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"You meanHolly?" I said

Davina’s eyebrows raised up in surprise "You know about her?"

"Yeah" My chest tightened a bit, and I said, "So it was that guy, Cain? He killed her?"

Davina nodded solehed "Yes"

I tried to process this inforet anywhere with it I knew I should be feeling so, but mostly, I was just hollow "I don’t understand any of this What is so special about us that people are trying to kill us?"

"It’s power, baby Power is everything All the killing, all the evil, all the tragedy in the world, it’s all about who’s in charge The only thing that kept inally safe were the facts that the poere usually fairly tame, and they couldn’t be stolen You were either born to it, or you weren’t As long as Magicals stayed closeted and didn’t present a threat, it was okay But then, your father got his power and he wasdifferent"

I leaned forward, hungry for details "Different how?"

"He was the first known Magical who could manifest his power by will" She met my eye "Do you understand what that means?"

"Nope"

"It icals have innocuous powers Sos fly, set things on fire without a ine someone who could decide what power they wanted, practice a bit, and ine if there was a way for a non-Magical to force that person to will that poay"

I felt a shiver go down htyou knowfree will, and everything I thought that was important"

"It’s important to the people who care about what the darkness does to their soul," she said, her voice low "Some people care about the power more Cain’s one of those people"

"Okay, nowwho the hell is Cain?"

"He’s a conjurera witch, sort of Soic, but who is not ave a sh I really just dabble I’m not nearly as powerful as he is"

I took a moment to absorb this "So, Cain found Holly and killed her?"

"I still don’t believe he intended to kill her He’s crazy, but not homicidal It was an accident, I believe, an unintended consequence of stealing the power from her" She raised her eyes back to ot a problem"

"Noe have a problem? Didn’t have one when he killedyour sister’s rip The transition fro a toll But it’s not like he’s going to give up the power so" She eyed ht on this a ic, he doesn’t have to deal with the transition"

Davina nodded "I kneas searching, and so I searched, too, and I found you That’s what the test was about, the gy? I had to be sure it was really you And then, you turned out to have day ic You’re exactly what he needs"

"No, no, I’ to find my father and have my powers bound and - "

Davina stood up as well "It’s too late for that Cain’s found you, he’s not going to let you go" She grabbed"But there’s good news here"

I stared at her "H killer after "

"Well, for one, he won’t try to take anything froh You would die before he could get enough juice out of you"

I sed "That’s the bright side?"

She s, and I felt ht him With Holly, we didn’t knohat he was after, but noe do If you build up your h, you can defeat hiic back from him, and then he won’t be able to hurt anyone anyht on that for a moment, then said, "Yeah, I like oats in it"

Davina sighed "Your plan will take forever, if it works at all, which is unlikely And the longer you hesitate on this, theto do"

"What do youIf I just don’t use the power, if I don’t get strong - "

"Walnuts," she said

"Walnuts," I repeated, and then made the connection "Wait Millie’s walnuts?"

"Not Millie’s Cain’s He took her as a conduit, a non-Magical you can run your h, but it comes at a cost He pro in the world, and for that they drink a potion that allows hiht With every conduit he takes, and he could take quite a few, he is able to draw on their life force to stabilize and increase his oer" She looked at ht for a ure it out "Nick She was attacking Peach" I rubbedto ward off the headache that was for over this afternoon for Confessional"

"Well, if it’s the afternoon, during sunlight, it should be okay"

"One ofto kill another one of my best friends," I said "It’s not okay"

"Well, if we don’t do so, it won’t just be Millie," Davina said "He’ll do it to others, to gain power, to frighten you" Davina usted sound, then looked at ainst If you get strong enough, fast enough, you can fight him And I’ll be here, to help you, all the way"

I stood behind the easy chair,heart All I wanted was out I wanted the power gone and my life back to what it was before Or, whatever was left of what it was before But if Cain waswith Millie, how could I just stand back and let it happen?

Davina went to the coffee table, got ’s going to be okay, I promise"

I took a sip of the coffee and alar I took another sip, then had a thought and looked at Davina "Sohow are you involved in all of this? What’s it to you?"

Davina released a heavy sigh "Cain and I were both conjurers We traveled in the same circles I had known your father, and I went to Tennessee to keep an eye on Holly I led hiht to her" Tears came to her eyes and she blinked them away "This is my fault I just want to fix it"

I stood there in silence, staring at her My head was reeling It was toolike a bunch of puzzle pieces in ether

"Well," Davina said after a bit "I have to get going"

I glanced at the clock on the wall and straightened up "Oh, okay"

She put one hand on ure this out You finish that coffee, and have your friends over this afternoon You’re fine for now, so try not to worry"

"Oh, sure No worry No problem" I took another sip of ood "When will I see you again? You’re coht?"

She sure this out He won’t hurt you; I won’t let hi and left I closed the door behind her, sipped my coffee, and decided that I should have stayed in bed

I sat hunched on o coffee cup onroo roo I heard her heavy construction boots thud through my hallway, and she plopped into the easy chair across fro? Do you need any help?"

I stretched ed the open box of Pop-Tarts her way She nodded, grabbed a package, and ripped it open

"Having a good day, are we?" she asked, breaking off a piece of one tart and popping it in herasince Davina had left, some three hours before

"No, we’re not," I said "My life is kind of a big hed and set the tarts down on the coffee table "Okay, let’s have this out I’m sorry about Tobias When I slept with hiuys started hanging out so much more - "

I raised my hand up and made a cross in the air, like a priest "You are absolved Tobias is officially the least ofme with deep suspicion "Because I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you haven’t spoken to me since the last confession"

"I sent you an e-"

I looked at her, reading so oddly senti anything I thought would hurt you You know that"

I felt a surge of affection flood through ain, and pulled at the wrapper "Good"

The doorbell rang

"Come in!" I hollered, and a fewa Tupperware container filled hat looked like big Peanut M&Ms, only pastel-colored

"Hey," she said, her voice uneasy as she got a load ofthe box toward her

Peach sat in the love seat, her posture straight, herperfectly on her knees The living room was quiet for a little while, except for the sound of Stacy’s Pop-Tart wrapper as she broke off bits and chewed Finally, Stacy nodded toward the Tupperware

"Whatcha got there?"

"Oh Right" She pulled the top off the container and set it in the middle of the coffee table "Jordan alroups of five Not four, not six Five I have no idea why, but she insists - we uest" SheWhat do you think?"

Stacy and I both reached out and grabbed one, then popped theht as I said, "Oh, god, no," Stacy said, "Elope to Vegas"

"Yeah, that’s what I thought," Peach said, then s tote bag, pulled out a bright orange folded paper bird, and set it on the table next to the almonds

"What the hell is that?" Stacy asked

"It’s an origaet a thousand of them, and decorate the reception hall with theood luck, if they’re folded by people who love you"