by G. P. Ching
“He told me,” Finn said.
“But yet he continues to teach it,” Ms. D said. “Teddy always had to walk the line. Never fully in the light.”
“Or the dark,” Finn said defensively. “He figured it out, you know? He suspected the Ms. D in the school was not you. That’s why he was training me. He was planning a coup.”
A smile spread her thin lips. “Of all people, he would know. We’ve been working together since 1931.”
“Then should I tell him what’s going on? He can help.”
“Absolutely not,” Gabriel said. “Sorcery in the presence of demons is too risky. If this man walks the line between light and dark as you say, you must not trust him, and you, Finn, must not resort to using what sorcery you’ve learned for any reason.”
Finn scratched the back of his head. “Okay.”
“So we’re in agreement?” Hope asked. “We attack during the performance.” The others nodded.
Gabriel turned his face toward the cave opening. “I must go. I am called.” With a nod from Hope, he dissolved as quickly as he’d arrived.
Ms. D jumped out of her chair and shuffled toward the entrance to the cave. “Oh dear, the time. You must go back. We’ve dallied too long. If you are not dressed and at breakfast on time, there will be hell to pay.”
Finn was afraid there was literal truth in that expression. Hope yanked him up by the elbow. He could hardly move. Not only was he physically exhausted from being up all night and climbing half a mountain, but he was mentally exhausted. Who could digest everything he’d heard that day? Hope was some sort of vigilante hero working for God. Soul-stealing clowns wanted him dead. Doppelgängers of past students roamed the world in positions of power. It was too much to take in.
“They’ll never make it,” Ms. D said to Paul.
“I’ll take them.” Paul rolled his wheelchair after Hope.
Ms. D placed a hand on Finn’s shoulder. “Don’t let us down, Finn. As strong as she is, she can’t do this alone. Hope needs you.”
All he could muster was a nod. He didn’t know what else to say.
Outside the cave, the sky had already taken on the faint glow of the coming dawn.
“Give me a second, and I’ll help you down the mountain,” Paul said.
Finn arched an eyebrow.
“I was destined for menagerie. Funny the things we’re afraid of. It turns out our fears are no more than reflections of what we see inside ourselves.” Paul removed his shirt and flopped out of his chair. Finn pivoted away from the pop, stretch, and slurp of his transformation. Hope did too, but not until she’d nudged Finn, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Not three minutes later, a whinny came from behind them. Paul had transformed into a draft horse, its chestnut coat the same color as his hair. With three running steps, Hope sprinted toward him, planted her hands on the length of his back, and vaulted one leg over. She held out a hand to Finn. He snorted at the offered help and levitated into position. But if he’d rejected the hand on principle, he did not avoid her waist as Paul took off running down the mountain. The sheer speed and agility of the horse was a clear indication of Paul’s magic, and they reached the thick fog at the base of the mountain in a fraction of the time it had taken them to climb.
“Thank you,” Hope said, as they slid off Paul’s back.
The horse bobbed its head and disappeared into the fog.
Finn cracked his neck, eyeing the brightening sky with apprehension. “Try to keep up,” he said to her through a half smile. He took off in the direction of the school.
“Whatever.” Hope sprinted after him, passing him in a heartbeat and navigating the dark forest like a native animal. Finn powered after her, half running, half flying.
His speed was such that when Hope tripped and face-planted in the dirt, Finn passed her by a good three feet before he was able to stop his momentum.
“What happened?” He extended his hand to help her.
She crouched to inspect the protrusion she’d encountered, her hands dusting along what looked like a root. Gradually, Finn made out a series of regular grooves in the pale arch. She dusted more vigorously, digging and yanking on what lay beneath. Her fingers caught on black leather.
“Is that…?” Finn didn’t want to believe it.
“I think we found Amanda.” The skeleton was face down, the spiked leather collar Finn remembered Amanda wearing still fastened around the cervical vertebrae. White bones, no smell. The corpse was picked clean by whatever scavengers lived in these woods.
“We’ve got to go, Hope. We’ve got to go now.” Finn scanned the trees for any movement.
“What should we do? She deserves better than having her remains left here to be chewed on by animals.”
Feeling sick, Finn tried to appeal to reason. “Once we do what we intend to do, we can come back for her.”
Logic won the day. She nodded, launching herself toward the school again. The sun broke the horizon. With a grunt, Finn soared to the ledge to open their window. He planned to go back down to get her, but Hope landed beside him on the ledge.
“Jumped,” she said.
Nodding, he closed the window behind them. “Ugh!” Finn grunted as Hope pulled his shirt and jacket over his head at super speed and kicked them under his bed.
“Wha-what?”
She disappeared into the bathroom.
He rounded the bed and selected a fresh uniform from his drawer. He was pulling on a clean pair of pants when the doorknob turned.
“Excuse me, I’m not dressed,” Finn said to Applegate, who didn’t pause for a second but invited herself in.
“You two are late for breakfast,” she said unapologetically. She sniffed the air, her eyes narrowing.
Finn pulled a clean shirt from his drawer and pulled it on over his head. “We’re late,” he called toward the bathroom.
Hope jogged out in a fresh uniform, pulling her newly wet hair into a high ponytail. “Sorry, Ms. Applegate.” Shoulder to shoulder, they raced past the admissions counselor and down to the dining room. Hope checked over her shoulder before reaching out to wipe a spit-moistened thumb across his cheek. Blood, she mouthed. He scrubbed his face with his sleeve without missing a step.
They crossed to the buffet, Applegate watching them from the stairs.
41
Practice
If Applegate suspected anything, she didn’t say a word. Finn continued to aerial class, as always, without further incident.
“Are you having trouble sleeping?” Wendy asked, sidling up to him in the garden.
“No. Why?” Finn asked.
She gestured under his eyes. “Matching luggage. Those dark bags under your eyes weren’t there yesterday.” Her freckled nose wrinkled. “Is everything okay?”
Finn was afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep a secret from Wendy if she asked the right questions. He couldn’t lie to her. One piercing look from her, and he’d fold like a tower of cards. He decided his best bet was to change the subject. “Uh, thinking about things.” He scratched the back of his head. “You know, things from the past. What did you do to end up here anyway?”
She did a double take, staring at the side of his head as they walked toward the gazebo. “Is that what kept you up? Thinking about what you did? That first day Ms. D said you burned down a school.”
Finn gave one curt nod.
“You certainly don’t seem the type.”
“It was an accident.”
“I see. I’m here for stealing. I’m an accomplished thief actually.” She picked at the corner of her thumbnail. “It’s always been easier for me because I’m small.”
“A thief?” Finn laughed. “You don’t seem the type.”
“You might be surprised.” The corner of her mouth curled into a knowing grin. “I was a cashier at Coffeeworks. You know that place where you can get those super-expensive espresso drinks?”
“Yeah, I’ve been there.”
“So, they have this thing c
alled an Americano on the menu. Basically, for two dollars you get a twelve-ounce cup you fill yourself at a coffee station. Anyway, I’d ring up the coffee drinks but not the Americanos. Only when people paid cash. I’d pocket the two dollars.”
“So how’d you get caught?”
“Missing cups. I stole two thousand dollars and they busted me for the missing cups.”
Finn laughed. “So, you’re here for stealing cups?”
“Ah, no. Fired, but not arrested. No, I’m here because I was walking out of a department store when someone bumped into me, and the alarms started going off. Turns out the person dropped expensive jewelry into my bag. The next thing I know, I’m sitting in a police station trying to explain why I have a stolen necklace in my purse. I was set up, but nobody believed me.” She gave a small giggle. “I guess it was karma.”
“What do your parents do?”
“They’re not thieves, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
Finn chuckled. “No. I wondered if you stole because you needed the money.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sorry. Not Robin Hood. My dad is an appellate court judge and my mom is a semifamous novelist. I’m a delinquent. I deserve to be here.”
Finn let that sink in for a few steps. “Me too. The fire may have been an accident, but I earned my place here. I did other things.”
She bit her lip. “I get it. You know, I’ve taken what I wanted my entire life. Never got caught. Never even got questioned. Still, it’s hard to accept that the thing they got me for, I didn’t do. I mean, why would someone steal something only to ditch it in someone else’s bag?”
A chill coursed through Finn’s body. Because you were chosen. Because your name is on a scroll in the headmistress’s office. “Weird,” he said.
“I told my lawyer, and he got us access to the security tapes. You can’t see the woman at all. It’s like she was a ghost.” Wendy chewed her lip pensively.
“I’m sorry to bring it up.”
She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. It would have caught up with me sooner or later. At least, the way it went down, I ended up here.”
Finn smiled and reached out to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry you got in trouble, but I can’t say I’m sorry we both ended up here.”
She leaned in until her freckled nose was almost touching his. “I agree.” He stared at her lips. Full. Petal pink. He should kiss her. He should kiss her now. He leaned in. Her eyes wrinkled at the corners, focused on his mouth.
“Wager! Matthews!” Orelon yelled. Breaking the spell, Wendy stepped back, giggling. Then she whirled, her brown braid flying over her shoulder, and ran for the gazebo.
42
The Magician and the Enchanter
When the joker warmed in Finn’s pocket, he thought about ignoring it. Gabriel had told him not to trust Theodor. Although Finn didn’t agree that the magician was dangerous, it was hard to argue with an honest-to-goodness, white-winged angel. But when Finn’s arm started to itch, it became clear avoidance wasn’t an option.
Theodor didn’t say a word to him until they’d made the journey from the library to his office, where the magician took a seat behind his massive mahogany desk. Today, the surface of the desk was covered with a complex spread of tarot cards that Theodor perused for a moment before focusing on Finn. He did not look happy.
“You had quite the adventure last night, and it appears you have something to tell me.”
He shrugged. “Like what?” To keep from meeting Theodor’s gaze, he looked at the series of rune symbols scrolled like equations across the chalkboard. Difficult magic. The most complex spell Finn had ever seen.
“What happened last night?”
Finn remained silent.
“We had an agreement, Finn. Total trust. ”
His arm began to burn again and he rubbed it anxiously. Hotter and hotter. Sweat broke out across his upper lip. “You were right about Ms. D,” he blurted when he could stand no more.
“What about Victoria?” Finn blew out a relieved breath as the pain abated.
“That she’s not herself. She is quite literally not herself. I met the real Victoria Duvall on Murder Mountain last night.”
Theodor’s face remained impassive, but he reached for the deck of cards within his jacket and tossed one at the door. “Mute,” he said. Purple ice grew from the point of impact, up over the ceiling, across the floor, and around the perimeter. By the time Theodor caught the returning card, they were sealed inside a purple igloo. “Go ahead.”
“I thought your office was already charmed for privacy.”
“It was, but a magician can never be too careful.”
Once Finn began to speak, he couldn’t stop. Everything from finding Amanda’s bones in the Crimson Forest, to Paul’s survival, to Hope’s resurrection and her angel Gabriel poured out of him in goose bump-inducing detail. Theodor listened intently, stroking his ever-tightening jaw with the back of his knuckles. His lips pursed when Finn finally ran out of words.
Theodor leaned back in his chair like he’d finished a heavy meal. “You were right to share this with me.”
“They didn’t want me to. Gabriel said sorcery in the presence of demons is too risky.”
Theodor swept the cards off his desk and into a pile. “Don’t worry, Finn. No one needs to know that you’ve told me. I won’t get involved unless I need to.”
“And you’ll be careful if you do? You won’t use sorcery.”
“Victoria is wrong about me. I’ve never crossed the line. The power I have, I’ve developed carefully, and I wield it with the utmost responsibility.”
Finn met his mentor’s gaze and held it. “I thought so.”
“You’re not ready,” Juliette said through drawn lips.
“I can do it. You saw me do it.” Hope looked to the two servants sitting on the camelback sofa for backup. She’d successfully split her illusion so that Howard had seen a cat dancing, Gertrude had seen a fountain in a vast garden, and Juliette had been transported to a field where a white palomino charged at her through the wheat.
The servants didn’t say anything at first, but under the weight of Hope’s stare, Gertrude caved. “It felt as if I could touch the water, and the colors of the flowers were lovely.”
Juliette huffed, waving her hand at the two servants. “You are dismissed.” Gertrude and Howard scattered. “What do they know? I could clearly see the outline of the cat through the palomino in my vision.”
“If that’s true, what color was the cat?” Hope asked.
“Palomino colored. I told you, I saw an outline.”
“Okay, what type of cat was it?”
“You want me to tell you the breed of the cat in your illusion?”
“Not the breed, just what it looked like. Did it have long ears or short? A snout or a pushed-in nose? What was the length of its hair?”
“Your behavior is pugnacious, Hope. I expected better from you.”
“How is it pugnacious to want credit for doing what I did? I have done everything you’ve asked of me. I am ready to perform.”
“We will perform together, and you will remain my mentee for another semester.”
Not likely, Hope thought. She’d be relieved when she was home and Revelations was a distant memory.
“Honestly, by now I’d expect a little more from you. I’ve tolerated your aggression because of your natural talent for enchanting, but how much insubordination can a teacher tolerate?”
“Insubordination?” Hope cried, appalled.
“I’ve had enough of your outbursts. You are dismissed.” Juliette pointed at the door.
“But shouldn’t we practice—”
“Go!”
Hope shuffled out the door with a burgeoning sense of dread. The spring show was less than two weeks away. A practice cut short almost guaranteed they’d not be in sync for the performance. She was being set up to fail. But what to do about it? The plan was to overthrow Ms. D and close down
the school. Did she truly care how she performed in this production? She had to admit she did. Hope wasn’t the type to do anything halfway.
But more than that, she was sure Juliette had a reason for setting her up to fail. Mike. If Hope’s intuition was right, Juliette would try to frame her for his death. Just try it, she thought as she exited the apartment. She was more than ready to take on Juliette.
The night before the show, Finn lay awake, staring at the ceiling. “Are you sure you’re ready?” he asked Hope.
“I was born for this,” she said softly.
“I heard Gabriel say that before, but I don’t really get it.”
“What don’t you get?”
“You were born with certain abilities. I get that. But because someone is good at math doesn’t mean they will become a mathematician. It’s just as likely they’ll be a scientist or an accountant. What if they’re good at math but they have the heart of an artist? What you’re born with is biology. What you choose to be is vocation.”
“Did you read that on a greeting card?”
“Inspirational poster.”
“I get what you’re saying. I do. But this is different. I’m the only one. The last Soulkeeper. I’m done fighting it. It’s my responsibility and that’s all there is to it. Besides, I can’t watch you get demon-snatched. It would break my heart.”
Finn smiled into the darkness. “I’m glad I mean that much to you.”
She chuckled. “Plus, once I’m done with this, we’ll all be able to get back to our normal lives. That’s worth any amount of effort.”
“I take it this isn’t something you do every other Tuesday, then?”
“Nope. This is my first official mission. There’s only one fallen angel left on the planet—the demon of greed—and he’s more interested in amassing wealth than fighting me. This place represented an unusual and rare situation. Hopefully the last one for some time.”