Page 13 of Adepts and Alchemists

“He has a point,” Finn said.

RJ looked at him and gave him a nod of thanks, then looked back at the rest of us. “Forgive me for wanting to get back home, eventually. I say that if Indigo has a place in mind, we should go there. You guys are magical, right? So you can cast spells on it and stuff? Make the place safer?”

The words seemed to have a civilizing effect on the incubus. Angelo’s hostility lessened by degrees, until he slumped back into his chair, clearly sullen. He couldn’t argue the logic.

“Ve have lives,” Olga interjected. Her hand had disappeared into an alarmingly large carpet bag that held our familiars. There hadn’t been a time for a carrier for any of them, so we’d worked with what we had. Checkers had been furious with me for stuffing him into anything with cabbage roses embroidered on the front, let alone with a raccoon wearing lederhosen. “Ve cannot simply leave our home for zee veeks it might take for zis to blow over!”

I wanted to ask which boyfriend she was afraid of losing this time. The woman was quite intelligent, except when it came to her bed partners. She became attached easily and had atendency to be irrational about them. It had been like watching a cringey soap opera from the back of Lydia’s mind. But I wisely kept my mouth shut about that particular topic.

“If you’d rather be salsa, go home,” I answered. “Because that’s what awaits all of you if Murrain arrives in the Hollow while you’re there. Do I need to remind you that I was torn apart, one mote of magic at a time, all so he could try to siphon my magic?”

“Why did he do that to you?” Finn asked.

“He needed my magic to open—” I jabbed a finger at the grimoire in Poppy’s hand. “That. My mother’s book of shadows. She was an expert in violent magic. The things she wrote in there would make what Murrain did to me look like child’s play. And if he gets a hold of her secrets, he won’t need to send out middle men. He’ll just set up a spell to take the magic from a creature directly. Believe me, it’s not a pretty way to go. I only survived because Lydia happened to be there, and she was wearing something that anchored me.”

RJ cleared his throat. “Which is the point I was trying to make earlier,” he said, looking directly at Angelo. “Indigo didn’t get a choice about remaining behind. You all assume that Lydia was the only one affected by the spell. But if it was an explosion, the way Indigo describes it, it probably happened on a magical level too. Murrain didn’t know Lydia had any magic of her own, so he wasn’t aiming for her, but I bet you anything it destabilized her spirit.”

Silence fell then. Even I was left staring at RJ in surprise. What he was saying made a certain amount of sense... So why hadn’t I thought about that? Why hadn’t I realized that Murrain had effectively shaken Lydia loose from her moorings? It had only taken one yank for Andrea to retrieve Lydia from her body. It really should have been harder than that.

Angelo’s eyes were guarded when they met mine, but he was less hostile now. He’d also crossed his arms over his chest, but it was a less impressive display than RJ could offer.

“That would explain a few things,” he admitted. “Like the mingling between the Koloth magic and Lydia’s. What Indigo did made Lydia’s soul unstable. What Murrain did basically tore the foundation right out from Lydia.”

And the floor had collapsed beneath her, not me. That was the real tragedy. The villain of the piece had soldiered on after the heroine perished alone. That wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Lydia should have been in sickeningly mated bliss, and now she was dead. It was my fault, even if I hadn’t meant to hurt her.

“I’m going to get her back,” I said. My voice sounded tired. Small. Defeated. I said the words, but I wasn’t sure I believed them. The magnitude of what we were up against was terrifying. “I know there’s a spell in my mother’s book that will help. I just need my equipment, and it’s all stashed in a safe house. Just give me time. We need to coordinate with Anthony and that blood warlock. There has to be a way to do it, but I can’t produce a miracle out of thin air.”

I expected Angelo to say something scathing to that, but a timid voice asked, “Um... I keep seeing these initials pop up in the journal portions of your mother’s book,” Poppy said. “Do you know what they stand for? AC?”

“Like air conditioning?” Finn added with a tentative smile.

I looked at him, and the smile vanished immediately. Then I faced Poppy. “Adelaide, I think. Adelaide Clemmons.”

Finn’s spoon clattered into his bowl. “Adelaide Clemmons?” he asked as he faced his mother. “Like GG?”

“Who?” I asked.

“Finn’s Great Grandma,” Poppy answered, her eyes widening. “That’s her name.”

I frowned. “But your last name is Morton?”

She nodded. “My mom’s last name changed when she married my dad, and I’ve never gotten hitched, so I just kept Dad’s last name. But Mom’s maiden name was Clemmons.”

“What does that mean?” Wanda demanded impatiently.

“I think...” Poppy continued, chewing her lip, clearly deep in thought. “That it’s not a coincidence that GG mentioned Haven Hollow in a conversation about a month before I decided to move there. She must have known what the Hollow was, and she wanted me to find out about it on my own.” She looked at me then. “Why else would GG’s name be in a witch’s book of shadows?”

“I don’t know,” I answered.

“I think… your mother and my grandmother might have known each other.”

“Is GG still alive?” I asked.

Poppy nodded. “She isn’t in great health but...”

“But we could still visit her,” Finn finished, nodding excitedly. “Maybe GG knows how to crack the spells that Indigo couldn’t figure out,” he continued, looking at his mom.

“I doubt,” I started.