‘What?’ I asked.
His expression grew darker and he dropped his gaze.
I stared at him. ‘What, Hugo? What is it?’
‘That barrier has nothing to do with elvish magic. Neither is it normal witchery.’
I tilted my head, confused. ‘Okay.’
‘In fact,’ Hugo continued, lifting his head to shoot a malevolent glance at the Assigney building, ‘there’s only one sort of magic that’s strong enough to create a ward that has that kind of effect.’
A sudden nervous spasm churned in the pit of my belly. ‘And what sort of magic is that?’ I asked quietly.
He grimaced. ‘Blood magic.’
I stared at him. He stared back at me. ‘Using blood magic is the first step to becoming a fiend,’ I whispered.
‘Yes.’
‘Are you saying that you think Lady Rose is using blood magic?’ I asked.
‘She might have hired someone to create the ward for her,’ he said, though he sounded dubious. ‘But the most likely scenario is that she magicked it up herself.’
A dozen possibilities rushed through my head. What if Lady Rose wasn’t a victim at all? What if she was a villain? I swallowed hard, then I realised that Hester was slowly backing away from me, her wings fluttering quickly in the air. Otis looked genuinely terrified. I clocked Hugo’s tight, worried expression again.
‘Hang on a minute,’ I said.
‘It didn’t seem to affect you, Daisy. The blood-magic ward didn’t hurt you in the way it hurt us.’
‘Because I’ve got fiendish blood,’ I whispered. ‘Because Athair is my father, I’m half fiend and a mere footstep away from becoming an abhorrent evil creature that cares only for power.’ Oh God,Iwas the villain here; I was a vile creature who craved blood and death and horror and…
I gulped in air. As my twisting, terror-driven thoughts coalesced, my hands stopped twitching. ‘Wait,’ I said slowly. ‘That doesn’t make any sense. Lady Rose created the ward because Athair is after her. We don’t know why he wants her, but the visit he paid to your parents and the request he made prove that he wants her out of that house and away from the ward. It’s not my heritage that’s making me less susceptible – it can’t be. It must be something else.’
I still didn’t know what made me react differently, but logic dictated that my alleged birth father had nothing to do with it.
Otis relaxed visibly. ‘You’re not fiendish, Daisy.’ He managed a tiny smile. ‘You’re certainly not evil.’
Hester was no longer trying to put as much distance between us, but she still looked wary. ‘I’m not so sure. Anyonewearing that particular combo,’ she waved at my charity-shop ensemble, ‘has to beslightlyevil.’
I threw her a half-irritated, half-amused look. Another thought occurred to me. ‘It’s the spider’s silk. It has to be. Something about all those drugs in my system means I’m less affected by that ward than you are.’
Hugo frowned. ‘That doesn’t make sense.’
‘It’s the only material difference between us.’ I looked at the house. ‘I can feel the ward – I know it’s there, pushing against me – but if it’s not affecting me in the same way that it’s affecting you. I think I can move past it.’ Optimism rushed through me. ‘I can get inside and speak to Lady Rose.’
Hugo was already shaking his head. ‘We already know she’s dangerous from the way she attacked us, Daisy. If she’s using blood magic, you’re putting yourself at risk.’
I winked at him. ‘Nothing new about that.’ Before I lost my nerve, I spun round and ran straight for the back door, determined to force my way in.
Chapter
Twenty-One
Iwas three feet away from the door when the repelling force of the ward pushed against me. I was forced to slow down until I was moving so slowly that it felt like I was swimming through sludgy treacle. It was beyond hard, but despite the massive effort it required there wasn’t any pain. That realisation spurred me on.
I clenched my jaw and gave it everything I had, even though my energy was being sapped and sweat was dripping down my face. I would do it; I would get past the ward. I held my breath and, with one final heave, slammed my body through. One second I was pushing with all my strength, and the next I was hitting the wooden door with a thud.
I exhaled all the air in my lungs in one relieved whoosh, then spun around and grinned triumphantly at Hugo, Hester and Otis. They were staring at me, wide-eyed. ‘See?’ I stretched my arms. ‘Easy-peasy! You guys wait here and I?—’
