Keeper of Enchanted Rooms

Chapter 21

September 23, 1846, Blaugdone Island, Rhode Island

The house was quite powerful. It made him reminisce about Gorse End, but this place had a different air. Silas had scouted out the island earlier, confirming there were no other persons occupying the land, no other spells to thwart his intentions, and he’d discovered a special treat along the way.

Silas had collected a good share of psychometry spells over the last three decades, including one that let him sense the magical ability of others. People, things, spells dormant and spells used. This place was strong in chaocracy. Silas had been born with a single chaocracy spell; it’s what let him break apart the magic in his donors’ blood. But he’d never been able to absorb more. And he wanted more.

He’d planned to begin his work after sundown. But hell and fire, they’d gotten a clairvoyant. Silas hated clairvoyants. Their abilities couldn’t be avoided by neatness, like with a diviner. He’d never kept any in his company, and for good reason. She’d sensed him, he was sure. Sensed him before he could counter the spell. Silas was powerful, but he possessed nothing magical or otherwise that could mask him from psychic intuition. He would have to plan carefully, so as not to damage other business matters.

His wolf’s body bounded farther down the island. He was sure he was out of range of the clairvoyant, but he couldn’t take chances. Chances made him vulnerable. Chances provided others with opportunities to usurp him, as they had in the past. This was only a minor hiccup, and Silas would overcome it with little effort.

Huffing, he reached the west end of the island and tapped into his alteration spell, mutating his body back from wolf to man. The change made the fingers of his left hand too short, as alteration spells tended to temporarily mutate one’s natural body, but they would return to normal within the hour. Then, under the cover of night, he slipped into his boat and sailed for the mainland, avoiding the glow of the lighthouses, mind working through the details as he cut through the currents.