My urge to sneeze vanished, and I jerked in surprise when the crucible was engulfed in flames. There was a whoosh, accompanied by a twang through me. The cheerful red-and-orange flames flashed to a weird gold and black that matched my damaged aura—and went out.

Wide-eyed, I pulled my gaze from the soot-blackened crucible to Jenks, hovering over the sink. There wasn’t anything in the bowl but a smear of ash stinking of burnt vegetation.

“Was that what was supposed to happen?” he asked.

Like I know? “Uh, yeah,” I said, pretending to look at the text. “See, I’m not sneezing.”

I took a careful breath through my nose, then another, more relaxed one. My shoulders eased, and I let myself smile. I loved it when I learned something new.

“Good,” Jenks grumbled, taking to the air to hover before the bubble, still up and running. “’Cause I’m not getting rid of my cat.”

With a small thought, I broke my connection with the ley line. The circle vanished, and Jenks flew in to land next to the crucible, his tiny features wrinkled in distaste. Content, I closed the textbook and started to clean up my mess before Ivy got home. “I told you I wasn’t…” My words cut off as my nose started to tickle. “I’m not…” I started again, feeling my eyes widen. Jenks stared at me, horror in his expression.

Eyes watering, I waved helplessly. “Achoo!” I exclaimed, hunching over, my hair falling to hide my face. It was followed by another, then another. Ah, crap, I’d made things worse.

“The Turn take it,” I gasped between sneezes. “I know I did it right!”

“Ivy’s got some pills,” Jenks said. I could hear his wings, but I was too busy trying to catch my breath to look at him. He sounded worried. I knew I was. “In her bathroom,” he added. “Maybe they’ll help.”

I bobbed my head, then sneezed again. Ivy had caught a cold last spring when we’d come back from Michigan. She had moped around the church for three days, coughing and blowing her nose—snarling at me every time I suggested making her a charm. She had taken pills with her orange juice every afternoon.

My breath came in little pants, and my nose tickled. Crap. Lurching to the hallway, I sneezed again. “I’m not allergic to cats,” I said while I groped to turn the light on. My reflection looked terrible, my hair all over the place and my nose running. I opened the cupboard, uncomfortable rummaging in her things.

“This one!” Jenks said, tugging at a thin amber vial.