Shifter In The Swamp (Academy of Necessary Magic Book 1)

by Martha Carr

  “Something’s wrong.”

  Summer snorted. “Yeah, really great insight into the obvious.”

  A dark cloud kicking up sprays of water and reeds and dirt barreled toward the campus out of the swamp, rising and groaning and bringing with it an even more powerful wind as the intruder alarm still blared across the school.

  Amanda took off toward the dorms again.

  “What are you doing?” Summer shouted after her.

  “Do you wanna get caught out here in this and get detention again? I don’t!”

  Before they reached the dorm, there was already a crowd of groggy students emerging from both buildings, rubbing their eyes and grimacing at the alarm.

  “Someone needs to turn that thing off.”

  “What the hell’s going on?”

  “Man, how are we supposed to sleep with all this noise?”

  Amanda turned and stared at Summer. “Something’s been happening with the wards. The ones around the school.”

  “You know this how?”

  “It’s been happening all semester.”

  “Everyone back inside!” Ms. Calsgrave raced toward the doors with a large cloth tote slung over one shoulder, her hair whipping around her face. “Get back to your rooms and stay there!”

  “What’s happening?”

  “Ms. Calsgrave, did someone break in?”

  The Illusions teacher ignored the questions and waved back toward the dorms. “We’ll answer your questions later, but for now—”

  The wards around the school exploded again behind the dorms, and the students lost it.

  Calsgrave gritted her teeth and raced out into the center of the field. Behind her were Mr. Petrov and Principal Glasket, both of them still in their pajamas.

  “Everyone get your asses inside!” Petrov roared.

  The other students had no problem following his orders as they all scrambled back toward the dorms.

  The dark cloud that had built out in the swamps now made its way like a cyclone across campus toward the central field, right where Ms. Calsgrave knelt in the grass and hurriedly pulled out a bunch of different tools—candles, cloths, crystals.

  “Miss Coulier. Miss Flannerty.” Glasket came up behind them, trying not to look worried as the dark storm ripped up the smaller trees at the edge of campus and hurled them back into the swamp. “Everyone needs to get inside.”

  “What’s going on?” Amanda asked.

  “Yeah, who’s this unidentified intruder?”

  “We’ll handle this, girls. Our top priority is keeping our students safe, and that includes you.”

  Amanda stared at Calsgrave trying to assemble what looked a lot like the setup she’d had at her ancestral séance table at Halloween. “She thinks it’s a spirit?”

  “We aren’t sure.”

  Amanda turned to Summer and held out her hand. “Give me the crystal.”

  “Yeah, take it. I don’t want it.”

  The buzzing, tingling stone settled in Amanda’s hand, and she took off toward the field and Calsgrave.

  “Get inside and—Miss Coulier! Stop!” Glasket shouted. “Amanda!”

  “I can help!” She raced toward the Illusions teacher with the crystal buzzing in her hand as the wind kicked up even harder. Calsgrave didn’t notice her arrival until the shifter girl slid across the grass on her knees. “You think it’s a spirit, don’t you?”

  “Miss Coulier, in all my years of communing with the dead and unseen forces, there are only two times I’ve seen something as powerful as this.” The woman fumbled to arrange her crystals as the wind whipped at both of them. “This is the second.”

  “The first was with my parents. Right?”

  Calsgrave pressed her lips together and shot the girl a brief sidelong glance. “You do seem to attract rather powerful entities.”

  “I have no idea why. Maybe I can stop it.” Amanda opened her hand to reveal the purple crystal.

  The teacher frowned. “What is that?”

  “It helps with magic. What do you have to do?”

  “I’m going to banish this entity out of the school. It’s triggered the wards and alarms—”

  “I’ll try to hold it off.” Amanda leapt to her feet and took off toward the building storm cloud howling its way out of the swamps.

  “Amanda, stop! You can’t—”

  The woman’s words were lost in the wind as Amanda darted forward. If I could bring my family back for everyone to see with this stupid rock, I can do something with whatever this thing is.

  A younger oak tree split and cracked under the gale, shedding long branches and a spray of splintered wood before the storm tossed it across the field. Amanda ducked beneath the flying branches and kept running toward the cyclone. I have to figure out the right magic to use. Or visualize it.

  She skidded to a stop in front of the wards when they burst again with purple light and spraying sparks. The dark cloud roiled toward her, and she clenched the stone even tighter as she held it out toward the howling entity.

  The dark light of the crystal flashed in her hand as she imagined banishing whatever this was from the campus and away from the students and teachers. Come on!

  The light flashed brilliantly, blinding her for a moment, and the storm only kicked up with even more force. Then a face appeared in the dark cloud—a man’s face, distorted and elongated and furious, churning in the air.

  “Take it back!” the entity screamed, and its mouth opened impossibly wide as the storm barreled toward her.

  Trees uprooted all over the campus, tossed aside as the wards went haywire and lit up the entire school in a blaze of purple light and sparks and sulfur.

  Take it back? That’s what Claire said.

  The ground trembled, and the pissed-off entity became a massive fist of wind and dirt that crashed down toward her. Amanda leapt aside and stumbled to her knees as the ghostly fist pummeled the earth, sending up huge chunks of grass and dirt. The thing roared.

  Spirits. And this stone. I shouldn’t be trying to do magic with this thing at all.

  As the cloud reared back to attack again, Amanda shifted, scooped up the crystal between her jaws, and darted away around the edge of the field toward the northern tip of the campus.

  That was the mistake. Taking this crystal. Not me.

  Calsgrave stared at her with wide eyes as the small gray wolf raced around the field. “Amanda! It’s not safe!”

  The students gathered inside the common rooms of the dorms stared out the open doorways, watching the dark entity moan and howl and charge across the campus after the wolf with the purple crystal in her mouth.

  Amanda raced as fast as she could, her sides heaving. She ran wide around the buildings, hoping the angry spirit wouldn’t barrel right through the dorms or the kitchen and send students and faculty flying.

  I knew this was a bad idea. Now I have to fix it.

  Chapter Thirty

  The spirit chased her back to the northernmost tip of the campus boundaries. By the time Amanda reached the island where Summer’s first explosion had unearthed the underground temple, swamp water, mud, and flying debris coated her. Trees groaned and splintered all around her. The wind coming after her pushed her even faster until she skidded to a halt in front of the crater in the ground.

  Take it back. No problem.

  She meant to dive into the tunnel and return the crystal to that pedestal in the ruins, but the spirit caught up to her before she could leap.

  An animalistic growl split the air, and the wind pummeled into Amanda and tossed her across the ground.

  She yelped and rolled, and the crystal flew from her jaws, toppling toward the hole.

  No, no, no. Wait. I have to put it back.

  “Mine!” the entity roared, gaining on her as she struggled to her feet.

  She tried to find the crystal, but it was gone now. Maybe lying at the bottom of the hole and hopefully not buried in the mud at the bottom of the swamp. She turned to face the thing an
d snarled. I can’t fight it with magic or my teeth. Plus, I don’t have what it wants anymore.

  She heard the teachers shouting her name as they raced after her, and she darted toward the opening to check for the crystal. There it was, pulsing with dark light at the bottom. Amanda leapt down, bashing her flank against the earthen wall but escaping another huge ghost fist crashing down onto the island.

  The crystal skittered across the dirt, but she picked it up again in her jaws and raced down the tunnel toward the underground temple.

  Take it back. Take it back.

  When she reached the open chamber, the entire place shuddered and trembled around her. Her paws splashed through the water, and she shifted back into her human form as she reached the pedestal, spitting the crystal out into her open hand. Then she slammed it down on the pedestal and stepped away. “Sorry. I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t know.”

  The howling wind whistled through the tunnel behind her. Before she could turn to face the angry spirit, the gale pulled her off her feet and sucked her back through the corridor. Her arms and legs bashed against the walls, and she scrambled to find a handhold on anything that would keep her from being thrown from the tunnel’s end. However, when she reached the opening leading to the surface, the powerful entity tossing her around drew her up and out and spat her back down on the island.

  “Amanda!” Glasket shouted while splashing through the water. A flash of white light rose from the principal’s hands.

  Amanda saw the ground racing up to meet her but didn’t have time to do anything before she hit the earth and everything went black.

  The next time she moved, her entire body flared to life as one massive ache. She tried to push herself up and found soft sheets and a mattress beneath her instead of the hard ground of the island she’d expected. Then she opened her eyes to the blazing overhead light.

  Where am I?

  It took a moment for her to get her bearings again, but then the dizziness finally stopped, and she realized she was lying in a bed in the med ward.

  Great. I hope I didn’t break anything.

  With a groan, she sat up and looked herself over. The bruises on her arms—at least the ones she could see—were already starting to heal. She stretched her neck out from side to side and smacked her parched lips.

  “Oh, good. Look who’s awake.” Nurse Aiken scurried across the room with a plastic cup of water in hand. “Here.”

  “Thanks.” Amanda’s voice was raspy and barely more than a whisper, but she downed the whole glass of water anyway and tried again. “Thank you.”

  “Mm-hmm.” The dwarf nurse with huge brown curls pinned high on her head set the cup down and stuck both hands on her hips. “This might be the only time I tell a student it’s a good thing they’re a shifter. Anyone else would’ve spent a week in my care before they could sit up like that. You’ve healed quickly.”

  “Yeah. That happens.” Amanda ran a hand through her hair and grimaced at the tightness of her muscles. “Is everyone okay?”

  Nurse Aiken scoffed. “That depends on how you define okay. Is anyone else hurt? Not nearly as much as you were. For the most part, I think they’re merely confused and scared. So sure, I’d say everyone’s all right. Especially now that you’re awake. Can you walk?”

  “I think so.” Amanda pushed herself to the edge of the bed and slowly stood on shaky legs.

  “Good.” Aiken let out a disgruntled huff. “Then you’d better make your way to Principal Glasket’s office. She’s waiting for you to show up and explain yourself.”

  “Oh. Right now?”

  The nurse pointed at the open door, and Amanda shuffled across the room. “Am I in trouble?”

  “That’s for Principal Glasket to say. Still, I wouldn’t keep her waiting if I were you.”

  Great. I just woke up from being knocked out by a ghost, and now I’m getting sent to the principal’s office.

  Gritting her teeth, Amanda made her way through the med ward's empty halls and out into the main corridor, where she turned toward the center of the building. No, she hadn’t had to go to Glasket’s office before this, but she knew where it was. Front and center at the top of the second-floor staircase.

  When she finally reached the office, the door was slightly open, and she glimpsed Glasket sitting behind her desk. The principal gave her a sharp glance, then waved her forward.

  “Come in, Miss Coulier. Good to see you up and walking around so soon.”

  Grimacing more in apprehension than pain, Amanda pushed the door wider and stepped inside.

  Ms. Calsgrave sat in a chair beside the principal’s desk, and only one of the chairs in front of Glasket was empty. The other one held Summer.

  “Oh.”

  “Have a seat.” Glasket gestured toward the empty chair. “We have a lot to discuss.”

  Amanda sat and shared a glance with Summer, who scowled at everybody and everything. “Is everyone okay?”

  “They are. That was some quick thinking. Of course, we would’ve been better equipped to handle the situation if either of you had told us about your little discovery out there in the swamp.” Glasket folded her hands on her desk and raised her eyebrows, glancing back and forth between the girls. “Let’s hear it, then.”

  “I already told you,” Summer said. “I blew up the island, we found that temple underground and the stone, and I took it. What else is there?”

  “Yes, Miss Flannerty. Your recap was more than enlightening enough. Thank you. I’d like to hear the story from Miss Coulier this time.”

  Amanda cleared her throat. “That’s what happened.”

  “And the crystal?” Calsgrave asked.

  “Yeah, we used it.”

  “Uh-huh.” Glasket sat back in her chair. “In the last twenty-four hours since a powerful entity breached the Academy’s warded boundary, Ms. Calsgrave and I discovered what you two stumbled upon. The owner of that stone more or less created that temple. You’re lucky the owner isn’t alive to press charges for ransacking a magical’s grave and essentially looting their tomb.”

  “Yeah, I figured out what it was during the chase.” Amanda glanced down at her lap. “I put the stone back.”

  “You did. Not a moment too soon, either.”

  “That artifact called the magical’s spirit back into this realm,” Calsgrave continued. “It almost destroyed this school in the process. You should’ve turned the soul shard over to us the second you found it. Do you understand?”

  Neither girl said a word.

  “Ms. Calsgrave asked you a question,” Glasket barked.

  “Yes, I understand,” Amanda muttered.

  “Got it,” Summer added.

  “Good.” Glasket cleared her throat. “Now that we know what happened, we’ve sealed the temple, and neither of you is to return to that part of the swamp.”

  “Wait; what?” Summer whipped her head up to stare at the teachers. “That crystal is super powerful. It channels magic. You guys should at least keep it. Study it. Hell, figure out how to make more so we can—”

  “And risk the wrath of that unsettled spirit sweeping through this entire campus with its vengeance? Again?” Principal Glasket shook her head. “Absolutely not, Miss Flannerty. You uncovered a magical’s resting place, and the only thing we’ll do with it is allow that magical to continue to rest. Is that clear?”

  Summer rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything.

  “Of course, none of us at this school were aware of such temples and tombs beneath the grounds. The Everglades have been here for quite some time, and it’s impossible to discover everything within them. Or beneath them.” Glasket looked at Calsgrave and nodded.

  “That’s why we’ll be extra careful with how we move forward,” the Illusions teacher added. “Taking a much closer look at the grounds and paying special attention to what we find, where it is, and how we interact with it. Needless to say, there will most likely be more discoveries as you two progress through your classes and move ont
o the next three years of your academic career at this school.”

  “You’re not kicking us out?” Amanda asked, her heart fluttering in her chest.

  “No, Miss Coulier.” Glasket’s smile was tight. “However, you have earned yourself another round of detention. Both of you.”

  “What?”

  “Oh, come on.” Summer scoffed. “She saved the school. You saw what that thing did—”

  “Yes, and that spirit would never have arisen to take back what belonged to it if either of you had come forward with your discovery,” Calsgrave admonished. “If Amanda wanted to get points for saving the school, she should have told us about what you’d found that first week.”

  “So you want all the students to turn into snitches here, then. Is that it?” Summer folded her arms and glared at the teachers.

  “No.” Glasket shook her head. “We want you to learn the difference between keeping necessary secrets and divulging them. Between secrets that protect others and those that do far more harm than good.”

  The principal looked directly at Amanda then and raised an eyebrow.

  Yeah. All my secrets too. Like being a shifter and having a murdered family and almost being sold into slavery.

  “Your detention starts today since Miss Coulier is well enough to be up and about after last night’s escapades.”

  “More scrubbing buildings, huh?”

  “That’s part of it. You’ll also be scouring the campus boundaries and double-checking the reinforced wards around the school. Three times a day at a minimum. If any of us catch you doing anything but cleaning or checking the wards, you’ll only add more time to your punishments. Most likely more punishments too. You’ll do this every day for the rest of the semester, which I believe is about four weeks.”

  “This is stupid.”

  “Yes, Miss Flannerty.” Glasket looked like she was about to burst out laughing. “At least you’ll have plenty of time to think about how you can be smarter. You’re dismissed. Mr. Petrov has the cleaning supplies out and waiting for you. Plus instructions on how to double-check our new wards.”