I turned to the witch, trying not to growl as I spoke. “What happened? Her blood is tainted, isn’t it?”
She licked her lips, glancing briefly at Walter before looking back to me. “Well,” she said slowly, clearly trying to word it carefully. “It’s not something that happens all that often, but it isn’t completely unheard of.”
“What is it, Val?”
“I did see what I was looking for before, well, you know…so that is a positive sign.”
“Val.”
She licked her lips and tried again. “I wouldn’t say tainted is the right word, exactly. It’s more like…”
“Val,” I growled, tired of these word games. “Speak plainly.”
Val swallowed again, opting to look at her hands instead of meeting my eyes. “Her blood isn’t tainted, precisely,” she said. “Her magic isn’t quite right, however.”
I scowled. “And how
