Inherited Magic by Jennifer Mccullah Page A

leave her there.”
    “We do have to go back,” Cain
agreed, “but we have to be smart about it.”
    Ruby sighed, “Of course we do. We
can’t just leave them with those men.”
    Everyone was silent for some time.
They knew they were walking into a dangerous situation, unprepared and unarmed.
Allison realized she might die, and there was still a lot she wanted to do in
life. She wasn’t ready to die, and she would bet her mother had felt the same way.
Was anyone ever ready to die? The unknown made death so scary. For every
preacher proclaiming the pain of Hell and the glory of Heaven, there was a
well-educated atheist saying that neither existed. The fact remained that no
matter how strong someone’s faith or conviction, no one could say for sure, and
that was the scary part.
    Cain changed directions when he had
the chance, and they were soon traveling back to Mason Springs, and back into
imminent danger. Everyone seemed immersed in his or her own thoughts. Allison
was thinking back to the fight between Adam and Siler. Adam had handled Siler
with no problem that day. The task of facing an entire group of people as
skilled as Adam was daunting and seemed impossible, but what choice did they
have? They had to try.

Chapter 11
    They were at least a day and a
half’s drive from Mason Springs. Allison was anxious to be home where she could
help her friend, but Ruby was insisting on making another stop first.
    “How far is Wilburn from Mason
Springs?” Cain asked.
    “Around two hours. Mamaw has to go
up there every few months for job training,” Allison said.
    “Allison, how much training do you
think a secretary needs? I just said I was going for training. The truth is
that I have always gone to Wilburn because we have friends there who sell
ingredients and supplies I use.”
    “All this time,” Allison said to
herself.
    She was in shock at her
grandmother’s secret activity. It seemed so obvious now. Why would a secretary
have to go to on the job training two hours away every couple of months? She
had never questioned it, never given the idea as much as a second thought.
Vinnie’s expression showed that he was as surprised by this revelation as she
was. After this detour in conversation, Allison returned to the main point.
    “Why is it so important to stop
before we go home?” Allison asked.
    “It could be life or death, that’s
why. This is where I buy all of my ingredients for the spells and potions.
There are ingredients I need. I also need somewhere to stay long enough to make
these things and prepare for what we’re up against. We need all the help we can
get, and they may be a lot of help to us.”
    “You can’t just buy your stuff and
make it in the RV?”
    “No. There isn’t a lot of room in
here, and Ursula has the proper equipment.”
    Allison rubbed her forehead. Was
she the only one who realized that people were in danger? They may be dead by
now. Everyone seemed to think they were on some vacation and could just go home
at their leisure. Ruby must have guessed what Allison was thinking.
    “I know it’s frustrating. You want
to go in there right now and save them. I’m telling you, we have to be as
prepared as possible if we stand a chance of surviving.”
    “It’s hard to see the use of
spending time on anything other than going back and helping Sam.”
    “Spending time in Wilburn is
necessary if there’s any hope of survival for Sam or us. This will be time
spent working toward bringing Sam to safety.”
    She wanted to argue, but knew that
Ruby was right. She had more experience dealing with all of this, and Allison
had to trust her decisions. She rubbed Dru while turning her attention to the
window. Cars passed by, filled with people who were living normal lives, happy
and oblivious to the problems within Cain’s RV.
    On the way to Wilburn, Ruby made a
list of items that she needed. Vinnie listened to Ruby more than Allison did. 
She was less concerned with recipes and more