I got that little tingle all over that said, Hey, maybe not such a great idea, summoning your crazy wolf-demon mom.
But I ignored it because, well, it was my mom, and we all do stupid things for the people we love the most.
“Hey,” I said. “Is it possible to get my mom to—like—not be a berserk demon, but show up as herself? Can I jog her memory with an object or something?”
“That might help,” Firian said.
“The dress I wore to the ball was my mom’s,” I said. “Dad sent it. I can’t imagine she didn’t buy that dress for some special day, right? So if I wear the dress, would that help?”
“That’s a great idea,” Montague said. “But still—defensive spell practice first.”
“It might help if we knew a little more,” Alec said. “Did she wear the dress on a date with your dad?”
“He said she bought it before they met.”
“I might be reaching,” Firian said, “but do you remember how Master Blair had a very strong reaction to that dress?”
“Yes…a lot of people did…”
“Yeah, but he seemed really shocked by it, and he’s old, and doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to be rendered speechless by a dress.”
“He did brag about going to clubs in the disco era,” Montague said.
“Like he’s seen the dress before?” My eyes widened. “It’s a good point. I mean, I’m sure he’s in on something.”
“We could break into his quarters during the…hmm. We just need an event that he’d definitely attend but might not notice if we weren’t there,” Alec said.
“You really want to break into his rooms, Alec?” Montague said. “Surely he has some wards up.”
“That’s why we need Harris,” Alec said. “He’s good at all the sneaky spells.”
“Are you sure we need Harris?” I asked. “If you’re so sure he likes me, do you really want to involve him in this?”
“He’s going to pretend he doesn’t care, and marry Daisy,” Alec said. “This is Harris we’re talking about. There’s no way he would ever date you, especially if we’ve already staked our claim. Still, it’s a good idea to make him feel needed.”
I snorted. “This sounds like a terrible idea.”
“Worst case scenario,” Montague said. “Master Blair catches us. If that happens, you need to cry. Tell him you just want answers about your mom, you know, lay it on thick.”
“Cry? Just because I’m a girl I have to bail all of us out with my sheer weepiness?”
“It would work,” Montague said. “Why ignore a potent weapon in your arsenal?”
“I am not doing that,” I said. “I don’t cry that much. It sounds degrading. You cry!”
“I never cry, and he wouldn’t care if I did.”
“You sound super sexist right now. If we’re caught—but we better not be, if Harris is so good at these sneaking spells—I will explain calmly,” I said.
“So when are we doing this?” Firian asked, crossing his arms as he leaned against a nearby tree, having left us to our arguing.
“I don’t know,” Alec said.
“Great plan, bro.”
As it turned out, that very week Master Blair announced that the roller rink would have a grand re-opening at the beginning of February, with various contests and prizes and, he added with a sneer, “some of that shitty modern music you all wanted.” Some guys in the corner yelled insults back. Master Blair gave them the finger, and Stuart took the mic and said, “All right, we’re going to have fun and I want to remind everyone of the rules of conduct at the roller rink, since it’s been a little while. We are gentlemen, aren’t we, Ignatius?”
Still, it was obvious that Master Blair would be overseeing the contests, and a lot of the guys seemed excited to attend, probably because it was just brutally cold on this mountain in winter due to the elevation, way worse than I was used to, and everyone was stir-crazy.
I was happy to spend the time spying instead. I was terrible at roller skating, but I also thought it was weird to have a bunch of guys roller skating without any girls around.
“Guys don’t just go roller skating by themselves!” I explained, when Montague seemed like he wanted us to make it a date instead.
“Do girls go roller skating by themselves?”
“Well, people don’t really roller skate that much anymore, but yeah, that’s a little less weird. Roller skating is girly.”
“You sound super sexist right now,” he said.
“It is the perfect night to spy,” Alec said. “It’s even a new moon. We’ll have the cover of shadow.”
He gave me this look like he wanted to break into Master Blair’s house and have sex on his couch or something.
“Good thing about those no-touching spells,” I said.
“Do you really believe that?” he said in my ear, tracing one finger lightly along my neck, making me shiver, before his hand was forced back.
Now the guys just had to convince Harris, who had been pretty buried in his studies and antisocial lately, not that he was ever Mr. Popularity. I let them handle it. It was their crazy idea anyway. Would uptight Harris really want to break in to the dean’s house? Nah. And did we really need him? We’d all been working really hard on our magic together when class was over. The guys were teaching me wards and repelling spells, so if Master Blair caught us, we could just repel him out the door and Montague could use his vampire mind magic to make him forget it ever happened.
I was settling into my seat at theurgy class when Montague walked by me and said, “He’s in.”
“Really?”
“I never doubted it,” Montague said. “There is a reason he’s in Lancelot House.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Charlotte
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” were Harris’ first words to me when we all gathered in the patch of trees behind Dean Blair’s house.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Your spells have a way of getting out of control.”
“I’ve been improving rapidly,” I said. “Practicing every day. Montague and Alec have been helping me out.”
“Is that so? So that’s where you guys have been lately. Well, that’s all for the best. I’ll be on the council someday. Professor Adams is giving me private lessons in demon summoning.”
“La-di-da,” I said, annoyed that he brought this up seemingly for no reason, especially when Professor Adams wouldn’t let me do anything.
Harris shrugged, dropping a leather satchel on the grass. “Well, let’s work quickly. Who knows how long it might take to find photographic evidence. I’m going to cast a spell that should let us slip through the wards. It feels to me like he just has a basic shield of light spell on the house, but there might be smaller wards inside.”
Once again, there was no doubt, Harris knew what he was doing when it came to magic. He had a focus and authority when he cast spells that Montague and Alec didn’t quite match.
We were all dressed in mostly black, which was fine since a lot of the uniforms were black anyway, and it was also about twenty degrees outside, so our coats and hats weren’t suspicious. Our flashlights might have been the biggest tipoff that we were up to something, especially since we stole them from a supply closet. Firian had appeared in a black uniform as well. A black cap with flaps covered Harris’ fair hair. With his ice blue eyes and arrogant expression, he would breeze through a casting call for Young German Officer Who Kicks Down a Door, Yells Stuff, Finds Anne Frank’s Hideout.
Damnit, I already have three guys, why do I keep feeling so magnetically drawn to the one that seems like he’s studying to be some evil council member and of course has everyone helping him along the way with private lessons and crap?
“It is the new moon,” Harris said. “Perfect timing. You planned that, didn’t you, Alec?”
“I didn’t plan the roller skate rink thing, but I did notice,” Alec said.
Harris traced a pentagram shape in
the snow at our feet with a stick and directed us to stand at each point.
“This spell will help to shield us as we cut through the ward,” Harris said. “We’re going to draw energy from the moon’s shadow. Take off your gloves.” He took a silver-edged mirror from his bag. Then he took out a bundle of white sage, lit it, and waved it over the mirror.
The smell of the sage mingled with the fireplaces burning logs all over the school, the mysterious scent of winter on the air.
My hair stood on end. This really felt like magic. Which was odd to say when I’d already been manipulating elements, but I understood that we were getting into more subtle territory here.
Having cleansed the mirror with the smoke, Harris shifted it until he found the moon in its reflection. Well, I assumed that was what he did. I couldn’t see it, but I trusted the magical vibe we had going. “Hecate, I call upon thee, bind the shadows of the moon to our forms, and let us break through the barriers of light, so that we may find the truth in darkness.”
His eyes flicked to me ever so briefly before he set the mirror down in the center of the pentagram between us. Then he held out his hand over it. “Take my hand, and walk the circle with me.”
We all held out a hand, one upon the other. Alec, Montague, me, and Firian last. Montague’s hand was freezing, of course, so I would have planned my position better if I’d realized what we were doing.
We walked, counter-clockwise, point to point, until we ended where we began. I felt a shadow pass over all of us. We all glanced around as we felt it.
Now Harris looked up with a faint gleam in his eyes. “Okay. We’re ready.”
We stepped out of the trees. Dance music was pounding in the distance, but Master Blair’s residence was in the loneliest corner of the campus, separated from the student quarters and classrooms. The staff all had Victorian homes like our dorms, but they were a little smaller. Master Blair’s was a white gothic mansion that reminded me of a wedding cake, symmetrical with arches of gingerbread over the windows.
“We stand out in the snow,” Firian said. “Maybe we should have worn white…”
“Shh!” I was nervous, wondering if maybe I should have just like, asked Master Blair if he knew my mom.
But you already know what he’s going to say.
Alec opened the door without any trouble but Harris stopped him from going in. He waved a hand over the door. “Okay. It’s safe,” he said. “Just wanted to make sure. You might feel a slight resistance as you pass through.”
We all crossed the doorway, floors creaking under our feet. Victorian houses were creepy in the dark. The air had this mysterious, musty scent that made it seem like no one lived here. Master Blair’s house had very simple furniture, kind of modern but still fitting the old house, with framed posters and art on the walls. I immediately started looking for shelves or anything that might hold photos. Hopefully they weren’t in his work office.
“Someone has to invite me in!” Montague hissed behind us.
Okay, I guess we all didn’t pass through the doorway.
“Come inside, creature of the night,” I said.
He glowered at me. “Don’t. Do you know how aggravating that is?”
“You really can’t enter without permission? That’s for real?”
“Yes. Only houses. Not public spaces. It’s usually not a problem unless I wanted a career in home invasion.” He sniffed the air. “Do you smell that, Alec?”
Alec sniffed the air now, clearly trying to pick out something, as we moved through the sparse, artsy living room down a narrow hall.
“I do,” Firian said.
“Good lord, it’s like hanging out with a pack of dogs,” Harris said.
“Speaking of that, Charlotte, your sense of smell should also be better than normal,” Firian said. “Since your grandfather is a werewolf. Are you picking up on that?”
“You mean that smell like a sad ghost in a library?”
He snapped his fingers. “Good girl. Have a treat.” He held some nachos over my head.
“Oh, stuff it.”
“Quit goofing off,” Harris said, because of course. “Be careful in here. There might be traps.”
Firian looked very unamused all of a sudden. “You don’t smell anything, do you, Harris? You’re just a human, no frills.”
“‘No frills’? That’s the only time I would ever be described as such. But no, I don’t sniff the air like a wild animal.”
“I think the smell is Harris’ knickers in a twist,” I said.
“Does anyone know what that smell is, though?” Montague said. “Because to me it smells like…death. I don’t mean a corpse. I mean…spirits. I think.”
“Have you ever smelled a spirit?” Harris asked.
“Not specifically. That’s why I’m unsure. But St. Augustine is very haunted and this smell is familiar. I wondered what it would smell like if Master Blair was talking to Samuel, because I feel like, if I had to guess…”
“Hey, I think I found it!” Alec had suddenly shot ahead.
We all edged ahead into a study. It was full of magical looking books on shelves that were very sturdy but still sagged a little, as if the sheer power of the books had overwhelmed the wood. As soon as I crossed into this room, I felt a little queasy.
“Alec, shit!” Harris hissed. “These are the wards I was talking about for the interior rooms.”
But now I could see why Alec had suddenly barged into Master Blair’s study. He had his flashlight pointed at a photo on his desk.
“Oh my god,” I said. “The dress. That’s…Mom.”
Master Blair was with three other people in the photo. My mom. Samuel. And another girl that Master Blair had his arm around. It was hard to tell ages with witches and warlocks because they often lived longer, but they all looked young and happy. The other girl bore a distinct resemblance to my mom and Samuel. It looked like they were going out on the town. My mom had on the pink dress, the other girl was in polka dots with a little fur cape, and the guys were wearing black suits, a little oversized. Everyone had sort of teased hair, the girls had makeup that was all red lips and intense eyes, and Samuel was rocking some eyeliner. It was definitely the 80s.
“Well, that is clear evidence,” Montague said.
“Guys, we have to go,” Harris said. “If we leave this instant I might have time to—“
“She looks like you,” Alec said. “And this other girl…she has to be another relative. The same nose and smile.”
“What do I do?” I didn’t want to let the picture go, seeing my mom in the dress, my mom young and smiling and adorable. “Do I confront him about this?”
“Put it down,” Harris said. “I said I’d help you break in. I’m not getting expelled over—“
“What are you kids doing?”
Suddenly Stuart was behind us in the doorway, and even though his tone was like, Threat Level: Mr. Rogers, it was Creepy As Fuck.
I screamed. We all screamed, actually.
Stuart held out a hand to take the picture. “Can I see this?” he asked, in the calmest tone but oh my god why was he so creepy all of a sudden? Why was he the creepiest man alive? What the fuck was Stuart? I felt like I was about to bolt in abject terror and I could not understand why my gut was reacting so violently.
Alec clutched my hand and got shoved back against the desk from the touch. “Sorry, Charlotte,” he said. “I thought that was Montague’s hand.”
Alec was so terrified he was going to hold hands with Montague? Well, it wasn’t just me then.
“Stuart. You scared the shit out of us.” Harris laughed with faint relief. “We’re just trying to understand what’s going on with Charlotte and her mother and Samuel Caruthers.”
Stuart put on his reading glasses. “Can I borrow one of your flashlights? Thank you. Oh…yes. That’s right. Ignatius does have a picture of Emily in that same dress you wore to the ball. I forgot.” He gave me the briefest glance with these eyes that were like, I am the l
ord of all eternity and before me you are a mere particle of dust, mortal.
“Ohmigod. Ohmigod. Please don’t hurt me,” I said. “I—I just needed to know. I’m sorry.”
Harris sighed impatiently. “Charlotte, it’s just Stu for gods’ sake, I think we’re cool. This all happened because the dean has just been acting strange this year, but he reacted strongly to Charlotte’s dress, like he’d seen it before. Right? We are cool, aren’t we?”
“We are cool,” Stuart said, with a mild smile. “Why don’t you take the photo, Charlotte? I’ll tell Master Blair that I gave it to you to cheer you up. I’m sure he probably has the negatives to make another copy.”
That must be some confusing old photo thing. I nodded dimly. All the terror I felt was tamped down, and I almost thought I must have imagined it, except that Professor Jablonsky had been perplexing me since the beginning.
“Your spells to get past the wards were very impressive,” Stuart said. “Who cast those?”
“I did, sir,” Harris said.
“Ah. Well, enjoy that in good health, but don’t do it again.”
“Who is the other woman in the picture?” I asked.
“That is Samuel’s little sister Ina,” Stuart said.
“Ina?” Another cousin. I was desperate to know more, my eyes practically willing the face of the grinning, dark-haired girl in polka dots to speak. “Is she still alive? Could I talk to her?”
“She is at the Haven,” Stuart said, and I picked up on some faint hint of warning.
“Thank you for understanding, Professor. Let’s go,” Montague said, his cold fingers startling me as they gripped my arm.
Chapter Forty-Five
Charlotte
“Maybe it’s better if we drop all of this,” Montague said, when we got back to the dorm.
“Drop…looking for answers?” I looked at the picture. It had only whetted my appetite for more. My mom seemed so happy. She hadn’t even met my dad at this point. What happened to her?
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