramium, generating a list of references mentioning the odd element.

She puckered her lips, scanning the bright-green text on the bulky monitor’s dark-green screen.

“There you are,” she said, tapping a finger against the screen.

She jotted down the reference called “Sourcing Holigramium” in a book titled Sourcing Supernatural Elements and hurried toward the stacks.

“Gosh, I hope this stuff isn’t hidden inside a magic book. I do not need another adventure through a fractured fairy tale.” She scanned the shelves of non-magical tomes and found the book she sought near the bottom.

She tugged the slim volume from the shelf and hurried back to Dewey’s nest.

“Did you find it?”

She waved the book in the air before tossing it on her gold-cushioned seat. “Got it. I’ll check it out after you cure me.”

Dewey slid a cup across the counter as Paige sank onto a stool across from him. “Drink that.”

Paige stared down at the purplish beverage before sniffing it. “Is this the magic stuff?”

“That’s it. Bottoms up!”

Paige eyed it, wrinkling her lips. “Doesn’t smell too bad.”

“Should taste okay. I made it chocolate-flavored.”

“Mmm,” Paige said, nodding before she took a sip. “Oh, it’s good! I did not expect it to taste this good. It looks awful.”

Dewey flitted into his bedroom and then returned with a wad of bandages in hand. “Okay, now for the topical treatment.”

Paige choked down another sip before she spun to face Dewey. “Wait just a second. Maybe this is enough.”

“I wouldn’t trust that,” Dewey said, sliding the bowl toward him and preparing a spatula. “Those worms on your back are big boys. We want to nip this in the bud.”

Paige winced, shoving the glasses up on her nose again. “The last time you put something on this wound, I passed out. Then you got me high.”

“Not going to happen this time, Paige,” Dewey assured her. “This may hurt, but it won’t get you high.”

“That’s so reassuring,” Paige said with a roll of her eyes. She downed the last of her drink. “Okay, fine. I guess I survived it once. I can do it again.”

She peeled her hoodie off and adjusted the strap of her camisole. “Hit me.”

Dewey waved a wooden spoon at her. “Bite.”