Bloodmarked

As they walk through Volition, Bree sees figures of previously enslaved people and their houses, even smelling their cooking. They meet Lucille at what was formerly the “big house.” Lucille can see in Bree’s aura that she’s the Scion of Arthur. She sends the others to the guest house while Bree goes to the main house. The spirits in Volition have decided that only descendants of enslaved people are allowed in the main house. They’ve reclaimed “a place for themselves and their own people” (437).

That evening, William and Sel walk Volition’s perimeter. Bree joins Alice, Lucille, and Miss Hazel to prepare dinner. Bree tells Lucille how she’s been calling Arthur, with the offering of blood and a family heirloom as a focal object.

Miss Hazel, Lucille, and Mariah correctly guess that Bree can not only occupy Arthur’s memory but also bring Nick into them. Miss Hazel is a Doctor of Biology and thinks Bree’s power can help her travel “spirit DNA” (442). William and Miss Hazel bond over using “biology and magic both” (442).