The Witch's Thief by Tricia Schneider Page B

of options. A woman about to bargain with the devil.
    Again .
    Her stomach tightened with dread, but she gritted her teeth with determination. She needed more time. He must give it to her.
    Softly, she blew the powder onto the glass of the mirror. Then she picked up the piece of paper Drake had given her and read aloud the words he scribbled there. After she finished the incantation, she took a step back and waited.
    And waited.
    It took several minutes.
    The glass of the mirror shifted. The flat hard surface mutated into liquid, liquid that remained on the wall. It rippled and danced liked waves on a lake. She watched, mesmerized until an image began to form in the mirror.
    The image of a man.
    His hair looked like the wings of a raven, and his blue eyes pierced her soul with icy fire. He held his head high, staring at her with a regal tilt to his chin. At one time, Julia thought him a handsome man, until she discovered the evil that twisted within him.
    She shivered as Drake appeared fully.
    “You have it?” he asked, his voice deep and powerful.
    Julia shook her head. “I need more time.”
    “Your time is nearly through. I need that spell. You promised to have it by the end of the full moon.”
    “I promised to try to find it,” she corrected. “I’ve done my best. I’ve discovered several Merriweather grimoires, but none contain the spell you seek.”
    “Then you must try harder.”
    “I need more time,” Julia said. “I’m having some…difficulty. I must take care how I search so as not to be discovered.”
    Drake sneered. “One old lady and a few house servants will not detain you. I’m certain you may find a way to search without revealing your true intentions.”
    “It’s not that. There’s been…” Julia hesitated. Dare she tell him the news? She did not know how Drake would react. And she feared this man for what he had done to her family.
    “Spit it out, woman!”
    “Someone else is here,” she said finally. She took a deep breath to still her trembling. “I cannot conduct as thorough a search as before since he is certain to take notice of my actions.”
    “Who?” Drake leaned closer. “Who has arrived?”
    Julia bit her lip. She could not tell him. What would he do? She did not want this man to know Basil had returned to England. Though Drake had no reason to hurt him, Julia feared for Basil. She wanted to protect him from the evil in the world.
    But, Drake would find the truth out other ways, she was sure. She learned over time Drake would find a way despite all she did to stop him. Drake had methods of discovering things. His spies were everywhere; the birds, the insects, the trees. Who knew what other supernatural creatures he commanded?
    “Basil Merriweather.” The moment she spoke his name she cringed. Betrayal! A knife wrenched in her heart.
    “Basil?” Drake repeated, his eyes widening. “Basil? The prodigal son.” A slow upward curve of his lips revealed the hideous replica of a smile. “He’s the one,” he whispered, his eyes seeing naught being lost in deep thought.
    Julia gasped. This is what she feared. Drake’s attention now focused on Basil. What would he do to him?
    “What?” she asked. Her startled cry drew Drake’s attention. He nodded, as if answering to someone she could not see. There was not much in the background other than shadowy darkness. She could nearly feel the coldness from his castle through the mirror’s portal.
    “Yes, he knows where the book is hidden. He will find it,” Drake said. “You must seduce him. Use your womanly spells on him. Make him tell you where to find the book.”
    Julia shrank back. “No, I would never! How could you suggest such a thing?”
    She did not tell him about the mutual seduction last night. It still confused her whether or not she seduced Basil, or he her.
    “It matters not to me how you obtain the book, woman, only that you obtain it. Find the spell. Bring it to me. The spell I cast over Marianne will