Lon grunted.

Spendlove didn’t seem to notice. “Well, as you know, Earthbound offspring almost always manifest one or the other parent’s knack. But there are rare cases in which this doesn’t occur. In those, the anomalous knack can usually be traced further back on the family tree. Let me just look at your records. . . .”

“My parents were both empaths, though not as strong as me,” Lon volunteered.

“Yes, I’m well aware of that,” he said with gentle amusement. “Your father and I were friends, you’ll remember. I was looking up your in-laws. The Giovanni family, from Oregon . . .” he read off the screen.

“On Yvonne’s side, her father had no ability. Sister doesn’t either.”

“Yvonne’s mother?”

The woman who talked Lon into leaving her own daughter. Ballsy. And kind of awesome that she was still actively involved in Lon and Jupe’s lives after all these years.

“Her mother is clairaudient.”

“Oh? That’s not common. What kind of range?”

“About ten feet or so, but she can hear through walls.”

Wow. I was certainly glad Jupe hadn’t inherited that knack. According to Jupe, Gramma Giovanni was the bees’ knees and could do no wrong—same as her other daughter, Jupe’s aunt Adella. Jupe talked to them every Sunday and saw them several times a year, apparently. Multiple photos of them were scattered around Lon’s house.

“Hmm. Interesting, but that doesn’t give us Jupe’s knack, does it? What about great-grandparents?”

“I’ll ask Yvonne’s mom.”

“Yes, good idea. Let me know when you find out so I can update Jupe’s file.” He swung the computer screen around to show us a color-coded diagram. “I’ve divided up all known knacks into seven main families: sense, transform, move, repair, destroy, illusion, and miscellaneous.”

I saw abilities I knew, and many more that I’d never heard of or could even begin to guess. All told, he’d documented more than fifty verifiable knacks. Most of those had varying levels of skill, including Jupe’s—persuasion.

“I’ve only run across persuasion twice in my practice, and neither manifestation was quite like Jupe’s. One patient was only able to persuade other males, and another was able to influence people only temporarily. Based on Jupe’s answers to my questions, his influence appears to be lasting. However, to determine exactly how lasting, I’d suggest that you do some supervised experiments with him at home. If you aren’t comfortable with that, he can undergo some tests here, of course. But it’s less stressful in an environment where he’s relaxed and comfortable. It’s important that children coming into their knacks are encouraged to use them in a positive, healthy manner, without shame or pressure.”

“What kind of experiments?” Lon asked.

Spendlove shrugged. “Ask him to use his knack to influence your favorite color, perhaps. See how long you continue to believe it. Things like that.”

Lon grunted again, this time more thoughtfully. Changing someone’s favorite color sounded far less stressful than forcing a carnival ride operator to put people in danger.

Spendlove continued. “Persuasion is grouped under the ‘Sense’ family of knacks, you might be surprised to learn. Which makes it related to abilities like your empathy. I believe it to be the next step up, so to speak. For example, if you can sense people’s emotions, the natural progression is the ability to manipulate emotions. Just as being able to sense honesty is a step below those who can foster honesty, like me.”

“Yes,” Lon said quickly, dropping his eyes.

We both knew Spendlove’s theory was on the mark because of Lon’s ability to transmutate. Speaking of which, neither that nor the bloody Hellfire Club had come up yet, so I was assuming Spendlove didn’t know about either.

“Anyway, that’s why I’m more inclined to think Jupe’s knack is something inherited from your side.” Spendlove settled back into his chair. “Still, it’s hard to be certain.”

“I’m worried about it going to his head, getting out of control,” Lon said.

“Sure, that’s a legitimate concern. It certainly has more potential for greater consequences than psychokinetics, say. But it’s like anything else that can be abused—money, good looks, status—all you can do is teach your kids right and wrong, provide positive reinforcement, and lead by example. The rest is up to them.”

This seemed to calm Lon’s nerves. He unlaced his fingers from mine, rearranging our hands to clasp palm to palm, and gently stroked my knuckles.

“Jupe’s ability might undergo some changes as it manifests,” Dr. Spendlove said. “Growing pains. It’s not uncommon for a young knack to be easy one day, harder the next, and for the results to vary wildly. He might experience headaches or other side effects after using it.”

I could relate to that. I knew all too well about side effects and varied results from using magick.

“By the way, he has a bit of a ‘tell’ when he’s using his knack,” Dr. Spendlove said.

“Squeezing whatever he’s holding in his hands with a viselike grip?” I guessed, thinking of how he acted at the carnival.

The doctor laughed. “That will pass when he’s able to better master it. I’m talking about the rapid eye movement—REM, like when you’re dreaming. If you watch his eyes, they flick like this.” He moved his finger back and forth like a pendulum to demonstrate.