Perhaps feeling my eyes on her, Elaine lowered her arm and met my gaze. Dark circles shadowed her eyes. We’d spent the night training, and the noon bells chimed ages ago. She didn’t possess the skill to bolster herself with her magic as I did, and exhaustion showed in her face. She deserved a proper lesson, and she deserved to be in a proper condition to receive it.
“Wait for me here,” I said, heading into the hall.
“Take your time,” Elaine called after me.
Huffing a laugh, I headed from the parlor and down the hall to my office. I opened the box of vials on my alchemical worktable. I took two and returned to Elaine.
She looked less than happy when I reappeared and tossed her one of the vials. “What’s this?”
“Something to keep us both going.” Popping the cork of my own vial released a scent reminiscent of a goblin’s ass. I downed the contents. It tasted worse than it smelled, and my tongue recoiled at the vile concoction. Fighting the urge to gag, I said, “It tastes awful, but it works.”
“What’s in it?” she asked, holding the vial up to the light streaming through the windows. The sunlight brightened its lovely piss yellow hue to an almost cheerful color.
“You don’t want to know, but it’ll keep you awake and alert for what we need to do. Then, tonight, you’ll sleep better than ever before.”
She seemed less than convinced.
“Here,” I walked to the table near the window and poured two glasses of brandy, handing one to Elaine. “Chase it with this. It helps.” I tossed my own glass back, draining it in one go. The alcohol burned away the taste of the potion, and I sighed in relief.
Elaine gave her vial one last suspicious look, squared her shoulders, popped the cork, and drained it. Her entire face puckered at the taste, and she sloshed quite a bit of brandy onto herself in her haste to chase it. “Bloody hell,” she sputtered when she could breathe again.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “The best medicines always taste the worst. You’ll thank me when it kicks in.” Taking the glass from her, I handed her a towel and set our glasses back on the table. While Elaine dabbed at her shirt, I peered out the window. The clouds had broken, and the sun shone in earnest on the snow, making London seem bright and new.
“My apologies for pushing you so hard,” I said without turning.
“Well, bless my soul. Did I just see a heart?” Elaine teased.
“It takes a while to find it sometimes.” I smiled, watching a woman trudge through the snow outside, her skirts hiked up to keep them dry.
“Can I ask a question?” Elaine asked, her tone serious.
“Of course.”
“Why do you fear The Book of Thoth so much?”
“You can’t imagine the danger it poses.”
“Tell me about it.”
I had anticipated this, but hadn’t decided what to do, though I’d agonized over it all morning.
You should, Vex said. She deserves to know.
I sighed and picked up the decanter, pouring us both another brandy before settling on the couch next to her.
“I saw it myself, once.” Keeping the memories at bay took every ounce of my will. Still, I tasted the dust and smelled the stale air. “It felt as if it had a life of its own. You can feel its power on your skin and taste it in the air. Never again have I experienced such raw power.”
“Why didn’t you take it?” Elaine’s voice seemed to come from a thousand miles away, but it served as a lifeline to keep myself rooted in the present
“I didn’t want something so evil.” I needed to move, so I went to kneel in front of the fire. I tossed a few small logs from the pile on the hearth onto the coals and shifted them around until they finally caught. “It’s powerful, yes. But it’s a terrible power. I watched it drive a man mad. One doesn’t use the Book of Thoth. It uses you. And God only knows what it wants.”
Elaine remained quiet, though I imagined I could feel her thinking. Eventually, she asked, “What will happen if Thompson brings the Book here?”
Putting the poker back in its place, I said, “I don’t know for certain. We’ve no idea why he wants it, and what use he plans to put it to, but there exists too much potential for calamity. Even if I believed Dover wished to use it for good, I would prevent him from gaining possession. It is insidious, and nothing good can come if its use.”
“Then we’ll stop him before that happens,” she said gently. I looked up and her expression had softened. She smiled at me, her eyes twinkling. The dark circles under her eyes had disappeared. “We can do this. Just stop being an ass and show me how to cast a bloody ward properly.”
I laughed, and she laughed with me. With the fate of the world wrapped around our necks like the hangman’s noose, it felt good to see a little joy in the world.
15
The Solstice Rite
Elaine and I spent two days and nights preparing for our battle. Once I committed to proper instruction, she mastered warding astonishingly fast. By the night before the solstice, I had to hit her with damn near everything I had to break through. Though I hated to admit it, I enjoyed instructing her. And I found her company most pleasant. She was witty, intelligent, and a fascinating conversationalist. Though we prepared for what could only be a battle, I enjoyed those two days more than any other I’d spent in London.
The day of the solstice dawned, and with it, all levity died. We rose early and broke
