Cabal watchdogs have about as much of a sense of humor as baby Cortez here.'
'What do you want, Leah?' I said.
'First, immunity. If I back out of this deal, the Nast Cabal will be all over my ass. I want Lucas here to promise me his daddy's protection.'
'I play no role in the Cortez Cabal-' Lucas began.
'Oh, stuff it. You're a Cortez. If you say I'm protected, I am. For my second demand, I want joint custody of Savannah.'
'Is that all?' I said. 'Whew. I thought you wanted something big. How about weekends?'
Leah wagged a finger at Cortez. 'I don't think she's taking this seriously.'
'Imagine that,' Cortez murmured.
'Dare I ask why you want joint custody of Savannah?' I asked.
'Because I like the kid. Because I think you'll ruin her. And because she could prove useful.'
'So in return for granting these two demands, you'll do what? Take on the whole Nast Cabal for us?'
She laughed. 'I'm not suicidal, Paige. If you give me what I want, I'll back out of the fight.'
'That's it?'
'It should be enough. I'm the best damned weapon they have. You'd do well to get on my good side now, Paige. Something even you should consider, Lucas.'
'Truly an offer we can't refuse,' he said. 'I believe I speak for Paige in saying get the hell out, Leah. You're wasting our time.'
She sat upright and leaned forward. All humor drained from her eyes. 'I'm making you a serious offer, sorcerer. You don't want me in this fight.'
'No? If your position is so strong, surely you wouldn't be here right now. The Cabals always reward talent. Shall I hazard a guess as to why you've had this sudden change of heart?'
'Wait,' I said. 'Let me give it a shot. I'm a newbie at this Cabal stuff, so I want to be sure I'm getting it right. You say you're here because you don't like the choice you made, teaming up with the Cabal. I think you're telling the truth. But not because they have too many rules. Because, suddenly, you're not in charge anymore. Sure, you have one incredible power, but that's it. A one-trick pony. Put you in a room full of magical races and you're a nobody, a grunt worker. Am I getting close?'
Her eyes blazed.
I continued, 'This all started because you went to the Nast Cabal and offered them a deal. Maybe you found out about Savannah's father or maybe you just picked them out of a hat and they invented the paternity story. They took you up on the offer, and then took over. All you'll probably get is a nice year-end bonus and an office with a window. Worst of all, you lose Savannah. You sold out for an office with a view.'
A brass urn flew from the bookshelf, sailed across the room, and smashed into the wall. Leah flung herself from the sofa, skewering me with a glare before turning that glare on the urn.
'Whoops,' I said. 'Did you miss? Maybe you aren't as good as you think you are.'
This time, the whole bookshelf jerked free from its moorings. It shuddered, rocked once and came to rest, still upright. I cast a binding spell before she could try again.
'When I let go, you leave,' I said. 'Don't think I've forgotten what you did to my mother. And don't think for one second that I can't kill you where you stand, or that I'm not considering it at this very moment.'
When I released the binding spell, Leah glared at me once, then stormed from the house, slamming the door in her wake.
'So her power decreases as her emotions escalate,' Cortez said. 'Very interesting.'
'And handy. Did you figure out her tell?'
Cortez shook his head.
'Damn. Well, I can't worry about that now. I need to discuss something with Savannah.' I started to leave, then turned to him. 'Should I be worried? About retaliation?'
'From Leah?' He shook his head. 'The Cabals have clipped her claws. She knows the penalty for acting without their assent, particularly if those actions jeopardize a current project. It's considered treason. Punishable by death. A very unpleasant death.'
'Good.'
Cortez adjusted his glasses. 'I have, uh, finished my work. Once you've spoken with Savannah, perhaps we could… that is, if you feel up to it-'
'The spell swap,' I said with a smile. 'Don't worry. I haven't forgotten. It's next on my list. Just let me finish with Savannah.'
Chapter 30
'TELL ME ABOUT THE SORCERER SPELLS AGAIN.'
We were sitting cross-legged on Savannah's bed.
'Almost any strong spell a witch casts is sorcerer magic,' Savannah said. 'Like the knock-back spell I used on that paranormal guy? Same thing Lucas used on those people out front. You know some sorcerer spells, right?'
'A few.'
'I can teach you more. Or Lucas can. They're pretty good, but witch magic would be better. You know, that whole thing about us each being better at our own spells. Except witches don't have a choice. I mean, we have all the primary spells and some of those are good, like the binding spell. Sorcerers can't beat us at the protection and healing stuff. That's why the Cabals recruit witches. If we had our own spells, though, we'd be way stronger.'
'But the grimoires I have
'Right. That's what my mom said, too. Those were her books, you know.'
'My grimoires?'
'Yep.' Savannah picked up her stuffed bear and smoothed its fur, keeping her gaze on the toy as she continued. 'She used to talk about them. The lost books.
Only they weren't lost, I guess. The Coven just hid them. She kinda figured that. Anyway, she talked about them all the time, how much she wanted them back, even though they didn't work.'
I struggled to keep up with her, to piece the fragments together. A million questions ran through my mind, but I decided to start at the end.
'She couldn't get any of the spells to work?'
'None. But you could, which is weird. You're an okay spell-caster and all, but my mom was amazing. But, then, she was probably only your age when she tried them, so maybe-' Savannah stopped. 'That's weird, huh? I hadn't thought of that. You guys both trying them, both being around the same age. That means…' Her lips moved as if calculating. 'You were around when my mom left, weren't you?'
I nodded. 'I must have been four or five, but I don't remember her. You know, I never thought of this, but I bet we've got photos of your mom around here somewhere, in one of my mother's old albums. She was always snapping pictures at Coven picnics and parties. There must be photos.'
'You think so?' Savannah laid down her stuffed bear. 'That'd be cool. I don't have any pictures.'
'You don't-oh, God. Of course you don't. I never thought…'
'That's okay,' she said. 'When we moved… I noticed you didn't put the pictures of your mom back up. I kinda wondered why not, but then I kinda understood, too. It's tough enough sometimes, without being reminded.'
Our eyes met. I felt mine well up and rubbed my hand over them.
'I'll look for the photos as soon as I can,' I said.
Savannah nodded. 'Okay. Lucas is waiting for you, so let's talk about the grimoires.'
'Right. Now why did your mother say they didn't work?'
'Cause they're tri-uh, tre-tertiary spells, that's it. That means you need to know the middle spells first. Only we don't have them. The witches, I mean. We've only got the primary ones. The Coven got rid of the middle
