“Well,” I hedged. “Not cursed exactly.”

Decidedly not, Orcades harrumphed. I am not a curse. My presence is a gift.

An unwanted gift, I said, through clenched teeth. I’d have preferred a more typical mother-daughter chat.

No one asked us what we wanted, my mother replied placidly. That’s life. I would have preferred not to die giving birth to you.

I pressed my lips together. Fair point.

I knew it was a mother’s prerogative to mention the pain she’d endured bringing a child into the world. And considering my mother had lost her life doing so, I decided she could complain all she wanted about the experience.

“Does necromancy involve harnessing the soul of someone who has died?” I asked Jia carefully.

“It can, absolutely. Necromancy is usually associated with raising the dead. House Mortis’s armies were powerful because of the necromancers that traveled with them.”

I cringed at the implication.

“But a soul can be even more powerful than a body,” Jia continued.

“Did necromancers ever use souls in... bodies that weren’t their own? The soul’s, I mean?”

“I’m sure it’s been done before, though I can’t think of an example off the top of my head. My! What an interesting paper you must be writing,” she said brightly, reminding me of Florence. “Is this for Restoration?”

“Yes, for Professor Rodriguez’s class,” I lied. “He has me doing some extra work for him.”

That was entirely true. Just not the subject matter it concerned.

“Fascinating. There is always so much to learn, isn’t there?”

I could think of topics I’d much rather read up on than necromancy, but I wasn’t about to say that. I smiled in agreement as I followed her down the stack, careful not to knock the trolley where she had parked it at the end of the aisle.

A little while later, I sat alone at a table near the main aisle, armed with a stack of books with titles like Blood Magic Unveiled, The Necromancer's Codex, Arcane Revenants, Bloodmancy for Beginners, and, my personal favorite, Soulbound Secrets: The Art of Making Friends and Influencing Spirits.

That last one sounds promising, Orcades said, as I flipped through the books. I like the sound of that.

Aren’t we already friends? I teased. Or should I be worried?

Oh, darling, Orcades replied. You’re my daughter and I love you, but you’re sadly lacking in finesse when it comes to dealing with souls. That’s all I’m saying.

I bit my tongue and flipped the book open, trying to settle back into the hushed ambiance of the library.

But the silence was abruptly disturbed by a burst of laughter.

I glanced up from the book, my attention distracted by insistent, high-pitched giggles.

My heart sank as the source soon became clear.

Blake Drakharrow was walking up the center aisle. He was flanked by a girl who clung to his side, her arm draped possessively around his narrow waist.

Regan.

She giggled loudly again and I flinched as the grating sound echoed off the walls. Regan tossed her glossy silver hair around her shoulders. Her face was lit up with a smile that looked too practiced to me, as if she were putting on a show for anyone watching.

Blake’s eyes met mine and he smirked, as if he were enjoying the spectacle he and Regan were making.

As they passed by my table, Regan turned her head slightly and shot me a glance that was icy and dismissive.

My cheeks flushed with irritation.

I tried to redirect my focus back to the books in front of me, but the disruption had left a sourness in the air.

For the next few minutes, I flipped angrily through book after book, trying to find something that didn’t involve simply summoning a spirit or putting a soul into a cat or dog or another person but instead would get a soul out of someone. Preferably without killing them in the process. Or losing the soul.

But from everything I read, summoning a soul and even imbuing a soul into another living creature was one thing. But giving such a spell permanence was another. Usually the soul summoning only lasted a short time and when the soul faded away back out past the veil into wherever souls went, the creature it had inhabited usually didn’t survive.

Well, that’s disheartening, Orcades observed.

You can say that again. I closed the book glumly. Did you ever stop and think that entering me might kill me in the process?

I was trying to keep you alive. I had absolutely no idea what the outcome would be. You know that, she chided. But her voice was gentle.

I know, I admitted. It’s just... disturbing. To think this new life might not even last.

I don’t feel my soul slipping away, if that helps, she assured me. Perhaps none of these books are quite relevant to our situation. Whatever magic bound us together in the first place was something beyond necromancy. Especially as we were bound by love, not simply a necromancer’s selfish desire for power.

Were we? I asked, feeling oddly embarrassed by her mention of the word.

Why, of course we were, she said stolidly. A mother’s love is the most powerful thing in the universe. Why, to think there was a time when I didn’t even think I could love you.

You didn’t...?

I was interrupted by Theo Drakharrow slinking up beside my table.

His cloak was pushed back around his shoulders and his hands were shoved deep in his pockets.

He looked uncomfortable. Anxious.

Good. That was how he should feel.

I stared up at him. “What do you want?”

“Medra.” He chuckled nervously. “Looks like you found the library. Got enough books there?”

“Is this where you distract me so Regan can pull some nasty prank behind my back?” I said coldly. “I’m not interested in another chat, Theo.”

“Look, about all of that...” He paused and glanced over his shoulder. “I was doing Regan a favor, but I don’t like how that all turned out. I just wanted you to know that.”

“Yet you played along quite well. Helped Regan ensure I’d be late for Professor Hassan’s class and get reamed out,” I pointed out.

“Well, yes,” he said lamely. “But...”

“And you sure didn’t seem to have any interest in stopping her when she made me climb that fucking dragon and almost kill myself,” I continued.

“I’ve always wanted to climb one of those things, you know,” Theo said. “You looked amazing up there. For a moment, anyhow.”

“You mean before or after I roared like a lion and then plummeted off?” I rolled my eyes.

“I thought you were roaring like a dragon.” He tried to hide a grin but not before I saw it. “Well, before that, obviously.” He scratched his head. “Look, I just wanted to say that I know we got off on the wrong foot, but we’re going to be in the same house eventually. The same family.”

“No. Hell no,” I said firmly. “I’m opting out. But what a fucked up little family it is.”

He grinned lopsidedly. “I won’t deny that. Anyhow, I like you, Medra. I mean, you can try to opt out but you might find that more of a challenge then you think. And if you are stuck with us, then I think we could get along.”

I didn’t say anything. Because the truth was, I liked Theo, too. At least, a little bit. In another world, maybe we could have been friends.

“You keep terrible company, Theo,” I said at last. “Your friends are bullies.”

“They can be,” he admitted. “But they’re fun, too. Sometimes. You don’t know them like I do. We grew up together, and each of them...”

“Let me guess. Each of them has a different sob story that explains why they turned out so mean and nasty?”

He snorted. “Well, basically... yes.”

“No excuse,” I said bluntly. “We all have a sob story. It doesn’t mean we should treat other people like shit.”