Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley (best ereader for textbooks .txt) 📕

sweet sweat mixed with something soft and floral. It was a pleasant smell, warm and safe. Made Tamsin feel certain rather than shaky and unsure.

But she wasn’t supposed to smell nice things. Only awful things like sulfur and the stench of rotting food. This comforting scent had no place in her nose. The nervous churning of her stomach, that was more familiar.

Wren was still staring at her. Their faces were close enough that Tamsin could see the different shades of Wren’s eyes. A forest green around the ring, fading into a yellow brown, the color of autumn leaves. Such vivid colors. Not only could Tamsin discern the shades, but she could describe them, the way Wren had described sunsets.

Something was happening.

Tamsin hesitated. Tamsin never hesitated; she simply took what she wanted and thought nothing of it. But she had seen the destruction that her love wrought. Who was to say it couldn’t happen again?

She pulled away from Wren and stared determinedly at the floor. Her eyes caught a flicker of movement next to the hearth, so quick that Tamsin tried to tell herself it was only her grief. She hadn’t actually seen Marlena’s finger twitch.

But then—a low groan.

And her sister stirred.

Tamsin was by Marlena’s side in seconds, scooping up Marlena’s icy hand in her bandaged one. It was such a familiar scene. Tamsin fretting over her sister, hovering. Crowding her. She wondered if she should let go.

Marlena made the decision for her, scrambling up and out of Tamsin’s grip. She bit her lip, eyes wary as she extended her arms, poised to attack. Tamsin waited for the blow. She deserved it after what she had almost done. But no spell burst forward, not even a shower of sparks.

Marlena looked flummoxed, her frustration turning quickly to anger. “Come on,” she said, her voice breaking as she strained, trying to pull magic forward. But the air between them remained empty.

“I don’t…” Marlena looked up at Tamsin, eyes wild. Desperate. “There’s nothing to draw from. I can’t reach the magic.”

“What happened?” Tamsin turned to Wren. “When you thought you killed her?”

Wren looked uncertain. “I don’t know. I thought she’d killed you, so I used my magic to reach into her. There was a snap, and then…” She trailed off, wringing her hands apologetically as she shrugged.

It was rumored that very strong sources could prevent witches from accessing magic, but Tamsin had never borne witness to it, had never heard of it happening anywhere other than in the writings of the ancients. It was a rumor. It couldn’t be true. An untrained source couldn’t possibly harness that kind of raw impulse.

Or perhaps it was the lack of training. Perhaps Wren had finally stopped thinking and started doing. Tamsin’s breath caught in her throat. If Wren had truly cut off Marlena’s access to magic, that meant magic could no longer hurt her. It meant that the thread between them was broken, yet her sister would continue to live.

Tamsin sank back to the ground, tears swimming in her eyes. She was exhausted. Overwhelmed with the impossibility of it all.

“What did she do to me?” But there was no venom in Marlena’s voice. She sounded defeated. Utterly and completely wrecked.

“Your magic is gone, Marlena,” Tamsin whispered quietly.

Marlena’s face paled. “All of it?”

“I thought that was what you wanted,” Tamsin said bitterly. “You’re free now. Our bond is broken.”

“That wasn’t what I meant.” Marlena shifted uncomfortably, slumping against the stones of the hearth. “Tamsin, I didn’t mean to—”

“Let me know how much you hate me?” Tamsin laughed darkly. “You made that clear enough.”

Marlena looked pained. “I don’t hate you. I… resent you.”

“Oh, because that’s better,” Tamsin snapped.

“It is, actually,” Wren said. “Resentment can fade. Hate burns bright.”

The sisters looked over at her in surprise. “I know a thing or two about what it feels like to resent you,” Wren said, eyeing Tamsin sheepishly.

Astonishingly, Marlena laughed. A soft, bubbling laugh that held far less malice than Tamsin expected. It was not the wicked, twisted laugh of dark magic. It was the same laugh she’d had as a child. “You’re ruthless,” Marlena said, shaking her head. “Exactly her type.”

Tamsin shot her sister a furious look. Marlena cackled again, the smile strange on her face. It had been so long since Tamsin had seen her sister’s expression free of hatred that she almost didn’t mind that her laughter was at Tamsin’s expense.

But, far too quickly, Marlena sobered. “What happens now, then? Now that I’ve nothing, not even a spark of magic, to my name? What sort of reward will Vera grant you for disarming her rogue daughter?”

Tamsin frowned. “That isn’t why she sent me. That isn’t why I came.”

“Ah, so there is a reward.” Marlena pushed herself away from the hearth. “I wonder what she’ll do to me. I escaped from her tower prison, after all. Threw the world into chaos using dark magic. And now I don’t hold a single thread of power. What a disgrace. Maybe I should have died after all.”

“Stop that.” Tamsin’s voice was harsh, her heart cracking as her sister spoke so flippantly about her existence.

“Why?” Marlena asked, her voice rising. “It isn’t as though I have any other options. What am I supposed to do? I’m a witch without magic. What’s the point?”

“You’re alive,” Tamsin snapped. “For better or for worse, that’s what you are. Why can’t that be enough?”

“Would it be enough for you?”

Tamsin hesitated.

Marlena smiled sadly. “I didn’t think so.”

Tamsin sighed heavily. This wasn’t going the way she’d hoped. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I’m sorry that I—”

“Don’t.” Marlena’s voice broke. “Please don’t. Apologizing might make you feel better, but it only makes me feel worse. So just stop.”

“I…” Tamsin blinked at her sister helplessly. She had no idea what to say. She didn’t know what Marlena wanted from her—or if she wanted anything at all.

“That’s enough.” Wren’s voice was sharp. “Both of you. You’re both alive. Together. You have the chance to start over. A real chance. And you’re both fools if