Rising Fury (Hexing House Book 1) by Jen Rasmussen Page A

believes unconditionally. She’s believed in something—no, some person , I think—even when they were abandoned by everyone else, and at great cost to herself.”
    “That sounds like a guess,” said Megaira. “We need something more solid.”
    Burn, witch , Thea thought, although she wasn’t thinking of Megaira.
    Sensing virtues wasn’t all she had. She’d seen Mr. Delacroix’s shame, but she’d also seen Bobby Higgins’s ghost. And it wasn’t some fury-like quality that had made it possible for Mrs. Delacroix to bury her son, in the end. It was that thing Thea’s mother called witchcraft.
    Burn, witch, she thought again, and focused on the old fury one last time.
    She felt a quick tug, then a push. There were glimpses, like looking out the window of a fast-moving train. A male fury, as sullen-looking as the old one was; a small hand, clutched inside a larger one; a crooked smile on a little boy’s face. The sullen-looking fury again, screaming, something horrible was happening, a tearing sound. Was that his wings?
    Thea opened her eyes, unaware until that moment that they were closed again. “Your son?” she asked. “Dale, was that his name?”
    “Bale,” the old fury said. “He died of a broken heart. They took his wings. They wouldn’t believe him. Nobody ever believed him but me.”
    Thea looked at Alecto, just in time to see a look of frustration and distaste cross her face, before Alecto resumed her usual professional mask.
    That look was how Thea knew she’d passed.
    The old fury was dismissed. Alecto nodded and muttered something to Megaira, who rummaged around in her bag. She finally pulled out a vial of something and handed it to Thea.
    “Drink,” said Alecto.
    Thea knew better than to ask why. She did as she was told. The clear liquid had no taste, not even like water.
    “Now give Maggie your hands,” Alecto said.
    Thea held out her hands. Megaira’s claws came out, but Thea barely registered it as whatever she’d just taken hit her, and a searing pain rolled through her head, down her arms, like a shock. She gasped and tried to pull back, but Graves was holding her wrists, and Megaira was slashing. There was a spurt of hot blood. Was it falling on her feet? Thea felt herself folding, and barely managed to keep herself from fainting dead away.
    Then all at once, her head cleared. The pain in her hands was gone.
    When she looked down at them, she saw claws. Long, sharp, purple claws. Thea found she could retract them, then extend them again, as easily as she could bend her knuckles.
    It was only when Graves started laughing that Thea remembered where she was.
    He nodded at Thea’s claws as she brought them out again and said, “The proper term for that is protract , by the way. Surest way to get yourself mocked is to tell someone here you drew your claws, as if they were swords.”
    Thea blinked at him. What was he talking about? She felt fuzzy-headed and weak. “Um. Thanks.”
    He clapped her on the back and laughed some more. “You think that hurt? Wait for stage two.”
    “Wonderful,” said Thea. “Can’t wait.”
    Megaira sighed and closed her laptop. “I have to get back to work, if there are no other candidates today?”
    Alecto shook her head. “She’s ahead of her class, I’ll give her that. There’s one other who’s doing better than average, but he’s still probably got a few weeks left.”
    Megaira shook Thea’s hand. “Well, congratulations, Thea. The first stage is the easiest and the shortest, normally, but you’ve got some great potential.”
    The sisters left the room, but Thea took Graves’s elbow to hold him back. When the others were out of earshot she said, “You said you’d try to track down Flannery.”
    “And so I have been. I haven’t got anything definite yet. One possible lead about her turning up on a ranch in Montana.”
    “Montana? Why the fuck would she be in Montana?” It came out harsher than Thea had intended.
    “Like I said,