A sudden feeling of desperation washes over me. Emmett once told me that baking is the art of balance and restraint. Unlike cooking, baking is an exact science that requires the perfect mix of ingredients. If you use too little baking soda, your cake won’t rise. But add too much and you get a bitter, inedible result. The key is to always stay in control—never let the ingredients get out of balance.

Now I realize what he meant. I’ve always been a cautious person, never one to attract attention to myself or stick my nose where it’s not wanted. I knew my place, even if things weren’t fair. It was only after we found out about the gift-sharing spell that the balance started tipping. I started wanting more. Needing more.

Even when that spell went wrong, I told myself it was okay, because we had a plan. And then, when the summoning spell went wrong too, I told myself there was still hope, because we had a way of saving Hattie. But now, with my parents’ gifts at risk, Emmett’s life in danger, and Hattie’s heart dangling in a stranger’s hand, I realize I have lost all control. I let the imbalance of ingredients get the best of me. And I wonder if this is how the Horangi started on their path to self-destruction. By being too greedy, and losing the things most dear to them as a result.

I really am cursed like them.

“I will not ask you again,” the man threatens, dangling the glass vial by the black cord. “Tell me what this is.”

I grit my teeth. I have done my loved ones enough harm. It’s time to take control, even if it scares the Mago out of me. I have to do whatever it takes.

The task in front of me is clear. Tackle the man, grab Hattie’s heart, find Emmett, and get out of here. And do it pronto. As adrenaline burns through my body, I let out a Xena-esque battle cry and spring up, lunging headfirst at the man.

“Ow!” My head bonks into something cold and hard, and I fall back onto my butt with a heavy thud.

The man stands unfazed.

I look around me, confused. There’s nothing to be seen in the air, and yet I could have sworn my head hit something solid. I tentatively raise my hand, only for my fingers to feel long vertical bars in front of my face. I frantically follow the invisible beams and find they surround me on all four sides and a few feet above me, too. I’m boxed in.