Page 51 of White Charms and Dark Secrets

He shakes his head and shrugs, “I don’t know. Honestly.” He glances around the room awkwardly. “None of us do. We’ve been trying to figure out how you broke the enchantment on your bracelet since we got back here, we were hoping you could explain. I placed it when Kier suggested that you might do something incredibly foolish, like follow us there by yourself. Not having your magic was meant to stop you.” He raises an eyebrow at me, shooting me a mischievous look, and I can’t help but think he’s a little impressed.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. I was just going to watch from a safe distance and call for help if you got into trouble.” A mental image of all of them on their knees with Elias’ knife pressed to their throats flashes in my head, making my heart thump faster in my chest. “It’s a good thing I did,” I add.

“You still shouldn’t have done something that risky,” Darren mutters unhappily.

“Well clearly I should have, because I did, and if I hadn’t, who knows what would have happened to you all? How the hell did it get that bad that quickly anyway?” I demand.

“It was a set up. He was waiting for us all. He knew about your spell to locate him, and he used a mirage charm to hide all his men other than one. We walked in there thinking we’d have the advantage, but we were the ones who were outnumbered,” Kier explains. He pauses, staring at me silently for a moment. His stare is so intense even Rhydian keeps quiet. Finally, he begins to speak again, “You killed him when I couldn’t. I had a chance before he had us bound; there was a split second opportunity and I missed it because I hesitated. You didn’t hesitate to help us, even if it did mean you doing the impossible. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I reply, feeling a little empty as I utter the words.

“I’m sorry, too. You shouldn’t have had to do that,” Kier apologises, realising the impact what happened could have had on me. I nod mutely, accepting it. “No one outside of this room will know it was you. I killed him as far as anyone else knows. I doubt you’d be charged with anything due to the situation, but you’re not any kind of law enforcement, and the risk and attention it would bring you outweighs any necessity for the truth.”

“You want me to just pretend like it didn’t happen?” I ask, my eyes widening as an accusing tone tinges my voice. The hollow feeling of guilt suddenly feels like it’s swallowing me. I really killed someone.

“Of course not. Not with us, anyway,” he says quickly. “You don’t deserve to be punished for this, Kayla. All you did was save three people you know.”

Darren and Rhydian give murmurs of agreement.

“I killed someone. I didn’t even try to think of another way in that moment. I just reacted…” I trail off, pressing my lips together into a thin line.

“You saved us,” Darren reassures me, taking my hand in his and squeezing it in a comforting motion. I pull my hand away and stand up, swaying on my feet as I walk but I keep moving anyway.

I grab a black candle, chalk, a bag of salt, and my grandma’s grimoire from my supplies and head downstairs. The guys all follow me, keeping quiet. I go to push the dining room table out of the way, but Darren and Kier silently take over, moving it out of the space for me. Not taking any risks, I draw three lines of protection circles. Salt, chalk, and finally, magic. I put the black candle in the north corner of the room and lick my lips nervously as I notice Kier looking over the setup.

He turns to me. “Kayla,” he begins slowly. “Please tell me that you’re not about to summon to a demon.”

“I can’t do that,” I reply, trying to get my thoughts into focus so I can summon Solas somewhat safely. With the others here, there was no way I could do this without the circles. I haven’t wasted time by drawing out all the summoning sigils and stuff, thanks to our connection, I’d be able to summon him without them. I’ll have to be focused on the centre of the circle when I call him to direct his presence into the circle. It should work, if my grandma’s grimoire is to be believed anyway.

“You heard what my father said, right?” Kier demands. “The demon is using you for something! You can’t trust him.”

“I agree, you should stop this,” Darren mutters, but he sounds a little resigned. Like he knows it’s futile to object, but he feels obligated to do it anyway.

“I don’t trust him. Just because I don’t trust him, doesn’t mean I can’t use him. I need his help. Today having my magic cut off could have got you all killed. I can’t live with the bad luck, and I can’t live without my magic. He’s the only one who knows anything. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he caused this curse. But he is the only one with an idea of how to get rid of it, so I’m calling him to do just that,” I explain firmly, leaving no room in my tone for arguments, not that it stops them.

“I’d also like to vote against summoning the demon. They’re evil for one, and I’ve pissed a lot of them off for two. Evil and pissed off is not a good feeling to have a powerful demon direct at you,” Rhydian chimes in, but he too seems a little resigned to the fact I’m doing this.

“Solas, I summon you,” I whisper, not even bothering to respond to Rhydian’s objection. The smell of brimstone tickles my nose as the black candle lights itself at the northern point in the room. Solas appears in the centre of the circle. He glares at it indignantly, as if offended by its mere presence around him. His eyes quickly find something else to scrutinise when Rhydian steps into his view beside me.

“You!” Solas shouts, banging his hand around the invisible barrier that is containing him.

“Yes, me,” Rhydian responds in a pleasant tone. “Not a cat anymore, I see,” he adds, looking Solas up and down. Today Solas is again only half dressed, and I sarcastically wonder if I should attempt to bargain with shirts in future. All of his muscles somehow seem tensed, as he paces within the confines of his trap.

“I should kill you,” Solas tells Rhydian, in a tone better suited for offering a pleasant gift.

“But you won’t. Not today,” the fae responds with a grin.

“Don’t be so sure,” Solas hisses, before turning his attention to me. He smooths his expression from fury to seductive salesman in seconds. “Little witch, you always call me so much quicker than expected. I’m starting to think you like me.”

“Shut up,” I snap, rolling my eyes at Solas, earning myself bewildered looks from the others in the room.

Solas points at Rhydian. “You should watch out for that one, little witch. He’s more trouble for you than even I am. He may be charming, but trust me, his words are laced in poison not with honey.”

“Thanks for the warning,” I dismiss him quickly. “Now, break the bad luck curse that’s on me.”

“Always so rushed. You need to learn how to slow down and enjoy things,” he scolds, giving me a creepily knowing look.

“Don’t talk to her like that,” Rhydian mutters, surprising me.

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