Free Spirited Legacy (Lost Library) by Kate Baray Page A

Texas.”
    “Now you’re just being intentionally rude.” Lizzie eyed him askance.
    Harry grinned. “Perhaps. But here’s an even more interesting factoid for you. How long it takes for the energy to fade, that varies by individual. For some people, in rare cases, it’s so slow that their physical body ceases to exist and only the energy is left. When the energy persists beyond its tie to the physical body, well, you get what might be considered a ghost.”
    “You did not just tell me that ghosts are real. Are you a lunatic?” She eyed him askance. “Do I look like I need to know about ghosts right now? I could have done just fine without that tidbit. Now I’ll be worried about the ghost of Moore coming to haunt me every time I enter the Library.” Lizzie shivered.
    “I can ease your mind on that count. And if you were paying closer attention you’d know, he’s exactly the ghost you’ll never encounter. I suspect that the persisting energy that creates a ghost is exactly what our evil genius stole from Moore. And what he tried to steal from Sarah. Except, in Sarah’s case, he didn’t completely drain her,” Harry said.
    “You still haven’t explained how I made something happen that I didn’t will to happen. Pilar gave me a down and dirty explanation of how magic works: find the magic in yourself, decide what exactly you want to happen, and will it to happen. I never imagined or asked for what actually happened.”
    “You did—imagine and ask, that is. You imagined and willed a cessation of Worth’s forcible and unnatural manipulation of spirit energy, or magical energy. Whatever it’s called, it is perhaps one of the most powerful types of energy. I suspect you snapped the connection between Worth and his victim. The injuries to Worth were simply a side effect—a whiplash of the momentarily uncontained energy, perhaps?” His voice became less serious, the tone lightening. “Problem solved. Absolved of all guilt. Et cetera.” Lizzie doubted this was Harry making an effort at piety. More likely he was just poking fun at Americans.
    “It’s not quite that simple. If I actually felt guilty for hurting Worth—and don’t be mistaken, I do not —then you would not be helping.” Harry might be a fabulous healer, probably was in fact a fabulous healer, but he would be a terrible therapist. She reminded herself, he was a fabulous healer, or Harrington wouldn’t have put him on Sarah’s case.
    “Ah. But now you know your magic wasn’t wild,” Harry said.
    Lizzie sighed. He was right. Maybe not such a completely horrible therapist. “Thanks.” And she meant it more than she knew how to say. “The possibility of unpredictable magic was driving me nuts. Uh, not literally crazy. You know what I mean.”
    Harry laughed. “I do.”
    “And if I see red sparkly stuff when I’m upset?” Lizzie asked tentatively.
    “Sounds better than being sick or fainting to me. But that’s your call.” Harry was kicking back in the sofa, long lean legs stretched out.
    Lizzie digested that for a minute. Apparently red sparkles were not dangerous. Huh. Who knew? It seemed freaky to her.
    They both drank their tea in silence as Lizzie digested the information Harry had shared.
    After a few minutes of contemplative silence, Lizzie sat up straighter and her face took on a firmer cast. “How do we fix this, Harry? How do we make Sarah better?”
    “Give her back what Worth stole. If that’s even possible. I’ve never heard of a spell caster—or any magic-user—doing anything like this before. But who knows what our history holds?” Harry gave her a significant look.
    Brow crinkled in confusion, Lizzie thought about some other evil, nasty spell caster hurting innocent victims in some other time. Disturbing.
    “Or where we might find information about our history.” Another glance her way.
    When Lizzie just looked at him in confusion, he sighed and said, “Really? No ideas?”
    “Oh. Oh! Sorry,” she said