Southern Charms

Jailbreak

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?