Awakening (21 page)

“It wasn’t what I expected,” I said. “I thought it would be more like the
braigh
.”

“You mean, physical torture?”

I nodded. “This was gentler. And yet, much worse.” I thought of how Selene had wanted to take my power for herself. Goddess, what would that have been like? It was unthinkable.

“I never want to do anything like it again.” Sky walked to each corner of the room and extinguished the candles there but left the two on the altar lit. “Let’s get out of here,” she said with a shudder. “I’ll come back in and do a purification ceremony in the morning.”

Moving in slow motion, I followed her into the living room.

“We found out what happened, you know,” Sky said. “The
taibhs
terrified Afton so badly that he wanted nothing to do with the store. That’s why he forgave the debt. Then, later, the continued stress of the encounter led to the stroke. Receiving Alyce’s muffins was what pushed him over the edge.”

“You mean Alyce . . .” It was unbelievable.

“She had sent them as a thank-you. But dark forces work in devious ways, and so her kindness resulted in a terrible event.” Sky put a finger to her lips. “She doesn’t know, and I hope you won’t tell her. It would hurt her too much.”

I nodded. Then a thought occurred to me. “What happens to the store now?”

“Hunter spoke with Afton. He’s getting better, but he wants nothing to do with Practical Magick. And the bookstore deal fell through, so the building has lost its value.” Sky shrugged. “I think Alyce will probably have to pay off the debt, but Afton seems willing to work with her on the timing. She’ll be able to keep the store running.” She touched my shoulder comfortingly, and left the room.

I heard Hunter coming down the stairs and turned to look at him. “Morgan,” he said. “You’re still here.” He looked exhausted and so much older than he had earlier that day. He came to stand before me. “Thank you. I know how hard that was for you.”

I looked at him. He wasn’t a monster. He had done what he had to, and through it all there’d been an undercurrent of compassion streaming from him, from Hunter to all of us.

“I have something for you.” He reached into his pocket and took out a clear, faceted crystal.

“Quartz?” I guessed.

He gave me a look that made it clear that was the wrong answer.

“Oh, Hunter, please, I’m too worn out for guessing games.”

“Tell me what it is,” he said softly.

So I tried, thinking of the stones I’d learned, trying to fit a name to it: Zircon? Danburite? Diamond? Albite? It couldn’t be moonstone. Frustrated, I sent my energy into the stone, asking it to yield its name to me. The answer it gave made no sense.

I gazed up at Hunter, baffled. “What it tells me is beryl, but that can’t be right. Beryl is either aquamarine or emerald, and this is—”

“Morganite,” he told me. “Your name stone, another form of beryl.”

“Morganite?”

“It changes colors with the sunlight. At different times of day it will be white, lavender, pink, even pale blue. It’s a powerful healing stone. And there’s something else it can do.” His hand closed around the stone. He looked at me, and his green eyes were as fathomless as the sea. “If a blood witch holds it and sends energy into it, it will reveal what is deepest in his heart.”

Hunter opened his hand, and in the very center of the crystal I saw myself.