Wilde Intent

by K M Charron

  Ainsley closed her eyes, inhaling slow breaths. She seemed to be processing the information. “Did she just use magic on me?”

  Justin nodded, his eyes wide like he was still in shock.

  Ainsley put her head between her knees. “Witches? You’re telling me that witches and magic are real?”

  Sydney rolled her eyes. “See, she’s too stupid to be trusted.”

  “Yes, that’s what we’re saying.”

  Justin’s face was soft and reassuring. Sydney wanted to scream.

  Ainsley appeared to steel herself, lifted her head, and focused on Syd, “So that’s why you didn’t seem surprised when we got that room open. You knew what those symbols were,” Ainsley said. “And you played dumb. No wonder you tried to get rid of me.”

  “I didn’t know what they meant exactly, but yes, I knew they were spells and magical symbols.” She threw her hands up. “Of course, I wanted to get rid of you. For the exact reason we’re faced with now. You can’t have anything to do with coven business or magic.”

  “Too late for that now,” Justin said.

  “I fucked up by letting you stay! I thought I could use a forgetting spell. It didn’t work. There’s nothing we can do about that now.” Sydney’s back arched like an angry cat.

  “How many of you are there? Witches, I mean.” Ainsley’s voice was quiet but steady. Resolute even.

  Sydney couldn’t do anything about the damage Justin had done, but she could prevent Ainsley from learning more. “It doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that we’re not bad or evil or devil worshippers, and I had nothing to do with that room. I was just as shocked to find it as you were. If you remember, I got violently ill after we got the door open. Do you really think I’d fake passing out and make myself vomit?”

  Ainsley seemed to consider this. “Maybe you didn’t have a hand in that, but you did just try to kill me,” she said through gritted teeth, her fists at her sides.

  Syd rolled her eyes. “Calm down, you’re fine.” Turning to Justin, she said, “See, I told you she couldn’t handle it. This was a huge mistake. One we can’t take back. At least, not yet.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.

  “That we’re going to find a way to make her forget. There has to be some form of magic that will work on her.”

  “I’m not going to let you do anything to me. And I’m not about to forget any of this. I can handle the idea that magic and witches are real. Considering that I just saw a dead guy and found out that magic is real, I’m handling things quite well.” She smoothed her dress down and sucked in a breath. “What I can’t handle is you using it to try to kill me!”

  “Oh my God, I didn’t try to kill you. I just wanted to stop you bolting from here and blabbing the little you do know to anyone. You should thank me; you would’ve looked like a lunatic.”

  Justin raked his hands through his hair. “We don’t have time to deal with this right now. If what you said about releasing something is true, whatever it is, is killing and feeding on animals and who knows what else.”

  “Better than students,” Sydney said.

  “I think we should tell the others. I can’t figure out for the life of me why you’ve kept this from us this long.” The hurt in his voice gutted her. She’d never wanted to hurt him.

  The weight of everything crumpled her shoulders. He needed to understand.“I didn’t know what I was dealing with. I was sure it was an ancient site and thought any magical threads would’ve dissipated by now. I didn’t realize what we’d found until I researched the symbols. When I uncovered that they were binding symbols meant to lock a powerful supernatural entity inside, I still didn’t put it all together. Nothing bad had happened. I was in denial until I saw two Max’s.” She bit her lip, deep in thought, picturing the creepy way Max had stared into the crowd of dancing students and then at her. She shuddered. “The entity is up to something if it’s taking on the identities of students.”

  “The crows were a sign, Sydney. How could you ignore that?” Ainsley demanded.

  Syd whirled to face her. “Don’t get self-righteous on me. You did this. I wanted us to leave the door closed, but you had to open it. If this is on anyone, it’s on you,” she spat.

  “Both of you, stop.” Justin pulled his phone from his back pocket. “The others could be in danger. If it’s masquerading as students, it could be luring people away.”

  Syd was embarrassed to admit that she hadn’t even considered that her friends could be in jeopardy. She’d been too concerned with figuring out what it all meant and then fixing it all herself—getting a pat on the back from her mother for solving a mystery. Now she had to worry about her mother putting her on the next plane out if she found out what Syd had done. And worse, a middling was a part of it. A middling that knew about Sydney and Justin. A middling that knew witches and magic were real. Andrea Lockwood would never forgive her for that.

  “I’m telling everyone to meet us out here,” Justin said, his fingers moving across the illuminated keyboard.

  Ainsley shook her head as if suddenly realizing something critical. “Does that mean you’re all witches? Ava, Khourtney, Jax, and Langston too?”

  “Yeah.” Justin cocked an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, but no one can know we exist, Ainsley. You need to promise to keep our secret.”

  Sydney was appalled. What was he doing? “Stop talking, Justin, you’ve said enough. She can’t be spelled, so everything you tell her is going to stick. It wasn’t your place to out our friends. You’ve just put them all in danger—for a middling,” she snapped. Turning her attention to Ainsley and digging her finger into the girl's chest, she said, “If I so much as think that you’ve put any of my friends in danger, I’ll kill you myself.”

  Ainsley’s mouth hung open.

  Moments later, Sydney spotted a foursome running at them from the back of the gym. The knot in her stomach constricted. She exhaled, closing her eyes. Her friends were about to find out that a middling knew what they were. It was one thing for her to know there was a supernatural being, a whole other thing for her to know the Wildes existed. She’d failed to protect them, thanks to Justin.

  “Keep your mouth shut when they get here. I’ll do the talking,” Sydney ordered Justin. His gaze lowered as though he suddenly recognized the magnitude of his actions.

  “Any particular reason you’ve summoned us?” Ava asked in a snarky voice. It was clear she was still pissed at Sydney. Langston wouldn’t even look at her.

  “I know you guys are mad at me, but a lot has been going on that you don’t know about. You need to know,” Sydney had no idea where to start, “ that we could all be in danger.”

  Khourtney gave her a warning look. “Um, is there a reason we’re about to have a private conversation in front of certain company?”

  Sydney’s eyes trailed from Khourt to Ainsley, who put a finger to her chest and asked, “Me?”

  “This concerns her, too.” Sydney watched confusion materialize on her friends’ faces.

  “Fine, just spit it out. What danger?” Jax asked.

  Syd sucked in a breath and then blurted, “Ainsley knows about us, and before you completely lose it, I’m handling it. She’s not going to expose us, because she knows what that will mean for her. Right now, we have much bigger problems and no time for questions. I’ll explain everything as we go, but first, we need to see your grandmother, Khourtney. Can you ask her to meet us?”

  Shit. Sydney considered their options. They needed a secure, private place. The ceremony was still happening in the Nest below, and Ashcroft campus was crawling with students and police.

  Khourtney, looking shaken, nodded and pulled out her phone. “Where do I tell her to meet us?”

  Sydney was in command mode. “The event is in the Main Hall, so ask her to sneak off to the Armory. Tell her that no one can know where she’s going or who she’s meeting.”

  Khourtney tipped her head and dialed, stepping away from them to make the
call.

  Syd moved on. “Justin, bring the others somewhere safe, maybe into the forest, and wait for my call.”

  Luckily, he didn’t argue, but that didn’t stop Langston from closing the gap between them, seizing her by the arm, and getting into her face. “What the hell is going on, why would you tell her about us?”

  She yanked her arm free. “I didn’t tell her. It was the last thing I wanted. But she knows, and she can’t be spelled to forget, so save your energy.” She whispered, “Keep an eye on Justin. His judgment is compromised. I don’t know what he’ll do next.” She gave him a knowing look, and he swallowed hard, returning it.

  Sydney jogged over to Khourtney who palmed her phone. “She’s on her way to the Armory, but she can’t be gone long. We’ve got to hurry.”

  Sydney and Khourt couldn’t go in the usual entrance through the gardens, or they’d walk smack dab into the Wildes’ celebration in the Main Hall. Instead, they jogged behind the professors’ office building toward the doorway that led to the corridor where most of the proficiency classrooms were.

  Sydney let Khourtney go first, before following her down the stone steps and closing the hatch behind them. Flickering candlelight guided them along the rarely used back hallway to the Armory.

  Syd prayed they wouldn’t run into anyone. She had no idea what excuse she’d give for them being on the grounds when it was forbidden.

  They’d made it past the first room, the second, and the third when they heard, “And where do the two of you think you’re going?”

  Khourtney stiffened, a soft moan escaping her throat. Sydney closed her eyes and held her breath as though to make herself invisible.

  “Well, well, Ms. Lockwood. Why am I not surprised?”

  Oswald. Sydney exhaled and turned swiftly to face him. “You nearly gave me a heart attack,” she half-whispered, half-snarled.

  “Me? You’re the one sneaking about,” he said with mock indignation.

  “We’re meeting someone. Please, Oswald, you never saw us.” She lowered her gaze in a knowing look.

  He pursed his dry lips accentuating the loose skin around his mouth. “Fine, but you best hurry. Your mother is not twenty feet away, seeing about the desserts in the kitchen.” He shuffled farther down the hall.

  Khourtney made a face and mouthed, “What the hell?”

  There was no time to explain the understanding she now had with the middling caretaker. “Wait here for one minute.”

  Before Khourtney could argue, she ran off and slipped inside the Potions room for a little insurance. She collected what she needed, stuffing the vial into her bra. Hopefully, she wouldn’t need it.

  They crept to the Armory. Syd held the doorknob, her stomach rolling with nerves. She didn’t know Khourt’s grandmother well; they’d never clicked. What if she’d brought someone else with her? How was she going to explain the mess she’d made?

  Syd hovered outside the room, wringing her hands.

  “She swore she’d come alone, come on,” Khourt said.

  Syd appreciated that her friend knew her so well.

  Pushing the door open, the girls slipped inside, pulling it closed behind them.

  A single candle revealed Máthair Celeste Zhang in white silk ceremonial robes. She looked positively angelic. Her salt and pepper hair was tied up and off her face. But her eyes were intense, her mouth a tight line. She was not happy to be summoned by a couple of apprentices, granddaughter or not.

  “Thank you for coming, Grandmother,” Khourtney said, leaning in and giving her a soft peck on the cheek.

  The tension in the room was as palpable as a heartbeat.

  “We need your help,” Sydney said without delay. She didn’t plan to tell her everything. The less said, the better, especially considering that Khourt still had no clue about what was going on. “Something strange has happened. There are two Ashcroft students—middlings—who don’t have a twin, yet I’ve seen two of each of them, in the same room at the same time over the last two days.”

  Máthair Zhang cocked her head, attempting to make sense of this. “What do you mean, two of them?” Her annoyance moved to curiosity and mild concern.

  Sydney told her of the strange instances of seeing multiples of Max and Tiana, taking a few liberties with the truth, and left out finding the underground room, letting out a mystical fog, a rash of eviscerated coven animals, and a middling that knew about all of it.

  “Have you ever heard of this before? Do you know of any explanation?” And not an unknown and dangerous otherworldly entity bent on revenge.

  Máthair Zhang’s eyes narrowed, the muscles in her jaw working. “Why have you come to me and not your mother?”

  Sydney’s lungs tightened. She needed a plausible reason. “Because my mother would dismiss me as foolish, and I’d never find out if it was important.” She lowered her eyes. Máthair Zhang knew the kind of woman her mother was. Sydney suspected that Celeste Zhang didn’t like her mother. She prayed it would work in her favor.

  Máthair Zhang clasped her delicate hands. “There are a few reasons this could be, but it is nearly impossible to determine without more information.”

  Sydney wanted to tell her. She wanted to release every secret, every ounce of anxiety she’d been carrying for weeks.

  “I’m bound by coven law to disclose anything that could pose a threat to us, supernatural or otherwise, so if you have more information, you need to tell me, Sydney.”

  Adrenaline caused her skin to prickle. “Please, I know you’re loyal, but you know what she’ll do to me for not coming to her first.” Tears welled, threatening to fall. “There is the possibility that someone released an unknown supernatural entity. It appears that someone broke the binding symbols that held it.” She looked over to see Khourtney’s eyes widen, small creases framing the edges of them.

  Realizing this was bigger than she'd anticipated, Khourt pleaded, “Please, Grandmother, help us. You’re the only one we can trust.”

  The Master's gaze narrowed on her granddaughter. “You can trust this whole coven. How dare you suggest otherwise!”

  Khourtney cut her off. “You are my blood. Please,” she lowered her voice, “Momma would want you to help us.”

  Syd caught her breath. Khourt’s mother, Celeste’s daughter, died giving birth to Khourtney. Her grandmother had practically raised her and never spoke of her daughter Evelyn.

  Máthair Zhang swallowed hard. Her hand went to her heart, and her eyes glistened behind thick black lashes. “I will help you, but only this once.” She closed and then opened her eyes. “To my knowledge, there is only one such supernatural entity, the shapeshifter, though I’ve never encountered one. Lore tells of shapeshifters only changing into animal form, however, never human…” Her voice trailed off as she appeared to sink deeper into thought.

  Khourt and Syd looked at one another.

  “Shapeshifter?” Sydney asked.

  Máthair Zhang freed herself from her thoughts. “The lore depicts a supernatural creature that can alter its physical form from animal to animal. It can shift from a wolf to a deer to an owl if it chooses, but it must first see the desired form and make eye contact with it. Only then can it shift. Nothing in our family grimoires say anything about shifters changing into human form.” She paused. “Are you sure it’s not another witch using a glamour?”

  Sydney nodded. “I’m sure. Neither of them had a witch’s aura.”

  Máthair Zhang didn’t question her, knowing aura reading to be one of Sydney’s gifts.

  Khourtney took her grandmother’s hand. “Are these shapeshifters usually dangerous?”

  “I’m not sure if that’s even what this is,” Khourtney’s grandmother snapped, pulling her hands free from her granddaughter’s grasp. “The coven possesses a book of mystical creatures. There’s more in it that I have yet to read. It may explain more.”

  As much as Syd wanted to trust Máthair Zhang to remain silent, she knew she couldn’t. “Khourtney, do you know w
here it’s kept?”

  Khourt eyed her, confused, but nodded.

  Sydney gave her a determined nod. “Good, go get it and meet me by the stairs we came in at. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Khourtney regarded to her grandmother for approval, but Syd cried out, “Go, now!”

  Khourtney turned to run as instructed. She’d always been loyal. Hopefully, she’d never find out about what Sydney was going to do next.

  Máthair Zhang approached—chest out and chin up. She might have been elderly, but she wasn’t weak. “Do not order my granddaughter around. Who do you think you are?”

  When the Master was nearly upon her, Syd acted. “I’m so sorry, but you know too much.” Reaching beneath her bra strap, Sydney retrieved the vial she’d taken from the Potions room. She broke the seal and sprayed the contents all over the Master of White magic.

  In an instant, Máthair Zhang’s face morphed from irritation to shock, and finally, to horror. It was Sydney’s vial of the sleeping potion she’d created in class.

  It had to work because if it didn’t, she’d just signed her ticket to the Victus—vanquish in Latin—witch prison and hell on earth.

  Máthair Zhang fell to the floor, her robes spilling out around her in a beautiful sea of white silk.

  “Vos mos non recordabor. The only memory you will have from tonight is the All Hallows’ Eve celebration. You had a lovely time. You were tired and slipped away to rest. You have no idea how you feel asleep in the Armory of all places. You’re getting older, and sometimes you forget. You’re too embarrassed to tell anyone.” Máthair Zhang looked up at her, her eyelids fluttering wildly, fighting with everything inside her to stay alert. Lowering herself, Sydney rested her hands gently on the older woman’s head. “Et obliviscere somnum.” When the spell was complete, Syd lifted her chin to find the Master’s eyes closed.

  Sydney sighed with relief and hurried to the door. Khourtney would be waiting. She listened to make sure no one was on the other side in the corridor. She slipped through and sprinted down the hallway. Khourtney was hugging a large book to her chest.