CHAPTER 125

I think you've got it. Opal relaxed and slid most of the way back into her tub. Whatever you decide to learn from that book may change you. But you won't know until after it happens. Lily wasn't prepared to learn a Word of Creation and look at what it did to her.

"You're right." Beth contemplated the book again. It was a decision that warranted some thinking. The spell she had cast in the basement had been easy enough, and she didn't doubt there were hundreds more. It was a book capable of opening right to the spell you needed, the ultimate shortcut. She could see why the Society and the shadow had wanted it. Immense power waited for any who were ready to seek it out.

She bit into her frozen Eggo and blanched. Even with peanut butter, it didn't taste great. Contemplating her meal, her gaze slid over to the Grimoire. Would there be a spell that could cook her food? Surely a spell that low-key wouldn't extract too big a toll.

Five minutes later, Beth stood over the smouldering remains of a pair of burnt Eggos and a smoking blanket. Luckily, the fire hadn't been magic in nature, allowing her to beat out the flames with a nearby blanket.

"That was stupid," Kisa told her, which made her jump.

"You saw that?" Beth realized it was a dumb question as soon as she asked it. Kisa hadn't left Tink's side, and the goblin snored quietly on the couch. The look on Kisa's face made it clear that she thought it was a dumb question as well. She picked up the Grimoire and ran her thumb along the edges.

"Every time I see you with this book, it makes me wonder. For instance, if there is a spell in here that could turn me back? Or maybe one to restore my memories." She opened it up to a random page, revealing a series of silvered letters that beckoned to them both. "And do you know what it reminds me of?"

"What's that?"

Kisa fixed Beth with a hard stare. "My memories are like a bad CD. They skip over songs and play things on repeat no matter how many times you push those buttons.

"But the memories I do have? They're vibrant. I get to live through them like I'm stuck in a bad dream. And every time I wonder about being human again, I remember how I got here."

Her hands touched her throat, and she let out a sigh. "It was an accident. I got hit by a car just when my life was gettin' good. Both of my legs were destroyed. I came from the streets, and dance was gonna be my ticket to a better future. Instead, my life was over. That's when we turned to magic. We tried to mend my legs with magic we didn't understand. I think you know what happened next."

She stretched out and gestured at her body. Her tail twitched behind her for emphasis. "This was my cost. A transformation I had no control over. I came here for help and found Emily instead. She forced me to continue my transformation until it suited her needs. It was a sequence of events we could have never predicted, but it all started with jumping in blind. The next time you think that you know better, I think you should remember that you don't. If it's something you really wanna dabble in, you should speak to someone who knows their shit, like Ratu. And you should keep in mind that she doesn't even want to touch this book until she's better. If a snake deity with hundreds of years of experience is wary of this fucking thing, then you should be, too."

Kisa slammed the book shut, scattering the letters into the air where they melted into smoke. She handed the book back to Beth.

"Never rush into magic unless you have no choice." As Kisa spoke, her green eyes glowed. "You know why that thing has an apple on it? I think it's a warning. That book is full of forbidden knowledge and you're about to get your ass thrown out of the Garden for biting into it."

Beth sighed, then nodded. Kisa was right. The Grimoire would wait until Ratu could properly look through it. She looked over at Opal, who nodded in agreement. Even the slime knew better than she did.

"Here," she said, holding the book out to Tick Tock. The mimic opened its flaps and she dropped the book inside, then sat down with a groan and examined the smoldering mess she had left on the table. She was still hungry, and now the room stank of smoke.

She used a rag from the kitchen to wipe down the table. Luckily, the dark marble was unmarred by her culinary experiment. In fact, the table seemed to absorb what little light there was in the room. Curious, she ran her fingers along the surface. It was smooth to the touch, and felt like it was vibrating beneath her fingers.

Beneath the couch, she heard a clicking sound. She bent over to look but was interrupted by Lily, who knocked on the door.

"They're back," she announced, then pointed outside. Beth stood and watched as the mist swirled and billowed away, revealing the angel and his three riders. Death was already moving toward them, his pace casual.

"Guess I'd better go." She picked up Tick Tock as she stood, pausing long enough to grab the instructions from Opal before moving into the living room. Reggie and Jenny were already waiting by the front door, where the Rat King held up the Risk box for her to grab.

"Let's go start an incident of our own, shall we?" Beth took the box and then picked Jenny up and cradled her like an infant. In the back of her mind, she could hear the doll's maniacal laughter.

The caves were cold at first, but soon became warmer than the outside air. Yuki had conjured a few balls of foxfire that floated along with the group, and Mike relied on them to see where he was going. He also had a flashlight, but decided to save the batteries for the inevitable betrayal that would lead to the group being separated. They would be forced to escape the caves while being chased by spear-wielding boulder people who spat lava and farted fire.