Page 120 of House of Malice
It was true. They had gone from breaking a small rule and law here and there to living fully on the other side of the law. And Alecto had barely even noticed.
That thought scared her a little. There didn’t seem to be lines they weren’t willing to cross.
“Alright, let’s see those spells,” Val said and jerked her chin at Galia.
Galia turned to the Book and said, “Book, would you be so kind as to show me the protection spells?”
The Book flapped its leather-cover wings a few times and then said, “I shall, High Priestess.”
The pages flipped quicker than Alecto could track, and then the Book flopped on its back on the altar. Galia waved for them to come closer.
They clustered around the Book on the altar.
“Oh, I know this one,” Jolene said. “We have almost the exact same spell in our Book. But ours has the addition—”
“Zip it, Jolene,” Val snapped, and Jolene shut her mouth.
“This is the one that’s placed over the whole house. We can remove this one because it won’t alert him about it,” Galia said, and Val nodded. “Now, this one.” Galia flipped the page and pointed at another spell. “This is the one that applies the invisible barrier. If we try to remove it, he will know. I have yet to find a solution.”
Alecto flattened her palms against the white bone of the altar and bit her lip. She had no idea how to go around this spell.
“Pretending to be the Dean?” she asked after a moment. “You know the spell that allows you to take someone else’s appearance? It could work.”
Galia shook her head. “The spell will recognize your DNA. It won’t work.”
“It might,” Val said. “There are more advanced spells that allow you to temporarily alter your body on the molecular level. It is way out of our league, and we’d need the Dean’s DNA for it to work.”
“We can manage the spell,” Jolene said. “But where would we get the Dean’s DNA?”
All their attention shifted to Galia.
She crossed her arms, bristling. “How do you suppose I do that?”
Val smiled. “A dinner. Steal his fork or a glass or whatever. You’re a smart girl, so figure it out.”
Galia’s eyes were sharp as daggers while she glared at Val.
“Alright, we have a way to deal with two out of three spells,” Val said, returning to the Rats’ Book. “How about the third? Is it a combination of two previous spells or another spell altogether?”
Galia flipped a page and tapped her finger at another spell. “It is a separate spell that’s a hybrid. If you plan works with taking on the Dean’s appearance, then I think it should work with this hybrid spell as well.”
“Let me just quickly double-check,” Jolene said, leaning closer to the Book. She was careful not to touch it, though. “Hm… Mm-hmm… I see. Alright. Seems like Galia’s right.”
Galia rolled her eyes. “Thanks.”
“Can never be too cautious.” Val smirked. “Alright. We will get the ingredients we need for the two spells. And you, Galia, find a way to get us the Dean’s DNA.”
Galia murmured a chant, and the Book turned into a simple notebook once more. She put it back into her handbag.
“This is the map of the Dean’s home,” Galia said, handing Val the map. “He lives in a historical building, so he had many restrictions when renovating it. I thought you might want to familiarize yourself with the layout.”
“Thank you,” Val said. “Now let’s get to work. We’ll be in touch, Rat.”
47
It was already dark outside when Rogue met Blaze outside their brownstone.
Blaze stood next to the carriage waiting for him, smoking one cigarette after another. His mind and all senses were hyperaware, and his skin buzzed with anticipation.
