Magic by Any Other Name, page 30
Hazel closed her eyes, clenched her jaw, and exhaled through her nose. “Young lady,” she said, “I came a very long way to collect you. And not a moment too soon.” Her smirk made Ivy’s heart jump. She’d seen that smirk a million times; she knew it heralded an emotional blow. “Really, you have gotten in over your head out here. Why else would my daughter’s magic light up the West Coast like a brushfire?”
Hazel’s smirk deepened, bringing out the smile lines she fought so hard to keep at bay. She was enjoying the surge of superiority that her “playful” jab at her daughter had stirred.
I didn’t use any masking spells to hide my magic at Silver Creek. God, I’m so stupid! Ivy felt an urge to curl up in a corner of the room and cry until she melted into a puddle—but to her amazement, the urge passed in seconds. It’s too late now, she thought. Like Nico said, I can’t change what’s past, I can’t control the future; I can only deal with the here and now.
“Why didn’t you find me sooner?” Georgette asked. “Couldn’t you track me with this?”
Lifting one hand to her face, she illuminated the Nichols clan mark on her cheek. As she’d hoped, Hazel’s expression betrayed surprise. Georgette enjoyed a fleeting flush of satisfaction—then fell into worry. I promised Olive I would keep her secret, she remembered. If Mom asks who told me about the mark, I’ll have to lie. Dammit! She’ll see right through me!
But Hazel only asked, “Did my sister tell you about that?”
“Yes,” she replied honestly, relieved. Oh, thank God. She thinks it was Aunt Laurel. If confronted, Laurel wouldn’t bat an eye; she’d just assume she’d disclosed the information while drunk. “You put this thing on me when I was a baby so you could control me.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Ivy!” Hazel tossed up her hands. “Every witch carries a signet. It’s perfectly normal. Having one is no big deal.”
“If it’s no big deal, then why didn’t you tell me?”
At this, Hazel’s mask of calm authority slipped; her face twisted with ugly fury and she snapped, “You always take things the wrong way! Stop being so damned dramatic!”
I always overreact, Ivy’s voice miserably agreed. It’s always my fault. I’m sorry.
No, Georgette’s thought cut in. She’s angry because I called her out on her bullshit.
The child Ivy once was slipped back into the past, giving way to the adult Georgette had become.
“I’m over eighteen,” she said. “An adult. I make my own decisions now. You don’t get to force me to do anything anymore.”
Hazel smirked again.
Oh crap, she can totally force me. Hazel hadn’t brought any luggage with her to the hotel—not even a purse. She used magic to transport here. Panic consumed Georgette, making her dizzy. Even if I wasn’t drained, she’s way stronger than me. If she tries to transport me by magic, I won’t be able to stop her.
Hazel’s painted lips pulled up at the corners in a Cheshire cat smile as she opened her mouth to speak—but before either she or her daughter could make another sound, a loud rustling filled the room, followed by a sharp, “ Aiya! ”
Georgette glanced behind her to see Mei-Xing, newly emerged from her plant and glaring at the bed. Neil lay there, still hiding his eyes behind his hands. The Nymph moved toward him, her inhuman face glowering.
“You again,” she said. “ Fàntng! I …”
Her iridescent eyes spotted Hazel. For a moment, the sight rendered her mute. Then Mei-Xing uttered a squeak and vanished, dematerialized into her plant.
Hazel clucked her tongue as if annoyed at the interruption, then jabbed a finger at Georgette. “You have obligations. You agreed to marry Zachary—”
“No,” said Georgette, “I didn’t.”
“And our two families have plans.”
“Not my problem.”
“Oh really?” Hazel said, her voice dripping sarcasm. “The Thayers have expectations of us. I have to honor the agreement you made.”
“You made!” Georgette exploded, surprised by her own anger. “Not me!”
“An agreement was made!” Hazel bellowed, making Georgette jump. “If you don’t marry that boy, what am I supposed to do?” The smirk returned. “Should I have him marry Violet?”
Georgette flinched. An image of her catatonic sister burst into her mind. It was supposed to be Ivy in that hospital bed, drooling and staring vacantly out the window. If she hadn’t refused to eat the Ningyo, Violet would be in her junior year of college instead of getting turned several times a day to prevent bedsores. If she had eaten that meat …
The meat she gave me! Boiling anger filled her. I was a child! Mom knew the risks, and she didn’t tell Violet or me! She shoved the memories aside and met her mother’s cool stare.
“Have him marry Lily,” she shot back. “It’s a good match. They’re both snobs. Or how about Daphne? They’re both immature brats.”
That one landed; her mother’s smirk disappeared. Lily and Daphne were favorites, two of the top contenders to inherit the role of matriarch one day. The very idea that they take Ivy’s place was sacrilege. “When you disappeared,” she said, “I suggested Zachary marry Poppy.”
I guess I know who the next least-favorite is, Georgette thought bitterly. “Poppy’s a lesbian, Mom. I know she’s told you.”
“Is she still in that phase?” Hazel rolled her eyes. “She should have outgrown that nonsense by now. Well, it’s irrelevant; the Thayers aren’t keen on her.” She preened. “She’s Laurel’s daughter, after all.”
Meaning they’ll want to renegotiate the agreement if they get your niece instead of your daughter. It was on the tip of Georgette’s tongue to keep arguing, but she stopped. I ran away to escape this drama.
“Good luck with that,” she said.
“Good luck, indeed,” Hazel hissed. “I worked hard to make this deal for you, and you ruined everything! After all the time and money I’ve spent raising you, protecting you from the hardships of my childhood, you put me in a position where I have to break my word? You spoiled, ungrateful child! I expect you to make this right!”
I embarrassed her, Georgette realized in amazement. When I ran off, I tarnished her image. The last slip of hope that her mother would ever accept her shriveled. I’m never going to be more important to her than what other people think.
“If you force me to marry Zach,” Georgette said, her voice calm, “you’ll have to physically drag me down the aisle.” Managing to control her racing heart, she stepped forward, into her mother’s personal space. “That’ll be a great show for all your friends, won’t it, Mom? Can’t you just imagine them whispering and pointing?”
To her amusement, her mother clearly didn’t know how to respond to this. Hazel’s usual scolds and glares weren’t working, and she didn’t have a backup plan. All she could do was stand there and fume, her lips a hard line of bitter rage.
As time ticked by, Georgette marveled at her own resolve. She was doing this! She felt like she might puke, but she was doing it!
Still, the uncertainty of the situation pressed in. Not knowing what her mother’s next step would be was nerve-racking. And there was always a next step.
With a sudden huff, Hazel pointed a long finger at her daughter’s face. “I didn’t come here to argue with you. You’re not ready to be on your own. You’re coming home. Now.”
The air around Georgette grew prickly, as if she were being assaulted by tiny needles. She’s going to transport us both back East right now! she realized, her stomach dropping.
Too drained of magic to counteract the spell, she lunged toward the window, threw her arms around Mei-Xing’s pot, and drew on energy from their shared Hathiya. Gratitude flooded her as she felt the Nymph respond. Mei-Xing slipped halfway from the pot, her upper body materialized out of the dirt and leaves, and hugged Georgette tightly. Together, they began enmeshing their personal energies. It was unlikely to stop the transport spell, but Georgette hoped that their entanglement would make it take longer for Hazel’s magic to get its hooks into her alone. Meanwhile, she tugged urgently at the Hathiya, pleading internally, Help, help, help!
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Hazel said. “Throwing a tantrum? At your age? I thought you were better than this.”
On the bed, Neil stirred and raised his head. He rolled onto his stomach and started to push himself up. “Georgette?” he mumbled. “I can’t … I don’t know what …”
Cursing under her breath, Hazel threw out a hand toward Neil in a nails-on-a-chalkboard stance. Ethereal threads like long gold ribbons shot out of her fingers and wrapped themselves around his head with a wet slap, sealing over his mouth. Through muffled yelps, Neil clawed at his face, but his fingers passed through the ribbons without effect.
Hazel returned her attention to Georgette, who was still clinging to Mei-Xing’s shivering form. Shaking her head, she said, “I am so disappointed in you.”
A flash of silver suddenly cut between the witches. Georgette looked up to see Delia standing face-to-face with Hazel. The Valkyrie had responded to her tug on the Hathiya.
Hope filled Georgette to the brim. Delia was her best and possibly only chance to escape this situation.
“Step away from her,” the Valkyrie commanded.
Delia’s tone of unquestionable authority seemed weirdly out of place with her mother in the room. In all Georgette’s life, no one had ever taken that tone in Hazel’s presence, not even her father.
Hazel’s eyes swept over the armored woman. “Why is Valhalla coming between me and my daughter?” she demanded.
“Valhalla is beyond your mortal concern,” Delia replied.
Hazel put her hands on her hips and turned her back. Though Georgette couldn’t see her mother’s face, she sensed that Hazel’s spell had begun dissipating. As she’d hoped, the presence of a Valkyrie had dented her mother’s confidence.
“What do you want?” Hazel demanded, whirling around. “Tell me!”
Delia chuckled. At the sound, Hazel’s eyes blazed with fury.
“That’s none of your business, little witch,” the Valkyrie said.
Georgette stood up, letting Mei-Xing slip fully out of her pot. Slowly, the two of them moved to the bed, where Georgette put a gentle hand on Neil’s shoulder. His huge pupils darted to her, but his hands continued swiping at the ribbons around his mouth. There were bloody marks on his face where his fingers had passed through the magic and scratched his skin.
She drew a deep breath, and on the slow exhale tried to break the enchantment. Almost at once, she felt dizzy. This was going to take longer than she’d hoped.
“I need you to stay calm,” she whispered to him. “Just breathe, babe, okay? Breathe.”
With his eyes on her, Neil lowered his bloody fingers and stayed still as she continued to work. Glancing up, Georgette saw her mother scanning Delia using a veil of magic—probably looking for a weakness. Her gaze fell on the Valkyrie’s ankle, where the Hathiya mark was, and she blanched. Then she looked at Georgette with an expression peppered with disbelief, concern, and, to her daughter’s surprise, resentment.
“You didn’t mark a Valkyrie,” she said. “I don’t believe it.”
“It’s true,” Georgette said quietly. She showed her the matching Hathiya on the underside of her wrist.
Hazel stared at the mark, her eyes darting twice back to Delia’s ankle, before she tightened her jaw and looked away. Georgette held her breath. Was the matching brand enough to convince Hazel that she had the behemoth power of a Valkyrie at her command?
“Even overlooking how crass it is to brand yourself like a common familiar,” Hazel said, glaring, “marking a Valkyrie is stupid and dangerous. You cannot—”
“Stop,” Georgette interrupted. “I’m not a child.”
“Yes, you are,” Hazel said, “and everything I’ve seen here today proves it.” Tossing her head, she turned and walked toward the door, weaving a spell as she went. “I raised you better than this.”
The transporting spell her mother was in the process of crafting was small, only enough for one. Georgette blew out a quiet breath of relief. Her bluff had worked. Whatever her calculations, Hazel didn’t think it was worth it to press her luck today. For now, she was leaving by herself.
“This conversation is not over, young lady,” she said over her shoulder as she strode to the door. “We will discuss this further.”
“I have nothing more to say to you,” Georgette said.
After stepping into the hallway, Hazel turned around to face her daughter. “Ivy—”
“That’s not my name anymore.”
Hazel pursed her lips, eyes shooting daggers. Half-hidden behind Delia, Georgette steeled herself against the coming verbal barrage. Suddenly, a blur of movement cut across her vision, charged the entrance, and slammed the door in Hazel’s stunned face.
It took Georgette a moment to recognize the blur as Neil. Turning the deadbolt with one hand, he leaned against the wall and looked at Georgette with eyes still wide from datura. The last remnants of the spell over his mouth finally dropped away.
Neil drew a breath through his cracked lips as he pointed at the door. “What a bitch!”
Mei-Xing murmured assent while Delia laughed aloud.
For a moment Georgette could only blink, her mouth hanging open.
Then, slowly, her lips crept into a smile.
61
Mei-Xing
THE UBER DRIVER KEPT HIS SILENCE FOR THE ENTIRE DRIVE. Mei-Xing was glad. Not many people needed an Uber to take them and all their luggage to a nightclub at 5:30 a.m. The driver could have asked a dozen legitimate questions, but he chose not to. He didn’t even ask what was wrong with Neil, who was visibly under the influence. Thanks to his discretion, Mei-Xing, Georgette, and Neil rode in relative peace to Nocturne.
The club was closed, but the staff let them in when they saw Georgette. The two girls held Neil between them as they followed a helpful Pixie upstairs. It was slow going since Neil kept stumbling. When they got to the right floor, Georgette found a spot in the hallway and gently lowered him into a sitting position on the carpet. Mei-Xing wasn’t sure he even knew where he was.
In a nearby room, they found Ishak asleep on the floor next to a portable crib. When they entered, he immediately awoke, put a finger to his lips, and gestured to his sleeping child. They beckoned him toward the door; he got to his feet, quietly ushered them back into the hallway, and pulled the door shut behind him.
“How did you find me?” he asked them. “I forgot to leave a note.”
“Delia told us,” Georgette explained.
“That’s your little girl?” Mei-Xing asked.
“Ziya,” he said with a grin. Then he hesitated, seeming to struggle with something internally. “Can you … open a portal like you did at Silver Creek to send us home?”
“Home?” Georgette repeated.
“To Kabultiloa.”
“Oh,” she said, deflating. “No, I—I don’t think I can. It took everything I had to move all those boxes just a few miles. Even fully rested, I don’t think there’s any way.”
Though Georgette looked upset, Ishak didn’t seem surprised. “I will find another way.” He glanced at the baggage and Mei-Xing’s potted plant. A puzzled look on his face, he asked, “Did you move out of the hotel?”
“We had to,” Mei-Xing said.
He tensed. “Why?”
“A bitch,” slurred Neil, drawing all their eyes. “A bitch witch.” He moved his lips back and forth, opening and closing his mouth. Mei-Xing thought he looked like he was swirling something around in his mouth, trying to decide whether he liked the taste. “Witch bitch,” he said, sounding out the words. “Itch switch hitch bitch witch.”
“Hush,” Georgette said, trying not to laugh. She knelt next to him and he flopped against her, his limbs rubbery. “Nico’s on his way here. He’ll take you home.”
“Home,” Neil droned, his head in her hair. “Dome foam roam comb.”
Ishak looked at Mei-Xing, eyebrows raised. “Who is this man?”
“That’s Neil. And we left the hotel because Georgette’s mother showed up. Delia scared her off, but she’ll come back.”
“Is she as bad as that?”
“Like Kivuli Panon,” Mei-Xing said simply.
Ishak inhaled sharply. The look in his eyes told Mei-Xing that no further explanation was necessary.
“We will have to find a new place.” Sighing, he rubbed his temples. “Give me a few hours. I need to sleep while Ziya sleeps. She cries when she’s not being held.”
“We?” Mei-Xing asked. “Are you staying with us?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?” She held his gaze with solemn intensity. “Hazel would love to add a Bultungin or two to her clutch of familiars.”
“I understand,” he said, nodding, “and it does worry me. But, quite honestly, I have no one else in this country.” He glanced at Georgette, seated next to Neil and talking to him softly. “I trust her.” He looked at Mei-Xing. “I trust you.”
Mei-Xing did not reply. She was still uneasy with the knowledge that Ishak had been willing to sell Georgette to Kazimiera, but after everything she had seen in last few days, she wasn’t prepared to carry a grudge. They had been through too much together.
Ishak opened the bedroom door, stepped just inside the room, and gave his daughter a tender look. It amazed Mei-Xing that this was the same man who’d been hellbent on revenge just a day earlier. All the anger and drive seemed to have melted away, leaving behind a weary but solid man ready to do right by his child.
“Let’s talk tomorrow,” he said.
Mei-Xing nodded, and he pushed the door shut.
A chime drew her attention to Georgette, who was reading the newly arrived text on her phone. “It’s Nico,” she said. “He’s out front.”
With each of them hefting one of Neil’s arms around her neck, Georgette and Mei-Xing guided him back to the club entrance, where Nico was waiting. Mei-Xing helped Neil get into Mariana’s car while Georgette apologized profusely for the damage to the Botanica.
