Hunter policy #10239 (Authorized edition):

Any enchanted item that directly affects mental stability or functions will be considered contraband and will be seized for immediate disposal.

I sat on the edge of my friend’s bed and sighed. It was finished. I knew it was not a true fix to this weakness, but it would be enough until I could afford a proper solution.

“Thay?” Charles asked in a groan. My head swiveled, but the sharp motion sent a new wave of misery through my neck and head. My temples throbbed with pain, and I moaned pitifully into the night air. “Thea, what’s wrong? What happened?”

His question confirmed what I’d found out about his uncle’s insidious charm.

“Do you remember anything, Charlie?” I asked him softly, careful not to let my cloak rub against the back of my neck overly much.

“I—I think my uncle wanted to talk to you, or something? I’m not sure. What did he want?” He asked, and my heart sank.

“Charles, your uncle—he has a necklace that allows him to enthrall you. It’s why you can’t escape. You need to get out of here. It’s going to kill you.” My words contained all of my pent up anguish at his predicament. “Please, leave your uncle. Anything is better than here for you.”

I watched the moment when my best friend’s life came crashing down around him.

“He wouldn’t…Enthrallment charms are illegal. He would never…Not against his only blood,” Charles explained, but his words were hollow. His eyes glazed over as memories dregged up by my claim resurfaced. They refocused a moment later on me as some realization dawned on him.

“Is that why you have your bag packed?” He appeared so hopeful all of a sudden, like I was the first ray of sunlight he’d seen for years. “Are we running away together? I know we always joked about it, but are you really willing to do that for me?”

His words stabbed my heart until it was barely beating.

“Charlie,” I tried to start, but nothing else came out. The hope in his expression soured into something between despair and resignation.

“Of course not. That was stupid of me to say.”

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“No, that’s not it! I just…You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. I have to go do something that will probably get me killed, but someone I love will die if I don’t.” I tried to explain. He rotated on his bed so that he faced me in full.

“One of your parents is going to die?!” He asked worriedly. I could see the genuine concern written into his brows, his disappointment fleeing in the face of my problems.

It broke my heart even more.

“No, they’re fine. It’s for my—” I shook my head and stood up. “I just need you to trust me. Leave your uncle. I’ll send word as soon as I can. I’ll leave my letters for you with my parents, just in case.”

“Thay, what aren’t you telling me?” Charles stood up to face me, blocking off my exit. He crossed his arms and leaned forward. “Come on, you can trust me.”

He was right. If there was anyone I could trust, it was him.

“Alright, but you have to hear me out. It’s going to sound insane to you, but it’s not.” I waited to see if he would argue, but he simply waited patiently. “I have a brother. Someone from the hunters used a device to wipe him from everyone’s memory. I’m the only one who knows he exists. I need to go rescue him, and to do that I need to get into the Orion division. I think he left something for me there, or needs me to get in so that I can help him gather intel or some other insane plan he’s got in the works.”

I bit my lip and waited as what I’d just said settled in the air. Charles frowned in concentration, but he didn’t utter a single noise as he thought. Eventually, my own impatience wore out, spurred on by the gnawing pain on my neck and the acute sense that I needed to leave as soon as possible. Every moment I waited, Kaelin got farther away.

“C’mon, say something, please.”

“Thea, that’s a lot. Are you sure you’re okay?” Charles inquired softly. He continued to stare at the floor, but his frown deepened. “No enchantment can wipe everyone’s mind. That’s impossible. The amount of energy it would require would be enough to power at least three city wards for, like, a hundred years. It would have to be the size of one too.”

Normally, I trusted his insight into all things enchanting, but his skepticism did nothing but pour salt in the raw wounds of my heart.

“Seriously? That’s your answer? I tell you that your uncle has been enthralling you for years and you don’t bat an eye, but I mention that there’s an item stronger than you can picture and that’s where you draw the line?” I took a step back.

“Thay, it’s just that there’s no way something like that can exist! It breaks over ten different laws of enchanting. Not just minor technique stuff, but laws. Thea, what’s really going on? You don’t need to lie to me. You can trust me.” Despite how sincere his words were, they were daggers in my gut. I backed up further and reached his window sill.

“I—I can’t. Goodbye, Charles. Get out of here before it’s too late, okay? For me.”

“Thea, please! Just tell me what’s going on!” He tried to grab for my hand but I pulled away. My thoughts were a jumbled mess and I nearly slipped on the slick cobblestone outside his window. I pulled my cloak’s hood over my head and disappeared into the predawn morning. Charles called after me several more times, but I didn’t look back.

I couldn’t.

A part of me still wonders what might’ve happened if I had.