Page 57 of Horn in My Side
“But you still have magic in your line?Couldn’t it be possible you have it?”
“No.”
“Even just—”
“Haven’t you been listening?”she said bitterly.“I can never wield that magic; it will never pass through my line.It’s only meant for the male members of my family.My father lost out on The Inheritance because I was unlucky enough to be born a girl.”
And that was it.The secret she kept all these years, carried around with her, forming a looming shadow over her relationship with her father.Jed never said it outright to her face, he would never, of course, but she had overheard that snippet of conversation, and it became clear to her.
It’s not fair.It’s because of Jasmine, isn’t it?The Inheritance should have been passed to me.
“First of all, that’s a bunch of hydra dung.It’s not your fault.”Mal snorted.“Are you sure no female has ever received the magic?Or that it can’t be shared between two people?”
“As far as I know, never.”
“Or the men in your family didn’t want to share it with the female offspring.”
“Whether it’s true or not, the family legend stands.There’s only been one albularyo for every generation and they’ve always been male.”
“Hmm.”Mal’s nose wrinkled.
She narrowed her eyes at him.“What is it?”
“Orcs have this belief, you see.”He held her gaze, eyes turning luminous purple as he spoke.“We aren’t traditional magic wielders, but our ancestors held on to what little magic they had and cultivated it, used it, shaped it to meet our needs.Somehow, this magic wove itself into ourDNA, at least that’s what our orc scientists say.It builds and spreads, multiplies as you use it.Perhaps the same thing happened with your family, a little bit of magic bleeding into the next generation’s soul each time it passed on, giving all of Emilio’s direct descendants the potential to wield The Inheritance, even the women.Regardless, you have some magic in you or an affinity for it, finely tuned for all kinds of creatures and powerful enough to draw them in or become immune to them.”
“Like the cockatrice.”
His lips spread into a smile.“Exactly.”
Jasmine pressed a hand to her chest.“This is ...a lot to process right now.”But what Mal was saying made sense somehow.Perhaps that’s why she was drawn to the shop, the animals, maybe even to Dewberry Falls.
“Take your time, think about it.”
“Not right now.We have to find the carcinos—or whatever hatched from that egg.”She chewed at the inside of her cheek.“How can I use my m-magic to find it?”She tripped over the word, as it felt strange on her tongue.
“I’m not sure, but maybe you can let your instinct guide you.Every creature inside here has magic and leaves a trace.See if you can connect to that.”
“All right.”She walked out toward the middle of the room, to the broken tank.Thank goodness the beautiful platform hadn’t been destroyed, though she did notice something at the corner, right where the carved cockatrices were sitting on the vine.The wood there looked darker, as if it had been burned.
Huh.
She ran her finger over the scorch marks.“Still warm.”Closing her eyes, she focused on the spot.
Suddenly, a gust of wind came from nowhere, loosening strands of her hair from her braid.Something flittered across the darkness behind her lids.Glittery and shiny ...like gold and diamonds.
Her eyes flew open.“I know where it is.”
Not bothering to wait for him, she marched outside, retracing her steps down Main Street, to the last shop at the end.
“Glitter and Gold Jewelry Emporium?”Mal, who had been trailing behind her the whole time, read out.“You think Clawed or Clawdia came here?”When she sent him a teasing smile, he shrugged.“We have to call it something.So, why here?”
“This was the last shop I visited, and they were already closed by the time I arrived.I didn’t see any broken glass inside, so Ithought it was all good, but I had this feeling, like I needed to go in there.”She should have followed her instinct.“We could probably wait until morning, but I’m worried he or she might be hungry or thirsty.Or they could hurt themselves.”
“Yeah.”He put his hand on the door.“Huh.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t feel any magic protecting this place.No locking spells, no shields, or wards.You’d think they’d at least spring for a burglary hex, considering what they have in there.”
