“I’d been expecting a magical assault, so it never occurred to me to fear a mechanical weapon. She was willing to die to end me and she did everything she possibly could to make it happen.”
“And that’s when Sami had to save you,” I mused. “I suspect Paris was making better decisions by then.”
Zoe smirked. “She was. She’d just given birth a few months before. She came with us to end things despite that, and I was glad because she’s always had a good relationship with Sami. When our petulant teenager needs to vent, Paris is always willing to listen.”
“Oh, I know.” I was amused despite myself. “Sometimes Paris has the conversations on her tablet out in the open because she’s working. I felt as if I knew Sami before you guys even arrived. You were the mystery, though, despite our conversation a few weeks ago.”
“I like being a mystery.” Zoe winked and then went back to staring out the window. “I didn’t tell you this to make you question Paris. She’s loyal and will do whatever it takes to protect you and do the right thing. She learned her lesson when it comes to choosing bad men.”
“But the cult leader almost ended your friendship, right?” I prodded.
She tilted her head, considering, and then shrugged. “I want to think our friendship would’ve survived anything, but it’s impossible to say. Things converged on me back then. I was likely pregnant, although it was too early to know, and then there was the book.”
My interest was officially piqued. “Why did you destroy the book?”
“It wasn’t technically destroyed, and now that I know about these other books that are in existence, I have to wonder if I would make the same decision again.”
I frowned. “You said the book was gone.”
“It is gone. That doesn’t mean it was destroyed as much as ... absorbed.”
And there it was, something I’d been wondering about ever since I witnessed her eyes going black. “You absorbed the book.” It was a statement rather than a question, and it made sense given her reticence to talk about The Archimage.
“I did.” She bobbed her head. “Quinn — that was the cult guy — wanted to trade the book for my parents. I was afraid to give him the book because it was so powerful. I also couldn’t just let my parents die ... so I absorbed the book.”
“And what happened?”
“I kicked his ass.”
I snorted. “I figured that. What happened to you?”
She held out her hands and shrugged. “I guess it depends on how you look at things. I became more powerful. There’s no doubt about that. The magic calls to me all the time, wants to be let out. I’m careful, though. I only engage the extra powers if I have no other choice.”
“Why? Is the magic evil?”
“I don’t know that I would call it evil. It’s more that it’s ... consuming. That’s the best word I can use to describe it. I hold the magic at bay, because it’s never truly been a part of me. I can use it, tap into it, but I prefer being myself.
“Sami doesn’t have that luxury,” she continued. “Remember when I said I was likely pregnant with her at the time I absorbed the book? Well, from the math we’ve done, it seems likely she was in there. How much of the magic did she absorb?”
That hadn’t occurred to me. “You don’t think she could turn bad, do you?”
“I’m her mother. Of course I don’t believe it.”
“But ... ?”
“But nothing.” Zoe’s smile was wan. “She’s a good girl ... at least for the most part. She has a good heart. She doesn’t hear the whispering like I do. Since I compartmentalize my magic, the book often wants to get out, escape, run free. Her circumstances are different, though. The book fused with her. Everything she is has coalesced into one mouthy teenager. I have two natures.”
“Your eyes briefly turned black in the Poletown house,” I offered. “I was confused ... and also awestruck by how much power you were wielding. It was over almost before it began.”
“The good news is that I barely tapped into those powers. They’re still there for us to use. The bad news is, I’m not certain any magic can take down those gates. We’ve yet to figure out how to do it and that concerns me.”
“What about Sami?” I queried. “You said it yourself that her magic is more fully formed. Maybe she can take down the gate.”
“Maybe,” Zoe agreed. “We’ll never know, though. I won’t let her in that basement.”
“But ... .”
“No.” Zoe shook her head, firm. “She’s my daughter and it’s my job to protect her. You saw how she was last night. She’s gung-ho and willing to jump in to take out whatever enemy she sees fit. She’ll go through one of the gates and I can’t allow that to happen in case she can’t come back … or is attacked. You have to understand that.”
And, because I did, I nodded. “I know. I shouldn’t have suggested it. I’m just so worried about what those gates could mean. We need to figure out a way to take them down.”
“We do,” she agreed without hesitation. “There’s absolutely no doubt about that. However, you might be the one with the power we need to do it. Have you considered that?”
The question caught me off guard. “I ... not really. You’re the most powerful mage in the Midwest.”
“That’s a reputation I like to embrace,” she agreed. “I want people to fear me because that’s another layer of protection for Sami. That doesn’t mean my magic is the key to eradicating the gates. You’re the one who grew up next to them. You understand them better. When I fire on them, it’s as if I’m throwing magic into a void because I don’t understand the intricacies of them. You’re different, though. That means you’re likely to figure out what we need.”
“Oh, well ...
