Concealed (Unbound, Book 4)

Chapter Forty-One

"Okay, Nora. We're here," Calin stopped in the middle of my sitting room and crossed his arms. "Now will you explain what clicked in that head of yours?"

I left him standing there and walked into my bedroom, finding my bag to get the Book of Shadows that Islene had given me. It was the book that I wrote the important information I wasn't fabricating for Devland into. After realizing I couldn't lug around mine and my mother's books all the time, I'd cloaked the bag to seem empty if someone else unfastened it. Taking it out, I flipped it open to the page about sensing magical signatures and handed it to Calin.

"I don't get it," he finally said after skimming what I'd written and looking up. "It says that you have to sense magic that was done and connect it to the user, and it feels like a punch in the gut or something."

I nodded. "Then there's the part on how to track the location."

"But you tried, and it didn't work." Calin lowered the book, which remained flat open on his palm.

"Keep reading."

"Uh, that's it, Nora." He held the book out to me.

"Oh, crunt, I forgot I spelled the rest," I said and exhaled heavily. "Here, pass it to me."

Calin watch me as I stared down at the page. "I have no clue what you are talking about, Nora."

"Here." I handed him the book back and watched as his eyes widened now that the words that I'd written behind the ordinary information became visible. "Hurry, it won't stay apparent to you for long."

Calin bent his head and summarized it aloud. "The great flaw with magical signatures is that you can't sense those you are related to."

"Right." I nodded and reached for the book. I closed it and put it back in the bag. "Don't you think that it would be the same with someone's essence, which is why Maible was bound. If her father could sense her, he would know she wasn't his."

"Well, yeah. We already deduced that."

"I can't sense Maible."

"That... makes no sense. You sensed her to know she had magic, remember? That's how you unbound her."

"Okay, yeah, I can sense her, but not entirely. It always feels as though something is missing. What if..." I shook my head. At this point, I was pretty sure there were no 'what if's' and only actualities. Clearing my throat, I said, "I only sense half of Maible, Calin."

"How can we know if you're right if you can't sense it?"

"I may not have used powers before moving here, but my mother taught me how to make spells from scratch. Good ones that will help me when I can't visualize something."

"There's no spell that will be strong enough to defy the natural principles of the Craft. People can't sense those they are related to. Otherwise, there'd have been no reason for Maible to be bound."

I smiled as I wrote on a piece of paper as though the spell magically appeared in my head exactly when I needed it. After a couple of minutes, it was complete. I grabbed a few dried herbs from sachets I'd taken from the boxes of my mother's things stored in my studio and put it all into my bag. Lifting the strap over my shoulder, I looked around the room to ensure that I hadn't forgotten anything, then faced Calin, expectant.

"What now?" he asked, appearing confused.

"Now, we go to your house where there is no chance of Devland interrupting me while I attempt to do something that I shouldn't be able to."

I walked past him, out into the sitting room. By the time I reached the door leading into the hallway, he was at my side. I pointed to Onyx's leash and Calin nodded. I patted my thigh, gaining Onyx's attention, and the three of us left within fifteen minutes of our arrival.