The Black Brier County Jail was nearly empty. Most were too afraid to break Council law or smart enough to not get caught. We really only had one for the rare occasions impotens got out of hand, but even so, the magical protections on the place were impressive.

I scratched at my arm. Ten minutes in here was probably all I could handle, and I hoped Mama was willing to talk fast. I flicked my eyes from left to right as I passed each cell. It wasn't until I reached the very end that I found her, and what I saw made me cry out in sorrow.

Had it been less than a week ago that we'd argued in the shop while she made charms and danced along with the radio? That woman had been a force. Vibrant, sturdy, powerful. The woman huddled in the corner was none of those things.

Gray streaked through her black hair, and her once round cheeks were hollow, making her forehead look more prominent. The clothing she wore hung on a frame far too thin, and I had to lean through the bars to determine if her chest was rising and falling.

"Mama," I croaked wondering how she'd deteriorated so much in just a couple day's time.

Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks while her lips formed a harsh circle. Then, her eyes snapped open and settled on me, the hazy confusion clearing rapidly.

"Acantha," she said in a hoarse voice.

"Mama. What have they done to you?"

"How did you get in here?"

The roughened surface of the bars bit into the tender skin of my palms as I tightened my grip. I loved my mother, but now was not the time for her stubbornness.

"I have six minutes before someone figures out I'm back here so I'm the one who has to ask questions."

Each word echoed across the room, authority ringing in every syllable. I winced. If we didn't all die in the next few hours, I was going to be grounded.

"Vampire Stone," she replied.

"Another one! Why aren't you with the healers? Surely, they know you're innocent if you're infected."

Mama shuddered and coughed. It was a wet rattle that made me cold, but some of my fears abated as she pushed herself to her feet. I tried to ignore how unnaturally dry and hot she felt as she put her hand over mine. It was as if I was touching a husk instead of a living, breathing being.

"Luis has too many people in his pocket. Too many people who want to see his vision come to pass."

"How do we break the connection, Mama?" Did Clemmy know when she asked me to come here? That they were killing her daughter slowly by stealing away her very essence?

"Vampire Stones are made in sets. One stone functions as the anchor for the power it's drawing from its victims. There could be one or a hundred stones tied to that single anchor. The only way to break the connection is to get the anchor stone and purify it."

"Fabulous," I hissed, clawing at my arms in an attempt to find relief. "So, we have to slip it off Luis because you know he probably never takes it off."

"Not necessarily. It would make him ill to constantly wear it, and it'll continue to pull power from its victims whether he wears it or not."

"That's even worse because we don't know where he'd hide it."

"Ask Ash's Abuela. She'll know. And when you get it, there's a book in the shop that tells you how to purify garnet. But you need to get out of here, now."

I wasn't sure whether to be flattered or terrified that she spoke with such certainty, as if there was no doubt in her mind that I would find the stone. Had the loss of her life force made her loopy? Did she forget that I was the daughter with no magical talents to speak of? Outside of the oddly protective bracelet and necklace I wore? 

Longshot, thy name is Rose.

"Stop it," Mama said, tugging me forward and pressing a kiss against my forehead. Then she tapped the middle of my chest. "Magic exists in everything and everyone. Just because yours doesn't flaunt itself, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I believe in you."

Fighting back tears, I clutched her through the bars and then sprinted down the hall. Just as I turned the knob, I heard a familiar voice that slithered through my veins and scorched my bones. Malphas.

I peered through the clear rim running around the frosted glass and found him speaking to Susan at the front desk. He trailed a finger along the top of her hand, a gesture that could pass as flirtatious or threatening. From the nervous chuckle she released, it was apparent Susan wasn't sure which way he meant it either.

"N-n-no. No one has been here today. I told Mr. Goodwin I'd call if anyone so much as sneezed in the direction of this building."

"And I believe you Susie," Malphas purred with Charlie's voice. "But the wards are telling me a different story."

A squeak pushed past my lips, and I squatted just as Malphas turned his head to look at the door. Sweat beaded on my forehead and rolled to the tip of my nose despite the chill in the room.

"I think I'll take a look around, say hello to our prisoner."

Rats. Rats. Rats. There was no place to hide. None of the cells had blankets, and the cots were little more than lifted pallets. Certainly no room for these hips to slip underneath. Ash was going to kill me. Mama would die. Daddy would die. And I would have proved to everyone that I was a disappointment all along.

The bracelet around my wrist began to warm. Not in the unpleasant way magic usually felt. It was like a hot bath- soothing and comforting, and I wondered what power was about to be unleashed. It wouldn't be long before the door flew open. Char-Malphas' footsteps thunder closer.

"Mr. Malphas, I don't think-"

Whatever distraction Susan had planned was interrupted by a booming explosion in front of the building. Dust sprinkled over my face, breaking loose from the ceiling as the building shook. Susan screamed. Malphas cursed. I waited for the door to open while praying no one was injured.

But despite my mental preparations, I still screamed when the door opened, only to sag to my knees in relief when Susan's dirt flecked face peered down at me.

"Honey, out this door," she said, pulling me to my feet and letting me into her office. There was a door I hadn't seen earlier. "We keep it hidden, but it's there for a quick escape in case of a riot or some such nonsense."

"Like demons?" I muttered.

"Exactly," Susan growled. "I'm not a strong witch, and I know more than I should from working in this place. I'm afraid I can't do more than help you get out of here, but I'm rooting for you."

"Thanks, Mrs. Plinth," I replied, doing my best to not judge her. I knew how it felt to be powerless, but it sounded like she'd known for awhile now that something unsavory was going on. Could she have stopped all of this before it started?

"I think your young man is hiding in the cove of trees up the hill. Malphas is out front investigating the cause of the explosion."

Not bothering to correct her, I broke out into a run, skirting through parking lots and behind buildings when necessary. But with most people sleeping off last night's revelries, the town was fairly empty. The few industrious individuals were making their way to the jail. After the explosion that killed Polly and maimed my father, no one would take any chances.

"Rose!"

"Ash," I gasped, stumbling into his outstretched arms, only noticing then that I was no longer itching.

He pulled me behind a tree and down to my knees. One finger over his lips, he pointed with the other, and my eyes followed. Malphas and Luis were prowling the spot where Ash and I hid before I went inside the jail. Even from this distance, I could see the eerie silver shine to the demon's eyes, and I noticed Charlie's once lustrous, dark skin was turning ashen.

"He's destroying Charlie's body," I whimpered.

"Rose," Ash said, his tone calm- placating. "We might have to accept the fact that Charlie is gone."

"No!"

"The soul goes first. Then the body. If the body is already decaying, what chance is there that Charlie's soul hasn't been consumed?"

I wanted to cry. To sob and rage. Ash was speaking truth, but it wasn't one I could accept right now. And tears wouldn't save anyone.

"Come one. We have to go. Now, while your father is here."

Ash's brown eyes darkened with confusion. "Where are we going?"

"Paying a visit to your Abuela."

I didn't get the reaction I was expecting. It's how I might look if someone told me we had to go visit Clemmy. In one word- terrified.

"Why do you look like you'd rather march down there and turn yourself into your father?" I demanded.

"Because," he said, dragging in a ragged breath, "that would be the kinder option."