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Thomas had left at some point to dispose of the mop and bucket.

“I have not.” Alastir shook his head. “The siphoning spell originates from the Kotova grimoire, but it no longer resides there.”

“We already know that,” I replied, my jaw tight. “My mother ripped it out.”

I could curse her for ripping out the spells I needed most in my time of need.

“Do you have it?” Tess asked.

Alastir shook his head. “It is not in my possession.”

“But you know where it is?” Her eyes hardened.

Alastir’s gaze fell on Phineas and it took every bit of strength within me not to leap across the room and fasten my bare hands around his neck.

“I don’t have it, Alastir,” Phineas replied.

There was no hint of untruth in his voice, but this wasn’t a man we could trust.

“You don’t… but you did,” Alastir replied.

Phineas averted his gaze in confirmation.

“Where is it now?” I asked, my patience wearing thin. “Who did you sell it to?”

Phineas squirmed under my gaze and my hand darted to Stormslayer’s hilt at my thigh, ready to unsheathe her at a moment’s notice. Alastir raised his hand as if to stop me, but I could see Puck closing in on Phineas out of the corner of my eye. Kenna hadn’t left Saanvi’s side, but her eyes darted about the room as she watched everything unfurl.

Right before Puck could grab Phineas across the shoulders from behind, he pushed back out of his chair as if he could sense him. It skidded across the concrete and into Puck. He whirled on Puck, a dagger held between them.

“There’s no need for blades,” he said, despite holding one firmly in his own grasp.

“Sure,” Puck shrugged, his Katana glinting off the sun that peered through the shop window. “No need for blades, simply tell us who you sold the spell to and we will be on our way.”

Simply knowing that we wanted it—needed it—Phineas would want the spell for himself. We were walking a fine line here. My blood was pumping through my veins thickly enough that my head was pounding to the rhythm of my heart. I would not let Phineas stand in the way of possibly curing Nikolai. I would do whatever it took to get my hands on that spell.

“Afraid the spell isn’t… accessible right now.” Phineas appeared sheepish as he took a step back… away from Puck.

Towards me.

I moved fast enough that I wasn’t sure if anyone saw, and I had Phineas’s back pressed against mychest, Stormslayer held across his throat. Everyone always thought Puck was the greater threat and underestimated me.

Big mistake.

I pressed the blade against his Adam’s apple and a trickle of blood spilled down, soaking through the collar of his white tunic.

“This all feels so familiar, doesn’t it? My blade to your throat? You’ll tell us who you sold the spell to, and you’ll tell us now.” My voice brooked no argument.

Phineas nodded, but that only made the blood trickle faster, my blade sinking deeper into his skin. He raised his hands in defense, letting his dagger clatter to the floor.

“It’s with Corian.” His voice was breathless as he slumped against me. “The spell is with Corian, Donika’s dream walker.”

Great. The spell was in theoneplace we couldn’t go retrieve it.

It was in The Stone Palace.

I let Phineas go, and he dropped to the floor, his knees giving out. He crawled to stand, rubbing against the place where the blade had cut into his skin.

“Lot of good that does us,” Puck said, shaking his head and throwing his arms up in exasperation.