Chapter 14
Chapter fourteen
I tried to cut my visit inside as short as possible, but a large aisle with vintage style brass and iron locks and keys wasn’t easy to browse in a hurry.
In our room, I munched my food while comparing the two keys to the drawing of the lock. Genie had included every detail her companion had remembered, down to the engravings that resembled a cross topped by a loop.
“An ankh,” Cosmo said, in a grave voice.
“What does it stand for?”
“It’s an Egyptian symbol for the afterlife, among other things. This grimoire might easily contain very powerful spells that mustn’t fall into the wrong hands.”
His words gave me goosebumps.
“It’s a book of evil?” Suddenly, I no longer had the intention of so much as touching the blasted thing.
“It’s nothing of that sort. Think of a hammer. You can use it to repair things or build something new, or you can use it to smash. It’s the intention that shapes its purpose.”
“I see.” At least I thought I did.
Cosmo put his paw on my knee. My tense muscles relaxed a little. I swallowed the last bite of my sandwich and clasped the first key. It felt cold and unyielding.
The next one rested easy in my hand. I concentrated on the drawing, and on the shaft and bow of the key, until I felt the key change.
My breath became ragged with the effort.
Cosmo purred.
I let go of the key. The shaft now showed a cross on both sides, and the bow had become a perfect loop. The iron had darkened, with what appeared like the patina of centuries.
I compared the ankh on both drawing and key. Everything depended on them matching.
“It’ll be fine.” Cosmo weaved around my ankles.
“It has to. If only we could speed up the waiting.”
“Good things come to those who wait. Your aunt said that a lot.”
“That’s true, but I don’t think she’d have used that particular quote in our current situation.” I wrapped the key in a translucent fabric bag and stored it in my purse, ready to spring into action as soon as I got word from Genie.
The message arrived when I was close to tearing out my hair. What use was witchcraft if I couldn’t wield it to speed up events?
Cosmo shook his sleek head at me. “You need to calm down. Have a cup of tea.”
“Do we have time?” We did. I silently berated myself for not thinking about the tea myself. That was the sort of magic I was always allowed.
A few sips of Celestial Calm later, Cosmo and I left for our rendezvous.