Page 74 of House of Malice
“I’m heading to Avalon Hills today,” he said.
“Oh, what for?” Alecto asked.
Blaze wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell her his plans. He couldn’t give her the full truth just yet, so was there really a point in giving her half of it?
“Well,” Blaze said. He scratched the back of his head. “Remember that thing relating to the Imp Queen that I can’t tell you about yet?”
Alecto looked at him and arched her eyebrow. She was in her underwear, the uniform skirt in hand. “Yeah.”
“I have something to take care of in regard to that.”
Alecto nodded. “Okay.”
From her demeanor, Blaze couldn’t read whether she was upset about it or not. “I will tell you more about it very soon,” he said.
Alecto smiled at him. “Okay. I know you will.”
Blaze nodded.
“While you’re in Avalon Hills, can you stop by one of the Valentino’s bakeries and get me their cinnamon roll?” Alecto asked once she pulled on her skirt.
“Anything you want, baby.”
Alecto rewarded him with a smile, and in that moment, Blaze knew he could kill for it.
Blaze was happy when he realized there were no other customers in Gill’s shop apart from him.
He closed the door behind him and made his way towards the desk, where he hoped to find Gill. Preferably in a good mood.
Before Blaze could make his way there, Gill came out from behind the curtain that hung in the doorway leading to the back.
They didn’t seem too pleased to see Blaze. “What brings you here, Leveau?”
“I’m in need of your services, Gill,” Blaze said.
From the inner pocket of his leather jacket, he pulled out the memory orb and placed it on the counter between them. Gill looked at it with an arched brow.
“I recorded a spell with this memory orb,” Blaze explained. “And I wanted to see if you could tell me what sort of spell it is. And how one can break it.”
Gill regarded the orb for a moment. Then they picked it up, rolling it between long fingers. When Gill tapped a long, sharp nail on the glass of the orb, it lit up.
Blaze was nervous watching Gill inspect the chest and the glass dome around it. He had no idea if the witch would recognize the chest, if they even had an idea of what it could be.
The minutes dragged on for what felt like hours. Finally, Gill put the orb down and looked up at Blaze.
“Can you help?” Blaze asked, unable to bear the silence any longer.
Gill sucked on their teeth. “You’re meddling with things you do not understand, witchling.”
“That’s why I am here, asking for your help,” Blaze said, keeping his voice level and pleasant. He could not read Gill for the love of the Gods. “I’m more than happy to pay whatever price you wish.”
“Even your soul?”
Blaze opened his mouth and then closed it. He shook his head.
“Well, then. Not whatever price I wish,” Gill said. “Don’t go around blabbing that you’re willing to do things you aren’t willing to do.”
Blaze nodded.
