Wing Clipping/9

"There's got to be some reason that the spell just ends?" Opal tried.

"Protection?"

"the book may be protected from anyone not a member of the Wicked Queen's line to read the spell, but Opal is a member of her line." Larkin tried to reason.

"''Ok, then I'm out of ideas." ''

Opal stared at the spell that her mother must have read at least once. Did she tear the spell out because of anger at not having the Black Swan to help her? She didn't think so, it didn't look like the spell was ripped out.

"Purifying!" She yelled, snapping the book shut.

Seeing the looks Larkin and Fauve gave her made her blush. Clearing her throat, she elaborated. "Maybe this spell destroys the Black Swan but a different part of it purifies the Black Swan's vessel? Maybe then it has to be done in light magic..."

Fauve's brow furrowed. "Just a theory."

"The best one we have." Larkin said. "So who do we know that is a powerful light magic caster from our tale?"

"''There's only one other magic caster in our tale, light or not. And that's the Queen of all the Fairies." ''

Opal facepalmed and Larkin yanked his hair. "So we have to find Julia and ask her for help."

"''Damien could help." ''Everyone was remembering Julia's casting of a body possession spell and how wicked she had seemed then. She'd never help them now.

"One, Damien's not as powerful as Julia and probably wouldn't be able to cast a spell of that magnitude, and two: the spell is probably in the Queen of the Fairies' spell book, and only Julia knows where that is." Larkin pointed out.

Fauve opened her mouth, then shut it. "Point."

"Maybe we're worrying for nothing. Maybe Blakemore isn't the Black Swan, and if she is, maybe she won't go evil because you're not going evil."

"That's too many maybes." Opal cut her boyfriend off.

A thump sounded outside the door. "''I'll go see who that is." ''Fauve opened the door. "Looks like we don't have to hunt Julia down."

There was the Queen of all the Fairies Spell Book, with a ribbon marker in the middle. When Opal opened it, she found a continuation of her mother's spell.

"Ok, but who gave this to us?"