by K M Charron
“Elders Elias and Windsor will escort you. No one is to leave the Armory until I say it’s safe.” Máthair Bello motioned for the Elders to escort the apprentices out. The mass of bodies remained stunned and unmoving.“Go, now!” she cried, and the room quickly disbursed.
Sydney, Jeremy, and Justin were the only other apprentices left. Máthair Bello conjured a few cold cloths and placed them on Langston and Jake’s foreheads. Langston held his stomach and winced. The sweat still streamed down his face and neck.
Máthair Bellow motioned for Sydney and Justin to step aside with her. “You should’ve left with the others.”
“I’m not leaving him.” She didn’t want to argue, but she would if necessary. This was her fault. She was not going to walk away.
“Fine, you can assist me. Go into the Potions room and get me the healing tinctures.”
Sydney nodded obediently and rushed out of the Main Hall. The sound of footsteps trailed behind her, but it only made her move faster. It was not the time to have this fight.
“Wait,” Justin called after her.
But she didn’t slow. She couldn’t. Throwing the door open, she worked in a frenzy, gathering up every single item, object, and ingredient she thought might help. “Grab the tinctures on the bottom shelf,” she ordered. If Justin was determined to trail after her, he could make himself useful.
He bent down and swept the whole shelf into his robes, using them as a makeshift bag. “We need to tell them, Syd. They can’t help Langston and Jake unless they know what attacked them. No one is safe right now with that shifter on the loose. We don’t even know what kind of powers it has, but it’s already far more powerful than we thought.”
She kept busy collecting any item that could be of use. “Langston’s going to be okay. Jake’s going to be okay. Máthair Bello will heal them.” She rushed for the door, her arms full, but Justin’s looming presence blocked the exit. “Move!”
“Not until you agree to tell them. We thought we could handle it, but look at what happened. You let it out, now you need to do the right thing before someone else gets hurt or killed.”
“I just need more time.”
“One of my best friends, your boyfriend, is in there screaming in pain—because of you and your pride.” He narrowed his gaze on her. “Time’s up.”
Syd nearly doubled over from the sting of his words. She didn’t think it was possible to feel even more gutted than she already did. Setting her jaw, she stared at him with a look of utter disgust.
Justin’s eyes softened as he realized what he’d said. “I didn’t mean—”
She threw her shoulder into him and pushed her way past.
Chapter 19
Ainsley
Walking through campus alone at night was probably not the most intelligent thing to do with an angry shapeshifter on the loose, but Ainsley couldn’t stand the thought of being around anyone right now. She didn’t have the energy to be okay.
Why haven’t I heard from Justin?
Ainsley pushed the front doors of the dorm building open and saw that the campus was alive with activity. The shifter hadn’t attacked yet and wouldn’t be so reckless as to start with this many witnesses. Or would it? Groups of students had dispersed throughout the grounds, some sitting around chatting, some throwing a Frisbee under the lamplight, and others just strolling. She couldn’t help but eye every person with suspicion. How could she tell if it was actually them or the shifter wearing their likeness?
She shuddered.
Her head throbbed since she’d barely eaten all day, unable to force anything down. Before she realized how far she’d gone, she was nearly to the forest edge. She knew how stupid and careless that was. This was its feeding ground. Ainsley examined the tree line, noting the way the branches rustled and waved. Just the wind, she told herself. Then she froze, her hands balling into fists. Had something moved behind one of those trees? She backed up, shaking her head. It was just her overactive imagination, that and all the stress.
Turning, she fixed her gaze on the school’s buildings. They seemed especially menacing in the dark. Something about it, even from this distance, still gave her the creeps. Now that she knew that witches were real and possibly all around, everything seemed colored with a wash of eerie. She had no idea how many witches lived alongside her or how witch society worked. The threats from Sydney and Ava were at the forefront of her mind, and they seemed harmless compared to the level of witches inside the group’s coven. If they found out about her, would they really kill her? And why was it that she couldn’t be Persuaded?
Her pocket vibrated. She pulled out her cell and saw a text from Justin. Her cheeks warmed, but she reminded herself that they were just friends. There had been many chances for either of them to make a move, and neither had. That meant something, right?
Stay somewhere safe inside. Shifter attacked Langston and Jake. We’re in the Nest under lockdown. Don’t go anywhere alone!
Ainsley frantically typed back:
Too late! Heading back ASAP.
What happened?
Her heartbeat climbed furiously. She looked at the empty fields surrounding her, stopping at the tree line. Ainsley imagined something coming straight for her from the near leafless trees, the branches rustling under the moonlight as a darkened figure strode out. The shifter was out there somewhere.
Ainsley knew she should run back, but her legs were heavy—paralyzed by the unknown. The entity could be anyone, anywhere. The ache in her head and behind her eyes intensified with her increased heart rate.
Justin wasn’t answering.
She tried to relax. There didn't appear to be anyone around, and she could see no immediate threat. She took a deep breath. Still, she knew the safest plan was to jog back to the main building. She’d go inside, get herself some chamomile tea and a cinnamon scone. Everything was going to be fine.
Not a single part of her believed a word of that.
But what else was she going to do? She had no magical powers, no physical weapons. She was halfway across campus when she slowed her pace to catch her breath. The welcoming laughter of her classmates filled the air again. Justin’s text echoed in her head: Don’t go anywhere alone! She thought about Harper and hoped she was somewhere safe. Ainsley began composing a text to her while walking to the front entrance.
“Isn’t the night air refreshing?”
Screeching to a halt, Ainsley felt her heart ramp up again. Her eyes searched for the voice. “Oh, Professor Winslow, hello.” She allowed her shoulders to drop back.
“It looks like I startled you. Are you all right, my dear?”
Ainsley told herself everything was okay, but her gut wouldn’t let her uneasiness settle. It wasn’t odd that he was out for a walk. She had been doing the very same thing. He was dressed appropriately in a warm jacket, scarf, and black leather… gloves? It wasn’t quite that chilly, but he was older, so maybe he got cold easily.
“Yes, I’m fine. You just caught me off guard. It certainly is a beautiful night. Got to take advantage of them before it gets any colder.” She smiled brightly, aware of her verbal diarrhea, but not wanting him to ask any more questions.
He stared at her, unblinking, his smile rigid, like a mannequin’s. But his eyes were the real concern. It was difficult in the dimness to see them clearly, but something was off. The irises appeared to be changing shape. Shivers crawled across her flesh. She’d only seen eyes like that on reptiles. They suddenly shrunk into black slits surrounded by glowing amber. She drew back, gasping.
“Are you all right?”
Professor Winslow tilted his head at her, his brows bunched together, his eyes their normal, pale blue. She shook her head. “Uh, I’m fine, thanks. It's been a long day. I’m just heading back to the dorm.”
Winslow narrowed his gaze and inclined his head in the other direction like a dog attempting to discern a sound in the distance. Ainsley told herself the man in front of her wasn’t menacing. He was just her teacher
, a relatively nice man. Tiana’s eyes hadn’t changed, she reminded herself, and neither had Winslow’s. It’d been a figment of an overanxious mind. She needed rest, that was all.
“Well, have a good night,” she said, walking past him, but as she turned, his firm hand grasped her arm. She reeled around defensively, and yanked her arm free, feeling foolish as soon as she did so.
But he didn’t seem to register her shock. Instead, he took in every inch of her face, smiling perversely. “Be careful walking back,” he advised.
She stiffened. Was that a threat? “Why would you say that?”
He pulled his gloved hand away, an innocent expression on his plump, lined face. “You must be careful out here alone. It’s awfully dark out.”
Ainsley’s stomach flipped over. Her already fear-weakened legs threatened to give way altogether.
“You’re alone,” she countered.
She scanned his face, but it was a mask, giving nothing away. Then a flicker of amber blotted out Winslow’s blue irises. Ainsley was sure this time. It had happened. It wasn’t stress, and it wasn't her imagination. She fought the urge to scream, to run, to keep her hands open and relaxed.
Without meaning to, she asked, “What are you?”
Winslow’s eyebrows smoothed, and he smiled widely—a smile of recognition. It was the kind of smile that creased the delicate skin around the eyes and mouth. “Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
He stepped closer.
Ainsley backed away, her arms out defensively.
“Enjoy the rest of your walk, Professor.” She fled to the nearest building, praying it didn't follow her.
Chapter 20
Sydney
It had been nearly an hour since the shifter had attacked Langston and Jake. Despite Sydney’s best efforts to calm down, she was a complete mess. She couldn’t stop picturing the way the thick gray fog had swarmed her friends or hearing them shriek in agony.
Langston’s skin remained pale and damp. Syd held his hand and rubbed his arms, trying to reduce the number of times he jolted up in terror. Her heart squeezed at his vulnerability. She wanted to take all his suffering on as her own.
His eyelids fluttered before opening.
“How are you feeling?” Syd asked, replacing the damp cloth on his forehead with a fresh, cold one.
Langston tried to pull himself into a sitting position on the sofa. “Like my organs were stirred while they were still inside me.”
“Don’t try to move,” she said, knowing full well he was too stubborn to listen. They had that in common.
Máthair Bello noticed his movement and sped over, putting a hand to his cheek. “You feel cooler. Good.” She sat next to him on the sofa.
Sydney remained planted on the floor next to his head.
“Help me understand what happened,” Máthair Bello said in a steady, soothing voice.
Langston’s dark eyes seemed both wild and empty at the same time. He knew what had attacked him. Would he admit everything to her?
If the Elders found out… If her mother… Sydney held her breath, unwilling to finish the thought.
“Máthair Bello, I’m not sure he’s strong enough to talk yet.”
Langston put a hand up. “I’ll try,” he said, looking only at his great aunt.
Sydney's mouth was cotton. She could barely swallow.
Langston cradled his stomach. “I was walking to the Nest door, the one in the gardens, when Kai came over to me. He’s a middling, but we’re friendly, so I didn’t think anything of it at first. But he was acting weird, mostly just staring at me without blinking.”
Sydney suddenly recalled Jax’s conversation about Kai falling in the fountain.
“I asked him about our upcoming calculus midterm, but he didn’t answer me. He didn’t seem to connect to anything I said. He just kept playing with the leather gloves he was wearing and smiling this strange smile.” Langston let go of his stomach and folded his hands in his lap. He looked like a lost little boy.
Sydney wanted to stop this. He was in no condition to think straight or keep their secrets.
Langston took in a sharp breath, wincing. When he collected himself, he said, “It was weird, the way he stared at me, so I tried to change the subject. I asked where Krista, his girlfriend, was, but the whole time I had this intense feeling that it wasn’t really Kai I was talking to. He said she was fine, and then he pulled one glove off. He grabbed my wrist under my sleeve with the bare hand.” He paused, cradling his wrist. “It felt like my flesh was burning. I tried to yank away, but he squeezed tighter.” His voice caught. “Kai looked up at me in shock, confused, and then he grinned. I have no idea why.”
Máthair Bello reached over and gently pushed up Langston’s sleeve, revealing a raw, red burn.
“Oh my God, your wrist,” Sydney said, moving closer to examine the injury.
“Kai’s smile disappeared, and his eyes… They changed from green to this yellowish-orange color. They seemed to glow, and the shape—the whites became golden, and the irises elongated.” He shook his head in disbelief. “I pulled free and tried to run, but he yanked me back and punched me so hard in the stomach that I fell to my knees. I couldn’t breathe.” His eyes fluttered. “When I looked up, he seemed depraved. Then he reached up to his face and started ripping at his face. Smiling the whole time.”
Langston lost more color and closed his eyes.
“He gouged his fingers into his cheeks and raked them down his face. His hands ripped open his chest and tore his body apart, peeling chunks of his flesh away, but there were no organs or bones, just blood and skin and flesh.” Langston trembled from head to foot, so Syd draped another blanket over him and slipped her hand back into his.
“Where did the fog come from?” Máthair Bello demanded.
Sydney’s heart quickened. She squeezed his hand as hard as she thought he could handle. His cold, detached eyes met hers.
No, don’t tell her.
Langston cleared his throat and straightened against the sofa. “After he gouged into his chest, the fog burst out of him. It circled me and engulfed me, diving into me. I couldn’t fight back. It’s the worst pain I’ve ever felt—like I was burning from the inside out. I tried to scream, but I couldn’t.” He blanched at the memory, tears welling. “My soul felt ripped from my body.”
He’d kept her secret.
She hated herself for making him lie, for her relief at his keeping her secret. It would be worth it after they’d figure out how to summon Saskia and stop the shifter.
Máthair Bello closed her eyes and nodded. She took a slow inhalation before opening them again. There was nothing hopeful in them.
Jake sat up, moaning and rustling on the other side of the room. His color hadn’t come back yet. The contrast of his dark eyes and black hair made him appear ghostly. “I can tell you more,” he said.
Justin placed a hand on his back as if steadying him. “Jeremy and I were on our way here when we saw a weird funnel of fog pop out of Kai. It swarmed over Langston, and we couldn’t see him anymore. We know we’re prohibited from using magic outside the Nest, but it was killing him, so Jer and I tried to fight it, but it was too strong. I told him to go get help. I kept blasting it the whole time, but it just wrapped itself around me, too. I couldn’t breathe or see. It felt like searing fire.”
Sobs escaped from the corner of the room. Sydney had forgotten Jeremy was still there. He sat with his head in his hands, rocking back and forth. “I should’ve stayed. I should’ve been faster.”
Máthair Lautner put an arm around him. “You did great, Jeremy. You’re the reason these boys are alive.”
Langston pulled his hand free from Sydney’s, making her heart ache. “What did it do to me, Aunt Isme? I feel different. Empty. Please. . .tell me.” He braced himself visibly as if he already knew. “Just tell me.”
Sydney prayed the fog had simply depleted Langston’s energy, that after a few days’ rest he’d be good as ne
w, but her intuition, her aura skills, and the rawness in her chest told her otherwise.
Máthair Bello rubbed the top of her thighs with her hands and lifted her chin, stoically. “The magic in you has been,” she searched for the right word, "disrupted.” Her voice held strong, but Sydney could see the fear and panic in her eyes.
“What does that mean?” he asked with a resolve that Syd knew was taking the remainder of his strength.
“I can’t be sure how bad it is until we examine you more thoroughly. Both of you.” Máthair Bello didn’t look at Langston or Jake; she simply stared at the wall ahead of her. In a slow and steady voice, she said, “As far as I can sense, your magic is gone. You are a middling now.”
The air was sucked clean from Sydney’s lungs.
Langston doubled over in body-shaking sobs. His great-aunt wrapped herself around him, rocking him like a child.
Jake cried out, his shrieks piercing Sydney’s body and mind. Máthair Lautner grabbed him and pressed his sobbing body to hers.
An arm wrapped around Sydney, pulling her into an embrace. Justin held her tight, and she let herself sob into his chest.
How was this possible? Witches didn’t lose their magic. Even in death, it remained tethered to their souls. Magic meant everything to them. Witches had killed to cultivate it. It was their entirety; it was who they were. And now the shifter had ripped it from Jake and Langston. All because she opened a door.
What have we done?
Sydney felt like she was going to burst from fear, guilt, and exhaustion. How could she have believed that she and her friends, mere second-year apprentices, could handle something like this? How could she have promised her friends that she had things under control? Rocking back and forth, the urge to confess, to unburden herself, bubbled and twisted under her skin. She couldn’t breathe. Her throat was closing up. Hot tears welled up in her eyes. What could she do? How was she ever going to fix this?