bloodline spells

"Tell me something I don't know," I said. "Hey, Bob. "
"Hmm?"
"Is it possible to work some kind of spell that would last, I dunno, maybe twenty or thirty years?"
"Sure, if you spend enough money," Bob said. "Or if you're some kind of sentimental family sap. "
"Sentimental? How's that?"
"Well, you can anchor magic to certain materials, right? Most of them are very expensive. Or you do the cheap kind like you use on your blasting rod and such, refresh them once in a while. " The skull's eyes were growing rapidly dimmer. "But there are times when you can anchor it to a person. "
"That isn't doable," I said.
"Not for you," Bob said. "Gotta be a blood relation. Blood in common, that kind of thing. Maybe if you had a kid. But I guess you'd need a girlfriend for that, huh. "
I raked my hand through my hair, thinking. "And if you do it that way, the spell lasts? Even for that long?"
"Oh, sure," Bob said. "As long as the person you anchor it to is alive. Takes a tiny bit of energy off them to keep the spell from slowing down. That's why all the really nasty curses you hear about usually involve some family somewhere. "
"So for instance," I said, "my mother could have laid out a curse on someone. And as long as I was alive, it would still be viable. "
"Exactly. Or like that loup-garou guy. His own bloodline keeps the curse fueled. " The skull's mouth opened in a yawn. "Anything else?"
I picked up the map and tucked it into a pocket. Bob was at the end of his resources, and I had no time to lose. I'd have to finish out this one on my own. "Get some rest and see what you can remember," I said. "I've got to clear out before the cops get here. " I started to get up off my stool, and every muscle in my body complained to be moving again. I winced and said, "Painkillers. Definitely need painkillers too. "
"Luck, Harry," Bob mumbled, and the glittering orange lights in the skull's eye sockets dimmed completely.


Blood Rites Chapter 27, Page 219-220