I asked myself the same question a few times in my head as witches cleared out the middle of the room and started drawing a large spell circle.

Oh wait, I slapped my head. If I could summon umbrellas and clothes I could summon a dictionary.

"Murder," I read aloud, "the unlawful premeditated killing of one person by another."

Terese and her sister were helping draw the circle while glaring daggers at each other when I approached.

"Is this legal?" I asked my Master.

"Of course it is," she replied, glaring at me as if I was stupid.

"Just checking,"

After the rune filled circle was complete, Lady Sinclair strode to the middle and clutched her throat. When she removed her hand, a glowing red tattoo-like array appeared. She cleared her throat and I could tell it was some sort of volume amplifying spell.

"Sisters, daughters, nieces and cousins! Today we bear witness to an approved duel between Terese and Annabeth Sinclair. The prize: securing the birthright I will pass down upon my death or retirement, in other words, the winner will become my heir." She glanced around the room before continuing, "the rules are as follows: this duel is to the death or surrender of the losing party. The participants may only use blood magic, as my heir must prove herself proficient with that Gift. Each participant may also bring one summoned creature: for Annabeth, her phase hound Persephone; for Terese the…" she stared at me expectantly.

"Genie!" I called out.

The crowd, which had been quietly murmuring, went silent before chatter started up even more, along with a few scoffs and laughs.

"Genie?" She stretched the word out in the tone of a parent catching their child in an obvious lie. "Can you verify that?"

"Umm," I put my chin in my hand, before the glint of my shapeshifted shackles caught my eye. "Can you read magic items? I have my bracers on."

At my behest they transformed back into decorated golden forearm guard's. I almost laughed as her eyes bulged in confusion

"Daughter," she turned to Annabeth, "he speaks true, do you still want to go through with this?"

Annabeth just nodded, the look on her face promising hell for anyone interfering with "her" birthright.

"Very well," the Lady said " …and the genie Tristan MacLennan. The familiars will fight, and then the witches will duel. If this results in a tie, I swear on my Gift and my coven that I will judge impartially, after all,-" her eyes drilled into Annabeth, "-all I care about in this is my coven's future. Annabeth! Summon your familiar! Terese! Prepare your… genie."

Annabeth bit herself on her thumb knuckle and splattered the drops across the ground. The drops combined into a red tear in reality, and a large animal howled and clawed its way out.

The animal was a mix between a saber-toothed tiger and a great wolf, with deep green fur and a long, scaled, whip-like tail.

"That's pretty cool," I remarked.

"It'll also tear you in half easily," said Terese, coming over and smoothing my shirt, "it's a Fae: a certain type of Outsider with nature and illusion innate Gifts. I've never seen one in action so I don't know what it's capable of, but Fae are weak to cold-forged iron along with anything that interferes with illusions. Ready?"

"Sure," I shrugged, "I've always wanted to get in a fist fight with an illusion-dog."

"Participants, approach the edges of the circle and face each other!"

With a reassuring squeeze of Terese's shoulder I un-summoned(banished? Disappeared?) my shirt and stood at the edge of the ring. Persephone stood on the other side, much more massive up close: easily six feet at the shoulder and maybe twice as long.

"Fighters, on three." Lady Sinclair called. "One, two, three!"

Immediately, the dog vanished. I looked around the circle, sighting nothing when suddenly there was a very cold draft on my left side.

I raised my arm in response, only to see I was missing most of it: my arm ended at my elbow, past that was nothing but crystallized dark pink glitter chunks. Luckily I didn't feel pain, although I definitely could still feel panic.

Think Tristan! I thought. Is it teleporting? I spun around even more while witches jeered and laughed on the sidelines.

I grew my arm back, only for the whole thing to be ripped off shortly afterwards.

Shit, I need to think for a second. I snapped the fingers on my remaining hand, forming a pink glass-like forcefield.

Immediately cracks started to form spider webs in the field, it wouldn't hold long.

Nature and illusion. There was nothing nature-adjacent happening here, and with a name like phase hound, I assumed that it was teleporting but what if I was overthinking it?

The beginnings of an idea tickled the back of my head.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

I snapped my fingers again, this time reinforcing only three sides of the force field, leaving the front open. In my only hand I also summoned a sawed-off double barrel shotgun, much to the amusement of the spectators.

I then sprayed pink glitter on a large cone in front of me and waited.

There! Large paw prints in the glitter. I waited until they were as close as possible before firing the gun twice.

The shotgun boomed in the underground space and the beast leaped back with a sudden yelp.

"Idiot," laughed Annabeth, "mortal weapons don't work on Outsiders, you should know that!"

I ignored her yelling and simply waited.

With a shudder, Persephone faded into existence favoring her front leg which had two large holes in it leaking deep green blood.

"What?" I heard from the crowd as I smiled to myself.

Cold iron shells. Terese said they'd work. Well, I'm no sword fighter but I know my way around firearms. I grew my arm back again and reloaded the break action death stick. I then extended it to its full length instead of sawed-off so I could aim at this distance and fired twice while advancing.

The first shot was dodged, but the wolf-like creature favored its front leg too much as it landed, leaving it vulnerable to the second shot, which hit its flank. It yowled angrily and started a clumsy charge towards me.

I reloaded and fired again. And again. And again, because it's a magic shotgun that may not have needed a reload every time, until the beast lay still, breathing slowly.

I walked up slowly, planting the end of the barrel against the side of its head.

"Wait!" Annabeth called. The room turned to look at her tear-streaked face. "Persephone, I order you to surrender!"

Limply, the Fae animal rolled over on its back and gave me a low whine.

"Round one goes to Terese," Lady Sinclair announced.

I sighed with relief. Despite my victory, I really didn't want to test my Anathema, even if a legally-sanctioned duel probably didn't count.

Terese's sister immediately rushed her pet, and Terese herself came over and offered me a water bottle.

"Good thinking with the gun," she praised, "I never would have thought of that, you holding up ok?"

I considered the question. Surprisingly, I felt pretty damn good. The lack of pain was a game changer, and firing multiple rounds of fantasy ammo into a giant monster felt positively badass.

"I'll hold up just fine, don't you worry," I said, chugging the offered water. I didn't need it, but I had to show her I appreciated the thought. "How about you, you ready?"

"As I'll ever be!" She replied with what she probably thought was a convincing smile.

"Remember," I warned, "you can just wish to take over your family, my guts telling me I could make that happen."

She punched me lightly in the arm with a smirk before replying.

"Quit with that shit, genie. I've told you before, I can't let you do everything for me."

"Fair enough," I admitted raising my hand for a fist bump, "good luck,"

"I won't need it, if you wanna help, give me a dress I can fight in so I don't waste energy changing this one."

"Deal."

---

Terese rolled her shoulders, gone was the formal black dress, replaced by a red sleeveless turtleneck with slits on both sides and black tights underneath. Her heels were also replaced with tall red combat boots. She felt light and powerful.

Annabeth wore a similar garment, but as usual, hers showed much more skin.

Airheaded bimbo, Terese thought, how dare you fight for what's mine?

Anger and pride followed her to the circle's edge as she strode up.

She unsheathed her pocket knife, reminding herself to get a new one soon.

Any Gifted person changed with their magic, and blood mages were no exception. Witches cut easily, but healed fast so long as they had the fluids to do so. Therefore they were each allowed a blade, so long as they used them as tools and not weapons.

"Ready?" Mother called.

"I'm going to put you down where you belong, hag." Annabeth threatened from her starting position.

"And I'm going to take what's mine, pretender." Terese spat back.

"Fight!" Mother shouted.

Annabeth stabbed her stomach and began mumbling an incantation to herself. Terese chuckled.

Most magic boiled down to four types, array, circle, incantations and innate. Arrays could be sketched out quickly using the casters life force, but were typically not very powerful compared to circles which took forethought, but could draw from any sufficient sacrifice, or multiple people. Incantations worked like arrays but could be far more complicated, and, strangely, stealthy because you can whisper or mumble then as quietly as you want to.

Innate magic was specific to Outsiders like Tristan and Persephone. The rules vary wildly based on the Outsider. Terese suspected Tristan was basically a walking spell, based on his abilities, casting with raw will.

Terese pricked all her fingers and rapidly drew four different kinds of protection arrays simultaneously. She ignored the shocked stares of the elders in the coven, most of which could only do two at a time at most. Mother could famously do three. Terese could do even more but held back for now.

Annabeth released her spell and several spears of frozen blood formed and rocketed towards her.

Terese countered with the arrays like shields, shattering all but one. She grit her teeth as the arrays demanded more energy.

Deciding to flex a bit more she grabbed her remaining array and altered it while it was active, considered near impossible by most mages. You could easily lose any hand you stuck into active spellwork, but Terese was now the family's foremost expert blood mage.

She purposely ruined the spell, tossing it at her sister. Annabeth used a tendril of active blood to pull herself to the side just in time, as the failed spell violently exploded, cratering a section of the circle.

Annabeth held her activated blood like whips, and advanced spinning and leading like a ballerina.

She thinks because I'm good at spellcraft, that she can beat me physically? Terese chuckled at the thought, her bleeding fingers converting to bloody claws.

They clashed in the center of the arena. Annabeth had the reach advantage, but Terese forced some blood out of her feet with a thought, growing talons on her heel and toes; she had mobility.

Annabeth's fighting style was competent, if nothing else. She spun and stabbed like a gory ribbon dancer, her movements hard to follow.

Terese simply outmaneuvered her, barely getting inside her reach long enough to leave multiple shallow cuts. It was a hit and run style but she was pretty sure she could win in a battle of attrition with it.

That all changed when Annabeth suddenly looked up with a smile and finished mouthing a word.

Spikes of concentrated blood dug out of the ground and impaled Terese through in multiple places, too fast to dodge.

Damnit, Terese thought, she must have been quietly incanting this whole time.

She struggled but couldn't move much as the spikes painfully grew thorns to hold her better.

Annabeth recalled her blood tendrils and approached with a smile.

"Power is worthless without experience sister, maybe in a few years, you'll see that… if I decide to let you live."

She stroked Terese's face, savoring the moment.

"Perhaps if you beg, I'll let you scrub my toilets. Actually better yet we can put you in some stocks, and you can be our breed mare! You have enough talent to provide now."

She cackled madly for a moment before suddenly clutching her head.

"I'll make you… what's happening," she swayed on her feet.

"It's quite simple, little sister," Terese declared with a smile, "I'm stronger than you."

Annabeth tried to say something before collapsing, only noticing how light headed she felt when she hit the ground. Her spell was being sucked into Terese.

"How?" She croaked before losing consciousness.

"We have the same blood type." Terese answered with a grin.