“Is that her first name?” Melinda sighed. “I really didn’t need to know that.”
“Why not?”
“It makes it personal. I can’t afford to feel sorry for her. She’s dangerous.”
“How can she be?”
“As a member of the Emrys family, she could alter the Eighth-Day Spell, and if she fell into the hands of the wrong Kin, they’d make her do it. Transitioners have no desire to see the eighth day broken and the Kin released, but there are some, including the Dulacs, who would love to have an Emrys heir under their control. Her timeline runs differently than ours does, so she’s probably only ten generations removed from Merlin himself. Her blood could be used for powerful magic.”
Jax swallowed uneasily. “You said people didn’t use blood in spells anymore.”
“I said honorable people didn’t. Do you understand?”
Jax nodded dumbly. He understood he wanted to complete this training and take off for Naomi’s house as soon as school ended. The eighth day was filled with horrible people who blew up entire families during engagement parties, used blood for magic, and imprisoned a teenage girl just because her ten-times-great-grandfather had been a legendary wizard.
18
ON FRIDAY MORNING, Jax found an interesting email in his in-box.
Hi Jaxattax! My name’s Lexi. Terrance said your new & looking to meet others. I know other kids like us & we have a group that meets sometimes & if you dont live too far away maybe you could come. Where do you live? Write me back! Lexi
Lexi’s profile picture cleverly revealed parts of a cute girclass="underline" one brown eye, one perfect nose, and a hint of a smile. The rest of her face had been cropped out to leave the viewer wanting more. Wouldn’t Jax like to meet a cute girl who knew about Grunsday and maybe lived nearby?
Heck, no.
“Crap!” Jax deleted the email with a jerk of the mouse and a stab of his finger.
“Problem?” Riley appeared in the kitchen doorway, drinking the last of the milk out of the carton.
“Nope,” Jax said, closing the email window. “Just forgot to save something.” Riley returned to the kitchen while Jax quietly panicked.
Lexi wanted to know where he lived. Terrance had asked the same thing. Jax deleted the Between Wednesday and Thursday forum from his browsing history, his heart thumping double time. He’d told them what state he lived in, but otherwise, no harm done. Right? Pennsylvania was a big place.
Just assume all Transitioners and Kin are dangerous, unless I clear ’em for you. But Riley hadn’t told him that until after Jax had already made contact with this site. He hadn’t known. It wasn’t his fault. And besides, they didn’t know where he was.
Because they were still asking.
Riley took Jax to a sporting goods store on Saturday to buy a sheath for his dagger as Melinda had suggested. Jax looked at himself in the mirror afterward, a knife at his side and his family crest emblazoned on his wrist. Naomi will freak when she sees me.
Feeling tough and adventurous, he Googled his famous ancestor, only to find out Sir Agravain was kind of a jerk—a selfish knight who served his own interests and betrayed his allies. Apparently, even in the time of King Arthur, people on the same side had trouble getting along.
That deflated Jax’s enthusiasm and reminded him of what the Dulacs had done to Riley’s family. And for what? So they could bribe more politicians without the interference of honorable men? The more he learned about these people, the less he liked them.
His outlook did not improve when Melinda emailed him homework. She wanted him to memorize a few meditative verses before their next lesson on Grunsday, to improve his concentration. Meditation? Really? She suggested he practice his talent for information on his textbooks—to pin down exactly what to study for finals.
But if his newfound talent gave him an advantage in school, Jax couldn’t see any evidence of it. His grades were as bad as ever. He paid just enough attention to his surroundings to get by—for instance, leaping over Giana’s outstretched foot when she tried to trip him in science on Monday. She hadn’t gotten over her hostility, and, if anything, she seemed to take pleasure in tormenting him.
To be honest, he spent most of his mental energy planning for next Grunsday. He wanted to talk to Evangeline again—partly because it annoyed the heck out of Riley and partly because her imprisonment was so unfair—but he couldn’t figure out how to do it without interference from His Highness, the Freaking Heir to King Arthur. Salvation came on Tuesday night when Riley entered the house, his phone in hand. “Hey, I gotta meet Deidre on Grunsday to see something she’s put together. Can I count on you to be here—looking out for things?”
Jax sat up alertly. “Yeah. No problem.”
Riley opened his mouth to say something else, and Jax waited for a “Leave the girl alone” command. But Riley didn’t say it. Instead, he shoved his phone into his pocket and walked out.
“Can I fight off Riley’s commands?” Jax asked Melinda at the start of their next lesson on Grunsday afternoon.
She arched an eyebrow. “If you know a person’s talent, you can prepare your mind to reject their magic.”
“But A.J. couldn’t stop answering my questions even after he realized what I was doing.”
“It’s easier to block magic than to fight it once it’s gotten hold of you. Riley’s voice of command is a rare talent and a strong one, but not unstoppable. We’ll work on defense once I know you can use your own magic more precisely.” Melinda narrowed her eyes. “Although I didn’t think you’d need to defend yourself against Riley.”
“It was just a question.” Jax gave her his most innocent expression. Melinda responded with the piercing gaze of motherly suspicion before returning to the task at hand—teaching Jax to call on his talent when he wanted it and not every time he greeted someone with “What’s up?”
Jax pondered what Melinda had said while he biked home, wondering if he could reject Riley’s magic. Jax didn’t want any commands stopping him from luring Evangeline out of her house this evening. Nobody should be as alone as she was.
“That you, Jax?” Riley called from the second floor when Jax got home.
“Yeah,” Jax replied warily, taking out his honor blade and holding it in his hand. I know his talent, and I reject it. He can’t make me do anything I don’t want to.
“I need you to disengage the generators at midnight tonight,” Riley said as he came downstairs. “Can you do that?”
“Whoa.” Jax’s jaw dropped.
“What?” Riley snapped, fussing with the collar of his shirt as if uncertain how many buttons he was supposed to fasten and how many it was okay to leave undone.
Jax had to admit Riley Pendare cleaned up good. He was wearing Dockers—pressed and pleated. A button-down shirt. Boots with a shine. His hair was combed back and gelled into place.
“So this is a date,” Jax concluded.
“No.”
Jax snorted.
“I’m meeting Deidre at her college,” Riley said. “She’s been putting together old and new technology, trying to make me a motion detector that’ll work on Grunsday. She wants to show me her progress, and we’ll probably spend all evening in a lab.” He looked down at himself. “But she told me to dress nice or don’t bother coming.”